"Who are you?"
Feeling the coldness emanating from her arm, Vivi gritted her teeth, looking at the tall figure before her, his face obscured by the shadows.
"My name is Kuzan."
The figure pressed his right hand to the ground, and a chair made of ice appeared. He sat on it, looking at Vivi, and said, "You should have seen me before."
"Kuzan?"
Vivi froze for a moment, then realized, "One of the Three Admirals of the Marines, Aokiji."
"That's right, that's my codename," Aokiji said lazily.
"Admiral Aokiji, why… why are you here?"
Vivi didn't doubt him too much; the ability he had just displayed was indeed Aokiji's.
But the question was, why was he here?
Vivi felt uneasy.
A Marine Admiral, the highest combat power in Marine Headquarters, with only three of them in the entire Marine force, was here to find her.
She recalled that when she and her father were summoned to Marine Headquarters for the World Government conference, they had only sent a Captain. For other countries, depending on their regional military officer's rank, it would be at most a Rear Admiral.
How could an Admiral possibly come to find her?
More importantly, he had come to find her at night.
"What, you're not going to tell me, are you?"
Aokiji looked at Vivi impatiently and said, "Coming to find you at night is already tiring enough. Do I also have to go through the trouble of questioning you?"
"Admiral Aokiji, why don't you just tell me your purpose directly?"
Vivi took a deep breath and looked at Aokiji.
Aokiji looked at Vivi and said, "I want to know Robin's whereabouts."
"Robin?"
Vivi was slightly taken aback, then asked, "Why are you looking for her?"
"I just need to ask her a few things," Aokiji replied in a lazy tone.
"The Devil Child, Robin?"
Vivi frowned and asked, "Admiral Aokiji, why are you asking me?"
Aokiji said, "She appeared in Alabasta twice. The first time, she killed Crocodile, and you inherited Crocodile's Devil Fruit. Not only that, but you also took over Crocodile's business in Aru-Ma City. The second time, she attacked the port city of Nanohana, proving she is closely related to Alabasta."
Vivi said, "I only obtained the Sand-Sand Fruit by chance. Crocodile's casino was very profitable. He's dead, so we took it over. It can revitalize the country and restore a city, so why not do it? This cannot be direct evidence."
"I didn't say it was evidence."
Aokiji said, "I'm just telling you why I chose to ask you. I'm someone who dislikes trouble, and I hope to get an answer from you. If I don't, then I can only assume you are colluding with Robin."
"Because of your assumption, you can frame an entire country?" Vivi said coldly.
"Don't associate your Nefertari family with the entire country."
Aokiji leaned forward and said, "I'm only saying that the royal family is colluding with Robin, and I will eliminate you."
"This..."
Vivi's expression turned extremely grim upon hearing this.
Aokiji shrugged and said, "So I advise you to tell me."
"She..."
Vivi shook her head and said, "She is no longer here. You cannot find her."
"Cannot find her?"
Aokiji said, "Alabasta is the next island on this route. Not long ago, a Giant Beast appeared. You're saying Robin is gone?"
Vivi said softly, "That Giant Beast has nothing to do with Robin anymore."
"Are you saying?"
Aokiji raised an eyebrow.
Vivi gritted her teeth and said, "I can only tell you this much. If I tell you too much, I will be killed. When you leave, our Alabasta Kingdom will still be destroyed."
"A force capable of destroying a country?"
Aokiji nodded, then asked, "If it's not a Shichibukai, you can tell me, and I will eliminate them for you. If even a Marine Admiral can't do it, then I don't think they need to hide."
If it were a Shichibukai, then he could only report it to the World Government for judgment.
"Although it's not a Shichibukai, it possesses strength comparable to a Shichibukai," Vivi sighed.
"Are you referring to Fire Fist Ace?"
Aokiji grasped the keywords, and Vivi frowned, saying, "Our President is investigating his information, but I haven't heard that he has joined the organization."
"Investigating his information?" Aokiji asked. "Why is your President investigating his information?"
Vivi said, "I don't know, but they've been investigating Ace's information. He fought Blackbeard in Mock Town, and he went there at the time."
"So that's how it is."
Aokiji pinched his chin and said, "Ace is the second division commander of Whitebeard, so it's unlikely he'd join you, but he must have had some reason."
"If that's the case."
Aokiji looked at Vivi and said, "I can help you eradicate this force."
"This..."
Vivi's eyes showed a hint of interest, but she still shook her head and said, "It's impossible. Your strength as an Admiral is beyond doubt, but their informants are everywhere. As soon as the Marines make a move, they'll find out, and then they'll disappear and hide. They've always operated in the shadows with a perfect alarm system."
"You're saying there are their people around?" Aokiji asked curiously.
Vivi said, "Of course. I've been under surveillance and have had to do as they demand."
Aokiji thought for a moment and said, "You inherited the Sand-Sand Fruit ability, right? And you have a powerful country behind you. Do the people monitoring you have the ability to defeat you?"
"Most people wouldn't be able to."
Vivi said, "But they know the weakness of my ability."
Aokiji raised an eyebrow and said, "Weakness?"
Vivi honestly replied, "Once I encounter water, I can't turn into sand. And my physical combat skills are quite poor."
"I see."
Aokiji said thoughtfully, "From what you've said, I've deduced two things. The first is that the watchers are nearby, and the second is that the watchers have excellent physical combat skills, enough to negate your ability with water and then defeat you. And you're personally overseeing the casino. If they want to monitor you, then..."
Aokiji slowly said, "This casino was opened by you and them together, and they sent people to monitor you. At least in this casino, there should be quite a few of their people. And someone among them can harm you, so could it be that woman named Cecilia?"
Vivi's eyes widened, and she asked, "How did you know?"
Aokiji said, "I checked the information here from the intelligence department. There were two strong individuals here, formerly Heckle, and now Cecilia. Moreover, I've been here for two days and have been in the casino the whole time. Yesterday, a group of pirates arrived, their leader had a bounty of 50 million, but they were easily defeated by that woman. Her physical combat skills are enough to do what you just said."
"It is indeed her."
Vivi said, "She is the main monitor and a Senior Agent under the President."
"President?"
Aokiji looked at Vivi and asked, "Is their leader called the President?"
Vivi shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, I can't say any more. Please, Admiral Aokiji, don't ask further."
"Can you meet this President? Face to face?"
Aokiji asked Vivi.
Vivi nodded and said, "I can meet him, but it's troublesome. I have to call him, confirm the time, and then go to a designated island. It's always Elvin Island. I can only meet him there, and only for important matters."
"It seems he values you highly."
Aokiji thought for a moment and said, "When you meet him, I'll help you kill him and solve this problem once and for all."
Vivi smiled and said, "But there are informants around."
"You don't have to do anything."
Aokiji looked at Vivi and said, "I'll make you a Life Card and follow you from a distance. When the time comes, capture the President, then come back and assist you in capturing Cecilia."
Vivi's expression became troubled, and she said, "They have more than just these few people."
Aokiji shrugged and said, "I can help you establish a security post here and have a Marine officer stationed here. This area seems to be under Hina's jurisdiction, right? Her strength is good. Although she's only a Captain, some Commodores are no match for her. More importantly, she has her own Black Cage Fleet, which is enough to deter the surrounding pirates. Coupled with you and the Alabasta Kingdom, I think it's enough to ensure the safety of this place."
Vivi's expression showed some interest, and she looked at Aokiji and said, "Actually, I also know some things about Baroque Works."
"The organization's name is Baroque Works?"
Aokiji was a little surprised.
Vivi said, "That's right, their organization's name is Baroque Works. They have a base in Whiskey Peak. Besides that, I can also tell you the President's true identity. But I have a condition."
"Condition?"
Aokiji looked at Vivi and asked, "What condition?"
"When I was coerced by them, I did some things for them."
Vivi said, "So..."
"Past offenses will be forgiven."
Aokiji said, "As long as we can catch them, I will overlook this information about you."
"That's good then."
Vivi nodded, but then looked at her arm and asked, "Then this..."
"I understand."
Aokiji snapped his fingers, and the ice on Vivi's right hand disappeared completely. Vivi moved her arm; it was already a bit frostbitten.
"I really didn't expect this."
Aokiji yawned, "I actually got the answer from you."
Vivi frowned and asked, "So you're just guessing I might know?"
Aokiji nodded and said, "That's right."
Vivi asked coldly, "Then you used my family as leverage, threatening to kill my entire family."
"It was just a test."
Aokiji waved his hand and said, "If you don't tell me, I won't bother killing you."
"But you have to kill them."
Vivi said with a helpless expression, "If I reveal their identities, and you don't kill them, I'll be the only one who dies."
"Don't worry."
Aokiji's expression turned serious and he said, "I'll take care of them for you, once and for all."
"I hope so."
Hearing this, Vivi looked out the window. A crescent moon hung there, casting a cold, desolate light downwards.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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