Upon hearing those words, Vivi's expression flickered with uncertainty, her lips pressed together as she hesitated to respond immediately.
To the others, her silence seemed as good as an admission of her true identity.
"Hm?"
Noticing their genuine reactions, Robin couldn't help but feel a spark of surprise. "She's been on your ship for quite a while now, hasn't she? Don't tell me you only just learned who she really is?"
"Exactly," Nami and Carina nodded in unison.
After all, it was Will who decided to bring Vivi aboard, so they had never pried into her background.
Chopper, caught off guard, blinked in confusion before hurriedly nodding along. "M-Me too! Same here!"
Robin's gaze shifted, her mind sinking into thought.
She had initially assumed Vivi's princess identity had been exposed by mistake, leading to her being taken by this crew. Or perhaps Vivi had sought them out herself, hoping to use them to thwart Crocodile's plans. After all, Mr. 8—Igaram, the man who infiltrated Baroque Works alongside Vivi—had also vanished without a trace.
But to her surprise, the people on this ship were completely unaware of Vivi's true identity. And Igaram was clearly not on board.
Curiosity piqued, Robin pressed further. "So why did you let her join you and bring her all the way to Alabasta?"
"Because she had a Log Pose pointing to Alabasta," Will answered calmly from the ship's bow. "I figured she must know the place well."
He didn't bother hiding his intentions, continuing bluntly, "I was already planning to head there to find Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. So I brought her along to guide me through Alabasta."
"Find Crocodile?!" Robin's eyes glinted as she latched onto the key detail in his words.
Smiling, she turned to him and asked, "You've never met him before, have you? There's no grudge between you two, so why are you suddenly so eager to track him down?"
Will didn't play coy. "No special reason. I just want to fight him."
"Just… to fight him?" Robin was caught off guard by the simplicity of his answer.
Yet, considering what she knew about Will, it wasn't entirely shocking.
At that moment, Vivi, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "Since you all know now, there's no point in hiding it anymore."
Her expression grew solemn as she raised her head. "She's right. I am a princess. And I come from the Kingdom of Alabasta, where we're headed."
"Wha—?! You're a princess from that massive superpower?!" Nami's eyes widened, her mind already racing with visions of the treasures that must fill Vivi's royal home.
Carina, meanwhile, had a moment of realization. "No wonder you had an Eternal Pose to Alabasta. That's not something just anyone could get their hands on." She hadn't thought much of it before, but now it made sense.
Chopper stood there, bewildered, still trying to process the conversation.
Snapping out of her daydream, Nami frowned and asked, "Wait a second. If you're a princess, why were you sneaking around in Baroque Works?"
Vivi, no longer intent on hiding the truth, spoke gravely. "Because Alabasta is in turmoil. The rebel forces are growing larger by the day… and I discovered that the root of it all traces back to Baroque Works."
"So you hid your identity and infiltrated them to investigate from the inside?" Carina pieced it together, though she couldn't fathom why a princess would take on such a dangerous task herself. Wasn't there a single competent spy in the entire kingdom?
"Exactly," Vivi nodded, continuing, "While undercover, I uncovered the identity of the organization's mastermind—the one they call Mr. 0. His goal is to create what he calls an 'ideal nation.' But in truth, he's plotting to seize control of Alabasta."
Her gaze shifted to Robin, her tone sharp. "And it was through this woman that I learned the true identity of the mastermind. She's the only one in the organization who's seen Mr. 0's face."
Robin's lips curved into a faint smile. "To be precise, I let you find out."
"What?! You did it on purpose?!" Vivi's heart jolted, and she opened her mouth to demand answers.
"Enough!" Will cut in, his tone tinged with impatience as he interrupted their exchange. "Stop wasting time with all this talk."
"The mastermind, Mr. 0—it's Crocodile, isn't it?"
"What?! How… how did you know?!" Vivi whipped her head toward him, stunned. She had been careful not to let that slip during their entire journey.
Will, unfazed by her reaction, continued in a calm, analytical tone. "On these seas, to lead an organization like that, you need two things: the strength to dominate everyone else and the wealth to keep it running. In the region around Alabasta, the only one who fits that description is Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords. So if Mr. 0 isn't him, who else could it be? The king of the kingdom?"
"Uh… well…" Vivi froze, struck by the logic of his words.
Crocodile had always been cloaked in the image of a "national hero," which had clouded her judgment. Even with her suspicions, she hadn't dared confront him directly. If not for her investigation within Baroque Works, she wouldn't have been certain.
But analyzing it purely by the criteria Will laid out, Crocodile was indeed the only one who fit the bill.
Even Robin was taken aback. She had pegged "Madman" Will as someone who acted on impulse, not thought. Yet here he was, reasoning with such clarity and pinpointing the truth with ease. This was no mere brute who lived for battle.
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