Chapter 12: Four Men Walked Into A Bar…

[POV: Vivi Nefertari]

It had been almost two weeks since I first met the Straw Hats. Honestly speaking, the crew was a little too strange for me, but their help was the only opportunity I had to return to Alabasta in time to stop Crocodile's operation, and you take what you can get.

I was standing on the poop deck at the rear end of the Going Merry, looking out over the horizon at the slowly approaching island in the distance.

"Vivi! The wind and temperature seem to have stabilized", Nami shouted up at me from the main deck.

I smiled down at her. Nami was a good person. Rather temperamental, but ultimately one of the better ones. "Yes… we've entered the Alabastan climate zone. Actually, we are lucky there's no one from Baroque Works here to apprehend us yet…"

--------------

'*Sigh* It's only been ten minutes since we've landed in Nanohana, and Luffy has already run off on his own'. I cursed the impatient Straw Hat captain in my head.

At least the rest of the crew had enough of a head on their shoulders to know that we should proceed cautiously. If word got out that I was here in Alabasta, we would have our work cut out for us real fast.

"Don't worry, Vivi-Swan. We'll just look for the noisiest spot in town. He'll be there". Sanji reassured me with literal hearts in his eyes. He seemed to have gotten a little heated at the thought of having comforted me in my time of need, shaking and panting lightly.

I simply gave Sanji a thumbs up, hoping to cut short our interaction.

My palm found its way to my face as I looked at the group before me.

Chopper, the reindeer even newer to the crew than me, was standing, looking out into nothingness, about to pass out from a heatstroke. Zoro was already passed out, probably deciding this to be an adequate time for a nap. Nami was currently counting money from the seven purses she had already managed to steal, and there was no need to mention Sanji.

The only one on the crew to have even some semblance of the objective at hand was Usopp. He was haggling with a street vendor to sell us disguises at a cheaper price. Usopp was the person most like me in this group in the sense that his ambition was within his reach. He knew his limitations, and so did I. Usopp wanted to become a brave warrior of the sea, and I wanted to save my country – neither unreachable goals. That was his only saving grace, however, as in any other situation, he was a complete disappointment.

As we made our way toward the center of Nanohana, I began to understand just how small our chances of success were.

--------------

[POV: Albert]

The young man beside me fished a bounty poster out of his bag and spoke, "Name's Ace. You wouldn't happen to have seen my brother anywhere?"

On the outside, I kept a cool façade, smiling amicably at Ace. On the inside, on the other hand, my mind was racing at a thousand miles an hour. 'I don't know much about the One Piece series, but I do know that face, that straw hat. It's the main character! And, apparently, I am sitting right next to his brother. If I am meeting named characters, does that mean I am already intertwined with the plot of the story?' my musings took no more than a second in real-time, during which the establishment's door was knocked open violently.

"I guess you don't have a problem with eating in full public…" a clearly agitated voice came from the entrance behind us. " What does the 2nd commander of the Whitebeard Pirates want in this country? Well, Portgas D. Ace?"

Standing by the door was a 209 cm tall man with white hair and stubble, two lit cigars in his mouth. He was wearing the uniform of a marine captain, and he seemed to want Ace behind bars.

For a minute or two, the room went into an uproar, people shouting and even hiding behind tables. It was probably a big deal to be part of the Whitebeard pirates or whatever. During this, the marine stood his ground, only staring at Ace.

However, he didn't get to do more than stare as another unidentified variable entered the restaurant.

*CRACK!*

"FOOOOOD!"

The intruder slammed themselves into the back of the marine who was still standing in the door with such force it launched him at high speed toward the bar and through the back wall, taking Ace with him.

A large hole was left in the wall where the marine and Ace had been thrown. I, myself, had only, thanks to my enhanced reflexes, managed to duck out of the way in time.

Turning back to get a better look at the perpetrator of this madness, I recognized him immediately; it was the protagonist, Luffy.

Without sparing me or anyone else a second glance, he made his way to the counter and, not so politely, asked for a lot of food. "Hey, guy! Food food food!!!" he yelled at the bartender.

I stood with my recently rescued food in hand and observed the future king of the pirates. Sitting down a little further down the bar, I pondered what I should do in this situation.

After some deliberation, I decided to bide my time and not engage the main character in conversation. I would have my opportunity on another occasion anyways. It was better to just observe for now and learn about his personality, beliefs, and drives.

After all, the main character in a fictional story often served as a vessel for the author's agenda, allowing the author in question to explore and communicate their beliefs, ideas, or worldview through the protagonist's thoughts, actions, and experiences.

In other words, I could learn a lot about the truths of this fictional world just by studying the one character predispositioned to always have the final say in any conflict.

Sometimes, I almost didn't hate myself for deciding to study literature in my past life.