An hour later, the Going Merry was sailing away from Alabasta.
On deck, Nami, Sanji, Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy were all lying in a row, looking completely dejected.
"Ah, so boring," they all sighed in unison.
Zoro, the only one standing, looked on helplessly.
"If you miss Vivi that much," he grumbled, "you should've just dragged her onto the ship."
His comment immediately made him public enemy number one.
Nami: "So brutal!"
Chopper: "How awful!"
Sanji: "Moss Head!"
Luffy: "Three Sword Style!"
Usopp just looked at Luffy with disdain.
"Three Sword Style isn't even an insult!"
"Oh," Luffy corrected himself, "then... Four Sword Style!"
Before Zoro could respond, a mature woman's voice cut in.
"My~, the captain is quite amusing."
Robin emerged from the storeroom, walking calmly onto the deck.
Everyone looked up, surprised, and scrambled to their feet.
Sanji, his energy instantly restored, zipped to her side.
"Robin-san! I thought you weren't coming either! Would you like something to drink?"
"Not for now, thank you," Robin smiled, then looked right at Ray. "Ray-san, the way you raised your hand earlier... it was quite stylish."
Hearing this, Ray's calm expression stiffened.
'This woman has some nerve, calling me out like that.'
Nami immediately caught on.
"Hahaha! I was too focused on Vivi, I didn't even notice! No wonder you hit Chouchou, Ray! He exposed your tsundere behavior!"
Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper burst out laughing.
Even Sanji and Zoro were snickering.
In the end, they all delivered themselves right to Ray for a venting session.
Everyone except Robin and Nami ended up on the ground with fresh bumps on their heads, while they keep apologizing.
Nami, terrified, hid behind the mast, while Robin just chuckled.
Ray just snorted, ignored the two women, and walked over to Chouchou, grabbing him by the scruff and giving him another 20 smacks for good measure.
As Robin watched these new "companions," she felt something... different.
This wasn't like her old, temporary alliances.
This felt... real.
…
Three days later, at Marine Headquarters...
Sengoku and Garp were eating rice crackers.
"I met with Tokikake today," Sengoku said calmly. "Do you know what he told me?"
Garp just shrugged, not really paying attention to him.
'This old man just loves to show off, always holding back info. Must be brewing some bad idea.'
Sengoku cleared his throat.
"He cooperated with the Straw Hat Pirates to save Alabasta."
Garp frowned. 'That idiot Tokikake, he is too honest for his own good. That's gonna hurt his career.'
"Sengoku, what are you trying to say?"
"Listen to the rest of what i'm about to say! The Straw Hats defeated Baroque Works. Ray alone defeated Crocodile after his Devil Fruit awakening. Then he fought Tokikake to a draw."
Hearing that, Garp stopped eating.
He knew the punchline was coming.
Sengoku's expression turned dead serious.
"Ray's strength is far beyond a rookie's. Garp, there are only two paths left for your grandson's crew. One: they become Warlords and work for us. Two: if they refuse, they must be eliminated. Their threat is too great."
Garp stood up, his face unreadable. "What do you plan to do?"
Sengoku sighed. "Garp, I can't ignore them anymore."
"Are you sending an Admiral?"
"Aokiji has expressed interest. If the Straw Hats refuse, we'll leave it to him. Their strength is progressing too fast, Garp. They have the potential to become a Yonko crew. We can't underestimate them."
Garp sighed. "Is this truly for the good of the world?"
Sengoku's face froze. "We can't defy the tide, Garp. All we can do is eliminate pirates and protect people."
Garp just shook his head. "Have you lost even the will to resist?"
"Garp, watch your words! Your position is sensitive!"
...
After the tense meeting, Garp headed to his office and dialed a secret, internal line.
"SWORD? How have things been lately?"
…
Aboard the Going Merry...
Training had resumed (Mikita and Gem had stayed in Alabasta to atone, so they were down two "training tools").
Ray was currently discussing ability development with Luffy.
"The Gum-Gum Fruit isn't just about stretching," Ray explained. "It's also about toughness and expansion. Your whole body is rubber, not just your skin. Your bones are rubber."
"So, besides Second Gear, which speeds up your blood... you could try blowing air into your bones. Create a giant-like form."
Ray hadn't mentioned it before, but Luffy's Haki and body control were finally good enough to try it.
Luffy's eyes lit up.
He immediately started practicing.
"I'll blow now!"
He inflated his arm until it was bigger than the Going Merry... then immediately lost his balance and toppled over.
The air shot out of him, sending him flying like a deflating balloon... where he coincidentally crashed right into a News Coo.
THWACK!
The bird was killed instantly, plummeting back to the ship along with a shrinking Luffy.
The crew was speechless.
'It's like... we're fated to be enemies with these birds.'
They ignored the dead bird, grabbed the newspapers and bounty posters, and started reading.
"Whoa! Ray! Luffy! Your bounties are 100 million!"
"Ours went up too!"
Chouchou anxiously trotted over.
"What about me?! Did I get tens of millions?!"
Zoro looked at Chouchou with pity.
"Pet Dog, Chouchou: 50 Berries. No increase."
He then added, "But don't worry. Chopper's only 50 too. You're two peas in a pod."
Ray had to hide his amusement.
'Chouchou didn't fight, so the Marines don't know he's a monster. Chopper, at least, was seen fighting.'
At that moment, Chopper and Chouchou just clung to each other, weeping, their dog/deer lives utterly hopeless.
Captain - Straw Hat Luffy: 100 million
Cold Prince Ray: 100 million
Pirate Hunter - Zoro: 62 million
Black Leg - Sanji: 58 million
Extremely Vicious Cat Burglar Nami: 35 million
Disgustingly Skilled Sniper Usopp: 30 million
Pet Dog - Chouchou: 50
Pet Tanuki - Chopper: 50
Luffy was overjoyed to hit 100 million.
Zoro was just smirking at Sanji, who was crying over his still-terrible wanted poster photo.
Usopp and Nami were terrified their bounties were so high.
Aside from the posters, a headline caught Ray's attention.
[Straw Hat Pirates Defeat Crocodile! To Become New Warlords?]
Tucked inside the paper was a Den Den Mushi with a note.
[You have 3 days. Do you want to become one of the warlords? If so, then dial. If you refuse, the Marines will execute an arrest operation. Choose carefully!]
Seeing this, Ray's face darkened, his killing intent radiating off him in cold waves.
---------
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