Chapter 178

Author's note: One of my readers (Ksfb17) has started writing his own One Piece Fanfic! It's called One piece: Legend of the Golden Hand pirates. You can find it on Fanfiction dot net, so make sure to check it out and show him some love!

I've also been getting more questions for the character interview, but it's still not enough! Keep them flowing people!

...............

I sigh as I open my eyes, feeling slightly sore as my muscles twitch in protest when I try to get off the bed, but I do it nonetheless.

My stomach gives a protest of its own with a loud growl, and I look around me, looking for something to eat, my eyes settling on a covered dish, a jug of water, and a note sitting next to it.

I removed the dish's covers, devouring the sandwiches I found under it so fast I didn't even get to taste the food. I then picked up the jug of water, draining it in one breath, and reached for the note.

"We're on route towards Jaya. Take your time to rest up, and don't hesitate to call if you need anything - Elly."

"Not like I have much choices, anyway..." I muttered, messaging my sore muscles as I lay back on the bed, deep in thought as I went over the happenings that took place in Alabasta and how everything went to shit.

Everything was going as smoothly as smooth could go at first. My crewmates kicked the officer agents' asses, getting the action they needed after doing nothing but training for the past month or so.

We even got a better idea of Domino's abilities, and Laffite got a new technique to learn, courtesy of miss Golden Week and the book he took from her.

The only thing left to do was for me to fight Crocodile to test myself and see how I compare to the strong people in this world, and that's when things went south.

And by south, I mean the six vice admirals coming out of nowhere, including a fucking giant to bite me in the ass for some reason.

I already knew the marines were plotting something, but no matter how paranoid I could have been, there's no way for me to see that shit coming until it hit me in the face, and that's what happened exactly.

I mean, even a Buster Call was just five vice admirals and ten marine battleships, and even then, the vice admirals were content to stay on the ships, leaving the heavy lifting to their ships' artillery.

I can't for the life of me understand why the marines would go to such lengths to get rid of me, even Luffy, who had Nico Robin on his crew, a woman capable of reading Poneglyphs, and deciphering the way to Laugh Tale didn't have to deal with something like this.

It just doesn't make sense, no matter how I look at it, no matter how much I squeeze my memory and go over the events of the anime, trying to figure out a reason for their sudden eagerness to capture me.

"Whatever..." I muttered, messaging my head and giving up on finding an explanation. I'll figure it out as I go, one way or the other.

Still, this was my first defeat since I came to this world, a much-needed wake-up call if you ask me. I have been taking things too lightly, too carelessly. I almost paid for it with my life and possibly the lives of my crewmates as well.

Regardless of whether I could have seen the disaster that took the form of six vice admirals coming after me or not, I could have done more.

I could have investigated their movements. I could have been more careful. But I was too eager to prove myself, too confident in my strength, and this is the result.

In any case, I still lived, not kicking anytime soon with how sore and exhausted my muscles were, but I was alive nonetheless. And now it's only a matter of not repeating the same mistake again.

With that of my mind, I smiled, feeling my body relax as I slumped into my bed again, my eyelids growing heavier by the second as sleep took over me.

...

Alabasta, the royal palace

As he sat on his throne, Cobra Nefertari, the 12th king of Alabasta and the current patriarch of the Nefertari family, frowned as he looked at a man wearing a white suit with a long white coat covering it, along with a tribal mask, and a top hat of the same color.

"Again, we deeply apologize for acting in your country without your permission, your majesty..." the man remarked, giving a slight bow towards King Cobra.

"Do you think I want your apology? You should apologize to the people whose lively hood and homes your failed ambush has ruined!" King Cobra replied, still frowning as he emphasized the two words, failed ambush, in his sentence.

"We will naturally compensate you for all the damages caused by the vice admirals..." the man patiently added, gesturing with his hand to the side.

"Please understand that we had no other choice but to act discreetly to stop any information from leaking," the man added, apologetic in his tone, as he bowed once more.

"We don't need nor want your money," King Cobra replied, slightly raising his voice as he glared at the man. "Leave my county and never repeat this farce, or you will suffer my wrath," he added, rage bubbling in his tone as he dismissed the man.

"I can't do that, your majesty..." the man replied in a troubled tone. "As you already know, two traitors to the world government have taken refuge here, and I'm still to on their trail..." he added in an urging tone.

"Don't make me repeat myself, Cypher Pole," King Cobra replied in a cold tone as he stared down the man. "Leave, or you will be made to leave," he added in a voice that brokered no argument.

"This..." the man sighed, looking at King Cobra's resolute expression. "As you wish, your majesty," he remarked, bowing one last time as he turned to leave.

King Cobra kept glaring at the man until he left, only heaving a sigh as he disappeared from a sigh, making the king message his forehead in frustration.

"Have we discovered what the marines and cypher pole were doing here?" King cobra asked as he turned to look at Chaka, the current acting commander of the royal guards.

"Not, your majesty, but her highness seems to be on to something," Chaka respectfully replied as he retrieved a letter. "This message from her highness arrived earlier today," he added, walking forward and giving the message to King Cobra.

"King Chop!" King Copra exclaimed, chopping Chaka on his head with an annoyed expression, causing the latter to hold his head with a dumbfounded face.

"That's what you get for reading my precious daughter's message before I did," King Cobra muttered under his breath as he snatched the letter from Chaka's hand, making him nod, a bitter expression on his face.

"Hmm? So the world government sent so many vice admirals to catch a rookie pirate...?" King Cobra remarked, raising an eyebrow as he read through the letter's contents.

"And they failed...? Not only that, but that rookie pirate's crew attacked the organization Vivi is infiltrating...?" he added, giving a side glance at his ministers who were listening with rapt attention.

King Cobra went quiet for several seconds as he quickly connected the dots, his expression turning more severe with every passing second.

"Stop investigating this mess," King Cobra said after several more seconds of pause, surprising his ministers. "Whatever is going on... I think it's best we stay out of it," he concluded, resolutely shaking his head.