Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
"What is it, Princess Vivi?" Ikki asked, turning to look at Vivi as they stood in the hallway of the Explorer's cabin. Vivi had let down her hair, giving her a more dignified appearance.
"Um... Mr. Ikki, you're very strong," she said, thinking of his performance at Whiskey Peak and looking at him with hopeful eyes.
"Well, it depends who you compare me to," Ikki replied with a smile. "If I were to face a Shichibukai like Crocodile, I'd still have a decent chance of winning. Why do you ask, Princess Vivi?"
"Really?!" Vivi stepped forward excitedly, grabbing Ikki's hand. "Mr. Ikki, are you truly stronger than the Shichibukai Crocodile?"
"Probably. What did you want to tell me, Vivi?"
"Um... Mr. Ikki, could I hire you?"
"Hire me to help you deal with Crocodile and prevent civil war in Alabasta?"
"Mr. Ikki, how did you know Crocodile is behind the unrest in Alabasta?" Vivi's eyes widened in disbelief.
She had only recently discovered that Crocodile was the mastermind behind Baroque Works, yet Ikki seemed to understand the organization inside and out. If she hadn't seen him take action against the Baroque Works agents at Whiskey Peak, she might have suspected him of being a member himself.
Vivi shook her head and looked at Ikki with serious eyes.
"Mr. Ikki, I know that Crocodile is an extremely dangerous person. But besides you, I truly don't know who else to ask for help," she admitted. "However, I'm not asking you to confront Crocodile directly. If possible, I'd like you to do more than just escort me to Alabasta—I'd like you to take me to where the rebels are camped."
"The rebel leader is my childhood friend. If I tell him that Crocodile is behind everything, the rebellion will surely stop."
From the beginning, Vivi had never considered asking Ikki to deal with Crocodile personally. Although when Ikki mentioned having a chance against him, she had briefly reconsidered, she knew that as a passenger on the Explorer, she wasn't in a position to ask Ikki to do something so dangerous.
Compared to confronting Crocodile, Vivi thought it would be much simpler to find the rebel leader and explain the situation. However, to meet with the rebel leader safely, she hoped Ikki would escort her.
"What about payment, Princess Vivi?"
"Mr. Ikki, does that mean you agree?" Vivi asked hopefully. "As for payment, I know Alabasta has some swords. If you accept my request, I can help you acquire one of Alabasta's famous swords."
"Alabasta has famous swords?" Ikki raised an eyebrow.
"It should... there should be. I remember that the sword carried by Pell, the Deputy Captain of the Royal Guard, is an excellent blade."
"That is interesting," Ikki said thoughtfully, touching his chin.
Ikki certainly remembered Pell, the Deputy Captain of the Royal Guard, who possessed the Zoan-type Devil Fruit that allowed him to transform into a falcon. 'The man did carry a sword in the original story,' Ikki thought. 'However, its quality was never specified. Is it truly a famous sword?'
'Another Deputy Captain, Chaka, also uses a sword. Could his blade be famous as well? It seems I'll need to meet both Pell and Chaka.'
Though the original story never mentioned the grade of Pell's sword, given his position as a high-ranking guard in a major kingdom like Alabasta, Ikki thought it reasonable that he might indeed carry a meito. His status would warrant it, and Vivi was unlikely to lie.
Vivi held Ikki's hand tightly as they walked, too nervous to speak. Seeing his thoughtful expression, she remained quiet, afraid that any disturbance might lead him to reject her proposal.
They arrived at the captain's cabin in silence. Finally, Ikki spoke.
"Vivi, do you truly want to stop the civil unrest in Alabasta?"
"Of course, sir!" she replied earnestly.
"In that case, I think it would be better to stop Crocodile directly," Ikki suggested. "If you don't deal with him, even if you temporarily convince the rebel leader, Crocodile can simply cause another rebellion in the future."
Ikki looked directly into Vivi's eyes. "Also, Crocodile has invested significant effort into creating this unrest in Alabasta. Do you really think you can easily convince the rebel leader? What if Crocodile has planted Baroque Works agents among the rebels? Even without the rebel leader's support, the rebellion might continue."
"What do you think, Vivi?"
Hearing Ikki's words, Vivi fell into deep thought. Of course she knew Alabasta wouldn't be safe as long as Crocodile remained, but given his power, she couldn't imagine how to confront him directly.
"Vivi, would you like to become stronger?" Ikki asked suddenly.
"Become stronger?" Vivi looked up, confused.
"That's right," Ikki nodded. "If you're willing to join the Explorer's crew and travel with us on our ocean voyage, I can help you become stronger. I can help you gain the power to fight against Baroque Works. Similarly, Nami, Nojiko, and I will all assist you in dealing with Baroque Works, including Crocodile. By the way, I wasn't joking earlier—even against Crocodile, I still have a chance of winning."
Vivi stared at Ikki with her mouth open, as if she hadn't heard him correctly.
"Mr. Ikki, are you serious?" she finally asked.
"Of course I'm serious," Ikki nodded with a smile. "You're a good person, Vivi. As a princess, you've risked your life infiltrating Baroque Works for your country's sake. I admire that greatly. I believe a woman who cares so deeply for her country and people would make an excellent partner."
He continued, "Actually, I'm not only interested in collecting famous swords—I also want to form a team of exceptional swordsmen and give my friends special swords to use. I need trustworthy partners, and it just so happens that I have a special blade that I think you deserve."
With a flick of his wrist, Zanpakutō Sode no Shirayuki appeared in Ikki's hand as if from nowhere.
"Vivi, do you think Nami and Nojiko are strong?"
"Of course they are!" Although she didn't understand why Ikki asked this question, after considering the abilities Nami and Nojiko had displayed, Vivi nodded without hesitation.
"What if I told you they only needed a few days of training to become strong enough to defeat pirates with bounties over 30 million berries?"
"A few days? How is that possible?"
"It's simply the truth. I have methods to help my partners become stronger quickly."
"Getting stronger quickly?" Vivi couldn't help but ask, thinking of Nami and Nojiko who had been away from the deck for over an hour. "Are Nami and Nojiko using this method now?"
Ikki nodded with a smile and walked toward the closed training room. Vivi's eyes followed him, looking at the two silver doors in the wall of the captain's cabin. These doors had seemed oddly out of place to her from the beginning.
"Nami and Nojiko are in here now," Ikki said, still smiling as he raised his hand to open the training room door.
However, the scene inside caused the smile on his face to freeze.
"Captain Ikki! Why are you here?" Inside, Nami, who had been sparring with Nojiko, widened her eyes in surprise and quickly covered her scantily-clad body with her hands.
Ikki's mouth twitched as he looked at Nojiko, who was holding Nami's clothes and was similarly underdressed. When she saw Ikki, a brief look of embarrassment flashed in her eyes, and her cheeks reddened slightly. But she quickly composed herself.
"Captain Ikki, what brings you to the training room after so many days?" Nojiko asked casually, walking to the side to retrieve her clothes. She dressed unhurriedly, seemingly unconcerned that Ikki had seen her in a state of undress.
"I see. I haven't visited the training room for a few days, and this is how you two exercise?" Ikki shook his head as he entered.
Behind him, Vivi walked in with a slightly red face, covering her eyes with her hands. Though she was ostensibly hiding her view, through the gaps between her fingers, her eyes kept darting toward Nami and Nojiko.
"Captain Ikki, please turn around first," Nami requested, crouching on the floor with her hands on her legs.
"Are you feeling shy now?" Ikki asked, grabbing a large bath towel from the counter and tossing it to her. "You don't seem to mind when you barge into my bath."
"That's different! And there's only one bathroom here!" Nami protested, quickly wrapping the towel around herself.
"Captain Ikki, have you come to start exercising again?" Nojiko asked as she approached, wiping away the sweat on her forehead caused by the nutritional medicine's effects.
"That's right," Ikki confirmed. "So you two should be more careful when exercising in the future. Of course, if you don't mind being seen like this, I won't stop you."
He turned to look at Vivi and continued, "But before we exercise, let's take care of this first."
With that, Ikki tossed his Zanpakutō Sode no Shirayuki into the air. The next moment, Sode no Shirayuki emitted a bright light that enveloped Ikki, Nami, Nojiko, and Vivi.