Chapter 8

With their arrival at Whiskey Peak, the time had come for Ms. Wednesday and her partner to leave. Contrary to her expectations, as long as they pulled their weight on-board, the pirates were very accommodating. Her stay had been so pleasant, serving as a reprieve from her stressful duties, that she suddenly found herself reluctant.

Perched on the railing, Nefertari Vivi, princess of the kingdom of Arabasta and undercover agent of Baroque Works, bowed her head.

"Mr. 9 and I will be taking our leave. Thank you for giving us a ride…."

Sweeping the deck with her gaze, she noted the pirates' surprised faces, evidently not have expected her sudden farewell. The only exception was Jack, or 'Handsome Jack' as he'd introduced himself. He looked at her with sparkling eyes.

Whether it was in appearance or demeanor, he seemed like a pirate through-and-through. But not a real one—she'd become well acquainted with those during her time in the organization. Tall, dark and handsome, he was the type that belonged on the cover of a tacky romance novel.

Vivi felt her face heating up. If only he'd been a little humbler, he wouldn't have annoyed her so.

"…if fate wills it, let us meet again."

Leaping into the air, she did a backwards summersault, plunging toward the water.

Even in that position, her attention didn't entirely leave him. Despite what he'd said that night, she couldn't help but suspect Jack's intentions. Would he try and stop them? In the end, he didn't.

Resting his chin on his palm, he watched idly as she and her partner disappeared beneath the ocean's surface. Rather than putting her at ease, his indifference only added to Vivi's anxiety. He knew her real identity—there was no doubt about that.

She had no idea how he planned to use that information, and she couldn't stay to find out. The only thing she could do was inform Igaram. Hopefully, her aide would help her make sense of the situation.

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Night had fallen on Whiskey Peak. After receiving a warm welcome from the island's residents, the Straw Hats had been led to an inn, treated to food and drink—as much they could stomach. Even Luffy's bottomless hunger was eventually satisfied.

With nearly a week having passed since entering the Grand Line, they all welcomed a good night's rest. By the time the festivities drew to a close, they were out like lamps, snoring away in the common room.

Or so it seemed.

Upon closer inspection, two of the sleeping crew members weren't Straw Hats at all, but knocked-unconscious patrons. Forcefully dressed in a similar fashion, the late hour and poor lighting made their 'disguises' difficult to spot.

It was outside the inn, on the other end of a slightly-ajar window, where the genuine articles could be found. Crouched low against the wall, they conversed quietly.

"As expected of the famed pirate-hunter Zoro. A poor trick like that wasn't enough to fool you."

Checking the dark alleyways, Zoro replied absentmindedly.

"Isn't that just a round-about way of complimenting yourself? Those idiots are just too careless."

Jack chuckled softly.

"If I'm not wrong, Nami should've realized it too. I think she's just pretending to be asleep."

"…given that devilish woman's character, I'm not surprised."

"Anyway, what are you planning on doing?"

Zoro shrugged.

"Maybe spring their trap. It would be a good opportunity to test my new blades."

Jack nodded, standing slowly.

"In that case, let's split up. I'll look around and see if are any nasty surprises waiting for us. It wouldn't be strange for Baroque Works to have a few devil fruit users hanging around."

Zoro froze mid-step, already in the process of leaving.

"You know them?"

"I know of them. The numbered codenames are a dead giveaway. And I know they tried to recruit you in the past."

"…heh. Well, it saves me the effort of having to explain."

Concluding their exchange, the two men headed in different directions.

Since they shared a mutual understanding of the situation, neither bothered cautioning the other, or with saying farewells. The town was so small, they'd have a run-in soon enough anyway.

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Tossing a pair of odd-looking individuals off the roof of a building, Zoro dusted his palms. When he was done, he took a seat on the edge

"There. That takes care of the cleanup."

He took a bottle of alcohol from somewhere, sipping slowly from it.

"Ah, it's become nice and quiet again."

"Well, you did basically knock-out everyone in Whiskey Peak."

"…"

Turning his head, Zoro spotted Jack, strolling casually toward him. At some point, he'd appeared on the roof, having been absent the entire fight.

Drawing closer, he stood next to Zoro, looking out over the banged-up town. Countless unconscious figures were sprawled across the streets, their faces bruised and bleeding.

"Not to disturb your rest, but those two…"

He raised his hand, pointing in a particular direction.

"…are probably going to cause a little trouble. 'Mr. 5' and 'Ms. Valentine'—they're devil fruit users."

Zoro looked indifferently at the man and woman. He didn't move from his spot.

"They're not coming over here. It seems they don't have business with us."

Jack nodded.

"That's true. But the captain's caught out in the open. If a fight breaks out, he'll take some damage."

Zoro grunted.

"It's his own fault."

"Haha, you're not wrong. I have no clue how those guys are still asleep. You turned half the town to rubble during the fight."

They stayed in silence for a while, observing the interaction between the new arrivals and the other members of Baroque Works. A conversation was taking place involving them, Ms. Wednesday and Igarappoi—the 'leader' of Whiskey Peak.

Toward the end, the dark-skinned man, Mr. 5, took a piece of paper from somewhere. He held it toward the other two.

"…the names of the spies were talking about are 'Igaram', the captain of Alabasta kingdom's royal guards. The second is none other than the princess herself… Nefertari Vivi!"

In-character with his usual indifference, not even this revelation was enough to peak Zoro's interest.

"Jeez, some noisy night this is. Well, as long as they don't bother me and just keep fighting amongst themselves."

Unfortunately for him, his wishes wouldn't be granted.

Just as Mr. 5 and his partner readied themselves to eliminate the two infiltrators, Igaram, having regained consciousness at some point, shouted in Zoro's direction.

"Mr. swordsman, seeing your impressive strength, please allow me to make an unreasonable request…!"

"I ain't gonna help you even if you suck up to me."

"…those two ability users are beyond my power to stop! Please, please, please… protect the princess in my stead! I beg of you!"

Under everyone's gazes, Zoro took another swig of his alcohol.

"No-..."

"…wait a moment! Greatly rewarded you say? What about a billion belly?"

Taking that as her cue, Nami, who'd seemingly been lurking around the entire time, popped out from behind a building. Rubbing her palms together, she had a predatory look on her face.

Hearing her demands, Igaram was white-faced.

"I'm merely a single soldier! I'm afraid I can't guarantee such an astronomical sum-…!"

While the two of them argued over their deal, the two agents, evidently not planning to waste time, had already started their pursuit.

Seeing this, Jack leapt off the roof, landing in their way. He glanced from them to Vivi, smiling at the girl.

"Oh my, you actually were a princess! Who could've guessed?"

Vivi halted, in the process of fleeing on her pet duck's back. She looked at him with worry and relief.

"Jack? I-I'm sorry, I didn't want things to turn out this way…"

He raised an eyebrow.

"In what sense? Robbing my crew after we helped you guys out, or getting us involved in this whole mess?"

Vivi lowered her head.

"B-Both."

"…huh. I'll deal with these two, but naturally it wont be for free. We can sort the payment out later, though."

Smirking, Jack raked her over with his eyes. Her fight with Zoro and the excitement that followed after had her breathing hard, her chest moving enticingly. Together with her messy hair and flushed, somewhat sweaty complexion, he found it difficult to look away.

Her pale skin turning slightly pink, Vivi clearly knew what he was thinking.

"Okay. T-Thank you."

While they were talking, Mr. 5 had drawn closer, his hands stuffed in his overcoat pockets. His expression didn't look good.

"What a joke. Your struggle is futile, as is your camaraderie. With the ability bestowed on me by the bomb-bomb fruit, there's not a single mission I've failed."

Heaving an enormous breath, he suddenly expelled a wave of flame and force from his mouth. An explosion rang in the street, the gravel, stone and wood blasting into pits and pieces, raining debris from the sky.

Watching the destruction, his partner, Ms. Valentine, giggled gleefully.

"What an idiot! He wanted to play the part of the hero rescuing the princess, but in the end, he was just a side-character-…!"

While she was talking, the smoke was clearing away, hastened by a gust of chilly, midnight wind. A figure was soon revealed, standing in the rubble. Guarding his face with one arm, Jack was unharmed, the only damage being to his clothes.

Waving his hand, he dissipated the last of the smoke.

"Pardon me for getting involved. Usually, I'd watch from the sidelines, but since Zoro already had his fight and the rest of the crew is still incapacitated, I had no choice."

Mr. 5 frowned, looking on over the rim of his shades.

"You're tougher than I expected. Well, let's see if you can handle this. As far as destructive power goes, my breath is only so-so. My body-fluids are many times more potent, with three-times the explosive yield of nitroglycerin…!"

Not giving anyone a chance to act, he suddenly withdrew his hands from his pockets, making a flicking gesture toward Jack. Sparks flashed in the air like countless bombs detonating, a series of rapid explosions ringing out. A dome of glowing heat expanded outward, carrying his words on the wind.

"…by keeping satchels of chemical hand warmers in my pockets, I'm able to produce sweat on demand!"

This time, it took longer for the chaos to settle. When it did, a scene of horrifying destruction was revealed, the surroundings having been flattened entirely. The slightly sweet, slightly acrid smell of burned pork was in the air—unconscious members of Baroque Works having been caught in the blast.

About two-hundred yards away, just outside the area of damage, Jack was perched on the wall of a building. Having scooped Vivi up at some point, he held the princess close to his chest.

"That was close. It seems I underestimated this guy. I don't remember him being so strong…"

Mumbling the last part to himself, he reluctantly set the shocked-looking girl on her feet. Holding her was quite enjoyable, the sensation both firm and soft and the same time. Unfortunately, he couldn't do without his hands.

"…in any case, you should move further away. I kicked you duck out of the blast radius, so he should be fine."

Getting herself together, Vivi nodded shakily.

"P-Please be careful-..."

"You don't have time to be worried about others, handsome! Let's see if you survive my ten-ton press!"

Before the girl could finish her sentence, there was a whistling sound from above them. Ms. Valentine hurtled toward them like a falling star, conveying a sense of tremendous force.

Glancing at her, Jack's brows furrowed. He really hadn't expected having to put effort in this early, but that kind of mass and speed wasn't a joke. Hurling Vivi away with one hand, he was left with no time to dodge. He could only block her attack.

The impact of Ms. Valentine's fall caused the building to collapse like a house of cards, the entire structure folding in on itself. From a distance, Zoro winced in sympathy. He had two unconscious figures under his arms, a third slung over his neck like a scarf.

"These useless bastards! If they don't die on their own, I swear I'll kill them myself…!"

Turning his head, he looked in a certain direction. When the fight broke out, Nami had disappeared behind those buildings together with the princess' protector.

"…what kind of mess did that damned woman get us involved in this time?"

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