Chapter 191 Meeting
Zane had already sensed them with his Observation Haki last night.
Meeting them today, he only spared a brief glance at Luffy's reaction.
After all, he was the one who had killed Garp.
However, judging from Luffy's reaction...
It was clear that the Marines had done an excellent job of covering up Garp's death. Even after all this time, Luffy was still completely in the dark.
'Should I wipe them out to the last man?'
There was no need.
If Luffy already knew about Garp's death—especially if he actively sought revenge—Zane certainly wouldn't have shown any mercy.
But since the boy was clearly oblivious, Zane didn't feel like bothering with him.
As for the Nika Fruit...
As he had said before, until Luffy became an enemy, he wasn't on the hunting list.
Zane ignored the Straw Hat Pirates, and Nico Robin did the same.
She didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to these little friends of Vivi's.
Seeing Zane look toward the Rebel Army outside the city walls, she moved slightly and began to observe as well.
"Huh?!"
A startled cry rang out.
The voice belonged to Sanji.
After expertly fawning over Vivi, our Prince of Germa finally found the time to look elsewhere.
At that one look, his eyes immediately turned into giant hearts, and he zoomed behind Zane and Nico Robin in a flash.
"Ah... beautiful lady, please, allow me to know your name!"
Wearing a look of total infatuation, Sanji performed a sliding kneel, offering his hands to Nico Robin as if presenting a gift while speaking in a voice full of wonder.
She turned her head in confusion to look down at the kneeling Sanji.
Seeing his lovesick face and exaggerated behavior, even someone with Nico Robin's composure couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.
"Sanji, stop it! These two are my distinguished guests."
Before Nico Robin could respond, Vivi had already been startled; she rushed forward and blocked Sanji's path.
Never mind Zane.
As for Nico Robin, Vivi—having once navigated the inner workings of Baroque Works—had always viewed her as a ruthless and cold-hearted woman.
Now that Sanji was being so offensive, what if he provoked her?
The thought of Zane getting angry terrified her; if he did, forget about helping her quell the rebellion—Alabasta would likely face an even greater disaster.
"Distinguished guests? My apologies, I was out of line."
It had to be said that while Sanji was girl-crazy, his upbringing and manners were beyond reproach.
Seeing Vivi's reaction, he immediately turned serious, stood up, and even bowed in apology to Nico Robin.
"Vivi, can you ask your friends not to disturb us?"
Nico Robin remained calm, not paying much attention to Sanji, but instead giving instructions to Vivi.
These friends of Vivi's were a bit too rowdy.
Although they wouldn't interfere with the Captain's next move, it was better to keep them at a distance to avoid souring the Captain's mood.
Balancing her various roles, Nico Robin clearly hadn't forgotten her duty as her Captain's assistant.
"Of course, of course! Sanji, let's head over there for a moment."
Seeing that Nico Robin didn't seem angry, Vivi breathed a sigh of relief and immediately ushered Sanji away.
"Vivi-chan, what's the deal with those two distinguished guests of yours?"
Sanji wasn't upset about being moved; instead, he followed Vivi and whispered curiously.
"Sanji, get over here!" Before Vivi could answer, Nami had already poked her head out from behind Luffy and was frantically waving Sanji over.
"Eh? What's with you guys? Moss-head, what's that reaction? Did you find some legendary beauty or something?" As Sanji approached, he immediately noticed the strange behavior of Nami and the others.
Usopp was trembling, trying to hide behind Luffy alongside Nami.
Their idiot captain wore a rare, serious expression.
The Moss-head was even more intense; his eyes were practically glowing.
"Lustful kappa, you think I'm like you?!" Zoro, who had been staring with burning intensity at the distant Zane, was instantly distracted by Sanji and irritably tried to kick him.
Thud!
Raising his leg, Sanji calmly blocked the incoming kick.
"Hoh, so the swordsman isn't using his blades but his feet now? Heh, as if you could ever hope to compete with me in a kicking contest—" Sanji mocked.
But before he could finish his sentence...
A delicate fist slammed into him.
Realizing the fist belonged to Nami, Sanji stayed perfectly still and let the punch land on his face.
"You idiots! Messing around at a time like this... do you want to get us all killed?!" Nami barked angrily, though she didn't dare speak too loudly, keeping her voice to a harsh, low whisper.
"Nami-san, at least tell me what's going on first!" Sanji whined pitifully, clutching his bruised eye.
"Nami, did you recognize Mr. Zane?" Vivi asked, observing Nami's reaction and the behavior of the others.
"Mr. Zane? Vivi, you're just in time. How do you know that man?" Nami asked tentatively when she heard how Vivi addressed him.
"Oh, that... didn't I tell you back at Whiskey Peak? I was kidnapped by a group of villains before, and then someone saved me..." Vivi began her explanation.
Vivi's meeting with the Straw Hat Pirates was actually quite straightforward.
Back then, Zane had left her at Whiskey Peak. Although he had given her a Transponder Snail, Whiskey Peak was one of the seven starting points for the first half of the Grand Line, so pirates from all four seas often made landfall there.
Before Vivi could wait for the escort sent by Cobra, she was first intercepted by a pirate crew from the West Blue. In the ensuing chase, she happened to run into the Straw Hat Pirates, who had also just broken into the Grand Line.
Ultimately, the Straw Hat Pirates rescued Vivi, seeing that she was beautiful and clearly a good person.
Then, seeking protection, Vivi used a financial offensive to win over Nami, making the Straw Hat Pirates her bodyguards for the trip to Alabasta.
From there, the rebellion in Alabasta forced Vivi to keep the Straw Hat Pirates in her employ until the present day.
Once she explained her relationship with Zane and clarified that he was an ally she had recruited, the Straw Hat Pirates relaxed significantly.
According to Vivi's account, Zane was clearly not an enemy.
Although a ten-billion-berry bounty was still soul-crushing, things were much better if he wasn't their opponent.
As the Straw Hat Pirates relaxed, Vivi didn't linger; she immediately hurried back to Zane's side.
"A hundred men make a diverse crowd."
"A thousand men cover the plains."
"Ten thousand men stretch beyond the horizon."
"A hundred thousand men blanket the earth itself."
At this moment, the hundreds of thousands of rebels outside Alubarna were an undeniably terrifying sight; looking out, they formed a massive sea of black.
"Cobra, will you still not surrender? For your own selfish desires, you used Dance Powder to cause a nationwide drought for years. Do you still cling to your throne, intending to let your fellow countrymen in the city be buried with you?"
Before Vivi could even get close to speak, a group of people from within the rebel army outside the walls rode forward.
The man at the head of the group shouted with righteous indignation, enumerating the King's various alleged crimes.
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