The moon hung high above Alubarna, bathing the royal palace in pale silver light.
The sounds of celebration still echoed faintly from the grand banquet hall, where laughter, music, and clinking glasses carried into the warm desert night. Yet beyond the palace walls, everything felt strangely peaceful. The bustling excitement of the feast gradually gave way to the quiet whisper of the evening wind.
The ART Pirates descended the broad staircase without urgency.
No one spoke.
Arthur walked at the front while Robin, Hancock, Baby-5, Monet, Law, and the others followed behind him. The banquet had ended exactly as Arthur expected. He had met the young pirate he wished to see, tested the resolve hidden within the boy's heart, and found the answer he had been searching for.
As they crossed the palace courtyard, footsteps suddenly echoed behind them.
Arthur stopped.
"So..." he said without turning around. "You couldn't wait."
A familiar voice answered.
"I've already waited long enough."
Everyone looked back.
Zoro stood at the top of the staircase with one hand resting on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji. His expression was calm, but his eyes burned with unmistakable determination.
His gaze never left Kuina.
Kuina chuckled as though she had expected this from the very beginning.
"I wondered how long it'd take."
"I told you already." Zoro slowly descended the stairs. "The next chance I got..."
"...I'd challenge you."
He stopped only a few steps away.
"I don't intend to waste another minute."
For a brief moment, Silence settled between them as both swordsmen measured each other's resolve.
Years seemed to disappear.
The old dojo.
The endless sparring matches.
The childish arguments over victories.
A promise exchanged beneath the afternoon sun.
Everything returned in silence.
"Very well." Finally, Kuina nodded.
"Captain?" She turned toward Arthur.
Arthur glanced toward the vast training grounds beyond the palace gardens.
"There should be enough space over there."
"So we're really doing this." Law folded his arms.
"I've always wanted to see Kuina fight againt another swordsman!" Bepo's eyes sparkled.
"You've never seen her go all out," Sugar muttered.
"And neither has the green-hair samurai," Robin added quietly while looking toward Zoro.
Without another word, the group made their way toward the royal training grounds.
The arena sat just beyond the palace gardens, surrounded by stone walls and illuminated by rows of lanterns. It had been built for the Royal Guard's daily training, but tonight it stood completely empty beneath the moonlit sky.
"This is your fight." Arthur stepped aside.
Kuina walked toward the center of the arena. She rested one hand lightly on the hilt of her sword.
Zoro approached from the opposite side before stopping several meters away.
Neither swordsman drew their blade immediately.
The silence between them carried more weight than any words could.
Then—
Zoro smiled.
"...You're really strong."
"It's still a long way." Kuina returned the smile.
A faint laugh escaped him.
"I spent years wondering whether this day would ever come."
"And now you're complaining?"
"I'm making sure I'm awake."
"You'll know soon enough."
Arthur glanced between them.
"Whenever you're ready."
The instant those words left his mouth—
SHING!
Two swords left their scabbards almost simultaneously. Steel flashed beneath the moonlight.
Neither fighter moved.
For a single heartbeat...
Everything became still.
Then both vanished.
CLANG!!
The first collision erupted like thunder.
Their blades met at the center of the arena before separating again almost instantly.
Zoro attacked first.
One slash.
Two.
Five.
His swords flowed together with practiced precision, each strike aimed to force Kuina backward.
She didn't retreat.
She answered every attack with nothing more than flawless swordsmanship.
No Haki.
No overwhelming strength.
No elaborate techniques.
Only perfect timing and angle.
Every swing was redirected with the smallest possible movement.
Every opening disappeared before Zoro could exploit it.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The rhythm of steel echoed throughout the training grounds.
"They're so fast..." Bepo watched with wide eyes.
"They're getting faster," Koala corrected quietly.
Zoro pressed forward relentlessly.
"Santoryu – Oni Giri!"
His attacks became heavier.
Sharper.
More aggressive.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he poured greater strength into every swing.
Kuina remained composed. Her breathing never changed. Her stance never wavered.
She slipped past each strike by the narrowest margin before gently knocking his blades away with effortless precision.
Watching her was like watching flowing water.
No wasted movement.
No unnecessary force.
Only absolute control.
Arthur silently observed the duel.
Not once had Kuina relied on physical superiority. She wasn't overpowering Zoro. She was simply reading him.
Every habit.
Every rhythm.
Every intention.
Several minutes passed.
Zoro's breathing gradually grew heavier. A shallow cut appeared across his sleeve.
Then another.
Then another.
Tiny wounds.
None of them dangerous. Each one was a reminder. Kuina could have ended the duel at any moment. She simply chose not to.
Zoro stepped back.
"...I don't know what it is, but your attacks feel uncomplete. "
"There's some power you don't use yet." His chest rose and fell with every breath.
"I am." Kuina lowered her sword.
"I knew it."
A grin slowly spread across Zoro's face.
Instead of frustration...
Excitement filled his eyes.
Zoro charged again.
Kuina sidestepped effortlessly.
Their swords clashed several more times.
Every exchange ended exactly the same.
Zoro could never reach her.
"Good." He tightened his grip on his swords. "Because if that was everything..."
"...I'd be disappointed." Kuina looked at him quietly.
"I've chased your shadow for years."
"I crossed half the world carrying our promise."
"I trained until my hands bled."
"I fought opponents stronger than I ever imagined."
"So don't insult me." His voice became firmer with every word.
"Show me." The smile disappeared from his face.
"All you have." He raised all three swords.
Silence settled over the training grounds. The night breeze stopped. Even the insects seemed to disappear.
Kuina closed her eyes.
"...Very well." Then she slowly exhaled.
She adjusted her stance. Nothing else changed. Yet everyone present felt it instantly. The atmosphere itself became different.
Robin's smile slowly faded.
Law narrowed his eyes.
Hancock folded her arms.
Arthur remained silent.
Kuina opened her eyes.
For the first time that night...
They no longer resembled the eyes of Zoro's childhood friend.
They belonged to one of the world's strongest swordswomen.
A ripple of invisible pressure spread quietly across the arena.
Not enough to crush.
Not enough to frighten.
Just enough...
To reveal the overwhelming difference between them.
Zoro instinctively froze.
His body refused to move.
His instincts screamed.
Danger.
Every fiber of his being warned him not to advance another step.
Cold sweat rolled down his face.
His fingers tightened around the hilts of his swords.
He wanted to attack.
He couldn't.
The distance between them remained only several meters.
Yet it suddenly felt farther than the entire Grand Line.
A deep crimson aura quietly flowed around the blade.
Not blazing.
Not violent.
It wrapped the white katana like a thin layer of crimson mist before gradually condensing into countless streaks of scarlet lightning.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
"...This Sword Intend."
Zoro's pupils contracted.
His breathing became uneven.
His knees trembled.
He fought against the invisible pressure with everything he had.
The crimson aura surrounding the blade carried a pressure unlike anything he had ever experienced.
"So you've mastered it." Arthur folded his arms.
Kuina took a single step forward. She neither rushed nor shouted. Everything became perfectly still.
Then—
"Ittōryū..." The crimson aura condensed along the edge of the blade. "...Engetsu."
SHIIIING!!
One clean slash.
No wasted movement.
No explosion.
Only a single crimson crescent shot forward faster than Zoro's eyes could follow.
His body froze.
He couldn't move.
He couldn't swing.
He couldn't even breathe.
The flying slash passed barely a few centimeters beside his face before continuing into the distant night.
For one terrifying heartbeat...
Everything remained silent.
Then—
BOOOOOOOM!!
Hundreds of meters away, the enormous cliff beyond the training ground split cleanly in two.
A deafening roar echoed across the desert as the upper half slowly slid apart before collapsing into a cloud of dust.
The shockwave swept back across the battlefield.
WHOOSH!!
A violent gust struck Zoro.
The flying slash missed him by less than a meter.
His green hair whipped wildly.
A thin line suddenly appeared across his left cheek.
A drop of blood slid slowly down his face.
Only the wind from the attack...
Had been enough to cut him.
Zoro's eyes widened.
His fingers loosened.
Wado Ichimonji slipped from his mouth.
Clang.
The sword hit the ground.
"...So..." His legs trembled uncontrollably.
"...this..." His voice was barely audible.
"...is your world."
Every ounce of strength left his body.
He collapsed onto one knee.
Then...
Both hands touched the earth.
He could no longer stand.
Not because of fear.
Not because of injury.
But because, for the second time in his life... beside Mihawk...
He had witnessed a swordsman standing so far beyond him that his body instinctively accepted defeat.
Kuina slowly lowered her blade. The crimson aura faded as though it had never existed. She walked toward Zoro before stopping beside him.
"You've become strong. But..." Her voice remained gentle. "...you're still climbing."
Zoro stared silently at the ground.
Instead of frustration...
An amusement flickered across his face
"...Good."
"If that's your stand..." He slowly picked Wado Ichimonji back up.
"...then I finally know where to aim."
"That's the answer I expected." Arthur's lips curved into a faint smile.
The moon had already climbed high above Alubarna by the time the duel came to an end.
No victor celebrated.
No loser complained.
Two swordsmen simply acknowledged one another before silently returning to the palace.
By the following morning, the kingdom had already begun preparing for another farewell.
...
The training ground gradually fell silent.
The echo of Ittōryū: Engetsu still lingered in the cool desert air long after the crimson flying slash had vanished beyond the horizon. Dust slowly settled over the fractured cliff in the distance while the night breeze carried away the last traces of Kuina's Haki.
No one spoke.
The duel had ended.
Not with victory or defeat alone...
But with a renewed promise between two swordsmen chasing the same summit.
"Let's go." Arthur quietly turned away.
The ART Pirates left the training ground one after another, leaving Zoro and Kuina alone beneath the moonlight.
One still searched for the peak.
The other waited far ahead.
Neither doubted they would cross swords again.
As the palace gardens disappeared behind them, the sounds of celebration drifted faintly from the royal banquet hall. The feast honoring Alabasta's liberation had long since ended. One by one, Straw Hat's members returned to their quarters, and before long the once-lively palace was wrapped in peaceful silence.
Yet while the kingdom finally found a moment to rest...
Sleep refused to come to one person.
Princess Vivi.
She stood alone upon a quiet balcony overlooking the moonlit capital, her eyes following the countless lights that stretched across Alubarna.
Tomorrow...
Everything would change.
...
The palace gradually grew quiet.
The celebration that had echoed throughout Alubarna slowly faded into the late hours of the night. Servants cleared the banquet hall while musicians packed away their instruments. Outside, the city remained alive with celebration, but within the royal palace, only silence remained.
Vivi stood alone on one of the palace balconies.
A gentle desert breeze brushed against her blue hair as she glanced at the distant lights scattered across the capital.
Her fingers tightened around the balcony railing.
"...They're leaving."
She didn't have to say who.
The Straw Hat Pirates.
Tomorrow...
They would continue their journey.
"..."
A small smile appeared on her face before fading almost immediately.
She remembered every day they had spent together.
Crossing the desert beneath the blazing sun.
Laughing around campfires.
Arguing over meaningless things.
Watching Luffy charge recklessly into impossible situations.
They had become far more than traveling companions.
They had become family.
"...I want to go with them."
The words escaped before she even realized she had spoken them.
"But..."
Her eyes slowly drifted across the city.
Thousands of lights stretched beneath the night sky.
Every one of them belonged to someone who had survived the civil war.
People who had lost homes.
Families who had lost loved ones.
Children who still believed their princess would protect them.
"...Alabasta needs me."
"It does." A gentle voice answered from behind.
"Father." Vivi turned around.
King Cobra approached with his usual warm smile, though his tired eyes revealed the exhaustion of recent days.
He stopped beside her.
For several moments...
Neither moved. Their eyes alone spoke for them.
Father and daughter simply gazed over the kingdom they had fought so desperately to save.
Finally...
Cobra broke the silence.
"You wanted to sail with them." It wasn't a question.
"...Yes." Vivi lowered her eyes.
"I thought so."
"They're my friends."
"I know."
"They asked me to come."
"I know."
"They never forced me to choose."
"I know."
"...But if I leave now..." Her shoulders slowly slumped.
"Alabasta will lose its princess." Cobra finish her word.
Vivi nodded silently.
"I hate this." A long sigh escaped her lips.
"So do I."
"You do?" She looked at her father in surprise.
Cobra chuckled softly.
"If I were only your father..."
"I would tell you to follow your heart."
"But..." His smile gradually disappeared.
"...I am also this kingdom's king."
"A king..." The weight of those words settled heavily between them.
"...cannot always choose what he wants."
Vivi remained silent.
For the first time...
She truly understood the loneliness that came with wearing a crown.
"Come with me." Cobra gently rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Where?"
"There's something..."
"...I've hidden from you for a very long time."
...
Several minutes later...
They descended beneath the royal palace.
Stone stairways spiraled deep underground, illuminated only by rows of ancient torches fixed to the walls.
The deeper they walked...
The older everything became.
Dust covered forgotten corridors untouched for generations.
Massive stone pillars supported the ancient structure beneath the palace.
Finally...
They arrived before an enormous stone chamber.
Cobra pushed open the weathered door.
Rumble...
The ancient chamber slowly revealed itself.
"...This place..." Vivi's eyes widened.
The chamber was unlike anything inside the palace above.
Ancient stone walls stretched in every direction.
Every surface was covered with mysterious symbols carved countless centuries ago.
Vivi instinctively stepped closer.
"...Ancient Script..." Her fingertips brushed across the weathered inscriptions.
"I haven't seen these in years." A nostalgic smile appeared.
"When you were little..." Cobra watched quietly. "You always sneaked into the royal archives."
"You caught me every time." Vivi laughed awkwardly.
"You thought I didn't notice?"
"I hoped you didn't."
"You spent years learning to read these writings."
"I was curious."
"I know."
She slowly continued examining the walls.
Although she could no longer read every sentence fluently...
Many characters still felt familiar.
Fragments of forgotten lessons returned one by one.
"...These records are even older than the ones in the archives."
"They are."
"They've been protected by the Nefertari Family for centuries."
Vivi slowly nodded.
Then...
Something else caught her attention.
At the very end of the chamber...
Hung upon the ancient wall...
Was an enormous stone tablet.
Unlike the surrounding inscriptions...
This one wasn't written as history.
It was carved as a family record.
Rows upon rows of names.
Connected by carefully engraved lines.
The complete lineage of House Nefertari.
Curious...
Vivi walked closer.
Her eyes followed the generations one by one until reaching the most recent branch.
King Cobra.
Queen Titi.
Then...
Her own name.
Nefertari Vivi.
Her expression softened.
But only for a second.
Because directly beside her own name...
Another name had been carved.
A name she had never seen before.
Nefertari... Leon.
Vivi froze.
"...Father." Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"What... is this?"
"As I said..." Cobra quietly stepped beside her. "...there's something I've hidden from you." His expression remained calm.
Vivi slowly looked back at the family tree.
Then at her father.
Then back again.
"...Leon..."
"...is my younger brother?"
"No." Cobra shook his head gently.
"...Older?" Her heartbeat quickened.
Again...
He shook his head.
Neither.
"He was born..."
"...at exactly the same moment you were."
Silence.
Vivi's pupils contracted.
"...What?" Her breathing stopped.
"You..." Cobra met her stunned gaze. "...have a twin brother."
The underground chamber remained silent for a long while.
Vivi stood motionless before the ancient family tree, her gaze fixed upon the name carved beside her own.
Nefertari Leon.
Every answer Cobra had given only led to even more questions.
"...Why?" she finally asked. "Why would you hide something like this from me?"
Cobra drew a slow breath before answering.
"Because the throne has always been both a blessing... and a burden."
He stepped toward the ancient tablet, his fingers tracing the names of generations that had ruled Alabasta.
"When your mother gave birth..."
"...she gave birth to twins."
Vivi listened without interrupting.
"The world believed there was only one royal child."
"It was a lie."
"The royal court knew."
"Igaram knew."
"Pell."
"Chaka."
"And a handful of ministers whose loyalty I trusted with my life."
"So... everyone knew..." Vivi slowly turned toward him. "...except me."
Cobra nodded.
"I wanted you to live as a daughter."
"And I wanted him..."
"...to live without becoming a target."
A bitter smile crossed his face.
"The World Government keeps a close eye on every royal family."
"Two heirs would have invited questions."
"Questions would have become investigations."
"And investigations..."
"...have a way of bringing unnecessary danger."
"So I made a decision."
"I entrusted Leon to an old friend."
"A king whose loyalty I trust more than my own life."
"He grew up in another kingdom."
"He studied diplomacy."
"Leadership."
"Military affairs."
"And everything required to one day govern a nation."
Vivi lowered her head.
"So..."
"...while I learned how to become a princess..."
"...he was learning how to become a king."
Cobra laughed softly.
"Exactly."
Silence settled between them once more.
Then...
Vivi suddenly laughed.
A quiet laugh.
Half relieved.
Half overwhelmed.
"I always thought something was missing." She placed a hand over her chest.
"I never knew..."
"...it was another half of my family."
"Tomorrow..." Cobra stepped closer.
"...you'll finally meet him again."
"...Again?" Vivi slowly lifted her head.
"You were both too young to remember."
"But he has never forgotten that he has a sister."
A warm smile spread across Vivi's face.
For the first time that night...
The conflict inside her heart finally began to disappear.
"I understand now." She looked once more toward the ancient family tree before speaking with quiet certainty.
"I'll sail with Luffy."
"But only after tomorrow."
"I want to say goodbye to Alabasta properly."
"And..."
"...I want everyone to know this kingdom will never be left alone."
Cobra chuckled.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
"The people deserve to hear your farewell."
"And they deserve to meet the man who will protect this kingdom after me."
Vivi nodded firmly.
"So tomorrow..."
"...I'll give my speech."
"And after that..."
"...Prince Leon will return."
...
Morning arrived beneath a cloudless desert sky.
The entire capital gathered before the royal palace.
Citizens packed every street.
Soldiers stood in ceremonial formation.
Flags bearing the crest of House Nefertari fluttered proudly above the cheering crowd.
From the deck of the Athena, anchored quietly outside the harbor...
The ART Pirates watched in silence.
"They're really doing it," Koala murmured.
"It'll be a memorable day." Robin smiled faintly.
Arthur stood at the bow with his arms folded. His eyes weren't on the palace. They were fixed on another ship.
The Going Merry.
"They'll move soon," he said calmly.
The eastern harbor erupted into chaos.
Marine warships surrounded the bay while countless soldiers flooded the docks.
"Stop the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Don't let them escape!"
Cannons thundered across the harbor as the Going Merry slowly pulled away from the pier.
"Luffy!" Nami shouted. "We're running out of time!"
"I know!" Luffy grinned.
The little ship gradually sailed farther from shore.
Then—
"LUFFYYYYYYYY!!" A familiar voice echoed across the harbor.
Every pair of eyes turned toward the shore.
Vivi.
She stood atop the eastern city wall beside Carue, breathing heavily after running through the capital. The wind whipped her long blue hair behind her.
Thousands of citizens had gathered below.
Everyone watched in silence.
Luffy stepped onto the Merry's figurehead.
"VIVI!"
She smiled.
Then slowly raised her voice.
"When I traveled with all of you..."
"...I saw a world far bigger than I had ever imagined."
"I laughed."
"I cried."
"I was afraid."
"And I learned what it truly means..."
"...to have friends."
"But Alabasta..." Her voice trembled.
"...will always be my home." She turned toward the enormous crowd filling the capital.
The citizens listened quietly.
King Cobra stood at the palace balcony overlooking the city.
Beside him...
A young man with the same blue hair as Vivi stood proudly in royal attire.
Prince Leon.
"People of Alabasta!" Cobra stepped forward.
"Princess Vivi has fulfilled her duty to this kingdom." His voice echoed throughout the capital.
"She helped save our nation."
"She gave everything she had."
"And today..."
"...I ask all of you to allow her..."
"...to follow her own dream."
The crowd fell silent.
Cobra gently placed a hand upon Leon's shoulder.
"From this day onward..."
"...I officially present Prince Leon."
"My son."
"The future king of Alabasta."
Gasps spread throughout the city.
Leon stepped forward.
He bowed deeply.
"I know many of you have never seen me before."
"But I promise..."
"...I will devote my life to protecting this kingdom."
Silence lingered.
Then...
One elderly citizen slowly began clapping.
Another joined.
Then another.
Within moments...
The entire capital erupted into thunderous applause.
"Princess Vivi!"
"Thank you!"
"We'll be alright!"
"Go chase your dream!"
"We'll protect Alabasta together!"
Tears streamed down Vivi's cheeks.
She had prepared herself to choose.
Instead...
Her people had made the choice for her.
She turned to her father.
Cobra smiled.
A simple nod.
Go.
That was all she needed.
Vivi wiped away her tears.
Then she fixed her eyes on the Going Merry.
"Luffy!"
"If..."
"...if you still want me..."
She laughed through her tears.
"...may I sail with all of you again?"
For one heartbeat...
Nobody answered.
Instead...
Every Straw Hat slowly raised their left arms.
The black X remained proudly marked upon each wrist.
Not a single word was spoken.
Just as before.
Because they already knew the answer.
Vivi stared at the marks.
Then smiled brighter than ever before.
She raised her own arm.
The same black X.
"Our friendship..."
"...will never change."
With Carue running beside her...
She sprinted toward the harbor.
"Luffy!"
Without slowing down—
She leaped.
"Luffy stretched out both arms.
"GOMU GOMU NO—"
His arms shot across the water.
They wrapped around Vivi and Carue before pulling them effortlessly aboard the Going Merry.
The moment her feet touched the deck...
"You took forever!" Nami threw her arms around her.
"I knew you'd come!" Usopp laughed.
"VIVIIIIII!!" Chopper cried openly.
"VIVI-CHAN HAS RETURNED!!" Sanji spun in circles.
Even Zoro allowed himself a faint smile.
Luffy simply laughed.
"See?"
"I told you we'd be pirates together again!"
"I'm home." Vivi laughed through her tears.
Far away...
Aboard the Athena...
Arthur watched the Going Merry disappear beyond the horizon.
"She chose the harder path."
Robin stepped beside him.
"You mean leaving her kingdom?"
"No. Leaving her family."
"But it's different from what you told us. So..."
"...even fate can change after all."
Arthur slowly shook his head.
"No." Athur turned toward Robin with a faint smile.
"The destination may remain the same."
"Only the road has changed."
The morning wind filled the sails of two pirate ships.
One carried the princess who had finally found her freedom.
The other quietly witnessed the birth of an adventure that would one day shake the entire world.
And somewhere beyond the endless sea...
The Grand Line waited.
Not for a princess.
Not for an Emperor.
But for the day when every promise made beneath that sky...
...would change the world.