The Pirate Princess Becomes Queen

Swordsmanship training improves physical fitness. Only with strong physical fitness can swordsmanship unleash its full power. The body and swordsmanship complement each other.

Golden Lion is a great swordsman, and his signature moves are "Sword Technique: Wave Slash" and "Sword Technique: Lion: Thousand Cut Valley".

Vivi first studied the "Wave Slash," a move that involves forcefully slashing out a huge blade of light, somewhat similar to Zoro's Thirty-Six Winds. While Shiki could cleave through dozens of miles of seawater with a single strike, Vivi was far inferior...

"Lion. Thousand Cut Valley" is more powerful, an enhanced version of "Slash Wave". Vivi was surprised to find that she couldn't use this move! The reason was that her physical attributes were insufficient. Although she had the memories of the Golden Lion and was very clear about the way to generate power, angle and connection of the moves, her body was not good enough. She could get into a good stance and charge up for a few seconds, and she could unleash a "Slash Wave", but she could not do the continuous "Lion. Thousand Cut Valley".

"Am I really that bad?" she asked the duck, distressed.

The duck responded with two "quacks".

Vivi is not a pure swordsman, and she doesn't have the spirit of "extreme emotion, extreme sword". For her, swordsmanship is just a means of survival. It's a bit of a pity that she can't use "Lion. Thousand Cut Valley" for the time being, but it won't affect her good mood.

Her happiest takeaway today was her domineering presence.

In the "Haki" section, above "Conqueror's Haki", there is a new skill that has a level and can be upgraded with skill points.

"Armament Haki lv1 (3/10)!"

Chapter Thirty-One: Identity Exposed?

In the early stages of the One Piece world, Devil Fruit abilities were paramount; whoever possessed the strongest Devil Fruit power was the most powerful, with Logia-type users virtually invincible. However, in the later stages, Devil Fruit abilities undoubtedly fell into a second tier, and Haki became the key to determining the outcome of battles.

Devil Fruit abilities are not unimportant, but Haki becomes significantly more important in the later stages.

Vivi already possesses Conqueror's Haki, and now she has also acquired Armament Haki. Unsatisfied, she searched through the pile of light spots twice. Unfortunately, Karu did not find any light spots related to Observation Haki this time. Her dream of having all three types of Haki will have to wait for another opportunity.

She carefully observed the Golden Lion's experience in using Haki and found that it had relatively low requirements for physical fitness, unlike the exaggerated "Lion. Thousand Cut Valley".

She immediately mobilized the Haki within her body, attempting the initial hardening of "Armament Haki".

Everyone's total amount of Haki is different. If Haki is a water tank, Vivi's water tank has been developed by the most difficult-to-control Conqueror's Haki. The steps of finding and excavating one's own Haki can be omitted.

It's difficult for ordinary people to sense the presence of domineering aura on their first try, let alone use this energy to cover themselves. Vivi doesn't have this problem. Her domineering aura is relatively large among those of the same level, and she starts by using tangible domineering aura to cover her skin right away.

Her first attempt failed. Armament Haki is easier to control than Conqueror's Haki, which is like a runaway train, but it is still like a wild horse. It is really difficult to restrain this power. Fortunately, she has the memories of Shiki the Golden Lion as a foundation, and her total amount of Haki is enough, so she can try again and again.

Once, twice, three times, when she mobilized her domineering aura for the seventh time, she felt a tingling sensation in her fingertips, and then watched as her little finger, palm, and wrist were covered by a layer of dark, fine energy.

Half an hour later, Vivi removed the Armament Haki from her wrist. At her current level, Armament Haki could only cover her wrist and couldn't go any higher. However, after just a short time of use, the "Armament Haki lv1" on her panel changed from "3/10" to "4/10".

Through her own practice, her Armament Haki progress increased slightly.

This is something she achieved through her own hard work and practice, and its significance is extraordinary.

"Waaaaah! Karu, did you see that? I'm the most talented at training in Haki!" Vivi couldn't help but share this good news with the duck.

As for whether she truly had talent, she wasn't sure. In any case, her talent in swordsmanship was really quite average; even after a day of hard practice, she might not make any progress. Compared to swordsmanship, which required sweating profusely, she felt that skills like domineering aura, which could be cultivated while sitting, were more suitable for her!

She estimated that she could raise her Armament Haki to level 2 within three days, since basic skills improve very quickly, but it was hard to say what would happen after that.

......

While waiting for the naval rescue, Vivi also took her duck Karu for a stroll around. Among a group of survivors, she sold two lucky rabbit feet and a nautical gift pack that included a nautical chart, bandages, a knife, and a flint, earning 220,000 Berries. At the same time, she also gathered some information.

Colonel Monca must have imagined all sorts of things in his mind, and these imaginings, passed down by word of mouth among his subordinates, eventually became the legendary story of how he defeated the Golden Lion and successfully saved everyone.

Smoker remained silent on this, and Vivi couldn't explain it either, so she could only let him be.

I heard that the naval soldiers of Branch 153 and some survivors are planning to fund the construction of a ten-meter-tall statue of Colonel Monca at Branch 153...

The warships of the 153rd branch arrived first, and Monka led his soldiers to board the ship with great pride and high spirits before returning to his garrison.

One after another, warships arrived. Some were there to transport survivors, while others would land on the original floating island to collect data on the Golden Lions for animal experiments and to process the mutated animals. Vivi heard that they planned to transport the mutated animals to a place called Rare Beast Island for experiments and observation.

Johnny and Joseph were going to accompany Vivi to the town to find Xiu Xiu. The two of them waved goodbye to the kind old woman. It was clear that Johnny and Joseph respected the old woman very much, and the old woman looked at them as if she were looking at her own grandsons.

Vivi was wandering aimlessly around the island when she noticed that the female swordsman Tashigi was all alone, so she quietly slipped over to her.

Conqueror's Haki is ultimately a complicated matter. It would be best to avoid mentioning it altogether, but she's still unsure and wants to get to the bottom of it.

The female swordsman was slashed by the Golden Lion on the warship, but she endured it to save people. After being ravaged by "Lion. Thousand Cut Valley", she was knocked unconscious on the spot by Conqueror's Haki, which is awakened by only one in a million people.

Tashigi's willpower is somewhere between being able to be knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki and being able to grit her teeth and endure it. She managed to withstand it in Loguetown Square a few days ago, but this time she was injured and in poor spirits, so she couldn't hold on.

"Hey, Tashigi, are you feeling better?"

Tashigi looked at Vivi with a strange gaze. The back view that had knocked her unconscious with just her aura seemed completely different from the girl in front of her. Was this really the same person?

Vivi rambled on about the whereabouts of Shiki the Golden Lion, the Navy's pursuit of this legendary pirate, Morgan's axe and the important roles of Johnny and Joseph, and the future of the Navy. Through various probes, she deduced that Tashigi didn't intend to make a fuss about this matter. After all, the two had fought side by side, and as long as she didn't become a pirate, Tashigi would be fine.

Leaving Tashigi's side, Vivi secretly began to ponder. Morgan fainted on the spot, and Shiki went mad. Even if he wasn't, no one would believe him. Tashigi didn't seem to care about the incident. It seemed that Smoker was the only witness left at the time...

“Princess Nefertari Vivi…” A deep voice sounded behind her. Vivi subconsciously turned around, but realized something was wrong as soon as she turned her neck halfway. When she turned around completely, she saw the expressionless Marine Headquarters Captain, the White Hunter Smoker.

She had been planning to add some details to the "Jaina" identity she had made up on the spot, such as being the princess of the island nation of Kul Tiras on the Grand Line, and the tragic experiences of the princess who was stranded in the outside world in order to escape the court. She had made up a lot of background stories, but now it seems that all those brain cells were wasted.

Aside from knowing the way, Vivi was very clever in every other aspect. She quickly guessed the reason: "Oh...you've always known my identity? I've only told Dadi about this. Although you and Dadi were classmates and have been living in Loguetown for the past few years, Dadi is clearly not a gossip...so...you've seen me in Alabasta before?"

Chapter Thirty-Two: Talking About Dreams

Smoker's jacket was casually open, revealing his well-defined chest and abdominal muscles. A cigar dangled from his mouth, and he wore a blank expression. "I met King Cobra and you a year ago in Alabasta."

Vivi thought about it carefully. She had most of her memories of her predecessor, but not much of them now. It probably wasn't a formal visit. A naval captain and a king and princess wouldn't have any interaction, so it couldn't be considered a formal visit. It was probably just a glimpse from afar during a mission.

She didn't say anything, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Smoker pressed further, "Why is the heir to Alabasta here? Your Highness, you're not still insisting on your story about bringing a pet duck to the East Blue for dinner, are you?"

Weiwei hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay, coming to Donghai for dinner isn't the main reason, I came here to..."

She really wanted to say that she came to see her dog, Xiuxiu, but to outsiders, this reason sounded even more absurd than bringing a pet duck to dinner. But that was the truth. How could she explain it?

"Here's the thing, I've heard about some of Dadi's experiences, so I want to recruit him to work in Alabasta. You may not know this, but Alabasta has a standing army of 600,000. The military expenditure is too heavy for the royal family, so we are preparing to carry out military reforms to reduce the number of soldiers while ensuring the army's combat effectiveness."

Her explanations were all true and perfectly in line with her identity.

Smoker asked calmly, "What about Baroque Studio, Ms. Wednesday?"

Vivi glared at him, annoyed. "You know I'm from the Nefertari family, and you know I'm Ms. Wednesday. You've investigated everything, and you still want me to explain? You're so boring!"

“I just think the princess of Alabasta has changed quite a bit. Could you tell me why?” Smoker said slowly.

Vivi was speechless. It was all because of her predecessor and Mr. 8 Icarus's clumsy and flawed infiltration plan that she was in such a passive position!

I couldn't find a good excuse for the time being, so I could only tell part of the truth.

"If you encountered a group of people secretly plotting to seize your country, I think you would change, wouldn't you?"

Who is it?

"It's Baroque Works; they're plotting a massive conspiracy against Alabasta."

"Who is in charge of this studio?"

"I don't know, I'm still investigating."

Their conversation was very brief, so brief that it was like a casual greeting to an acquaintance on the street: "Have you eaten?" "Yes."

Smoker didn't delve any deeper into the matter. It had nothing to do with the Navy. Alabasta was on the other side of the Grand Line, not within his jurisdiction, so there was no need for him to worry about it.

All he wants to do now is hunt down the Golden Lion and his cronies; nothing else matters.

No one mentioned Conqueror's Haki. Vivi didn't know how to explain it, while Smoker filled in the blanks with his own imagination, conjuring up stories of a runaway princess investigating the mastermind and a stubborn girl diligently practicing swordsmanship. Smoker's historical knowledge was far superior to that of the sword-obsessed Tashigi; at least he knew that the Nephalem Ridge family had connections with the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. What those connections were, he didn't know, nor was he particularly concerned.

Because of the Celestial Dragons, the world's emphasis on bloodlines has reached a pathological level. Smoker himself looks down on those so-called "descendants of the creator" and despises many of the "bloodline theory." But that's just how the world is. You can't fight city hall. As a Marine who maintains order, and as a lowly colonel, he has also been affected.

The bloodline of the Celestial Dragons is very important, as is the bloodline of the D. clan; this is part of universal values.

In his understanding, it wasn't too surprising that these guys awakened Conqueror's Haki.

Smoker knew of one example.

Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, was attacked by civilians when he was young because his parents gave up their Celestial Dragon status. Enraged, he also awakened Conqueror's Haki. At that time, Doflamingo was only eight years old and could do nothing but threaten the crowd. Vivi's experience seems to be somewhat similar to Doflamingo's. Facing immense pressure, something in her bloodline was activated, so it is understandable that she awakened Conqueror's Haki at the age of thirteen.

Having managed to fool Smoker, Vivi wiped the sweat from her brow. In any case, the matter of Conqueror's Haki had been covered up.

"Quack quack?" Karu the duck waddled over. It had just overheard its owner talking about food and wanted to confirm it again.

"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever do is eat! Those chefs are wicked, watch out, they might catch you and make you into roast duck!" Vivi scared Karu half to death, and he trembled as he looked at the duck. The frustration that Smoker had given him earlier was slowly recovering.

It wasn't that she was stupid, but that Smoker was smart. This time, she suffered from the information asymmetry. Who would have thought that this guy would recognize her? She wrote Smoker's name down in her notebook. Next time, next time, she would definitely get her revenge!

Vivi and Karu played for a while, but the naval rescue ship hadn't arrived yet. Leaving the duck to drink milk to calm her nerves, she went to a hill on the deserted island. The view was wide open, and most importantly, she found someone there who was exactly what she expected and expected: sniper Van Oka.

As she climbed the mountain, the sniper was carefully cleaning his long gun.

"Old Fan, you really enjoy standing on high ground, huh? Standing there, you can easily pull the trigger and hold a person's life in your hands, whether they're poor or rich. Thinking about it... it feels pretty good, really fascinating. Old Fan, have you ever thought about standing on an even higher ground to snipe even more valuable prey?"

The solicitation in her words was very obvious.

Van Oka maintained his languid expression: "The high place you're talking about is Alabasta? I heard you have an army of 600,000?"

Vivi raised an eyebrow. Were all these guys so sharp-eared? Had Smoker overheard her and her conversation?

She had several contingency plans in mind for recruiting Van Augur. If Blackbeard, who was penniless, could recruit Van Augur three years later, there was no reason why she couldn't do it. She carefully considered her words.

Her method is to talk about dreams and life, and then paint a grand picture, the bigger the better. Even though it seems ridiculous, people in this world buy into it.

"Since you know who I am, I'll get straight to the point. I can help you get a higher platform, allowing you to see a wider world. Donghai..." She pointed around: "This place is too small. Staying here will do you no good."

Chapter Thirty-Three: Arrangements for Lao Fan

“I do have the idea of ​​leaving the East China Sea, but why should I choose you? Fate has arranged countless forks in the road for me. Are you sure you are the best choice for me?” Van Augur asked neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Vivi smiled pretentiously: "I guess Alabasta is just a symbol to you; you have no idea what kind of power this country contains."

Let me tell you some history first. 800 years ago, 20 kings formed an alliance and established the World Government. Afterwards, 19 kings left their homelands with their families and settled in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. Now they are the descendants of the Creator, and the outside world calls them the Celestial Dragons. Ha, how laughable, just a bunch of parasites… Anyway, Alabasta is one of those 20 nations, it's just that the Nefertari family didn't go to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.”

Van Oka listened intently to this story.

Vivi continued, "You heard my conversation with Smoker earlier, right? Alabasta guards the entrance to the Grand Line. We have tens of millions of people and a permanent military force of over 600,000. Not to mention the East Blue, there are few countries larger than Alabasta in the entire world. Moreover, we are the oldest country. 4000 years ago, my ancestors settled in Alabasta's capital, Alabasta. Even today, you can still see some ancient traces in the royal palace. Perhaps the only thing older than Alabasta is the Tree of Knowledge in Ohara in the West Blue. According to some books, that tree may have existed for over 5000 years."

She looked at Van Augur: "Judging from your appearance, I know you won't settle for mediocrity. Actually, there are only a few ways to reach the top: join the World Government controlled by the Celestial Dragons, join a powerful pirate at the level of the Four Emperors, or join the Revolutionary Army. I guess you're not interested in the Revolutionary Army's approach?"

Van Augur nodded: "Fate often leads me astray, but I'll kill anyone for a price."

Vivi shrugged: "Yeah, so your only choices are the World Government and the Four Emperors. The problem is... which of the Four Emperors do you know? What do you think you could do in a Four Emperor's pirate crew with your current level? Clean the decks? Do you know anyone in the World Government? You know a little about the Celestial Dragons' personalities, right? Are you willing to bend down and lick their shoes?"

“But your current situation is not good, otherwise a princess of a country would not need to come out to do a mission of infiltration,” Van Augur said incisively.

It's that damned infiltration mission again! This is such a rip-off! Vivi cursed under her breath, but her face still showed an expression of complete confidence.