One Piece: Shadow monarch? I'm Just Logistics!

Chapter 24: Departing for Little Garden

The moonlight was bright, casting a cold glow over the quiet town streets...

"What princess? I never said anything like that," Igaram gritted his teeth, glaring unwillingly at Reiner and the others.

"You two bastards!"

A loud shout erupted from the distance. The group looked over to see Luffy, practically bristling with anger. "Those people treated us to a meal! And you two beat them all up!"

"Sanji and Zoro just joined the crew, fine! But Reiner, why didn't you stop them!?"

Reiner's face instantly darkened. "..."

"So slow on the uptake!" Igaram thought, face down on the ground, looking speechlessly at the captain with a 30 million Beri bounty.

Even an outsider couldn't stand watching anymore.

"Damn it! Today, I'm going to teach you the rules of this ship!" Luffy clenched his fists angrily, charging forward with his sandals slapping against the ground.

"The rules of this ship, huh?" Reiner looked helplessly at the clueless Luffy. "Who exactly doesn't understand the rules here?"

Duang! Duang!

"You idiot!" With two vicious punches from Nami, Luffy immediately became obedient.

Watching Luffy holding his head, crouched on the ground, Reiner and the others could only manage awkward smiles.

The rule of this ship was Nami, that vicious woman!

A ship tyrant: meek and submissive to outsiders, heavy-fisted towards her own crew.

"Alright, back to business," Reiner lit a cigarette, crouching down beside Igaram. "The princess you were yelling about earlier was her, right?"

Reiner pointed towards Vivi, who had been knocked out and was lying on the ground nearby. He continued, "Explain everything clearly. Otherwise, we'll toss you both into the sea to feed the fish right now."

"Wait!" Igaram quickly shouted. "There's no benefit in killing us! I want to commission you for a mission! If you succeed, you will definitely receive a handsome reward!"

"Uh-huh~" Nami's interest was piqued. She tugged at her shorts, crouched down, and looked at Igaram curiously. "Let's hear it."

Igaram gritted his teeth, thought for a moment, then began explaining the mission details.

Reiner and the others listened quietly.

Pirates burning, killing, and plundering was indeed common practice, but many pirates also took on various commissioned tasks, acting like mercenaries.

These commissions could be legal or illegal, and for many pirates, it was an important source of income. Sometimes, taking a job from royalty or nobility paid much faster than raiding – after all, which noble family didn't have a few shady secrets?

"The Princess of Alabasta!?"

After hearing Igaram's explanation, everyone except Reiner was visibly shocked.

"Hey! That's a superpower nation!"

"And, I remember hearing that country is in the middle of a civil war, right?"

Nami chimed in; she habitually read the newspapers. "Why would the princess of a major country be in a place like this?"

"You don't need to concern yourselves with that. Knowing too much will only harm you."

"So our mission is just to escort you two to Alabasta, correct?"

Reiner walked towards Vivi lying on the street. "How long will it take for the Log Pose to set for this island?"

"One day is enough," Igaram replied.

"What do you say, Luffy? Let's take this mission," Nami said, rubbing her hands together.

"The princess of a superpower nation! Let's set the commission fee at one billion Beri!"

"Nani!?" Igaram exclaimed. "Wait! I can't authorize such a large sum! You'll have to discuss the details with the royal family after you've escorted the princess back."

Standing beside Vivi, Reiner knew about Alabasta's financial situation. Cobra had already sold off almost everything valuable to provide relief for his people.

The king himself lived frugally. How could they possibly come up with one billion Beri?

"Alright then!" Luffy inexplicably agreed, breaking into a grin. "We accept this mission!"

Reiner crouched down, grabbed a handful of Vivi's sky-blue hair, lifted her head, and patted her cheek. "Hey, wakey-wakey, little delinquent."

Vivi slowly opened her eyes. Still unaware of what had happened, she glared angrily at Reiner. "Damn you!"

"Alright, alright, stop looking so righteously indignant."

The crew briefly explained the situation to Vivi. Soon, the group dispersed.

The Straw Hat crew returned to the Going Merry to continue sleeping, leaving only Vivi and Igaram behind.

"Is this really alright, Igaram?" Vivi showed a trace of worry.

Igaram's earlier expression was gone, replaced by the calm composure befitting a royal guard captain. "You saw their strength yourself, Princess. More importantly..."

He glanced at the unconscious Baroque Works agents scattered around, paused, then continued, "...throughout the fight, they didn't kill a single person. Even though we were enemies, they still showed consideration for the meal we provided. I trust their character."

"Is that so... I understand, Igaram. I trust you. So, tomorrow we leave with them?" Vivi pushed herself up slowly with her hands.

Igaram, however, calmly disagreed. "No, Princess. You will go with them. I will depart via another route."

"Why!?"

"I saw the Unluckies earlier."

Igaram's voice turned grim. "News of what happened here will soon reach the Boss. I will leave overnight, one step ahead, to draw their fire away from you, Princess."

"Wait! Iga—"

"Say no more, Princess!"

Igaram interrupted resolutely, then continued softly, "The situation in our country allows no optimism. You should know what the top priority is."

"I..."

Vivi pressed her lips together firmly, a trace of unwillingness in her eyes. "...I understand."

The next day at noon, the sun hung high in the cloudless sky. The Going Merry rested peacefully in the calm harbor.

Onboard, several imposing undead eagles perched on the crow's nest railing. Reiner, as usual, was lifting weights with Zoro behind the living quarters.

"Ready to set sail, everyone!" Luffy announced, perched on the Merry's figurehead, hugging the sheep's head.

The undead raised the anchor, and the Going Merry slowly departed from the harbor.

Everyone onboard went about their usual activities. The only difference was the addition of one person and one emergency food supply (Karoo) to the crew.

"Is this really okay?" Vivi rested her left hand on 'Runs Fast' (Karoo), feeling somewhat strange.

It seemed like absolutely no one cared that a princess had come aboard. Even though she was the crucial part of their mission, she felt like an invisible person here.

Except for Sanji...

"Lunchtime, everyone!" Sanji called out, emerging from the kitchen. He immediately began fawning over Vivi again.

"Coming, coming!" Luffy dashed quickly up to the second floor.

Reiner also put down his training equipment and headed to the living area's dining room with Zoro.

Soon, they were all gathered around the table. Compared to the others who were eating heartily, Vivi and Karoo at the corner of the table seemed considerably more reserved.

"Nami, is our next stop Little Garden?" Reiner couldn't help but ask. He couldn't remember if there were any other stops before Little Garden.

After entering the Grand Line, Reiner's eagerness to acquire the templates of the Blue Ogre and Red Ogre grew even more urgent.

"Ah, yes, Little Garden is correct," Nami replied. She had checked the sea charts before they set out.

Luffy's eyes lit up. "Little Garden?! Sounds like an awesome place, shishishi!"

"It must be very beautiful," Nami added, looking forward to it.

Reiner knew Nami's anticipation wouldn't last long.

"Elbaf is a renowned nation in the New World. It doesn't make sense for the leaders of the Giant Warrior Pirates to not have Haki," Reiner suspected internally.

At that moment, in Alabasta, at Rainbase...

Inside a luxuriously extravagant room, a man stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling window, a cigar clamped between his teeth.

Tap~ Tap~ The crisp sound of high heels echoed in the empty room.

"You've returned, Miss All Sunday," the man said in a deep voice, turning to look at the black-haired woman who had just entered.

"One of our bases at the entrance to the Grand Line has been destroyed. This is the intelligence report sent back by the Unluckies."

The black-haired woman spoke, placing two photographs on the table – one depicted Vivi, the other Luffy.

"The person Mr. 5 captured was Igaram in disguise. The real Princess Vivi has left with the Straw Hat pirate crew."

"And?" the man's deep voice asked again.

"Their next stop is Little Garden. The Mr. 5 and Mr. 3 pairs have already been dispatched."

"And if they fail again this time?" The man's tone was clearly displeased.

"I have also sent Mr. 2. He will handle the cleanup, and incidentally, execute those failures."

"As expected of Miss All Sunday. Always so efficient in handling matters," Crocodile smirked, his voice low.

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