Thud!
Miss Monday crashed heavily to the ground, losing consciousness immediately.
"How is this possible? He actually defeated Miss Monday!"
The surrounding Baroque Works agents gawked in disbelief.
Miss Monday was one of the executive officers, her combat ability far above the elite "one-in-a-billion" warriors!
And "one-in-a-billion" means exactly that—super-elite individuals selected from a hundred million people.
Oguro, of course, had no idea what they were thinking, otherwise he would have laughed mercilessly at their self-aggrandizement.
All of this was just Crocodile's exaggerated propaganda!
Believe it if you want, but in reality, Baroque Works' true strength would barely make the Navy kneel if it were really one-in-a-billion.
Clearly, this was just hype.
"Peacock Spiral!"
Amidst the intimidation, a figure launched an attack without hesitation.
Miss Wednesday—Vivi—threw a line of Peacock Needles straight at the back of Oguro's head.
A string of blades formed a deadly line, aiming to pierce Oguro's skull.
"It's going to hit!"
The onlookers were sure Vivi's attack would succeed.
She struck from Oguro's blind spot with perfect timing.
Yet Oguro merely tilted his head slightly, and the needles whizzed harmlessly past his ear.
Vivi's eyes widened in shock.
Does this guy have eyes on the back of his head?
Oguro grinned inwardly.
Did she really think Observation Haki was useless?
Though Vivi hid her location, she couldn't hide her presence.
To him, her ambush was as obvious as an open card.
"Peacock Spiral – Reversal!"
Vivi didn't give up. When her first strike missed, she immediately changed her technique.
She swung her arm hard, transforming the needles from thrusts into a sweeping horizontal slash.
Oguro released Nami, drew his Zanpakutō, and enveloped it with Armament Haki.
He swung sharply, slicing through the line of Peacock Needles.
Clang!
The steel weapons shattered into two pieces.
Vivi's disbelief was palpable.
Made of tempered steel, and it broke just like that?
Seizing the opening, Oguro teleported in with his step-and-flash, appearing right in front of Vivi.
Without giving her a chance to react, he punched her squarely in the stomach, knocking her unconscious.
It was clear, however, that Oguro had restrained himself.
Otherwise, Vivi would have suffered as severely as Miss Monday.
At that moment, Oguro's mind raced. Alabasta… Crocodile… high potential value…
To establish his Supreme Divine Kingdom, conquering the nations of the One Piece world was a necessary step.
Due to Crocodile's "Ideal Country Plan," Alabasta was in chaos, giving Oguro a perfect opportunity to intervene.
And he didn't underestimate King Cobra—not that he was particularly competent as a ruler.
Caring for the people was fine, but a king must also have the means to strike decisively.
Alabasta, a Grand Line superpower, spanned nearly 500,000 square kilometers with a population exceeding ten million and a standing army of 600,000!
It could easily be called a hegemon.
Yet Cobra had allowed a rebel force to grow to 700,000 from scratch—an act no competent king would ever commit.
A king can be kind, but never naïve.
Not every time will a hero crew like Luffy's come to save you.
"Vivi!"
In a panic, Mr. 8—Icarlem—shouted her real name.
He was captain of Alabasta's royal guard and had been undercover with Vivi inside Baroque Works.
Seeing the princess in danger, Icarlem leapt toward Oguro.
His saxophone quickly transformed into a powerful shotgun, aiming at Oguro's head.
Oguro dodged effortlessly, letting the bullets miss and returning Vivi to Icarlem's arms.
Alabasta was a superpower; having it under his control would greatly strengthen the foundation of his Divine Kingdom.
For this reason, he couldn't truly harm Vivi.
"Vivi? Nefertari Vivi? So you really are Alabasta's undercover agent!"
At that moment, a figure appeared on a nearby rooftop.
Dark-skinned, with an afro, dressed like a rock singer.
Icarlem shuddered at the sight.
"Mr. 5! What are you doing here?"
"Hehe! Of course the boss sent us because he knew you couldn't handle this young lord on your own!"
A clear, female voice floated down from above.
A tall, blonde woman with a yellow hat and an umbrella descended gracefully—Miss Valentine, Mr. 5's partner and a Heavy-Heavy Fruit user.
Having exposed Vivi's identity in front of two executive officers, Icarlem cursed his luck.
"The boss's Ideal Country Plan is at a critical stage. You two undercover agents can't mess it up, so… prepare to die!"
Mr. 5 flicked his fingers, and a small projectile—a nose pellet—shot toward Vivi and Icarlem.
Boom!
Mr. 5's ability allowed him to turn any object into an explosive.
This tiny pellet had the force of a grenade.
Icarlem, knowing the power of Mr. 5, shielded Vivi with his back without hesitation.
Boom!
Blood sprayed from Icarlem's back, but Vivi remained unharmed.
The shock revived her, and she cried out, "Icarlem! Are you okay?"
Icarlem could barely lift his head to respond.
Oguro quietly said, "Hanatarō, heal him."
Yamada Hanatarō quickly moved to Icarlem's side. Seeing Vivi's cautious gaze, he patiently said, "I'm a doctor. Leave him to me."
He placed his hands on Icarlem's back and began to perform healing techniques.
"Interesting! You actually help your enemies!"
Mr. 5 looked at Oguro with a mocking grin.
Oguro sneered. "If they're not your people, they're not my enemies.
Besides, it seems your boss is carrying out a critical plan—one I can't let be disrupted.
I already judged your leader the moment he targeted me!"
Mr. 5's face darkened.
"Hmph! Bold words… fine, we'll deal with you first, then them."
Whoosh!
Mr. 5 leapt like a bullet from the rooftop, kicking at Oguro's temple.
"Foot Blast!"
Using his Devil Fruit, his explosive-enhanced kick would detonate on impact, though he was immune himself.
Oguro calmly raised his left hand to his side and called out,
"Bakudō 8: Seki!"
***
Thanks for the 50 stones here's the bonus
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