"Rebecca-san, you're a princess too? What a coincidence!"
Nami greeted her with cheerful enthusiasm.
"Ah, I…"
Rebecca froze for a moment, flustered and unsure what to do.
"Don't be nervous, Rebecca," Nami said kindly. "Let me introduce everyone. This is Vivi, the princess of Alabasta, and this is Shirahoshi—the mermaid princess from Fishman Island!"
"B-Big… Miss Mermaid, you're so beautiful!"
Only now did Rebecca notice the enormous, gentle Shirahoshi standing among them. Her eyes widened in awe.
"And here," Nami continued proudly, "we have the Fairy Queen of Fairy Tail, Erza; our all-around caretaker, Mirajane; the Sky Enchantress, Wendy; our archaeologist, Robin; and the rest of our crew!"
Rebecca bowed nervously. "H-Hello, everyone!"
Though she looked timid, Fairy Tail wasn't new to her.
Like Cyrus, she had been waiting for them for an entire year—collecting newspaper clippings, reports, and every bit of news about Fairy Tail she could find.
To Rebecca, the powerful women of Fairy Tail were idols.
Standing before them now felt like meeting legends in the flesh.
Her shyness wasn't from fear—it was the shock of suddenly standing face to face with her heroes.
"Cough, cough."
Nami cleared her throat, snapping everyone back to focus. "Alright, introductions done. Let's get to business. Toy soldier—your commission doesn't mention the reward amount."
"Y-Yes," Cyrus replied nervously. "This matter is too important for me to set a price. I thought it best to discuss after you arrived."
"Then I'll say it plainly," Nami said, holding up two fingers. "The cost to save a country is this much."
"Two hundred million?" Cyrus asked cautiously.
"No," Nami smiled sweetly. "Two billion."
The one-legged toy soldier nearly toppled over.
"That's the going rate—the same as when we saved Alabasta!" Nami said matter-of-factly.
"But… but we don't have that kind of money!" Rebecca cried out anxiously.
"No problem," Vivi said with a gentle smile. "I didn't have that much either back then. So I chose another way."
"Another way?" Rebecca tilted her head in confusion.
"That's right—by joining Fairy Tail and working under our guild master to pay off the debt. It's actually quite fun!" Vivi laughed.
"J-Join… Fairy Tail?" Rebecca was completely stunned.
Joining the guild she had admired for so long—it sounded like something out of a dream.
Could this really be happening?
"Of course you can," Nami said confidently. "The president's not here right now, but based on what we know of him, he'd never turn away a cute girl like you!"
"Nami," Mirajane chuckled softly, "you really shouldn't talk about the president behind his back. Be careful—when he comes back, you might regret it."
"There's nothing to be afraid of," Nami whispered guiltily. "At worst, I'll just be unable to get out of bed for three days…"
Robin, Juvia, and Kalifa exchanged curious glances.
"If that's the punishment," Juvia murmured, blushing, "I wouldn't mind it either."
Wendy, Vivi, Shirahoshi, Perona, Ulti, and Erza all blinked in confusion.
"...Why can't I understand what Nami's talking about?" Wendy asked innocently.
At that moment—
Boom!
A loud explosion echoed across the island.
"Leo!" one of the little human warriors shouted. "It came from the other side of the bridge!"
"Someone's trying to cross and got attacked by the fighting fish!" another yelled.
"That person… it looks like Princess Violet!"
"Oh no—Aunt Violet!" Rebecca gasped.
"No problem," Erza commanded. "Let's move!"
The Fairy Tail ship soared into the sky.
Across the Steel Bridge
A massive steel bridge connected Tokushima and Green Bit.
Beneath it, schools of ferocious betta fish with crimson eyes repeatedly rammed the structure, twisting the metal beams with each violent impact.
At the center of the bridge, a woman in a polka-dotted flamenco dress staggered backward, pale with fear.
She was Violet, the second princess of Dressrosa—
a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user who had eaten the Glare-Glare Fruit.
That morning, as usual, Violet had used her powers to observe Dressrosa's surroundings.
For nearly a year, she had done this daily—
searching, waiting, hoping.
And today… she finally saw them.
Fairy Tail.
Just like Cyrus, she had longed for their arrival ever since the Alabasta incident a year ago.
Without a second thought, Violet had jumped onto a toy horse and raced toward Green Bit, even knowing the betta fish would attack her on sight.
She didn't care about the danger—she only wanted to reach Fairy Tail.
"Is this… the end?" Violet muttered, leaning weakly against the bridge railing as the betta fish circled below.
But the next instant, everything fell silent.
The water churned violently—and then the entire school of fish fled in terror.
Something enormous moved beneath the surface, unseen yet overwhelming.
"Lady Violet!"
"Aunt!"
Rebecca and the little human warriors waved from above.
Still in shock, Violet looked up and gasped, "Rebecca? Leo? And… Fairy Tail?"
Five minutes later, after being rescued by Fairy Tail, Violet finally understood everything.
Likewise, Erza and the others learned the full truth behind the tragedy that had befallen Dressrosa eight years ago—
the dark, treacherous methods Doflamingo had used to seize the kingdom.
"I don't know who you truly are," Violet said, bowing deeply to the one-legged toy soldier, "but thank you."
She handed Erza a thick folder. "Here is everything I've gathered on the Donquixote Family."
"Now that Doflamingo isn't in Dressrosa," Violet continued, "this is our best chance."
Erza's eyes hardened. "Then everything's clear. There's only one thing left to do."
She turned sharply to the others.
"Juvia—you'll lead the little human warriors to the Smile Factory and free their people."
"Kalifa, Nami, Vivi—you three go to the Toy House and draw the cadres' attention."
"Robin, Mirajane, and Perona—you'll infiltrate the underground port with the little people and break the toys' curse."
"Finally, Mira, Wendy, Ulti, Shirahoshi, and I will head straight to the palace. We'll launch a direct crusade against the Donquixote Family!"
"Understood!!!"
All the women of Fairy Tail answered in unison.
...
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