The sounds of slaughter in Nanohana gradually faded, but the smell of smoke and blood lingered stubbornly in the air.
The setting sun spilled across the shattered streets like diluted blood, illuminating the survivors hiding behind broken walls—eyes filled with fear and emptiness.
Vivi knelt on the blood-soaked sand, her long hair whipping wildly in the wind.
With trembling hands, she wiped away her tears while trying to comfort a child sobbing softly in their mother's arms.
As a princess, she felt a pain that cut to the bone—
The pain of a homeland torn apart.
The pain of a civilization trampled into dust.
At that moment, hurried, unsteady footsteps approached from behind a pile of rubble.
An old man in his sixties, covered in blood and grime, stumbled forward with the support of several guards.
The moment he saw Vivi's unmistakable blue hair, his clouded eyes burst with light.
"Y-Your Highness… Princess Vivi?!"
His voice trembled like someone reborn from death.
Vivi froze, then recognized him.
"You're… the governor of Nanohana! I met you in Alubarna three years ago!"
"It is I… I deserve death for failing to protect this city!"
The old governor collapsed to his knees, sobbing bitterly.
"Your Highness… I have failed you!"
"What happened here?!" Vivi grabbed his shoulders desperately.
"Why are there so many pirates? And the rebels… why are they looting their own people?!"
"Why didn't the capital send reinforcements?! Where is my father's army?!"
The old man looked up, his eyes filled with despair.
"Your Highness… don't you know?"
"The rebel army gathered all their forces and launched a full assault three days ago!"
"They've already reached the capital—Alubarna itself!"
"The entire kingdom is in chaos!"
"The capital is under siege. Local garrisons are either waiting… or defecting!"
"This place… has become lawless land!"
"Pirates, criminals, mobs… all taking advantage of the chaos!"
"Alabasta… is doomed!"
"What… did you say?!"
The words struck Vivi like a bolt of lightning.
Her body swayed violently, her vision going dark.
"They've already… reached the capital…?"
She whispered, her soul hollowed out.
Nami quickly caught her before she collapsed, her eyes filled with concern.
"My father…" Vivi bit her lip until it bled, clinging to her last hope as she looked toward the figure standing ahead.
"Luffy…"
"Yeah. I heard."
Luffy didn't turn around.
But beneath the shadow of his hat, his anger had reached its peak.
He looked at the devastated city.
His voice rumbled like distant thunder.
"If that bastard wants a war… then we'll go to Alubarna."
"And beat the mastermind to death."
Ronan stepped beside Vivi, his gaze fixed on the distant smoke rising into the sky.
"Vivi. This is the war you must face. Cruel and real."
His voice was calm—almost cold—but precise.
"The seeds Crocodile planted have already borne their ugliest fruit."
"As long as that man still exists—whether in Alabasta or hiding somewhere pulling the strings—this tragedy will repeat itself every single day."
Vivi took a deep breath.
The trembling in her eyes vanished.
In its place—
Resolve.
She stood up straight, wiping away her tears.
"I understand."
"Let's go. To Alubarna."
"Don't worry, Vivi-swan!"
Sanji straightened his suit, his eyes sharp.
"Anyone who dares make a princess cry… I'll personally show them hell."
"But."
Ronan turned his head, looking at the trembling Walpol hiding in a corner, staring at the corpses in terror.
"Walking will be too slow."
"Walpol."
"I-I'm here!! W-What is it?!" Walpol's fat body quivered.
After days of "physical persuasion," he had developed a reflex—
Whenever Ronan called his name, his jaw ached.
Ronan pointed at the half-burnt wagons nearby and the collapsed ruins.
"Go eat those wagons. The ones with wheels."
"And those solid stones and metal scraps. Eat everything."
"…Huh?" Walpol froze.
"Huh what?!"
Nami stepped forward, her sharp mind already forming a blueprint.
She cracked her knuckles, glaring at him.
"Eat it! And make us a machine that can charge through the desert and carry us fast!"
"If you cut corners, I'll sell you as scrap metal!"
Under Nami's threat and Ronan's killing intent—
Walpol didn't dare refuse.
He rushed forward like a starving beast.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
Before everyone's eyes—
His grotesque mouth devoured everything.
Wheels.
Chassis.
Stone.
Rusty spears.
His stomach roared like a furnace, producing harsh mechanical grinding sounds.
"Munch-Munch Factory… Transform!!"
His body twisted and expanded violently.
Metal and flesh fused together under some bizarre rule.
Within five minutes—
Amid steam and smoke—
A monstrous creation emerged.
A massive vehicle.
Seven meters long.
Five meters tall.
Six enormous reinforced wheels lined the bottom, each embedded with steel spikes.
The body was a fusion of stone and iron.
At the front—
A giant Walpol face served as a battering ram.
"I… I'm done…" Walpol panted weakly, his face appearing from the top hatch.
"Walpol Desert Cruiser…"
Ronan looked at the ugly yet powerful machine—
And smiled in satisfaction.
"Everyone, get on. We're moving."
"OOOH!!" Luffy cheered, jumping onto the highest platform.
Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper followed.
Nami pulled Vivi into the central cabin and raised her hand confidently.
"Full speed ahead!"
"Destination: Alubarna—the capital of Alabasta!!"
"M-Mahapopopo… let's go!!" Walpol shouted desperately.
The six massive wheels spun wildly.
BOOM—!!
With a deep roar—
The steel beast smashed through the ruins of Nanohana's gates like a gray meteor.
Sand erupted behind it, forming a massive trailing cloud stretching hundreds of meters.
The world blurred past them.
The vast Sandora Desert glowed in the orange light of sunset.
Dunes flattened beneath their charge.
This speed—
Was over ten times faster than camels.
They surged forward—
Toward the heart of war.
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