It seemed like the punch he threw was very light.
"What do you mean by 'how long ago'?!"
Smoker's face twisted in anger as he loudly threatened, "Hand over the princess! Otherwise, I will report your criminal activities to the government, and your Shichibukai title will be revoked!"
Unlike the situation with Crocodile, Luffy was caught in the act.
It is indeed illegal, but it's difficult to say whether his title will be revoked.
Luffy's mouth curved into a smirk; he didn't care at all.
Just kidnap a princess, and her father let her, right? Who do you think you are?
However, he remained calm and composed, while Vivi was anxious.
She quickly stepped forward and shouted, "I'm doing this willingly!"
Smoker:
Citizens: "..."
"What are you saying, Princess Vivi?!" the citizens exclaimed in shock. "Were you threatened?"
Vivi shook her head and smiled, shouting to the citizens:
"I'm sorry, everyone, please go back. I want to continue this adventure for a while longer. And please apologize to my father for me. I really want to experience the vastness of the sea."
It didn't feel like a threat, but a sincere declaration.
The people who managed to get this far were those who truly cared for and protected the princess.
Everyone looked at each other and finally chose to respect her wishes.
"Since Princess Vivi said so... then there's nothing we can do."
"Princess Vivi, please be safe."
"Monkey D. Luffy, you son of a bitch, you better protect the princess. If anything happens to her, the people of Alabasta will never forgive you!"
As the commotion gradually subsided, Luffy laughed lightly.
"Alright boys, let's set sail!"
The ship changed course and, guided by Nami, headed towards the deep sea.
"Goodbye, Smoker. I hope the next time we meet, you're a little stronger. Otherwise, your threats will just be a joke, like now."
On the battleship—
Upon hearing Luffy's mockery, Smoker's face turned red with anger.
Son of a bitch!
Voluntary? I'm just a clown.
He clenched his fist in frustration.
"Captain..." the lieutenant spoke cautiously.
That's why they say, don't get involved in a Shichibukai's affairs unless necessary. It's not something a captain should worry about.
If you want to communicate on equal terms with a Shichibukai, you must at least be a Vice Admiral in the Navy.
Smoker took a deep breath and calmly gave the order, "I'm going to see the king."
Whether it's voluntary or not doesn't matter. What matters is the king's attitude.
If the king wants to investigate, he will report it to Navy Headquarters.
As for the king not wanting to investigate, that's really not his problem.
Maybe in the eyes of others this is unnecessary, but it is your sense of justice!
Naval Headquarters — Marineford.
A military ship docked in the inner bay, and Navy Admiral Aokiji, known as "Aokiji" and whose real name was Kuzan, let out a sigh and stepped down from the ship's gangway.
"Admiral Aokiji!"
As soon as he disembarked, many sailors at the military port immediately greeted him, their eyes full of admiration.
"Arara, why are so many people gathered here? Did pirates attack the headquarters?"
Aokiji scratched his head.
"Don't joke... How could pirates attack the headquarters?"
A captain, with a speechless expression, saluted and said, "You just returned from the New World; it must have been a difficult journey."
After a pause, he continued, "Admiral Sengoku asked me to wait here for you."
Sengoku wants to see me?
Aokiji's face showed an expression of displeasure. He had just completed a mission and returned.
Ah, being an Admiral is such a busy life. No wonder Mr. Garp always refused promotion.
"I understand..."
Helpless, Aokiji had no choice but to head to the headquarters fortress.
Although that was the case, he delayed for a second. He first went to his own office, sat for a while, then laid down and slept for half an hour. After being reminded several times by his subordinates, he reluctantly went to meet Sengoku.
As soon as Sengoku saw Aokiji enter, he said in a displeased tone, "You're too lazy, Kuzan!"
Aokiji sat on the sofa, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, "Can you let me rest for a while? Two of the Four Sea Emperors are about to meet."
"What's the situation?"
Sengoku's expression turned serious at the mention of the Four Emperors.
Aokiji replied, "Most of the surveillance ships there have been sunk, so we can't get close to monitor or observe. The specific reason is unknown. And the Red-Hair Pirates specifically came to warn me."
No matter how strong you are, you're still just one person. On the other side, there's an entire pirate crew of a Sea Emperor.
If you don't leave, we will fight. That's what they said.
Of course, Aokiji couldn't fight Red-Hair and the others, so he could only retreat to a safe distance.
And then, he was called back.
Sengoku fell into deep thought.
Why would Red-Hair and Whitebeard make contact? Could this affect the stability of the world?
The movements of these two are not ordinary. The Marines' main task is to maintain the balance of the Grand Line.
"So why did you call me back?" Aokiji yawned and laid down on the couch, pulling his eye mask down from his forehead. "If there's nothing, I'll go back to sleep."
"It's about Nico Robin!"
With a sudden movement, Aokiji sat up, took off his mask, and had a surprised expression on his face.
Sengoku continued, "This woman used to hide behind Crocodile, but now that Crocodile is gone, she has infiltrated the Straw Hat pirate crew."
"The Straw Hat pirate crew?" Aokiji frowned.
Of course he knew about this new pirate crew.
The captain, Monkey D. Luffy, is Garp's grandson and is now a Shichibukai. It's impossible not to know about him.
"Aokiji, you need to capture Nico Robin. It's a request from above."
"What about Straw Hat Luffy?"
"I don't care about him. Just bring that woman back."
"What I mean is, if he tries to stop me, what should I do? How far can I go?"
"Don't kill anyone!"
Sengoku's face was serious. "This is also taken into consideration by the higher-ups. Do you understand? The Devil's Child, Nico Robin, must be brought back. Even though Straw Hat Luffy has potential, he is still far from being able to stop you!"
After a pause, thinking about Aokiji's relationship with Garp as master and disciple, Sengoku warned again seriously, "I don't need to repeat the importance of this matter, right? That woman has the key to unlocking the devil!"
Upon hearing this, Aokiji scratched his head, got up, and left the office.
"Understood, I'll do my best..."
Shortly thereafter, the warship set sail from Marineford, approaching the Straw Hat crew's route.
(End of chapter)
A lot has happened in the last few days, so I ended up being late. I don't even know what time I'm going to schedule the update of these chapters, but I'll let you know that on Friday I won't have time to post anything.
Give me some power stones there you go~😉