The Pirate Princess Becomes Queen

"Princess Nefertari, the jewel of Alabasta, I have long admired your name."

"Hehe, I have long admired the commander of the Eastern Army."

"Outsiders don't seem to know your whereabouts? It took me a lot of effort to find out your identity, I guessed and guessed. Speaking of which, do you need to have a domineering aura to be a princess these days? It seems that being a decadent nobleman isn't easy either."

Vivi was incredibly frustrated; after Smoker, her true identity had been exposed once again.

Despite feeling frustrated, he maintained a calm expression and casually said, "I heard that one of your officers is a Titan, right? Is it because of his connections that you were able to talk to Oimo and Kashi?"

"What are you doing on Enies Lobby? Just for those two giants? It can't be that simple, can it?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? What are you up to on Enies Lobby? Are you trying to build up your own manpower here? Or are you planning a prison break from Impel Down? I heard some of your officers are imprisoned in Impel Down?"

They each talked their own way, seemingly saying a lot, but in reality, they didn't touch on any key information.

"Want one?" Bello Betty took out a cigarette.

"Thank you, no need." Vivi shook her head and took a bag of potato chips from Karu next to her, crunching away.

"Hmph, still just a child."

"Pshaw, you're just pretending to be mature."

Bello Betty was on guard, constantly watching out for Vivi calling for help. Vivi, on the other hand, was worried that Bello would cause trouble and affect her schedule. Both of them were very cautious, keeping an eye on each other and occasionally exchanging a few casual remarks.

Before long, it was finally time for old man Landoruff's case.

The unexpected events that the actors in the troupe had hoped for did not occur at all. No high-ranking naval officials were present, no public petitions were held, and none of the plot points from the script or novel came to pass.

The doors to the waiting room swung open, and two soldiers from Judiciary Island escorted the old man into the courtroom, officially commencing the trial.

Chapter Fifty-Five: The Beginning of Chaos

Standing at a full five meters tall, wearing a blue judge's robe bearing the World Government's insignia, the three-headed Judge Baskerville looked extremely imposing.

Outsiders would never guess that this thing is actually made up of three people wearing one piece of clothing.

Landoruff and Lieutenant Colonel Gobara stood on either side of Vivi, and the others were herded like sheep by the soldiers of Enies Lobby to the entrance of the waiting room, awaiting the presiding judge's summons. Bello Betty also mingled in the crowd, looking like she was watching a show.

Judge Baskerville, standing in the middle of the courtroom, took the case file with an impatient expression.

He read it extremely quickly, as if he were using quantum reading.

Without a second thought, the one on the left of the three heads said impatiently, "Selling naval firearms, the evidence is conclusive, guilty!"

From the moment the crowd entered the courtroom to the moment the verdict was pronounced on this "head," only twenty seconds elapsed.

The actors who believed Randolph was innocent were shocked. What kind of bizarre trial process was this?! You should at least think about it for a second!

Bello Betty gave a very low, cold laugh.

Fortunately, at this moment, Judge Baskerville, speaking calmly from the right side of his head, said, "Isn't this unnecessary? I think the matter needs further investigation, and he should be found not guilty."

The actors breathed a sigh of relief. Innocent, good! Innocent, good! They should be innocent.

Finally, it was the turn of the middle head in the Baskervilles to speak. This head looked quite old, with a white beard, white hair, and age spots of varying shades on its face.

He took a deep breath, then shouted, "A compromise between the two verdicts, the sentence is death!"

"Pfft!" Vivi, who was hiding in the crowd, sprayed a mouthful of juice directly onto Duck Karu's face.

Although she knew that Judiciary Island was not a good place, she did not expect the entire trial process to be so childish and so brutal, which exceeded the limits of her imagination.

The actors were stunned. What? A capital offense? You haven't even asked anything yet! Landoruff frowned, while Lieutenant Colonel Gobara smiled sinisterly. He had spent a lot of money for this death sentence; the one who said he was innocent had really startled him.

“I object, I need to defend myself!” Landoruff stared at the judge.

“I also disagree! Isn’t this too arbitrary?” the judge’s right-hand man retorted in a low voice.

The head on the left seemed to be arguing with him: "Arbitrary? It's precisely because of the inefficiency of the Enies Lobby trials that so many criminals have emerged. In my opinion, they should all be sentenced to death! This Randolph looks cunning, and that Gobana is a scoundrel. If these witnesses hear our trial process, they will definitely distrust the World Government, and they will definitely retaliate in the future, so they should all be killed!"

His words caused a huge uproar, at least among the outsiders; the staff and soldiers on Enies Lobby, on the other hand, all looked on with an air of complete indifference.

Weiwei looked around and realized that they, the witnesses, had come for nothing. This trial didn't even intend to question the parties involved, let alone the witnesses!

Her gaze fell on Landoruff, and the old man's once upright back instantly bent over. He couldn't understand how the world had become like this.

Weiwei guessed that the old man didn't have any trump cards to overturn the case, so what should she do now?

Making a scene at Enies Lobby? That's Wang Luffy's business. Her relationship with Randolph isn't that close, so it's not worth risking her life for.

At this point, we can only resort to off-field tactics.

Once inside Judiciary Island, she could no longer "hear" any sounds, but she was still able to make some basic judgments by observing people's expressions and demeanor.

She found the theater company's treasurer, a young man, and whispered, "The only way to save Mr. Landoruff is to spend money. I think those guys in black suits sitting in the jury seats will be able to do something. Especially the guy in the middle, with the big head, light green hair, short, thin legs, and a zipper on his mouth, he's the most important."

She spoke very vaguely. As the troupe's treasurer, the young man was also a clever one. He had been intimidated by the intimidation of Enies Lobby, but upon hearing Vivi's reminder, he couldn't help but look over.

Judicial Island does have a jury system, but that system was corrupted eight hundred years ago.

The jury on Judiciary Island is currently composed of eleven muscular men who wield large iron hammers as weapons. These guys are more like guards and thugs than jurors. Therefore, the jury box is currently empty, with only three men in black suits sitting there dozing off as if they are resting. The man with the zipper on his mouth, which Vivi mentioned, is the most conspicuous.

The young finance professional mustered up the courage to try to enter the trial room, but after several attempts, she ultimately didn't dare.

Vivi had no intention of taking the lead. She encouraged the young accountant: "Go for it, you can do it. Only you can save Mr. Landoruff. Here, take this. I'll give you my entire salary of 50,000 Berries this month. You must save Mr. Landoruff."

Everyone readily contributed, some giving 30,000, others 20,000. The troupe was indeed poor, but by pooling their resources and adding their savings, they could still scrape together some money.

The young accountant, his face covered in sweat, forced himself to walk into the courtroom and then shuffled along the wall toward the jury box.

What reassured him somewhat was that from the moment he pushed open the door to the courtroom until he walked step by step toward the jury box, no one in the audience asked him a question, as if he had suddenly disappeared.

Ten minutes later, the Randolph case took a new turn; the death penalty was changed to a retrial at a later date.

Upon receiving this news, Vivi was speechless. What did this mean? It meant that the money given was not enough! She didn't know the exact amount, but she had just handed over at least 1000 million Berries, and all she got in return was a postponement of the trial?

It seems like a huge change from a death sentence to a retrial at a later date, but what's the point? Isn't a death sentence just something the presiding judge rambles on about?

It's so damn dark!

The young finance professional also grasped the key point. He mustered his spirits and returned to the waiting room, hoping everyone would offer assistance again.

"5000 million... That guy with the zipper on his mouth said he'd keep it a secret, but he wants 5000 million Berries..."

This time, Vivi remained silent. In the eyes of everyone in the troupe, Miss Gianna only had a grandfather who grew tea trees in the mountains and didn't have much money at all. Even if she was willing to spend money, could she be as rich as Lieutenant Colonel Gobarna? They had to think of another way.

As the troupe members looked worried, a warship slowly docked at the pier on Judiciary Island.

Bucky the Clown, looking like a wilted eggplant, lowered his head and was led off the warship with his hands in seastone handcuffs.

Crocodile was completely at a loss with this guy, so he could only shift the blame. He arrested the man and handed him over to the World Government, saying, "Here's the man, do what you want with him! Kill him or torture him as you please."

Chapter 56 Mr. 5

Shifting blame is a human instinct, and the crocodile was forced into this situation by circumstances.

He's a ruthless person; if he's going to do something, he'll do it to the extreme.

Worried that the World Government wouldn't take the blame, he didn't sit idle during Vivi's absence from Whiskey Hill. He spent a lot of time in Alabasta and the surrounding areas promoting Bucky the Joker's identity, almost to the point of handing out flyers with drums and gongs.

Buggy the Clown was an apprentice on Gol D. Roger's ship and participated in the naval battle against Shiki. Except for the final island, Laugh Tale, he participated in almost all the major events and battles. He's also a close friend and brother of Shanks, one of the Four Emperors. Crocodile reveals everything he knows, true or false.

Such an important person, and your World Government only gave him a bounty of 1500 million Berries? In this river?

I, Crocodile, am one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. For justice, for the people of Alabasta, I am now arresting people and handing them over to the government for trial in the Ganges.

Through a combination of deception and trickery, he packed Bucky the Clown like a piece of cargo and stuffed him into a passing naval warship. Fearing that people wouldn't know, he even paid out of his own pocket to buy two pages in the World News newspaper for three consecutive days of "worldwide" propaganda.

The technological level in the world of One Piece is actually quite high. Although the islands are separated by the sea, making communication between them extremely difficult, there are always a few powerful and wealthy organizations that can make their voices heard all over the world. The World News is one such behemoth that can influence the entire world.

The World News newspaper was distributed across the East China Sea, West China Sea, South China Sea, North China Sea, and the Grand Line, and the whole world learned about the story of the Alabasta hero and Bucky the Clown almost at the same time.

The Five Elders couldn't pretend to be deaf and dumb. The five of them spent a long time discussing how to deal with Bucky the Clown.

They certainly aren't afraid of Shanks, but it would be a huge loss to start a world war over a minor character like Bucky the Joker.

War would severely undermine the balance that world governments are trying to maintain.

But if they don't show any reaction, it will affect the World Government's prestige. On the other hand, they don't know what Shanks' attitude is towards Bucky the Joker. According to the intelligence agency's investigation, the two haven't seen each other for many years. How much of their brotherhood from back then is still there? Will they end up spending all their time figuring things out only to find themselves out of a battle of wits with thin air?

The Five Elders were very unhappy with the Sand Crocodile who had caused them trouble.

The World Government keeps the Seven Warlords of the Sea like dogs, and now this dog not only doesn't solve its master's problems, it brings trouble upon itself! What use are you to me?

After thinking for a long time without coming up with a solution, they decided to delegate the problem to the Navy, since they were pirates anyway.

If the Navy wants to escalate the situation, the World Government will provide assistance as appropriate. If they don't want to escalate the situation, it will save them trouble, and even if trouble arises in the end, the Navy can be made to take the blame.

After some discussion, the Navy Headquarters concluded that Shanks would not get involved in the matter. The former crew members of the Pirate King were either old or dead, and had lost their former vigor, so they were no longer a threat. Since the blame had been shifted onto them, they had no choice but to accept it.

The Navy was willing to take on the task and judged that Shanks wouldn't show up, but when it came to who would actually carry it out, the instinct to shift blame resurfaced.

The marshal recommends to the general, the general recommends to the lieutenant general, the lieutenant general recommends to the major general, and the major general continues to recommend to the next general.

It's not that no one is willing to fight for the Navy or for the cause of justice, but rather that the risks and rewards are simply not worth it! There are two possibilities. One is that Shanks doesn't come, and Buggy the Clown goes to jail for life. What benefit would that bring to the Navy or the cause of justice? Absolutely nothing! The other possibility is that Shanks does come! Then it'll be a bit dangerous...

It's true that no one of the Four Emperors can fight two Admirals at the same time, but conversely, facing one of the Four Emperors without a Marine Admiral by your side is basically a death sentence.

The three admirals of the Navy cannot be easily mobilized. Is it worth sacrificing a large number of elite Navy personnel for something as trivial as Bucky the Clown?

The Navy Headquarters frantically tried to shift the blame, and eventually, the blame fell on Navy Headquarters Lieutenant, Finbdy.

The rank of captain is not low. Captain America was also a captain back then. But in the Navy Headquarters, where generals are gathered, this is just a grunt!

Having just returned from vacation, Captain Finbdi, nicknamed "Iron Fist," absentmindedly took over the prisoners from Alabasta and then sailed to Enies Lobby.

Captain Finbdi was escorting Bucky the Clown, along with one of Crocodile's henchmen.

With thick lips, a long brown coat, and the number 5 on his chest, arms, and hem, Mr. 5 is a high-ranking agent of Baroque Works who maintains a cool appearance even when he enters the courtroom. He possesses the power of the Explosion Fruit.

Unlike the Espada on the Shinigami side, the Baroque Works has a large gap in strength among its members due to its small number of people and remote location.

The four kings, including Vivi, were basically just there to fill in at the studio. Mr. 8 was good at using shotguns, and Mr. 9 only knew how to use two iron bars. They were just there to make up the numbers. Whenever they died, someone would immediately take their place.

The characters Mr. 1 through Mr. 5 are different; they are all Devil Fruit users, and at least in Crocodile's eyes, they are elites that cannot be abandoned for the time being.

Mr. 5 looked arrogant. Even though he was just a nobody with a bounty of only 1000 million, he still acted like a peerless master.

“Ms. All Sunday, tell the employer that I have brought the prisoner to Enies Lobby and the trial will begin immediately.” He spoke to Alabasta via Den Den Mushi. His contact person was always Ms. All Sunday, also known as Nico Robin. He knew that the employer was Crocodile, but he did not know that Crocodile was actually the owner of Baroque Works.

Nico Robin, on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, looked very uncomfortable upon hearing the words "Enies Lobby." She warned Mr. 5 to be careful before hanging up.

The Landoruff troupe, whose case had already been sentenced to "retrial at a later date," were still discussing how to overturn the verdict when Bucky the Clown was brought in.