Gojo really wanted to leave Alabasta immediately, and he would have left without hesitation if he was the man he had been before meeting Vivi. But after meeting her and spending time by her side, he couldn't bring himself to pressure her for the money and leave right after taking it, as if none of it mattered.
So he decided to wait.
Vivi needed time to deal with the matters of the rebel army and to inform her father about everything that had happened. Now that everything was finally dealt with—Baroque Works destroyed and Crocodile defeated—there wasn't much immediate danger left for Vivi or Igaram. The storm had passed, at least for now.
She left Rainbase with Igaram without delay and headed straight for Alubarna to inform her father of the truth. With Baroque Works no longer fuelling the rebellion or deliberately wearing down the rebels' patience through underhanded schemes, the rebel army had fallen into a tense stalemate against Alabasta's royal forces. Neither side was pushing forward, as if the entire kingdom was holding its breath.
Vivi reached Alubarna and met the King of Alabasta—her father, King Cobra. When Cobra learned everything, from Crocodile's manipulation to Baroque Works' involvement, he wasted no time. He immediately ordered the royal army to halt all aggression against the rebel forces and arranged a meeting between Vivi and Koza.
Vivi wanted to meet Koza in person. She wanted him to hear the truth directly from her—everything that had been happening in Alabasta, the real reason the rain had stopped, and the chain of lies that had led the kingdom to the brink of civil war. From the beginning to the very end, she laid it all bare.
When she finally met Koza, she told him everything. Convincing him—and the other leaders and members of the rebel army—was not as difficult as she had feared. The rain was already falling again, and with it, the fire that had driven the rebellion had begun to fade. Their motivation was weakening. After all, they had taken up arms because they believed King Cobra was manipulating the rain to favour only the capital.
Under the misguidance of Baroque Works and Crocodile's schemes, the people had believed that King Cobra was making Alubarna prosper while allowing the rest of Alabasta to wither and die. That belief had fuelled their anger, their desperation, and their rebellion.
But that belief was a lie.
Now, as the rain continued to fall and Vivi's revelations spread, even the last tiny sparks of rebellion were completely extinguished. Of course, there were still some people—more desperate, more radical—who wanted to support Koza and see him sit on the throne of Alabasta or something along those lines. But Koza had never rebelled with the intention of becoming king. He wasn't swayed by their words, their schemes, or their attempts to push the rebellion forward for his sake. He rejected them outright, and with that, any remaining momentum the rebellion had simply collapsed.
This entire process of convincing, negotiation, and reconciliation took two full days. During that time, King Cobra also informed the World Government of everything that had transpired in Alabasta, including the fact that Gojo had defeated Crocodile—the Warlord of the Sea. The news sent shockwaves through the Marines.
Jinbe had been actively targeting Gojo, and because of that, Gojo had already fought him. But the Marines never expected that Gojo would go on to defeat Crocodile as well—one Warlord after another, in such quick succession, within just a few days. This wasn't a coincidence anymore.
This time, the Marines couldn't hide the truth. Previously, they had buried the fact that Jinbe fought Gojo—and lost. They didn't want to give Gojo any kind of fame or recognition. But Crocodile's defeat was different. Crocodile had fallen, and his entire organization, Baroque Works, had been destroyed. That truth was already known to many people across Alabasta, and journalists were beginning to piece things together. News of this scale couldn't be suppressed for long.
So the Marines made their decision.
Gojo's bounty would be increased—but what that bounty should be was still being debated within Marine headquarters.
On the other side, after taking over the Rain Dinners casino, Gojo began living there in quiet luxury. The servants hadn't left, and he didn't dismiss them. He kept them on, though only a minimal number remained to attend to the place. The once-garish casino was calmer now, its halls no longer echoing with gamblers' voices, only the soft sounds of footsteps and flowing water.
Finally, after dealing with all the matters in Alubarna, Vivi returned to Rainbase. She entered the Rain Dinners casino to meet Gojo—because her father wanted to meet him.
As soon as Vivi entered the Rain Dinners Casino, she was immediately recognized by one of the former Baroque Works members—exactly as Gojo had instructed. He had made it clear that if Vivi herself, anyone related to her, or anyone from the royal family came looking for him, he was to be informed at once. And Vivi was hard to miss. Just a few days ago, before Baroque Works was destroyed, she had been one of the people most of them were ordered to capture. Because of that, most of the remaining members still remembered her face clearly.
Without delay, she was guided through the casino and taken to Gojo's room—the place where he was staying.
Vivi soon entered a large hall. Gojo was lying lazily on a sofa, dressed in a white shirt and casual pajamas, a book resting in his hand. His sunglasses were still on, even indoors, giving him an air of careless confidence. Seeing him like that, Vivi spoke first.
"You're quite relaxed here."
As soon as Gojo heard her voice, he replied without looking up from the book. "Then what should I be doing? Should I be fighting all the time like you imagine?"
Hearing that, Vivi said, "I mean, with the way you love fighting and killing, I wouldn't be surprised if you were fighting every single day."
Gojo closed the book, the soft thud echoing faintly in the hall, and sat up on the sofa. Turning his head toward her, he said, "I only fight people who don't know their place and always want to provoke me—just like you did about a week ago or so."
Vivi stiffened slightly at that and felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. "You know I was working undercover," she said quickly. "I'm not that violent. I was just playing my role as a Baroque Works member. Nothing more than that."
Gojo waved it off dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I know." Then his tone shifted, becoming sharper. "So—is your father ready? Is the money ready? You haven't forgotten our deal, right? The life of your precious guard, Igaram, still lies within that deal."
"Of course I haven't forgotten," Vivi replied without hesitation. "That's exactly why I came here. And my father would also like to meet you. You'll get your money there."
As soon as Gojo heard that, his expression hardened. "I don't want to meet your father and waste my time any further, okay?" he said bluntly. "Just give me my money, and I'll leave Alabasta immediately. I've already waited for you to finish whatever you needed to do in the kingdom. I've given you more than enough time already."
As soon as Vivi heard this, she said softly, "And I thank you for that—for being patient with me and for understanding."
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