After resting for a day at Twin Cape, Nami learned from Crocus that every island on the Grand Line possesses its own magnetic field. As a result, the compass used in the East Blue was completely useless here—something that exposed a major gap in her knowledge.
Fortunately, Mr. 9 and Princess Vivi had a Log Pose pointing to the next island—Whiskey Peak, a place occupied by bounty hunters.
When Vivi revealed her identity, the sharp-minded Nami didn't believe her at all. Not only that, Vivi even wanted to lead them straight into the enemy's base—it sounded like walking right into a trap.
However, the Straw Hats didn't have a Log Pose of their own. If they sailed blindly and accidentally entered the Calm Belt, the countless Sea Kings there would be far beyond what they could handle.
This time, with Vivi acting as their guide, the Straw Hat crew avoided being deceived upon arriving at Whiskey Peak. As captain, Luffy also didn't end up fighting Zoro due to any misunderstanding.
Mr. 8, a Baroque Works agent stationed on the island, turned out to be Vivi's ally. With the two insiders working together, they easily dealt with hundreds of bounty hunters.
After defeating their enemies, the group enjoyed a hearty feast. But that night, reinforcements from Baroque Works arrived—a man and a woman sent to eliminate Princess Vivi. Anyone who uncovered the organization's secrets would be erased. Ironically, the leader of this bounty hunter organization was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
"Princess Vivi, we're just following orders. If you return to Alabasta, it'll cause a lot of trouble for the organization."
Mr. 5, a Paramecia-type Bomb-Bomb Fruit user—more crudely known for turning his boogers into explosives—prepared for battle.
The fight broke out instantly. Mr. 5 flicked explosive boogers from his nose, each one detonating with terrifying force. Zoro tested them with his sword—though he cut them in half, they still exploded.
"A pirate hunter boarding a pirate ship? I'll crush you right here!"
Amid the explosions, a blonde woman floated into the air—Miss Valentine, a user of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit, capable of adjusting her weight freely up to several tons.
But just as the two struck dramatic poses, Luffy and Zoro each picked an opponent. Within a couple of moves, they knocked them both down effortlessly.
The duo relied too heavily on their Devil Fruit abilities, and their physical combat skills were lacking. Against the Straw Hats, their defeat was inevitable.
With this incident, the crew finally believed Vivi's story.
At her request, Luffy agreed to help. The idea that a Warlord of the Sea was destroying a country was something he simply couldn't tolerate.
Seeing Vivi kneel before him in tears made it even worse—Luffy hated seeing people cry. It only strengthened his resolve to defeat Crocodile. And really, how scary could a Warlord be? Could he be stronger than Buggy?
Nami, however, knew better. The Seven Warlords were pirates powerful enough to be recruited by the Marines. But Luffy and Zoro were already itching for a fight, completely unaware of how terrifying such enemies truly were.
Meanwhile, two Baroque Works agents responsible for intelligence gathering—Mr. 13 and Miss Friday—had been eavesdropping from upstairs.
By the time they were discovered, they had already escaped. Seeing this, Nami nearly collapsed in panic. She grabbed Vivi by the collar, wishing she had never learned any of this.
It was already dark, and Nami hoped the sea otter and vulture hadn't gotten a clear look at her face. She even considered returning to Cocoyasi Village to hide.
But after taking only a few steps, she saw Mr. 13—the sea otter—sketching portraits. Before she could react, he proudly showed her the drawing.
"It looks just like us…!"
Even Nami couldn't help but admire the skill—it was far more professional than the Marines' intelligence department.
The sea otter hopped back onto the vulture, carrying portraits of the entire Straw Hat crew, and flew off into the sky—leaving everyone helpless.
"Come back! I don't want to be hunted down!"
Nami was left on the spot, on the verge of tears. She curled up in a corner, hugging her knees, shutting herself off. Vivi tried to comfort her by offering her personal savings—500,000 Beli.
"You're the only princess of Alabasta. There must be a lot of treasure in your treasury, right? If we help save your country, asking for some compensation isn't too much, is it?"
Seeing Nami's eyes turn into symbols of money, Vivi asked weakly, "How much are you asking for?"
"Not much… just about 1 billion Beli."
Vivi: "...Can I take back my sympathy?"
Before becoming a Warlord, Crocodile had a bounty of 80 million Beli—already equivalent to four Arlongs. And after joining the Warlords, his bounty was frozen, but his actual strength had only grown stronger.
Hearing this, Usopp trembled in fear. An enemy of that level wasn't something they could handle. He even suggested they split up and run.
That earned him a punch from Nami, knocking him flat. For the sake of 1 billion Beli, she was willing to risk it all—she had never seen that much money in her life.
Just as they were discussing their next move, Mr. 8—also known as Igaram—stepped forward in disguise, dressed as Vivi.
Holding several decoys, he planned to draw the enemy's attention and sacrifice himself so the others could escape.
Vivi immediately refused. "No, Igaram! I won't let you die!"
"Your Highness, this is the Log Pose for the next island. You must take the Straw Hats and save our kingdom."
Igaram had already resolved himself. After seeing how easily they defeated Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, he believed—just as the "heavenly screen" had foretold—that Luffy could defeat Crocodile.
"I can help you."
A black-haired young man with a tied-up bun stepped out from the shadows, abruptly interrupting the emotional exchange.
"How did you get out?!"
He was the same young man who had drifted to Whiskey Peak in a small boat before the Straw Hats arrived. Since he had no bounty, Igaram assumed he was just a clueless newcomer to the Grand Line—and had him knocked out drunk and locked up.
"That little place couldn't hold me. I just sobered up."
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