Special thanks for Mira, for your generous donation. Here what i bought from that [IMG]
Ps. Let me research peacefully dammit!
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In the opulent royal bedroom, Vivi tossed and turned restlessly on her large bed, the silence of the room amplifying her unease. The maids who stood quietly nearby, their faces etched with concern, couldn't offer her any solace. Vivi didn't want to stay still, didn't want to be alone with her thoughts. Every time she closed her eyes, vivid memories of her father would resurface, washing over her in a wave of grief, making her heart ache with unbearable sadness.
She yearned to grow up faster, to escape the confines of her childhood and embrace the responsibilities that awaited her. She wished there was a magic spell, a miraculous transformation that could instantly turn her into a confident, capable seventeen-year-old, so she could officially become the queen of Alabasta and take control of her kingdom's destiny.
She hated being a child at this crucial time, feeling inadequate and helpless in the face of such immense challenges. She felt guilty for having to leave everything to the ministers and Sir Crocodile, the hero of Alabasta, who had already done so much for the land without expecting anything in return.
She vividly remembered the words Sir Crocodile had spoken to her after the execution of her father, his voice was warm with sincerity and compassion: "I will protect you, Vivi, and I will protect the people of Alabasta. I promised your father that I would, and I will not break that promise."
His words had touched Vivi deeply, kindling a sense of gratitude and hope within her, a small flame that flickered in the darkness. So, when Sir Crocodile offered himself to become a Regent, to selflessly carry the burden of the entire kingdom on his broad shoulders, a sense of obligation settled in her chest, obligated to accept his offer, despite a nagging sense of unease that she couldn't quite explain.
Exhausted from her relentless inner turmoil, and weary of the constant sadness that clung to her like a shroud, Vivi finally drifted into the land of dreams, seeking solace in the realm of slumber.
In her dream, she was singing joyfully together with Nico Robin, the savior of her kingdom, the one who had transformed the hellish desert of Alabasta into a lush, green paradise with her miraculous abilities.
On the other hand, Igaram, fueled by adrenaline and a growing sense of dread, ran around the royal palace like a headless chicken, his heart pounding in his chest. He was desperately looking for Pell, hoping to find a trustworthy ally in this unfolding crisis.
He eventually found him on the training ground, where he and the few remaining members of his elite guard were engaged in rigorous training, honing their skills in preparation for any potential threat.
"Pell! I have a clue! I need to talk to you!" Igaram shouted, his voice cutting through the air, abruptly stopping their training session.
"What kind of conspiracy theory do you want to spout now?" Pell retorted, his voice laced with skepticism and annoyance. He ignored Igaram's plea and continued his training, his movements precise and powerful. "I've had enough of your bullshit, Igaram. I don't have time for your wild speculations."
Igaram, undeterred, moved between Pell and the training dummies, narrowly avoiding being struck by Pell's wooden sword. "Listen to me! This is serious! It's about Crocodile!" he whispered urgently, his eyes darting around nervously, as if afraid of being overheard.
Hearing Crocodile's name, Pell stopped his training and lowered his wooden sword, his expression hardening. He squinted his eyes, then looked at Igaram with his piercing gaze. "I know Her Royal Highness Vivi has already reopened the investigation, allowing you to accuse your fellow countrymen freely," he said, his voice laced with disapproval. "But I never thought you would go so far as to accuse the hero of Alabasta."
Igaram clenched his hands into fists. "I know you still loathe me for what happened to your subordinates," he said, his voice tight with emotion. "I don't want to accuse our fellow Alabastans either, but I have concrete evidence this time, Pell. I have proof that Crocodile is not who he seems to be." Igaram looked at Pell with unwavering determination, his eyes pleading for him to listen.
"Concrete evidence?" Pell sneered, his face contorted with disbelief. "I've lost count of how many times you've spoken of 'concrete evidence,' only to be proven wrong every single time." Feeling he'd had enough of Igaram's accusations, he shoved him aside, dismissing him as a madman.
But after only a few steps, Igaram grabbed Pell's shoulder, forcefully turning him around, and punched him squarely in the face.
"Listen to me, you stubborn bastard!" Igaram yelled, his voice filled with desperation. "I don't need you to believe me! I just want you to know that if, or when, I can no longer stand beside Her Highness, if I am no longer able to protect her, I need you to be there to keep her safe! To guard her from whatever danger lies ahead!" Igaram then threw a small, worn notebook towards Pell, who lay sprawled on the ground, clutching his jaw. He then turned and strode away.
As the evening's confrontation between Igaram and Pell gave way to the stillness of night, Vivi stirred in her bed, waking up at midnight with a parched throat.
She glanced around the darkened royal bedroom and noticed that the maids were nowhere to be seen. A mischievous grin spread across her face. "Time to slip out!" she thought to herself with her adventurous spirit ignited.
Tossing aside the silk sheets, she quietly slipped out of her bed, her bare feet padding softly against the cool marble floor. She cautiously opened her royal bedroom door and noticed the two soldiers who were supposed to be guarding her, slumped against the wall, fast asleep.
She tiptoed past them, careful not to disturb their slumber, and slipped out into the palace halls that, were dark and empty, vast corridors of shadow that seemed to echo her own loneliness and her growing sense of isolation.
As she passed by the king's study, she noticed that the room had already been sealed, the entrance blocked by thick wooden planks and heavy iron nails.
A wave of frustration washed over her, and she slumped against the wall, her shoulders slumping with disappointment. "No!" she almost screamed in frustration, but she quickly stifled the sound, not wanting to alert anyone to her presence. But then, she heard voices coming from nearby, emanating from the, now, Regent's office, a room that had once been her father's sanctuary.
The voices were low and hushed, filled with a tension that made her freeze in place. She recognized them instantly: Igaram, and Sir Crocodile, the newly appointed regent.
Drawn by an instinct she couldn't explain, a sense of foreboding that tugged at her heart, Vivi cautiously approached the Regent's office, her steps light and stealthy. She pressed her ear against the cold, ornate door, trying to overhear what they were talking about, her heart pounding in her chest with a mixture of fear and anticipation.
"...and your request to be appointed Regent," Igaram's voice echoed through the door, his tone shaking not with fear, but with a barely contained fury that sent shivers down Vivi's spine. She could vividly picture him standing before Crocodile, his hands trembling as he held up the evidence, the two damning letters that exposed the conspiracy. "The handwriting is identical, Crocodile. The order for Baroque Works to assist Sakazuki... and this letter requesting your regency. It was you, wasn't it? You orchestrated the slaughter of our army, you manipulated the situation to destabilize our kingdom. You are responsible for the death of my king, for the death of Nefertari Cobra."
Igaram's shocking statement made Vivi gasp, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle the involuntary sound. She pressed herself against the door, her heart pounding in her chest, her mind reeling from the implications of what she had just heard.
A long, heavy silence followed, a silence so profound that Vivi could hear the frantic beating of her own heart. Then, a sound that made Vivi's blood run cold, a sound that shattered the illusion of Crocodile's heroism.
A laugh. It wasn't the warm, reassuring laugh she knew, the laugh of a savior. It was a dry, rasping chuckle, like sand grinding against bone, a sound that spoke of cruelty and deceit.
"You're smarter than you look, Igaram," Crocodile's voice sliced through the silence, a low, guttural purr that sent a wave of icy dread through Vivi's veins. All traces of his charming persona, his heroic facade, were gone, replaced by the cold arrogance of a predator who had finally revealed his true nature. "But intelligence, without the power to act on it, is just a faster way to get yourself killed."
"You admit it?" Igaram gasped, his voice filled with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
"Admit what?" Crocodile sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "That I guided a foolish king to his own ruin, manipulating him into making the decisions that would ultimately lead to his demise? That I am now the most powerful man in this now-flourishing country, with the full, tearful support of his naïve little girl of a queen? There is nothing to admit, Igaram. There is only the new reality, a reality where I am in control, and you are powerless to stop me."
Vivi's hand, which was still covering her mouth, trembled uncontrollably, struggling to stifle a scream that threatened to erupt from her throat.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, hot and heavy, as the horrifying truth washed over her. The hero, the man who had promised to protect her, the man she had placed her trust in, was a monster, a manipulative puppeteer who had been pulling the strings all along. The weight of the betrayal crashed down upon her, crushing her spirit and shattering her illusions.
"Your 'evidence' is meaningless, Igaram," Crocodile continued, his voice dripping with menace, his words laced with a chilling confidence. "I am the hero the people believe I am, and now, I am the Regent of this kingdom. Who do you think they will believe?"
Vivi could hear the sound of Igaram's ragged, defeated breathing, the sound of a man pushed to the breaking point.
Then, the ominous sound of a sword being unsheathed pierced the silence, followed by Igaram's defiant shout: "Die, you bastard!" After a brief, violent slashing sound, Igaram's own voice cried out in agony: "Argh!" followed by the sickening thud of a body falling heavily to the ground.
Vivi slumped against the door, her heart pounding in her chest, uncertain of Igaram's fate.
Terrified of what was about to happen next when she heard a set of heavy footsteps inside the room getting closer, Vivi's survival instincts kicked in.
She crawled desperately away from the door, her shaking legs refusing to lift her, trembling with fear. She crawled on her hands and knees, her movements as silent as possible, until she arrived at a spot where a display figure stood, clad in ancient Alabastan armor. She instinctively curled up beside the armored figure, pressing herself against the cold metal, hoping against hope that Crocodile wouldn't find her, praying that he would somehow overlook her hiding place.
After what felt like an eternity, suffocating under the weight of the oppressive silence, Vivi cautiously peeked towards the corridor, her eyes darting around, searching for any sign of danger. She noticed that the corridor was empty, the scene of the recent horror now devoid of any presence, save for the lingering sense of dread.
Steeling herself, despite her body still trembling uncontrollably, she forced her legs to lift her body.
She turned around and ran, her bare feet pounding against the cold stone floor, desperate to escape from the nightmare.
But after only a few steps, her legs stopped moving completely, frozen in place by a wave of paralyzing fear.
She hit her legs repeatedly with her fists, urging them to move, pleading with them to carry her away from the danger, until they finally responded, the muscles twitching back to life. But before she could reach the corner, just a few feet away from the safety of her bedroom, a hand grabbed her shoulder, its grip tight and unforgiving.
Before she could scream, the very same hand moved and clamped down over her mouth, stifling her cry.
And then, in her ear, she heard the chilling voice of Crocodile, his tone dripping with a sinister amusement. "Look what I found on my very first day serving as Regent," he whispered, his breath hot against her skin. "A small, cute, blue-haired little mouse, scurrying around in the shadows."