For a moment, silence fell over the palace grounds.
Even the rebel army stopped in their tracks, turning their attention toward Vivi.
"It's Princess Vivi!"
"What is the princess doing here?"
"It doesn't matter! The Nefertari family must be trying to convince us to surrender!"
"We have nothing left! How can we surrender now?!"
"That's right! We're rebels! If we don't overthrow the king this time, we're as good as dead!"
But among the voices of anger and determination, there were also murmurs of hesitation.
"But… Princess Vivi isn't like that…"
The rebels argued among themselves, their resolve wavering.
At the front of the army, Koza stood with a deep frown.
As Vivi's childhood friend, he had always trusted her.
But as the leader of the rebels, he couldn't let emotions cloud his judgment. If he weren't able to think rationally, he wouldn't have become the leader in the first place.
Then, Vivi's voice rang out clear and strong:
"People of Alabasta! This war is a lie—everything has been orchestrated by the Warlord of the Sea, Crocodile! He is the one behind the Dance Powder incident! He has used deception to drive you into rebellion, all so he can seize the throne for himself! Please, don't resort to violence! I beg you, stay calm—every life here matters!"
Her words sent another wave of unrest through the crowd.
Some immediately believed her, while others remained skeptical.
Crocodile had been hailed as Alabasta's hero for years—how could he be the mastermind behind everything?
Koza's gaze hardened.
"Vivi, do you have proof?" he asked.
Vivi didn't hesitate for a second.
"I do! I infiltrated Baroque Works myself! I've gathered evidence that proves Crocodile is the leader of the organization! I have records of their secret activities—once you see them, you'll understand the truth!"
Just then—
BANG!
A gunshot echoed across the battlefield.
The sudden sound sent shockwaves through both the rebels and the palace guards.
Everyone instinctively tensed, caught completely off guard.
But before the bullet could reach Vivi—
A massive lion suddenly appeared in front of her.
The bullet fell harmlessly to the ground, smoking as it dropped from the lion's paw.
Someone had just attempted to assassinate Princess Vivi!
The battlefield erupted in chaos.
Both the rebels and the palace guards were furious.
Even among the rebels, many respected Vivi—she was beloved across Alabasta, regardless of where people stood on the war.
They might have been fighting to overthrow the king, but that didn't mean they hated Vivi herself.
Now, someone had tried to kill her.
BANG!
Another gunshot rang out.
Li Kei let out a cold, knowing sneer and, in a flash, appeared in front of Koza.
A smoking bullet dropped from his paw.
Then—
"Someone just tried to assassinate our leader! It must be the King's Guard! Kill them! Charge the palace!"
A voice shouted from within the crowd, instantly igniting the rebels' fury.
Vivi's heart pounded.
She frantically tried to dissuade them, shouting at the top of her lungs, but her voice was drowned out by the surge of rage spreading through the crowd.
Koza, too, realized something was off.
Had Li Kei not intervened, he might have been shot dead on the spot, and at that point, everything would have spiraled completely out of control.
But now—
The rebels were already too enraged to listen.
Then—
ROOAAARR!!!
An earth-shaking lion's roar ripped through the battlefield, silencing everything in an instant.
Li Kei suddenly expanded, growing into a massive 35-meter-tall beast towering over the entire crowd.
His golden eyes gleamed.
Then, he roared again—this time, even more thunderous.
The entire battlefield froze.
Many rebels went pale, some even stumbling back in fear, and others… well, let's just say some of them wouldn't be living down the humiliation anytime soon.
Who would dare raise their voice now?
Vivi shot Li Kei a grateful look before turning back to the people.
"Citizens of Alabasta!
Baroque Works agents are among us! They are the ones who tried to assassinate Koza and me just now—they want this war to happen!
Please, don't fall for their trap! Every life is precious! Stop the bloodshed!"
Her eyes filled with tears as she pleaded.
The battlefield grew quiet.
The rage and chaos in the crowd finally began to settle.
Koza stood there, his expression complicated.
He had led this rebellion—and yet, it turned out he had been a pawn in someone else's game all along.
If Vivi hadn't arrived at the last moment, who knows how many innocent lives would have been lost for nothing?
But before anyone could process it further—
A violent sandstorm whipped through the sky.
Everyone looked up.
A man with slicked-back dark hair, a golden hook for a left hand, and a smug smirk stood in mid-air, carried by swirling sand.
And he wasn't alone.
Two figures were trapped within his grasp—
One was Miss All Sunday.
The other was King Cobra, Vivi's father.
A collective gasp rippled through the battlefield.
Vivi's eyes widened in horror.
Not only did she recognize them instantly—so did everyone else.
And now—with Crocodile kidnapping the king in plain sight—
Everything Vivi had said was proven true.
The drought, the rebellion, the suffering of Alabasta—
It was all Crocodile's doing.
"DAD!!" Vivi cried out, her voice trembling with urgency.
"VIVI!!" Cobra shouted back, his voice firm despite his situation.
"Vivi, control the situation! Don't let them fight anymore—this is Crocodile's conspiracy! Even if I die, I cannot let the people shed more blood!"
The king's words hit everyone like a tidal wave.
Tears welled up in many eyes.
They had wrongfully blamed him, yet even now, all he cared about was their safety.
Meanwhile, Crocodile was in bad shape.
He was visibly injured, his face twisted in fury as he roared,
"Cobra! Take me to it now! Or else—I'll have my subordinates detonate the bomb hidden in the capital!
When that happens, your daughter, your people—everyone will be wiped out!"
Cobra's expression darkened with pain.
After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and spoke to Crocodile in a hushed tone.
Crocodile, without wasting another second, took off westward, carrying Cobra and Robin with him.
Chaos erupted among the guards and rebels.
Many raised their weapons, aiming at Crocodile, desperate to save their king—
But Crocodile was too fast.
Within moments, he had vanished.
Vivi stood there, her heart racing with doubt.
Something wasn't right.
Crocodile had been stopped by Luffy—so why was he here?!
Then—
A high-pitched voice suddenly boomed across the capital:
"CROCODILE!! COME OUT, YOU COWARD! YOU RAN AWAY MID-FIGHT, I'M GONNA KICK YOUR BUTT!!"
Vivi's head snapped up in shock.
From the sky—
She saw Luffy racing toward them on Bell's back at full speed!
Moments Earlier—Luffy vs. Crocodile
Crocodile had been utterly battered by Luffy.
Blow after relentless blow, Luffy's rubber attacks landed cleanly, one after another, leaving Crocodile no room to breathe.
Luffy's Observation Haki was too sharp—Crocodile couldn't dodge at all!
Time passed, and the fight turned one-sided.
Luffy frowned.
"Man, you're REALLY good at getting beat up."
Crocodile staggered, his face contorted with rage.
Luffy hadn't even used Gear Second yet, and he still felt completely confident in winning this fight.
But no matter how hard he hit, Crocodile just wouldn't go down.
It was annoying.
Crocodile, on the other hand, was seething.
How could there be such a massive gap between them?!
He wasn't just losing—he was being outright dominated.
And worse—his plans were at stake.
If he lost to Straw Hat Luffy now—everything he worked for would be ruined.
He had no choice.
Gritting his teeth, Crocodile raised his right hand.
A violent sandstorm erupted from his palm, whipping through the battlefield.
"Sables!"
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