48 Chapter 48: Drawing Hatred

Mr Big Helmet had no idea what Vivi was thinking as he struggled for his life with the blade pressed against his neck.

He kept talking, "Brownbeard is about to enter the New World! If anything happens to me here, our boss will surely lead a great army to avenge me! You should know that, right? Among pirates, Brownbeard is the most loyal! Spare me, you don't want to provoke him, do you?"

Vivi quickly checked Brownbeard's bounty and confirmed her suspicions. Indeed, in this era, anyone with "Beard" in their name had some skill. Brownbeard's bounty had reached a staggering 80 million berries! Just looking at the numbers on paper, their boss in Baroque Works, Crocodile, only had a bounty of 81 million berries.

Of course, Crocodile's bounty of 81 million berries was from 20 years ago, when he started out, while Brownbeard's 80 million was a recent bounty. The value of these bounties was completely different. But she estimated that many pirates wouldn't even consider that factor. They would just look at the amount of the bounty, and in terms of numbers alone, Brownbeard and Crocodile were indeed comparable.

Great! Vivi was delighted. She had feared that Crocodile's fearsome reputation as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea would intimidate his enemies and drive them away. But now, with a formidable pirate who was an "equal" match, she no longer had to worry.

The challenge now was to get Brownbeard to come to Arabasta...

Vivi looked at Mr Big Helmet as he groveled and bowed his head, hoping that she would show mercy and spare his life.

Previously, she had found this guy repulsive, with his hideous appearance, resembling a deer with rat-like eyes, and wearing a Japanese samurai helmet that seemed completely out of place. It was only because of his bounty of 36 million berries that Vivi took matters into her own hands. But now... she found Mr Big Helmet quite likable, just a typical tool person.

It would be a waste to kill him just for the bounty. There might be other uses for him.

Vivi took control of Mr Big Helmet's ship and crew, then unleashed a torrent of abuse, mocking both Brownbeard and Mr Big Helmet. She proudly boasted about their alliance with Crocodile, one of the Warlords of the Sea, as their powerful supporter. Finally, pretending not to notice the overflowing resentment on Mr Big Helmet's face, she decided to let him go!

Could a mere clown like Buggy, paired with someone like Brownbeard, really stand up to Crocodile? Evidently not. As an integral part of the World Government's efforts to maintain balance on the seas, the fighting prowess of the Seven Warlords of the Sea had been proven over time.

If taken seriously, Brownbeard and Buggy would be no match for Crocodile without Armament Haki.

No matter how strong or numerous their subordinates were, it would be futile.

Vivi didn't have a better plan at the moment. Her only option was to create as much animosity as possible!

The incident with Mr Big Helmet had provided her with some valuable insights, akin to discovering the key to wealth. She began to target pirate crews that had influential backers...

...

"What? You're the navigator of the Roshio Pirates? Your captain is the "Executioner" Roshio with a bounty of 42 million berries? Rubbish! Tell your captain that as long as Arabasta's hero, Sir. Crocodile, is on the Grand Line, that vermin will never be able to make a name for himself! Executioner? Let him go back to the countryside and become a farmer instead! Yes, these words come directly from Sir. Crocodile himself! Do you have any objections?"

"What? You're the third mate of the Bellamy Pirates? Your captain is Bellamy the Hyena with a bounty of 55 million berries? A dog is a dog, no matter how loud it barks. Tell this to your captain: Sir. Crocodile of Arabasta says his stupid appearance is simply repulsive! He should find a small town in the countryside where he can dye clothes for the rest of his life and never set sail again! Sir. Crocodile can't help but laugh when he thinks of his face. It's just too hideous!"

Vivi relentlessly crossed the sea, drawing hatred towards Crocodile.

When Brownbeard led ten pirate ships and several smaller pirate crews on an aggressive raid on Arabasta, Vivi quietly slipped in to watch the show.

Crocodile, in his quest to become Arabasta's hero, had no choice but to confront them head-on.

This time, Crocodile didn't enlist the help of hired bounty hunters to sever his ties with Baroque Works. Instead, he stood alone in the port, facing a united fleet of Brownbeard, Buggy, "Executioner" Roshio, and Bellamy the Hyena.

With the setting sun at his back and no companions at his side, his lonely silhouette looked incredibly bleak.

Soon after, the two sides clashed in a fierce battle in the port city of Nanohana.

In a single encounter, over two hundred pirates were reduced to dried corpses. Brownbeard, standing six meters tall with a face covered in bulging flesh, challenged Crocodile to a duel, only to be soundly defeated. If it hadn't been for the desperate efforts of his subordinates to save him, he might have been wiped out in an instant.

Crocodile embodied the essence of a sandstorm, a pale yellow storm that swept across the battlefield, darkening the sky and leaving only a few people capable of mounting an effective response.

How could mere human strength stand up to a sandstorm? The pirates soon realized that their swords and blades were utterly ineffective against Crocodile. Their vast numbers served only as a means of draining his energy.

If Crocodile had unlimited stamina and the pirates were determined to fight to the death, he could easily annihilate all four pirate crews with his individual strength alone.

Such was the overwhelming power of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

"The gap is quite considerable. I can't keep up with his speed, and even with Armament Haki, it's useless..." Vivi said as she and Karoo hid in a civilian house and watched the battlefield.

Of course, it was mainly Vivi who was watching. Karoo had no interest in violence and sat off to the side, engrossed in reading a newspaper, portraying itself as a cultured duck.

Concerned about being spotted, Vivi didn't ask Karoo to collect attributes this time. Instead, she carefully assessed the relative strengths of both sides, jotting down notes in her pocket notebook from time to time.

There was a difference between manga and reality. While Luffy could defeat Crocodile while carrying a water barrel, others might not be able to replicate the same feat. Without absolute certainty, Vivi, who prioritized self-preservation, wouldn't challenge him recklessly.

Conqueror's Haki was ineffective against Crocodile, and all she could rely on was Armament Haki and her swordsmanship. Could she defeat Crocodile with that? She thought it would be quite a challenge.

Her fighting ability was commendable, but she certainly wasn't better than Smoker, and there was a considerable gap between him and Crocodile. To defeat such a formidable enemy head-on, she would need more training and a powerful Devil Fruit!

As she watched Crocodile ruthlessly slaughter his opponents, Vivi lost her initial enthusiasm. While there were plenty of pirates, they were essentially cannon fodder. Apart from making the land of Arabasta more fertile, they were of little to no value. If there was a system where Crocodile could gain experience points for every enemy he killed, with so many "monsters" in front of him, he could easily spend a few days killing them and then challenge one of the Four Emperors, right?