**The Next Day**
Luffy awoke in a soft bed, but Vivi was nowhere to be found.
He got up, washed himself, and stepped into the large bathtub, immersing in the cold water and quietly enjoying his leisure time.
Recalling last night's "battle," he had, of course, won effortlessly.
How could Vivi possibly be his opponent? She was still a beginner, after all.
But something about it left him feeling a little uneasy.
It was probably a sign that she was getting ready to say goodbye.
As a princess—and an only child—Vivi clearly needed to remain in Alabasta.
**"Do you think you can sleep with me and still run away afterward?"**
Luffy couldn't help but think: *What a heartless girl.* She was only 15—her 16th birthday was still a week away—yet she was already this cold. What would she be like when she grew older?
**"Then I'll just have to tie her up and take her with me."**
After all, he *was* a pirate. Kidnapping a princess was exactly the kind of thing pirates were known for, right?
With that decision made, Luffy, as usual, opened the Adventure Store.
Perfect—he finally spotted another Haki fruit.
**Buy!**
**\[Observation Haki]: Lv2 → Lv3**
After refreshing the store three times, he finally found a second one.
He purchased and consumed it immediately.
**\[Observation Haki]: Lv3 → Lv4**
This was incredible.
Keep refreshing. Again!
The third Haki fruit appeared.
**\[Conqueror's Haki]: Lv4 → Lv5**
At that moment, the techniques for using *infusion* awakened in Luffy's mind.
As though it were second nature, he immediately mastered it.
He clenched his fist—black and red lightning surged into the air around it.
**"I've finally reached that level."**
Luffy was very satisfied.
With this, he could safely claim to have achieved Sea Emperor–level combat power!
All of it—the result of his hard work and perseverance!
Without the persistence to keep refreshing the store, he wouldn't be at this level today.
That alone would've taken days.
With his Conqueror's Haki now infused, he glanced at the Adventure Store again, wondering whether to buy another Haki fruit.
He had already obtained Observation Haki.
But after some thought, he decided to hold off.
He had already upgraded the store five times—further upgrades would cost 640 Adventure Coins, then 1280...
**Forget it.**
Closing the Adventure Store, Luffy got out of the bath, got dressed, and followed a servant to the dining hall.
Not seeing Vivi, he asked:
**"Where's Vivi?"**
**"She's tending to the aftermath of the rebellion,"** the servant replied. **"Princess Vivi instructed me to serve you when you awoke. What would you like for breakfast, Luffy-sama?"**
**"Give me some traditional Alabasta cuisine."**
Luffy nodded, then asked:
**"By the way, did you see a woman in a cowboy hat?"**
**"Are you referring to your companion, Miss Robin?"** the servant asked. **"No, I haven't seen her."**
*Where'd she run off to?*
Luffy picked up his phone and called Robin.
---
**The Port City**
The *Sunny* and *Merry* docked one after the other.
Nami and the others disembarked and immediately spotted Robin.
**"Ah\~ the beautiful lady from Whiskey Peak\~"** Sanji swooned instantly.
**"Miss…"** Usopp began, but trailed off, unable to remember her name.
**"Just call me Robin. That code name's no longer needed,"** she said with a soft smile. **"I've been waiting for you here. Mr. Swordsman, no need to be so tense—I'm already your comrade."**
Zoro, hand on the hilt of his sword, eyed her suspiciously.
**"Where's Luffy?"** he asked, frowning.
**"He's in Alabasta's capital,"** Robin replied. **"I just spoke to him—he asked me to escort you there."**
**"Then we're in your hands!"** Sanji said eagerly.
Nami, however, wasn't so easily convinced. **"Hold on. I still don't trust you. I want to speak to Luffy directly!"**
**"Nami-san, the situation with Crocodile has already been resolved. Haven't you seen the news?"** Robin said, then pulled a small pouch of gemstones from her pocket. **"These were taken from Crocodile's treasure. I wasn't sure what to do with them..."**
The moment Nami saw the shining jewels, her eyes turned into Berries symbols. Pressing her hands to her cheeks, she squealed shamelessly:
**"Robin-neesan\~ let me handle this for you!"**
Robin laughed and handed her all the gems.
Then she noticed Chopper and raised an eyebrow in surprise.
**"A face I haven't seen before?"**
**"He's our ship's doctor, Tony Tony Chopper. He joined on Drum Island,"** Bartolomeo explained.
**"A doctor?"** Robin said, her voice softening. She couldn't resist cute things.
The shy Chopper hid behind Usopp.
**"Nice to meet you, Dr. Chopper. I'm Robin, the archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates,"** she said, raising her hand slightly.
Immediately, an arm sprouted from Chopper's back and started patting him.
**"As you can see, I ate a Devil Fruit. I can make parts of my body bloom like flowers anywhere."**
**"Hahaha! Stop! That tickles!"**
Chopper rolled on the ground, laughing uncontrollably.
Robin smiled and released her power.
**"Let's go. I've prepared transport—we'll arrive at the capital by noon."**
Nami suddenly remembered something.
**"Wait—what about the prisoners?"**
**"We're bringing them too."**
Soon, the group escorted several prisoners from the *Merry*.
Everyone boarded the carriages Robin had prepared—three in total: one for men, one for women, and one for prisoners. Bartolomeo rode with the prisoners as a guard.
---
**In the Women's Carriage**
**"Robin, what was that news you mentioned earlier? What happened with Crocodile? Is everything resolved? Is Luffy okay?"** Nami fired off.
Anticipating the questions, Robin handed her a newspaper from the day before.
**"Luffy has become a Shichibukai."**
**"EH?!"**
The girls were shocked.
---
**At Noon, in the Capital**
The Straw Hat crew finally arrived.
Upon learning of their arrival, King Cobra took time to meet them.
**At the Banquet Hall**
After two days apart, the crew finally reunited with their captain.
**"Hey, how's it going?"** Luffy greeted them with a smile.
**"Luffy, you idiot! Running off alone—you had us worried!"** Sanji scolded.
Then they noticed Vivi sitting beside him.
**"Ah\~ Miss Vivi, still as beautiful and graceful as ever—no, even more than before!"**
Of course, that made sense. After all, she had been nurtured...
Luffy thought privately: *All thanks to last night's hard work.*
Vivi smiled politely, but grew guilty when she saw Nami...
She knew about Nami's connection to Luffy.
But last night, she'd let her emotions take over and crossed a line.
Still, they would be parting soon. Though she felt a tinge of regret, she accepted it.
**"Miss Nami, everyone—welcome to Alabasta!"**
**"I'm alive!"**
Nami ran over joyfully and took Vivi's hands in hers.
The two best friends caught up.
Luffy smiled as he looked around.
**"The situation in Alabasta is handled. Sorry for making you all worry."**
Finally, Zoro got to drink again. He downed it with satisfaction.
**"So when the Log Pose finishes charging, we're off to the next island, right? We should stock up on alcohol again—we gave all the last to those two giants."**
**"It'll take five days to fully charge,"** Vivi said.
**"No—seven,"** Luffy corrected. **"In seven days, it'll be Vivi's coming-of-age ceremony. The princess' ceremony—you wouldn't want to miss it, right?"**
Everyone looked intrigued.
**"Ooh\~ What's a princess' coming-of-age ceremony like?"** Usopp asked.
Luffy simply smiled and said nothing.
That was just the official reason.
The truth was, he planned to take Vivi with him afterward. He wanted her to celebrate with her father first. Who knew how long it would be before they saw each other again—maybe a year or two.
Only he knew the real plan.
But Vivi was touched. She wanted everyone to attend her coming-of-age ceremony and celebrate the conclusion of this long journey.
That's why she was truly happy.
"Now, let me show you around the city!"
(End of Chapter)
Give me some power stones there you go~😉