The Pirate Princess Becomes Queen

Johnny and Joseph were quite passionate, and even at this moment they still had the energy to help ordinary people rescue the wounded. Vivi's ship had the most survivors because of her initial command and later rescue efforts. The other merchant ships were full of corpses, with blood and limbs everywhere. Most of the people died when the ships collided.

"Hey? Old Van, what are you doing here?" Vivi unexpectedly spotted sniper Van Oka in the crowd.

There might have been some hostility before, but in the current environment, that hostility is really insignificant.

Van Oka tacitly accepted the nickname "Old Van." The top sniper's velvet cloak was in pieces, and his clothes were tattered. The only things that remained intact were the monocle over his right eye and the long gun in his hand.

His gaze toward Vivi was quite complicated, but he ultimately swallowed his words and pointed with his left hand to a ravine not far away: "I don't know the reason, but I know that guy is probably targeting those marines. We were just captured along with them. Perhaps those marines know more information."

The Navy is here too? Vivi didn't have Van Auger's sharp eyesight; she was chatting with Johnny and Joseph in the cabin and had no idea that a Navy warship was following far behind.

Seeing that Old Fan had no intention of making a move, and that her side consisted entirely of civilians, Vivi had no choice but to go and negotiate herself. She wanted to ask if the Navy had brought any Den Den Mushi (snail communication devices). If they did, she hoped they could contact Headquarters immediately to send an Admiral to rescue them! If an Admiral wasn't an option, then a Vice Admiral would be suitable, like Luffy's grandfather, Garp.

She arrived at the mountain hollow and looked at the remnants of defeated soldiers scattered everywhere, but for a moment she couldn't find the naval commander anywhere.

A young woman sitting on the ground caught her eye. The groaning soldiers were all wearing standard naval uniforms, and there wasn't a single officer wearing a "cloak of justice" on the scene. Only this young woman was dressed in civilian clothes. Most importantly, Weiwei noticed that there were calluses on the tiger's mouth of her hands from practicing swordsmanship.

"Hey, is this your knife?" Vivi asked from a distance, holding up the famous knife she had "picked up" on the road.

After being instantly defeated by the Golden Lion, Sergeant Tashigi felt utterly powerless; she was just too weak!

Upon suddenly hearing the word "knife," her attention was immediately diverted as she, who aspired to collect all the world's most famous swords, looked up at Weiwei.

"Ah! That's...that's mine..."

Vivi tossed the knife to her, and after learning that the young lady was Sergeant Tashigi, stationed in Loguetown by the Marine Headquarters, she asked with some delight, "You're Tashigi? The female swordswoman in the Navy? I've heard so much about you... Is Captain Smoker also on this mission with you? Where is he?"

Vivi remembered that Smoker was a user of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit. The Gas-Gas Fruit allows one to fly, so there's no reason why the Smoke-Smoke Fruit can't. Now that they're at an altitude of 10,000 meters, it would be perfect to have Smoker turn into smoke and fly down, while also taking a few civilians with him. For example, a weak girl like herself and a duck would really need help!

Kess's next words chilled her to the bone.

"Colonel...the colonel has been captured by that strange man!"

Tashigi's tone, as if "her master has been captured by a monster," sounded particularly dejected. Vivi lowered her head and thought seriously for a moment: "What about the Den Den Mushi? Who has the Den Den Mushi that can contact your headquarters?"

Seeing Vivi's aggressive demeanor, Tashigi forgot that she was an officer and Vivi was a civilian, and she replied somewhat weakly, "She should also be in the Colonel's hands..."

Vivi didn't have time to scold Smoker for being such a weakling; her mind was completely occupied with devising a plan. What should she do? Should she have the duck start practicing flying right now? Should she do what Guo Jing did and collect clothes to make a parachute? Or should she notify Alabasta and have Pelé, the user of the Bird-Bird Fruit, fly over to her rescue?

Just as she was pondering this, an extremely rude voice rang out from the side.

"Women are no good... Hmph! What's so scary about that! The honor of the Navy needs us to protect it! Since the soldiers at headquarters are no good, then watch the soldiers of my 153rd branch! I was caught off guard before, but now that I'm standing firm, if that guy dares to come again, I, Morgan, will chop him to death with one axe!"

Chapter Twenty-Four: If Vivi hadn't stopped him that year, the Golden Lion would have been killed.

Monka's tone of "I'm not pretending anymore, I'm laying my cards on the table" was incredibly bold, a kind of spirit completely different from Conqueror's Haki. Vivi stiffly turned her head, wanting to see who had said such audacious words.

Killing Shiki with a single axe blow? Is there anyone in the world of One Piece who could do that? Even if Gol D. Roger were reborn, he wouldn't dare say that.

She turned her head and saw a burly man with a metal chin, bulging muscles, and a battle axe attached to his right elbow staring intently at her.

The man was incredibly burly, and both his metal chin and the large axe on his right elbow exuded an aura that could be described as "iron-blooded." From Weiwei's perspective, he stood tall and straight, like a javelin planted firmly in the ground, truly resembling a peerless warrior.

For a moment, she even thought that the Navy had secretly set up an "Admiral" between the ranks of "Admiral" and "Marshal", because this Monka's demeanor was just too much like that of an Admiral!

"Do you know who the guy who defeated Colonel Smoker was?" Vivi asked tentatively.

Monka's voice was very deep: "All I need to know is that they are pirates, and I hate pirates more than anything in my life!"

"Colonel! We'll fight that guy to the death!"

"Yes, Colonel, let them see the power of our 153rd Branch!"

With so many brothers around, we fear no enemy!

Soldiers belonging to the 153rd Naval Division stood up to support their superior.

Before Vivi could even speak, her newly adopted underlings Johnny and Joseph rushed over, and the two of them helped the seventy-something-year-old country woman over.

The old woman looked at everyone with the kind eyes of a grandson.

When they arrived, they overheard Monka and the soldiers of the 153rd Division making their boastful remarks.

The old woman smiled and said, "You're discussing how to remove grime from glass, aren't you? I'll tell you a little trick: you can use a cloth dampened with a little vinegar..."

Weiwei stared blankly at the old lady: "..."

Perhaps the kind old woman reminded Johnny and Joseph of their families back home, and these two bounty hunters, who seemed a bit cautious to Vivi, suddenly became excited and spoke up one after another.

"Boss! Leave it to us. We're not afraid of any enemy in the East China Sea!"

"Yeah, boss, leave this mission to us. Watch us kill that bastard!"

Vivi quickly grabbed the two of them, then looked around in a panic! Golden Lion possesses Observation Haki; what if he hears this and attacks? Who will take him down? Is it the hard-of-hearing old woman, the commanding Morgan, or these two clueless, hot-blooded youths in front of her?

Her heart was filled with sorrow. Smoker, please come back soon! This team is too "powerful" for her to handle!

She could control her newly adopted underlings, but she couldn't control the navy.

Originally, they were on their way to Loguetown to report on their duties, but they were temporarily seconded to sea to pursue a fugitive. These soldiers from the 153rd Marine Division were already dissatisfied with Smoker and Tashigi, who were elites of the main force. The two of them did not show any formidable fighting power when they fought against Shiki, and were captured and seriously injured respectively. In the eyes of these Marine soldiers, they had lost face.

They still revered and supported their commander, Colonel Munka of the 153rd Brigade, who had a battle axe attached to his arm and was incredibly brave in battle!

"Colonel! It's still more fun fighting with you!"

"Colonel! Keep leading us to achieve merit!"

A group of remnants of the naval branch, inspired by their Colonel Monca, were filled with patriotic fervor and eager to engage the enemy in a fierce battle.

Weiwei was stunned by these brilliant minds.

These people have no sense of proportion at all! A colonel in a naval branch is equivalent to a captain in headquarters, which is a difference of three ranks. This is not only a difference in rank, but also a difference in strength.

Smoker is a colonel, and so is Monka, but in reality, one is a headquarters colonel and the other is a branch colonel, a significant difference.

In Vivi's eyes, Morgan was only strong in appearance; his actual combat strength was obvious at a glance. With his fierce fighting style and reckless drive, he might be able to fight the weak female sergeant Tashigi for twenty rounds, but after twenty rounds, he would definitely lose, and it would be a crushing defeat.

Vivi could easily defeat him in three to five moves... This branch colonel, Morgan, is stronger than his newly recruited underlings Johnny and Joseph, but only by a limited margin. In a game analogy, she'd be a level 30 character, while the others would be around level 10 to 15. And Shiki? Even considering his broken leg, old age, intermittent lapses in concentration, and other factors, this legendary pirate, who in his prime could rival the Pirate King Roger, would still be at level 80. There's simply no way to beat him!

"Huh? Right, who are you... who are you? Are you also from Branch 153?" After talking for a while, the timid girl Tashigi finally realized that Vivi was a stranger.

"I am...I am..." Vivi thought for a moment. She definitely couldn't say her real name, and there was no point in saying the code name MS. Wednesday, so she just made up a name on the spot. She said it very quickly and vaguely, with a strange retroflex ending. Tashigi didn't hear her clearly at all, but she was too embarrassed to ask again.

As she looked around, she suddenly noticed the famous sword "Huazhou" hanging at Weiwei's waist.

"Could this be...?!...Could I take a look?"

Vivi casually drew her sword and handed it to her to show.

Tashigi, who is a bit absent-minded and naturally naive, immediately brightened up when she saw the famous sword. She carefully examined the blade's patterns and tapped the back of the blade with her fingers, as if trying to experience the unique rhythm of this famous sword.

She had an exceptional eye for fine swords and tentatively asked Weiwei, "This must be a famous sword among the fifty finest swords. The glazing pattern is very striking... Let me think, this should be the famous sword, Huazhou!? Right?"

She was like a student solving a difficult problem, eagerly asking for the answer.

"Yes, it is indeed Huazhou. Your appreciation skills are truly impressive."

"You flatter me... I just have this little hobby, and the colonel always scolds me for it... You're a swordsman too, right?"

"Well, sort of, I studied it for a while..." Vivi suddenly remembered something and abruptly asked Tashigi, "You guys fought that guy before? Colonel Smoker fought with that guy for a while?"

"Yeah, so what?" Tashigi was too embarrassed to say that she had also exchanged blows with Shiki; she couldn't bring herself to say that she had been instantly defeated.

Vivi felt like she had "missed out on a fortune," but she still went back to the wreckage of the merchant ship, pulled the duck Karu who was drinking milk to this side of the ravine, and then "commissioned" him for "five seconds"!

The duck wandered around the naval warship for a while, and returned to Vivi's side after the mission ended. She was a little disappointed, as she hadn't picked up anything. It could be because the interval was too long, or it could be because the combat area was in the air rather than on the ship.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Vivi's Plan

Vivi slowly calmed her disappointed mood and, after much thought, devised an escape plan. The core of this plan was to rescue Smoker, the White Hunter.

Only this Marine Headquarters captain can contact Marine Headquarters. Even if a lowly soldier like Tashigi got a Den Den Mushi, Marine Headquarters wouldn't give her a second thought. A mere sergeant, you say you have news of the legendary pirate Shiki? Who do you think you are! You think you're qualified to contact Marine Headquarters?

First, rescue the person. Then, whether to "don't be a coward, go all out" or "don't give away anything, defend well" can be discussed later.

The best outcome would be that the Navy Headquarters takes this matter very seriously and sends an Admiral to deal with Shiki, while she can happily collect attributes from the sidelines.

If all else fails, they can escape using Smoker's Smoke-Smoke Fruit ability.

Calling for reinforcements and escape equipment, Vivi sees Smoker, the White Hunter, as the key to the entire plan; she must rescue him.

Ignoring the powerful quartet who were intent on killing Shiki, Vivi, Van Gundy, and Tashigi, two sensible people, discussed how to rescue Smoker.

"That guy is the legendary pirate, Shiki the Golden Lion who once fought against the Pirate King Gol D. Roger. Did you guys know about that?"

Weiwei looked at the two seemingly understanding people, but then she was disappointed; the people she thought were understanding didn't actually understand either.

Van Augur will go on adventures in the Grand Line in the future, but he hasn't even left the East Blue yet. His personality isn't exactly that of a lone wolf, but he's not at the level of Johnny or Joseph who can chat for half an hour with anyone they meet on the street. He has very few channels for obtaining information.

Tashigi is a collector and can talk eloquently about famous swords, but what about legendary pirates from twenty or thirty years ago? That's a blind spot in her knowledge.

Seeing their confused looks, Weiwei immediately gave in: "Okay, just remember the name, it's not really important..."

How could this not be important! She could only downplay the issue by saying, "We need to rescue Colonel Smoker first. When the Golden Lion took Smoker away, which direction did he go?"

Van Oka was well-informed about the matter. He pointed in a direction and said lazily, "I glanced at it before the ship crashed into the ground. There were quite a few man-made structures in the center of this floating island. The Golden Lion and the naval captain you mentioned should be over there."

Weiwei was delighted: "That's great! This gives us a much better chance of saving them."

Not far away, Captain Morgan of the naval division, who had vowed to "kill the Golden Lion with one axe," snorted coldly, seemingly looking down on these elite naval officers who had been knocked down by the enemy with just a few punches and kicks.

Not to mention Vivi, who only gained some reputation by saving people, even Tashigi can't command the naval soldiers of the 153rd branch now, but these people can't be abandoned.

Vivi raised her voice to a level where Morgan could hear her: "My plan is simple: Colonel Morgan will be in charge of the frontal attack, while Sergeant Dashi and I will go to rescue Colonel Smoker."

With too many "powerful figures" on her side, Vivi was simply unable to implement any overly complex plans.

Morgan raised his right arm, the large axe at his elbow gleaming: "Fine, so what Golden Lion, Silver Lion? I, Morgan, am not afraid at all! He's just an old pirate!"

Vivi gave a thumbs up to express her admiration. Suddenly, she thought of a question and asked everyone, "Hey, by the way, who here knows how to read the weather? Are there any storms in the next few days? If there is a downpour to provide cover, our attack and rescue will be much easier."

Everyone fell silent. Although Nami on Luffy's side seemed to be able to judge the wind force, ocean current and weather with just a glance, the job was actually extremely technical and required a lot of knowledge. Vivi's navigation level 3 was definitely not enough to do it.

As a subordinate agency of the World Government, the Navy has instructors to teach in this field, but the soldiers in these branches have never received any training. Many of them have never even left the East China Sea in their lives. It's impossible for the Navy Headquarters to send warships to pick them up just so they can attend school. As for Petty Officer Tashigi... Tashigi wasn't a top student at the Naval Academy; her grades were just average, and she had long forgotten advanced knowledge like weather forecasting.

Just as Weiwei was feeling somewhat disappointed, the old woman from the countryside stepped forward and said with a kind face, "There will be a huge storm tomorrow evening."

"Really? Grandma!" Weiwei pressed, and the old lady nodded, smiling without saying a word.

This is a huge help! Back when Golden Lion fought Gol D. Roger, a storm caused the annihilation of his entire crew. This legendary pirate has a deep-seated psychological trauma related to storms. During their defeat in the naval battle, when their ship exploded, a rudder flew out and, by sheer coincidence, pierced his head. The rudder penetrated too deeply, severely impacting his brain and causing him to experience intermittent blank stares, dazed states, and cognitive impairment. This is Vivi and the others' only chance!

Vivi instructed Tashigi to appease Monka, emphasizing that the general must postpone the attack until tomorrow evening. With the help of the torrential rain, their chances of success, whether attacking or retreating, would increase by 30%.

Sending Morgana to deal with the Golden Lion was like throwing good money after bad; she had made a series of arrangements targeting the Golden Lion's weaknesses.