Gojo turned toward Vivi and looked directly into her eyes through his sunglasses. His expression was hidden, but his voice was calm—coldly calm.
"And what makes you think that I would care about your countrymen, or that I would spare them just because they are your countrymen? Don't get any kind of illusions that I am here to save your country or anything like that. I am here just for money. Got it?"
A faint breeze passed between them, lifting a few strands of Vivi's hair.
"I want money from you. And I am also hoping that Crocodile, the leader of the Baroque Works, who has been ruling the underworld of the Alabasta Kingdom—and even around it, I'm sure of it—must have a lot of wealth. And I want that wealth. For that reason only did I even take you with me here, because you are a target. And you will be targeted by Crocodile.
"So if I am the one with you, I will definitely clash with the Baroque Works when they try to attack you. After all, I have to take money from you for sparing your guards' lives. So ultimately, my goal is money. You got that? Either I get it by hook or by crook, I don't care. I'm not here to waste my time on the matters of your kingdom—what is happening, how to liberate your people, how to free them from their suffering. I'm not a hero. You got that?"
The words settled heavily in the air.
As soon as Vivi heard this, slight tears gathered in her eyes, blurring her vision. Her fingers tightened into fists at her sides.
"How could you be so heartless, even after knowing the condition of my kingdom?" she said, almost shouting now, her voice trembling. "Are you not human? You are such a powerful person. With your strength, you can definitely save many innocent people of the Alabasta Kingdom. It just depends on your will. But you don't care about them."
Her chest rose and fell quickly.
"Your attitude toward them is like they are worthless. Since the moment I met you, I have seen your behavior and attitude toward this world. It's like you are not from this world at all. You don't have any goals. You don't care about anyone's life or death. You don't show mercy to anyone. Everything is just a deal for you or revenge. How can you call yourself a human like this?"
For a brief moment, silence lingered between them.
As soon as Gojo heard this, he replied without hesitation.
"Your words sound very high and mighty. They may affect someone. But I don't care. If I start playing hero, then I will have to save all the people from their suffering and all that. Do you think I care about everyone else?"
His tone did not rise; it did not need to.
"There are many places where pirates wreak havoc just because they are not part of the World Government. They are not considered humans. You know this, right? Your kingdom is part of the World Government, so you all are humans. I am not part of the World Government, so I am not a human. So your question—'Am I human?'—definitely I am not a human. You got that?"
The statement was sharp, almost cutting.
"Now, I am not here to debate morals with you. I want money. That is it. We will go through the official route and reach the capital of the kingdom as soon as possible. After I take the money from your father, the King of the Alabasta Kingdom, I will be on my way."
Vivi stood there, stunned and shocked at the same time. His words carried ruthlessness—but not just his. They reflected the ruthlessness of the World Government itself.
The Marines, the so-called protectors of justice, do not care about a kingdom or a village if they are not part of the World Government. They are treated as trash. They are not even called humans.
So this is the truth of this world…
Gojo had pointed directly at its heart without hesitation. And his words made one thing painfully clear—he would not back down from his decision. He would follow the official route. And if any rebel army or imperial force dared to stop him, he would kill them.
Vivi's mind raced, thoughts clashing against one another. Fear, anger, desperation—all of it churned inside her.
Then suddenly, an idea struck her.
"How about I increase the money by a million?" she said quickly, stepping forward slightly, her voice firm despite the moisture still clinging to her lashes. "I will give you 51 million berries if you follow the route I say and not the official route."
After hearing this, Gojo simply shook his head.
"No."
He didn't even look conflicted.
"How about increasing it?" he added casually.
Vivi's eyes widened slightly. She understood immediately—this was not about morals, not about safety, not about routes. It was about numbers.
"How about 55 million then?" she said without hesitation.
There was not even a second of delay.
"Deal."
Gojo extended his hand toward her. Vivi clasped it firmly. His grip was steady, unwavering. She knew he would never move from his position unless a price was attached to it. So she gave him one.
Fifty-five million berries—for following her route instead of the official road from Nanohana Town to the capital of the Alabasta Kingdom.
The deal was sealed.
And at that exact moment, the atmosphere shifted.
From both sides of the street, figures began emerging—boots scraping against stone, metal clinking faintly. Multiple men stepped forward, holding guns, swords, and various weapons. They gathered slowly, surrounding Gojo, Vivi and Igaram their expressions hostile and predator.
Gojo glanced at the growing crowd and sighed lightly.
"And here I thought you rats would make me wait longer."
One of the leaders turned toward another. "Did he just call us rats?"
The other replied instantly, irritation flashing across his face. "Yes. He just called all of us rats."
On the other side, Vivi's face turned pale as she recognized the insignias and weapons.
"We have to leave immediately," she said urgently to Gojo. "These are the Billions and Millions. There are a lot of them."
Her voice carried clear fear.
Gojo closed his eyes for the briefest moment. With Observation Haki, he counted.
"Two hundred," he said calmly. "There are only two hundred of them."
His gaze sharpened slightly behind his sunglasses.
"Among them, only two stand out. The rest are nothing more than trash. Or rats, as I said before."
When the members of the Millions heard the fear in Vivi's tone earlier, they felt satisfied. But hearing Gojo call them trash—rats—again ignited their anger instantly.
One of the Billions stepped forward, veins bulging at his temple.
"Fire at this bastard! Fill him with holes!"
The moment his voice fell, gunshots erupted.
The sharp crack of bullets shattered the air as multiple members of the Millions began firing at Gojo simultaneously.
Gojo moved instantly.
He pulled Vivi behind him with one hand. Had she remained where she was, she would have been riddled with bullets within seconds. Igaram, who had already witnessed Gojo's abilities firsthand, quickly positioned himself behind Gojo as well.
The bullets reached him—
—and stopped.
Mid-air.
They froze inches away from his body, suspended as if the world itself had paused. Then, one by one, they dropped to the ground with harmless metallic clinks.
Silence followed.
The members of the Baroque works stared in disbelief, eyes wide, fingers still gripping their triggers.
They wanted to speak—to shout, to question, to curse—but before any words could escape them, Gojo casually slipped the bag from his shoulder and turned toward Vivi.
"Hold this."
She took it without thinking.
And in the next instant—
He vanished.
Vivi's eyes widened. She looked forward in shock—
—and saw him already standing behind a large cluster of the Millions.
A sword gleamed in his hand.
There had been no visible movement. No sound of steps. No blur.
Just disappearance—
—and reappearance.
Then—
Thin red lines appeared across multiple necks and chests.
For a split second, nothing happened.
And then blood erupted violently from vital points—neck arteries severed, chests split open. The Billions of the Baroque works, along with dozens of Millions, collapsed to the ground almost simultaneously.
Bodies hit the street in heavy succession.
Around fifty of them were dead in an instant.
The remaining members of the Millions stood frozen in terror. They hadn't even seen him move. They didn't understand how he had crossed the distance. To them, it was as if death itself had teleported among them.
Gojo stood calmly, sword lowered, blood sliding down the blade.
After his fight with Jinbe, his control over Limitless had increased even further. And when he used "Blue" to pull himself forward, compressing space and dragging his own body at unimaginable speed, his velocity had risen to high hypersonic levels.
To them—
He was not fast.
He was invisible.
----
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