Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

Princess Vivi then briefly explained the attack that had occurred that evening, and concluded with a serious tone.

"The last enemy who didn't show himself was manipulating sand to attack me, and there's a very high chance it's Crocodile, the pirate who recently arrived in the kingdom..."

After a pause, Princess Vivi calmly gave her orders.

"Bell, immediately inform your father and have him issue an arrest warrant for Crocodile, and also report this incident to the World Government."

However, listening to Princess Vivi's seemingly logical analysis and well-organized response, Bailey's eyes flashed with relief, but his expression was somewhat troubled as he said...

“Your Highness, the villains who attacked you this time should have nothing to do with Crocodile.”

"Huh?!" Princess Vivi looked puzzled.

Bell replied, "Because Mr. Crocodile recently visited His Majesty regarding the issue of 'frequent harassment of the coastline by pirates,' and when I left the kingdom, Mr. Crocodile was still in conversation with His Majesty, so how could he have attacked you?"

[Chapter 312 Crocodile]

How can it be?

Not only Princess Vivi looked surprised, but even Yann was somewhat astonished by Bell's words.

Only one Devil Fruit can exist at a time; this is one of the most common facts in the world.

The ability to manipulate sand just now clearly belongs to the "Sand-Sand Fruit".

Crocodile, who possesses this ability, recently made a high-profile appearance in the Alabasta Kingdom, and has resolved numerous pirate attacks, is definitely the attacker.

“Impossible, Bell, could there be some mistake? The ability that attacked me was definitely manipulating sand, and I only managed to repel the enemy in the end thanks to Lord Yasuo’s Wind Sword Technique,” ​​Princess Vivi said with certainty.

Princess Vivi's words, however, made Bell look at Yann, the stranger who had suddenly appeared beside Princess Vivi, with more suspicion, and then he said.

"Your Highness, it would be better to return to the palace to discuss this matter. If we remain outside the palace now, the villains might attack again."

"Alright."

Having just experienced a series of terrifying dangers, Princess Vivi nodded and then said to Yaen, "Lord Yaso, please come back to the palace with me. I will certainly ask my father to reward you handsomely."

Upon hearing this, Yann felt a bit more hesitant.

Without a doubt, Yann was certain that the one who ultimately attacked him and Princess Vivi was Crocodile, the user of the "Sand-Sand Fruit".

As for how he managed to appear in the palace at the same time to create an alibi, Yaen is not sure yet.

However, given how things have developed, it's clear that in Bell's eyes, the Kingdom's Guard Lieutenant, Yann, a masked stranger, is more suspicious than Crocodile, whose reputation is rising in the kingdom and who is gradually building a heroic image.

It's easy to imagine that, apart from Bell, the rest of the people in the Alabasta palace shared similar views on Yann.

Therefore, even if Yann were to return to the palace with Princess Vivi, he would not receive genuine courtesy and trust.

Rather than doing that, it would be better to say goodbye to Princess Vivi and leave behind a perfect childhood memory, thus creating an opportunity and connection for the Revolutionary Army to truly engage with the Kingdom of Alabasta in the future.

In any case, Yann's real purpose in coming to the Kingdom of Alabasta was to obtain the Poneglyphs and the "Ancient Weapon - Hades".

As long as Yann takes the Poneglyphs and the Ancient Weapon Pluton with him, even if Crocodile, who has similar goals, continues to stay in the Alabasta Kingdom, no unexpected trouble will arise.

Furthermore, with Hancock and Robin's pregnancy progressing, Yann's return to Amazon Lily is only a few months away, so there's no need for him to waste time getting involved in court intrigues.

Just as Arn had made up his mind and was about to say goodbye to Princess Vivi, Princess Vivi vaguely sensed something. Seeing Bell's somewhat unpleasant expression, Princess Vivi went straight forward, reached out and grabbed Arn's hands, shaking them slightly as she spoke.

"Lord Yasuo, wasn't our agreement to protect me until I returned to the palace?"

"Come with me, please, Lord Yasuo?"

"I believe you, you definitely won't break your promise, right?"

……

Hearing Princess Vivi's affectionate and coquettish voice, Bell's face was extremely gloomy. He wanted to speak up and dissuade her several times, but he forcibly held back because of his status.

As for Arn, under Princess Vivi's undisguised trust and coquettishness, his mindset, which had already sorted out various reasons for saying goodbye, suddenly changed.

Perhaps it was because he was about to become a father, but at this moment, as he endured the coquettishness of the little blue-haired girl in front of him, his heart quickly softened.

'Oh well, it's just another trip to the palace, it's not a big deal, especially what if the Poneglyphs are hidden inside?'

'Hmm, that possibility can't be ruled out. This could also be a good opportunity to investigate the palace.'

'That's right, I'm doing this purely out of public interest.'

Immediately, facing Bell's murderous gaze, Yann actually reached out and patted Princess Vivi on the head, even giving it a firm rub.

"I will keep my promise."

"Yes, thank you, Lord Yasuo."

Immediately, Princess Vivi took Arn's hand and headed towards the palace.

However, Princess Vivi and Arn were currently on a rooftop, which caused Princess Vivi to stop at the edge of the roof, and she could only look at Arn with a helpless expression.

Immediately, Yann naturally reached out and put his arm around Princess Vivi, then leaped off the roof and continued towards the palace.

A night wind blew across the rooftop, causing Bell's clothes to flutter back and forth, making him appear incredibly lonely, his expression extremely grim and somber.

Who exactly is that guy?

Bell now has considerable reason to suspect that Princess Vivi's attack was likely orchestrated by Yann himself in order to gain Princess Vivi's trust.

Immediately, as he watched Yann and Princess Vivi about to disappear into the distance, Bell quickly followed and secretly took out a Den Den Mushi to contact King Nefertari Cobra of the Alabasta Kingdom.

However, despite Bell's considerable suspicion and ill will towards Yann, out of a sense of duty, Bell did not embellish his report to King Cobra, but rather presented the situation with a fairly objective attitude.

……

As Yann led Princess Vivi along, they soon arrived at the entrance of the Alabasta Palace.

Meanwhile, a large group of people were already waiting in a dark mass at the palace gate.

"Vivi!"

As Princess Vivi appeared, the man wearing the crown rushed out and ran to her, looking her over nervously and asking her questions with concern.

"Are you alright, Vivi?"

In response to King Cobra's concern, Princess Vivi replied with considerable composure, "It's alright, Father. This time, it was all thanks to Lord Yaso's protection."

“Thank you very much, Lord Yaso. You are the benefactor of our Nefertari clan.”

King Cobra expressed his gratitude to Yann with great sincerity and promised various rewards on the spot.

In response, Yann, who had gradually lost interest in the treasure, nodded indifferently to King Cobra. His gaze, hidden behind his mask, fell on Crocodile, the man with slicked-back hair and a black fur coat standing not far away.

Sensing Yann's subtle gaze, Crocodile's face, marked by a long horizontal scar, slowly broke into a smile, his eyes fixed on Yann like those of a predator.

————————PS: Meow, I caught a cold and took some medicine, which made me so sleepy. I can't continue cultivating tonight, so there will only be two chapters.

[Chapter 313 The Feeling of Peace of Mind]

"Is that guy really Crocodile?"

Arne, who had been placed in a luxurious room under King Cobra's arrangement, stroked his chin, recalling Crocodile's actions at the palace gate, and muttered to himself.

The next instant, a night breeze blew in through the window that Yann had deliberately opened, transforming into the form of Dragon and speaking.

"Chief of the General Staff, impressive. I didn't expect you to get in touch with Princess Vivi so quickly."

"It's...it's alright."

Yone waved his hand, then asked, "Drag, don't you feel like there's something wrong with Crocodile?"

"Judging from the appearance, I compared it carefully, and it is indeed completely consistent with the bounty poster," Dragon replied after a moment's thought.

Clearly, like Yann, Dragon, who was observing from the shadows, also noticed the problem.

"Appearance?"

After thinking carefully for a moment, Yann said, "The most likely possibility is the ability of the Imitation Fruit."

Dragon strained to recall the contents of the Devil Fruit encyclopedia and answered, "The Imitation Fruit, which allows me to perfectly mimic someone else's appearance?"

“Yes, if that’s the case, it would completely explain why Crocodile was in the palace talking to King Cobra when Princess Vivi and I were attacked by the sandstorm.”

After a pause, Yann continued.

"Or rather, Crocodile deliberately used the 'Imitation Fruit' to prove his innocence. No wonder he was willing to expose his Devil Fruit in order to win over Princess Vivi."

"Do you understand that even if you, an outsider to King Cobra, and the young Princess Vivi guess his identity, King Cobra won't believe you, which is why you're so fearless?"

Of course, Yann understands that in this situation, it would be pointless to tell the Alabasta royal family his guesses.

Devil Fruits have all sorts of abilities. Besides the possibility of having the Imitation Fruit, which allows them to imitate Crocodile's appearance, there are also other Devil Fruits that can manipulate sand.

Therefore, based on preconceived notions, King Cobra had no reason to believe Yann.

However, because Yann understood from his past life's memories that Crocodile's biggest intention in appearing in the Alabasta Kingdom was to steal the Alabasta Kingdom and secretly plot the existence of the Ancient Weapon Pluton, which might exist in the Alabasta Kingdom.

Furthermore, since Yann knew very well that Mr. 1 was Crocodile's most valued subordinate, the one who attacked Yann and Princess Vivi must have been Crocodile.

"Chief of Staff, you have now gained Princess Vivi's initial trust. What's next?" Dragon asked from the side.

Yann continued, sticking to the excuse he had used to fool Dorrag.

"The top priority is to secretly investigate the whereabouts of the Poneglyphs. The rest is to gain the trust of the Alabasta royal family as much as possible, so as to lay a good foundation for formal contact between the Revolutionary Army and the Kingdom of Alabasta in the future."

After a pause, Yann continued.

"However, in order to avoid revealing my identity and arousing unnecessary suspicion, I cannot use my own abilities at all. Next, I can only trouble you, Dragon, to cooperate in disguising the so-called 'Wind Sword Dao'."

"no problem."

Dorrag nodded, speaking without any pressure.

In fact, although Dragon developed the "Wind-Wind Fruit" to be exceptionally violent when used in battle, the ability actually makes him incredibly skilled at stealth, as the wind is an omnipresent element in nature. When he is in "elemental form," he is extremely difficult to detect and has a very high degree of concealment.

In this respect, Dragon has a natural advantage over those with "Magma-Magma Fruit", "Ice-Ice Fruit", and "Glint-Glint Fruit".

……

While Yann and Drag were talking, King Cobra was listening attentively as Princess Vivi recounted the events.

"Really? You must have had a tough time, Vivi, enduring such an unpleasant attack," King Cobra said with some heartache.

Princess Vivi shook her head, her youthful face revealing a hint of determination as she said, "Father, don't worry. As the heir to the Kingdom of Alabasta, I am already prepared for the consequences."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Upon seeing this, King Cobra burst into laughter, his heart filled with satisfaction.

After all, King Cobra only has Princess Vivi as his descendant. In the future, whether it is the succession to the throne of Alabasta or the continuation of the Nefertari family, it can only depend on Princess Vivi.