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Aboard the Going Merry.
Nami and Vivi gazed, eyes sparkling, at the beautiful shower of cherry blossoms descending from the sky. For this perpetually snow-covered kingdom, the blooming cherry blossoms felt like a symbol of hope itself.
"It's beautiful," even the usually composed Robin murmured, a gentle smile gracing her features.
Chopper, still lost in fond memories of Dr. Hiriluk, had tears welling in his eyes.
"Hey! Brothers! Before we reach Alabasta, what's the one thing we absolutely must do?! We're pirates, after all!" Rowen declared, standing up, adopting his 'villain' expression.
"AHH! Can't miss out on this—!" Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp grinned, standing up as well, mirroring Rowen's fierce expression.
Together, they turned towards Chopper.
"Gulp!" Seeing their expressions, the timid Chopper burst into tears of fright. 'W-What are they gonna do?!'
"Eh!!!" Chopper shrieked as Rowen suddenly scooped him up.
"Of course—we have to throw Chopper a welcome party!" Rowen laughed, holding Chopper aloft.
"Oh! PARTY TIME!"
"Pirates always party!"
Luffy and Usopp immediately started singing and dancing.
"Sanji! One Reindeer Special Pirate Lunchbox!" Rowen called out to Sanji.
"Leave it to me!" Sanji replied with a grin.
"Hey, Chopper! A real man of the sea can't refuse a drink!" Zoro offered, holding out two mugs of ale with a hearty laugh.
"Eh?!" Chopper stared, completely bewildered. A welcome party... just for him? His eyes blurred, tears threatening to spill over again.
"Idiot! Are you crying? At a pirate party—you're only allowed to laugh! Hahahaha!" Rowen laughed, looking warmly at Chopper.
"Check this out! The advanced version of the Pirate Chopstick Dance!"
Luffy yelled, sticking two chopsticks up his nose again, connecting them to his mouth, then using his rubber powers to stretch his nose and mouth absurdly long.
"Hahahaha!" Seeing Luffy's ridiculous display, Usopp and Zoro slapped their thighs, howling with laughter.
"Hey! Chopper! What are you waiting for? You try it too!" Usopp joined in, performing his own chopstick dance, looking towards Chopper.
"You guys! Stop corrupting Chopper!" Nami scolded, hands on her hips. But then she turned and saw Chopper attempting to stick chopsticks up his own nose.
"....."
"Don't copy them!" Nami sighed, facepalming as the adorable, figurine-like Chopper adopted the ridiculous look.
"Hahaha! Reindeer noses work pretty well too!" Rowen chuckled, thoroughly amused by Chopper's attempt.
'The Straw Hat Pirates' Nostril Chopstick Trio is officially complete today!'
Just then, Zoro and Sanji started arguing again over some minor disagreement, plates and cutlery flying. Luffy kept pestering Sanji for more meat.
"So? What do you think of a pirate party?" Rowen asked Chopper with a smile.
"I... I've never... been this happy before," Chopper mumbled, chopsticks still dangling from his nose and mouth, but his smile was utterly radiant.
"Is that so," Rowen smiled, then clapped his hands loudly.
Instantly, the brawling Zoro and Sanji stopped. Luffy obediently stopped demanding meat. Vivi, Nami, and Robin all turned their attention to Rowen.
"Allow me to introduce our newest comrade! Ship's doctor, user of the Human-Human Fruit—Tony Tony Chopper!" Rowen announced grandly.
"Welcome, Chopper! Cheers!" Rowen raised his mug.
"OHHHHH!" Chopper beamed with pure joy.
"CHEERS!!!!!" Everyone raised their mugs together, laughing heartily.
——
—[Human-Human Fruit equipping in progress... Progress Increased.]—
——
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After Chopper's welcome party concluded, Rowen and the crew set sail towards their final destination before Alabasta proper: Nanohana.
Splash! Thump! Thump!
The sea churned, and numerous fish were suddenly tossed onto the Merry's deck.
"SUGEEE! Rowen! So many fish! More meat to eat!" Luffy cheered, watching Rowen climb smoothly back onto the deck from the ocean.
"Rowen! SUGEEE!" Chopper stared wide-eyed at the pile of fish. Both being Devil Fruit users, he and Luffy couldn't touch seawater.
But Rowen not only swam freely in the deep sea every day but could also dive deep to catch fish like this!
"You idiots! You ate all the fishing bait! If it weren't for Rowen, we'd all be starving!" Sanji yelled, kicking the sheepishly grinning Luffy and Usopp.
"S-Sorry," Luffy and Usopp apologized meekly.
"R-Rowen," Vivi approached, blushing slightly as she noticed the defined muscles of Rowen's exposed upper body, offering him a towel.
"Thank you," Rowen accepted the towel with a smile, looking at Vivi.
Vivi blushed again, quickly looking away.
She wanted to be braver, but the weight of Alabasta's situation still pressed heavily on her heart. Vivi had resolved that after Alabasta was saved, she would confess her feelings to Rowen.
Rowen, through their interactions and his Observation Haki, had already guessed Vivi's feelings. He didn't press the issue, content to wait until after Crocodile was dealt with.
"By the way, I saw those Sea Cats you mentioned down there," Rowen commented, smiling at Vivi.
"Sea Cats! That means we've entered the waters around Alabasta!" Vivi replied, her face lighting up with excitement.
Sea Cats were unique to Alabasta's waters, considered auspicious creatures by the locals.
"Since we're almost at Alabasta, let me offer you some crucial intelligence, Princess," Robin interjected, walking over to Vivi. "Crocodile's... Operation Utopia."
Robin proceeded to calmly detail Crocodile's entire sinister plan to Vivi.
Operation Utopia—Crocodile's scheme to overthrow the Alabasta monarchy and seize control of the Ancient Weapon, Pluton.
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First, create Baroque Works.
Use his Warlord status to build a reputation as Alabasta's hero. Under this cover, infiltrate Baroque Works agents into all levels of Alabastan society.
Have agents disguised as merchants smuggle large quantities of Dance Powder into the capital, hiding it to create the illusion the King was using the forbidden powder, inciting hatred among the populace and bolstering the Rebel Army's numbers.
Through infiltrated agents in both the Royal Army and the Rebel Army, exacerbate hatred and provoke war.
Finally, kidnap King Cobra, use Mr. 2's Clone-Clone Fruit ability to impersonate the King, directly attack the citizens to push the situation beyond control, forcing the Royal Army and Rebel Army into an unstoppable war—completely overthrowing the Alabasta government.
Transform Alabasta into a military state possessing Pluton, merely a tool for Crocodile's ambition. That was Crocodile's Operation Utopia.
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"What an evil plan!" Nami exclaimed indignantly after hearing Robin's explanation, looking with fury at Vivi, who stood trembling, her eyes red.
Nami placed a comforting hand on Vivi's shoulder.
"I-I wondered how that Dance Powder got into the capital... Of course—It was Crocodile!" Vivi choked out, biting her lip hard.
Such a vicious plan—step by step, pushing Alabasta into the abyss. She could only imagine—without Rowen's help, under Crocodile's meticulous scheming, the Alabasta monarchy falling was almost certain. The resulting war would cause rivers of blood, countless citizens would die...
"Then why didn't you tell us this sooner?! Give us time to prepare?!" Usopp demanded, still somewhat wary of Robin.
"Telling her sooner would have only plunged the Princess into this state of distress earlier," Robin replied calmly, looking at Vivi, then shifting her gaze to Rowen.
"Besides, even telling you now isn't too late. Crocodile spent years building Baroque Works, ensuring he had ample manpower. But now—thanks to Mr. Sky Sovereign eliminating most of his top agents—Crocodile is quite short-handed. And given Mr. Sky Sovereign's intellect—surely he has already devised a way to resolve this crisis," Robin finished, looking pointedly at Rowen.
What Robin said was precisely why Rowen hadn't revealed this information to Vivi earlier.
Under his and Nami's command, the Merry was already heading towards Alabasta at maximum speed; causing Vivi unnecessary anxiety beforehand served no purpose.
"Vivi," Rowen didn't address Robin directly, instead stepping closer to Vivi, looking intently into her reddened eyes.
"Leave it to me. I won't let you wear that expression again," Rowen stated firmly, then gently, almost playfully, ruffled Vivi's blue hair.
Though the gesture was slightly rough, Vivi felt an immense sense of security wash over her.
She looked up at Rowen and nodded firmly. "Mm!"
Tears streamed down her face. 'When you have someone to rely on... even the strongest heart—allows itself moments of softness.' Vivi, after all, was still just an eighteen-year-old girl.
"LET'S GO. TO ALABASTA—" Rowen declared, looking towards the distant sea, a fierce crimson-black light flashing in his eyes.
"OOOHHH!" The crew responded, their faces grim with determination as they stared towards the horizon.
Vivi was their comrade now.
What Crocodile had done—was unforgivable.
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Under Nami and Rowen's joint command, the Going Merry soon sighted the coast of Alabasta.
Along the way, they encountered numerous Baroque Works ships—Billions, the organization's foot soldiers—converging on Alabasta.
Ignoring these small fry, the Merry arrived at Alabasta's first major port city.
"This is Nanohana, a large port city. We can replenish our supplies here first," Vivi explained, pointing towards the city.
Though anxious, Vivi trusted Rowen, and understood restocking was essential. Even if Rowen could provide fish from the sea, traversing the desert required a large supply of fresh water.
"W-WAIT!! Why are there so many Marine warships here?!" Usopp suddenly yelled, pointing towards the numerous warships docked along the coastline, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"And... they're completely different from the Marine ships we've seen before," Zoro added, his expression turning serious.
These warships were significantly larger than those encountered in the East Blue.
Their decks were reinforced with steel, lined with rows of massive cannons. They looked like colossal sea beasts patrolling the waters.
"Marine Headquarters warships!!" Zoro concluded grimly.
"Interesting. Not just standard ships, but carrying some big names from the Navy too," Rowen commented, looking at the warships with keen interest.
Smoker, who pursued them in the original story, had been stripped of his power and couldn't enter the Grand Line now.
'Didn't expect Marine HQ would send even stronger forces instead.' This level of naval deployment wasn't typical even for most Vice Admirals.
Rowen already had a good guess who might be here—because the main sail of the central flagship bore a distinctive pink rabbit insignia.
Within Marine HQ, only one person used such a symbol...
"B-Big names?!" Usopp stammered, his legs starting to tremble again. For Rowen to call them 'big names'—these weren't normal Marines!
"But relax. That person won't act recklessly," Rowen added calmly.
If it were just them here, Rowen might have avoided contact. After all, obtaining Crocodile's 'Fortune' was his current priority.
But they weren't alone here, Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace, was also present.
With both of them around, even 'that' person couldn't guarantee emerging unscathed from a serious fight.
"Alright, let's go buy supplies. And materials for building desert transportation—I'm leaving that procurement to you, Usopp," Rowen instructed, turning to Usopp.
Rowen had no intention of wasting time traversing the desert on foot like in the original story.
With the Munch-Munch Fruit ability and Usopp's Inventor Trait, Rowen could quickly construct a vehicle capable of smooth desert travel.
"R-Right! Leave it to me!" Usopp replied, puffing out his chest, still slightly nervous but eager to contribute. Finally, a chance for him to shine!
"W-Wait a minute! You guys will attract too much attention like this!" Usopp suddenly yelled.
"Rowen! You know you have a 100 million Beri bounty! A super rookie! Hailed as a future King of the Seas! Super conspicuous! Famous across the world!" Usopp exclaimed, standing before Rowen, sweating nervously.
"SUGEEEEEE!!!" Chopper gasped upon hearing the string of titles, eyes bulging, looking at Rowen with utter reverence.
"Hey! I've got a 45 million Beri bounty too, you know!" Luffy protested indignantly.
"Which is exactly why you both need to be more careful! If we cause a commotion, won't that big-name Marine come after us?!" Usopp argued seriously.
"Good point," Rowen nodded approvingly, making Usopp beam.
"But just having Vivi disguise herself should be enough. As long as Crocodile doesn't learn Vivi's whereabouts, it's fine," Rowen added with a smile.
"Eh?! But that big name—" Usopp started to protest, but was cut off by a commotion erupting from within the town.
"Hey! Whitebeard Pirates 2nd Division Commander, Fire Fist Ace, is here!"
"Fire Fist Ace is facing off against the Marines! Get out of here quick! If you get caught in the crossfire, you'll definitely die!"
Civilians began fleeing frantically from the town center.
"Ace?!" Hearing the name, Luffy blinked.
"'Fire Fist' Portgas D. Ace," Rowen commented calmly with a smile. His Observation Haki had already located Ace and the Marines.
'Tashigi is also here...' Rowen smirked with interest.
"Ace! It really is Ace! Ace is here!" Luffy instantly became ecstatic.
"Luffy, you know him? The Whitebeard Pirates?! Is that the legendary great pirate?!" Usopp gasped upon hearing the name 'Whitebeard'.
"I dunno who Whitebeard is, but Ace... is my big brother!" Luffy declared proudly, grinning widely.
"EH?!" Everyone except Rowen stared, utterly shocked.
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Nanohana Town Square.
A group of Marines currently surrounded a single man.
"Whitebeard 2nd Division Commander—'Fire Fist' Portgas D. Ace—State your purpose here!"
A tall, stunningly beautiful woman wearing a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral's 'Justice' coat, identifiable by a spider tattoo on her thigh, demanded, her beautiful eyes narrowed seriously.
—Marine HQ Vice Admiral! Admiral Candidate—'Pink Rabbit' Gion!
Beside Gion stood Tashigi. And one other figure—a sexy woman with long pink hair, smoking a cigarette.
—Marine HQ Captain! 'Black Cage' Hina!
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