Kureha opened the armory and instructed the residents of Drum Island to move all the cannons outside the castle.
She also told them to sprinkle the special powder that Dr. Hiriluk had given her before his death into the cannonballs.
Soon, the booming sound of cannons echoed across Drum Island — like thunder celebrating a century's worth of fireworks for this Pirate Era.
Sure enough, at the foot of the mountain, Chopper looked up and saw the sky filled with cherry blossoms, just as Dr. Hiriluk had once said.
The entire Drum Island was blooming with pink petals!
Everyone was stunned by the sight.
Luffy and Usopp's eyes sparkled as they gasped, "Su-sugoi…"
Even Zoro couldn't help but murmur, "This is truly an incredible masterpiece."
Sanji muttered, "Turning the impossible into the possible, huh?"
Chopper sobbed, tears streaming down his face. "Dr. Hiriluk… you did it… woo…"
Nami exclaimed, "What beautiful cherry blossoms!"
After speaking, she sneaked a glance at Sandy.
Sandy, however, said with a dismissive wave, "Isn't it just mixing pink pollen into cannonballs and firing them into the sky to blend with the snow? What's so great about that? Seriously, how long are you all gonna keep shouting? It's almost dawn already!"
Everyone's faces darkened.
"Ahhhh! Don't hit my face!!"
By the time they returned to the Going Merry, it was already morning.
Luffy, as tireless as ever, shouted excitedly, "Everyone! Let's welcome Chopper as our new crewmate! Feast time!"
"Okay!!" everyone cheered in unison — except for Sandy, who sat sulking in the corner drawing circles, having just been beaten up by everyone.
Chopper, still shy and unsure how to fit in, was watching when Luffy and Usopp suddenly stuck chopsticks up their nostrils and mouths. "Chopper! You try it too! It's fun!"
Chopper chuckled but soon noticed Sandy sitting alone.
He trotted over and nudged him. "Sandy, what are you doing? Come join everyone!"
Sandy frowned. "You want me to learn that and shove chopsticks up my nose?"
Usopp retorted, "Got something more interesting, then?"
Luffy added eagerly, "Yeah! Do you?"
"Tch…"
The gloom vanished instantly. Compete with him on coolness? Sandy wasn't backing down!
He stood up and said, "Chopper, watch closely!"
Sandy began imitating the Werewolf dance from League of Legends — arms bent at the shoulders, grabbing the air to one side, then sliding left, sliding right…
In an instant, an utterly ridiculous yet hypnotic dance unfolded — the same "Jack Dance" from Blue Star! Who could resist that kind of chaos?
Chopper's eyes gleamed. "Sandy! Teach me! Quick!!"
Luffy and Usopp immediately lost interest in their chopsticks. "We wanna learn too!"
Vivi and Nami, watching from the side, burst out laughing, holding their stomachs as tears streamed down their faces. "Hahaha! Sandy, where the hell did you learn that dance?! You're killing me!"
"Oh my god, please stop dancing, I can't take it anymore—"
Even Sanji and Zoro couldn't help but laugh non-stop.
But Sandy wasn't about to let Zoro off the hook — that swordsman had beaten him the hardest earlier, after all!
Sandy grabbed Zoro by the arm.
"Hey! Let go of me!" Zoro shouted. "Even if you kill me, I'm not dancing—uwaaa! HELP!"
After the feast, everyone who needed rest went to bed. At least Luffy and Sandy hadn't slept at all!
On the deck, Usopp and Chopper were chatting.
"Chopper, guess what kind of monster I fought before?" Usopp bragged.
Chopper shook his head, curious.
Usopp crossed his arms dramatically. "Our ship once encountered a monster thousands of meters tall! When Sandy and Luffy saw it, they were so scared they begged me to save them!"
Chopper's eyes widened. "Really, Usopp?! What happened then?"
Usopp looked into the distance heroically. "Then I drew my forty-meter greatsword, unleashed my ultimate move, shouted 'Demacia!' — and bam! split that giant beast clean in two!"
Just then, Luffy, who had woken up searching for food, overheard the story.
His eyes sparkled as he ran over. "Sugoi, Usopp! You're amazing!!"
Sanji sighed, shaking his head.
Meanwhile, Sandy — who had finally fallen asleep inside — woke up from all the noise. "Who the hell's making all that racket?"
He grumbled as he stepped out onto the deck, yawning. "Usopp's that awesome now? And Luffy… why the hell are you impressed by that?"
He turned to Nami. "Nami, how much longer till we reach Alabasta?"
"About ten days," Nami replied.
"What?!" Sandy instantly perked up. "It takes that long?"
Nami rolled her eyes. "Didn't I just say that?"
Sandy waved it off. "I heard you. So what's wrong with Vivi?"
Nami sighed, glancing at Vivi sitting silently nearby.
Sandy walked over. "Vivi, what's wrong?"
Vivi explained, "The situation in Alabasta is worsening. I'm just… worried about the people there. Sorry if I'm affecting everyone."
Sandy shook his head. "You call yourself the princess of Alabasta, but you really don't act like one. Looking at you right now, I seriously doubt it."
Nami tried to stop him, but Sandy raised a hand to keep her quiet.
Sanji stayed silent, sensing there was more behind Sandy's words.
Vivi frowned. "Is it wrong for me to worry about my people?"
Sandy crossed his arms. "If you're going to inherit your kingdom one day, then yeah — your thinking's a big problem."
"What's the problem?" she asked coldly.
"What's about to break out is a war involving millions. Instead of focusing on strategy or how to end it, you're agonizing over individual civilians getting hurt. You really think that's how a ruler should think?"
Vivi's tone grew sharp. "Then tell me, what's wrong with that?"
Sandy sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You really don't get it, huh?"
He tried again. "The King's being framed for secretly using Dance Powder, right?"
Vivi nodded.
"And the mastermind behind it is Crocodile?"
She nodded again.
"Then your job now," Sandy said firmly, "Is to think about how to use us to take Crocodile down — and then how to clear up the misunderstanding between the Royal Army and the Rebel Army.
That's what you should be doing, not worrying about every single death across the kingdom. As a future queen, you can't be trapped by sentiment alone. Wake up."
Vivi was silent — struck by his words. But… use them?
Seeing her hesitation, Sandy smirked. "What's wrong with using us? A good leader knows when to do it.
But don't get me wrong — we're not fighting Crocodile for you. We're doing it to collect our emotional damage fees, lost work time, intimidation fees, shipping fees, and so on. So no need to thank us."
Nami's eyes instantly gleamed with Berry signs. "Hehe… doesn't matter if we're being used, we're gonna get rich! Sandy, you're a genius!"
Sanji, with hearts in his eyes, muttered, "Vivi-san, you can use me anytime… I'm yours…"
Zoro cracked an eye open and said flatly, "Boring," before closing it again.
"Su-sugoi!!"
"Your brain is amazing, Sandy!"
"Are you a genius?!"
Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all shouted in admiration.
Sandy facepalmed. "You idiots! Can't you ever stay quiet? Do you think I'm that pig Zoro? Damn it, here we go again—"
Before he could finish, everyone pounced on him again.