Chapter 60: Taken Captive

[You chose Option 3 and received the reward: Stamina +2]

[Task: Pursue the Straw Hat Pirates (Completed)]

[New Task: Escort the Straw Hat Pirates safely away from the Navy's pursuit (Current Stage 4)]

Vivian: "…"

Seeing the task pop up in his mind, Vivian, who was lying on the ground being tied up by Usopp, almost cursed out loud.

Are you kidding me!

I'm a navy officer, and you want me to help pirates escape?

Who comes up with these tasks?

Vivian felt utterly dismayed.

Sure, he enjoyed watching the anime, but reality is different from anime. He didn't want to lose his job for these people he barely knew.

"But… the warding and teleportation skills…"

Thinking about it, if he had those, he could escape any dire situation with a single teleport. Who could catch him then?

"Should I take a gamble?"

Based on the original story, Luffy and his crew managed to escape the Navy's pursuit on their own. Even with his presence as a butterfly effect, it probably wouldn't change much, right?

Besides, he was already on the fourth stage of the task…

As he pondered this, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, wake up!"

Splash—!

A bucket of seawater drenched Vivian's head, making him choke and struggle to sit up on the deck.

"Cough… cough cough… What are you doing?" Vivian feigned anger, his acting skills impeccable as he shouted loudly.

"Our ship was destroyed by you, so we have to use this warship to escape."

The speaker was Iceburg, the president of the Galley-La Company. With a bandage on his head, he looked calmly at Vivian and said, "This warship… if I'm not mistaken, has a propulsion device, right? How do we activate it?"

"You expect me to tell you so you can escape?"

Vivian sneered, then fell back, adopting a resigned posture. This wasn't his first time playing the role of a helpless captive, and he did it with masterful skill.

Four parts indignation, three parts reluctance, and one part desolation.

If Kuto and Smoker saw this, they'd probably applaud.

"This guy seems like a particularly upright navy officer."

This was Iceburg's genuine thought after watching Vivian's performance.

However, Nami, standing nearby, rushed forward and kicked Vivian hard in the stomach.

Bang!

"Upright my foot! Tell us how to activate the propulsion device, or I'll kill you right now!"

She pulled out her Clima-Tact, and storm clouds began to gather above Vivian's head.

Vivian: "…"

This woman is even fiercer than I imagined.

"In the basement, there's a button. Once activated, you can control it from the deck's helm. But it uses a lot of fuel, so someone has to stay down there to monitor it," Vivian said.

Iceburg: "…"

He… he gave in so quickly?

The impression Iceburg had of Vivian vanished instantly. Meanwhile, Luffy, Zoro, and the Galley-La Company employees boarded Vivian's warship.

"I'll take the helm."

Franky walked to the helm, showing his teeth and giving a thumbs-up, "Now we're heading full speed to Water 7. Is everyone ready?"

"Ready!" Luffy shouted first.

"Let's go!"

As the words fell.

Vivian glanced at the smoke rising from the sea and the burning remains of the Going Merry, feeling a sudden pang of sadness. {Who hasn't…?}

…

On the endless sea.

Vivian's hands and feet were bound with ropes, and to prevent him from using his "lightning" powers, Robin and Chopper would pour a bucket of seawater over his head every ten minutes.

This meant that from the moment he boarded the ship, Vivian had not been dry for a single moment.

He wanted to tell them that he wasn't a Devil Fruit user, but he couldn't say it, so he just played along, pretending to be weak and powerless, lying on the edge of the deck and enjoying the water service from a beautiful woman and a reindeer…

Wait a minute…

Vivian suddenly realized something as he glanced at the pocket of his uniform.

Oh no…

My two boxes of premium cigars!!!

Fifteen thousand Berries per box!!!

Two boxes cost me almost a month's salary!!!

"They're wet!"

"What's wet?" Chopper, startled by Vivian's shout, hid behind Robin with the bucket in his furry hands, looking very scared.

"My cigars are wet… sob sob…" Vivian showed a genuinely dejected expression.

This time, it wasn't an act; it was genuine.

"Cigars?"

This Navy, already captured by them, wasn't afraid at all and was instead worried about his cigars?

Feeling puzzled, Robin thought for a moment, then glanced at the red sword at Vivian's waist and asked, "Were you the one who saved people at Enies Lobby?"

"Hmm?" Vivian looked up at Robin in surprise, wondering how she knew about that.

"Saving people… I wouldn't call it that. They were my comrades, and some innocent people. I couldn't just watch them die." Vivian said straightforwardly.

Hearing this, Robin suddenly recalled the scene from when she was eight years old, when Ohara was completely destroyed under a barrage of cannon fire.

"The Buster Call… once it's executed, doesn't everyone on the island have to die with the bombardment? Why…"

"Why so many questions? If that were true, how did you survive?" Vivian retorted, "Wasn't it because there were 'kind-hearted' Marines like me who saved you?"

Robin was stunned by his words, almost dropping the bucket in her hand.

Who is this guy?

How does he know about my past?

She stared at Vivian, filled with curiosity about this Navy.