Merlin finished the last adjustments of the stabilization spell and watched the light fade between the stones. The work was complete. Every building, every restored ruin, every vein of desert energy aligned once more. Alabasta breathed like a reborn kingdom.
Koza waited outside, speaking with a few civilians. Vivi, still inside the reconstructed fortress, adjusted documents and coordinated small groups.
Merlin approached the princess.
"I'm finished."
Vivi lifted her face quickly. Her eyes showed more relief than any words could.
"Thank you, Merlin. Truly."
Merlin made a simple gesture with her hand.
"Take care of the kingdom until the next instruction. Riser will return when it is convenient."
Vivi assumed the posture of a future queen.
"I will wait."
Merlin nodded once and activated teleportation. The circle formed beneath her feet with precision and vanished the next instant.
—
She appeared in front of Riser's room. She stopped. She did not knock. She simply waited.
Riser noticed her arrival before any sound was made. It was not a formal Haki activation, nor a scan. Just a natural, immediate, familiar recognition.
"Come in."
Hancock was seated on his lap, tracing slow circles with the tip of her finger over Riser's chest. She looked at Merlin without moving. No hostility. No jealousy. Only silent attention.
Merlin entered and closed the door.
Riser tilted his head.
"Report."
She kept her tone calm and professional.
"Alabasta is fully reconstructed. All runes have been stabilized." A brief pause. "And regarding your other plan, it is already underway. The Revolutionary Army has begun mobilizing. Exactly as you wanted."
Hancock lifted her chin, watching the sorceress with restrained interest.
Riser smiled with quiet humor.
"It was obvious they would fall for it. All it took was a push."
Merlin continued.
"Dragon has already confirmed the deaths of the Gorosei through external sources. His movement was almost immediate. He believes chaos has begun, and he is right."
Riser rested his hand on Hancock's hip, satisfied.
"Excellent. Everything went as planned."
Merlin maintained her posture, but her voice carried a rare lightness.
"I imagined you would be pleased."
Riser analyzed the information calmly.
"And the Tenryuubito?"
"All retreating to Mary Geoise. Their fear will accelerate the rupture. The Government no longer has a core. Only a façade."
"Perfect."
Hancock slid her hand over Riser's chest again, not interrupting the conversation.
Merlin concluded.
"My role here is complete for now."
Riser closed his eyes for a moment, assimilating every movement of the world as if flipping through the pages of a book.
"Then prepare the next phase."
Merlin nodded.
"I will organize everything."
She half turned and activated the spell in silence. A swift, clean displacement, disappearing the next instant.
The room fell silent again.
Hancock settled her head on Riser's shoulder, calm, as if the rhythm of the coming war made her even more at ease.
Riser ran his hand through her hair, satisfied with the direction of everything.
The silence in the room lasted a few seconds after Merlin's departure. Hancock kept her head on Riser's shoulder, calm, but her eyes showed there were still questions held back.
She slowly lifted her face.
"Husband… what exactly is the next phase?"
Riser rested his hand on her waist before answering.
"The fun part."
Hancock waited.
Riser continued with light humor in his voice.
"I need to distract anyone who could interfere with the war. In other words, the Navy."
Hancock narrowed her eyes, curious.
"And who will do that for you?"
"Merlin asked to take that front." Riser tilted his head slightly. "She said she wanted to play a little. And some vampires want to test their strength too."
Hancock let out a soft sound between disbelief and acceptance.
"She really enjoys this chaos."
"She does. And it's useful."
Hancock ran her fingers over his chest again, without moving much.
"And what will be the scale of this confrontation, husband?"
Riser touched her hand before answering.
"That depends on them. I only care about Gion and Tashigi. The rest can live or die. It makes no difference."
Hancock breathed deeply, absorbing it calmly. The anger she carried toward the Tenryuubito passed through her eyes, almost imperceptible, but under control.
"So the Navy will be kept busy while the revolutionaries fight what remains of the World Government."
"Exactly."
"And me?"
Riser rested his thumb under her chin, drawing her slightly closer.
"You will have a clear path to deal with the Tenryuubito however you want. Quickly or slowly. Choose your pace."
Hancock smiled for the first time since Merlin entered.
"Husband… you know exactly what I want."
"I know."
Hancock tilted her face toward him.
"So this war has begun for everyone… except me."
"You will enter when you feel it is necessary."
She ran her hand along his neck.
"How many times have I told you I love you more when you act like this?"
"A few."
Hancock smiled again, small and satisfied.
"Husband…"
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
Hancock's thanks lingered in Riser's mind for a few seconds, not for its emotional weight, but for the contrast with what was to come. Riser knew every detail of the original story, every injustice buried, every violence committed by the Tenryuubito while the world pretended it was part of the natural order. Seeing Hancock on the verge of destroying those who had marked her forever was not just strategic. It was satisfying.
Not in a moral sense. That was not part of the equation. But as a longtime fan of that world. In another life, he had watched Hancock suffer in silence, carrying traumas the anime softened too much. Now, however, he was about to witness the unfiltered version of her revenge. Something raw, direct, inevitable.
Riser realized few events had given him this kind of anticipation. Perhaps because this was not an epic battle. Not a world war. It was personal justice, the kind of thing the anime never had the courage to show in depth. And in a way, it was perfect that Hancock would be the one to carry it out.
Part of him almost regretted that the Tenryuubito were so fragile. They would require no effort. They would not provide a fight worthy of remembrance. But perhaps that was part of the appeal. The ease with which they would be eliminated by someone they had sworn to crush since childhood.
The war the world would see would be grand. Chaotic. Historic.
But the true scene he had wanted to watch since he was reborn would happen in silence, in the shadows, by the hands of a woman who would finally have the chance to break everything that imprisoned her.
And Riser had no intention of missing a single second of it.
Hancock slowly lifted her face. The hesitation did not come from doubt, but from the clear fear of crossing a line that might be hers alone.
"Husband…" Her voice came out lower. "I wanted to ask something."
Riser kept his attention steady, changing nothing in his breathing, simply waiting.
"My sisters." She moistened her lips before continuing. "I would like them to participate. Not in everything, but enough that none of them are left out."
It was easy to see that Hancock did not fear the war, the Tenryuubito, or what was coming. But she feared that Riser might find the request too small to matter.
Riser tilted his head slightly, as if weighing the question for a second.
"That's fine," he said with calm humor. "If it's important to you, I see no problem."
Her reaction was immediate. A subtle relief spread through her, without exaggeration, just enough to show that the permission meant more than she would ever admit out loud.
"Thank you." Hancock rested her hand on his chest again. "They can help with containment. Or fight with me, if necessary."
"Do it however you want," Riser adjusted his hand on her waist. "As long as you reach the Tenryuubito first, nothing else matters."
Hancock breathed deeply, her tone firm.
"They will come with me. I want them to see… and to help ensure nothing interferes."
"Good." He gave a light smile. "The Navy will be busy with Merlin, so you will have freedom to act."
Hancock lowered her head for a moment, taking in the entire plan. It was perfect for her. It was just. It was inevitable.
"Husband…" she repeated for the third time, now with calm conviction. "Thank you."
Riser ran his hand along the back of her neck, unhurried. It was a simple gesture, but solid enough to convey approval.
She leaned forward and embraced him. A firm hug, without fragility, filled with purpose. Hancock kept her face close to his neck as she breathed slowly, as if in that moment she closed one chapter of her life before opening another.
"I will inform them," her voice came out low and resolute.
Riser kept his hand on her waist while the embrace lasted a few more seconds, long enough for her to leave all hesitation behind.
When she finally pulled away, Hancock looked at him with absolute certainty.
"I will return before the war."
She left the room with direct steps, already ready to summon her sisters.
And Riser simply watched, satisfied with the course of everything.
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