Inside the royal palace of Alabasta, Uchiha Chiga appeared suddenly in the main hall, just as he had the last time.
"Chiga-sama!"
Princess Vivi's eyes lit up. She nearly rushed forward, but King Cobra held her arm firmly.
"Vivi! Compose yourself," he said sternly. Pulling her back, he lowered himself to the ground and urged her to kneel with him before Chiga.
For a King, even a crown meant nothing in front of someone like Chiga. Titles became hollow, and rulers were no more than ordinary men.
But Vivi resisted, struggling against her father's grip. It wasn't out of disrespect. Deep down, she feared that kneeling would place an invisible gulf between her and the man she admired.
Chiga lifted his hand casually, and an unseen force raised both father and daughter from the ground. "Enough," he said with calm authority. "There is no need for you to kneel before me again."
Before Cobra could respond, Vivi smiled brightly. "Chiga-sama really is the best!"
Breaking free from her father's hand, she ran forward and linked her arm through Chiga's, leaning against him. Cobra's eyelids twitched nervously. He was terrified her boldness might offend Chiga.
But Chiga only brushed a strand of Vivi's long blue hair aside and smiled faintly. "You've grown even more beautiful. I look forward to the day you take the throne as Queen."
"I don't want to be Queen…" Vivi murmured softly, rubbing her head against his arm.
"Hmm? Your father has only one heir. If not you, then who else?"
"Then he should have another child!" Vivi blurted out. Her cheeks turned scarlet and she bit her lip, refusing to say more.
Chiga tilted his head, curiosity flickering in his golden eyes. "Oh? Then what is it you want instead?"
"I won't tell you," she whispered quickly, "but I'll work hard to make it happen. You'll see."
"Very well," Chiga chuckled, "I'll wait and see."
Her determination made Cobra sigh inwardly. He already had a guess about her true wish, and the thought made the corner of his mouth twitch.
Chiga spoke with Vivi a while longer before finally remembering that a king still stood beside them, waiting patiently. Turning to Cobra, he asked, "Do you know why the Rocks Pirates are here this time?"
At once Cobra's expression hardened. "They sent word earlier," he said gravely, "demanding to see the Poneglyph. I told them it was no longer here. I suspect this time they intend to take it by force."
"So… Rocks has set his eyes on Pluton."
"Pluton!?" Cobra's eyes widened. "Chiga-sama, do you mean the ancient weapon?"
"Yes," Chiga replied coldly. "Rocks never abandoned his ambitions. He thinks to conquer the world with outdated weapons. Foolish."
He allowed himself a thin smile. Even Uranus, the weapon once held by Im, had already fallen to him. Compared to that, Pluton's power was nothing.
Still, he knew where Pluton rested—hidden deep within Wano. And coincidentally, Rocks had already set his course there, under the excuse of meeting Kaido.
Of course, Rocks had no knowledge of Pluton's true location. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered sending Aramaki to Alabasta to pursue the Poneglyph. His real intent in Wano was plain enough—to try and recruit his former subordinate.
But Chiga knew Kaido's pride. The man would never bow his head again. If negotiations failed, then Rocks would taste Kaido's Thunder Bagua.
Meanwhile, in Onigashima…
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
The sound of impact cracked the air. Kaido's spiked kanabo, wrapped in torrents of black-red Conqueror's Haki, collided with the arm of a man cloaked in another's skin.
Rocks, wearing the body of Blackbeard, caught the blow with one arm. His voice rumbled, deep and commanding. "Kaido, is this how you greet your former Captain?"
Kaido bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Captain? You're claiming to be Rocks? Don't joke. You don't look like him at all."
Muscles swelled along his arms as more Haki surged through his weapon. The sheer pressure sank Rocks' feet into the earth.
A roar burst from Rocks as he shoved Kaido away. Kaido landed heavily, eyes narrowing. With a thought, his body shifted into his hybrid form, scales shining, fangs bared.
"I don't care if you're Rocks or Teach," he growled. "I'm not following anyone back into the chaos of the seas."
Rocks' expression darkened. He pressed his palm to the ground.
"Have you forgotten what you once were?"
The soil of Onigashima instantly dissolved into a vast swamp, sucking Kaido downward. Kaido's brows furrowed as he unleashed a wave of Haoshoku Haki, but the mire was too deep. Forced to adapt, he shed restraint and surged into his full dragon form, an immense azure serpent coiling into the sky.
Rocks released the swamp, unwilling to bury his own recruits who stood nearby. It had taken him great effort to gather followers in this era, when fewer dared turn pirate. He couldn't squander them recklessly.
Looking up at the dragon circling above, he smirked. "Kaido, you think I can't reach you just because you fly?"
Blue flames erupted across his body. Before Kaido's stunned gaze, Rocks transformed into a massive bird of azure fire, wings beating against the heavens.
Kaido's eyes widened. "That's the Phoenix Fruit!? Did you kill Marco?"
Rocks sneered. "Kill him? No. He's inside me."
Kaido scowled. "So it's your Swallow-Swallow Fruit…"
"That's right. Marco was a fool, clinging to a dead man's memory. I gave him a new home—in my belly." A ruthless light burned in Rocks' eyes. "You're no different, Kaido. The Azure Dragon Fruit is wasted on you. I'll take it back myself!"
Kaido's roar split the sky. "Disgusting parasite! Get out of my territory!!"
The storm of their clash shook the very foundations of Onigashima, as two monsters of the old era collided once more.
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