Chapter 38: Pluton
"To think... it was resolved so easily."
Vivi stood frozen in the alleyway, her mind struggling to process the scene before her.
That was a high-ranking officer agent of Baroque Works. Mr. 5 might have looked ridiculous, but his power was lethal. Yet, even he was dispatched in the blink of an eye.
Such strength...
She recalled the battle she had witnessed earlier on the ship. Monkey D. Luffy, a pirate with a bounty of 30 million, had single-handedly dismantled an entire town of bounty hunters, including Mr. Bushido. But even Luffy had been powerless against Apollo, defeated in a single move.
And then there was that mysterious power—Armament Haki—that allowed him to physically grasp a Devil Fruit user who should have been immune to blunt force.
A desperate thought suddenly bloomed in Vivi's mind.
"Princess Vivi, the trash has been taken out," Apollo said, dusting off his hands. "Don't forget your debt. Five hundred thousand Berries. You can hand it over to Nami la—"
Apollo stopped mid-sentence, his brows furrowing in surprise. "What are you doing?"
Vivi had dropped to her knees on the dirty cobblestones. Her head was bowed low, her voice trembling with raw emotion. "Please... I beg you! Save my country!"
"You are a princess of a royal bloodline; you shouldn't kneel so easily to a pirate." Apollo reached down, gripping her arm and pulling her to her feet. His expression was a mix of helplessness and curiosity.
How did it come to this?
He remembered the original timeline clearly. Vivi was stubborn. Despite everything she went through with Luffy and the crew, she had initially refused to involve them in her kingdom's mess, terrified of dragging them into a war against a Warlord.
Why was the situation different with him?
Vivi bit her lip until it turned white, tears streaming down her dust-streaked cheeks. "I know this is an unreasonable request, but I... I have no one else to turn to! I really need help!"
For the first time in years, she saw a glimmer of hope. A tangible force capable of rivaling him.
It was like seeing a fire in the frozen darkness, or a lifeline thrown to a drowning woman. Instinct took over reason; she had to grasp it.
Apollo stared into her tear-filled eyes for a long moment. The silence stretched between them before he spoke slowly. "Then let's talk business. My services don't come cheap. That display just now? That was a free sample. A friendly favor."
"I... I don't have any more money." Vivi bit her lip harder, breaking the skin. A drop of bright red blood welled up.
"I accept other forms of payment," Apollo hinted, his tone heavy with meaning.
Vivi froze. She looked at him, her eyes widening slightly, before a look of resolute determination settled over her face. "Anything I have... I will give to you. My life, my—"
Apollo extended a finger, gently lifting her chin to stop her. "Are you sure? What I want is something very, very precious."
"I am sure!" Vivi met his gaze without a flicker of hesitation.
"Then, we have a deal." Apollo withdrew his hand, a confident smile playing on his lips. "I guarantee that Alabasta will never fall into Crocodile's hands."
"Tha—" Vivi started to thank him, then froze. "Wait. How do you know?"
She realized she hadn't even mentioned the enemy's name yet.
Apollo tapped his temple. "Trade secret."
A flash of understanding lit up Vivi's eyes. He must have known my identity and the situation in Alabasta all along.
After a moment of thought, she spoke with a tremor of trepidation. "Since you already understand the situation... I can try to mediate the issue with the Rebel Army. But Crocodile... he is a monster. I can only leave him to you."
"No need for half-measures. Since I've agreed to the job, I'll solve the whole problem. The Rebel Army, the sandstorms, the drought, and the Sand Crocodile... leave it all to me."
Apollo's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an absolute, unshakable confidence.
Crocodile. Sir Crocodile. A member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
His strength was undeniable. This was a man who had once dared to challenge Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world, in the New World.
But the Crocodile of today was a cripple. Not physically, but mentally.
That crushing defeat by Whitebeard had shattered his spirit. He no longer believed in his own haki or strength; instead, he had become obsessed with external power, plotting to find the Ancient Weapon Pluton to exact his revenge on the world.
When a warrior loses faith in their own strength, their threat level plummets.
This spiritual decay was the primary reason he would eventually lose to a rookie like Luffy. Crocodile had lost his heart for battle. Even later, after being captured and sent to Impel Down, he didn't even bother trying to escape when given the chance. He was hollow.
It was a trait he shared with another Warlord, Gecko Moria. After being broken by Kaido, Moria had become a shadow of his former self, his will to fight replaced by laziness and reliance on zombie minions.
Of course, even if Crocodile were in his prime, Apollo was confident he could crush him.
"Thank you."
The tension left Vivi's body all at once. She collapsed onto the ground, hugging Karoo's neck, burying her face in the duck's feathers.
Apollo's overwhelming confidence had given her strength. But as the adrenaline faded, anxiety crept back in.
Was Apollo really a match for Crocodile? That was a Warlord! One of the Three Great Powers! If he couldn't win, wouldn't she be sending him to his death?
Apollo noticed Vivi's shifting emotions and guessed her thoughts, but he said nothing. Words were cheap. Only the sight of Crocodile's defeat would truly put her at ease.
Right now, he was more concerned about the "reward" he had alluded to.
It was indeed very important to him. Something he had coveted since arriving in this world.
It wasn't Vivi's body.
It was Pluton.
The legendary Ancient Weapon, the worst battleship in history, capable of destroying islands with a single shot. In Apollo's mind, it was the ideal flagship.
Not only was it prestigious, but it was also the ultimate trump card.
With Pluton in his arsenal, regardless of how the chaotic era shifted or if his cultivation hit a bottleneck, he would have the firepower to ensure his self-preservation.
Of course, he wasn't absolutely certain he could find it, or even activate it if he did. But his deal with Vivi wasn't to force her to hand it over directly—she didn't know where it was either.
His goal was to obtain the permission of the Nefertari bloodline. Pluton slumbered in her country; saving the kingdom was the price of admission.
For a time, the alleyway fell silent. Apollo and Vivi were lost in their own schemes until the sound of footsteps announced the arrival of Nami, Luffy, and Zoro.
Before they could ask about the unconscious agents, Apollo preempted them. "I've decided to escort this girl home and help her solve her country's crisis."
"Wh-what's going on?" Nami blinked, confused.
"Her name is Vivi. She is the Princess of Alabasta."
Apollo briefly explained the situation—the infiltration, the Baroque Works conspiracy, and the Civil War. He concluded with a shrug. "If you guys are interested, we can go together. If not, I'll take the job alone."
"I want to go!" Nami was the first to shout, raising her hand high.
Apollo looked at her, amused. "Are you sure? The enemy is a Warlord. A government-sanctioned pirate."
In the original timeline, Nami had been terrified at the prospect.
"Just a Warlord? It's not like I haven't seen one before!" Nami replied with a flip of her hair, her tone surprisingly calm.
Apollo paused, realizing his influence had already changed things. Nami had witnessed his duel with Dracule Mihawk at the Baratie.
No wonder she was confident. In her eyes, Apollo had stood toe-to-toe with the World's Strongest Swordsman. If he could handle Hawk-Eyes, surely a Sand Crocodile wouldn't be an issue.
And in reality... she wasn't wrong. The current Crocodile was significantly weaker than Mihawk.
"A Warlord? Sounds fun!" Luffy grinned, adjusting his straw hat.
"Indeed. Finally, a worthy opponent." Zoro's hand drifted to the hilt of his sword, a feral grin spreading across his face.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Apollo nodded. "Good. Crocodile is a Logia-type user of the Sand-Sand Fruit. He can turn his body into sand, making him immune to normal attacks."
He looked at the trio. "The fastest way to cultivate Haki is through life-and-death combat. For you three, a Logia user is the perfect grindstone to sharpen your Haki."
Luffy and Zoro exchanged glances, the excitement in their eyes burning brighter.
Among the Straw Hat Pirates, Zoro ranked first in the lust for strength, and Luffy was a close second. Despite Luffy's carefree demeanor, he understood better than anyone that to protect his crew, he needed to be the strongest.
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