Chapter 39: The Golden Avatar
As the night deepened, Whiskey Peak fell into a deathly silence. The revelry had ended, leaving only the whistling wind and the faint sound of scratching from a nearby rooftop.
"I have a question." Nami pointed toward a building adjacent to where they stood. "What are those things? They've been eavesdropping on us for a while now, and they seem to be... sketching?"
Everyone turned to look.
Perched on the ridge of the roof was a bizarre pair: a large vulture and a sea otter wearing sunglasses. The otter held a sketchbook and was furiously scribbling with a pen, capturing the faces of everyone present.
Vivi's face paled. "It's the Unluckies! They are the intelligence agents of Baroque Works. They must have documented your faces and are preparing to report our betrayal to the boss!"
Realizing they had been exposed, the otter immediately leaped onto the vulture's back. The bird screeched, flapping its massive wings to launch itself into the night sky.
"Leaving so soon?"
Apollo raised his hand, aiming a single finger at the fleeing pair. He didn't chase; he simply flicked his finger against the empty air.
Thrum.
The atmosphere distorted. A compressed bullet of air, invisible to the naked eye but screaming with kinetic energy, tore through the sky. It moved faster than sound, closing the distance in a heartbeat.
Thwack.
The shockwave pierced the vulture's neck and continued through the otter's skull with surgical precision. The two spies plummeted from the sky like kites with severed strings, crashing into the alleyway below.
"Flying Shigan," Apollo said calmly, lowering his hand.
"So... so powerful!" Vivi's eyes sparkled with awe, but the excitement quickly faded, replaced by a grim realization.
"Even though the Unluckies are dead, Crocodile isn't stupid. If he doesn't receive a report of my death soon, he'll know something went wrong. He will send even stronger assassins—the Officer Agents."
"I have a plan!"
A man with distinctively curly hair like a saxophone stepped out from the shadows. He was dressed in a duplicate of Vivi's outfit.
It was Igaram, Mr. 8 of Baroque Works, and the Captain of the Alabasta Royal Guard. He was the loyal retainer who had dragged the princess into this dangerous undercover mission.
Igaram spoke in a hushed, serious tone. "I will disguise myself as Princess Vivi. I have an Eternal Pose pointing directly to Alabasta. I will take a decoy ship and sail straight there to draw the attention of Baroque Works' pursuit fleet. In the confusion, you all can take the regular Log Pose route and smuggle the real Princess back to the kingdom."
Apollo listened, his mind racing.
The pursuers from Baroque Works were trivial ants to him. However, the route was the real issue.
If they used the Eternal Pose to go straight to Alabasta, they would skip Little Garden and, more importantly, Drum Island.
We can't skip Drum Island, Apollo thought. A pirate crew needs a doctor, and there is no better doctor in this sea than Tony Tony Chopper.
Aside from being a sentient reindeer and an excellent emergency food supply, Chopper had inherited the medical legacy of Dr. Kureha. That 141-year-old witch was a mystery in herself—spry, powerful, and possessing medical knowledge centuries ahead of her time. Apollo suspected she was far from ordinary.
However, taking the normal route presented a massive hurdle: Little Garden. The prehistoric island required a full year for the Log Pose to reset.
In the original timeline, Miss All Sunday (Robin) appeared after Igaram's "death" and offered Luffy an Eternal Pose to Alabasta to bypass Little Garden, which Luffy promptly destroyed. But now that Apollo had killed the Unluckies, would Robin still show up?
"I probably should have spared that bird and otter," Apollo muttered, rubbing his temple.
He watched Igaram take the Eternal Pose from Vivi. Suddenly, a realization struck him. Wait. Robin is definitely watching. She likes to play games. She'll show up regardless.
"This works," Apollo decided internally. "It keeps the timeline on track for Chopper, and I get to meet the Archaeologist."
Having made his decision, Apollo didn't intervene. He watched in silence as Igaram boarded his decoy ship and sailed out of the harbor. He watched as the ship reached the horizon, and he watched as a massive explosion turned the vessel into a fireball.
The sea swallowed the wreckage.
"Robin, huh? What a wicked woman," Apollo whispered, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes.
He knew Igaram wasn't dead—Robin's powers were excellent for assassination, but she had a habit of letting people survive when it suited her agenda. But the others didn't know the truth.
"Igaram!" Vivi screamed, falling to her knees. Shock, grief, and rage washed over her.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji stared at the burning horizon, their expressions darkening. The reality of the situation had set in. This wasn't a game anymore; they were at war.
"We set sail immediately," Nami commanded, her voice trembling but firm. "The Log Pose has reset. We can't let his sacrifice be in vain."
As the Going Merry departed Whiskey Peak, the atmosphere was heavy. But just as Apollo expected, a stowaway appeared on the railing of the ship.
Miss All Sunday. Nico Robin.
Her interaction with the crew was brief, tense, and enigmatic. She taunted them, offered help, and left a profound impression of danger before vanishing as mysteriously as she arrived.
After Robin left, Nami narrowed her eyes and turned to Apollo. "Your reaction just now... was weird."
"Cough." Apollo cleared his throat, feigning innocence. "Since when did your observation skills become so sharp? Have you been staring at my handsome face all day?"
"Don't try to change the subject!" Nami snapped. "You didn't seem surprised at all. And you were smiling! She's the enemy who just blew up Igaram!"
Apollo's lips curled into a playful smirk. "What if I told you she's actually a good person?"
"Impossible! She just murdered Igaram!" Nami retorted, her tone absolute. She had seen the explosion with her own eyes.
Apollo snapped his fingers. "Want to make a bet?"
"A bet? On what?" Nami frowned, confused by his casual attitude. The facts were right in front of them, yet Apollo seemed completely unbothered. Given his mysterious track record, a seed of doubt planted itself in her mind. Does he know something I don't?
Apollo chuckled. "I bet that in the future, that woman will become your crewmate. If I win, you give me a kiss. If I lose, I kiss you."
"That's sexual harassment! And I lose either way!" Nami yelled, her shark teeth showing. Then, her expression shifted to a calculating grin. "Fine, I accept the bet. But the stakes change. If I lose, I kiss you. But if you lose, you owe me one million Berries!"
Luffy would never let someone who hurt his friends join the crew. Nami was 100% certain of this. It was free money.
"Deal." Apollo agreed instantly. He would have bet a hundred million. It was a guaranteed win.
The two exchanged smiles, both convinced they had just scammed the other.
Apollo then turned to the captain. "Luffy, I'm entrusting Vivi to you for now. You must escort her safely back to Alabasta. And don't forget to practice your Haki. You cannot defeat Crocodile without it."
Although water was Crocodile's weakness, Armament Haki was far more reliable and potent in combat.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Nami realized something was wrong. "What do you mean 'entrusting her to us'? What about you?"
Apollo adjusted his collar. "I have personal business to attend to. I need to leave the crew temporarily."
"Leave?!"
Luffy and Zoro didn't react much—they respected a man's freedom—but Nami and Vivi cried out in unison.
"Apollo..." Vivi looked panicked. He was her strongest shield.
Nami was furious. "You were the one who agreed to the deal! You promised to save her country, and now you're abandoning the mission? That's incredibly irresponsible!"
"Relax. I never break a contract."
Apollo reached up and plucked two strands of hair from his head. He handed one to Nami and one to Vivi.
"Vivi, don't worry. I promised Alabasta would not fall, and I meant it. I haven't collected my reward yet, after all."
He paused, his gaze shifting to the horizon. "I just have a detour to make. I guarantee I will be in Alabasta before you arrive. We will meet there."
"What is this gross hair for?" Nami asked, holding the strand delicately between her fingers.
Apollo's face paled slightly, as if the action had drained some of his vitality. "That is your insurance policy. If you encounter a life-threatening situation or an enemy you absolutely cannot defeat, infuse your will into it."
As he spoke, the strands of hair in their hands seemed to come alive. They writhed and stiffened, transforming from black hair into gleaming, golden needles about five centimeters long. They hummed with a strange, heavy energy.
"This is a technique called the Golden Avatar."
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