The wind returned to Alubarna — this time warm, not weaponized. Soldiers and rebels moved in unison, clearing the streets and rebuilding the shattered marketplace. The people had seen war.
But more than that…
They had seen something impossible.
And though the papers didn't print his name, and the Marines wouldn't write him into their reports…
They all remembered.
The one who walked through sandstorms and shattered a Warlord.
At the Port of Nanohana
The Going Merry was nearly ready to sail again.
Luffy laughed from the dock, one arm slung around Vivi. "You sure you don't wanna come with us?"
"I want to," Vivi said softly. "But I need to stay. There's still so much to fix."
Usopp wiped a tear. "We'll miss you!!"
Sanji knelt in front of her. "You'll always have my heart, Princess."
Zoro rolled his eyes. "We're gonna be late."
Nami hugged Vivi tight. "We'll see you again."
And then Vivi turned to Rex.
They stood quiet for a second.
She smiled. "Thank you. For saving me. And for fighting in a way I didn't understand… but I trusted anyway."
Rex gave her a rare, gentle smirk. "When it matters, understanding comes second. Truth always lands first."
They didn't shake hands.
Or hug.
They just nodded — like two who had survived a storm the others hadn't fully felt.
Later – Onboard the Going Merry
The crew laughed as the sails rose and the ropes were untied. Water splashed gently against the hull.
Luffy stood on the figurehead, arms wide.
"TO THE NEXT ISLAND!!"
Usopp clung to the mast. "Please not another desert!!"
Sanji prepped lunch. "Sea King steak, coming up!"
Nami plotted courses with a focused frown. "Storm up ahead. Heavy."
Zoro slept.
Rex sat alone near the back rail, sharpening the edge of a simple short-blade he'd picked up in Alabasta.
Not his summoned sword.
Just a real one.
He looked up as Nami approached.
She stood beside him, folding her arms.
"Still thinking about what you found down there?"
He nodded.
"They weren't just techniques," he said. "They were blueprints. Traces of a people who used power differently. Who understood the world before it was rewritten."
"And it was in the Poneglyph?" she asked.
He looked at her, serious.
"It was part of it. Just like the name of Joy Boy. Just like the weapons. Just like the One Piece."
Nami's breath caught. "You think they're connected?"
"I think they were the guardians of what came before."
She looked away slowly.
"…Robin would want to see it."
Rex smiled faintly.
"She will."
Meanwhile – Aboard a Government Ship
Vice Admiral Garp read a report, frowning behind his cigar.
"Unregistered ability spotted in Alabasta," he muttered. "Not a Devil Fruit. Not Haki. Not technology."
He tossed it onto the desk.
"I thought they were all gone."
Another Marine officer stepped forward. "Sir… the Poneglyph in Alubarna was disturbed."
"…Then it's true."
Garp looked out the window toward the sea.
"He's not just another pirate."
In the Shadows of Enies Lobby – CP9 Headquarters
Spandam paced furiously, waving a file.
"There's no record of him. No bounty. No Devil Fruit classification."
"We'll make one," Rob Lucci said coldly.
Spandam slammed the file down.
"He fought a Warlord. He survived the desert. He read a Poneglyph."
And Lucci narrowed his eyes.
"…Then he's not a pirate."
"…He's a threat."
Back On the Merry
As the crew pushed through the wind, Rex stood at the bow beside Luffy.
"Big storm coming," he said.
Luffy grinned. "Good. Let's crash through it."
Rex glanced up at the sky, sensing the air twist — a storm, yes. But something else too.
Like the world was starting to look at them differently.
The sea rolled.
The future waited.
And beneath it all…
The Michael Techniques whispered.
Not from another world.
But from the one that came before.