"Why did you blow up the royal palace?!"
Aboard the Divine Slave, Princess Vivi stared at Sora in outrage.
She had already agreed to join him—yet he still bombed Alabasta's royal palace. To her, it felt like he'd broken his word.
Sora set down his wine cup, looking amused as he met Vivi's angry gaze.
"Do you really want the World Government thinking you willingly joined my crew?"
"This was for your sake—and for Alabasta's. No one got hurt."
"This way, to the outside world, you were abducted. You were forced. Anything I do from here on has nothing to do with you or your kingdom."
"You can even use it to strike back at the World Government—put the blame on them. I'm sure your father has thought of that by now."
Vivi pursed her lips, considering his words. "So Makino was right—you're not as bad as you seem."
Because Makino had brought along so many of her cherished items from the palace, Vivi had developed a deep fondness for the gentle older sister figure.
Sora, for his part, also appreciated Makino's thoughtful nature—especially her thoughtfulness.
He glanced at Vivi's info panel and saw that her affection had just jumped by 20 points.
"You sure you want to keep talking about this?"
He set down his drink, smiling at her.
It was already late, and Anna and Shalria had finished cleaning Vivi up and dressing her in a revealing outfit before delivering her to his room.
As Shalria had put it: "It's tradition when joining the crew."
Vivi blushed furiously, caught completely off guard.
After boarding, she'd heard the full story from Anna and Shalria. She knew what was about to happen—and it terrified her.
She also realized Sora had come to Alabasta specifically for her.
If she'd known, maybe she should've left with the Straw Hats when she had the chance…
"Why me?" she asked, flustered. "You already have so many… so many women."
Sora smiled and gently lifted her chin with a finger.
"If I tell you my secret… you'll have to stay with me forever."
Vivi rolled her eyes. "As if you'd let me go even if I didn't know your secret."
She could feel how much Sora wanted her.
"Haha, that's true."
Sora chuckled. "Then let me show you."
To Vivi's shock, Sora floated into the air.
"This is Mikita's Kilo-Kilo ability."
He pulled a small toy from thin air.
"Makino's storage box ability."
A breeze swirled around them.
"Reiju's lineage factor power."
Then he blew out a breath, causing all the candles in the room to explode.
"Nojiko's explosive power."
As Vivi sat stunned, he pulled her into his arms with a smile.
"Now you see why I do what I do?"
Her mind reeled.
"You've absorbed so many Devil Fruit powers… why haven't you exploded?"
According to legend, anyone who consumed two Devil Fruits would die instantly.
Sora brushed his thumb across her lips.
"Because I don't eat the fruits. I gain the abilities through them."
"Just like I'll gain yours next."
He lifted her off the ground.
"But… I don't have any special power," she stammered, still struggling a bit.
"You're special enough," he whispered. "Power or not—I'm not letting you go."
Vivi's face fell. She had no idea what made her so 'special.'
"Vivi, would you like to join my crew as an official member?"
Though she didn't understand why he even bothered to ask, she knew resistance was useless now. She closed her eyes and nodded.
"I will."
『Ding! Nefeltari Vivi has joined the crew. Automatically assigned as Ship Doctor.』
『Ding! Crew upgrade requirements met. Initiating crew upgrade...』
『Ding! Upgrade complete. Crew is now Level 2. New positions and special roles unlocked...』
『Ding...』
As the messages continued to flash before him, Sora couldn't help but laugh.
Then he looked at the woman in his arms.
"Come. Time to learn swordsmanship."
"I-I'm scared…"
"That's exactly why I'm teaching you."
"…."
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
BANG!
"That bastard Sora kidnapped another princess?!"
"And it's the princess of Alabasta this time?!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku slammed the receiver down and punched his desk in fury.
Alabasta wasn't just any kingdom—it was a full-fledged member of the World Government. The Nefeltari family was one of the original twenty royal families that had created the Government 800 years ago.
Even the Five Elders had to show some respect to Cobra's word.
So when they learned that Princess Vivi had been taken by that bastard Sora, they immediately called Sengoku to chew him out and call him a useless waste of space.
They ordered him to coordinate a blockade along Sora's possible route.
And to assist, they were dispatching their strongest CP0 agents to ensure Sora would be captured.
Sengoku, seething, took a sip of tea and turned to Brannew.
"Contact Akainu and Garp. Tell them we've located Sora. He's heading toward Water 7."
Water 7 was a mandatory stop along the route from Alabasta. Sora would likely show up there.
With Admiral Akainu and Garp, the Marine Hero, working together—even someone like Sora wouldn't stand a chance.
"Understood, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Brannew saluted and ran out to carry out the order, shocked by how seriously they were taking Sora.
"Hmph. Let's see how long you can keep running."
Sengoku sipped his tea again, feeding the now-crumpled report to the goat beside him, finally feeling at ease.
The most annoying thing about pirates was how they'd always run after robbing you.
But once they had Sora's location, taking him down would be much easier.
...
At the same time—
News of Sora's latest crime—abducting the princess of Alabasta—dominated headlines across the world.
All royal families immediately heightened their palace security and began pressuring the World Government to bring Sora to justice.
And yet, many princesses… upon seeing the handsome face on his bounty poster…
Their eyes sparkled.
They found themselves secretly hoping that maybe, one day, he'd show up at their palace doors… and take them away, too.
...
Aboard the Divine Slave, speeding toward Jaya Island—
"Yahahahaha~!"
Miss Valentine Mikita cackled at the sight of Princess Vivi standing before her.
"Miss Wednesday, is this all you've got?"