Chapter 66: Alabasta – The King's Secret & the Straw Hats' Departure
Cobra's furious roar exploded in the study. He slammed his palm on the desk so hard the candle flames shook violently: "What?! That bastard Im actually dared to target Vivi?!"
The king paced anxiously back and forth across the room, his heavy footsteps leaving deep impressions in the carpet. After a moment he stopped, took a deep breath: "Although I don't understand how you know such a secret… it is true that our ancestor Nefertari D. Lili left behind a confidential letter."
He clenched his fists until the knuckles turned white: "Forgive me for not revealing the contents, but our ancestor clearly instructed us to stay far away from the World Government and guard Alabasta for generations."
His face was terrifyingly dark. The chaos caused by Crocodile had already left the country gravely wounded. If the World Government now intended to intervene personally… Cobra closed his eyes in pain—he knew better than anyone that he was powerless to resist.
"Sol…" The king suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with determination and pleading. "Can I ask this of you? Take Vivi away from here. Protect her."
Sol stood up, a reassuring smile curling his lips: "Do I even need to say it? She's our crewmate."
Cobra's tense shoulders finally relaxed a little. He gave Sol a solemn nod of gratitude.
After a quiet discussion of a few more details, Sol pushed open the carved wooden door and left. The heavy door closed softly behind him, leaving only the gradually fading sound of footsteps in the corridor.
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Late at night in the palace guest room, bright moonlight filtered through the gauze curtains onto the bed. Nami tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The shoulder strap of her silk nightgown had slipped, revealing fair skin. She was hugging her pillow in a daze when the door clicked softly.
Sol slipped inside and locked the door behind him in one smooth motion, bringing a faint breeze with him. He walked straight to the bed, wrapped his strong arms around Nami's slender waist, and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek: "I'm back."
"Mmm…" Nami naturally leaned into his solid chest, her fingertips absentmindedly tracing circles. "Coming back so late—what exactly did you talk about?" When she looked up, a few unruly strands of orange hair still poked out between her locks.
Sol toyed with her hair ends and chuckled lightly: "We're about to kidnap a princess from her country—of course we had to inform her father, right?"
"So that means…" Nami's eyes suddenly lit up. "You succeeded?" She propped herself up and quickly pecked him on the lips. "Your reward!"
Earlier that evening in the bathhouse, Nami had quietly mentioned to Vivi that the crew planned to continue their journey. Vivi's hesitant expression had worried her for hours—she never expected Sol to handle it so easily.
"That little reward isn't enough." Sol suddenly flipped her beneath him. His hot palm had already slipped under the hem of her nightgown.
Before Nami could protest, her lips were sealed. In the moonlight, the silk nightgown fell to the floor like scattered petals.
As moonlight gradually sank westward, the swaying canopy finally stilled.
Nami, drenched in sweet sweat, curled up in Sol's arms, her fingertips lingering on his chest: "So… we set sail tomorrow?"
"Mm." Sol played with her scattered orange hair. "But Vivi herself still doesn't know…"
Nami suddenly propped herself up. The sight made Sol's eyes darken again: "Wait—if tomorrow is…"
"Shh…" Sol pulled her back into his arms. "Tomorrow's problems can wait until tomorrow." His hand began wandering downward once more.
"You… mm…" Before the moonlight completely disappeared behind the clouds, the canopy began to sway gently again.
Morning light filtered through the gauze curtains into the room. Nami woke rubbing her sore waist, her cheeks instantly flushing crimson.
Memories of last night's frenzy flooded back like a tide—from the bed to the carpet, even the vanity table bore traces of their passion.
She looked down at Sol still sleeping soundly and puffed out her cheeks, pinching his face: "Damn it… even an animal-type's recovery power can't keep up with you…"
When Sol lazily woke up, Nami had already tidied the messy room until it was spotless. While washing up in the bathroom, the steamy air made them unable to resist another round of closeness—they nearly missed departure time.
Outside the palace at that moment, the rest of the Straw Hat crew had already been waiting for a while. Luffy sat on top of a carriage swinging his legs impatiently: "Sol's too slow! The sun's already burning my butt!"
Robin covered her mouth and laughed softly, mischief glinting in her eyes: "Youth is wonderful~"
"Damn it!!" Sanji dropped to his knees and pounded the stone road, tears streaming: "I'm so jealous!!"
Nami clasped her hands together in repeated apologies, a blush spreading from her ears down her neck.
Just as everyone was about to set off toward the St. Dora River to meet Bon Kurei and retrieve the Merry, Usopp suddenly noticed someone missing: "Wait—Sol isn't coming with us?"
"He said he was going to find Vivi." Nami looked toward a high balcony of the palace, a gentle smile on her lips. "We'll go on ahead."
When Nami's group reached the St. Dora Riverbank, Bon Kurei was already waiting eagerly on the shore.
He dramatically waved a handkerchief and called out in his signature tone: "Hmm~? You lot sure kept this lady waiting! To steal this ship back from the Navy, this lady had to go through nine hardships and ten labors!"
Luffy's eyes lit up instantly: "You mean… you got the Merry back for us?"
Usopp asked suspiciously: "For real?"
Chopper tilted his head, puzzled: "Why would you help us?"
Bon Kurei suddenly dropped the exaggerated act and gave a serious thumbs-up: "Because… aren't we friends?" Those simple words instantly made the three tear up. They rushed forward excitedly, throwing their arms around Bon Kurei and jumping into a joyful dance. "Hahaha! Little Bon, you're forever our best friend!"
Meanwhile, Zoro and Sanji were busy loading the treasure onto the ship while Robin constantly used her Hana Hana no Mi powers to assist with unloading.
After Nami finished inventorying all the luggage, she wiped sweat from her forehead in relief: "Finally got all my babies safely back on board."
"Hey! Everyone, get ready to set sail!" Sol's voice suddenly rang from the distance. Karoo came galloping up with Vivi right behind him—and even more shocking, a fully armed military force was chasing after them.
Usopp hurriedly pulled off his sniper goggles: "It's Sol and Vivi! Wait… behind them that's…" When he saw the situation clearly, his voice cracked in panic: "Quick! Raise the sails! The army's coming!"
Just as the Merry began to move, Sol and Karoo made a beautiful leap and landed steadily on the deck. Nami immediately rushed forward and hugged Vivi tightly.
On the shore, the commanding officer Jaka shouted hoarsely: "Return Princess Vivi to us!" But as the Merry's sails fully unfurled, his voice gradually faded.
In the end, this loyal guard captain simply stood silently in place, watching the departing ship, and murmured softly: "Goodbye… Princess Vivi."
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