Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

At this moment, Yann breathed a slight sigh of relief. These guys in front of him looked like pirate henchmen, and they wouldn't be difficult to deal with.

Perhaps, not even a blink of an eye is needed.

"What's wrong?!" The warning in Yann's tone was self-evident.

"that……"

The bald, burly man at the head of the group looked at Yann again, then carefully scanned the almost untouched bedding and other items in the room before asking a question.

Have you seen a little girl with blue hair?

“No.” Yann’s voice remained completely still.

Hearing Arn's completely uncooperative answer, the bald, burly man glanced around the room again and at the Soul-Slaying Blade at Arn's waist, which didn't look cheap, and said hesitantly.

"Well... I'm sorry to bother you."

Immediately, the bald, burly man turned his head to one side, then led the others to the room next door. After knocking on the door a few times, he kicked it open.

Immediately following was a series of chaotic sounds: shouts from burly men, screams from young men and women, and various sounds of rummaging through drawers and cabinets.

'It seems they really are just looking for someone.'

Yaen closed the door again, then sat back on the bed, gently tapped the bed frame, and said, "Come out, they're gone."

The next moment, a head of smooth and beautiful blue hair appeared in front of Yann, and the blue-haired little girl slowly crawled out from under the bed.

It was only then that Yann noticed that the blue-haired little girl was younger than he had imagined, probably only five or six years old, with a face full of childish innocence.

However, what caught Aan's attention the most was the blue-haired little girl's clothes, which were not flashy but were exceptionally appropriate and had a high-class feel.

'This doesn't seem to be something an ordinary commoner can afford,' Yann thought to himself.

After the little blue-haired girl with delicate features stood up, she gracefully straightened her clothes, then picked up a corner of her skirt with both hands, bowed slightly, and performed an exceptionally standard etiquette, saying...

"Thank you for your help."

“I just don’t want anyone else in my room,” Yann replied calmly, subtly gesturing for the blue-haired little girl to leave as well.

After all, Yann came to the Kingdom of Alabasta to find the Poneglyphs and the Ancient Weapon Pluton, and the reason he specially changed into Alabasta Kingdom clothes was to be as low-key and inconspicuous as possible.

Therefore, Ya'en did not want to get involved in these melodramatic events that seemed to involve either a rich girl running away from home or various grudges and entanglements.

However, the blue-haired little girl, who looked only five or six years old, understood Yann's unspoken meaning with exceptional intelligence, demonstrating an emotional intelligence far superior to that of Baby-5, who is now almost eleven years old.

"I am extremely sorry to have disturbed your rest..."

After a pause, the little blue-haired girl stared at Yann for a few moments with her bright eyes, a hint of hesitation flickering in her lively gaze.

Finally, the little blue-haired girl seemed to have made up her mind, performed a courtly ritual once more, and then spoke.

"I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Princess Nefertari Vivi of the Kingdom of Alabasta. We were attacked by unknown pirates while traveling with the palace guards. I wonder if I could invite you to serve as my temporary bodyguard? The Nefertari royal family will definitely reward you handsomely afterward."

After a pause, Princess Vivi, seemingly worried that Arn might be intimidated by the difficulty of the mission, proceeded to persuade him with clear and logical reasoning.

“My guards were tied up by pirates, and I was the only one who managed to escape to the market. However, if you can protect me for a short while, the rest of the palace guards will arrive soon.”

At this moment, however, countless question marks were flashing through Arn's mind.

???

Neferutari Vivi?

Is this Princess Vivi, the sole heir to the royal family of the Kingdom of Alabasta?

What a coincidence!

He just casually booked a room, and Princess Vivi was already lying under the bed waiting for him?

At this moment, even Yann couldn't help but suspect another possibility.

So, Dragon's speed can't be that fast, right?

Just moments before, he had suggested to Dragon that they should try their best to gain the trust and support of the Alabasta royal family in order to learn about the Ancient Weapon Pluton and the secrets buried by the World Government.

Immediately afterward, Dragon arranged for his men to attack Princess Vivi and rush her into his room, staging a perfectly timed hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress drama?

However, the next moment, Yann realized that this was almost impossible.

Even though the Revolutionary Army's influence has begun to expand around the world, countries like the Kingdom of Alabasta, which are member states of the World Government, are still able to contact the World Government at any time.

The revolutionary army approached contact with extreme caution, making it impossible for them to have so many people infiltrated the capital so quickly.

[Chapter 306. I, Yasuo]

Besides, Yann only booked a room at a nearby inn on a whim, but Princess Vivi had been hiding under the bed beforehand.

More importantly, given Dragon's personality and strategic acumen, Yann had every reason to believe that he was incapable of doing such a thing.

So, this... really is just a coincidence?

Looking at Princess Vivi in ​​front of him, Yann was momentarily unsure of what to do.

In reality, it would be best for Yann to keep a low profile as much as possible right now. Finding the Poneglyphs secretly around the capital of the Alabasta Kingdom would already be the first step in completing his mission.

Theoretically speaking, if the Revolutionary Army could win the help of the Alabasta royal family, which holds many secrets, it would undoubtedly be a great asset in their future fight against the World Government.

Now, Princess Vivi, as the sole heir to the Kingdom of Alabasta, has gained her trust at such a young age, which is undoubtedly an extremely rare opportunity.

After all, in just a brief exchange with Princess Vivi, the five- or six-year-old princess had already demonstrated remarkably mature thinking and royal demeanor.

While countless thoughts raced through Arn's mind, only a few breaths had actually passed.

Under Princess Vivi's expectant yet apprehensive gaze, Yann slowly nodded.

The Poneglyphs and the Ancient Weapon Pluton have been hidden in the Kingdom of Alabasta for some time now, and they won't be able to escape anytime soon.

In comparison, the opportunity to gain Princess Vivi's trust is extremely rare and should not be missed.

More importantly, looking at the adorable five- or six-year-old blue-haired little girl in front of him, Yann felt somewhat reluctant to let her fall into the hands of pirates.

The Hidden Story of the Princess and the Pirate...

The ocean is full of low-class stories of small countries being conquered by pirates, and princesses being manipulated at will by the pirates.

"Princess Vivi, my apologies. I was just stunned by your identity and was somewhat negligent. Please forgive me."

Having made the decision, Yan quickly immersed himself in the role, changing his way of speaking to disguise his true identity, and also subtly using the cover of his cloak to change the appearance of the Zanpakuto at his waist from "Senbonzakura" to the unreleased state of "Kyoka Suigetsu".

Seeing this, Princess Vivi visibly relaxed and said, "Thank you for your help. May I ask your name?"

call?!

Yaon's eyes flickered slightly before he answered, "I, Yasuo, am a swordsman."

“Swordsman Yasuo, I see. Then I’ll leave the escort duties to you.” Princess Vivi said.

Just then, another undisguised sound rang out from outside the door.

"Brother, someone clearly saw that little girl run into this hotel, but apart from that room which hasn't been searched, the other rooms haven't been found."

"How about we charge in? That guy is just one person; he might not be a match for us."

"Don't be impulsive. If the person inside really is a swordsman, it will be troublesome. Let's wait a bit longer. The captain will arrive soon after he gets rid of those palace guards."

"boom!"

The next moment, Yann's door was opened directly from the inside.

The burly men seemed to have been prepared, instantly taking a step back and raising their weapons at Ya'en.

However, instead of resisting fiercely as the burly men had expected, Ya'en ignored them completely and didn't even close the door before turning around and walking downstairs.

The burly men watched as the cloaked figure of Yann disappeared at the top of the stairs before their expressions slowly relaxed.

"Is that guy scared?"

"It's possible. After all, no matter how strong he is, he's just one person. He heard that our captain came over immediately, so it's normal for him to be scared."

"Never mind that for now, let's go in and search..."

……

Hearing the conversation of the burly men behind him, Yann did not stop walking. He walked straight out of the small inn and headed towards the Alabasta Palace.

However, if someone gets close to Yann, they can vaguely hear a conversation.

"Ouch, Princess Vivi, try scratching somewhere else. It doesn't feel comfortable there."

"I'm so sorry, Lord Yasuo, I'll change it right away..."

"No, no, no, that's not right either."

Immediately afterwards, the area under Yann's cloak flared up and down for a moment before returning to normal.

Meanwhile, inside Arn's cloak, to avoid any protrusions on the surface of the cloak, Princess Vivi was practically half-hanging on Arn's waist, and Arn also freed one hand to lend Princess Vivi strength.

And so, in a rather cumbersome and awkward manner, Yann slowly made his way toward the Alabasta Palace.

However, there's nothing that can be done about it, even if Yann's true speed allows him to reach the Alabasta Palace in an instant.

However, displaying too much power can raise suspicion.

Therefore, Yann could only pretend to be an ordinary swordsman, as he had said, and protect Princess Vivi as discreetly as possible.

Regardless of anything else, this is still the capital of the Kingdom of Alabasta, no matter how lax the Kingdom of Alabasta's military preparedness may be.

If Yaen can stall for time and wait for news of Princess Vivi's attack to reach the palace, then Yaen won't even need to take action.

However, at the same time.

In a secluded corner of the Alabasta royal capital, shrouded in night, a palace guard, with the help of his companions, barely escaped the pirates' siege.

Immediately, the palace guard ran frantically toward the palace.

Suddenly, just as the palace guard turned a corner, on a street not far from the palace, he unexpectedly encountered the King of Alabasta—King Neferutali Cobra.

Overjoyed, the palace guards completely forgot why the king was alone on the street and scrambled to their knees before Cobra to report.

"Your Majesty, disaster has struck! Pirates have attacked! Quickly, send men to rescue Princess Vivi!"

"Okay, I understand. You can go without worry..."

The next moment, just as the palace guard suddenly realized something was wrong and looked up in confusion, a shadow loomed over him.

"Click!"

A dull thud of bones breaking rang out, and the palace guard's eyes widened as he collapsed completely to the ground.