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'This dance could be considered Princess Vivi's most embarrassing moment,' Ikki thought to himself. 'If I took photos now and showed them to her later, her reaction would definitely be interesting.'
As Vivi swayed her slender waist from side to side, the narcotic perfume wafted from the bottles in her hands. It had no effect on Ikki whatsoever.
The perfume contained only a mild anesthetic, not poison. If it could affect Ikki, then Vivi herself would have been affected first. Nami and Nojiko also knew this move wouldn't work on Ikki, so they weren't worried about his safety.
However, Vivi didn't realize Ikki hadn't been fooled. Seeing him standing motionless, she assumed he could no longer control his body. Growing confident, she rushed forward, pulled out a dagger, and held it against Ikki's neck.
"Don't move! If you move, he dies," she threatened. "If you want him to live, just jump off this ship now."
Vivi shouted sternly at Nami and Nojiko while holding the dagger to Ikki's throat.
Nami and Nojiko looked at each other, then gave Vivi puzzled smiles.
"Hey, didn't you hear me?" Vivi demanded. "Isn't he your captain? Don't you care about his safety?"
Vivi frowned slightly when she saw Nami and Nojiko standing still, just smiling at her quietly. Her heart, which had momentarily calmed, began to race again.
"It's not that they don't care about my safety," Ikki spoke suddenly. "They just know nothing will happen to me."
He grabbed Vivi's arm that held the dagger and lifted her off the deck.
"You... you're okay?!" Vivi tried to break free from Ikki's grip but found herself powerless against him. Her expression instantly turned to dismay.
"You danced well, but please don't do it again," Ikki smiled, taking the dagger from Vivi's hand. He placed his hands on her shoulders and added, "If the people of Alabasta saw their princess dancing like that, they would be quite disappointed."
"What?!" Vivi stared at Ikki with wide eyes, confused by his words.
"Princess of Alabasta?" Nami approached with curiosity. "Captain Ikki, are you saying this woman is a princess?"
Though Nojiko didn't speak, she was equally curious.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about," Vivi stammered, finally breaking free from Ikki's grasp. She backed away several steps, looking nervously at the three of them. She couldn't understand how Ikki had discovered her identity.
Ikki now seemed mysterious to her, making her instinctively want to keep her identity secret.
"Stop pretending. Your full name is Nefeltari Vivi, and you are indeed a princess," Ikki said casually. "I also know that Alabasta is facing troubles. Except for the royal capital, the entire country hasn't seen rain for a long time. The people have even started rebelling against the king because of this. You're disguised like this because you want to find the person behind Alabasta's rebellion from Baroque Works, right?"
Vivi's mouth fell open as she stared at Ikki in shock. He knew so much about her, yet she knew absolutely nothing about him. After searching her memory, Vivi was certain she had never met Ikki or seen any information about him.
"Who are you? How do you know all this?" she asked finally, her voice quiet.
Ikki realized she could no longer maintain her cover, so Vivi admitted her identity and explained how she had infiltrated Baroque Works.
"Who I am doesn't matter," Ikki replied. "What's important is that I want to make a deal with you. I've heard that Baroque Works agent Mr. 11 is a swordsman who carries one of the 50 Skillful Grade called 'Kashu.' Since Your Highness has infiltrated Baroque Works, you should know where he is now."
Ikki paused before continuing: "You tell me where to find him, and I'll take you safely wherever you need to go."
The sword Kashu had been obtained by Tashigi from Mr. 11 during the Alabasta incident in the original story. Ikki had initially planned to try his luck at Reverse Mountain or Alabasta to find Mr. 11, but now that he had met Vivi, it seemed more efficient to get information about Mr. 11 directly from her. As Princess Vivi, she wouldn't refuse to reveal information about Mr. 11 just because he was in Baroque Works.
"What do you want with him? And how did you get so much information about Baroque Works?" Vivi asked suspiciously. "Are you also part of the organization?"
"I'm not from Baroque Works," Ikki assured her. "I'm just an ordinary sword hunter. Since I want to acquire famous swords, I naturally gather information about people who possess them. Recently, I learned that the Baroque Works agent Mr. 11 has the sword 'Kashu.' It's a shame for such a fine sword to be owned by an ordinary swordsman. Instead of letting him keep it, I should have it for myself. So, I need to find him."
He smiled at Vivi. "What do you say, Princess? Do you agree to my terms? You must have somewhere important you need to go right now."
Based on the timeline, Ikki figured Vivi had already learned Crocodile's identity from Nico Robin. She would be desperate to return to Alabasta to prevent the civil war brewing in her kingdom.
"Sword hunter?! You want to challenge Mr. 11?" Vivi's frown deepened. However, she quickly considered her options.
"If I tell you where Mr. 11 is, will you take me back to Alabasta?" she asked.
"Absolutely!" Ikki nodded.
He was more than willing to escort Vivi. By now, Crocodile had likely sent high-ranking Baroque Works agents to assassinate her. These agents would be Devil Fruit users. If Vivi stayed with Ikki's crew, these Devil Fruit users would come after her, giving Ikki the opportunity to use their powers to help Nojiko complete her Zanpakutō's Shikai.
'Nojiko's Minazuki can achieve Shikai, but Sode no Shirayuki still lacks a wielder,' Ikki thought, looking at the contemplative Vivi. He suddenly had the idea of making Vivi his partner.
'This woman must be yearning for adventure!'