Beyond the casino walls, music still played, glasses still clinked, and water still flowed in obscene abundance. But beneath it all—under marble floors and golden statues—the city shifted like a living thing that had tasted blood and wanted more.
Inside the Sea Prism cell, the air felt heavier by the second.
Usopp paced.
Nami counted exits that didn't exist.
Zoro leaned against the bars, eyes half-closed, listening—not to the room, but to the city itself.
Vivi stood very still.
And Luffy sat.
Relaxed. Almost bored.
That unsettled Crocodile more than anger would have.
"You're taking this remarkably well," Crocodile said, turning back toward the cell. "Most men panic when they realize they've already lost."
Luffy didn't look at him. "You talk like this is over."
Crocodile chuckled. "It is."
Smoker shifted slightly, jitte tapping against the floor. He didn't like this—being this close to Crocodile, sharing space with a Warlord who smelled like manipulation and sandstorms. But orders were orders.
"Princess," Crocodile continued, eyes sliding back to Vivi. "You should thank me. I gave your country an enemy. Without one, nations rot from the inside."
Vivi clenched her fists. "You created suffering."
"I organized it," Crocodile corrected calmly. "There's a difference."
Luffy finally looked up.
His gaze passed over Crocodile and settled briefly on Vivi—not in reassurance, not in softness, but in acknowledgment. Like a general confirming a piece was still on the board.
Vivi felt it.
That look didn't say I'll save you.
It said I already decided.
She didn't know why, but her chest tightened.
Crocodile noticed.
Interesting.
"You follow him blindly," Crocodile said, tilting his head. "Even now."
Vivi shook her head. "We follow him because he moves forward. Even when the path is ugly."
Luffy smirked faintly. "She gets it."
Crocodile sighed. "Such loyalty for a pirate."
Then he raised his hand.
The floor trembled.
A low, wet sound echoed through the chamber—something massive shifting beneath them.
Usopp froze. "Please tell me that's not—"
The wall behind Crocodile split open.
Water rushed in.
And with it—
Teeth.
Banana Gators erupted from hidden canals, their massive jaws snapping shut inches from the bars. Yellow eyes rolled lazily, pupils narrowing as they tasted the air.
Chopper squeaked. Loudly.
"Ah," Crocodile said pleasantly. "Allow me to introduce Rainbase's true guardians."
Smoker swore under his breath.
The Gators circled the cell, tails smashing against stone, water sloshing higher with every movement.
Vivi's breath hitched. "You're going to let them—"
"Eat you?" Crocodile finished. "Eventually. Slowly, if I'm feeling generous."
He turned his back. "Enjoy the wait."
The door slammed shut.
Darkness crept in.
The Gators lunged.
Luffy stood.
The Sea Prism burned. His body felt heavy, dulled, like lightning trapped in glass. But his eyes were sharp. Clear.
"Zoro," he said calmly.
"Yeah."
"Smokey."
Smoker looked at him sharply. "Don't call me that."
"You want Crocodile," Luffy continued. "Not us."
Smoker hesitated.
Another Gator slammed its head against the bars, denting metal.
"Damn it," Smoker muttered. He struck the bars with his jitte—testing. "These aren't standard locks."
Luffy nodded. "They don't have to break."
He closed his eyes.
The cell shook—not from power, but from intent.
The Gators paused.
Zoro's eyes snapped open. "Captain—"
"I can't go intangible," Luffy said quietly. "But they can still feel it."
Fear.
Not animal fear—instinctive fear. The kind born when something higher on the food chain looks down and decides.
The closest Gator hissed, muscles tensing.
Luffy stepped forward.
Lightning didn't explode.
It whispered.
A single crack ran along the bar where his hand rested—not breaking it, but weakening it. Vibrating at a frequency that Sea Prism didn't like.
Smoker felt it.
"Now," Luffy said.
Smoker slammed his jitte down.
The bars shattered.
Water surged in.
Chaos followed.
Zoro moved first—steel flashing, blades striking pressure points, not killing, just redirecting. Nami grabbed Vivi and pulled her back as Chopper scrambled up onto Usopp's shoulders.
Luffy stepped into the water.
The Sea Prism dragged at him, but his will dragged harder.
A Gator lunged.
He caught it.
Hands on jaws, lightning flaring just enough.
The creature slammed into the wall and went limp.
Silence fell.
Smoker stared.
"You're insane."
Luffy shrugged. "You're welcome."
Alarms blared.
Footsteps thundered above.
"We're not done," Smoker growled, already turning to leave. "Next time—"
Luffy waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. Chase me later."
They moved.
Through service tunnels. Through hidden lifts. Through cracks in Rainbase meant for servants and secrets, not heroes.
By the time they burst into the open air, the casino behind them was roaring—panic finally breaking through the illusion.
The city had noticed.
They didn't stop running until the outskirts.
Only then did Luffy slow.
Vivi bent over, catching her breath.
She looked up.
At him.
Sand-stained. Calm. Already planning the next move.
He wasn't looking back to see if she was okay.
He assumed she was.
And somehow… that hurt more than if he had hovered.
She didn't understand it yet.
Didn't name it.
Didn't dare.
But as Rainbase burned behind them, one thought slipped in uninvited:
He's not walking beside me.
I'm trying to catch up to him.
And somewhere deep down, that realization waited—patient, unfinished.
Just like the war.