The Pirate Princess Becomes Queen

"The Great Helmet Pirates? Heh, never heard of them." She couldn't help but scoff; the name of this pirate crew was too lame.

"What's the panic?! He just ambushed Ms. Monday! Watch me take care of him!" Vivi helped Ms. Monday cover up for a moment, then, holding the famous sword "Hanashu" upside down, she walked unhurriedly toward Mr. Big Helmet.

The pirates surrounding them also gripped their swords tightly.

Vivi casually glanced at the pirates: "Before I make my move, does anyone else want to leave?"

These words seemed to be a signal, and seven or eight swords were thrust at her.

While Vivi couldn't quite entangle herself with Armament Haki, with her renowned sword in hand, she didn't need Haki to deal with a few grunts.

She stood still, her famous sword "Hanashu" used to parry, slash, and thrust. With a dazzling flash of light, every strike aimed at vital points. In the blink of an eye, seven pirates beside her clutched their necks and fell into pools of blood. Vivi wiped the blood from her blade and stared directly at the large helmet.

"Want to duel me? Fine, I'll grant your wish and take your head!" The big helmet shouted boastfully, but he had no intention of actually dueling with Weiwei. As he spoke, he suddenly pulled out a flintlock pistol from his pocket, pointed the muzzle at Weiwei's forehead without saying a word, and then pulled the trigger.

Vivi stomped her foot nonchalantly, using the reaction force of "Six Styles. Shave" to dodge the bullet to the side.

"Is this all the 3600 million bounty you've got? If so, then your bounty is mine."

"Dare to underestimate me? Die!" the helmeted pirate shouted, bringing his greatsword down fiercely.

"Clang!" Weiwei gripped the knife with both hands and parried with all her might.

The result of the clash of the two swords was somewhat unexpected. Her opponent's strength was much weaker than she had imagined. Her action of holding the swords with both hands was obviously unnecessary, and she could have easily parried the attack with one hand.

"What's going on? Is he that weak? Oh, I see." She suddenly realized that it wasn't that the other party was weak, but that she herself was strong. The "enhanced power" she obtained from the giant warrior had made her strength far exceed that of an ordinary person.

"Looks like this is all you've got. Well then, prepare to die!" She forcefully parried the opponent's greatsword and, taking advantage of the moment when the helmeted pirate was wide open, unleashed nine rapid slashes.

"Lion. Nine-Cut Valley!"

The first strike severed the opponent's weapon at the spine of the blade, followed by a strike to each of his left hand, right hand, both shoulders, ribs, and legs.

Finally, she put the knife to the other person's neck.

"No! You!... You can't kill me!" The helmeted pirate, covered in blood, knelt on the ground and pleaded repeatedly.

"My pirate crew belongs to Tea Beard! If you dare to touch me, Boss Tea Beard will definitely not let you get away with it!"

In reality, he was extremely guilty about saying this. He was a nobody! He had only seen Tea Beard once from afar, but now it was a matter of life and death, so he could only use the big name as a shield.

Vivi, who had originally planned to slit the throat and then claim the reward for the corpse, suddenly had a change of heart.

Tea Beard? She remembered that he was a very famous pirate. After all, these days, anyone who dares to call themselves "X Beard" is usually quite skilled and not just a weakling.

Vivi was originally worried that Buggy Jiro would be outnumbered and outmatched when facing Crocodile, since his good buddy Red was far away in the New World and couldn't help him in his immediate predicament. But now, Buggy Jiro's helper has come to his doorstep!

Chapter Forty-Eight: Inciting Hatred

The big helmet, unaware of Vivi's thoughts, was still struggling to survive despite the long knife held to its neck.

He went on and on, saying, "Tea Beard Boss is about to march into the New World! If something happens to me here, he will definitely lead a large army to the first half of the Grand Line to avenge me! You should know that, right? Among pirates, Tea Beard Boss is the most loyal! Let me go... You don't want to mess with Tea Beard Boss, do you?"

Vivi looked into Tea Beard's bounty, and sure enough, these days people with a beard in their name are tough guys. Tea Beard's bounty is a whopping 8000 million Berries! If you just look at the numbers on paper, their Baroque Works boss, Crocodile, only has a bounty of 8100 million.

Of course, Crocodile's 8100 million bounty was from 20 years ago when he first started out, while Tea Beard's 8000 million bounty is more recent. The difference in value is completely different. But Vivi guesses many pirates don't even realize this; they only look at the bounty amount. Looking at the numbers alone, Tea Beard and Crocodile are indeed about the same...

Yay! Vivi was very happy. She had been worried that Crocodile's reputation as a Shichibukai would scare away the enemy, but now that there was a great pirate who was "evenly matched" with him, she didn't have to worry anymore.

The difficulty lies in how to get the tea-bearded guy to Alabasta. Vivi looked at the helmeted man, who was bowing his head in a submissive manner, hoping that she would spare his life.

Previously, she thought this guy was repulsive, with a weasel-like face and wearing a Japanese samurai helmet, making him look extremely out of place. She only took action herself because of the 3600 million bounty. Now... now she feels that Mr. Big Helmet is very kind and is a standard tool.

It's a bit of a waste to kill him with one strike and exchange him for the bounty; we should be able to make use of him.

Vivi detained Mr. Big Helmet's ship and all his men, then launched into a tirade of venomous remarks, mocking Tea Beard and Big Helmet for a long time. She even boasted that her backer was Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. In the end, she seemed to be blind, letting Mr. Big Helmet, who was full of resentment and forcibly suppressing his anger, go!

Can Buggy the Clown and Crocodile together really stand a chance against Crocodile? Obviously not. As a crucial part of the World Government's efforts to balance the situation on the seas, the fighting strength of the Seven Warlords of the Sea has been proven over time.

If they were to get serious, Tea Beard and Buggy the Clown, without Armament Haki, would be easy prey against Crocodile.

No matter how strong you are, or how many subordinates you have, it's useless.

Vivi doesn't have any good solutions right now, so she can only try to attract as much hatred as possible!

The incident with the big helmet gave her a lot of inspiration. It was like finding the key to wealth. She began to frequently target those pirate crews with powerful backers.

......

"What? You're the navigator of the Rosio Pirates? Your boss is Rosio the Executioner, with a bounty of 4200 million Berries? Trash! Tell your captain that as long as Crocodile, the hero of Alabasta, is on the Grand Line, that worm will never get ahead! Execute him? Let him go back to the countryside and farm! ...That's right, these are the words of Mr. Crocodile himself! You have a problem with that?"

"What? You're the third mate of the New Era Pirates? Your captain is Hyena Bellamy? 5500 million Berries bounty? A dog is a dog, no matter how loud it barks, it's useless. Tell your captain that Mr. Crocodile from Alabasta said that his stupid appearance is disgusting, and he should go find a rural town to dye cloth and never set sail again. Mr. Crocodile laughs whenever he sees his face, it's too ugly!"

Vivi kept running on the sea surface, all to draw the wrath of the sand crocodile.

When Tea Beard led ten pirate ships and several other small pirate crews to Alabasta with great momentum, she secretly slipped away to watch the show.

To become a hero in Alabasta, Crocodile had no choice but to face the challenge head-on.

To distance himself from Baroque Works, he didn't hire any of the studio's bounty hunters this time. Instead, he stood alone at the port, facing a combined fleet consisting of Tea Beard, Bucky the Clown, Rossio the Executioner, and Bellamy the Hyena.

He stood with his back to the setting sun, without even a dog by his side; his lonely figure looked extremely desolate.

The two sides fought a major battle in the port city of rapeseed flowers.

In just one encounter, over two hundred pirates were turned into dried corpses by Crocodile. The six-meter-tall, burly-faced Tea Beard challenged Crocodile, but was utterly defeated. If it weren't for his men's desperate rescue, he might have been killed in one fell swoop.

The sand crocodile perfectly illustrated what it means to have sandstorms raging. A dark, yellow sandstorm swept across the sky, and few people were able to respond effectively.

How can manpower fight against a sandstorm? The pirates discovered that their swords were of no use against the sand crocodile. Their sheer numbers made them nothing more than tools to wear down the sand crocodile in this battle.

If Crocodile had unlimited stamina and they fought to the death, then Crocodile alone could kill all four pirate crews.

This demonstrates the formidable strength of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

"The gap is quite large. I can't catch up with him. Even with Armament Haki, it's useless..." Vivi and Karu the Duck were hiding in a house observing the battlefield.

Of course, it was mainly Weiwei who was observing. The ducks weren't interested in fighting and killing, so they squatted down and read the newspaper very seriously, showing that they were cultured ducks.

Worried about being recognized, Weiwei didn't ask the duck to collect the attributes this time. Instead, she carefully weighed the strength of both sides and made some notes in her notebook from time to time.

There's a difference between comics and reality. Luffy was able to defeat Crocodile while carrying a bucket of water, but others might not be able to replicate that process. Without absolute certainty, and with survival as her top priority, she wouldn't rashly challenge Crocodile.

Conqueror's Haki is ineffective against Crocodile; all she can rely on is Armament Haki and swordsmanship. She thinks it would be extremely difficult to defeat Crocodile using these methods.

Vivi estimated that her current level would be equivalent to that of a colonel in the Navy. Her combat ability was not bad, but it would definitely not surpass Smoker the White Hunter. Compared to Crocodile, there was a considerable gap. To defeat this powerful enemy head-on, she would need more training and a powerful Devil Fruit!

Watching Crocodile rampage, she lost her initial interest. There were quite a few pirates, but they were basically freebies. Apart from making the land of Alabasta a little more fertile, they were of no value whatsoever. If Crocodile were given a system that allowed him to gain experience points by killing enemies, with so many "monsters" in front of him, if he worked hard for a few days, Crocodile could challenge the Four Emperors, right?

Chapter Forty-Nine: Departure, to the New World

Vivi encouraged herself, saying, "Let's go, Karu, let's go back! We need to prepare to go to the New World. Next time, next time I will definitely be able to defeat him."

"Quack quack!" The duck quickly put away the newspaper and quacked twice to show its support.

They came and went quietly, while Crocodile displayed his might on the battlefield, defeating the Teabeard Pirates, the New Era Pirates, the Executioner Pirates, and the Buggy Pirates, causing them to flee in disarray and once again solidifying his reputation as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

......

After fighting pirates for half a month, bearing the title of one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Whiskey Mountain, Vivi withdrew from the pirate-hunting activities, citing her serious injuries and need for recuperation. She then secretly embarked on a merchant ship bound for the latter half of the Grand Line, the New World, accompanied by her duck, Karu.

This world is not simply a matter of pirates or the navy; in between, there are also a large number of civilians who make a living at sea.

Vivi doesn't have her own boat, and even if she did, she couldn't openly sail it. Her trip to the New World is a secret operation, and the fewer people who know about it, the better.

After her selection process, she eventually joined a theater troupe that performs stage plays.

The troupe's owner and lead actor is an old man named Landoruff.

Before retiring, the old man was a lieutenant commander in the Navy Headquarters. He joined the Navy to avenge his family, who had been killed by pirates. After avenging his family, he returned to the stage, wrote scripts, hired actors and staff, and sailed a large ship to tour many towns between the Grand Line and the New World. His main purpose was to encourage the Navy and the people and call on everyone to fight the pirates to the end.

The Navy's journey from the first half of the Grand Line to the New World is smooth; they can simply go through the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. Pirates, on the other hand, can only travel to the New World via the underwater Ryugu Kingdom. However, this world is not only inhabited by pirates and the Navy; there are also a large number of civilians in between. If civilians want to travel from the first half of the Grand Line to the New World, they need to apply to the World Government, then cross the Red Line, and board a ship on the other side of the continent to officially enter the New World.

The Landoruff Theatre Company has been running this route for years, and with all the necessary permits, they have set up a ship at each end of the red earth continent.

If you want to perform on the Grand Line, then take this ship. If you want to go to the New World, then submit an application, and after it's approved, store this ship, cross the mountain, retrieve the ship on the other side of the continent, and continue your performance.

This is the common way for many ordinary people to travel; although it is cumbersome, it is safe.

Vivi had no intention of going to the underwater Dragon Palace Kingdom; it sounded dangerous enough. How much water pressure would there be at a depth of 10,000 meters? Using the "acrobatic" skills she had acquired from Bucky the Clown, she put on some makeup, took out her Jaina disguise again, and, with her duck Karoo, joined the Landoruff Troupe three days after leaving Whiskey Hill.

Landoruff deeply hates pirates. After leaving the Navy, he has been touring various places in the form of stage plays. The old man's approach is somewhat similar to the cultural troupe in his previous life. Although it is a private troupe, it is not a problem to go to the New World with the help of his long-standing connections. Vivi values ​​his good reputation that he has built up over the years, as well as his similar life experience to Admiral Zephyr, which is why she decided to hitch a ride on this ship to the New World.

When Landoruff heard that there was a "hero" in Alabasta who was desperately killing pirates, the old man immediately brought his troupe to cheer on the people. They performed fifteen shows in several port cities along the coast, nine of which were free and the remaining six were only charged a symbolic maintenance fee. It was a complete loss-making endeavor to gain publicity.

Weiwei applied for a role as an actress at the theater troupe.

She possesses skills in singing, dancing, opera, and recitation. After chatting with her for a while, the old man discovered that she didn't care much about the amount of her salary, so he immediately signed a contract with her, and Vivi became a member of the Landoruff Theatre Troupe.

After leaving Alabasta, she performed on stage twice more.

Her character is extremely simple, and one could even say that the story structure is extremely crude.

Randolph plays the main character, a naval officer; two burly guys play pirates; a few civilian characters are added; and Vivi, a new addition, is chosen by a discerning old man to play a princess.

Wearing a veil, she rode her pet duck Karu, disguised as a camel, onto the stage, serving as a background character kidnapped by pirates. A king and a prince shared the same role, which was meant to highlight the pirates' ferocity and greed. After the pirates were defeated by the navy, the princess and the king returned home safely. After this sequence, the stage play was over.

The plot is simple, but in some towns that have suffered from pirates, it is able to win the genuine support of the people at the bottom of society, who desperately need this kind of spiritual comfort.

Vivi's life suddenly became simple. When she had scenes to film, she would go on stage as a background character. When she didn't have scenes to film, she would practice Armament Haki in her room, eat and drink as she pleased, and read the newspaper when she was bored. She often saw news about Alabasta in the newspaper. Under the influence of the treasure, the battle between the "heroes" and the pirates there was still very intense.

Karoo the duck has been very happy these days. Whenever the ship stops along the way, it pulls Vivi out to find food. The world of One Piece is quite diverse in terms of food. Each island has its own characteristics, and the ingredients and cooking methods are naturally different as well.

After the duck had diarrhea for three consecutive days, she started to be wary of the strange things sold at roadside stalls, realizing she couldn't eat just anything.

"Gah gah?" Karu pointed to the Coke by the roadside and asked if it was drinkable.

Vivi quickly stopped it. In this world, cola can be used as fuel. Shaking it a couple of times can provide flight power for a ship. It's so powerful, is it still a beverage? Who would dare to drink it?

"No, you can't drink it, it's too dangerous!" Weiwei grabbed the duck and left.

"Quack..." The duck left the Coca-Cola vendor dejectedly, but less than a minute later, it found new food and became lively again.

The trip was very interesting, and Vivi was very relaxed every day.

The Landoruff Troupe enjoys a good reputation among the public, but opinions on them are mixed at the official level. The Five Elders value balance, and the current balance between the Navy, the Four Emperors, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea is quite good. They do not want any party to disrupt the existing order.

The Navy's increased efforts to kill pirates do not align with the Five Elders' plans, but Landoruff's role is too minor and his influence is low, so the higher-ups don't care much.

"Stop the ship!"

"Stop the ship and submit to inspection!"

"We are the navy, stop the ship immediately and submit to inspection!"