Chapter 61: Goodbye, Friend A
Night fell. The bright moon generously scattered its light, illuminating the barren land just as it always did.
Most rooms in the Royal Palace were dark, save one that still shone with bright light. Inside, however, the atmosphere was anything but lively.
A group of people huddled together, watching the final round of a card duel between the three in the center.
"Royal Flush Bomb! Last play, Pair Aces! Hehe, I win!" Vivi beamed, gently placing down her Pair Aces, then eagerly held out her hand for her winnings.
"What the heck, Zoro! You let the Landlord win!"
Luffy reluctantly handed over his money, yelling discontentedly, "How come I always lose when I'm the Landlord!"
"Who do you think you were teamed up with that made you lose, idiot!" Zoro yelled back in retort, pulling out his coin purse and giving Vivi a few coins.
This drew a round of laughter from the others.
Nami continued mocking Luffy, "You only play cards relying on luck. Isn't it normal for you to lose?"
"What are you talking about!? I've won plenty of times too, okay!"
"Heeheehee, thanks a lot!" Vivi chuckled happily as she collected her winnings and tidied up the cards.
With slender fingers, she tucked her sky-blue long hair behind her fair ear, then smoothed the hem of her skirt, stood up, and smiled.
"Let's call it a night here. Everyone sets sail tomorrow, so let's all rest early tonight."
As her words fell, the previously noisy room suddenly became quiet. One by one, heads began to lower, and no one spoke.
Everyone wore different expressions, yet all held a trace of sadness, lost in their own thoughts.
Gradually, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
After a period of silence, Zoro, seemingly unable to bear the atmosphere any longer, stood up and walked towards the door. "I'm thirsty. Going to find some booze."
After his quiet voice faded, the room returned to silence, leaving only the receding sound of Zoro's footsteps.
"What's wrong, everyone?" Vivi finally spoke first, looking somewhat troubled herself.
"You're usually not like this. We're setting sail tomorrow, shouldn't we all be a little happier?"
Still, no one responded. It seemed everyone was waiting for someone else to break the silence first.
Even Sanji, contrary to his usual behavior, just stood quietly by the window, smoking and gazing absently at the moon.
"Please... don't be like this anymore... or else... or else I'll..."
Vivi pressed her lips together, her voice growing weaker. Halfway through her sentence, clutching the sides of her skirt, she ran out of the room.
Reiner could only sigh helplessly and scratch his golden hair.
They had invited Vivi to join them during dinner earlier. From Whisky Peak until now, the group had sailed together for nearly half a month.
At the time, Igaram, Pell, and the other Royal Guards were terrified.
Having witnessed the crew's behavior over the past couple of days, they were genuinely afraid Vivi might actually follow them and become a pirate.
A princess of a nation running off to be a pirate – that wasn't something easily accepted by them.
Cobra, on the other hand, hadn't said anything; not wanting to influence Vivi's decision, he had simply left.
But in the end, Vivi had still refused. The country had just endured three years of civil war, and now was the time to begin rebuilding.
As one of the nation's spiritual pillars, she felt she should stay and shoulder this responsibility.
Even though she really, really wanted to, desperately longed to continue adventuring with them...
She still refused. Although Reiner often teased Vivi for being a crybaby, she was, at heart, a very strong girl with a deep sense of responsibility.
The crew understood her decision, but facing the actual moment of separation, they couldn't help but feel sad and disappointed.
"Is Vivi coming to see us off tomorrow?" Chopper asked, eyes already brimming with tears, tugging at Luffy's hand.
"Don't know," Luffy replied calmly. Unlike when recruiting others, he hadn't pestered Vivi relentlessly.
For Vivi, she had her reasons to stay: leading her people to rebuild Alabasta. That was Vivi's adventure.
"Tears aren't suitable for farewells," Reiner was the first to stand up, heading towards his own room.
"Even if she's not on the ship, she's still our nakama. How can we set sail feeling like this? It would trouble our nakama."
"Reiner's right! We need to cheer up!"
Nami stood up and chased after Vivi. "I'm going to say a proper goodbye to Vivi."
The remaining few in the room also walked out the door, following Nami.
Inside a simply decorated room, besides a desk and a bed, there was only a bookshelf leaning against the wall.
Aside from the neatly arranged books on the shelf, the room didn't contain many other objects, but it was spacious and even had a private balcony.
Vivi sat on the balcony wearing a sleeveless white dress, hugging her knees, her face buried tightly in her arms.
Her cascade of sky-blue long hair rested casually on her fair neck.
The silvery-white moonlight shone on the young woman, making her seem somewhat lonely and desolate. It was hard to imagine this princess, adored by her people, having such a somber side.
Knock knock knock!
"Vivi, it's us."
Hearing the knock and the familiar voices, Vivi lifted her head, quickly wiping her face with her arm.
She rubbed her teary eyes, forced a stiff smile, and quickly walked over to open the door, afraid they might leave if she was a step too late.
Creak~
Opening the door, Vivi saw Luffy and the others, all crowded together in the hallway outside, grinning cheekily.
"Everyone..."
Vivi covered her mouth. Even though they hadn't done anything, even though she told herself to hold back, seeing them come to comfort her, she couldn't contain it anymore and burst into tears.
Nami stepped forward and hugged Vivi, unable to hold back her own tears. Then came Chopper, Luffy, Usopp, Sanji...
Watching the group crowded in the room, wailing, even Reiner felt his nose tingle, scratching his head.
This bunch... We clearly agreed to cheer up and say a proper goodbye, but the moment they get here, before anyone even speaks, they all start crying like babies.
After a while, the group sat scattered on the floor, chatting intermittently, the room lit only by the dim yellow glow of a lamp.
They talked about the giant misters and dinosaurs of Little Garden, about the Hiking Bear and the mountain climbing race on the winter island, about the scorching hot days and freezing cold nights in the desert.
They talked about the next island, supposedly a famous 'Holiday Garden', and about how to rebuild Alabasta in the future.
They talked like this all night, until the oil lamp gradually ran dry and the sky began to faintly brighten with dawn.
"Anyway, good luck, Vivi."
"You'll definitely become an excellent princess."
"Princess Vivi, please allow me to offer a final farewell kiss~"
Duang!!!
"Take good care of yourself, don't get sick, Vivi."
"Let's go shopping together next time we meet!"
"Good luck, little delinquent."
"Mm! I will!" Vivi clasped her hands over her heart, nodding firmly.
"You all have smooth sailing too! Luffy, I believe you will definitely become the King of the Pirates!"
"Shishishi! Of course!"
"Speaking of which, where did Zoro go?"
"That idiot... he definitely must have gotten lost in the palace again."
"Damn Moss Head! Didn't even come to say goodbye to Vivi!"
Outside the door, Zoro's face was dark, veins bulging on his forehead.
He sat cross-legged against the wall, several empty booze bottles beside him.
Yes, he got lost and couldn't find his way back, that's true. But wasn't it just by coincidence that he ended up right here?
These bastards... Sooner or later, I'll cut them all down!
After bidding farewell to Vivi, the group packed their things and left the Royal Palace.
Shouldering backpacks large and small, they mounted the undead summoned by Reiner and traversed the desert, heading straight from Alubarna to Nanohana.
These undead were created using the template of the palace's Super Spot-Billed Duck Squad, known as the fastest animals in Alabasta.
Plus, after his Awakening, Reiner's stamina had increased significantly; even carrying people and supplies wasn't a major issue.
Unfortunately, there were too many supplies; the undead hawk lacked just that tiny bit of strength, otherwise, it could have just flown them all there.
Vivi didn't come to see them off again in the morning; there was a ceremony at the palace that day where she needed to appear and give a speech.
Farewells needn't be overly sentimental.
As the years turn, a reunion can be anticipated.
They hadn't encountered Bon clay on their way to Alabasta, so they didn't draw the 'X' marks on their arms.
But an indelible mark had already been left in their hearts, and that was enough.
Perhaps not meeting Bon Kurei was a good thing too, Reiner thought. Impel Down shouldn't be his final destination. That true Okama, possessing both manly romance and womanly tenderness, deserves a better ending.
The group arrived in Nanohana around noon. After a simple lunch in town, they set off.
Reaching the port and following the coastline west for seven or eight kilometers, they finally neared the Going Merry.
Summoning the Blue Ogre, Reiner scanned the area with Observation Haki and discovered someone was already waiting on board.
Reiner didn't point it out, deciding to let it be a surprise for the others later.
He had only left twenty undead guarding the ship when they departed earlier; the rest had been taken to the desert to help transport the Dance Powder. Now he could finally recall them.
"How did the Merry get so dirty!" Usopp exclaimed upon reaching the deck, looking at the sand and dust covering everything.
"Must be the climate here. The wind and sand are pretty strong," Reiner replied, jumping aboard. He looked around and couldn't help frowning either.
He summoned the recalled undead again and had them give the entire ship, inside and out, a thorough cleaning.
Reiner stepped onto the deck, feeling the familiar texture beneath his feet. "Haven't been back for a few days. Really missed it."
Back to the miserable logistics life... What? You say the misery doesn't fall on him? Oh, never mind then.
The undead carried the large and small bags of supplies onto the ship. Reiner inventoried and categorized everything, then had the undead organize and stow it all away.
Meanwhile, at the Alabasta Royal Palace, Vivi and Cobra were walking through a long corridor, having just finished the ceremony.
"Your performance just now was truly excellent, Vivi," Cobra said, walking slightly ahead with a kind smile.
Vivi walked one step behind Cobra, followed by the two Vice Commanders of the Royal Guard, Pell and Chaka.
"I'm still far behind Father," Vivi replied modestly, though feeling somewhat proud inwardly.
"Seeing your growth, I don't know whether to be happy or heartbroken. You must have suffered greatly these past years."
"Not at all! I learned many things with the Straw Hat crew," Vivi replied, a small dimple appearing as she smiled slightly.
Back in her room, Vivi removed her hair tie, letting her long hair drape over her shoulders. She went to the mirror, tilting her head left and right, examining herself.
"Karoo, does my hair really look better down?"
"Quack?"
"Huh? What's this?" Vivi noticed something sticking out from the corner of the bag hanging around Karoo's neck.
She pinched it with two fingers and pulled it out. Unfolding it, she saw it was a photograph.
It was the picture of her, ponytail high, wearing the mosquito-coil pattern bodysuit, standing on Karoo, twisting her waist and making flourishing hand gestures.
"Pfft!"
That bastard Reiner! Vivi covered her mouth, caught between annoyance and amusement.
Originally, she would have eagerly wished to burn it to ashes. Today was the first time she didn't find the photo quite so detestable.
"Might as well keep it."
Vivi opened a drawer, about to put the photo inside, when she suddenly thought of something.
Curiously, with a hint of anticipation, she turned the photo over. Sure enough, written neatly on the back were two lines of text:
[To the Straw Hat Crew's Friend A——
——You will always be one of us.]
(End of this chapter)
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