"Grandpa? Luffy, since when do you have a grandpa?" Sanji asked curiously.
"Didn't I ever tell you? My bad!" Luffy replied with his usual carefree grin.
Arima clapped his hands lightly. "Alright, that's enough chatter. I'll only be teaching you the Six Powers for half a day. How much you learn depends entirely on you."
"I won't let you down!" Luffy said, his eyes blazing with determination.
The rest of the crew looked equally fired up.
Vivi, who had been in low spirits earlier, had finally calmed down. Seeing the confidence shining in her friends' faces filled her heart with warmth.
'Thank you, my friends,' she whispered silently in her heart.
Arima created a wood clone to stay behind and train with them, while his real body went with Nono to browse through Dr. Kureha's collection of rare medical texts.
Nojiko had already woken up and was catching up with her younger sister Nami.
Half a day passed quickly. Under Arima's focused guidance, Luffy successfully learned both Soru and Geppo.
Zoro had grasped the basics of Tekkai, while Sanji managed to use Geppo briefly.
When training ended, Arima handed Luffy the notebook on the Six Powers that Garp had once given him.
"I've finally repaid Vice Admiral Garp's favor," he said with a faint smile. "From here on out, it's all up to you."
"Hehe, thanks, white-haired man!" Luffy laughed.
"I hope the next time we meet, you'll have some surprises for me. …Nono, Nami, let's go."
Arima waved goodbye along with the two women, and their figures slowly faded from sight.
"That guy's ability is amazing!" Luffy said, full of admiration.
"He's not a Devil Fruit user, right? Why didn't the seastone affect him?" Zoro noted, narrowing his eyes.
"No idea." Sanji took a drag from his cigarette, exhaled a long plume of smoke, and murmured, "What an unfathomable man."
Luffy clenched his fists, energized again. "Alright! Now that Nojiko's safe, once I beat up that bad king, we'll head straight for Vivi's country and take down that guy!"
"Luffy, it's Crocodile," Usopp corrected him.
"Hehe, whatever! I'll definitely defeat that bastard!" Luffy shouted, full of fighting spirit.
Not long after, they overthrew the tyrant King Wapol, and Chopper officially joined the crew as their doctor.
But that's a story for another time.
Arima left Drum Island with the two women, not back to Skypiea, but to Alubarna, the capital of Alabasta.
"Big brother, why did you bring us here?" Nono asked.
"I need to retrieve something for Robin. You two can go shopping for a while, I'll come get you later."
He handed them a large chest filled with berries.
The two women gladly accepted and soon disappeared into the busy shopping district.
Meanwhile, Arima went alone to the royal underground chamber, the resting place of Alabasta's past kings.
There, he found one of the Poneglyphs. He didn't take it with him, but carefully made a rubbing of its inscriptions.
With that done, he silently flew to Rainbase, Crocodile's headquarters, the only city untouched by drought or civil unrest.
Looking down at the bustling streets below, Arima murmured, "Everything will begin anew… from here."
At that moment, deep within his casino's underground chamber, Crocodile suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. The uneasy feeling passed quickly, but it left him frowning.
"What was that? Has someone set their sights on me? Or has the World Government started watching? …Looks like I'll need to speed things up."
With that thought, he summoned his core subordinates and ordered them to accelerate the next phase of their plan.
When Arima later returned to find Nono and Nami, he saw the two of them sitting at a Cafe, waiting for him. Behind them was a literal mountain of shopping bags.
"Sigh… no matter what kind of personality a girl has, they're all the same when it comes to shopping."
He hadn't expected the usually quiet Nono to be such a shopaholic.
Under the curious stares of onlookers, Arima casually stored all their purchases in one go, then took the two women back to Skypiea.
Coincidentally, a reporter from the World Economy News happened to witness everything, and soon, the news that "Emperor Arima appeared in Alabasta" spread like wildfire across the seas.
When Crocodile heard the news, his nerves tightened. Being targeted by Arima would be far worse than being pursued by the World Government.
But then he recalled how Arima had been shopping with two women, it didn't seem like he'd come specifically for him. With that thought, Crocodile finally exhaled in relief.
….
Back in Skypiea, Arima handed the Poneglyph rubbing to Robin.
After carefully studying it, Robin's expression turned serious.
"What's wrong, Robin?" Arima asked.
"Captain… this is…"
"This rubbing's from the underground chamber of Alabasta's royal palace," Arima explained. "It records information about the Ancient Weapon, Pluton, doesn't it?"
"You already knew?" Robin was clearly surprised.
"More or less. I read about it in the Celestial Dragons' archives. I also have the blueprints for Pluton. …Hm? Oh, I see, you're worried I might use Pluton to start a war?"
Arima noticed Robin's expression shifting, first surprise, then unease, and finally, quiet relief.
"Heh, you overthink things, girl," he said, tapping her lightly on the forehead.
"I'm not a little girl," Robin muttered under her breath.
Arima was about to call Dragon to discuss their next plan when he caught her murmuring.
"Hmm? What did you just say, Robin?"
"Ah? Nothing! Um… Captain, Nami brought me a bunch of gifts, and I haven't opened them yet. I'll be going now!"
She darted out of the Hokage's office.
Arima sighed inwardly. 'Why is she acting just like Kushina? Don't tell me personalities can be contagious now!'
He didn't dwell on it. What truly mattered now was the Revolutionary Army's "World Reboot Plan."
"Hey, Dragon," Arima said into the transponder snail, "our plan can start soon."
"Understood. I've made all the preparations," came Dragon's calm reply.
"I met Luffy on Drum Island today," Arima continued. "I also passed him Garp's Six Powers manual. That kid's quite something."
"Thank you, truly. I haven't exactly been a good father," Dragon admitted, guilt in his voice.
"Once we overthrow the World Government, you'll finally be able to stand proudly with your family. Trust me, that day isn't far off," Arima said with a warm smile.
"I believe you completely," Dragon replied firmly. "We're comrades, aren't we?"
"Comrades, huh? Dragon, never forget why we started this revolution." Arima's tone grew solemn.
He knew he would soon leave this world behind, and he wanted to make sure it was in the right hands.
"For a world of peace, without oppression, where everyone is equal. I'll remember that forever," Dragon said slowly, every word deliberate.
"So will I," Arima replied softly.