"Since we're talking about this, I have a question I'd like to ask."
Kuro, the brains of the group, pressed the issue again. He pushed up his glasses, his tone extremely sharp and probing.
"Crocodile, you just admitted yourself that you believe the rumor that the three Ancient Weapons are essentially three Devil Fruits. And you yourself are already a Sand-Sand Fruit user. That's correct, isn't it?"
"That's right. I ate the Sand-Sand Fruit a long time ago," Crocodile admitted it openly.
"Then your plan to obtain Pluton is fundamentally a false premise!"
Kuro lowered his hand, his gaze cold, "Everyone knows the iron rule of the sea. A person can only eat one Devil Fruit in their entire lifetime. Anyone who eats a second one will have their body explode and die."
"Since you already have an ability, even if Pluton really is a fruit and it's placed right in front of you, you can't eat it. You went to all this trouble to search for something you can't even use. Isn't that just a waste of effort?"
"Hahahaha! Your logic is pretty airtight. That's true. More than ten years ago, when I first heard this information and realized the contradiction, I was desperate for a while too."
Crocodile laughed loudly at first, but immediately afterward, his expression turned solemn. A light of extreme madness suddenly burst from his originally dim eyes.
"But what if there is a forbidden method in this world that can break that iron rule and let someone safely eat a second Devil Fruit?"
"Hm?"
Kuro rarely raised his eyebrows. Astonishment finally appeared on his usually unruffled face.
"You actually believe such absurd nonsense?"
He believed that such a method existed in this world.
For example, the current World Government definitely possessed such a method.
But even if the World Government had it, there was no way they would give it to Crocodile.
"Why shouldn't I believe it? Even if there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, I'm going to gamble on it."
Crocodile laughed loudly. The laughter pulled at his broken bones and internal organs, making him involuntarily spasm from the pain.
But his tone held more than madness. It also carried a sense of sorrow and unwillingness.
"I have no other choice, understand? This world has been rotten for a long time. It's been rotten to the point that that man has sealed it up so tightly that there's not even a crack for us to breathe freely through!"
"Even if the person secretly providing me with information and methods is only using me as a test piece, only using me to draw the World Government's attention away, I can only keep going down this road!"
Yes, this was the worst of eras, a final tragic song for the pirates.
Under the World Government's absolute pressure, he had no second path to take.
Either he could surrender like a dog and submit, obeying the order that made him sick.
Or he could only grab onto that elusive spider thread of hope and fight to the death, even if he ended up being shattered to pieces.
"A gambler's mentality taken to an extreme."
Kuro gave his cold assessment, then asked the final question, and the most important one.
"One last question. Since we're going to form an alliance, as the basis for mutual trust, can we know who exactly is the person providing you with the method of eating two Devil Fruits and the information about Pluton? This concerns the ultimate credibility of your intelligence."
"Heh!"
Hearing this interrogation-like question, a very playful and sinister sneer suddenly appeared at the corner of Crocodile's pale mouth.
Although his body was broken and he had lost half his strength, he was still no one to be pushed around at will.
"I can't tell you that. In the world of pirates, casually exposing an ally's background is a major taboo."
Crocodile leaned against the headboard and looked at these young pirates who had not yet experienced much of the world, calculation and cunning flashing in his eyes.
"However, considering that you saved me and that our goals are the same, I can give you a hint."
"Your ship is heading toward Arabasta anyway. Once you get there, if she is willing to show herself, you'll naturally meet her in person."
Crocodile sneered inside.
He could cooperate with these lawless brats and even use their hands to fight against the World Government.
But he wasn't stupid enough to reveal all his trump cards and the identity of his guide.
He was indeed powerless to resist that disaster-like power.
But that absolutely didn't mean that this great pirate, who had fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, couldn't deal with these brats who hadn't even grown all their hair yet.
Once they reached Arabasta... Who would really be in charge of this alliance was still unknown.
The world of pirates had never been some fairy-tale paradise where you could thrive through passion and a few grand words.
———
And so, in Drum Kingdom, Crocodile, who had already stepped halfway through the gates of hell, was forcefully dragged back from the hands of death.
After a full ten days of recovery, once Crocodile's injuries had completely healed, the Going Merry raised its main sail once again, broke through the blizzard sweeping across the winter island, and sailed back into the Grand Line.
It headed at full speed toward its final destination, Arabasta, a land covered in endless yellow sand.
On the deck, facing the sea breeze, Crocodile's once-shattered ambition quietly began to grow again as his body recovered.
He looked at the young pirates on the deck, who were cheering because they had caught a big fish, and a trace of amusement flashed in his eyes.
'Arabasta...'
'That is my real home turf!'
Crocodile's behavior had actually been noticed by many people aboard the ship.
But at this moment, they only wanted to laugh.
Once they reached Arabasta, that was the World Government's home turf.
What would happen then was anyone's guess.
———
At the same time...
[Arabasta, Alubarna Palace]
In stark contrast to the turbulent undercurrents outside, warmth and tranquility filled the palace's private inner hall.
This luxurious inner hall had been decorated like a sky garden. Clear indoor spring water flowed gently, while a faint scent of roses drifted through the air.
"Father, try this~ These are grapes from a desert oasis unique to Arabasta. I had them chilled. They're really sweet."
At this moment, Vivi had none of the dignity of a ruler.
She wore a pure white silk dress full of youthful charm and obediently leaned against the man seated in the main seat like an ordinary daughter who loved to act spoiled.
Her fair, slender fingers peeled a translucent grape and happily brought it to the man's lips. Her large, watery blue eyes were filled with admiration and affection.
Rosse quietly sat in his chair, enjoying Titi's massage.
He was only wearing a loose robe, but even sitting there quietly, his innate aura of authority still made the spacious hall feel somewhat cramped.
Faced with his daughter's affection, a rare warmth and indulgence appeared in Rosse's eyes.
He smiled and opened his mouth, eating the grape Vivi fed him. He reached out and affectionately rubbed her smooth, water-blue hair, enjoying this rare family atmosphere.
On Rosse's other side, Titi quietly knelt beside him, gently massaging his shoulders and neck.
Time seemed to have left no mark on Titi. This peerless beauty who had once dazzled the entire desert kingdom was still just as radiant and captivating.
That intoxicating gentleness remained between her brows, only now, compared to the youthful innocence of the past, there was more of the quiet beauty and grace that came with the passing years.
In the warmest sunlight of the afternoon, Rosse simply enjoyed himself quietly and rarely spoke, listening as Vivi shared everything about her life here in Arabasta.
However, happy times always came to an end.
When the private gathering belonging only to the family of three ended, Rosse stood up and slowly walked out of the hall.
At the exact moment the heavy gilded doors slowly closed behind him.
The gentle smile on Rosse's face as a father instantly faded like a receding tide, disappearing without a trace.
In its place was his usual calmness.
With Rosse's departure, the relaxed atmosphere in the inner hall changed as well, gaining a touch of the gravity of reality.
Titi stopped putting away the tea set.
She raised her head, her eyes filled with unconcealed worry, and looked at her daughter standing in front of the mirror.
"Vivi..."
Titi called softly, her voice carrying a mother's unique concern.
"Your father has already left. What are you planning to do about what comes next?"
Some things, and some feelings, would eventually completely fade with the passage of time.
She had a new life and her own child.
To Titi now, Vivi was her everything.
"Mother!"
The sweet and obedient little white rabbit who had just been in front of Rosse underwent an earth-shaking change the instant she heard Titi's words.
"Don't worry about what's coming next. Just stay here and enjoy your life. Once the performance is over, we'll return to the Holy Land together."
Vivi's voice was still gentle, but the sweet tone had already been replaced by calmness and composure.
In front of Rosse, she was a daughter who needed to be doted on.
But to the outside world, she was an authority who held the power of life and death over the people of the world.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror, a cold glint belonging to a person in power flashing in her eyes.
"I'll take care of everything in Arabasta myself. Whether it's Father's prey who secretly ran away, that self-important clown Crocodile, or those protagonists sent here by little sister Shirahoshi."
Since birth, she had received the harshest and most orthodox education in Mary Geoise.
Those teachings had been deeply engraved in her consciousness.
This world had always been a cruel place.
The bloodline of the Jaygarcia family was certainly noble, but it had never been a pass that allowed someone to run rampant through this world.
Only useless second-generation heirs needed to constantly put their father's name and their family's glory on their lips to show how extraordinary they were.
She didn't need that.
She was herself.
She was Jaygarcia Vivi.
She was the absolute queen of Arabasta, the Minister of Justice of the World Government who controlled the world's legal system and held the power of life and death.
And she was also the second most outstanding of all the children born to that unrivaled man.
Even without that identity, her schemes and methods alone were enough for her to toy with this sea in the palm of her hand.
"It's my turn to make a move."
Under Titi's slightly shocked gaze.
With her back to her mother, Vivi slowly untied the pure white princess dress she was wearing.
The expensive silk dress slipped from her smooth shoulders like a white cloud and fell onto the thick wool carpet.
Then she took a well-tailored dark blue suit from the clothes rack beside her and calmly put it on.
The moment the suit was on her, the aura of a ruler in power burst forth.
Her fingers gently brushed over the chest of the suit.
There, a Scales and Sacred Sword emblem was neatly embroidered in dark gold thread, symbolizing the highest authority of the World Government's Department of Justice.
The lives and deaths of countless people across the four seas and the countless cities of the Red Line were all subject to the judgment of this emblem.
At her stiff collar was a Jaygarcia family crest.
It represented her bloodline, as well as her faith.
Finally, Vivi turned around and picked up the golden crown representing Arabasta's royal authority from a brocade box beside her. With a solemn expression, she placed it on her long water-blue hair.
Cold, noble, unfathomable, and holding immense power.
This was the real her.
Titi looked at the daughter before her. The aura she gave off felt unfamiliar and intimidating, leaving her stunned for a full half second.
Then the worry in the corners of her eyes gradually turned into relief. She sighed softly and shook her head with a little helplessness and self-mockery.
"You and him... really are alike. You have that kind of aura, as if you were born to rule everything."
Titi reached out and gently straightened the family crest at Vivi's collar, her eyes slightly dimming.
"Mom is just an ordinary woman. I can't help you with much. Instead, because of my background and my past, I've added a stain that people privately talk about to what was originally your pure and perfect identity."
"So, Vivi, whatever you want to do, whatever storm you want to unleash, just do it."
"Don't worry about my feelings. Arabasta won't be your burden. As long as you're well, Mom doesn't care about anything else."
Looking at the guilt and unconditional indulgence in her mother's eyes, a trace of softness flashed through Vivi's cold eyes.
"Those words from you are enough, Mother."
Vivi stepped forward with her long legs and slightly bent down.
She approached Titi with extreme elegance and respect and gave her mother a cheek kiss, her soft lips warm with affection as she planted a firm kiss on Titi's cheek.
"You gave me my life. That is the purest and most flawless gift in this world. Anyone who dares call it a stain, I'll personally erase them from this world."
Vivi whispered beside Titi's ear, leaving behind an overbearing promise.
Then she straightened up, and the warmth on her face instantly disappeared.
Wrapped in her blue suit, she stood straight like a queen about to step onto a battlefield. With firm, crisp footsteps, she turned without hesitation and walked toward the storm-filled outside world beyond the palace doors.
The heavy doors were pushed open once again, and the hot desert wind blew against the family crest at her collar.
As the Straw Hat crew and Crocodile drew closer.
The mission Vivi had shouldered during her ten years as the Queen of Arabasta, all for the sake of this performance, had finally reached the time to come to an end.
The performance was about to begin.
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