"Phew…"
Vivi exhaled a puff of white mist and rubbed her arms, feeling the chill.
One moment it was sweltering under a blazing sun, and the next, large snowflakes were drifting down. The climate of the Grand Line was notoriously fickle.
Aomori moved closer to her, raising his hand to inject holy light energy into her body, dispelling the cold.
"It's so warm." Vivi felt a warm current circulating through her. Staring in surprise at the white light enveloping her, she asked curiously, "What is this?"
"The Devil Fruit I ate is called the 'Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Sky God.' This is one of its abilities—'Sunny Day.' Does it feel like you're standing in the sunshine now?" Aomori was shamelessly talking nonsense with a straight face.
"Y-you shouldn't tell me such important things so casually!"
"It's fine. Vivi was the first person to acknowledge me, so it's okay to tell you. Besides, you wouldn't just tell anyone, right?"
"No, I definitely won't tell a soul!" Vivi's face flushed slightly. She looked at Aomori earnestly and said, "You trust people too easily. You'll get taken advantage of that way."
"Not at all. I only trust Vivi," Aomori said, narrowing his eyes with a smile.
"D-dummy... I could lie to you too."
"Then please, lie to me for the rest of your life."
Poof!
Vivi instantly turned into a "steam girl." Her face turned beet red as steam practically erupted from her head. Her heart raced like a panicked deer, thumping violently against her ribs.
What does he mean? Is he con-con-con...fessing?! We only just met; isn't this too fast! No, maybe he just sees me as a soulmate. Vivi, you are a princess. You must stay calm. You must be demure...
She slapped her cheeks a few times, forcing herself to settle down. But the moment she caught a glimpse of Aomori's flawless profile, her face crimsoned once more.
"Vivi?"
"Ah! I'm sorry! Not right now! I think it's too fast! At least wait until Alabasta is at peace, and... and my father has to agree!" Vivi squeezed her eyes shut and blurted the words out in a single breath.
"?" Aomori pointed toward the cactus-shaped island ahead and said, "I was just going to say, it looks like we've arrived."
"Ah... hahaha..." Vivi opened her eyes and gave an awkward laugh. "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep. Did I say something weird in my sleep?"
"You said quite a bit, but I didn't understand a single word of it."
"Good, as long as you didn't understand." Vivi breathed a sigh of relief.
…
"Whiskey Peak is a stronghold under the control of the Baroque Works. Aside from our own people, there are many recruited bounty hunters. They mainly deal with pirates who have just entered the Grand Line. Seizing pirate treasure and turning in their heads for bounties is a major source of funding for the Works."
After landing in a secluded area, Aomori retracted Pidgeot while listening to Vivi's explanation.
"However, the leader here is one of my people, so you don't need to worry about safety." Vivi's expression had returned to normal, showing no trace of her earlier embarrassment. "Follow me. I'll take you to see him."
"Alright."
Entering the town, Aomori walked side-by-side with Vivi. They were watched by many ill-intentioned gazes, but due to Vivi's status, no one dared to cause trouble.
As they reached the largest building, they happened to encounter a muscular woman walking out. She glanced at Aomori, then looked at Vivi and asked, "You're back from your mission? Where's Mr. 9? And who is this?"
"Actually, we ran into some obstacles and haven't finished the mission yet." Vivi deliberately used an exaggerated tone. Feeling embarrassed under Aomori's smiling gaze, she quickly ended the conversation. "Miss Monday, I have urgent business with Mr. 8. Let's talk later."
With that, she led Aomori inside.
"Strange. But it's none of my business." Miss Monday shook her head and walked away.
After passing through several wooden doors, Aomori saw a tall man in the inner room. His face resembled a gorilla, and his fluffy hair was styled into several spiral rolls.
"Miss Wednesday, you're finally back. Who is he?"
"Mr. 8... no, I should say, Igaram. He is the Captain of the Alabasta Royal Guard and has been protecting me." Vivi first introduced Igaram's identity to Aomori.
"Prin... Miss Wednesday, is this wise? Revealing your identity in front of a stranger?" Igaram said nervously.
"It's fine. This is Aomori. He knows my identity and the entirety of Crocodile's conspiracy. He's here specifically to help us."
"Crocodile's conspiracy? Do you have proof?" Igaram looked at Aomori sternly.
"If you want proof, come back to Alabasta and I'll show you," Aomori said. "Besides, Crocodile likely already knows Vivi's identity and is sending assassins. Staying here will only confirm his ill intentions."
"In the end, this is just your word. Princess, please reconsider!"
"I believe him!" Vivi said decisively. "Igaram, isn't what we've seen and heard here enough to prove Crocodile is an ambitious man? He certainly isn't the 'Great Hero' people think he is."
"Furthermore, it's said he wants to incite a war in Alabasta. We must hurry back and stop him!"
"War?!" Igaram's face shifted violently. He dropped to one knee before Vivi. "Since the Princess has decided, I shall follow your command even if it costs my life!"
"Stand up." Vivi helped him up and said, "Let's discuss our next plan of action. Aomori, what do you think?"
"It's simple. Vivi and I go back to Alabasta, make Crocodile's crimes public, and then defeat him," Aomori said, spreading his hands.
"How is that possible?!" Igaram countered. "Do you know how strong Crocodile's forces are? Baroque Works alone has thousands of members. If we provoke him, the entire kingdom will be in peril!"
Vivi fell silent. she also felt that defeating Crocodile was unrealistic, but she had no choice. She had to save the Kingdom of Alabasta; it was her duty as a princess.
Helpless and alone, she could only rely on Aomori. She looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Can you defeat him?"
"Don't worry, Vivi. I'll definitely send Crocodile flying," Aomori said with full confidence.
"Mhm, I believe you." Vivi nodded heavily.
"Princess..." Igaram simply couldn't believe Aomori could defeat Crocodile. That was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!
"Fine, I'll let you see a glimpse of what I can do." Aomori grabbed each of them by an arm and used Teleport to take them out of the room.
Aomori gripped them and rocketed upward, reaching above the clouds in the blink of an eye.
Seeing the scenery far below their feet, Vivi and Igaram turned pale with fright.
"Watch closely. This is why I'm confident I can beat Crocodile."
Aomori fired off a series of Holy Light Bullets, which exploded into bursts of fireworks high in the sky. The powerful air currents resulting from the speed pulled Igaram's hair into the shape of a broom.
Back in the room, Vivi and Igaram slumped to the floor, not yet recovered from the shock.
After a long while, and after Aomori had finished several cups of tea, Vivi was the first to recover.
Her eyes actually overflowed with tears. "Thank goodness... Alabasta is saved..."
The heavy stone that had been weighing on her heart finally tumbled away.
"Vivi, you look cute when you cry too, though your hair is a mess."
"Ah!" Vivi immediately stopped her tears, took out a mirror, and began hurriedly brushing her wind-disheveled hair.
The headband had long since fallen off, and her blue hair flowed down over her shoulders, looking noble and elegant.
Looking at the Princess Vivi who now matched his memory, Aomori couldn't help but remark, "Vivi, you're truly beautiful."
"Thank you," Vivi replied with a graceful, slight curtsey.
"By comparison, you were practically an ugly duckling before."
"Honestly! Hurry up and delete that version of me from your head! Wait, did you take a photo of me?" Vivi remembered the scene when they first met. She puffed out her cheeks and reached out toward Aomori. "Delete the one in the camera too!"
"Sorry, no can do," Aomori refused flatly. "That's your 'dark history' and my vital leverage for blackmailing you."
"Blackmail me with those? Hmph, I don't care."
A moment later, Igaram also came to his senses. With tears of relief streaming down his face, he hugged Aomori's leg and wailed, "Hero! I was wrong before! Please, save our kingdom!"
"You don't need to ask; I'm going to do it because I promised Vivi," Aomori said, helping Igaram up.
"Yes, Aomori is going to help us." Vivi nodded in agreement. "Igaram, I remember you have a Eternal Pose for Alabasta, right?"
"Right, right, right." Igaram wiped his tears, took a Log Pose from a safe, and handed it to Vivi.
"This is the Eternal Pose for Alabasta. Just follow the direction it points, and we can reach Alabasta in about ten days of sailing."
"Good. Without further ado, Aomori and I will leave immediately," Vivi said decisively. "Igaram, you stay here."
"How can I let the Princess face danger alone while I hide here? I must go back to save the kingdom as well," Igaram pleaded.
"This..." Vivi looked at Aomori, her eyes searching for his opinion.
"Fine, let's go together. More people means more strength," Aomori agreed.
Traveling alone with Vivi, who clearly had designs on his body, was too dangerous for him. A boy has to be careful to protect himself when away from home.
Besides, Aomori really was short on hands right now.
"Thank you! Thank you, Aomori-sama! I'll work hard not to be a burden!"
"Could we also take Karoo?" Vivi asked shyly. "He's my mount and my best friend."
"Of course."
Pidgeot's back was large enough to carry three people and one duck.
"Then, we leave at nightfall."
"Alright!"
…
That night, after packing necessary supplies, Aomori took Vivi, Karoo, and Igaram. Under the cover of darkness, they rode Pidgeot away from Whiskey Peak, embarking on the journey back to Alabasta.
Meanwhile, to deal with Vivi whose identity had been compromised, Crocodile dispatched high-ranking subordinates to Whiskey Peak.
The two parties missed each other by chance.
After a day and a night, the continuously flying Pidgeot brought them to their destination.
Crocodile never dreamed that Vivi wouldn't appear on any of the intermediate islands and would head straight back to Alabasta.
According to the battle plan they had devised, Aomori would head to Crocodile's headquarters, Rainbase, to collect evidence of his crimes, while Vivi and Igaram would head to the rebel army's base to convince the rebel leader not to act impulsively.
Aomori had them take Pidgeot, with Darkrai following in secret to prevent any accidents.
"Aomori, stay safe. Be careful." Vivi's heart was full of worry as Aomori prepared to infiltrate the enemy's lair alone.
"Mhm, I will." Aomori gently patted Vivi's head. "The same goes for you. Just delay the rebel army's movements. I'll be there soon."
"Okay. I'll wait for you. You must return safely." Vivi cupped Aomori's hand in hers.
Igaram and Karoo stood to the side, looking at the ground or the sky, feigning ignorance of the intimate moment.
After watching Pidgeot vanish into the distance, Aomori took off into the air in the direction Vivi had indicated.
…
Rainbase was the most prosperous place in the Kingdom of Alabasta and the only city unaffected by the drought and civil unrest.
It housed the most luxurious casino in the kingdom, "Rain Dinners," which was also the headquarters of Sir Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Crocodile had slicked-back hair, a long horizontal scar across his face, a gold earring in his right ear, and a gold hook for a left hand. He wore a black fur coat over a checkered shirt.
He was currently talking to someone through a Den Den Mushi with a grim expression. "You're telling me you can't find the traitors? They just vanished?"
"Keep looking. Dig three feet deep if you have to, but find them. Otherwise, don't bother coming back."
After hanging up, Crocodile looked at the tall woman standing before him. "Miss All Sunday, tell me, how are the preparations?"
"In a few days, the recruitment of personnel will be complete. Operation Utopia can commence at any time."
"Kuhahaha! Excellent! I've finally waited for this day. Even if the Princess returns, she won't be able to change the situation. Alabasta is destined to be mine."
He paused abruptly. Both he and Miss All Sunday turned their heads to look out the window simultaneously.
"Heh." Crocodile gave a cold snort and looked away. "Let's go. Some pirates are causing trouble at the harbor; I need to deal with them. After all, I am the 'Great Hero' of Alabasta, kuhahaha..."
He laughed as he left the office with Miss All Sunday.
A moment later, a svelte figure climbed in through the window and began searching through the drawers and cabinets.
But at that moment, the office door opened again. Crocodile and Miss All Sunday stood at the door, watching the frozen figure. Crocodile sneered, "What a coincidence, Princess Vivi. I was just looking for you."
Miss All Sunday crossed her arms, sprouting numerous arms that pinned the intruder. She ripped away the disguise, revealing a panicked face and unmistakable long blue hair.
Who else could it be but Vivi?