Chapter 64: Alabasta – Victory Parade, Robin's Welcome & the Crew's Treasure Haul
When Sol arrived at the plaza carrying Luffy on his back with Robin following, order had already been restored across all of Alubarna. Under Vivi's command, the former rebels and royal soldiers stood in neat ranks, awaiting the king's address.
Sol gave Vivi a nod from the crowd, then quietly slipped away to reunite with Nami and the others.
On the Navy side, Smoker—cigar clenched between his teeth—was overseeing his subordinates rounding up the remaining Baroque Works agents. "Tashigi," he frowned while scanning the area, "where's that Mr. 2 Bon Kurei?"
Tashigi adjusted her glasses: "Report, Captain—no trace of him was found during the sweep."
At that moment, King Cobra stood on the palace steps, holding a broadcast Den Den Mushi. His voice echoed across the plaza through the amplifiers: "The war… is over. Crocodile has been defeated…" His voice cracked with emotion. "I don't know what words can comfort everyone…"
The square fell completely silent. Everyone held their breath, listening.
"But!" Cobra suddenly raised his voice. "We must acknowledge our mistakes! We must mourn the lives that were lost! Even so—we must keep moving forward! It no longer matters who was right or wrong in this war—what matters is that it has finally ended!"
His voice reverberated through the rain: "No one can erase the pain of the past! So we must rise again after the war! We must live on and work hard for the future of Alabasta! To rebuild a peaceful Alabasta Kingdom!"
As if the heavens themselves were responding to the king's speech, the long-gathered clouds finally broke. Torrential rain poured down. The water washed away the bloodstains on the plaza and cleansed the gunpowder smoke from people's faces. Citizens embraced one another and wept, finally realizing how close they had come to committing an unforgivable mistake.
Meanwhile, Smoker issued new orders: "Tashigi, take a squad and bring Crocodile back." He exhaled a smoke ring, gazing thoughtfully toward the palace. "Who exactly beat him? Was it Sol… or that Straw Hat kid?"
Through the curtain of rain, Tashigi led her Navy squad swiftly toward the palace. On the other side of the plaza, Sol had already found Nami and the rest, who were tending to the wounded.
Chopper spotted Luffy being carried back and immediately rushed over in a panic: "Luffy! How are you?! Do you need a doctor?!"
Sol gently set Luffy down and smiled helplessly: "Aren't you the doctor? Relax—he's just exhausted and lost a lot of blood. A little rest and he'll be fine."
Sanji—cigarette in mouth—narrowed his eyes at Robin. "Sol, everything's wrapped up? And who's this…?"
"Yeah, it's over. Luffy beat Crocodile." Sol patted Robin on the shoulder. "Everyone, meet our new crewmate—Nico Robin."
"Wait—hold on, Sol!" Nami immediately yanked Sol aside and hissed in a low voice: "If I remember right, isn't she from Baroque Works? Vivi said something about Miss All Sunday, right?"
"Don't worry, Nami—duct tape!" Sol grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
"Who's joking around?! I'm being serious!" Nami glared, hands on hips.
Sol shrugged and leaned close to Robin, whispering a few words. Robin nodded slightly, then deliberately spoke in a worried tone just loud enough for Nami to hear:
"Sigh… Crocodile's been defeated, but all that treasure in the Rain Dinners casino… what are we going to do about it… it's really worrying…"
Nami's ears perked up instantly. Her eyes turned into Berry symbols. In one swift movement she was right in front of Robin: "Nee~ Robin-neesan! What was that about treasure just now?"
Robin covered her mouth elegantly and smiled: "Oh, nothing much—just the Rain Dinners casino… you know the place, right?"
"Mm-hmm! We were actually locked up there before!" Nami nodded frantically.
"That was actually Crocodile's property. I was in charge of running it…" Before Robin could finish, Nami's eyes were already sparkling, her whole body practically floating.
"Then what are we waiting for?!" She spun around and pointed at the three injured crewmates lying on the ground. "You three who aren't dead yet—get up! We're going to haul my Berries back!"
"Hey hey! Are you a demon?!" Zoro stared in shock.
But Sanji was already swooning with hearts in his eyes, dropping to one knee: "If it's a request from Nami-san and Robin-chan, I'd go to hell and back!"
"This guy's beyond saving…" Usopp facepalmed and sighed. At that moment, Chopper suddenly tugged at his pant leg.
"What's up?" Usopp looked down—only to see two hands suddenly sprout from Luffy's head, waving at them: "Chopper~!"
"Pffft hahaha!" Chopper and Usopp instantly collapsed in laughter. Robin withdrew her ability, a mischievous little smile playing on her lips.
By nightfall in Alubarna, the Straw Hats finally returned to the palace with their haul. Five horse-drawn carriages creaked under the moonlight, each piled high with treasure chests looted from the Rain Dinners casino.
Nami was practically hanging off Sol's arm, her eyes glittering with Berry symbols: "Hehehe… Sol, we're rich! Adding what we took from Wapol, we've got almost 1.5 billion Berries now!"
Sol smiled and corrected her: "Wasn't it 250,000? Don't forget Vivi's reward."
"That…" Nami waved her hand unusually gently, a soft look on her face. "Vivi's our friend now, and her country needs that money more."
"N-Nami isn't being greedy for money?!?" Usopp staggered back two steps in shock—only to receive a heavy iron fist to the head from Nami: "Who are you calling a great villain?!"
"Aren't you?" The suicidal Usopp muttered—only to receive an even harder punch.
Luffy sat on one of the carriages, turned an empty food bag upside down and shook it: "Sanji—I'm starving! Where's the food?"
"Didn't I give you dried rations to hold you over?" Sanji—cigarette dangling—looked helplessly at his captain. "Just hold on till we get back—I'll cook you something."
When they reached the palace plaza, Vivi—who had been searching for them—finally ran over: "Nami! Where have you all been? I looked everywhere…" She suddenly noticed Robin in the group and instantly tensed. "Miss All Sunday?!"
"Calm down, Vivi," Nami hurried to explain. "Robin's our new crewmate now."
Vivi eyed Robin warily, remembering all the times the woman had secretly helped them. In the end she only said gravely: "I hope you're not playing any tricks."
Robin gave an elegant bow, a mysterious smile on her lips: "Looks like you're still wary of me, Miss Wednesday." Her gaze swept over each member of the Straw Hats, her voice soft but firm: "But please rest assured—the me standing here now has truly joined this pirate crew."
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