It had been several days since the attempted kidnapping of Princess Vivi.
"Gorilla-san! Tell me more about Sir Crocodile!"
One day, she interrupted his breakfast at the palace with that demand.
"Gorilla-san! Is Sir Crocodile really the strongest in the entire desert?"
On another day, she popped up beside him while he was patrolling the streets of Alubarna.
"Gorilla-san, what do you think Sir Crocodile likes most about this country?"
And on yet another day, a shock of light-blue hair emerged from a supply crate on the deck of the Beatrice while they were patrolling the nearby seas.
Nefertari Vivi, age five.
After the kidnapping incident, she had seemed downcast for a short while, but she had bounced back with terrifying energy.
For some reason, she had taken an intense shine to Crocodile and began peppered Krieg with questions.
She was persistent, clever, and—as Krieg learned the hard way—sneaky enough to slip past guards and stow away on a Marine warship.
Of course, Krieg immediately contacted the palace and turned the ship around, resulting in Vivi getting a legendary scolding from a tearful Igaram.
When Krieg asked what she liked so much about the Warlord, her answer was simple:
"Because Sir Crocodile's powers are perfect for this country! And he helped save me! Oh, of course, I'm grateful to you too, Gorilla-san!"
Krieg realized this was getting dangerous. If the future Princess of Alabasta grew up viewing a master manipulator like Crocodile as her "shining hero," the kingdom was doomed before the plot even started. He decided to treat her not as a child, but as a student of statecraft.
With King Cobra and Igaram's permission, he set up a "special study group" twice a week for an hour.
He started from the top: the Seven Warlords system, Crocodile's known history, and the terrifying nature of his Logia fruit. He spoke candidly about the cruelty and cunning of pirates.
He hammered home the point that even if Crocodile was a Warlord sanctioned by the Government, a King should never assume a pirate is a true ally.
Then, they moved on to "Hypothetical Scenarios."
"If we assume he is plotting something behind the scenes, Vivi-chan, what would be his goal?"
Through guided logic—and a healthy dose of Krieg's meta-knowledge—they narrowed it down: "Sir Crocodile intends to do something massive in this country because it is where his powers are at their peak."
They debated possibilities: turning the desert into a private fortress, founding a new nation, or establishing a massive pirate fleet.
"…I see," Vivi mused, her small hand on her chin. "Then, wouldn't all our problems be solved if we just made Sir Crocodile a member of the Royal Family?"
Krieg nearly choked on his tea. This child just dropped a nuke.
"Wait, Vivi-chan. How exactly do you plan to add a desert crocodile to the family tree?"
"It's simple, Gorilla-san! He just has to marry into the family as my husband!"
Krieg put his head in his hands. Was this his fault? Had the sight of Crocodile swooping in to save her made him look like a "Prince Charming" in her five-year-old eyes?
"Vivi-chan, putting the age gap aside for a moment... didn't we just discuss how he's likely plotting something sinister?"
"That's exactly why, Gorilla-san!" Vivi's eyes sparkled with a precocious, almost frightening light. "If he's plotting something, that's our best chance.
You said it yourself the other day: 'You have to thoroughly break his heart.'"
"I meant his fighting spirit, Vivi-chan..."
"If he's spent years meticulously planning something in the shadows, imagine how he'd feel if his plan was ruined right at the finish line... by a little girl like me!"
Krieg stared at her. Is her personality drifting in a very strange direction?
Still, he had successfully warned her that Crocodile was a threat. Even if her solution was "Marriage for the Sake of Psychological Warfare," she was no longer looking at him as a simple hero.
Krieg just nodded slowly, deciding that for now, this was "mission accomplished."
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