Although Kyros did not claim to be a great swordsman, he held a modest perspective—many swordsmen at sea dared to call themselves great swordsmen as long as they had the strength of a Vice Admiral.
However, truly recognized great swordsmen, those acknowledged by the world, were exceedingly rare. Such individuals were often comparable to those at the Emperor level.
Now, seeing Mr. 1—a mere rookie—boldly claim he could cut through a great swordsman's weapon infuriated Kyros.
Even though his identity as a swordsman was secondary to that of a gladiator, he still deeply respected the art of swordsmanship.
Since it was rare for Kyros to take the initiative in a fight, Shin nodded in approval. Meanwhile, he noticed Mr. 1's partner, a blue-haired woman with a striking figure and revealing attire.
At this moment, she was visibly shaken, fear etched across her face after witnessing Shin casually block Mr. 1's attack with his head.
"Who is she?" Shin asked.
Princess Vivi, still in a daze from Shin's sudden arrival, took a moment to process before responding with a hint of excitement. "Her name is Miss Doublefinger, Mr. 1's partner. She has the power of the Spike-Spike Fruit."
"A Spike-Spike Fruit user?" Shin raised an eyebrow. "Another peculiar Devil Fruit. Maybe it could be combined with the Grow-Grow Fruit to enhance its effects."
His gaze then landed on Princess Vivi's injuries—black spikes protruded from her arms and thighs like daggers, her blood staining her clothes.
Clearly, she had been wounded by Miss Doublefinger's ability.
While Shin was processing this information, Kyros had already dealt with Mr. 1.
There wasn't much to say about the battle. In the original timeline, despite losing a leg, Kyros had still managed to severely injure Diamante—a fighter with Armament Haki who wielded the Ripple-Ripple Fruit.
Compared to Diamante, Mr. 1 was inferior in every aspect. Now that Kyros had been healed by Shin, his swordsmanship, Haki, and overall strength had greatly improved. Mr. 1's reliance on his steel body was useless—he coughed up blood and collapsed instantly.
Miss Doublefinger trembled in fear. As she attempted to flee, she found herself paralyzed under Violet's intense gaze, like a frog caught in a snake's stare. Cold sweat dripped down her back.
Violet had clearly been refining her Glare-Glare Fruit and Byakugan. Her expression alone exuded pressure, a sign that she was developing a coercive ability within her Byakugan.
If the Byakugan were trained to their peak, they wouldn't be as lethal as the Rinnegan or Tenseigan, but they had their own unique strengths. In fact, Violet was likely extracting more potential from her ability than the average Hyuga clan member.
Despite primarily being a support fighter, Violet had now reached a level where she could hold her own against a Vice Admiral.
Seeing Miss Doublefinger frozen in terror, Shin sighed and extended his hand. Dark energy swirled around him as he extracted Mr. 1's Dice-Dice Fruit and Miss Doublefinger's Spike-Spike Fruit.
"Alright, talk. Where is your boss?" Shin asked, his voice carrying an air of finality.
Miss Doublefinger frantically shook her head. "I don't know! Our boss never communicates directly with us. Only Mr. 1 might know his true identity!"
Shin had long known that the mastermind behind Baroque Works was the Warlord Crocodile. He was after Alabasta's Poneglyphs, hoping to uncover the secrets of Pluton.
However, only he possessed this knowledge. Telling Vivi and her allies without evidence would likely be met with doubt. He needed proof.
"So, only this guy knows?" Shin muttered, glancing at the unconscious Mr. 1. "Violet, he's yours. Dig through his memories."
Violet nodded, forming a strange hand gesture before placing her head against Mr. 1's. After a moment, her eyes widened in surprise.
"Well, isn't this a coincidence? The leader of Baroque Works is another Warlord of the Sea."
Though she feigned casualness, a trace of rage flashed in her eyes. Clearly, Alabasta's plight reminded her of Dressrosa and Doflamingo's tyranny.
After all, the parallels were uncanny—both involved a stolen kingdom, a princess fighting against the odds, a once-kind king, and a scheming Warlord. It was impossible not to make the connection.
Of course, Crocodile and Doflamingo were different in one key way—Crocodile had no interest in ruling Alabasta. His true goal was Pluton.
But even Mr. 1 wasn't privy to this information, so Violet naturally assumed Crocodile wanted to usurp the throne.
"What? It's him?!" Vivi gasped. "No wonder he's been driving pirates away from Alabasta… He's even considered a hero by the people!"
Violet scoffed. "That's how these Warlords operate. They love disguising themselves as saviors."
Shin wasn't particularly interested in their discussion. "Alright, now that we know the mastermind, what's next? Vivi, why are you alone? Where's Igaram?"
Vivi's face paled. "Igaram was captured by my… by someone pretending to be my father!"
Shin tapped his chin thoughtfully. He recalled the original storyline—Bon Clay, the user of the Clone-Clone Fruit, had impersonated Vivi's father.
This incident shouldn't have happened so soon. After all, Luffy and the Straw Hats hadn't even set sail yet. Clearly, Vivi's exposure of her identity had accelerated events.
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