Chapter 45: Wealth and Secrets

"Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao..."

Josh hummed an Italian tune as he stared at Crocodile's stash of wealth, licking his lips. The room was filled with stacks of green bills, gold, and jewels—an impressive hoard. Some of the jewels, Josh recognised as ones he had taken from pirates in the past.

Robin stood beside him, her lips relaxed as she tried to make sense of the strange language he was singing. It was unfamiliar to her, but she didn't really care. Her focus was elsewhere.

"Besides the wealth from the pirates' bounties and the casino, we've accumulated quite a fortune by seizing treasures from pirates," Robin explained with a calm, matter-of-fact tone.

One pirate with a bounty of 10 to 30 million berries might not seem like much, but taking down tens of them each month, with strong agents like the Baroque Works, and stripping them of all their treasures—it added up quickly. Crocodile had been wise, taking not just the pirates' heads, but their gold as well.

"Robin, thank you," Josh said, unable to hide his excitement. He turned to her, arms wide, and hugged her.

Robin blinked in surprise, though years of training kept her face impassive. She hadn't expected this reaction.

"You can always count on this Ane-san," she said softly, though her thoughts were distracted by the sensation of her chest pressing against him.

If not for her slightly tanned skin, Robin might have blushed. The desert sun had its benefits, it seemed. Curious to see how Josh was feeling, Robin subtly lifted her knee, brushing his crotch with her thigh. She could feel that he was semi-soft.

It's pure happiness, she thought, though she had to admit, he's big...

Josh's eyes widened in surprise as he felt her thigh press against him. He lifted his head to look at her. Mikita, standing nearby, shot Robin a glare, but Robin ignored it, lowering her leg with a calm smile.

"Should we celebrate now?" Robin asked, pulling back from the hug as Josh turned to face his girlfriend.

"Ahem, I know," Josh said awkwardly, glancing at the rest of the group.

"We're rich now," Mikita said, stepping behind Josh and hugging his arm to her chest.

"I want my money back, with benefits," Marianne said from her seat near the office. She was sitting with Gem and Melissa, who were preparing drinks.

"I bought him a nice shirt from the market, and I fed him. I deserve some benefits too," Melissa added, eyeing Josh's back. Seeing that he wasn't paying attention, she tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"Me too," Gem chimed in.

"Shut up, you didn't pay for anything, you cheap bastard," Marianne shot back.

Melissa nodded in agreement. "Yeah, aside from helping burn down the rest of the Baroque Works, you did nothing."

While Josh had been fighting Crocodile, Gem, Melissa, Marianne, and Mikita had been busy destroying the remaining Baroque Works members and their bases.

Gem rubbed his nose at the accusation. "I remember buying him a cigarette."

"Josh doesn't smoke!" Melissa rolled her eyes. "Stop lying."

"He prefers sweet drinks when he's nervous, so better luck next time," Marianne said, sipping her tea.

"You seem awfully focused on what he likes and doesn't like," Gem commented, sliding on his sunglasses despite the dim lighting.

*Poor guys,* Josh thought, shaking his head. At best, they'd each get a few million berries.

"Don't worry, you'll all get a fair share, now that you're free from the Baroque Works," Josh said, though he had no intention of giving them all the loot. Thanks to his system, he could store the money safely away. He had bigger plans—perhaps investing the money and retiring to start a new business.

---

Meanwhile, Princess Vivi of Alabasta sat in the dining room, pushing her soup around with a spoon but not eating. She let out a long sigh, her mind elsewhere.

For many nights, ever since her return to Alabasta, Vivi had been thinking about Mr. 7 and the fate of her country. She didn't even notice her father, King Cobra, enter the room, a smile on his face.

"Vivi," Cobra called, waving his hand to dismiss the guards from the room.

"Yes, Father," Vivi said, standing up respectfully, though she hadn't been eating. The table before her was still full of untouched dishes, save for a small bite taken from an apple.

Cobra's eyes scanned the table. "Why aren't you eating well? If my little daughter stays this skinny, I'm afraid no one will marry you—unless, of course, he's blinded by greed for the throne," Cobra teased, shaking his head in mock dismay.

A blush spread across Vivi's cheeks as her eyes widened. "Father! I don't want to marry! I'm too young! And stop saying I'm ugly!"

Cobra laughed heartily. "Hahaha... If my daughter is ugly, then Alabasta's beauty queens are nothing." He knew better, of course. Vivi was already lovely at fifteen, and as she grew older, she would only become more mature—and more attractive.

"You still watch that show... Alabasta's Beauty Queen," Vivi muttered, half-closing her eyes in exasperation.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Cobra said, feigning ignorance.

Rolling her eyes, Vivi sat back down, annoyed. "Did you come here just to tease me?"

"No," Cobra replied, his tone becoming more serious. "It's about your friend... the one we took a gamble on."

"What do you mean?"

"This is top-secret information. Keep your voice down." Cobra leaned closer. "Crocodile has been taken down. Josh just sent me a secret letter with the locations of all the weapon shipments across Alabasta, as well as the rebel centres. The rebels won't be getting any more weapons, and Crocodile's people won't be burning our food supplies anymore."

Crocodile had used many underhanded tactics to stoke rebellion, one of which was making the people of Alabasta hungry by cutting off their food and water supplies. Now that he was gone, the country could finally heal.

"Wait, this is... incredible!" Vivi stood up, her large brown eyes shining. Despite her youth, she understood the significance of the news. Thinking about Josh, she hesitated before suggesting, "Father, we should invite him to dinner."

"Huh? I thought you didn't like him." Cobra raised an eyebrow, noticing the slight blush creeping across his daughter's face.

Vivi turned away, embarrassed. "I never said that. I just... want to apologise to him."

"So you do like him," Cobra teased, raising an eyebrow higher.

"I never said that!" Vivi yelled, her face flushed as she quickly turned and ran out of the room.

Cobra chuckled, shaking his head. "Teens..." He sighed and headed back to the throne room, where more pressing matters awaited him.