Inside the royal palace of Alabasta, Vivi gazed at the endless forest stretching across the horizon. Deep down, she had a feeling it had something to do with that Admiral.
The common people, however, believed it to be a miracle sent from the heavens. They dropped to their knees one after another, overwhelmed with gratitude and awe.
As king, Cobra naturally didn't believe in divine miracles. Like Vivi, he was certain that this was all the work of Kaito.
The father and daughter stood silently, watching the scene, until a guard burst into the hall in a panic.
"Your Majesty! Crocodile is here!"
"Nani? What's he doing here? Don't tell me something's happened to the Admiral..."
A terrible thought flashed through Cobra's mind. Beside him, Vivi grew anxious and immediately asked the guard,
"The Admiral isn't with him?"
The guard froze for a second before replying,
"Your Highness, I didn't see the Admiral."
Cobra and Vivi exchanged a glance. Before they could say anything more, Crocodile entered with his group of officers.
The moment Cobra saw Crocodile's scarred face, he instinctively pulled Vivi behind him and stepped forward to shield her.
But Vivi broke free from her father's grip. She stepped forward, raised her chin, and looked Crocodile in the eye. Though her shoulders trembled slightly, betraying her fear, she stood her ground.
Crocodile puffed on his cigar, glancing down at the bold princess in front of him. After staring at her for a while, he suddenly bent forward a little and made a gentlemanly gesture.
His officers followed suit, imitating his movement with awkward precision.
This left Cobra and Vivi completely bewildered. For a moment, neither of them could figure out what Crocodile was playing at.
With his eyes lowered, Crocodile spoke in a flat tone,
"By the order of Admiral Kaito, my subordinates and I will serve as palace guards for the next five years. Our primary duty—"
He glanced at Vivi.
"—is to protect Her Highness, the Princess."
Hearing this, Vivi gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.
But Cobra, worthy of his title as king, quickly collected himself and asked,
"What about the Admiral? Is that sudden forest outside... his doing?"
Crocodile answered without lifting his head,
"The Admiral has already left. He created that forest with his abilities. He said... it's a gift for the princess."
"..."
Vivi was at a loss for words. In that moment, the image of Kaito became crystal clear in her mind.
He stood tall in his navy coat, wearing a reassuring smile, glowing like a beacon of light.
Vivi suddenly turned and ran toward the balcony. She leaned over the railing and shouted at the sky,
"Thank you, Admiral Kaito!"
Boom!
As if in response, a brilliant purple bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.
This time, Vivi felt no fear of thunder and lightning. Her face lit up with the pure, radiant smile of a young girl.
"I hope I can see you again someday... Admiral Kaito..."
Crocodile, with his keen hearing, caught her words perfectly despite how softly she had spoken.
His eye twitched involuntarily, and he grumbled inwardly,
"Better hope not. At least not in front of me again..."
...
High above Alabasta,
Kaito stood with his hands in his pockets, smiling down at the palace below with his Rinnegan eyes.
Robin's voice came from within the Door-Door Space.
"Master, you really do have a way with young girls, don't you?"
Kaito didn't even need to look to imagine the sly smirk on Robin's face.
He shook his head, chuckling.
"Vivi may be young, but she's not inferior to any other princess. She even wanted to go undercover in your Baroque Works organization."
"What? That girl's got some guts. Seriously... lucky for her, she met you!"
"And what about you?"
"..."
Kaito's quiet counterquestion made Robin pause. She looked at him through the Door-Door Space, then finally said softly,
"I'm lucky I met you too. I hope you won't abandon me again... me, the so-called Devil Child."
Kaito didn't respond right away. Instead, he stretched out a hand toward a certain location below and said calmly,
"Universal Pull."
Clack!
A man in a white cloak and a turquoise mask was yanked into the air and brought before Kaito, who immediately clamped a hand around the man's throat.
Robin's expression changed the moment she saw his outfit. She exclaimed in shock,
"That's a World Government agent!"
She was right. This was a CP0 agent who had been lurking in Alabasta for quite some time.
Because Crocodile's actions had stirred up such a commotion, the World Government had taken notice and dispatched this CP0 agent to investigate him.
He already knew that the droughts and conflicts in Alabasta were caused by Crocodile, but that didn't concern him. His priority was uncovering Crocodile's objective.
But before he could, he discovered something far more important—Admirals Kaito and Aokiji had both shown up in Alabasta. That was several times more significant than Crocodile.
So, believing himself to be unnoticed, he stayed hidden at a distance to observe.
That's when he spotted Robin.
The CP0 agent was ecstatic and immediately reached for his Den Den Mushi to report to the World Government.
But for some reason, the Den Den Mushi had stopped working. It looked limp and lifeless, as if paralyzed.
With no other option, he waited until Kaito and Aokiji's fight was over, planning to return and report in person.
But before he could make a move, Kaito used Universal Pull and dragged him into the sky.
Now, with a terrified expression beneath his mask, the CP0 agent shouted,
"Kaito! What are you doing?! Are you rebelling!?"
Kaito ignored him, speaking calmly to the air,
"Let me clean up this pest first."
The CP0 agent's heart was suddenly gripped by panic. He thrashed wildly, trying to break free from Kaito's grip.
But his struggles were in vain. They only made Kaito tighten his hold. The agent's breathing grew more labored, his strength fading, until his arms hung limp. Yet he still muttered,
"You can't kill me... I'm with the World Government... This is rebellion..."
Zzzzt!
"Aaaaargh!!!"
A high-pitched crackle of lightning and a blood-curdling scream echoed through the skies above Alabasta—then silence.
Kaito casually waved away the small pile of ash that remained and finally spoke his first words to the CP0 agent.
"Don't worry. They'll be joining you soon enough."
Inside the Door-Door Space, Robin stared blankly at Kaito.
She understood—Kaito had already answered her with his actions.
Words are often powerless.
But actions... actions speak louder than anything.