122 A Complicated Situation
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Brontes came out of the underground area, with Cobra trailing behind carrying Luffy on his back.
Brontes had chosen not to confront Crocodile because he knew that after their battle, Crocodile would be locked up in Impel Down, so he saw no reason to engage further.
"Is it starting to rain? What a beautiful day. It's pity that Crocodile ruined such a nice day." Brontes commented as he exited the palace.
He looked up at the bright sky and the rainbow that had appeared, smiling at the sight.
After a few minutes of walking, Brontes spotted Vivi and Luffy's friends approaching, one familiar face after another. He scanned them briefly before locking eyes with Vivi.
"Vivi!~" Brontes called out with a grin.
"Huh!?" Vivi's gaze shifted towards Brontes.
"Papa... Papa!"
Vivi's face lit up with a bright, excited smile as she hurried over to hug Brontes.
"P-Papa?" Usopp and the others looked puzzled, tilting their heads curiously at Vivi.
"Wait a minute! Vivi, isn't King Cobra your father? How come you have another dad? Two dads? What's going on?" Nami quickly reacted, as she asked in shock.
"It's okay. I'm relieved nothing bad happened. After all that's happened, you didn't even tell your dad. If I knew from the beginning, how a mere Shichibukaiyou would dare to bully you? Don't you know who your dad is?"
"I am sorry, I didn't want to bother you." Vivi lowered her head and said in a low voice.
"Anyway, It's been two years since we last met, and you've grown into a beautiful young lady." Brontes said softly, gazing down at Vivi and tenderly tousling her hair.
"I... I never thought things would get so complicated." Vivi murmured, biting her lip as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"It's alright, everything is settled down now. Let's go. You must be exhausted." Brontes reassured her with a smile.
"Yes." Vivi nodded wearily.
Cobra, who had been quiet throughout, finally spoke up: "Let's go, Vivi. We'll leave everything in Brontes's hands."
As Vivi wiped her tears and let go, she followed Cobra towards the square, aware of the numerous tasks that awaited them.
Watching the father and daughter depart, Brontes turned to the Straw Hat Pirates, chuckling before he spoke: "Haha! Since you're Vivi's friends, I won't cause you any trouble. Take this."
With those words, Brontes tossed an antidote he had taken from Crocodile's body to Chopper.
"What's this?" Chopper asked in curious voice as he catched the antidote.
"It's an antidote. Your captain was poisoned by Crocodile. Without this, he'd succumb in a few days." Brontes explained.
"What?! Hurry, let's give it to Luffy!" Chopper swiftly injected the antidote into Luffy's arm, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
After treating Luffy, they all settled down to rest.
...
Suddenly, a group of Marines approached, led by a woman in glasses.
"Captain Tashigi, now's our chance to capture them!" The Marines exclaimed, eager to apprehend the Straw Hat Pirates. However, Tashigi stepped in.
"I won't let you touch them right now!" Tashigi said firmly, her voice loud and serious.
"Oh, Why is that? You, as a Marine, are allowing pirates to run away. That's a new approach." Brontes said in lazy voice, as he stood under a broken roof not far away from them.
"Who are you?" Tashigi turned her attention to Brontes, her brow furrowed in curiosity.
"I'm just passing through. But are you certain you don't want to catch them? They are pirates, remember." Brontes remarked, a smile playing on his lips.
"This falls under the jurisdiction of the Marines. An outsider like you shouldn't interfere." Tashigi responded sternly, oblivious to Brontes's true identity.
Brontes chuckled softly: "Haha! Fair enough. Do as you see fit. I have other matters to attend to. We'll meet again sometime later."
Before Tashigi and her team could react, Brontes vanished in an instant.
"This... Where did he go?"
"He's disappeared!"
Tashigi's subordinates exclaimed in surprise before they departed.
...
Somewhere near the capital, Brontes reappeared, finding an injured man before him.
"You're still conscious, right?" Brontes asked.
"W-Who...pffff... are you?" the injured man struggled, blood trickling from his mouth.
"You all caused quite a stir, nearly leading Alabasta to ruin at the hands of Crocodile. In the end, a group of pirates saved the day. Alabasta wouldn't have faced such dire straits with Crocodile's involvement if things hadn't become so convoluted because of you guys." Brontes shook his head.
Gazing at the sky, tears mingling with the rain on his face, the man spoke: "Yes, it's all my fault... Alabasta was almost destroyed because of me."
"What's done is done. As for what consequences you face, that's for Cobra and Vivi to decide." Brontes said, looking at the man.
"Princess Vivi..." The man uttered sadly.
"Yes, she's my daughter." Brontes chuckled.
Though the man seemed confused and shocked, his exhaustion soon led him into a deep slumber before he could ask Brontes about his identity.
...
Brontes transported him back to the royal palace.
Despite the kingdom being in disarray, Cobra had the support of Chaka, a reliable subordinate who helped ease the situation. Luffy and his crew were also brought back to the palace.
Vivi, drained and troubled, was about to rest when a soldier hurried in.
"Princess Vivi! Outside! Outside!" The soldier exclaimed.
Startled, Vivi rushed outside to see Brontes with a familiar figure on his shoulder.
"Koza? Koza?!" Vivi called out, running toward them.
"Dad, how is he?" Vivi asked Brontes about the unconscious Koza.
"He's okay, just knocked around. Luckily, he's alive; I found him and brought him back for medical attention." Brontes reassured in a calm tone.
....
Meanwhile, at the Tamalisk port on the eastern side of Alabasta, a Marine battleship had arrived.
Tashigi spoke softly: "I'm sorry... I allowed those pirates to escape. As a Marine, I feel ashamed."
Smoker shook his head, and said: "Why apologize? Isn't this what you believe justice to be?"
.....
After a good night's rest, Brontes seized the chance to gather information on the recent events in Alabasta.
Cobra began to recount: "Shortly after the World Conference, Crocodile made his way to Alabasta. Initially, he maintained a low profile, setting up a casino. He even aided us in fending off troublesome pirates, earning the people's admiration as a guardian saint of the kingdom."
Listening to Cobra's account, Brontes pieced together how Crocodile had insidiously infiltrated Alabasta.
Firstly, Crocodile displayed audacity by discovering the ancient lineage of the Nefertari family, hinting at knowledge regarding the ancient weapon Pluton.
This knowledge intrigued Crocodile, motivating his secret entry into Alabasta.
He then established the Baroque Works Organization, which operated under his command. Initially posing as a group of bounty hunters, this cover aligned well with the Marines' goals, targeting pirates who had recently ventured into the Grand Line.
Under the guise of bounty hunters, members of Baroque Works utilized various methods to entice and ultimately capture these pirates.
Undoubtedly, Baroque Works thrived by capturing pirates and engaging in shadowy dealings, amassing wealth for Crocodile and expanding their ranks.
However, the dynamics shifted when Vivi crossed paths with Luffy and his crew, prompting them to aid Vivi, despite her being a near stranger, disrupting Crocodile's intricate scheme.
"Hmm, there's something suspicious here. How did Crocodile learn of this information in the first place?" Brontes pondered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
The situation grew more complex than anticipated. The root cause behind how Crocodile uncovered details about the Ancient Weapon Pluton in Alabasta remained a mystery to Brontes.
Reflecting on the events of the World Conference two years prior, especially involving the Nefertari family, former World Nobles, the plot thickened. If there were plots to harm this family, the pressing question emerged: Who was behind targeting them? The World Government, other World Nobles, or perhaps even the Yonko?
