"I'm satisfied. Hog, let's go see where they've wandered off to."
Ryuen stretched contentedly as they walked out of the restaurant.
Hog glanced back subtly and said, "They're probably at a fashion boutique or perfume shop. Otherwise, why haven't they come to find us yet?"
"Ahhh... shopping really is in women's nature. What a hassle. Let's go find them," Ryuen said with a helpless expression.
The two casually headed toward a clothing store on the street.
"Ryuen, aren't we going to deal with the people following us?" Hog asked on the bustling street, looking puzzled.
"No need. Those two are with Crocodile, probably here to monitor us. But honestly, their skill level is a bit lacking," Ryuen said, glancing behind him.
Seeing his movement, Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 quickly hid behind a nearby stall.
"Now?" Hog asked, still unsure.
"Exactly. That woman is the princess of Alabasta—Nefertari D. Vivi," Ryuen said while picking an apple from a fruit stall, taking a bite, and tossing the stall owner 50 Beli.
"She's the princess of Alabasta?" Hog asked in surprise.
"That's right. But just ignore them. Let's go; the others should be done shopping by now," Ryuen said nonchalantly.
Ryuen and Hog strolled aimlessly through the street, as if they hadn't noticed Vivi and Mr. 9.
Behind them, Vivi and Mr. 9 continued tailing them.
"Miss Wednesday, why don't we just invite them directly? Mr. 0 told us to invite them to Rainbase as guests," Mr. 9 whispered in confusion from behind a stall.
Vivi jolted slightly at his words but quickly calmed herself.
She whispered back, "Don't rush. Let's first figure out why they're here. If they don't have any suspicious motives, we'll invite them.
But if they came here with ill intentions, and we bring them to Rainbase, Mr. 0 will definitely blame us."
"You really are the smartest, Miss Wednesday. I get it now. Let's keep waiting and watching!" Mr. 9 replied, suddenly understanding.
Seeing she had convinced him, Vivi felt her tension ease a little.
Meanwhile, Ryuen and Hog had caught up with Nami and the others.
"You finally decided to find us, huh? Let me guess, you ate too much?" Nami teased.
"Oh, like you're one to talk. Look at what you're wearing! It's so revealing—totally inappropriate!" Ryuen frowned, looking displeased.
The six women were dressed extravagantly, drawing frequent glances from passersby.
"Enough! You two are not allowed to argue anymore!" Nojiko scolded, hands on her hips.
Ryuen and Nami both snorted and turned their heads away angrily.
The others shook their heads helplessly.
"By the way, Hog, what's with those two people following us?" Kuina asked, gesturing toward where Vivi and Mr. 9 were hiding. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn ɴovᴇl(F)ɪre.ɴet
"Oh, them? Ryuen said one of them is the princess of Alabasta. They've been tailing us," Hog said, glancing at the stall where they were hiding.
"Nefertari D. Vivi?" Nojiko asked in surprise.
"That's right," Hog confirmed.
"Stop sulking and explain what's going on!" Daisy demanded, turning Ryuen's head back toward her.
"Well, uh, it's nothing special..."
"If you're going to talk, just say it!"
Just as Ryuen was about to show off, Nami interrupted him again.
"See? You all saw that, right? Nami won't even let me speak!" Ryuen said, glaring at her.
Nami glared right back.
"Enough! Both of you, stop it. Ryuen, explain what's going on," Nojiko said sternly, stepping between them.
"Alright, then I'll say it.
Now that our reputation is so widespread, Princess Vivi should already know who we are.
There's a rebellion happening in Alabasta right now, so she probably wants us to help solve it," Ryuen said seriously.
"Handle the rebellion?" Leah asked with a frown.
"We're now recognized as officials of the World Government with a great reputation, and this Princess Vivi is likely counting on that," Ryuen added with a sharp look.
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Not far away, Vivi and Mr. 9 watched the Dream Crew discussing something, confused and unable to understand.
Suddenly, a figure appeared behind them in an instant!
"You two have been following us for quite a while. Care to explain why?" Hog's gaze darkened as he looked down, creating a strong sense of pressure on Vivi and Mr. 9.
In an instant, both Vivi and Mr. 9 turned around, looking at Hog with shocked expressions.
They couldn't figure out how someone who had been on the street just a moment ago had suddenly appeared behind them in the blink of an eye!
"Sir, we didn't mean to follow you. We're agents of the Baroque Works. Our boss sent us to invite you to Rainbase as guests," Vivi said with a stiff, awkward smile.
At this point, the rest of the Dream Crew approached. People on the street sensed something was off and quickly packed up their goods and dispersed.
"If I'm not mistaken, that's a criminal organization, isn't it?"
"But now you've come to find us, which means your boss knows who we are. Yet he still dares to invite us?"
"Isn't he afraid we'll arrest him and throw him in jail?" Nojiko said in a calm tone.
Hearing this, both Vivi and Mr. 9 started trembling in fear.
But Vivi gritted her teeth and knelt before the Dream Crew. "Please, kind sirs, I know you're good people. Please save Alabasta!"
"Miss Wednesday, our job is to invite them, not beg them to fix Alabasta's problems!" Mr. 9 shouted in a panic after hearing Vivi's plea.
The Dream Crew looked at Vivi with interest.
They hadn't expected this princess of Alabasta to trust them and even ask for their help!
What they didn't know was that someone else, hidden in the shadows, was also watching everything unfold.
Nami: "Care to try the scent of my perfume~~~"
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