"The ship ahead is flying a skull flag—it's a pirate ship!"
"Kill!"
"Kill them all!"
The Four Heavenly Kings of Whiskey Mountain and their subordinates patrolled several major sea routes leading to Alabasta. Whenever they encountered pirate ships, they struck first without saying a word—elimination on sight.
What? You say you're not headed to Alabasta? Just passing by? Vivi would coldly press a blade to the pirate's neck, forcing them to admit they were going that way.
In every battle, she charged with relentless aggression. As long as enemies were within range, she'd leap in without hesitation. She wasn't studying Wano's "Sword of Name and Wisdom"—instead, she relied on live combat to push her body to grasp the newly gained strength and hone her techniques under pressure.
Reading theory is one thing, but mastering it physically is another. No matter how well her mind understood a technique, her body needed repeated combat to engrave those moves into instinct.
Chopping down mountains and seas took strength; chopping people required skill.
In the first half of the Grand Line, she figured it was safer to train by fighting actual pirate soldiers.
"Your Highness—cough! Ms. Wednesday! Please be careful! Exercise caution!" Mr. 8, the loyal courtier Igaram, was nearly frantic with worry over Vivi's reckless behavior. He occasionally fired his shotgun—cleverly disguised as a saxophone—to clear enemies that approached her too closely.
Mr. 9 flipped and rolled across the battlefield, using agile maneuvers to reposition at high speed. When he identified a pirate officer among the enemy ranks, he'd whip out his iron rod and strike the target's head with brutal efficiency.
Ms. Monday was the most fearless of the group. The towering woman wielded a massive log like a club. With a single swing of her muscular arms, she could flatten entire groups of pirates.
Under the leadership of the Four Heavenly Kings, the bounty hunters of Whiskey Mountain fought with exceptional valor. Within ten minutes, they had nearly wiped out the enemies on the deck of the pirate vessel.
Mr. 8 and Mr. 9 remained topside, making sure the pirates were properly subdued.
Meanwhile, Vivi and Ms. Monday descended into the lower cabins to search for loot. They split their forces—Vivi and a few men headed toward the bow, while Ms. Monday took the stern.
Just as Vivi was opening a treasure chest in the captain's quarters, she heard a sharp cry from the direction of the stern. She immediately dashed out. Before she could reach the hall, she saw the tall and powerful Ms. Monday flying backward through the air, a bloody wound carved from her shoulder to her left arm.
"Who dares to attack the Big Helmet Pirates?! Do you have a death wish?!"
A two-meter tall pirate stepped forward, his long face hidden beneath a helmet shaped like a Japanese kabuto. His aura was fierce.
Over a dozen pirates surrounded Vivi, Ms. Monday, and the bounty hunters from all sides. In the cramped, poorly ventilated cabin, the stench of blood mixed with the foul odor of unwashed pirates, making Vivi frown.
One of the bounty hunters' expressions changed as he recognized the enemy leader. "That's Meniscus—the captain of the Big Helmet Pirates! He has a bounty of 36 million!"
The fear in his voice was unmistakable. A 36 million bounty was a terrifying amount in their eyes—double that of Don Krieg, who ruled the East Blue with 5,000 men at only 17 million. By that logic, Meniscus was a monster.
But Vivi wasn't impressed. "So this is the infamous Meniscus? Tch. No Devil Fruit, no Haki, and mediocre swordsmanship. His bounty must've come from brute strength and underhanded tactics."
"Big Helmet Pirates? Never heard of you." Her sneer was sharp, her tone disdainful. The name itself sounded like a joke.
"Why are you panicking? He just ambushed Ms. Monday. I'll handle him."
She helped Ms. Monday sit, then calmly drew her famed blade, Huazhou. Sword in hand, she walked toward the pirate captain with deliberate steps.
The surrounding pirates raised their weapons.
Vivi glanced at them lazily. "Anyone want to back out before we begin?"
As if on cue, seven or eight pirates rushed her with swords drawn.
Vivi didn't flinch. She didn't need Haki to deal with rabble like this. With the famed sword Huazhou, her technique was enough.
She stood her ground. The blade danced—deflecting, slicing, stabbing—its arc traced silver through the dim light. In mere seconds, seven bodies dropped, blood seeping from slashed necks. Vivi shook the blood off her blade and stared directly at Meniscus.
"Looking to duel? Then come—I'll take your head."
Meniscus grinned savagely. "Duel? Fool!" He suddenly drew a flintlock pistol from his coat and fired at her forehead without warning.
Vivi casually stepped aside, using Soru, the Navy's speed technique, to vanish and reappear to the side, completely unharmed.
"This is the strength behind a 36 million bounty? Pathetic."
"You dare mock me?! Die!!"
Meniscus lunged with a massive cleaver. Steel clashed—Clang! Vivi met his strike with both hands gripping Huazhou.
But the result surprised her. His strength was far weaker than she expected. Blocking with both hands had been unnecessary. A single hand would've sufficed.
"Huh? So weak? Oh…" Realization flashed in her eyes. "It's not that he's weak—it's that I'm strong now."
Her battle with the Giant Warrior Tribe had increased her physical strength drastically, beyond what she had accounted for. Her new base strength made these pirates seem like toys.
"So that's it… Then this ends now!"
She deflected his cleaver and, taking advantage of his exposed defense, slashed nine times in rapid succession.
"Lion Style: Ninefold Valley Slash!"
The first strike severed his weapon at the spine of the blade. The next eight targeted both arms, both shoulders, ribs, and legs in a precise flurry. Blood sprayed from each impact point.
Her final strike rested against his neck.
"Wait! You… You can't kill me!"
Meniscus collapsed to his knees, soaked in blood and panic. "I-I belong to Tea Beard! If you touch me, his wrath will be upon you!"
Of course, that was a desperate bluff. He'd only seen Tea Beard from afar. But in this moment of desperation, he tried anything to save his life.
Vivi narrowed her eyes. She was about to slice his throat when a thought stopped her—what if she took the body in for the bounty?
Tea Beard… She recalled that name. A relatively notorious pirate. And in this world, anyone calling themselves "X-Beard" usually wasn't a lightweight.
Originally, she was worried that Bucky Jiro would be facing Crocodile alone. His best friend, Kotaro, was deep in the New World—too far to help. But now?
A potential asset just walked into her hands.