"Mikita, this is just part of Alabasta's culture," Sora said casually, spouting nonsense with the kind of confidence that brooked no argument. "Wherever we go, we should experience the local customs—otherwise, what's the point of traveling the world?"
"Pfft, you just want to see us in dancer outfits," Reiju shot back, clearly unconvinced.
"I think it's pretty fun," Nojiko chimed in with a cheeky grin. She did a quick spin, her skirt twirling outward, showing off her slim waist to perfection.
Bold and uninhibited by nature, Nojiko exuded irresistible charm in the Alabasta-style dancer's costume. Her dazzling presence made Anna and Shalria stare with open admiration.
Neither of them resisted Sora's arrangements—in fact, they hoped they could become just as attractive as Nojiko someday.
"Hahaha, you caught me!" Sora burst out laughing and shamelessly admitted it.
"Pervert!" came the chorus from Makino and the others, all rolling their eyes at his audacity.
"Alright, if everyone's ready, let's move out," Sora said, placing his hand on the Divine Slave. With a flash, he stored the entire ship into his dimensional storage box.
His enhanced mental strength had vastly increased the storage space available to him.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Kaya's eyes sparkled with admiration. "I can't do that at all."
Makino looked on with envy. "The best I can manage is storing half the Divine Slave…"
"Obviously," Anna replied proudly from the side.
With that, they all mounted the camels they had purchased in advance and headed toward Yuba, the western trade hub of Alabasta.
After a day of searching, they finally located the café that served as the Baroque Works' front.
"Be careful," Makino reminded them as she summoned a translucent storage box, enclosing herself, Nojiko, and Kaya in a protective shield—a new ability she'd discovered from her Box-Box Fruit powers.
Sora nodded and led Reiju, Anna, and Shalria toward the nearby café.
When they pushed the door open, the explosive-tempered Mr. 5 was inside, wiping tables. He looked up and scowled. "Who the hell are you?"
Without waiting for a response, he flicked a booger at them.
Sora grimaced as the flying snot came at him. With a quick flick of his foot, he sent it flying right back at Mr. 5's face.
Crap, Mr. 5 thought in panic as he watched it come back.
BOOM!
A loud explosion rang out as Mr. 5 was sent reeling, his head spinning. While the explosion didn't injure him, the unexpected detonation so close to his face left him disoriented.
The next second, Reiju was already behind him, snapping a pair of Seastone cuffs onto his wrists.
"Seastone…" Mr. 5 collapsed to the floor, his strength instantly drained as cold sweat poured down his forehead.
Sora smirked as he walked over. Mr. 5 had clearly intended to launch a sneak attack using his powers, but Sora had known all about his tricks and turned the tables perfectly.
Without a word, Sora raised his pistol and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The Baroque Works had instigated a civil war in Alabasta, killing tens of thousands of civilians.
As a core member of the organization, Mr. 5 had blood on his hands. Sora had no intention of showing mercy.
He would've done the same even if Crocodile himself stood in front of him.
『Ding! You have killed Baroque Works member Mr. 5. You may choose to receive the bounty reward or exchange it for the Devil Fruit.』
Without hesitation, Sora chose to forfeit the money and claim the Devil Fruit.
"There's another one here," Reiju said, dragging out a trembling Miss Golden Week after sweeping through the rooms. "One of them ran."
She handed Miss Golden Week over to Anna and Shalria, then dashed out of the building, soaring into the sky in pursuit of the fleeing Miss Valentine, Mikita.
"Please don't kill me!" Miss Golden Week begged, her face pale as she glanced at the lifeless body of Mr. 5. Though she had been his partner, she was timid by nature and clearly terrified.
Sora looked down at the petite girl in his grip and smiled. You're a legal loli—of course I'm not going to kill you.
Despite her childish appearance, Miss Golden Week—Marianne—was only a year younger than Luffy.
"Where are the others?" Sora asked casually, still holding her by the collar.
"Zala went out to buy things… Dorophy and the others are nearby…" Marianne replied nervously, sneaking another glance at Mr. 5's body.
Just as she finished speaking, Reiju returned with an unconscious Miss Valentine slung over her shoulder.
Sora grinned.
Mikita had a tall figure, a beautiful face, and was popular even within Baroque Works. A total knockout. Arrogant and proud, she was the perfect candidate for breaking in.
"Anna, Shalria—go deal with the others," Sora ordered, then turned to Marianne. "Take us to Zala ."
Zala , of course, was the Thorn Woman—Miss Doublefinger.
As for the "others," that referred to the fat man and the mole woman.
"O-Okay…" Miss Golden Week nodded obediently.
Anna and Shalria let go of her and left to hunt down their assigned targets.
『Ding! You have killed Baroque Works member…』
『Ding! You have killed Baroque Works member…』
『Ding! You have killed Baroque Works member Mr. 4's sausage dog…』
Soon, system notifications filled Sora's mind. He now had two more Devil Fruits in hand.
Both were Zoan-type Devil Fruits.
One was the Mole-Mole Fruit from the mole woman.
The other belonged to Mr. 4's dog gun, Lasso—a Dog-Dog Fruit that gave the weapon a dachshund form.
Sora casually tossed both fruits into his dimensional storage box and regrouped with Reiju, Makino, and the others, carrying Miss Golden Week in one hand while Reiju carried the unconscious Mikita.
"Sora… are you sure she's not just a kid?" Kaya asked, wide-eyed as she looked at Miss Golden Week in Sora's hand.
Makino and Nojiko nodded in agreement.
Sora had already explained to them that their mission this time was to apprehend the Baroque Works members responsible for the war in Alabasta that had cost countless innocent lives.
None of the women had objected—they fully supported bringing justice to such evildoers.
But now, seeing Miss Golden Week in person, they were all visibly stunned.
It was understandable.
At only 145 cm tall and with such a childlike appearance, Marianne could easily be mistaken for an innocent little girl.
But Sora knew better. Among all the Baroque members, her ability was the most dangerous of them all.
He had expected this reaction.
"She's only one year younger than Kaya," he said, chuckling as he lifted the tiny girl a bit. "Don't be fooled by her looks."