Vivi stepped forward with tears in her eyes and hugged Uta tightly.
"Uta, thank you. That was an incredible concert!"
Hosting a concert like this rekindled hope for the future in the hearts of the citizens. Having lived through war, they cherished peace more than ever.
Alabasta—this ancient, civilized nation—had survived hardship, and from here on, it would only grow stronger.
"It's me who should be thanking you. Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to get on stage at all!"
Although Uta was physically exhausted, her spirit was soaring. Her dream had finally taken a firm step forward.
As long as she kept walking alongside everyone, her voice would one day echo across the world.
After the two hugged for a moment, the others gathered around to congratulate Uta. Her performance truly stunned them today.
Uta on stage was radiant—peerless.
With that emotionally charged voice of hers, she effortlessly ignited the audience and ruled the stage with overwhelming presence.
Even those who watched from the sidelines found themselves completely entranced.
But the shy Uta standing before them now was a completely different person from the one who dominated the stage.
Still, since everyone was already accustomed to her personality, all they could do was sigh at the sheer magnitude of her talent.
The Gale sailed swiftly through the sky, but the laughter aboard never stopped. Everyone remained in high spirits.
As their ship was about to leave Alabasta, Leno clapped his hands to gather attention.
"Vivi, we're about to depart. We may not return for a long time. Is there anything you still want to do?"
The group, caught up in conversation, suddenly turned to look at Vivi. If Leno hadn't brought it up, they might have forgotten—this princess was about to leave her homeland.
Unlike Reiju, who wished to escape her country and her father's grip, feeling no attachment whatsoever when she boarded the ship—Vivi dearly loved her nation and its people.
No one knew how long she would be gone. Realizing this, everyone began to worry.
But Vivi didn't respond with the sadness they expected. She simply smiled softly and walked toward the railing.
Facing the warm desert wind, she gazed into the distance. After a while, she turned to Leno and spoke gently:
"Captain Leno, could you stop the ship for a moment?"
Her calm expression left Leno puzzled, but he nodded. Moments later, the ship descended onto a dune.
Then, without warning, Vivi jumped off the railing and landed on the scorching sand.
"VIVI!!!"
Her sudden leap frightened everyone. What was she trying to do? Surely she wasn't changing her mind about leaving?
They rushed to the railing only to see Vivi take out a small pouch, bend down, and carefully scoop several handfuls of sand into it.
When she climbed back aboard, she smiled apologetically at everyone before turning to Leno.
"Great! … Earlier, I was worried that—"
Chopper patted his chest in relief. That sudden move nearly made him scream.
A quick glance showed Yamato also quietly sighing—so she wasn't the only one who misunderstood.
'Vivi, seriously… at least say something before doing that. You scared all of us.'
'But what's she going to do with that sand? Does it have some special meaning?'
'Ah, whatever. At least we're finally leaving. It's way too hot here!'
After that brief scare, the group returned to the open sea before long.
Since Vivi had officially joined their adventure, everyone held a welcome banquet for her!
Naturally, it was Leno—this unreliable captain who could call for a feast at any moment—who took charge, representing all adventurers in warmly welcoming their new companion.
"Cheers!"
Leno might have been unreliable at times, but the welcome banquet's dishes were far more extravagant than usual.
He even brought out the lanternfish liver he'd been saving. According to Carmen, this was an incredibly rare delicacy.
As for drinks, they served the "alcohol-flavored" beverages collected from Whisky Peak.
Because the drinks didn't actually cause drunkenness, everyone eagerly took the chance to clink glasses with Vivi.
She had long been treated as a companion in their hearts—this final ritual simply made it official.
And it gave everyone the perfect excuse to celebrate.
The table was filled with laughter and lively chatter. Cups clinked endlessly as everyone enjoyed themselves.
But as time passed, the orderly banquet gradually descended into chaos.
It began when Olga and Yamato simultaneously reached for the last piece of meat on a giant bone. During the scuffle, Yamato accidentally dumped Chopper's soup all over him.
While the two hurriedly apologized, Leno seized the opportunity, snatched the bone meat, and devoured it instantly.
That little theft ignited a three-way brawl, and soon, the entire table became a battlefield—one that continued to grow in scale.
Noticing the chaos, Nami rolled her eyes with pure disdain.
'Honestly… they can't even eat properly.'
She lowered her head, calmly sliced a piece of lanternfish liver, and brought it toward her mouth.
A bone flew past. She tilted her head, dodged it, and continued to raise her fork—only for a fish bone to smack her across the face, knocking the liver from her hand.
Veins bulged on Nami's forehead as more anger marks formed one after another.
At last, she slammed her hands on the table and stood up.
"You bast—"
But before she could finish, a plate came flying from nowhere and slapped onto her flushed face, silencing her completely.
The moment the plate slid off, Nami snapped.
Her blazing eyes swept over the idiots still throwing things at one another.
She grabbed the neatly stacked pile of empty plates beside her, completely unaware that a volcano was about to erupt directly behind them, Leno, Yamato, and the others kept flinging objects at each other, blissfully oblivious to the doom closing in.