[11] The Baroque Work

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Chapter 11: The Baroque Work

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[A few hours ago]

Vivi's group reached Yuba almost half a day after they set out, so it was evening now and the hot atmosphere was calming down rapidly.

However, neither of the three people felt at ease even with the temperature dropping. Standing on the peak of a sand hill, Vivi and Pell were sweating coldly.

However, the sight in front of them seemed to bother them more than the sweating.

"How is this possible…"

Vivi's eyes couldn't believe the scene ahead.

Yuba had been a prosperous city, originally built a few years ago with the purpose of acting as an intersection for the towns and villages of western Alabasta. Since its creation three years ago, it has been an oasis of a place.

But now?

Huge trees that were the base of this city were broken in half, resting on broken rooftops of the more broken houses– houses that were empty by now. A sandstorm had reportedly hit this place, and the team of three could still see sand softly blowing around the place.

"I thought they were exaggerating…" Pell gulped at the scene. "We should inform His Highness first, then do whatever he tells us to do."

Mr. Toto was the mayor of this region, and he had gone to King Cobra a few days ago to inform him about this incident. Many people had died, and all had lost their homes. Cobra was very busy due to some other political things at the moment, so he handed the job over to Vivi, who was to be accompanied by Pell and Hashirama just in case.

Hashirama wasn't only here to accompany Vivi, however, as he was to try and fix the problem of the fallen trees, if possible.

Hashirama– the Wood Clone –watched the scene with a different reaction than the other two. Contrary to their simple fright and pity at the scene, Hashirama was frowning, annoyance and anger flowing through his chest.

He had spent nights in this city, building everything from scratch. So to see it crumble down like this, he felt something irk into his soul. It didn't help that he knew this wasn't a natural disaster, of course.

All of this was the doings of Sir Crocodile.

He was finally making his moves. But why now? It could be that he had reached the limits of his patience, but Hashirama sensed something else.

Was it his sister's departure?

Tsunade had shared the information that she would leave Alabasta to the King and Queen a few weeks ago, and the Royals had made countless preparations for her departure– since Tsunade was quite an important figure in this country, especially to the Royal family.

But of course, these 'preparations' couldn't be completed without more people, people who may have been working for Crocodile.

Was that why Crocodile made this calculated move?

Besides that, however, there may be someone else involved in this.

'Nico Robin.'

Hashirama recalled the Devil Child.

'She should have joined Crocodile 4 years before the start of the canon timeline. Currently, three years remain. She's been with him for a year by now, she probably made this plan for Crocodile to act on.'

He liked Robin, but as an enemy, she ought to be annoying. Fortunately, it wasn't as if she was an irreversible villain, he could make her change teams if he managed to earn a meeting with her.

"R-right, Pell. We should discuss this with Father."

Unbeknownst to Hashirama's thoughts, Vivi agreed to Pell.

Then she turned to Hashirama to find him looking down at the scene with a frown.

"Hashirama?"

"You two should go." Hashirama turned to her. "I will fix the tree problem here. That was my job from the get-go, anyway."

Vivi looked at him with a contemplating expression before she nodded slowly.

"Alright. You should finish quickly then, and follow after us. Pell will take me to Alubarna by the sky, so we may be able to return even before you are done."

Hashirama nodded at her.

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After some warning and a small chat, Pell transformed into his bird form, granted by his Bird-Bird Fruit: Model Falcon.

Vivi jumped above his broad shoulders and then the both of them gave Hashirama a nod before Pell leapt into the air, flapping his wings.

"Be careful of the storm!" said Vivi as she started to rise in the air.

Hashirama was looking at her as she waved at him, his mind busy contemplating– and because of that distraction, he didn't notice the 'accident' that happened right then.

Not even 5 seconds in the sky, Pell crashed down, hit by what seemed like a small meteorite.

Regaining his senses, Hashirama tried to catch them by making heavy bushes in the spot they were about to fall down at, but he was too slow as the two of them fell, with another person above them.

The person who had fallen from the sky.

"Kyahaha!" Even as Hashirama ran to the scene, worried, he heard a burst of cruel but cheerful laughter come from there. "Well, that was easy."

A blonde, grinning woman– who Hashirama had trouble recognising.

Hashirama stopped a few metres away from the laughing maniac, a blonde woman with green eyes and a maniacal grin, as she sat her butt on top of Pell's face.

Pell was unconscious, and Vivi was on the side, her arm bent in a way that it shouldn't be while she moaned in pain, her eyes half open.

The woman, Hashirama recognised soon.

Under a deep blue jacket, she wore a yellow and orange hat, as well as a yellow dress with a lemon-like pattern, lemon earrings, and white high-heeled shoes, which were poking at Vivi's stomach.

Mikita, or Miss Valentine of the Baroque Works.

If not for the dress, he may not have recognised her since her real-life appearance was quite different compared to the 2D appearance he remembered seeing in the anime. For reference, he didn't remember her being this striking hot in the anime.

But that didn't matter now.

She had hurt Vivi.

She needed to go down.

Hashirama gestured his right hand upwards and immediately wooden vines, one after another, crept out of the sandy ground and wrapped around her.

Mikita had noticed his presence by then, but it was too late as the vines were tightening around her stomach and throat to choke her.

"Akk-" Mikita choked on air, her eyes wide at the sudden attack. "L-let go-"

Hashirma felt through the mental connection with the vines as she increased her weight using her Kilo-Kilo Fruit, trying to free herself from this grip. But all it did was make the people under her suffer more, which Hashirama couldn't let happen.

He felt a tightness in his senses as his veins lifted up her overweight self, taking her away from his two companions, and dropping her to the side.

The vines didn't loosen around her neck and stomach, though, which made her glare at him in anger and horror.

"Keogh…! Y-you bastard!" she yelled. "Mr. Five, kill him…!"

Mikita barely managed to spit out the words as, to Hashirama's surprise, he heard the loading up of a gun on the side.

Hashirama turned to his right, finding a man standing on top of a sandhill far from there, a revolver in his hand, as he blew his breath into it.

'Shit!'

Hashirama cursed, knowing what was coming.

– Bang!

[Breeze Breath Bomb], a bullet made of air that was imbued with the power of Mr. Five's Bomb-Bomb Fruit.

Dodging was impossible, the man had already pulled the trigger, but Hashirama had managed to spread all his chakra around his body to strengthen it like a shield by then.

But in the end– he was a clone, not the real deal, he didn't have the same amount of Chakra, and the amount he did have wasn't enough.

One by one, the round of bullets was emptied onto Hashirama's body, bursting into an explosion upon it hitting him, and only two of them were enough as Hashirama— the Wood Clone —dispersed into a puff of smoke.

"—Cough!"

Mikita coughed, the vines around her neck loosening, though they didn't disappear. She pushed against the vines to release herself while Mr. Five made his way here.

"W-what happened to him?" Mikita asked, rubbing her neck with a rage-filled glare. "I didn't know you could make people explode into smoke?"

Mr. Five stared at her for a moment, his gaze unreadable due to the shade he was wearing, before he shrugged. "It happens from time to time."

"Ah… Aha, I see." Mikia sighed, decidedly ignoring him, and turned her gaze to the two people lying on the ground behind her.

Vivi and Pell were alone now, under the mercy of the maniacs of Baroque Works.

"Let's finish our job here." Mikita said, still bitter, as she walked towards the half-awake Vivi who was wearing a stunned expression while staring at the spot where Hashirama was just moments ago.

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