The Pirate Princess Becomes Queen

Impressions are important. Zephyr and Landoruff have similar experiences and are roughly the same age. Both of them had their families wiped out by pirates. Although their ranks are worlds apart, this will definitely help Vivi and evoke some feelings of resonance.

Binz arranged for Vivi to rest, then turned to report to General Zephyr.

Zefa is 70 years old this year, which is considered old age in any world.

Especially since the old man's family and friends were killed by pirates, and his right arm was also severely injured, the once-powerful "Black Arm" Zephyr, who was like a pillar of the navy, now looks visibly old.

He still has a straight back and bulging muscles, but he is old, and his mentality, beliefs and fighting spirit are far from what they were when he was young.

As soon as Binz entered the room, he saw his teacher punching a sandbag with his intact left fist.

He couldn't help but shout, "Teacher! The doctor said you need to rest now!"

He couldn't help but glance at the other side of the room, where a young woman was leaning against the wall: "Aien, weren't you going to stop the teacher?!"

The young woman gently shook her head, meaning she couldn't persuade her at all. "Our teacher is as stubborn as a mule, how could I possibly convince her? Don't be ridiculous."

Zephyr isn't wearing those sunglasses that look like they'll be worn by a mob boss in the future yet; just looking at his face, he actually seems quite kind.

With his right arm almost completely disabled and unable to exert any strength, he constantly punches the sandbag with his left fist as a form of physical rehabilitation training.

After fighting for a full hour, Zefa finally stopped, picked up a towel from the side, wiped himself casually, and then let Ain and Binz attack him, calling it "teaching." After beating the two students to the ground, he asked about Vivi.

"Has the princess arrived?"

Despite being bruised and battered from the teacher's beating, Binz, who seemed rather pleased, quickly replied, "Yes, I've already arranged for Her Highness to stay. She was very clever this time; she came to the New World with a theater troupe..."

Binz recounted Vivi's journey, focusing on how Lieutenant Colonel Gobara framed Landoruf. The whole incident was full of twists and turns, and he vividly described the greed of Enies Lobby, Lieutenant Colonel Gobara's treachery, and old man Landoruf's integrity.

Chapter Sixty-Four: First Meeting

Zefa glanced at his disciple expressionlessly: "You told it so beautifully, it seems you put a lot of thought into it. That princess is quite the storyteller."

Binz hurriedly explained, "Teacher, no, this shouldn't be a story. I've also heard of the Landoruff Theatre Company..."

Zephyr waved his hand: "Whether it's a story or not, everything here is cleverly set up to move me. It's too obvious: the shady deals at Enies Lobby, the Navy's abnormal promotion system, including that Landoruff..."

Considering that Landoruff shared similar life experiences with him, Zephyr ultimately refrained from commenting on the old marine who had spent half his life encouraging people to fight against pirates.

It would be a lie to say he felt no resonance whatsoever. Even though he knew Vivi's intention in telling this story, he was still deeply moved. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the Navy had changed, not to mention the World Government—the sheer number of shady dealings within it made him feel nauseous just thinking about it.

Binz hadn't thought it was that complicated. He hesitated, wanting to explain, but didn't know where to begin.

Zephyr sneered: "Hmph! What does this have to do with you, Lieutenant Binz? Are you in charge of Enies Lobby or the Navy? The other side told such a wonderful story, they must have put in a lot of effort... Trying to outsmart me."

To make his students understand the connection, he added, "Why didn't that princess contact Ain or any other naval commanders, but instead contacted a greenhorn like you?"

A tall, beautiful female swordsman in shorts and a long blue cape smiled and asked her companion, "Yeah, why doesn't she contact me?"

Binz scratched his head, looking embarrassed: "Maybe it's because I'm handsome."

"Pah!" Zefa spat in his face.

The old man angrily scolded him: "It's because you're a man and she's a woman that you've been taken advantage of, you fool!"

Worried that the students lacked life experience, he explained the whole thing in detail: "Do you know how many ships come to the New World from the first half of the Grand Line every day? Some are fast, some have many escorts, and some are related to the Celestial Dragons and can pass directly through Mary Geoise. Why did that princess choose an ordinary merchant ship? Have you thought about that?"

She could have easily stayed out of it on Enies Lobby, or changed ships; no one could have stopped her if she wanted to leave. Why did she waste three months with that theater troupe? Lieutenant Binz, have you considered the implications? Do you think everyone is like you, doing nothing all day?

The old man's voice grew so loud at the end that it shook the walls of the ward...

"No way, that prince doesn't look that old..." Binz was taken aback. He had a good impression of Vivi and was filled with disappointment.

"I saw through the true colors of these nobles forty years ago! Open your eyes wide and use your brains more when you encounter problems!"

"Then...then, teacher, do you mean you don't want to see her?" Binz was completely bewildered and wanted to ask his companion for help, but Ain just stood by with his arms crossed, watching the spectacle.

Zephyr looked at him like he was an idiot: "Why wouldn't I see him? He came all the way from Alabasta, with such sincerity, why would I refuse? If word got out, how could I face anyone? Does your teacher not even have the courage to see anyone anymore? If I avoid him, that old bastard Garp will laugh himself to death!"

Binz wiped his forehead; his brow was covered in sweat and drool. Good grief! Teacher, you've already said everything I needed to say, what else can I say?

The old man was always decisive and efficient. After imparting his life experience, he asked Binz to invite Vivi.

Originally thinking she needed a day off, Vivi was in her room playing Connect Four with her ducks when she heard that Zefa wanted to see her.

"Shall we go see the general now?"

"Yes, right now."

Taking a duck to see the old man seemed strange no matter how you looked at it. Vivi figured there wouldn't be any fighting, so she left the duck, Karu, in the room.

She followed Binz, who had a stern face and never smiled, to the hospital at Naval Base G2 to see former Admiral Zephyr, who was said to be recuperating.

This meeting was entirely private, and it was more of a test between the two parties.

Even if Zephyr agrees to take up a post in Alabasta, he still needs Vivi's father's personal invitation before he can take office. There are over two hundred kings in the world, but what about naval admirals? You can count them on your fingers. Vivi's father is dead, so what? At most, his country's citizens will mourn him and that's it... But the death of a former admiral like Zephyr would have a huge impact.

If it weren't for Alabasta's ancient history and its glorious past in participating in the establishment of the World Government, ordinary member states of the World Government would not be qualified to recruit a former admiral.

"General Zefa, I have long admired your name."

"Your Highness Nefertari, I am truly ashamed that you have come all this way."

Both of them were very polite in their opening remarks. Weiwei noticed the old man's dissatisfaction, and the old man did not try to hide his feelings.

She didn't know where this dissatisfaction came from, assuming the old man was just naturally rigid. After a few simple pleasantries, she got straight to the point: "General Zeffa, Alabasta needs your abilities and prestige..."

He said almost the same things he had said to Dadi that day, including reasons such as military reform, cutting military spending to improve people's livelihoods, and cracking down on pirates.

Finally, she said quite solemnly, "My father, His Majesty Neferutarie Cobra, wishes to appoint a general as our commander-in-chief."

Currently, the Alabasta army is already showing signs of great instability. The domestic turmoil is too severe. Not to mention Vivi, even her cheap father cannot suppress the increasingly escalating contradictions. The contradictions have always been there, and Crocodile's role is only to intensify them. Regardless of whether Crocodile is stirring up trouble or not, Alabasta will definitely experience turmoil. At this time, carrying out military reforms is undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire. Once the news gets out, half of the army could defect in no time.

This is also why the original King Kobra watched the conflict escalate. It wasn't that he couldn't see it, but that he couldn't do it. He lacked the prestige, ability, and skill. Only a major war could quell the conflicts between the people and the king, the poor and the rich, and the soldiers and officers.

With King Cobra failing, Vivi's prestige has plummeted even further. Asking her to handle reforms only leads to further chaos.

Zepha is different. The old man is a good fighter and has enough prestige. He can completely suppress the internal conflicts in Alabasta, forcefully promote military reforms, and forcibly eliminate the conflicts. This is the plan that Vivi and her adoptive father determined after communicating dozens of times via Den Den Mushi.

Chapter Sixty-Five: Curbing Piracy at its Source

Marshal is the highest military rank they can offer. Being promoted from admiral to marshal of a constituent country is barely considered equal rank, given that Alabasta has a large army and population and is a top-tier power in the world.

Being appointed as a marshal will not bury the old man's identity.

Zefa remained silent, and the two students, Ain and Binz, also lowered their heads, not wanting their thoughts to influence their teacher's judgment.

"Does Your Highness know my lifelong wish?" Admiral Zephyr asked, then answered on his own, "I hate pirates very much, but... even today, I still adhere to my principle of not killing, which is ridiculed by my colleagues. Do you think that's contradictory?"

Although I've never met Randolph, I know a bit about his life. He's an old soldier, seven or eight years younger than me, a good man and a good soldier. The Navy let him down.

When the topic turned to this peer with a similar experience, Zephyr's attitude improved considerably. Even though he knew that Vivi had gone to great lengths to create this situation, he could still find a sense of identification with Randolph, simply because their experiences were so similar.

Zephyr's tone was heavy: "Randolph called on everyone to muster their courage and fight the pirates to the end. His actions are admirable, but I am not him. I am a former admiral of the Navy. As long as I have a breath left, I will fight the pirates to the end... Your Highness, if I go to Alabasta, what will happen to the cause I have dedicated my life to?"

You may know, you may not, but those guys at Marine Headquarters... Hmph, they're all holed up in Marineford, building line after line of defense around Marine Headquarters. They don't dare come to the New World at all. If I leave here, the pirates in the New World will be unstoppable.”

"It's like you can defeat the Four Emperors all by yourself..." Vivi secretly curled her lip. The old man had too much of an ego, always thinking that the planet would stop turning without him.

She pondered for a moment. This matter involved the other party's "dream," something that might be dispensable in other worlds, but here, it was the very core of everything.

Every strong person has their own dreams, and they must carefully balance the other party's dreams with their own demands.

Vivi said seriously, "From my perspective, pirates cannot be eliminated in the short term. The World Government is pursuing a balance, and I guess the government's allocation of military funds to the Navy is also based on the principle of balance, right?"

Zephyr snorted, offering no comment on the World Government's deliberate suppression of the Navy.

Vivi continued, "They need to maintain a balance. We can't fight city hall. Let alone little Alabasta, even the Sengoku Admiral is powerless against their decisions, right?"

Zefa knew perfectly well who "they" was, but remained silent.

"We can't eliminate pirates in the grand scheme of things, but we can curb them at their source."

"Oh? How do we stop it?"

Vivi explained her plan: "I don't know if there are any pirates capable of crossing the Calm Belt, but they're probably very few. Currently, most pirates entering the Grand Line from the Four Seas go through the Reverse Mountain and then follow the currents. Since most pirates' first stop upon entering the Grand Line is Alabasta, we can deploy troops to set up checkpoints at their entrances, stopping all the pirates from the Four Seas! At that point, there will be no new pirates to replenish the Grand Line; every death will reduce their numbers. Meanwhile, the Navy can continuously replenish its ranks through worldwide recruitment. In just two or three years, the balance of power between pirates and the Navy will be unbalanced. At that time..."

She didn't say what happened back then, and it really had nothing to do with her anyway.

Zephyr thought about it seriously. During this time, he had the idea of ​​wiping out all the pirates in the New World in one fell swoop. However, the plan was not yet mature. Now that he had not yet figured out the old plan, Vivi had given him a new idea.

He remained silent for a full five minutes before saying, "Even with my help, Alabasta cannot build a navy that can block the entrance to the Grand Line in a short time. The number of warships and marines required is not small."

Vivi glanced at Ain and Binz beside her, and it was clear that the two of them were somewhat interested.

They weren't afraid of death, but they worried about dying in vain. Should they go to the New World to fight the Four Emperors, or go to the first half of the Grand Line to fight those insignificant pirates? Humans have an instinct to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune. Faced with this choice, they subconsciously wanted to choose the latter.

This isn't cowardice; their level is far too dangerous to fight against the Four Emperors. Fighting a bunch of rookie pirates is much easier; they could fight them with their eyes closed!

Seeing the students' reaction, Zephyr shook his head slightly: "Even if we include them, and some of my supporters within the Navy, it will still take time to rebuild a navy."

A century-old navy is no joke. Even with Zefa's students and supporters as the backbone, it's a big joke for a desert country to think it can build a navy.

Pirates aren't stupid. Once they know their intentions, they'll definitely take various actions. The World Government will also need to do a lot of work. The Alabasta Navy will most likely end up dying before it even begins.

Vivi had also thought about this issue. She said, "I've discussed this with my father. We're willing to use all the savings of the Nefertari family to hire Germa 66. If you agree to go to Alabasta, I will inform my father and immediately send someone to the North Blue to contact the Vinsmoke family. We'll sell everything we own to hire Germa 66 to fight for two years and blockade the entrance to the Grand Line!"

Zephyr cautioned, "The cost of hiring Germa 66 isn't low. You want to hire them for two years?"

Vivi didn't care about this at all, and said with great confidence, "It's okay, we have money!"

Alabasta has accumulated wealth over thousands of years. The kings of each dynasty were diligent and had few extravagant hobbies. Vivi's current adoptive father is even more so. After the queen's death, he did not spend any money on daily expenses except for taking care of his daughter. Day after day, year after year, he has saved up a considerable amount of money.

Vivi emphasized, "As long as you don't dislike Germa 66, then it's fine."

The old man sighed softly. Germa 66 was indeed not a good person, but there were just too many pirates who burned, killed, and plundered these days! Compared to them, Germa 66, a mercenary organization, seemed like a benevolent group. As a Marine Admiral with extremely high moral standards, he didn't like Germa 66, but he couldn't say he was hostile. After all, it wasn't him who was paying for it, so what objection could he have?

Although neither party explicitly stated it, the old man had already shown some approval for Weiwei's plan, and the initial agreement was successfully reached. Next, Weiwei's father would come to discuss the matter in person.

Chapter Sixty-Six: This is not how you use domineering aura.

With business concluded, Vivi began discussing personal matters. She seemed to have said it without thinking, merely blurting out, "Professor Zephyr..."

Zefa glanced at her, wanting to say something, but considering several factors, he ultimately held back.

The old man had countless students. When he walked into the naval headquarters, everyone called him "teacher." He had at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, so one more or one less really made no difference.

His teacher was more like a classroom teacher than a teacher who passed down knowledge and skills from the old master to apprentice.

Just like when you see an acquaintance on the street, you can call them "Teacher Chen" or "Teacher Li." There are no rules; you can call them whatever you want.

Vivi seized the opportunity and asked calmly, "I've been practicing Armament Haki lately. I heard that it's one of Zephyr's strengths. I have a few questions. Could you help me answer them?"