Morning arrived beneath a sky unlike any Alabasta had seen in years.
Dark clouds still blanketed the horizon, lingering after the storm that had finally broken Alabasta's endless drought. Yet despite the long-awaited rain, the kingdom knew no peace.
The civil war had already begun.
Smoke rose from villages scattered across the desert. Houses burned where stray cannonballs had landed. The clash of steel echoed across the plains as Royal Guards and rebel soldiers continued fighting, unaware that the man who had manipulated both sides had already fallen.
Confusion had replaced strategy.
Even with Crocodile defeated, the hatred he had nurtured continued to consume the kingdom.
...
Arthur stood atop a rocky ridge overlooking the battlefield. From there, the entire valley spread before him.
Royal soldiers charged through muddy streets.
Rebels answered with rifle fire.
Families fled with whatever possessions they could carry.
Between them...
Countless civilians found themselves trapped in a war they had never wanted.
A frightened child cried beside the ruins of a collapsed house.
Nearby, an elderly woman desperately tried to drag her unconscious husband away from the flames consuming their home.
Further down the road, a temporary medical station had been overwhelmed. Doctors moved frantically from one patient to another, forced to decide who might still survive...
...and who would not.
Silence settled behind Arthur.
No one in the crew spoke.
Even Sugar had lost her usual playful smile.
"...Captain." Koala lowered her head.
"It looks like they couldn't evacuate everyone in time." Arthur didn't answer immediately.
"So many people..." She looked across the battlefield once more.
"They have nothing to do with this."
Baby-5's expression tightened as she watched an exhausted physician struggle to stop the bleeding of three wounded children at once.
"There aren't enough doctors."
"They're running out of medicine too." Law quietly adjusted Kikoku across his shoulder.
"The war may be over by tomorrow..." Robin closed her eyes briefly.
"...but many of these people won't live to see it."
The wind carried another distant explosion across the valley.
"Go." Arthur finally spoke.
"Help everyone." Everyone looked toward him.
Relief immediately appeared on Koala's face.
Before anyone could move, Arthur calmly added,
"But don't interfere with the battle." The words stopped them for only a heartbeat.
Arthur continued.
"Save the wounded."
"Rescue those trapped beneath the ruins."
"Protect children."
"Help the doctors save as many lives as possible."
His eyes remained fixed upon the battlefield below.
"Neither side must know we were ever here, even if we have to disguise ourselves as Marines."
"If this war ends because of outsiders..."
"...Alabasta will never truly belong to its own people again."
The meaning behind Arthur's order gradually became clear to everyone. Their mission wasn't to decide the outcome of the war. It was to ensure innocent people survived long enough to witness peace.
Koala smiled warmly.
"Understood."
Without another word, she leaped from the ridge.
...
King Cobra stumbled as Crocodile's golden hook pressed against his shoulder, forcing him deeper beneath the royal mausoleum.
Behind them, Vivi struggled against the restraints binding her wrists.
"Crocodile!" she shouted.
"You've already won! Why are you still doing this?"
"Because victory means nothing if I leave empty-handed." Without looking back, Crocodile smiled.
The underground passage eventually opened into a vast stone chamber. At its center stood an enormous blue Poneglyph. The ancient stone radiated an overwhelming sense of history.
"So..." Crocodile's eyes gleamed.
"...the royal family really did protect it."
"You've spent centuries guarding this stone."
"Now..." He stepped closer before glancing sideways at Cobra.
"...tell me where Pluton is."
Cobra remained silent.
Crocodile merely chuckled before turning toward Vivi.
"You." His gaze settled on the princess.
"I've heard an interesting rumor."
"They say the Nefertari bloodline inherited more than this kingdom."
Vivi frowned.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Really?"
"Then prove me wrong." Crocodile's smile widened.
"Read it." He pointed his hook toward Cobra's neck.
Silence filled the chamber. For a long moment, Vivi simply stared at the weathered surface.
Then...
She slowly walked forward.
King Cobra's eyes widened.
"Vivi... don't..."
She gently placed one hand against the cold black stone. Her eyes traced the ancient characters one line at a time.
When she finally spoke...
Her voice was calm.
"...This Poneglyph records the history of the Ancient Weapon Pluton."
"So you can read it." Crocodile's expression sharpened.
Vivi continued reading silently for several more seconds.
"It doesn't say where Pluton is." Then she lowered her hand.
"It only records its existence... and the promise to protect its history."
"...Impossible." Crocodile's smile disappeared.
He stepped closer to the stone, searching its surface as though the words themselves had betrayed him.
"The Nefertari Family has protected this history for eight hundred years." Vivi looked directly into his eyes.
"We were never meant to use it."
Cobra slowly closed his eyes.
For the first time...
He realized his daughter had truly inherited everything the royal family had carried for eight hundred years.
...
The crew of Art Pirates scattered across the battlefield.
Baby-5 arrived first at the overcrowded medical station.
Without introducing herself, she rolled up her sleeves and knelt beside the nearest patient.
"I'll take this one."
The exhausted doctor barely had time to look up before she was already stitching a deep wound with practiced hands.
Her movements were swift.
Precise.
Confident.
Within minutes, the doctor realized he no longer had one pair of hands helping him.
He had two.
Elsewhere, Law entered another treatment tent where several wounded soldiers lay bleeding across the floor.
He calmly raised his hand.
"ROOM."
A translucent sphere expanded silently around the tent.
Scalpels floated into the air. Bandages unfolded by themselves. Bullets floated free from flesh. Severed blood vessels reconnected. Broken bones slid back into perfect alignment.
The entire operation lasted less than two minutes.
Before anyone fully understood what had happened...
Law was already gone.
Not far away, Koala sprinted through collapsing streets.
A little girl cried helplessly beside a ruined house.
"My brother!"
"He's still inside!"
Koala didn't hesitate.
She dashed into the unstable building just as another support beam cracked overhead.
Moments later...
She emerged carrying a frightened boy safely in her arms. The children clung tightly to each other as she gently lowered them beside their mother.
Before the woman could even thank her...
Koala had already disappeared into the smoke.
Bepo lumbered through another district where a collapsed warehouse had trapped dozens of civilians beneath massive wooden beams.
"Stand back!"
With a deep breath, he wedged both paws beneath the largest support.
Muscles tightened.
The timber groaned.
Then—
CRAAACK!
The entire section lifted high enough for families to crawl free.
When they looked back...
The large white bear was already walking toward the next collapsed building.
High above the streets, Hancock quietly floated atop a small cloud.
She raised one graceful hand.
Soft white clouds drifted downward, gathering right above groups of injured children waiting outside overcrowded clinics. The harsh desert sun disappeared beneath drifting clouds. The temperature dropped ever so slightly.
For the first time that day...
Several frightened children stopped crying.
Monet soared silently overhead, her keen eyesight scanning every street below.
Whenever she spotted survivors trapped beneath rubble, Robin's Hana Hana Fruit bloomed dozens of hands from shattered walls and broken rooftops.
One by one, trapped civilians were pulled free before rescuers even realized anyone remained inside.
Nearby, Sugar lay prone atop a bell tower with her long rifle resting against the stone ledge.
She wasn't aiming at soldiers.
She watched collapsing rooftops instead.
A sharp crack echoed through the city.
BANG!
A single rifle shot shattered a weakened support beam before it could collapse onto a fleeing family.
By the time they looked up...
The unseen sniper had already shifted to another position.
Even Baccarat found herself carrying crates of clean water through the crowded streets, quietly leaving supplies wherever they were needed before disappearing into the crowd once again.
None of them announced their names.
None accepted thanks.
To the people of Alabasta...
They were simply strangers who appeared when help was needed...
...and vanished just as quietly.
Arthur remained alone upon the ridge.
His Observation Haki spread across the kingdom.
He sensed thousands of lives scattered across the battlefield.
Fear.
Grief.
Relief.
Hope.
Then...
One presence suddenly drew his attention.
Far beneath the royal mausoleum...
A familiar heartbeat surged with renewed determination.
Arthur slowly smiled.
"Luffy..." He closed his eyes for another brief moment.
Then—
"Good."
Robin, who had just returned to the ridge after guiding another group of civilians to safety, looked toward him.
"What happened?"
"The fight is over." Arthur opened his eyes.
"He won." A faint smile remained on his face.
Far away...
Above the royal capital...
The first rays of sunlight finally broke through the rain clouds.
...
Deep beneath the royal mausoleum...
The ancient chamber had become little more than a field of ruins.
Broken pillars lay scattered across the flooded floor. Cracks spread along the massive stone walls as sand poured endlessly from the ceiling above.
At the center of the destruction...
Two figures faced one another.
Monkey D. Luffy.
Sir Crocodile.
Both breathed heavily.
Both were covered in blood.
Crocodile wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand before letting out a low laugh.
"You still don't understand..." His golden hook rose slowly.
"No matter how many times you stand up..."
"...you cannot defeat me."
Luffy didn't answer. He simply tightened both fists. Blood continued dripping from his knuckles, soaking into the bandages wrapped around his hands.
Crocodile's eyes narrowed.
"So you've figured it out."
Blood.
Water alone evaporated too quickly against his powers.
But blood...
Blood remained.
As long as Crocodile's true body could be touched...
He could be hit.
The Warlord lunged forward. Golden sand erupted beneath his feet as countless blades of compressed sand shot toward Luffy.
"Dessert Spada!"
Massive blades carved through the chamber, slicing apart pillars and walls alike.
Luffy didn't dodge. He charged straight through them. Chunks of shattered stone exploded around him. Another blade grazed his shoulder.
A second cut across his side.
Still...
He kept running forward.
"Idiot." Crocodile clicked his tongue.
His hook shot forward.
Luffy twisted aside at the last possible moment before driving his fist into Crocodile's face.
BAM!
The impact snapped Crocodile's head backward.
For the first time...
His sand body failed to disperse. Blood splattered across the ancient stone floor. Crocodile staggered.
Impossible.
A pirate from East Blue...
Someone without Haki should never have reached this far.
His frustration exploded into fury. Golden sand erupted violently throughout the chamber. The ground itself began collapsing beneath Luffy's feet.
"You insolent brat!"
Luffy planted both feet firmly against the broken floor.
He drew one arm back.
Farther.
Farther still.
The muscles along his shoulder stretched to their limit.
"Gomu Gomu no..." His fist disappeared behind him.
The entire chamber trembled.
Crocodile's eyes widened.
"...Storm!!"
Both fists erupted into motion.
A relentless barrage crashed into Crocodile before he could defend himself.
BA! BA! BA! BA! BA! BA!
Each strike landed harder than the last.
Blood sprayed through the air.
The impact launched the Warlord upward like a cannonball.
His body smashed through the ceiling of the underground chamber.
One layer.
Two.
Three.
Stone exploded outward.
The ancient mausoleum ruptured beneath the force.
The final blow crashed into Crocodile's abdomen with overwhelming force.
BOOOOOOM!!
High above...
The streets of Alubarna shook violently.
Citizens looked skyward just as an enormous figure burst through the ground in an explosion of shattered rock.
Crocodile.
His unconscious body continued soaring into the dark clouds overhead before crashing back down among the rain-soaked ruins.
Silence followed.
Then...
No one moved.
The first heavy raindrops began falling across the capital.
Not from Dance Powder.
Not from chance.
But from natural clouds that had finally returned to Alabasta.
Below the ruined chamber...
Luffy remained standing for only a single heartbeat.
His body swayed.
Every muscle screamed in exhaustion.
Then...
He collapsed backward onto the broken stone floor.
Completely unconscious.
Far above...
Rain continued pouring across the kingdom.
The long drought had finally come to an end.
And with it...
The reign of Sir Crocodile.
...
Rain continued falling across Alubarna.
For the first time in years, the Kingdom of Sand welcomed a sky that no longer withheld its mercy.
Citizens slowly emerged from their homes.
Children stretched trembling hands toward the rain as though afraid it might disappear if they blinked.
Some laughed.
Others simply cried.
The drought...
Had finally ended.
Yet beneath the celebration...
Another kingdom was collapsing.
...
Deep below Rain Dinners...
Panic spread through the underground headquarters of Baroque Works.
Agents hurried through narrow corridors carrying whatever they could salvage.
Documents vanished into flames.
Hidden ledgers were torn apart.
Den Den Mushi lines rang without answer.
The organization that had operated flawlessly for years had lost the one man who held every piece together.
Without Crocodile...
Everything unraveled.
Some agents abandoned their codenames.
Others discarded their uniforms before fleeing through secret escape tunnels.
Every person now had only one priority.
Survive.
...
Inside a private chamber illuminated by flickering lanterns...
One man remained perfectly composed.
Daz Bones.
Still injured from his battle with Zoro, Daz Bones forced himself to his feet. One slow step after another, he made his way toward his private chamber beneath Alubarna. Mr. 1 calmly fastened his coat before retrieving his bag. His expression never changed.
Whether Crocodile had succeeded...
Or failed...
His own objective remained the same.
Live.
He quietly opened a concealed stone passage leading toward one of the emergency exits.
Without looking back...
He disappeared into the darkness.
...
Miles away...
"The rain has begun." Arthur lowered his gaze from the distant capital.
"So has the collapse." Robin stood beside him.
"Baroque Works no longer has a leader." Arthur nodded.
"Every officer will choose the same path."
"Escape."
"So we move now." Law folded his arms.
"Not yet." Arthur smiled faintly.
The answer surprised several members of the crew.
"Huh?" Sugar tilted her head.
"If we rush toward the headquarters now..."
"...we'll only chase frightened rats."
"I'd rather wait." Arthur looked toward the southern desert.
"The target will come to us."
"You've already predicted their escape routes." Robin immediately understood.
"The strongest officers will leave through the safest exits." Arthur nodded once.
"And you know exactly who's coming." Law quietly adjusted Kikoku across his shoulder.
"Daz Bones." Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly.
A brief silence followed.
"So..." Bepo scratched the back of his head.
"We're only catching one guy?"
"One is enough." Arthur smiled.
"You're not interested in the others?" Robin glanced toward him.
"They're criminals."
"They can be arrested."
"They can disappear."
"They can start over."
"But Daz Bones..." Arthur calmly folded his arms.
"...is different."
Everyone waited.
Arthur continued.
"He has something most assassins never possess."
"Discipline."
"He follows strength."
"He seeks stronger opponents."
Robin slowly smiled.
"So you want Kuina to meet him."
Arthur looked toward the young swordswoman standing quietly nearby.
Kuina had remained silent throughout the conversation. Her hand rested naturally upon the hilt of Wado Ichimonji.
Without looking away from the horizon, she finally spoke.
"I've wanted to test my sword against his for a long time."
Arthur nodded.
"Then you'll have your chance."
A brief silence followed before Arthur looked toward Koala.
"There's one Devil Fruit that would have incredible synergy with your Fish-Man Karate."
Koala blinked.
"Me?"
Arthur smiled faintly.
"The Dice-Dice Fruit."
"It lets its user transform any part of their body into steel blades."
"A swordsman would benefit from it..."
"...but in your hands, combined with Fish-Man Karate, it would become far more dangerous."
Koala looked surprised.
"...You really think it suits me?"
"Perfectly."
Arthur turned toward the city.
"Let's go."
"Its current owner is already on the move."
The rain gradually weakened. Far beyond the rocky hills surrounding Alubarna...
A concealed stone door slowly opened.
Someone stepped into the fading afternoon light.
Arthur's Observation Haki expanded.
"He's here." A faint smile crossed his face.
Every member of the crew rose. No one reached for a weapon.
"Let's welcome our guest." Arthur calmly turned toward the narrow canyon ahead.
Without another word...
The ART Pirates disappeared among the rain-soaked cliffs.
Far behind them...
Daz Bones walked steadily across the empty desert, completely unaware that every step brought him closer to the people who had been waiting for him all along.
...
The concealed stone door slowly slid shut behind him.
Daz Bones never looked back.
The narrow escape tunnel had carried him far beyond Rainbase, opening into a rocky canyon several kilometers from the city. Rain still lingered overhead, though only a light drizzle remained after the storm that had finally broken Alabasta's years-long drought.
He calmly adjusted the collar of his coat before continuing through the canyon.
No panic.
No hesitation.
Every step remained steady.
Baroque Works had fallen.
Crocodile had lost.
Those facts no longer mattered.
A professional survived. Everything else came second.
That was all.
The canyon gradually widened into an open stretch of desert.
Only then did Daz Bones stop.
Someone was waiting.
Several figures stood silently across the valley, blocking the only path forward.
Arthur.
Robin.
Hancock.
Baby-5.
Monet.
Law.
Sabo.
Bepo.
Baccarat.
Koala.
Sugar.
And standing at the very front...
Kuina.
Rainwater slowly rolled down the white sheath of Wado Ichimonji.
Neither side spoke.
The wind carried only the sound of falling rain.
Daz Bones calmly examined each face before his gaze settled on Arthur.
"So..."
"The Emperor himself."
"I've been expecting you." Arthur returned the look without changing expression.
"You could've chased everyone else." A faint smile appeared on Daz Bones' face.
"I could have." Arthur nodded.
"But I wasn't looking for everyone else." Arthur took one slow step forward.
"There was only one person I came for."
The words hung quietly in the air.
Daz Bones understood immediately.
"...Me."
"Yes."
No threats.
No dramatic declarations.
Only a simple answer.
The former assassin slowly flexed his hands. Metallic blades extended from his forearms with a sharp ringing sound.
SHING!
"So... what is this?"
Arthur never reached for his sword. Instead, he glanced toward Kuina.
"You asked for this opponent."
"I did." Kuina stepped forward.
"He's yours." Arthur met her eyes for a brief moment before giving a small nod.
The rest of the crew silently moved aside, leaving an open space between the two swordsmen.
Across the valley, Daz Bones studied the young woman now standing before him.
She looked calm.
Almost ordinary.
A single sword rested in her hand.
No visible tension.
No wasted movement.
Yet every instinct sharpened through years as an assassin warned him not to underestimate her.
"You don't look like much," Daz Bones remarked.
"I've heard that before." Kuina smiled faintly.
Slowly...
She wrapped her right hand around Wado Ichimonji's hilt.
The blade slid free with a clear metallic ring.
SHIIING...
Its polished edge reflected the gray sky above.
"I've heard you're the strongest swordsman in Baroque Works." Her stance settled naturally.
"I wanted to see whether you deserved that title."
"My steel has cut through countless swords." Daz Bones' expression remained unreadable.
I wonder whether your sword will last any longer..." He lowered his center of gravity.
"...or whether you're even close to the man who defeated me."
"I don't intend to find out." Kuina exhaled slowly.
"I intend to cut through yours."
For the first time...
Daz Bones smiled. Not with amusement. But with anticipation.
High above them, dark clouds drifted slowly across the sky.
Rain fell in quiet sheets between the two warriors.
Neither moved.
Neither blinked.
The entire canyon seemed to hold its breath.
Arthur watched silently from behind. His Observation Haki remained spread across the battlefield.
No interference.
No instructions.
This fight belonged to Kuina alone.
For several long seconds...
Neither fighter moved.
Kuina quietly studied the man before her, his stance, his breathing, and the way he distributed his weight.
Everything she had learned from years of swordsmanship told her the same thing.
He was disciplined, experienced, and confident.
"A swordswoman..." He murmured.
Daz Bones smiled faintly.
"You will be the first blood for me."
The words had barely left his mouth when he vanished. His body shot forward with explosive speed, both steel blades slicing toward Kuina's shoulders.
SHING!
Kuina met the attack effortlessly. Steel clashed against steel. A sharp metallic cry echoed across the canyon.
"...Good." She slid back only half a step.
"So this is the strongest swordsman in Baroque Works." For the first time, a small smile appeared on her face.
Daz Bones immediately followed with another barrage. His bladed arms spun like twin guillotines, forcing relentless close combat.
Slash after slash rained down without pause. Yet each strike met nothing but the calm white blade of Wado Ichimonji.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Not a single attack slipped through.
"He isn't gaining any ground." Robin watched quietly.
"Kuina hasn't attacked once." Law nodded.
"She's reading him," Arthur answered.
"She's trying to understand the way he fights."
...
Another exchange rang through the canyon.
Kuina finally pushed Daz Bones back with a single precise parry.
The distance between them widened.
"...Something's wrong." She frowned.
"What is?" Daz Bones narrowed his eyes.
"You don't fight like a swordsman." Kuina slowly lowered her blade.
"A swordsman entrusts everything to his sword."
"Every cut."
"Every stance."
"Every breath."
"But you..." She looked directly at the steel blades extending from Daz Bones' arms.
"...aren't using a sword at all."
"My body is the blade." Daz Bones chuckled.
"I ate the Dice-Dice Fruit."
"I am the swordsman."
For the first time...
Disappointment appeared on Kuina's face.
"So that's it." She let out a quiet sigh.
"I was hoping to cross blades with another swordsman."
"Instead... I'm fighting someone who only relies on a Devil Fruit."
"You sound disappointed." Daz Bones' smile faded.
"I am." Kuina slowly raised Wado Ichimonji once more.
"I mistook you for someone pursuing the same path." She settled into a proper iai stance.
"But our paths are different."
"You forged your body into steel. "
"I forged my soul into my blade."
"This is where it ends." Arthur quietly smiled.
Daz Bones roared and charged. His entire body transformed into a storm of spinning steel. Dozens of flashing blades rushed toward Kuina from every direction.
"SPIRAL HOLLOW!"
She didn't move. She simply closed her eyes.
One breath.
One heartbeat.
Then—
Her eyes opened.
"Ittoryu..." A single step. "Iai." The blade disappeared.
SHHKK—
For an instant...
Nothing happened.
Daz Bones stopped several meters behind her.
Rain continued falling. The canyon fell silent. A thin line slowly appeared across the steel covering his chest. His Devil Fruit armor split apart. Then the coat beneath it.
A heartbeat later...
The impact finally reached him.
BOOM!
The shockwave threw him backward across the wet sand before he crashed heavily onto the ground. His steel blades returned to ordinary hands. Blood trickled from a shallow cut across his chest.
"...Impossible... how high... more than him..." He stared upward in disbelief.
Kuina slowly returned Wado Ichimonji to its scabbard.
Click.
"You relied too much on your fruit." Her voice remained calm.
"If that steel had been your sword..." She turned away without another glance.
"...perhaps this battle would've lasted longer."
"For someone called the strongest swordsman of Baroque Works..."
"...you never walked the path of a swordsman."
Behind her...
Daz Bones could no longer stand.
For the first time in years...
Daz Bones had been defeated by a single sword.
Not by greater steel...
But by someone who had devoted her entire life to the path he had abandoned.