The Princess's RevelationThe sun was setting on the horizon, painting the sky orange and purple. On the deck of the Going Merry, the atmosphere was still tense after the brutal liberation of Vivi and Mr. 9.Vivi sat against the mast, holding Karoo tightly. The duck was still trembling, traumatized by its time at the Foundation. Mr. 9 slumped next to her, his face marked with bruises from tasers and batons.
As soon as I called Vivi "princess," everything changed.Sanji, who was smoking a few meters away, spun around abruptly. His cigarette almost fell from his mouth. "Princess?!" His eyes shone with a new light—a mixture of astonishment and pure joy.Nami, counting her stolen Berries in Orange Town, looked up. Her gaze landed on Vivi. And her eyes… her eyes literally transformed into Berry symbols. "A princess… a REAL princess… rich…"Luffy, on the other hand, was completely indifferent. He was playing with Walter on the deck, trying to get him to catch a piece of meat. Usopp watched them, laughing.
"Wait," said Zoro, opening one eye from his corner where he was pretending to sleep. "What's this about a princess?"I looked at Vivi, who stared at me with a hard-to-read expression. Fear. Anger. But also… curiosity.
"She claimed to be a princess of a World Government member country," I explained calmly. "While she was in her cell."The shock on Vivi's face was immediate. Her eyes widened. "You… you knew what I said in my cell?!""I listened to everything. Saw everything. It's my job."She realized then. The Foundation. The cameras. The guards. It wasn't just a prison. It was an organization. And me… I was the superior. The director.
"You… you are…"Before she could finish, Sanji was kneeling before her."MILADY THE PRINCESS!" he exclaimed, hearts in his eyes. "Are you hungry?! Thirsty?! Need anything?! I am your humble servant!"Vivi blinked, completely overwhelmed by the reaction. "I… uh…"GROOOOOWL.Her stomach growled. Loud. Very loud.Silence fell.Vivi blushed crimson, hiding her face in her hands. "No… no no no…""SHE'S HUNGRY!" Sanji jumped to his feet. "I WILL PREPARE A FEAST FIT FOR A PRINCESS!"He disappeared into the kitchen like a blonde tornado.
Nami approached slowly and sat next to Vivi, taking her hand with a calculating smile. "You know, my dear princess… your release from the Foundation… it came at a financial cost. Marc wanted money to free you. A lot of money."I raised an eyebrow. "Nami, that's not true."Vivi turned to me, confused. "What?""Nami is lying," I said simply. "I freed you because Luffy asked me to. Money had nothing to do with it."Vivi sighed with relief. "My country is poor because of the civil war… I could never have paid…"Nami froze. Then she slowly turned toward me, her eyes burning with cold fury. She looked at me like a dead man."You just made me miss a golden opportunity," she hissed.I instinctively stepped back, remembering how painful her punches were. "Nami, I…""We'll talk later," she said with a dangerous smile.I swallowed hard.
The Meal and the RequestSanji returned with a feast. Platters filled with food—grilled meat, fresh fish, vegetables, fragrant rice, hot soup, and even dessert.Vivi, Mr. 9, and Karoo ate voraciously. They hadn't eaten since their capture. Every bite seemed miraculous."It's… it's delicious…" Vivi murmured, tears in her eyes."Of course it's delicious!" Sanji replied, beaming. "For a princess, only the best will do!"Mr. 9 ate silently, still stunned by what they had gone through.
Once satisfied, Vivi put down her tray and looked at all of us. Then, slowly, she stood and knelt on the deck."Please…" she said, her voice trembling. "Help me save my country."Everyone stopped."My name is Nefertari Vivi, princess of the Alabasta Kingdom. My country… my country is dying."She began to tell the story. The criminal organization Baroque Works. The plan to trigger a civil war. The artificial drought. The manipulation of citizens against the king. And most importantly… Mr. 0.
"I infiltrated Baroque Works to discover his identity," she explained. "I risked everything. My life. My title. But now I know. Mr. 0 is…""Crocodile," I finished.She stared at me, mouth agape. "How…?""I told you. I have my sources.""Crocodile…" Nami repeated, turning pale. "One of the Seven Warlords…""Exactly," I confirmed. "He plans to steal the ancient weapon Pluton and overthrow Alabasta to make it his base."Vivi turned to me, desperate. "You… you know all this and you do nothing?!""My job is anomalies. Not politics.""But millions of people will DIE!"Nami looked at Vivi, then me, then Vivi again. She sighed. "Alright. We'll help you.""REALLY?!" Vivi jumped up, eyes full of hope."But it will cost you. One billion Berries.""Nami!" I shouted."WHAT?! It's a dangerous job! We deserve to be paid!"Vivi hung her head. "I… I don't have that much money…""We'll negotiate later," Nami said, crossing her arms. "For now, course to Alabasta."Luffy, who hadn't been listening, raised his fist. "YEAH! WE'RE GOING TO SAVE VIVI'S COUNTRY!"Vivi looked at him, surprised. Then she turned to me."Marc… can… can you use your army?"Silence fell over the ship.All eyes turned to me.Luffy could decide a lot on this ship. Who joined the crew. Where we went. Who we fought.But my army? That was MY decision.I looked at Vivi. Her eyes full of hope. She really thought a hundred armed guards could change the course of the war.
"No," I said finally."What…?" Her face fell."I am not the Evil Army 666. I am not a mercenary organization intervening in countries' wars. Foundation guards stay in the Foundation. They protect my SCPs. Period.""But…""HOWEVER," I continued, "the Straw Hat crew with me can help you. And trust me, that's more than enough."Luffy smiled. "Yeah! We're super strong!"Zoro grunted his approval. "Pirate or not, who cares."Sanji lit a cigarette. "For a princess, I would fight a thousand enemies."Usopp trembled but still raised his fist. "We… we will win!"Vivi looked at all of us. Then she burst into tears. "Thank you… thank you so much…"Nami hugged her. "Come on, don't cry. We'll save your country. And you're going to pay us handsomely.""Nami…""What? It's true!"
The Journey to Whiskey PeakWe set course for Whiskey Peak, the first island on the way to Alabasta.The journey started calmly. But the Grand Line never stays calm for long.
On the first day, a snowstorm hit us. An impossible storm—it had been warm one moment, then suddenly thick flakes fell from the sky."WHAT THE HELL?!" Usopp screamed, shivering."Welcome to the Grand Line," Zoro muttered.Snow quickly piled on the deck. Within minutes, everything was white."LOOK! WE CAN MAKE SNOWMEN!" Luffy shouted excitedly."LUFFY, WE'RE IN A STORM!" Nami responded.But he ignored her, building a huge snowman with Usopp.
Then someone noticed."Where's Walter?" I asked.Everyone froze."WALTER?!" Luffy shouted. "WALTER, WHERE ARE YOU?!"We searched everywhere. But a mostly white rabbit in a sea of white snow? It was like looking for a needle in a haystack."WE'RE GOING TO LOSE HIM!" Usopp panicked.Luffy and he started methodically filtering the snow, digging with their hands, desperately searching for the little rabbit."Walter! Walter, answer!"Nothing.Then Vivi felt something move in her hood."Huh?"She gently removed her hood and found Walter, snuggled comfortably in warmth, purring peacefully."HE'S HERE!" she exclaimed, laughing.Luffy ran to her. "WALTER! YOU LITTLE TRICKSTER!"The rabbit squeaked happily, clearly enjoying his shelter.Nami and Vivi took Walter in their care, keeping him warm while Luffy and Usopp continued building snowmen.Mr. Fish, meanwhile, hated the cold. He stayed barricaded in the kitchen, refusing to go out."Fish don't like snow," Sanji explained. "It's normal."
The StormOn the second day, the snow stopped.Then came the storm.A terrible storm. Ten-meter-high waves. Lightning striking the water just meters from the ship. A wind that screamed like a raging beast.
"EVERYONE ON DECK!" Nami shouted. "WE MUST KEEP THE SHIP AFLOAT!"For twenty-four hours, we fought the storm.Sanji and Usopp pumped out the incoming water. Luffy clung to the mast to avoid being swept away. Nami held the wheel with superhuman strength. Vivi tied down everything that could move.And me? I repaired whatever broke. My immortal hands could work endlessly, without fatigue.Zoro, meanwhile, slept."HOW CAN YOU SLEEP IN A STORM LIKE THIS?!" Usopp yelled."Easy," Zoro grunted without opening his eyes.
Finally, after an entire day, the storm calmed.We all collapsed on the deck, exhausted. Except me—at 87% symbiosis with SCP-006, I no longer felt physical fatigue.Zoro woke up calmly, stretched, and looked around."You're all lazy lying around like this all day."Silence.Then Nami slowly got up. Her gaze was murderous."What did you say?""I said you were lazy—"CLACK!Her fist slammed into his skull. Zoro collapsed, a huge bump forming on his head."WE FOUGHT A STORM FOR TWENTY-FOUR HOURS WHILE YOU SNORE!" she yelled."Explains why I slept so well…" Zoro mumbled, dazed.
Conversation with Mr. FishWhile Nami calmed her anger by repeatedly hitting Zoro, Vivi sat next to Mr. Fish, who had emerged from the kitchen."You know," she began gently, "you're the first fish-man I've ever met who calls himself Mr. Fish."SCP-527 turned his goldfish-like head toward her and smiled—as much as a fish could smile. "Normal. I'm one of a kind. I'm human first, more than a fish-man."Vivi frowned, confused. "How's that?""I mean I wasn't born a fish-man. I was born human. And one day, I woke up with this head.""That's… possible?""Apparently."Vivi hesitated, then asked, "Are you… a hybrid? Born of a fish-man and a mermaid?"Mr. Fish shook his head. "No. I have no parents.""You're an orphan?""Worse. I never had parents. I wasn't 'born' in the traditional sense."Vivi's expression softened, filled with compassion. "I'm sorry…""Don't be. I was created by a weird doctor. A mad scientist made me just for fun. To see what would happen if you put a fish head on a human body."
Sanji, cooking nearby, stopped. He turned slowly, looking at Mr. Fish with a hard-to-read expression."You… you were created? Artificially?""Yes.""By a scientist who just wanted to… experiment?""Exactly."Silence fell. Heavy. Full of emotion.Sanji approached and sat next to Mr. Fish. He lit a cigarette, stared at the horizon, then spoke softly."I understand.""You understand?""Yeah. I was also created to be a weapon. At Germa. My father… he wanted perfect sons. Soldiers without emotions. War machines."Mr. Fish looked at him with empathy. "But you have emotions.""Yeah. That's why he sees me as a failure.""Then we're two failures," Mr. Fish said with a small laugh."Two failures who found a family," added Sanji with a smile.They shook hands.Vivi watched them, tears in her eyes. Even in this cruel world, people found connections. Bonds.
Whiskey Peak on the HorizonOn the third day, the weather stabilized.And an island appeared before us.Whiskey Peak.Massive hills covered with giant cacti. Gravestones everywhere. A grim yet fascinating atmosphere.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.[ALERT: ANOMALIES DETECTED][DISTANCE: 2 KILOMETERS][NUMBER: 2 ENTITIES][CLASSES: UNKNOWN][ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS…]
I froze. Two SCPs. On this island."Marc?" Luffy looked at me with curiosity. "You okay?""Yeah. Everything's fine."Vivi stood, looking at the island with determination. "I have to find Igaram. My butler. He's undercover here under the name Mr. 8.""Are you leaving now?" asked Nami."Yes. I'll go ahead with Mr. 9 and Karoo. We'll meet at the village."She mounted Karoo, Mr. 9 climbed behind her, and they headed toward the island.
I watched them leave, then turned to the island.Two anomalies.Somewhere on this island, two SCPs awaited me."This is going to be interesting," I murmured.Luffy patted my shoulder. "We're going to have fun!""Yeah. We're going to have fun."The Going Merry approached the port of Whiskey Peak.The hunt continued.
[END OF CHAPTER 21 – COMPLETE][VIVI: TEMPORARY MEMBER (TRAUMATIZED BUT GRATEFUL)][DIRECTION: WHISKEY PEAK][ANOMALIES DETECTED: 2][CLASS-D: 4 (ARLONG, KUROOBI, CHEW, HATCHAN)][CREW: LUFFY, ZORO, NAMI, USOPP, SANJI, MARC, WALTER, MR. FISH][TEMPORARY ALLIES: VIVI, MR. 9, KAROO][SCP-006 SYMBIOSIS: 100% – COMPLETE IMMORTALITY][NEXT STEP: INVESTIGATION AT WHISKEY PEAK][ANOMALIES TO CAPTURE: 2]