After spending a restful day recovering at Twin Capes, navigator Nami discovered a fundamental flaw in her navigational knowledge that made her stomach drop. Crocus had explained with patient amusement that every island on the Grand Line possessed unique magnetic properties, rendering the traditional compass she'd relied on throughout the East Blue completely useless.
"You mean this thing is just a pretty decoration now?" Nami held up her compass, watching its needle spin aimlessly as if mocking her expertise.
"I'm afraid so, young lady," Crocus replied with a sympathetic chuckle. "The Grand Line has its own rules, and navigation is perhaps the most crucial skill you'll need to master here."
Fortunately, their bound captives, Mr. 9 and Princess Vivi possessed a Log Pose pointing toward the next island, Whiskey Peak. However, this revelation came with its own set of problems.
"So you want us to sail directly into a nest of bounty hunters?" Nami's voice rose an octave as she processed Vivi's explanation of their destination. "That's not navigation, that's sailing straight into a trap!"
Princess Vivi had shared her incredible story during their time at the lighthouse, but Nami's sharp mind refused to simply accept such a convenient tale. A princess working undercover as a bounty hunter? It sounded like something out of a poorly written adventure novel.
"Look," Nami continued, pacing back and forth on the Merry's deck, "even if I believed your story—which I'm not saying I do—we literally have no choice. Without a Log Pose of our own, we'll either follow yours to this bounty hunter island or drift into the Calm Belt where Sea Kings will turn us into lunch."
Luffy, characteristically unconcerned with such practical worries, simply shrugged. "Sounds like an adventure! Let's go!"
And so the Going Merry set sail for Whiskey Peak, guided by a princess in disguise toward an island full of people who made their living capturing pirates.
The approach to Whiskey Peak proceeded exactly as Vivi had warned—and exactly as the Sky Screen had once shown. The townspeople lined the harbor with exaggerated cheers and celebration, welcoming the "brave pirates" with open arms and promises of feasts and festivals.
However, this time the Straw Hat Pirates sailed into port with inside knowledge and inside help. Mr. 8—revealed to be Igaram, one of Vivi's loyal retainers, coordinated with his princess to ensure the crew's safety while maintaining their cover.
"Just play along," Vivi whispered urgently as the townspeople swarmed their ship. "Let them think their plan is working until we can deal with them quietly."
What followed was less the chaotic misunderstanding and accidental battle that should have occurred, and more a coordinated operation. With Igaram's help identifying the real threats and Vivi providing intelligence on the bounty hunters' capabilities, the Straw Hats methodically worked their way through Whiskey Peak's defenders.
"This is way easier when you know who the bad guys are," Luffy commented cheerfully as he sent another group of bounty hunters flying with a "Gomu Gomu no Pistol."
Zoro nodded, wiping his sword clean. "No friendly fire this time. Though I have to say, these guys aren't nearly as tough as I expected."
By the time the sun set, several hundred bounty hunters lay defeated across the town, and the Straw Hats were enjoying a genuine feast of captured supplies. The irony wasn't lost on anyone that they were eating food meant to drug them into unconsciousness.
"It's actually pretty good," Sanji admitted, sampling some of the local specialties. "Shame these guys were planning to poison us with it."
Their celebration was interrupted by the arrival of two new figures—a man picking his nose with disturbing enthusiasm and a blonde woman carrying a frilly parasol.
"Princess Vivi," the man called out, his voice carrying an oddly casual tone for someone about to commit murder. "We're just following orders. If you return to Arabasta, it'll cause trouble for the organization."
Mr. 5, user of the Bomu Bomu no Mi (Bomb-Bomb Fruit), demonstrated his powers in the most disgusting way possible. The booger he flicked from his finger exploded on impact with enough force to crater the ground.
"That's absolutely revolting," Nami gagged, covering her nose.
"But effective," Zoro admitted grudgingly, having tested his swords against one of the explosive projectiles. Even when sliced in half, the bomb had still detonated with full force.
"A pirate hunter who joined a pirate crew," the blonde woman—Miss Valentine—called out as she floated into the air with her Kilo Kilo no Mi powers. "How amusing. Let me crush you all to death!"
She increased her weight dramatically and plummeted toward the crew, her body becoming a living cannonball. But Luffy simply caught her mid-fall, his rubber body absorbing the impact completely.
"You're pretty heavy," he observed with his typical lack of tact, "but not heavy enough!"
Meanwhile, Zoro had closed the distance with Mr. 5, his expression one of professional annoyance. "You know, there are more dignified ways to use explosive powers."
The battle, if it could even be called that, lasted less than five minutes. Both Baroque Works agents had relied entirely on their Devil Fruit abilities without developing any real combat skills. Against opponents who had trained their bodies and honed their techniques, their gimmicky powers proved woefully inadequate.
"They're not weak because their fruits are weak," Nami observed, watching the defeated agents. "They're weak because they never learned to fight properly."
The easy victory over two Devil Fruit users finally convinced Nami that Vivi's story might be legitimate. No one would send such relatively weak agents after ordinary bounty hunters—but they might send them after a princess trying to escape an evil organization.
With tears streaming down her face, Princess Vivi fell to her knees before Luffy. "Please! I'm begging you! Help me save my kingdom!"
The sight of a crying woman struck Luffy like a physical blow. His carefree expression vanished, replaced by the serious determination that only emerged when he encountered true injustice.
"Of course we'll help," he said simply, as if there had never been any question. "Nobody should make people cry like that."
"Luffy," Nami hissed, "do you have any idea what you just agreed to? We're talking about fighting one of the Shichibukai! Crocodile had a bounty of eighty million berries before the World Government recruited him!"
The navigator's face had gone pale as she did the math. "That's four times Arlong's bounty! And who knows how much stronger he's gotten since then!"
Usopp began trembling visibly. "Eighty million? We're all going to die! I want to go home!"
His panic was cut short by Nami's fist connecting with his skull. "Too late for second thoughts now, coward! Besides..." Her eyes took on the distinctive gleam that appeared whenever money was involved. "Princess Vivi promise to pay us for this job."
"I did not promise—" Vivi began, but Nami cut her off with a sweet smile that somehow managed to be more terrifying than any threat.
"You will though, won't you? After we save your entire kingdom?"
Before Vivi could respond, their conversation was interrupted by a commotion from above. Looking up, they spotted two figures on a nearby rooftop—a sea otter holding a sketchpad and a large vulture serving as his perch.
"The Unlucky Pair," Vivi gasped. "They're Baroque Works' intelligence gathering team!"
The sea otter, Mr. 13, was sketching rapidly, his artistic skills far exceeding anything the Marines' wanted poster artists could produce. In moments, he had created perfect portraits of every Straw Hat crew member.
"Hey!" Nami shouted, realizing the implications. "Come back here!"
But it was too late. The vulture, Miss Friday, took flight with her partner still sketching. Within moments, they were tiny dots disappearing into the night sky.
Nami collapsed onto her knees, burying her face in her hands. "We're dead. We are so incredibly dead. They have our faces! Baroque Works is going to hunt us down wherever we go!"
"There, there," Vivi said awkwardly, patting Nami's shoulder and pulling out a few crumpled bills. "Here's fifty berries for... emotional damages?"
The navigator's head snapped up, her tears instantly forgotten. "Fifty berries? Princess, your kingdom's treasury better be overflowing with gold, because I want danger pay for this job!"
"How much are we talking about?" Vivi asked nervously.
"One billion berries."
"That's the entire national budget!"
"Then you'd better hope we succeed!"
As the crew grappled with the reality of their situation, Igaram emerged from one of the buildings wearing an elaborate dress and wig. He carried several dolls dressed to look like the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Princess," he announced with solemn dignity despite his ridiculous appearance, "I will serve as a decoy. I'll take my ship and sail toward Arabasta directly, drawing Baroque Works' attention away from you and your new allies."
"Igaram, no!" Vivi protested, tears welling up again. "I won't let you sacrifice yourself for me!"
"Princess, this is my duty," the loyal retainer replied firmly. "Besides, these pirates have already proven they can defeat Baroque Works agents. Perhaps they truly can fulfill the prophecy the Sky Screen showed us."
He pressed a Log Pose into Vivi's hands. "This will guide you to Little Garden, the next island on your route to Arabasta. Trust in Straw Hat Luffy—the future may have changed, but some destinies remain constant."
As Igaram prepared to depart on his dangerous mission, a voice emerged from the shadows.
"I can help you."
A young man stepped into the moonlight, his black hair tied in a simple topknot. He moved with the fluid grace of someone comfortable with violence, though his expression remained calm and almost friendly.
"How did you get out?" Igaram demanded, his hand moving instinctively to his weapon.
This man drifted to Whiskey Peak in a small boat before the Strawhat Pirates came, when Igaram saw that the Marine had no bounty on the man, he thought it was just a rookie pirate wannabe who just entered the Grand Line, so Igaram decided to make him drunk and locked him up.
The mysterious youth chuckled softly. "Your little jail cell couldn't hold me. I just sobered up."