The Next Day.
The faint morning light pierced through the cold stillness of the desert, casting a gentle warmth upon Alubarna, a royal city with a history spanning over a thousand years.
The city was already bustling with noise and activity.
The four towering city gates stood open, and lines of Royal Guard soldiers escorted the kingdom's refugees, who now had renewed hope, as they gradually left the royal capital and returned to their hometowns.
At the east city gate, Vivi, dressed in a simple long dress, wore a beautiful smile as she personally handed out portions of food and water to the refugees walking out of the city gate.
"Everyone, please keep going! Please believe in Vivi, believe in the Nefertari Royal Family, believe in this country. We will definitely overcome the current difficulties."
"Be careful on your way. If you need anything, tell the guards; they will try their best to help you."
"Please return to your hometowns first. Afterwards, Vivi will bring agricultural experts and the Royal Guard to help everyone cultivate their fields and plant grains. I believe we will soon return to our former lives and become even better!"
Vivi handed out packed food to the refugees while encouraging and comforting them loudly with a firm tone, moving the refugees greatly.
Even the Royal Guard soldiers had tears in their eyes, touched by Princess Vivi's immense kindness.
"Indeed, compared to that grumpy old king, the beautiful and kind Princess Vivi can truly put people at ease. Oh no, Princess Vivi's radiance is too dazzling; I almost can't help but stay in this country."
Near the corner of the wall not far away, Bepo, covered in white bandages, revealed his two round eyes, a foolish, goofy smile on his face, as he watched.
Pamela, whose arm was heavily bandaged and slung across his chest, rolled his eyes at the remark. "Are you being polite, you perverted bear? Hmph, if you want to stay here, fine. I'll tell Major Rorschach later to leave you, that perverted bear, in the desert. Maybe Princess Vivi will find you a desert female bear."
"How dare you! I'm just kidding. You, the fourth... no, fifth, on the Kirin-go, have no right to meddle in an officer's affairs. You're just an Ensign; I'm a Lieutenant." Bepo proudly lifted his head, looking triumphantly at Pamela.
"But you're just a bear, and there's no precedent in the Marines for a beast to become a high-ranking officer. Heh heh, but there are many Giant Vice Admirals at Headquarters."
"I'm a Mink, not a bear! Do you want to fight one-on-one, you big oaf?"
"One-on-one it is! I blew up that demon's head yesterday!"
"What's that? I also killed the Don of that Happo Navy! You big oaf, do you even know what a Don is? That great pirate Chinjao, with a bounty over 500 million, who was killed by Major Rorschach, he was a Don."
The bickering between the bear and the giant quickly attracted the attention of Vivi, who was distributing food.
She walked over with a smile.
"Bepo, Pamela, stop arguing. You are both excellent Marines and comrades who fought together. You mustn't quarrel among yourselves."
Vivi's warm, spring-like smile immediately stunned both of them, causing them to nod foolishly.
"Princess Vivi called me excellent..." Two blushes appeared on Bepo's bear face, and the entire bear seemed drunk and dizzy.
"Why aren't you staying in the hospital? You came out so quickly. Is something wrong?" Vivi asked curiously.
Bepo was still grinning foolishly, but Pamela answered Vivi's question in a booming voice.
"Major Rorschach asked me to inform Princess Vivi that we are about to depart from Alabasta and return to G2 Branch."
Pamela's words made Vivi's body tremble.
"What? So soon? Major Rorschach is leaving so soon?"
Vivi bit her lower lip, a hint of reluctance appearing in her eyes, and quickly turned and ran towards the direction of the royal palace.
"Foolish bear! Stop staring blankly! Do you want to be left behind in Alabasta?"
Pamela poked Bepo's back with a finger, making him stumble. Bepo jumped up and down in anger, shouting that he wanted to fight him one-on-one.
Royal City, Royal Reception Room.
"Rorschach, are you perhaps dissatisfied with my hospitality? Why are you in such a hurry to leave Alabasta? I was still thinking of having Vivi take you to visit Alubarna's ancient ruins and desert scenery. Last night, you even slipped away from the hot spring we agreed on, leaving me there alone."
Cobra deliberately put on a stern old face and grumbled.
Rorschach scratched his head and quickly explained, "Not at all, Uncle Cobra. Last night's banquet was very lavish, and we were all very satisfied. It's just that we received a communication from Headquarters saying that Admiral Kizaru has already departed from Headquarters to take Gecko Moria away. So, we also want to depart as soon as possible to deliver this hot potato, Moria, to G2 Branch and hand him over to the Admiral."
"I see, so Admiral Kizaru is coming? That's a pity. Well, you must remember to visit Alabasta Kingdom often! Remember, this is your second home. If you don't come, Vivi will be very sad."
"Father!"
No sooner had Cobra's words fallen than a shy hum sounded from the reception room doorway.
Cobra's smile froze, and he awkwardly looked at Vivi, who appeared at the doorway.
"Ahaha, it's Vivi. Perfect, Rorschach is leaving. If you have anything to say, tell him. I won't disturb you; I'll leave first. You two chat."
Cobra stood up and quickly walked towards the door.
As he brushed past Vivi, the King of Alabasta Kingdom suddenly winked at his beloved daughter, making Vivi's pretty face instantly flush.
Having exited the reception room, Cobra's expression immediately became stern. He waved his hand at the guards standing in the corridor, signaling them to leave with him.
He turned and glanced at the reception room behind him. 'Vivi, your father can only help you this much. The rest is up to you.'
His daughter was sensible and had grown up; Cobra was very pleased.
In the reception room, Vivi clutched the hem of her dress, her small head bowed, not daring to look at Rorschach, who was sitting on the sofa.
Just thinking about last night's hot spring incident made the young girl's legs feel a little unsteady.
Too embarrassing...
"Ahem, Princess Vivi, you're truly diligent. I heard you were up before dawn."
Rorschach coughed, breaking the silence, and spoke first, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere in the reception room.
However, as soon as he said that, Vivi's small face turned even redder.
Because she hadn't slept at all last night, tossing and turning in bed all night.
Too embarrassed to sleep...
Hibari, on the other hand, had slept.
Not only slept, but slept very sweetly, with a foolish, goofy smile, as if dreaming of something.
Seeing the atmosphere in the room become awkward again, Rorschach spoke again: "We plan to depart as soon as possible, so..."
Hearing this, Vivi disregarded her shyness, looked up, stepped forward quickly, and said urgently to Rorschach, "Major Rorschach, can't you stay for a couple more days? You led the Marines here so quickly and saved this country. I haven't even had a chance to properly thank you. If it weren't for you..."
"Princess Vivi!" Rorschach raised his hand, about to speak, but was interrupted by Vivi.
"Call me Vivi." Vivi's cheeks were slightly red, but her eyes were exceptionally firm.
Rorschach was startled for a moment, then gave a wry smile: "Alright, Vivi, you know I'm a Marine officer, and I have to carry out missions. We..."
"Vivi knows, Major Rorschach still has to carry out justice, to save more people and countries living in hardship." A fair small hand was raised, stopping Rorschach from continuing.
Vivi's eyes were a little red, filled with reluctance.
Although she had only spent a short two days with Rorschach, Hina, Hibari, and the others, this tumultuous experience made those brief memories incredibly profound.
Especially the young man before her, who was like a nail, leaving a deep impression on her heart.
His powerful, demonic appearance upon his first arrival, his gentle and soft comfort when she was distressed, his unwavering commitment to justice, his cleverness in deceiving Crocodile, and his broad, sturdy chest, which gave her an unprecedented sense of security and courage to bravely stand up and kill Crocodile.
Finally, there was that hint of shyness from last night...
Compared to Crocodile, that hypocritical hero of the kingdom, this Marine boy before her was the true hero.
A young girl experiencing her first love always fantasizes about how perfect and gentle her future partner will be.
At this moment, it was clear that our lovely Princess Vivi had fallen for a certain naive young man.
"Major Rorschach, you haven't eaten this, have you? Let me peel one for you to try." Vivi pursed her lips, changing the subject, and picked up a yellow fruit from the coffee table in front of Rorschach.
Rorschach didn't refuse and smiled, "I haven't indeed. What kind of fruit is this?"
"It's a desert specialty from our Alabasta, a Cactus Fruit, a fruit that grows on giant cacti. Don't let its somewhat ugly appearance fool you; the flesh inside is very sweet."
Vivi extended her fair fingers, about to peel the skin of the Cactus Fruit in her hand.
Just then, right before their eyes, the yellow-skinned fruit in Vivi's hand underwent a strange transformation.
Swirling patterns rapidly appeared on its bumpy, spiky yellow skin.
Spiral patterns also emerged in circles on the small, ear-like protrusions on both sides.
This sudden and bizarre change made the Cactus Fruit, which already had a peculiar appearance resembling a cactus, transform into an even stranger fruit in Vivi's hand.
No matter how one looked at it, it didn't seem like an edible fruit.
"Major Rorschach, wh-what's going on? Is the Cactus Fruit spoiled?"
The strange transformation of the Cactus Fruit startled Vivi, and she nearly dropped the fruit in her hand.
"Th-this is...?"
Rorschach was stunned.
He widened his eyes in disbelief, looking at the fruit in Vivi's hand, which resembled a cactus but was covered in spiral patterns. A thought quickly surfaced in his mind.
"Isn't this Crocodile's Logia Sand-Sand Fruit?"
(End of Chapter)
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