Cursed Seas and Slashing Tides

At the feast, everyone enjoyed themselves, whether by eating, drinking, flirting, or just relaxing.

Ryomen still cautiously looked around, but not enough to draw attention. After ensuring there were no immediate threats, he allowed himself to focus elsewhere.

His eyes couldn't help but fall onto the blue-haired girl. "Are you alright?" A familiar voice echoed in his mind, memories rushing back to him.

"Why are you staring at me?" Ms. Wednesday asked, giving him a strange look.

"S-Sorry." He replied, embarrassed. 'Forget it, she probably doesn't remember…'

As the hours passed, one by one, the group fell asleep.

Ms. Wednesday regrouped with Mr. 9 and Igarappoi, also known as Mr. 8.

"Ms. Wednesday, are you alright!?" Mr. 9 asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I still managed to fool them just fine." She replied confidently.

"How did you manage to get caught by six scrawny kids?" A muscular woman asked her.

"W-Well—" Before she could respond, Mr. 8 interrupted.

"You shouldn't judge them by their looks, Ms. Monday." He handed them two bounty posters, causing their jaws to drop.

"A-A hundred million!?" They exclaimed.

"What's with this sudden wave of good luck?" Ms. Monday grumbled suspiciously.

…

Back at the party, after the civilians left, the Straw Hats opened their eyes.

"Are we safe?" Usopp asked nervously.

"Think so." Ryomen replied, stretching a bit.

"Man, those beers really did a number on me." Nami grumbled, looking exhausted.

"Yeah right, you out-drank half the town. You'll live." Zoro said, annoyed.

"Hm? Are you salty I can drink more than you?" Nami shot back with a smirk.

Zoro turned away with a scoff.

"Seems like Luffy forgot why we're here in the first place." Sanji chimed in, looking at the bloated Luffy snoring away.

"This idiot." Nami sighed before kicking Luffy awake.

"Aaaahh!" Luffy yelped, sitting up. "Why'd you do that!?"

"Come on, Luffy, we're on an island full of bounty hunters. Don't tell me you forgot." Ryomen reminded him.

"Uh, right. But it was a really good party…Are we sure they're bounty hunters?" Luffy asked, still uncertain.

"You'll know when we start fighting them." Zoro smirked.

Nami and Usopp visibly tensed up at the mention of fighting.

"I know you two don't want to get involved in a fight, so how about you head to their warehouse and grab whatever you can find?" Ryomen suggested.

Nami's eyes lit up with the thought of treasure, and Usopp puffed his chest out with newfound confidence.

"Leave it to us!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Anyway, are we sure that woman won't rat us out?" Zoro questioned.

"How dare you doubt Ms. Wednesday! She would never do that!" Sanji said, appalled.

"Sanji, don't trust women just because they're beautiful. And Zoro, don't worry, she won't tell." Ryomen added.

"How can you be so sure?" Zoro pressed.

"I've got a hunch."

"A hunch? That's unlike you." Zoro raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

Nami narrowed her eyes at Ryomen but didn't say anything.

"Just trust me." Ryomen smiled mysteriously. …

"Now we should… Mi-Mi-Mi!...Tie up the pirates." Mr. 8 told the others.

"Should've done that from the start." A voice suddenly rang out from the rooftops.

"Really, Zoro? Did you have to give away our location?" Ryomen asked with a sigh.

"It's not like these guys are a real threat." Zoro replied, confident.

"I can't believe it! You threw this party for us… just to claim our bounties!?" Luffy shouted, feeling betrayed.

Luffy quickly acted. "Gomu-Gomu no…Whip!" He knocked out all the bounty hunters, leaving only the main four standing.

"I'll take Ms. Wednesday." Ryomen quickly declared.

"I'll handle the strong one." Zoro added.

"You brutes! How could you hit a woman!?" Sanji shouted but was completely ignored.

Luffy charged toward Igarappoi, leaving Sanji to fight Mr. 9.

What followed couldn't even be called a fight.

Zoro immediately overpowered Ms. Monday, knocking her out with ease.

Mr. 8 attacked Luffy with sound waves from his saxophone, but Luffy dodged and pummeled him into the ground.

Sanji blocked Mr. 9's metal bats before swiftly kicking him in the head.

Meanwhile, Ryomen stood in front of Ms. Wednesday, unmoving.

'Why isn't he attacking?' Ms. Wednesday thought nervously. 'Wait…Don't tell me he knows!?' Her eyes widened in surprise.

"What are you doing? Just take her down already!" Zoro shouted.

His voice snapped Ms. Wednesday out of her stupor. She looked around, noticing her allies lying defeated.

"What!?" She froze, shocked and speechless.

"I'm not gonna let you hurt her!" Sanji protectively stood between them.

"Calm down, Sanji. We're not gonna hurt her. She clearly didn't betray us, so she must not have much loyalty to Baroque Works." Ryomen reasoned.

"I—" Before she could respond, a voice interrupted her.

"So you finally revealed yourself–" The person exclaimed, then a woman appeared behind Ms. Wednesday, hitting her metal headband and making her hair fall down.

"-Neferati Vivi." He finished, Ryomen, surprisingly, muttered her name along with him.

The group looked in surprise at Ryomen, who only kept his eyes on Vivi.

Mr. 8 then quickly shielded Vivi and fired with cannon balls out of his hair locks. "Die!!"

"Igaram!" Vivi exclaimed in concern seeing him fall to the ground in exhaustion.

"In the name of Baroque Works I shall dispose of you!" The man stated as he walked unharmed by the attack.

"Who're these guys?" Luffy suddenly asked.

"They're Mr.5 and Ms. Valentine." Vivi swiftly responded.

The woman then went for another strike.

"Dismantle!" Her umbrella was quickly destroyed leaving her surrounded by the enemy.

"Do you think this will stop me!? Ten thousand killos!" She exclaimed then her body remained firmly in the ground. "Now it's Impossible for you to hurt–" Luffy interrupted her.

"Gomu-Gomu no…Pistol!!" He punched her, sending her straight through a wall.

"Hm!? Now you've done it." Mr.5 told them then threw a booger toward them.

"Eew! What is this!?" Luffy exclaimed, repulsed by the flying projectile.

Ryomen quickly realized the danger. "Everyone, dodge!" But it was too late; the explosion sent them flying, leaving them stunned.

"You're next." Mr. 5 threatened, turning his attention to Vivi.

"Damn it!" Vivi cursed in fear.

"I'm not gonna let you!" Mr. 9 appeared, trying to protect her but was blown away almost immediately.

"Karoo!" Vivi called, and a giant duck appeared. They fled toward the docks, pursued by Mr. 5 and the now-recovered Ms. Valentine.

While running toward the docks Ms. Monday appeared in front of Vivi with a wooden poal, trying to stall time for her but was quickly dealt with by the agents.

Just as she was about to be hit by another explosion, the Straw Hats reappeared to protect Vivi.

"Dismantle!" Ryomen shouted, splitting the booger in two and preventing the explosion from harming them.

"So why are we saving her again?" Zoro asked, bored.

"Because all women should be protected!" Sanji insisted.

"And because I asked." Ryomen added at the same time.

"Still not fighting the booger-man." Luffy grumbled as he charged toward Ms. Valentine, with Ryomen by his side.

"Cleave!" Ryomen's slash destabilized the ground beneath Ms. Valentine, causing her to lose balance. Luffy quickly followed up.

"Gomu-Gomu no…Axe!" Luffy brought his foot down, knocking her out cold.

Meanwhile, Zoro blocked another explosive booger, and Sanji finished off Mr. 5 with a well-placed kick to the chin, sending him flying.

Vivi gasped. "I can't believe you actually beat them!"

"Why do you sound upset? You should be happy." Zoro grumbled.

"You don't understand! Someone stronger will be sent next!" Vivi exclaimed in fear.

"Don't worry, Vivi-chan! We'll protect you!" Sanji reassured her.

"You accepted your role pretty quickly, huh?" Zoro asked sarcastically.

Nami and Usopp then rushed toward them, concern etched on their faces. "What happened!? We heard explosions all around!" They asked cautiously, scanning the area for any signs of danger.

"We've dealt with them. It's safe now." Ryomen assured them, relief washing over their expressions.

"Who's she?" Nami asked, glancing curiously at Vivi, who stood beside Ryomen, her royal demeanor slightly out of place amidst the chaos.

"The princess of Alabasta." Igaram suddenly appeared behind the group, his voice firm and authoritative.

He quickly briefed them about Alabasta's plight and asked them to escort Vivi back to her kingdom.

"We'll do it. For a billion berries." Nami replied, her tone teasing yet serious, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.

"I have to refuse. I don't have such a large sum." Vivi replied, her voice a mix of embarrassment and regret.

"Why? Aren't you a princess?" Nami questioned, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Vivi sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Baroque Works wants to take over the kingdom and is instigating rebellions against us."

"I see. Well, we'll pass then. Someone who could take control of a country sounds scary." Nami stated, crossing her arms defiantly.

"I understand your concern. But even if you're strong, you can't stand against Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea." Vivi warned, then quickly covered her mouth, realizing her slip.

The others stood frozen in shock at the revelation.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Vivi quickly apologized, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

An otter and a vulture then flew into view, causing Nami to jump back in surprise.

"What were those animals doing!?" Nami exclaimed, shaking Vivi gently, desperate for answers.

"We're lucky to meet him early." Luffy remarked casually, looking up at the sky.

"Wonder what kind of guy he is." Zoro mumbled, his eyes narrowing in thought.

"How dare he try to kill Vivi-chan! I'll beat him up!" Sanji exclaimed, fists clenched in anger.

"We're done for…" Usopp sat dejectedly on the ground, his confidence crumbling.

"I'm leaving!" Nami declared suddenly, spinning on her heel. "They don't know my face!"

"Wait! Take me with you!" Usopp quickly walked beside her, his eyes wide with panic.

Just then, the otter appeared in front of them, showing drawings of each crew member with vibrant colors and details.

"They're really good." Nami said, impressed despite the situation.

"Could've done better." Usopp mumbled with exaggerated arrogance.

"..."

"Now we can't even run away!" They all returned in defeat, their previous bravado evaporating.

"I still have five hundred thousand berries in my account if you want them…" Vivi suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

"Fear not. I have a plan." Igaram stepped forward, now dressed just like Vivi, a determined look on his face.

"When did you change?" Luffy asked curiously, tilting his head.

"Have you decided whether or not you'll escort the princess back to Alabasta?" Igaram pressed, his eyes darting between the crew members.

"Sure. Why not." Luffy replied, his voice devoid of hesitation.

Igaram then took the Eternal Log Pose from Vivi and prepared to sail away, using himself as bait for the Baroque agents.

The crew watched as the ship sailed farther into the horizon, until suddenly, an explosion erupted, engulfing the entire boat and leaving everyone in stunned silence.

"Vivi! We have to get back to the boat!" Nami shouted at Vivi, who remained frozen in shock, her eyes wide.

Nami rushed over and hugged her tightly. "It's alright! Those five saved the East Blue! They won't lose to a Shichibukai!" She reassured Vivi, though a trace of uncertainty laced her voice, recalling their previous encounter with Mihawk.