On the sea, the Going Merry followed the route through Reverse Mountain, cutting through the waves toward Arabasta.
A few days later, an island covered in dense primeval jungle appeared on the horizon.
This was Little Garden.
From the outside, the entire island looked like a quiet, ancient, untouched paradise.
Towering prehistoric trees stretched into the clouds, and from deep within the jungle came the occasional low roar that sounded like some ancient beast.
It was as if the passing of ages in the outside world had never reached this timeless land.
"Looks like a really fun place to explore!"
Standing at the bow, Luffy had been shouting about food only moments ago, but the instant he saw the new island, his desire for adventure filled him once again.
However, just as the Going Merry was about to enter the shallow waters near Little Garden...
"Hey... look up there... What is that?"
Usopp, standing in the crow's nest, suddenly pointed at the sky. His voice cracked from sheer shock.
Everyone immediately looked up.
The previously clear sky had somehow gathered a strange mass of dark clouds.
Then the clouds were violently torn apart by an irresistible force.
A deep blue spear of water, nearly a hundred meters long and compressed from seawater to an extreme degree, fell straight down from the heavens like divine punishment, accompanied by a piercing sonic boom.
And at the very tip of that crystal-clear spear of water...
A blood-covered figure was skewered on it like a candied haw.
Before the horrified eyes of everyone aboard the Going Merry, the enormous water spear slammed into the exact center of Little Garden with overwhelming force.
In an instant...
BOOM!
A blinding white flash, like a nuclear explosion, erupted in the middle of the island.
Immediately afterward, an enormous mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
The terrifying shockwave became a physical gale, carrying the charred remains of giant trees burned by extreme heat as it swept outward like a tsunami.
Half of Little Garden's primeval forest, which had stood for tens of thousands of years, was flattened by that single attack.
"Grab onto the ship!"
Zoro roared as all three of his swords instantly left their sheaths and stabbed into the deck to anchor himself.
The violent aftermath kicked up waves dozens of meters high, tossing the Going Merry into the air like a leaf before crashing it back down.
Only after several minutes did the howling wind, which seemed capable of tearing apart their eardrums, finally subside.
A deathly silence fell over the Going Merry's deck.
Luffy's jaw had dropped to the floor, and his eyes looked ready to pop out.
The hand gripping Zoro's sword trembled slightly.
Nami clung tightly to the main mast, her legs weak with fear.
Usopp and Sanji were both half in on the act, but even they kept swallowing hard.
Wasn't this way too over the top?
What kind of special effects were these?
Just to put on a show, they were casually throwing around attacks on this scale?
Meanwhile, Kuro, who was only temporarily traveling with them as an unofficial passenger, calmly adjusted the glasses that had been knocked crooked by the blast.
After witnessing the World Government's true terror, he had long since gone numb.
If the higher-ups of the World Government didn't have this kind of world-shattering power, that would have been the strange part.
"Let's go take a look!"
Once the aftershock had completely settled, Nami let go of the mast, took a deep breath, and made the decision first.
"Huh? We're really going? That place looks dangerous now!",, Usopp pretended to shrink back.
"Of course!", Nami shot him an annoyed glare, "Something this outrageous didn't happen earlier or later, it happened exactly when we were about to land! If this has nothing to do with us, then I'll write my name backward!"
Having long since figured out the World Government's scriptwriting style, Nami knew perfectly well that this was another event trigger meant to move their journey forward.
The others all nodded.
Luffy hadn't understood any of that.
Everyone else simply wanted to see what had happened.
The group armed themselves and cautiously headed toward the massive crater in the middle of the island.
At the center of the explosion, the ancient forest had become a basin of glassed earth melted by extreme heat.
And at the bottom of the crater, they found the victim who had fallen from the sky.
Crocodile!
They had never met Crocodile in person, but they had all seen his face on the latest bounty posters.
Since they were heading to Arabasta, they had studied the portrait of the pirate with a 500 million Belly bounty many times and remembered it well.
Crocodile's condition was utterly miserable.
His signature slicked-back hair had been burned away, and even his proud Logia Sand-Sand Fruit seemed to be on the verge of collapsing.
More than half of his body had turned into scattered sand that refused to gather together. The flesh that remained was covered in blood, with white bone visible in places.
The group gathered around him and sucked in a cold breath.
"He's done for. He's practically fallen apart."
Zoro made the judgment after only one glance.
"Th-that's way too awful... Who could beat a pirate worth five hundred million into this state?", Usopp swallowed.
"Whoever did it doesn't matter. He doesn't look like he's going to live."
Nami sighed. She had briefly considered turning him in for the bounty, but seeing that he looked like he could die at any moment, she gave up on the idea.
Just as everyone was talking over each other and effectively sentencing Crocodile to death, perhaps hearing the voices around him, the dying Crocodile slowly forced open his blood-covered eyes.
His unfocused pupils gradually regained clarity before finally settling on Luffy's straw hat.
"Save... save me..."
With great difficulty, Crocodile raised his only remaining left hand that hadn't turned to sand. His blood-covered fingers weakly reached into the air.
Then his head tilted to one side, and he lost consciousness completely.
Looking at that limp hand, a trace of hesitation flashed through Luffy's eyes before they became firmer than ever.
"We're taking him aboard!"
Luffy adjusted his straw hat, leaving no room for argument.
"H-Hey! Luffy, are you crazy?", Usopp was the first to object, "He's a dangerous pirate! And he's hurt this badly. What if he dies on our ship? That'd be terrible luck!"
"Yeah, Luffy," Zoro frowned slightly, "We don't even have a proper doctor. Bringing him aboard will only delay his death."
"And whoever beat him into this condition has to be some monster we can't afford to provoke. Saving him could bring trouble to us," Nami added.
"I don't care who it was!"
After everything that had happened in Loguetown, Luffy had become more mature than before, but the stubbornness deep in his bones hadn't changed.
Looking each of his crewmates in the eye, he said seriously, "All I know is that he asked me to save him! Shanks told me the most precious things on the sea are life and your companions. As long as he's still breathing, I can't just stand by and watch him die in front of me! We're pirates, not cowards who leave people to die."
Seeing Luffy's determination, everyone exchanged glances.
Nami rubbed her temples helplessly, while Zoro let out a sigh and sheathed his swords.
Their objections had only been symbolic in the first place.
Everyone knew perfectly well that if someone had been dropped right in front of them, it was because they were meant to save him.
"We really can't win against you... Come on, help carry him!"
Complaints aside, everyone worked together and carefully carried the critically wounded Crocodile back onto the Going Merry.
Once aboard, they placed Crocodile on the deck. Watching him breathe out far more than he breathed in, everyone urgently began discussing how to save him.
"These wounds are still bleeding. Bandages won't stop it," Nami said anxiously, her hands covered in blood.
Everyone instinctively turned toward Sanji, who was smoking nearby.
After all, among everyone aboard, Rosse's eldest son had the strongest background and the greatest strength. Maybe he had some miraculous medicine.
Sanji merely exhaled a puff of smoke and shook his head helplessly.
"Don't look at me. I'm just a cook. I can't save injuries like this. The World Government does have plenty of miracle medicines that can save someone as long as they haven't taken their last breath, but I don't carry any."
Everyone was discouraged.
Were they really just going to watch him die?
"Well... if you're looking for a doctor, I do have a suggestion."
Kuro, who had been quietly standing to the side like he wasn't there, adjusted his glasses and spoke up at the right moment.
"If we leave this route and head a little off the Log Pose course for Arabasta, toward Drum Island, there might be a way. It's the greatest center of medicine in the first half of the Grand Line, with incredibly rich medical resources."
"Drum Island?"
Nami looked over the sea chart.
Kuro nodded and explained, "That island isn't simple anymore. More than ten years ago, Dragon invaded it and caused quite a commotion. The king of Drum Kingdom was so terrified that he abandoned the throne and fled."
"After that, the World Government took over the island. Seeing its strong medical foundation, they established a medical special district directly under the World Government there. I've heard that as long as you make it there, no matter how serious your injuries are, you'll be able to find the best doctors to heal them."
Hearing there was such a place that could save lives, Luffy didn't hesitate for even a second.
"Alright! Then we're not going to Arabasta yet. Turn the ship toward Drum Island first!"
Following Luffy's order, the Going Merry quickly changed course and sailed away from Little Garden at full speed.
———
Not long after the Going Merry left...
High above Little Garden, among the clouds ten thousand meters in the sky, two breathtakingly beautiful women stood quietly upon the clouds, looking down at the small sailing ship gradually disappearing across the sea.
"Hehe... Shirahoshi, you're still just as rough as ever."
Vivi, with her long, silky blue hair and elegant, noble bearing, covered her mouth as she laughed softly, her eyes carrying a teasing smile.
"That Sea God's Spear you used almost blew the whole island away. Throwing poor Crocodile down like that, you weren't afraid he'd actually die from the fall?"
"Hmph! That's what he gets for refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit."
Standing beside Vivi, Shirahoshi, whose flowing pink hair cascaded like a waterfall and whose beauty eclipsed the sun and moon, gave a disdainful snort.
The Shirahoshi before Rosse, gentle and obedient, was nowhere to be seen.
Deep in her eyes flickered an almost pathological coldness and obsession.
"This script is a gift for Father. He refused to cooperate properly, so I made him cooperate. Since he wouldn't play along willingly, I helped him get into character."
"Aren't you worried he'll never dare provoke us again?", Vivi teased.
For the past few years, she had been the one playing with Crocodile.
He had no idea that this world had already changed.
To her, Crocodile was merely one part of the stage she was building. She had never truly cared about him.
"It doesn't matter."
Shirahoshi looked coldly at the sea below, her voice icy.
"Anyone who dares stand in the way of the perfect performance I'm preparing for my beloved Father deserves to be ground to dust. Besides, enough people have already gathered in Arabasta. Whether he's there or not won't affect the overall plan."
"Vivi," Shirahoshi turned her head, her gaze settling on the blue-haired woman beside her.
"When they reach Arabasta, don't mess up your role as queen."
When Rosse wasn't around, Shirahoshi had long since become accustomed to taking charge.
Even when facing Vivi, who was slightly older than her, she remained just as forceful.
"Hehe! Don't worry. You don't need to worry about my side of things. I can handle it. This is my home turf."
Vivi let out a light laugh and confidently brushed back the blue hair by her ear.
She wasn't as naturally gifted in combat as Shirahoshi, who had been blessed from birth.
But in her own country, when it came to governing and political maneuvering, she had absolute confidence that nothing would go wrong.
As for all the rumors outside, and Queen Titi's relationship with Rosse...
Looking out over the vast sea beneath the clouds, there wasn't the slightest trace of confusion or struggle in Vivi's eyes.
If she had truly been born and raised from childhood in the desert kingdom of Arabasta, growing up among its people and shaped by its environment, perhaps learning the truth would have thrown her into an identity crisis and filled her with conflicting emotions.
But that wasn't the case.
She was the daughter of Rosse and Queen Titi, and she had been personally raised in Mary Geoise since childhood.
Growing up, she had never lacked a father's love or a mother's love.
At the same time, she had an outstanding group of brothers and sisters around her. She had never lacked for anything.
On top of that, she had received the World Government's most orthodox and highest-level elite education.
To her, the World Government was her home, and the man seated high upon the divine throne was both the man she was closest to and the object of her faith and affection.
How could she possibly feel conflicted about something that had been decided long ago?
"After all..."
Vivi touched the collar of her clothes, where the Jaygarcia family crest was embroidered.
A proud and admiring smile appeared on her lips as she silently said to herself, "He's not just your father. He's my biological father too. To let him know I've grown up, I'll give him a flawless performance."
"I promise."
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