Watching Zoro and Nami suddenly appear, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine just sneered.
"A measly 30 million bounty hunter dares to oppose us, Baroque Works?" Mr. 5 scoffed.
Just then, Igaram noticed something.
"Wait... this woman. I think she has a bounty too."
That got everyone curious.
'Could the girl with the metal rod actually be worth millions too? This might be tougher than we thought.'
Under everyone's expectant gaze, Igaram started rummaging through his bag and finally pulled out Nami's wanted poster.
"3 million!"
The bounty hunters burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! A 3 million small fry! Every single one of us has caught bigger fish than that! No wonder we didn't recognize her – she's trash!"
Miss Valentine looked down her nose at Nami.
"A 3 million weakling dares to challenge me?"
"Exactly! She'll be crushed instantly!"
They all mocked Nami, but Vivi frowned.
She still had to pretend to be on their side, but after spending three days on the Going Merry, she knew Nami wasn't just some weakling.
Just as she was about to say something, Igaram subtly signaled her to keep quiet.
Vivi sensed a scheme was in motion.
Besides, it was too late anyway.
Miss Valentine activated her Kilo-kilo Fruit power, becoming nearly weightless, and floated up into the air with her umbrella.
Mr. 5, annoyed by the others, decided to take on Zoro directly, figuring he'd take out the stronger one first.
From atop the cactus peak, Ray watched it all unfold, feeling like he was reading some cheesy fanfic.
'These brainless idiots from Baroque Works are about to get wrecked.'
…
As Ray took another sip of wine, the fight below began.
Mr. 5, being a Bomb-Bomb Fruit user, could turn any part of his body into a bomb.
He kept flicking explosive boogers at Zoro, which really grossed him out.
If he slashed them, his precious swords would get covered in boogers.
If he didn't, the booger bombs exploded all around him, making it hard to get close.
Mr. 5 thought this tactic was genius.
After dodging a dozen explosions, Zoro got impatient.
"Tch. Its just bombs." He decided to just tank the explosions.
'After Ray's beatings, what's a few explosions?'
He flashed a confident grin, sheathed Wado Ichimonji, gripped his other two swords, and charged forward.
He dodged most of the boogers, but as he got close, taking hits became unavoidable.
Mr. 5 smirked.
"You call yourself the strongest pirate hunter in the East Blue? How foolish! Take this – Nose Fancy Cannon!"
A massive booger bomb exploded right in front of Zoro.
The onlookers gasped.
But before they could even finish inhaling, something changed.
"Two-Sword Style: Rengoku... Oni Giri!"
(Ray almost choked on his wine. 'Did he rename his move just to spite me? Traitor.' Still, it looked impressive.)
(Note : Oni Giri means : Demon cutter)
The two swords drew a fiery arc through the air, amplified by the explosion.
And the power? Mr. 5 suddenly had a massive, crescent-shaped gash across his chest, blood spraying everywhere.
Victory decided.
…
Meanwhile, Miss Valentine had floated right above Nami.
"Hehehe! Take this, you 3 million Berry trash! My max weight is 10,000 kilograms! Try not to get squished!"
She activated her ability, instantly becoming super heavy, and aimed her butt straight down at Nami's head.
Ray sighed.
'Such a waste of a good Devil Fruit power. All she does is try to crush people.'
This brainless tactic was just handing Nami the win.
Sure enough, Nami's mouth twitched.
She knew exactly what to do.
'Heh. Little girl, you're in for a rough time!'
Nami extended the spear tip of her Clima-Tact, planted the base firmly on the ground, and aimed the sharp point right where Miss Valentine was going to land.
Then, she activated the electricity.
(Let's just say... it didn't end well for Miss Valentine.)
She collapsed, completely unconscious.
The scene made even Ray wince a little.
'Okay, Nami might actually be kind of devilish.'
…
Seeing their two strongest officers taken out so easily, Mr. 9, Miss Monday, Vivi, and Igaram all broke out in a cold sweat.
'Was the gap really this big?! Especially that 3 million Berry woman – her methods are terrifying!'
They all felt like Nami's cruelty level was closer to 300 million.
If they got captured... what kind of torture awaited them?
They decided to fight.
Miss Monday charged, but Zoro effortlessly knocked her out with the back of his sword.
Mr. 9 tried his weird backflip fighting style, but Nami easily saw his weakness and, timing it perfectly, impaled him on her Clima-Tact mid-flip.
(It looked like he'd done it to himself.)
Now, only Igaram and Vivi were left.
Seeing this, Ray leaped down from the peak and flew towards them.
…
Igaram was extremely tense.
He knew he couldn't protect the princess from these two monsters, especially the demon-woman Nami.
Just thinking about Vivi suffering Miss Valentine's fate made him panic.
Just then, Ray landed gracefully in front of them, mask off.
His white tail and handsome face lit by the moonlight, made him look almost divine.
Both Nami and Vivi stared, utterly captivated.
Igaram, however, was filled with near-unbearable fear.
'If the 30 million guy is that strong... how absurdly powerful is the 65 million guy?!' His mind raced.
'Fight? Suicide. Negotiate? What do we offer? Reveal the truth? Hope they spare us?' He realized their only chance was to somehow buy their way out.
Just as he was about to make a desperate offer, Mr. 5, who had been playing dead, suddenly moved.
Several booger bombs shot straight towards Vivi.
'Even if I lose,' Mr. 5 sneered inwardly, 'I have to complete the mission! Getting captured is better than getting executed by the boss!'
It happened too fast.
Even Zoro couldn't react in time.
But Ray's energy whip lashed out, instantly deflecting the projectiles, which exploded harmlessly mid-air.
With an icy glare and another whip strike, Ray knocked Mr. 5 out cold for good.
Then, Ray slowly approached Igaram and Vivi.
"Explain yourselves," he said calmly.
He wasn't going to just expose them; that would require making up some story about how he knew.
It was better to let them confess.
Their suspicious behavior during the fight – letting Mr. 5 and Valentine take the lead, not fighting seriously, and Mr. 5 trying to kill Vivi – was enough for Zoro and Nami to know something was up.
If Vivi and Igaram asked for help now, it would naturally lead them to Alabasta.
Why did Ray want to go to Alabasta? Because it was a major event, a key "instance" to improve his fusion rate.
After Loguetown, they were definitely on the Marines' radar.
Getting stronger was more important than ever.
(Of course, if Vivi didn't ask for help, Ray wouldn't force it.)
…
Hearing Ray's demand, Igaram and Vivi exchanged glances.
They knew this was their only option.
They had to reveal the truth to survive and have any chance of saving their kingdom.
Besides, these Straw Hats didn't seem like the villains the newspapers made them out to be.
They hadn't killed anyone, and Ray had just saved Vivi.
Taking a deep breath, Igaram stepped forward and began to explain everything.