Teach looked down at Crocodile, sprawled half-dead in the crater, and his eyes flashed for a moment.
"Zehahaha… Well, ain't this a sight."
His grin stretched wider. "Crocodile… one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, beaten down so badly he can barely breathe."
Burgess threw his head back and laughed.
"Wiiihahaha! Look at him! The mighty Warlord's been tossed around like a sack of trash!"
On Stronger's back, Doc Q coughed weakly, his pale face hanging low.
"Fate… has no mercy…"
Van Augur raised his rifle slightly, his calm eyes moving from Crocodile to the distant traces of Shiki's presence.
"No. This, too, is fate's guidance."
Laffitte gave his cane a light twirl, his smile thin and elegant.
"My, my… It seems we have arrived at a most amusing stage of the performance."
Teach paid no mind to their words and kept his eyes on Crocodile. Or rather, on the power inside him.
The Suna Suna no Mi, the Sand-Sand Fruit — a Logia-type Devil Fruit.
A power that had once belonged to one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea now lay before him, almost helpless.
The greed in Teach's eyes could no longer be hidden.
Meanwhile…
Princess Vivi had finally woken from the shock caused by the trembling city and the terrifying sandstorm that had swallowed Rainbase.
Her face was pale, and her hands were clenched tightly.
"Nami… Shiki is going to be all right, isn't he?"
Her voice shook with worry.
"Crocodile is a Devil Fruit user who can control sand at will. If Shiki was caught off guard… I should have told him everything before he went!"
Nami looked at Vivi, who had already started imagining the worst, and let out a helpless sigh before giving her a small smile.
"Come on. There's no way that would happen."
Seeing Vivi look her way, Nami folded her arms and spoke with complete confidence.
"Shiki has a bounty of three hundred million Berries. Crocodile's bounty was less than a hundred million. I know bounties aren't everything, but do you really think that guy can compare to Shiki?"
Vivi still looked uneasy.
Seeing that expression, Nami rolled her eyes and added more directly,
"Did you forget that slash? The one that split the sea? Crocodile is strong, sure, but Shiki is on a completely different level."
Vivi fell silent. Nami had a point. She knew Shiki wasn't weak. She had seen his strength with her own eyes.
Even so, her heart would not settle. It was not because she doubted him. It was because she truly did not want to see him hurt.
Just as Nami and Vivi were speaking, the door suddenly opened.
A shadow stepped into the room.
Both Nami and Vivi turned at once.
Shiki had returned.
He walked in calmly, as if nothing unusual had happened. Behind him, two people floated through the air, held up by the power of his Fuwa Fuwa no Mi.
Nami immediately ran toward him.
"Shiki! Is Crocodile finished? Are you hurt? And who are those two?"
Her words came out all at once, filled with concern.
Hearing the worry in her voice, Shiki felt a faint warmth in his chest.
Being waited for like this was not a bad feeling.
He reached out and gently ruffled Nami's short orange hair.
"Nothing happened to me."
Then his gaze shifted toward the two people floating behind him.
"As for them… one is Mr. 2 Bon Clay, the man who used the Mane Mane no Mi to impersonate Vivi's father."
"And the other is the king of Alabasta, Nefertari Cobra."
The moment Vivi heard that name, her eyes widened.
"Father!"
She rushed forward and caught Cobra as Shiki lowered him to the ground.
Nami's gaze also shifted to the unconscious king.
Vivi knelt beside him, hugging him tightly as tears poured down her face.
"Father… Father!"
Shiki watched the scene with slight surprise.
From what he understood, Cobra must have heard that Vivi had returned and become too agitated to remain still. He had likely come to confront Crocodile before Shiki arrived, only to be attacked immediately.
"Don't cry so much," Shiki said. "He only has some surface wounds. He exhausted himself too much and fainted, that's all. Let him rest for a while, and he'll wake up."
Vivi's tears stopped for a moment, and she looked up at him with wet eyes.
"Really?"
"Do I look like I'm lying?"
Vivi lowered her head again and let out a small sigh of relief. Those calm words had finally eased the panic gripping her chest.
Nami hurried to her side and gently comforted her. After a while, Vivi finally managed to calm down, though her eyes were still red.
The room slowly returned to silence.
After some time, Vivi wiped Cobra's face with the small amount of water left in the room.
Once her emotions settled, she stood and came to Shiki's side with Nami.
"Shiki."
Her voice was still hoarse, but her eyes were clear.
"Thank you for saving my father."
Shiki waved his hand lightly.
"No need to make such a serious face."
To him, Cobra had not been in that much danger.
But Vivi continued looking at him with deep gratitude, as if she would not accept such a casual answer.
Seeing that stubborn look, Shiki had no choice but to change the subject.
"Princess."
Vivi blinked and focused on him.
"Yes?"
"If you want to speak to this country, now is the time."
Vivi's expression changed.
Shiki pointed toward Bon Clay with his chin.
"The reason I brought Mr. 2 here was exactly for that."
Then his gaze shifted toward one corner of the room.
"And besides… I found someone who can clean up this troublesome mess better than anyone. She worked with Crocodile for years, after all."
His lips curved slightly.
"Isn't that right, Nico Robin?"
A soft laugh came from the shadows.
"Ara… Captain, that is a rather unkind way to put it."
Robin stepped out from the corner with a composed smile.
"You make it sound as if I had been preparing to betray Crocodile from the very beginning."
Shiki glanced at her.
"Were you not?"
Robin's smile deepened.
"How frightening. You really do enjoy saying dangerous things so casually."
"Robin!?"
Nami and Vivi exclaimed at the same time.
They were both surprised, but they quickly understood one thing.
Robin was the key to the plan Shiki had mentioned.
Robin did not waste time.
She calmly explained the situation, Crocodile's methods, Baroque Works' chain of command, the use of Mr. 2's transformation ability, and the evidence that could be shown to the people.
Her plan was simple and straightforward.
Do not merely ask the people to believe the royal family.
Show them the truth.
After hearing Robin's explanation, light returned to Vivi's eyes.
This could work.
This could truly stop the war before Alabasta destroyed itself.
Soon, Vivi left with Nami, Robin, and Bon Clay.
Before leaving, Robin passed by Shiki and leaned close to his ear.
Her voice was soft enough that only he could hear it.
"Do not forget our promise, Captain."
Shiki nodded calmly.
It was not a difficult promise to begin with.
Seeing how easily he agreed, Robin smiled.
A while later, Vivi stood on the highest tower of the royal palace.
The wind blew across her blue hair.
Below her stretched the capital.
The streets were filled with confusion, anger, fear, and exhaustion.
Vivi's hands trembled slightly. She took a slow breath, then finally spoke.
"People of Alabasta…"
The Den Den Mushi carried her voice through the connected lines.
The sound carried through the casino, out into the streets, and all the way to the crowds gathered across the city.
"This is Nefertari Vivi, princess of the Kingdom of Alabasta."
A wave of shock passed through the people.
"Princess Vivi?"
"She's alive?"
"Wasn't she missing?"
"Why is the princess speaking now?"
The crowd grew restless, but Vivi continued.
"I know you are confused. I know many of you are angry. I know many of you have suffered because of the drought, because of the rebellion, and because of the lies spread throughout this kingdom."
Her voice lowered, heavy with emotion.
"But my father did not betray Alabasta."
The people's expressions began to change. Some were angry, some looked doubtful, and many simply could not accept what they had heard.
After all, they had seen Cobra with their own eyes, attacking innocent people in the streets.
To them, that scene had been real.
But Vivi's next words made them hesitate.
"Crocodile and Baroque Works are the ones who pushed this country toward war. They deceived the people, manipulated the rebels, and used your suffering to hide their true goal."
"I will not ask you to forgive the royal family today. I will not ask you to forget your pain."
She gripped the edge of the tower.
"I only ask you to stop and look at the truth before Alabasta destroys itself."
In the distance, Nami stood near the Den Den Mushi, gripping it tightly with both hands.
She watched Vivi's back without saying a word.
Then, with Robin's help, the second part of the plan began.
Crocodile had prepared more than one Den Den Mushi line in Rainbase to control Baroque Works and spread orders through the city. Robin knew every route and every hidden connection. Using that same network against him, she linked the Visual Den Den Mushi to the capital and the surrounding streets.
Soon, the evidence was projected across Rainbase and the capital.
Crocodile's schemes.
Baroque Works' manipulation.
The plan to turn the people and the royal army against each other.
The truth behind the false Cobra.
Everything was exposed before the eyes of the people.
Then Bon Clay stepped forward.
In front of the projection, he activated the power of the Mane Mane no Mi.
His face and body changed in an instant.
One moment, he was Bon Clay.
The next, he was someone else entirely.
The crowd froze in disbelief and astonishment.
"That's…"
"He changed!"
"Then the Cobra we saw…"
"He wasn't the king?"
The truth spread through the city like wildfire.
The anger that had been aimed at the royal family began to crack.
Slowly, the people started to understand.
They had been used.
Crocodile had turned their suffering into a weapon.
And the man who exposed it all was the pirate who had defeated him.
Shiki.
By then, Shiki had already sensed an unusual presence moving in the distance.
He had been walking toward it when the people finally recovered from their shock.
Then he heard the noise.
A huge crowd rushed in his direction.
"There he is!"
"That's the pirate who defeated Crocodile!"
"He saved Alabasta!"
"Shiki!"
Shiki turned his head and saw the mass of people charging toward him with shining eyes.
His mouth twitched slightly.
There was no need to think about it.
They had found out the truth and were now coming for him.
He had no interest in being surrounded by a cheering crowd.
Before they could reach him, Shiki stepped lightly on the ground.
The next instant, his body rose into the air.
He flew more than ten meters above the street, leaving the disappointed crowd below.
"Ah! He's flying away!"
"Wait! We wanted to thank you!"
Shiki ignored the voices behind him.
His gaze shifted toward the direction of the strange presences.
He moved through the air at high speed.
The closer he got, the clearer they became under his Observation Haki.
Once Shiki confirmed who they were, a faint, amused smile appeared on his face.
Who would have thought he would run into the Blackbeard Pirates here—the crew that would one day shake the seas?
And now that they had shown themselves…
It would be a waste not to have a little fun.
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