Chapter 142: This Time, We’re Really Leaving

"We've… we've made it to the palace. He shouldn't… dare to follow us here, right?" Leah bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

"Don't worry. Aokiji is a Marine Admiral. He wouldn't dare cause trouble in the palace," Ryuen said confidently.

The entire Straw Hat crew had taken refuge in the Alabasta Palace. Ryuen thought to himself, 

*There's no way Aokiji would chase us into the palace, right?*

"Captain, can you put me down now?" a cold voice suddenly rang out.

"Huh?"

"Oh, right! Sorry, I forgot we're safe now. Let me put you down, hehehe~~~" Ryuen's face turned slightly red with embarrassment as he quickly set the fragrant woman in his arms back on her feet.

"Ouch!"

The moment Ryuen put Nami down, she stomped hard on his toes with all her might. The force was so strong that his foot instantly swelled up like a balloon!

"Hmph!"

"That's what you get for getting handsy!" Nami said with a pout.

The rest of the crew looked at Ryuen, their expressions clearly saying, *You had it coming.* Then, everyone started to relax.

"Um… guys, what just happened? Why were you fighting someone?" Vivi finally couldn't hold back her curiosity. Her eyes widened as she looked at the Straw Hat crew, filled with confusion and questions.

"Oh, right! You mentioned Marine Admiral Aokiji earlier. Were you fighting him just now?" Cobra, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but ask as well.

"Yep!" Leah nodded and answered loudly.

"But don't worry, King Cobra. We were just… having a friendly spar with Aokiji," said Anya, the little chef, her face serious as if trying to make her words sound believable.

"Yeah, it was just a friendly match. He won't come barging in, so don't worry, Cobra," Nojiko added, forcing an awkward smile.

"A friendly…"

"Spar…?" Cobra and Vivi repeated in unison, exchanging a glance.

Their cheeks twitched slightly, clearly not buying the explanation. After all, the intensity of the battle they had just witnessed was still fresh in their minds.

It was terrifying. They called it a "friendly spar," but the entire city of Alubarna had heard the deafening explosions…

Cobra and Vivi couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.

"Ahem…" Ryuen cleared his throat and turned to King Cobra and Vivi with a smile. "Well, King Cobra, Vivi, it looks like we'll need to stay in the palace for one more day before we leave."

As he spoke, he moved his foot around a bit. The wound on his foot had completely disappeared, as if it had never been there in the first place.

"Huh?" Vivi was stunned for a moment, but then a bright smile spread across her face. She exclaimed excitedly, "That's great!"

Meanwhile, King Cobra, standing nearby, nodded with a smile, showing that he understood their decision.

Vivi happily said to everyone, "Don't worry, everyone. Aokiji definitely won't dare to enter the palace. And honestly, I wasn't ready for you all to leave so suddenly today."

Her eyes were filled with both anticipation and reluctance, as if she wanted to spend more time with everyone.

Since they had just finished a small fight, the lawn where they had held the party the day before quickly became lively again...

Time for skewers!

Various skewers sizzled on the grill, releasing a mouthwatering aroma that made everyone's stomachs growl.

————

Alubarna

Outside Alubarna.

Aokiji was feeling a bit frustrated. He was thinking that he really shouldn't have been so harsh earlier.

And he had seriously underestimated how shameless the Straw Hat crew could be. They had ganged up on him! No sense of honor at all!

He rubbed his wounds and then pulled out a Den Den Mushi.

"Pururu pururu pururu..."

Marine Headquarters.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office. Sengoku was busy signing various documents when the Den Den Mushi next to him rang.

Sengoku put down his pen and walked over to answer it. "This is Sengoku."

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this is Aokiji. I've roughly tested his strength. Hmm... his Devil Fruit ability is strong, but his Armament Haki still needs work. Overall, his strength is at the level of a Vice Admiral."

"Vice Admiral level? That's impressive. It seems his Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit has given him a significant boost."

"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. So Vice Admiral Garp's intuition was right. This kid could potentially influence the entire balance of the seas."

There was a brief silence on the other end before Sengoku responded.

"I see. By the way, Admiral Aokiji, you didn't hurt him too badly, did you? If you did, he might hold a grudge."

Aokiji was taken aback by Sengoku's words, and his face instantly darkened.

Hurt him too badly?

Those guys were the ones who didn't play fair!

"Admiral Aokiji?"

"He's fine. In fact, he's full of energy right now. I've finished my report, so that's all for now, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

*Click.*

At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku stared at the suddenly disconnected Den Den Mushi, momentarily confused and unable to process what had just happened.

"Is Admiral Aokiji... actually the one who got hurt?"

"But... that can't be. According to Aokiji, Ryuen shouldn't be a match for him. So... why is this happening?"

Fleet Admiral Sengoku, reflecting on Aokiji's recent reaction, guessed that Aokiji might have been injured. However, he couldn't figure out how that could have happened.

Could there be another force in Alabasta?

Fleet Admiral Sengoku pondered this...

---

...

The next day, at Nanohana City Port.

A gentle breeze, clear skies, and bright sunshine made for a perfect day. It seemed like the ideal weather for setting out on a journey.

"Vivi, we're really leaving this time. Goodbye, Vivi!"

"Vivi, take care!"

"Wahhh~~~"

"Vivi, I'm going to miss you so much~~~"

The members of the Dream Crew stood at the port, each filled with reluctance as they waved goodbye to Vivi, who had come to see them off.

"Wahhh... I'm going to miss you all so much too..." Tears streamed down Vivi's face, her eyes filled with sadness and longing.

"And... we're comrades now, right?" Vivi asked, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Idiot!" Ryuen laughed as he scolded her.

"Of course, you're our comrade! Always will be!" His tone was firm and serious, as if he wanted to etch those words deep into Vivi's heart.

At that moment, the other members of the Dream Crew gathered around, their eyes filled with warmth and kindness.

"That's right, Vivi! You're one of us!" they said in unison.

Hearing these words, Vivi's tears flowed again. She nodded vigorously, her heart overflowing with emotion and joy.

As the Dream Ship slowly left the port, Vivi stood on the shore, waving her arms vigorously to bid farewell to her comrades.

At that moment, Vivi deeply felt the power of friendship.

This strength made her more resilient and confident, filling her with hope for the future.

"Nami, where's the next island?" Ryuen asked softly, standing at the bow of the ship.

"Jaya Island!"

Hearing Nami say the next destination was Jaya Island, everyone on the ship couldn't help but smile!

---

----

You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my

pat reon.com/GMadman