The desert was silent. No wind, no screams, only the heat that made the air tremble above the ruins of Alabasta. Riser stood atop the broken tower, watching the ash-covered horizon.
'Merlin.'
Her mind responded instantly, steady as always. 'Riser-sama.'
'Come to Alabasta. I need you here.'
'Understood.'
Space folded without delay.
ZUUUUM
The hot breeze twisted into a spiral, and Merlin appeared before him. Her purple cloak rippled, runes swirling subtly within her eyes. She looked around, seeing the charred city and the metallic scent lingering in the air.
"You called me, Riser-sama."
"Yes. I need you to use your magic to restore what you can." He looked over the ruins below. "Repair the main points, stabilize the ground, and handle the bodies. No one else can touch this."
Merlin nodded without questioning. "Understood. It will take time, but it's possible."
"Do what you must."
She raised her hand and began her work. Glowing lines spread across the sand, stitching broken streets and sealing craters. The shadows of runes slithered like silent serpents, lifting corpses gently and laying them side by side, as if the desert itself mourned.
Meanwhile, Riser opened Kamui.
ZUUUUM
From the dark vortex, two figures emerged. Vivi appeared first, pale and confused. Behind her came Cobra, unconscious and struggling to breathe.
Vivi fell to her knees and touched her father, urgency flooding her face. "Father… he's alive."
Riser watched for a moment before speaking. "Yes. I saved enough for him to keep breathing."
She looked up at him. "You… really saved him."
"It was part of the deal."
Merlin remained focused, moving her hands with precise gestures. The runes in the air formed lines that snaked across the ground. Whole streets began to reassemble before Vivi's eyes, and debris vanished as if the desert swallowed the past.
The princess froze, her heart racing. "Is this… magic?"
Riser answered without emotion. "Runic reconstruction. She's stitching together what remains of your city."
Vivi stood slowly, still supporting her unconscious father. "Then… can she bring everyone back too?"
"No."
The dry sound of his response cut the air.
"Merlin can restore structures, not lives." His gaze brushed over her. "What was destroyed by the rift no longer belongs to this world."
Vivi clenched her hands, struggling to stop the shaking. "But… can she do all this alone?"
"She is second in command of my empire."
Merlin didn't look away from the spell even as she heard him. His words weren't praise—just a statement of fact.
Runes spread in an arc over the palace, illuminating the desert with white light. Sand and stone fused again, walls rose, and broken columns reformed.
Vivi placed a hand on her chest. The warm glow of the runes reflected in her eyes. "It's like watching the kingdom be reborn."
"Partially."
She turned. "Partially?"
"Scars remain. Even if the body is rebuilt, the memory of destruction never disappears."
The sound of runes faded into a distant whisper. Merlin lowered her hands and faced Riser.
"Basic reconstruction complete. Human remains have been collected and preserved according to protocol."
Riser nodded slightly. "Good work."
Vivi took a few hesitant steps, still holding her unconscious father. "Thank you… for everything you did."
Merlin looked at her, her tone serene and neutral. "Thank Riser-sama. I only follow orders."
Vivi drew a deep breath, lowering her head in a respectful gesture. "Even so… thank you."
Merlin responded with only a brief nod, returning to observe the reconstruction field as if the words held no weight.
A rough sound broke the silence. Cobra coughed, breathing unevenly, his eyes opening with effort. "Where… are we?"
Riser stepped closer. "In your kingdom, intact enough to be recognized."
Cobra tried to rise but his body refused. "You… saved me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Riser crossed his arms, gaze unmoving. "It's natural. I saved my kingdom."
Cobra blinked, confused. "Your… kingdom?"
Riser leaned forward, his voice lower. "Alabasta belongs to the one who sustained it when the world abandoned it. And now, it belongs to me."
The king swallowed. "What do you mean?"
Riser looked at Vivi. "Your daughter already knows."
Vivi kept her gaze steady, though her breath faltered.
"She made a pact with me," Riser said. "She offered what was most valuable in exchange for your life. The contract was sealed. Now your fates are tied to mine."
Cobra's eyes widened. "Vivi… is that true?"
Before Riser could speak, the princess answered. "Yes."
Her voice was calm, without hesitation. "I knew what I was doing. There was no other path. If the price for my father's life and our people's survival was becoming part of him… then I accepted."
The king struggled to move, his body weak. "You… sold yourself to a pirate."
"No." Vivi stepped forward. "I secured Alabasta's survival."
Riser watched in silence, hands behind his back.
"If the throne needs a queen," Vivi continued, "then I will be one. And if the kingdom belongs to Riser now, then so do I. It is my duty to live and protect what remains."
Cobra looked at her, torn between pride and guilt. 'The World Government will never accept this. They don't tolerate when a monarch breaks their oath of vassalage. But if they try to interfere now, he'll kill us without hesitation.'
Vivi knelt beside him. "You don't have to say anything, Father. I know what you're thinking."
Cobra closed his eyes briefly, feeling the weight of her decision.
Merlin watched silently, indifferent to the emotion filling the air. The runes around them faded one by one.
Riser stepped forward, looking at both father and daughter.
"From today on, Alabasta will be one of the territories of the Phoenix Nest. Your people will receive protection, and the rifts will be contained. In return, absolute obedience."
Vivi raised her head, resolute. "Understood."
Cobra tried to speak. "And the World Government… what will they say when—"
Riser interrupted without shifting his tone. "The World Government has no authority here. They didn't lift a finger to save this land." He crossed his arms. "You live because I allowed it. Your people breathe because your daughter honored a deal. There is no king anymore—only beneficiaries of my patience."
Cobra swallowed slowly. "And if the agreement is broken?"
Riser leaned slightly toward him. "Then the price will be collected."
The silence that followed was heavier than any spoken threat.
"You wouldn't understand the rules binding you now, but the contract is absolute."
He turned toward Vivi. "Even if I die, the bond remains. If I am betrayed, punishment falls upon the one who made the oath."
Vivi drew a deep breath, her fingers tightening. "No one will break the contract."
The firmness of her tone was real, but the small tremor didn't escape Riser.
He said nothing, merely shifting his gaze as if confirming something inevitable.
The prolonged silence made Cobra bow his head. Humiliation and gratitude knotted inside him.
'We lost everything. Even the right to choose who we are.'
Vivi hugged him, strong and steady. "Father… don't think about that. We still have our people. We still have a chance."
Cobra placed a trembling hand on her back, though his gaze remained empty.
Riser watched without emotion. To him, there was no drama—only order being restored. The pact was sealed, and no force in the world could undo it.
A light tremor moved through the ground. Merlin's runes lit up again, spreading across the city. The final spell was completing. She approached, hands clasped in a gesture of conclusion.
"Riser-sama, reconstruction is complete. The primary foundations and structures are stabilized."
"Good." He nodded slightly. "Stay here and oversee the palace. I want everything functional before sunrise."
"As you wish."
Vivi raised her gaze, still holding her father. "Merlin… will stay?"
Riser answered for her. "Yes. She will manage the reconstruction and control the capital. You will be under her supervision until I return."
The princess nodded quietly. "Understood."
Cobra let out a stifled sigh. "And the palace staff? The guards, the advisors… they…"
"They're alive," Riser replied. "Most are only unconscious. The shock of my Haki knocked them out. They will wake in a few hours."
The king lowered his face. "And if they don't wake?"
"Then the desert will welcome them as it welcomed the others."
He stepped forward again, his voice steady. "Merlin, give her daily reports. I want updates on every sector, every survivor, every reconstruction."
"Understood, Riser-sama."
Cobra watched their exchange, feeling a knot tighten in his chest. "Vivi, be careful. This man doesn't forge alliances—he takes nations."
Vivi gripped her father's hand, not backing down. "Even so, he's the one who saved us. And now, he's the one I must learn to face."
The king looked away. "You're growing too fast, my daughter."
"I had no choice."
Riser turned to Merlin, ending the discussion. "The Phoenix Nest will send supplies. When I return, this kingdom must be stable. No trace of the rifts should remain."
"It will be done."
He looked one last time at Vivi and Cobra. "Honor the agreement and Alabasta will prosper. Fail, and it will vanish once more."
The weight of those words vibrated through them like a sentence etched into the air.
Cobra lowered his head. "Riser… what do you intend to do now?"
Riser looked toward the horizon. "There are other kingdoms waiting to fall."
The air shifted in a smooth distortion.
ZUUUUM
His body vanished, consumed by Kamui.
Silence reclaimed the palace. Vivi remained kneeling, her father beside her, and Merlin before them, motionless as a statue.
"He's gone," Cobra murmured.
"But he'll return," Vivi replied. "And when he does, I want him to see a kingdom worthy of the Phoenix who rebirthed it."
Merlin watched quietly. "Then begin now, Queen of Alabasta."
Runes lit the ground in golden light.
The new reign had begun.
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