Rain poured down over Alabasta.
It signified the utter defeat of Baroque Works' entire conspiracy.
Alabasta, at last, embraced a true rebirth.
At that moment, watching the rain fall from the heavens, King Cobra and the others were overwhelmed with emotion.
Every one of them understood that without Chiyu, Alabasta's situation would now be unimaginable.
Crocodile's scheme would have succeeded.
The rebel army and the royal guard would have fought each other to exhaustion.
The whole kingdom would have been plunged into chaos.
Crocodile would then have seized the reins of power.
At that point, no one—nothing—could have stopped him.
King Cobra said, "Rear Admiral, please allow me, as an ordinary citizen of Alabasta, to express my deepest respect and gratitude!"
Koza, Princess Vivi, Pell the Falcon, the newly‑revived Igaram, and the rest all dropped to their knees.
The kingdom's soldiers, choking with emotion, likewise knelt as one.
Chiyu remained composed.
"No need for that.
"I merely disposed of criminals like Crocodile.
"Saving your kingdom was only a side effect."
King Cobra gave a wry smile. "Even so, Rear Admiral, you are truly Alabasta's savior.
"Please stay a little longer and let my people and me offer you our sincerest thanks!"
Chiyu shook his head.
"No."
With that he turned to leave.
King Cobra furrowed his brow, about to speak—
—but Colonel Hina interjected: "Once Rear Admiral Chiyu decides on something, no one can stop him.
"Your Majesty, we understand your feelings, but you won't be able to make him remain."
Nami laughed. "Still, he won't leave that quickly. If His Majesty insists on showing his thanks—say, a few hundred million Berries—we wouldn't refuse…"
Hina smacked her lightly on the head. "Nami, quit your nonsense…"
Nami rubbed her head, aggrieved. "Fine—at least a good feast, right?"
Princess Vivi hurriedly said, "Of course! Absolutely!"
King Cobra soon arranged a lavish banquet.
Chiyu, however, ate only briefly and prepared to depart.
Meanwhile, King Cobra gathered the populace in the plaza and announced the whole truth to the nation.
A light drizzle still fell, yet no one left; everyone remained, swept up in the exhilaration and gratitude of surviving disaster, chanting Chiyu's name.
Koza sighed. "Your Majesty, punish me.
"I nearly caused a catastrophe!"
King Cobra shook his head. "If anyone deserves punishment, it is I.
"Had I not failed to see Crocodile's treachery and let him stir up Alabasta, none of this would have happened."
"But, Your Majesty—"
"Enough, Koza. Though the rain has begun, the ruined cities still need rebuilding. I need your help."
Koza nodded. "I understand, Your Majesty. I'll give everything I have to restore our homeland."
Princess Vivi beamed. "Wonderful!"
She and Nami, hand in hand fresh from the banquet, were already fast friends—close in age, one from a Navy ship, one from a royal palace, both admired wherever they went.
"So, Vivi—how about joining the Navy with us?" Nami teased.
Princess Vivi looked genuinely tempted. "I—"
Igaram coughed. "Princess, you are the royal heir…"
Vivi's smile faltered, but she quickly brightened again. "Perhaps I can't be a sailor, but we'll meet again, Nami.
"And of course…
"Chiyu-sama!"
…
News of the Alabasta incident soon swept the globe.
The whole world was shaken.
Both Alabasta and Crocodile were of sensitive, weighty stature:
Alabasta—one of the twelve founding members of the World Government.
Crocodile—a Warlord of the Sea, one of the three powers balanced with the Navy and the pirates.
That Crocodile had tried to overthrow a kingdom was a slap in the face to both the Navy and the World Government.
The Seven Warlords system existed to co‑opt pirates and keep other pirates in check.
Now one had become a would‑be usurper, threatening civilians!
The sole consolation: the one who discovered and crushed Crocodile's plot was still a Navy hero—the "God of Slaughter," Rear Admiral Uchiha Chiyu.
At least the Navy's honor was preserved.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford
An emergency meeting was convened, chaired by Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha.
Below him sat the three Admirals:
Kizaru (Borsalino)
Akainu (Sakazuki)
Aokiji (Kuzan)
Also present were key vice admirals and staff officers.
Two vice admirals held special status:
Monkey D. Garp, the legendary hero who crushed the Rocks Pirates at God Valley.
Tsuru, the renowned "Great Staff Officer."
Both had once fought alongside Sengoku and commanded immense respect.
Sengoku read the report, his brows knitting, his face darkening.
"Gentlemen, the Alabasta incident has spread worldwide. I'm sure you've all heard…
"Thoughts?"
Aokiji, legs crossed, shrugged lazily. "Looks like the Warlord system's a complete failure… and we Marines look foolish along with it."
Kizaru seemed unfazed. "Is that so? I don't think so, y'know. One Warlord's crime doesn't mean the whole system is wrong. These people were pirates to begin with—surely we expected trouble."
Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded. "Admiral Kizaru is right. The Warlord system was created when the Great Pirate Era began and the Navy was overwhelmed. Using big pirates to hold down smaller ones has, strategically, worked."
Sengoku sighed. "Even so, Crocodile's betrayal will make the world question the system—and, by extension, the Navy and the Government."
Akainu spoke coldly. "They won't."
"Oh? Your meaning, Admiral Akainu?"
"Wasn't it a Marine who killed Crocodile, foiled his plot, and saved Alabasta? The public won't despair of such a hero. In fact, they welcome Marines who carry out true justice."
Sengoku's eyes narrowed. "You mean Rear Admiral Uchiha Chiyu, the man who swept the East Blue? Sakazuki, you promoted him, didn't you?"
Akainu nodded. "Yes. His achievements merit it; the rank is a small reward."
Sengoku agreed. "His record is brilliant. Still, some inside the Navy and Government say his methods are too extreme—total annihilation, no survivors, spreading fear among civilians…"
Akainu scoffed. "Why not be extreme against pirates and villains? Without Chiyu, would East Blue be peaceful? Alabasta would be ashes! Does that not prove his methods right?"
Aokiji shook his head. "You can't say that, Sakazuki. Chiyu's achievements are great, but extreme tactics may leave endless problems…"
Akainu glared. "Endless problems?"
"Eradicating today's pirates won't stop new ones. Roger's spark still burns. If the public sees the Navy as brutal, they may turn elsewhere. Justice needs moderation."
"Ridiculous!" Akainu snapped. "Do pirates show moderation?"
Aokiji stayed calm. "But we are Marines, not pirates."
"So we must be stronger than pirates—otherwise how do we uphold justice?" Akainu retorted.
The two squared off until Sengoku sighed. "Enough. Even on the same side, the Navy allows different visions of justice. That diversity is our strength.
"Sakazuki, Kuzan, Borsalino—each of you upholds your own justice, and that is enough."
Akainu huffed. Aokiji shrugged. Kizaru picked idly at his ear.
Just then Vice Admiral Garp, chomping on an apple, burst out laughing. "A good argument shows everyone's still lively!"
Sengoku eyed him. "Your view, Garp?"
Still eating, Garp said, "I have no view. As long as Uchiha Chiyu remains a Marine and enforces Navy justice, why stop him? We should back him."
Sengoku nodded. "The East Blue is your home, after all."
"Yeah, though I haven't been back in years… Luffy got corrupted by that red‑haired punk Shanks—won't stop yammering about being a pirate. I smacked him, yelled at him—no use, so I stormed back… Oh, wasn't supposed to say that? Ahahaha—pretend you didn't hear!"
Everyone: "…"
Garp went on: "Anyway, Chiyu cleaning up East Blue is great for me—maybe it'll scare that brat Luffy from going to sea! Hahaha!"
Sengoku sighed. "…You never change."
Tsuru guided the discussion back. "So, Sengoku, how will you handle the Alabasta affair?"
After a moment's thought, Sengoku stood. "We cannot conceal it. Rather than hide a Warlord's crimes, we should trumpet the Navy's decisiveness!
"Send word: broadcast to the world the deeds of our hero who saved Alabasta—Uchiha Chiyu!
"And promote him to Headquarters Vice Admiral!"
Shock rippled through the room. Such meteoric promotion was unheard of:
Uchiha Chiyu was only eighteen—and had been in the Navy barely six months!
Vice Admiral in half a year—unprecedented.
Vice Admiral is the pinnacle most Marines ever reach. Beyond that lie the three Admiral seats—one in, one out.
A single thought rose in every mind:
A new era was dawning…
The name Uchiha Chiyu would soon echo across every sea.
Sengoku looked once more at Akainu. "Since you champion him, Sakazuki—he's under your charge from now on."
"Understood," Akainu replied.
…
Soon the entire One Piece world knew of the Alabasta incident.
With Crocodile dead and Baroque Works destroyed…
The name Vice Admiral Uchiha Chiyu spread instantly across the globe.
~~~
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