He hadn't taken two steps forward when a loud thud echoed, and Ryuuto saw someone fall right in front of him. Long blue hair, a white cloak.
Wasn't this Vivi?
Ryuuto stared at Vivi, who had crashed hard enough to leave a crater in the ground. Had she fallen from up there?
Looking up, Ryuuto saw two figures inside the open clock face of the towering belfry. They were holding torches, about to light the fuse of a massive cannon.
"Captain Ryuuto, stop them!" Vivi scrambled to her feet, her head bleeding and her expression frantic. She grabbed Ryuuto's leg, tears of desperation streaming down her face as she pleaded for help.
"I knew I forgot something!" Ryuuto slapped his forehead in sudden realization.
It seemed that after leaving the palace, Vivi must have run into Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day. Vivi and Igaram had engaged them in a fierce battle. The two sides were initially evenly matched, trading blows back and forth, but with Crocus's intervention, the Baroque Works agents were quickly overwhelmed. Seeing things turn against them, Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day fled toward the clock tower, where they had hidden a massive cannon in advance. Their goal was simple: to fire it directly at the royal palace and destroy it. Vivi and Igaram had immediately given chase to stop them. Seeing Vivi fall from the tower now, with Igaram nowhere in sight, meant their attempt had failed.
"Vivi, are you okay!" Nami cried out, rushing forward to help her up.
"Nami, they're about to light it! Please, stop them!" Vivi gasped, clutching Nami's arm tightly, her voice filled with despair.
"I think it's already too late," Ryuuto said softly. As he watched, the cannon's fuse burned shorter and shorter.
"Ah..." Vivi looked up and collapsed to the ground in terror.
"It's okay, leave it to the captain," Nami said, patting Vivi's back reassuringly. In her eyes, Ryuuto was practically omnipotent. A single cannonball was nothing.
Crocus and Belo Betty also looked up toward the tower.
BOOM! With a final sizzle, the fuse was gone. A deafening roar shook the air as a massive cannonball, wreathed in fire, soared toward the royal palace.
Clang!
The sword was drawn.
In a flash, Yubashiri was unsheathed from Ryuuto's right hand.
He stomped down hard, launching himself into the air. Before Vivi could even register what was happening, Ryuuto was already in front of the cannonball.
"Blade Rend!" he shouted, thrusting Yubashiri forward. In an instant, dozens of sword glints erupted from the blade.
As the shower of light faded, Ryuuto had already passed through the cannonball and landed in the clock tower, right in front of Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day.
Clang!
With a final ring of steel, the enormous projectile was instantly sliced into dozens of pieces.
Boom! Pop!
It detonated in mid-air, bursting like a brilliant firework against the sky.
"We're saved!" Vivi whispered, tears of relief finally falling from her eyes. The weight on her heart was finally lifted.
Nami thought to herself, *Of course. There's nothing the captain can't do.*
Crocus and Belo Betty simply shared a knowing smile.
Up in the tower, Ryuuto pointed Yubashiri at Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day. "Are you going down on your own," he asked, "or do you need my help?"
"In your dreams! Die! Smash Shot!" the two agents roared, pulling out their guns and opening fire on Ryuuto.
"Hmph." Ryuuto shook his head and swung Yubashiri down.
A brilliant white slash of energy shot out from the blade, flying straight toward the pair. They vanished within the light, which continued onward and struck the massive cannon behind them.
Crash!
When the smoke cleared, the cannon had been split cleanly in two.
...
"Ah, this feels so good!"
Nami, Vivi, and Belo Betty were soaking in the royal palace's grand bath. The shallow water revealed the lovely contours of the young women's bodies.
"A nice, long soak after a big battle is the best," Nami murmured lazily, stretching backward with a sigh that accentuated her graceful figure.
"It sure is," Belo Betty agreed. She had her legs spread wide, leaning comfortably against the stone wall.
Vivi, meanwhile, was crouched in a deeper section, continuously splashing hot water over herself.
Steam rose from the pool, shrouding the girls' figures in a hazy mist. On the other side of a large screen was the men's bathing area. Ryuuto, Crocus, and King Cobra were each relaxing against a section of the stone wall.
"King Cobra, this bathhouse of yours is truly first-rate," Ryuuto said, thoroughly enjoying the moment.
"Hahahaha, it certainly is!" Cobra boomed in response.
"Indeed. A good soak does wonders for these old bones," Crocus added in agreement.
While they were enjoying their bath, a navy warship was operating methodically on the seas outside Alabasta.
"What? Crocodile was killed!"
"But he's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
A brief commotion erupted on deck before quickly being silenced.
Back in the bathhouse, Ryuuto's relaxation was shattered by a panicked voice from outside.
"Your Majesty, this is terrible!"
"The Marines are preparing to land! Are they here to arrest Captain Ryuuto?"
Igaram rushed in holding a Den Den Mushi, but in his haste, he slipped on the wet floor and crashed headfirst into the large decorative screen that separated the two bathing areas.
Under the force of the impact, the screen toppled over.
With a loud crash, the partition that separated the men's and women's baths was gone, and the two areas became one.
"Ah! What was that?" Nami and Vivi shrieked in alarm.
Belo Betty, however, seemed completely unconcerned.
"Princess Vivi! My deepest apologies!" Igaram shouted, immediately covering his eyes upon realizing what he'd done.
"Ah..." Vivi, seeing the three men across the pool looking directly at her, immediately sank beneath the water in embarrassment.
"Ah... Captain!" Nami glanced over and saw Ryuuto's gaze fixed on her. A blush instantly spread across her cheeks as she instinctively covered her chest. "This is so embarrassing!" she cried out.
"Gahahaha, so you all were on the other side!" Belo Betty laughed heartily upon seeing the three men, not bothered in the slightest. "Looks like the water's hotter over there, and more comfortable, too!"
Her eyes fell on the more spacious men's side. Shaking her short hair, she stood up and slowly began walking toward them.
Drip... drip...
Water droplets trickled down Belo Betty's body, pattering against the stone floor.
Ryuuto was completely mesmerized by the sight.
As Belo Betty moved, the eyes of Ryuuto, Crocus, Cobra, and even Igaram, who was still sprawled on the floor, followed her every step.