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"You know, we really owe it to Bai Ye's pocket dimension,"
At Alabasta's port, Nami stood on the Going Merry and said with a sigh of relief:
"If he hadn't stored the ship inside, there'd probably be a fleet of Navy ships waiting for us outside."
"Yeah! Bai Ye's awesome!" Luffy jumped in right away.
Nami: What's with that smug look on your face?! Like YOU had anything to do with it!
"But… is Vivi really getting on the ship?"
Just then, Sanji spoke up:
"Today's the day she's supposed to inherit the throne. Would she really choose to sail away instead?"
The moment those words left Sanji's mouth, the mood on the ship dropped like a rock.
Even Luffy, usually the carefree one, looked toward the port with a rare hint of nervousness in his eyes.
Alabasta Royal Palace — Vivi's Room
Inside the room, Tyrcada — the wife of Captain Igaram, and someone who looked a lot like him — was helping Vivi get dressed.
"Um… Tyrcada, isn't this a bit too tight?"
Vivi looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed.
"Please bear with it, Princess. Today is the day you become the Queen of Alabasta."
"This outfit is already super toned down compared to what the elders wanted."
While speaking, Telkada gently placed a jewel-encrusted crown on Vivi's head.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, with her whole vibe totally transformed, Vivi murmured to herself:
"A queen... huh?"
Meanwhile, outside in the hallway—
"Your Majesty, you're here too?"
Igaram bowed to Cobra and said:
"Don't tell me... you're worried about Princess Vivi too?"
He didn't finish the sentence, but Cobra already knew what he meant.
The unspoken part was obvious—they were both afraid Vivi would leave the kingdom... and become a pirate.
"I haven't been a very good king, Igaram,"Cobra said with a heavy tone.
"But Vivi... she'll make a great queen. I've always believed that."
"And Vivi needs to understand, that sometimes, to help people, you don't necessarily have to be by their side."
Cobra looked at Igaram, eyes filled with determination.
"Your Majesty..."
Just as Igaram was about to say something, a voice came from behind them.
"Father. Igaram."
The two turned to see Vivi standing there in full queenly attire, looking right at them.
Her gaze just as determined:
"There's something important... I want to tell you both."
In front of the palace—
"Hey, today's Vivi's coronation speech is being broadcast nationwide like always, so why the heck are you all here in person?"
The palace square was already packed with citizens who'd come to witness the ceremony.
"Yeah, I know it's being broadcast, but come on! It's the day our queen is born! Who wouldn't want to see that with their own eyes?"
Another voice chimed in:
"Pfft! Don't give me that crap. You just wanna stare at the princess's body, admit it!"
"Shut your filthy mouth, you perv!!"
"And hey, get it right—She's not the princess anymore!"
"You gotta call her Your Majesty the Queen!"
"Hey hey hey, cool it! Look! It's Princess—no, Queen Vivi! She's coming out!"
The moment a figure dressed in royal finery stepped onto the stage, all the noise and chatter came to a halt.
Then Vivi's voice rang out:
"Before saving Alabasta, I went on a journey."
"A journey across the dark seas... searching for hope in a sea of despair."
Her voice was so captivating that just those two lines were enough to completely draw in the entire crowd.
No one even noticed—That the figure on the podium didn't seem quite right...
"Hey, Luffy, that's Vivi's voice, isn't it?"
Chopper suddenly asked.
"This must be her coronation speech,"Nami said quietly.
"Looks like... she's made her decision."
"Nope. No way. It just sounds like Vivi's voice, that's all,"Luffy said suddenly, sounding uneasy.
"When I was lost in despair, a ship found me.""The people on that ship told me, 'The light... it's right ahead!'"
Vivi's voice continued—but it didn't feel like a coronation speech anymore.
It sounded more like... a heartfelt confession?
Inside the palace, Cobra sat by the window, with both a Den Den Mushi and a broadcasting snail beside him.
Vivi's voice was coming through the Den Den Mushi.
He looked toward the stage and muttered:
"Please... I just hope this doesn't turn into a disaster."
He sighed, then glanced in another direction.
"That ship carried me through roaring waves and stormy winds... yet never once lost its way.""It showed me the path forward!"
Vivi's voice kept going, and some folks in the crowd started to catch on.
This was the story of Princess Vivi and the Straw Hat crew.
And thanks to Luffy taking down Crocodile, the people didn't hold any grudge against the Straw Hats.
But still, a wave of confusion rippled through the crowd.
Because by now, people were starting to realize—
The person on stage wasn't Vivi at all... it was Igaram, dressed in drag.
"Hey!! You!! Where the hell did you hide Princess Vivi?!"
Voices of outrage exploded from the crowd one after another.
Wearing a long dress and lipstick, Igaram was dripping with sweat.
But then he remembered the promise he made to Princess Vivi:
"Please, Igaram. Just help me this once."
He thought of the pleading look in her eyes—it was the same look she gave him when she asked him to go undercover with her, back then.
And that gave him courage.
The next second, in full view of the crowd—
Igaram started dancing.
Yep. He straight-up started busting moves, sacrificing every last bit of dignity he had. And it worked—it had a huge impact.
For a moment, the entire crowd fell dead silent.
And then—
"MY EYES!!! DAMN YOU!!"
A wave of even more furious shouting surged through the crowd like a tsunami.
Total chaos.
But it didn't matter.
Because at that very moment...The Straw Hat crew finally saw the one person they'd been waiting for.
"VIVI!!!"
Luffy stood at the front of the ship, yelling and waving like crazy as Vivi rode Karoo toward the port.
Everyone else broke into wide smiles.
But Vivi's face was filled with sorrow.
She picked up the Den Den Mushi, and her voice echoed once again through all of Alabasta:
"I'm sorry, everyone.""I can't get on your ship this time."
"I really want to keep going on adventures with you guys, but...""I love my country too much. And my country... it needs me."
The Straw Hat crew went completely silent.
Even Chopper had tears welling up in his eyes.
Vivi wiped the tears from her face and shouted:
"So I'm staying here! But thank you—really, thank you all for everything!"
Then, she looked up and yelled again:
"Luffy! You still want to be Pirate King, right?!"
"Well then, if I become this country's queen, I can help you better that way!"
Hearing that, Cobra was stunned for a second—Then he smiled and whispered:
"What a ridiculous goal...""But you're already a queen, Vivi."
At this point, Vivi's voice had started to tremble:
"And... if—just if—we ever meet again...""Would you all still call me your crewmate?"
The entire Straw Hat crew, including Robin, walked up to the front of the ship.
They didn't say a word.
Each one of them just pulled out a slip of paper.
And then—
All at once, they threw them into the air!
[Special Fireworks—Ignite!]
BOOM!!!
A flurry of talismans exploded together in the sky, forming a massive firework!
And in that instant, as Vivi and Karoo looked up—
Tears streamed down both their faces.
Because in the sky...Was a giant photo of the Straw Hats and Vivi, smiling together.
"....."