Chapter 32

Chapter 31: Warlocks, Warriors, and a Whole Lot of Fruit

The palace felt too quiet after Naruto and his crew left.

No cheering crowds. No golem patrols rumbling in the sand. No wind eagle sweeping across the skies like a guardian from myth. Just the soft rustling of curtains and the distant sound of rebuilding.

And my father's gaze—measured, kind, but sharp as a sword.

He stood on the balcony, looking out at the horizon. His back was straight, but I could see the strain in his shoulders. Being king had aged him, but not in the way people imagine. It wasn't wrinkles or gray hairs. It was weight—the weight of every decision he made to protect Alabasta.

He finally turned to me.

"Vivi… that kiss you gave Naruto… was that real?"

I blinked. I hadn't expected him to bring it up so bluntly.

"Or was it… just a ploy?" he asked, voice calm, but carrying a quiet sorrow.

"To bind him to our kingdom. To ensure his loyalty. If that's all it was… I want you to stop."

I felt the blood drain from my face. Not because he scolded me—he didn't. That was what made it worse. He was disappointed… not in me, but in the idea that I might feel like I had to sell myself to gain an ally.

"You're my daughter," he said gently. "Not a diplomat's bargaining chip. I'd rather lose alliances than see you use yourself that way."

I looked away.

The silence sat between us like a stone. And I didn't break it right away because, honestly… I didn't know the answer.

When I finally spoke, it was a whisper.

"At first… maybe it was a little bit of that."

He didn't flinch, didn't judge. Just listened.

"When I saw him… he looked like a hero. Not just strong. But right. Like someone who would do the right thing even if it hurt. And when I watched him work, I realized… he is that person. He joked about cost and tax and payment, but we both know he gave us more than we paid for. He gave Alabasta hope again."

I paused.

"So no, I don't know if I love him… but I do like him. Genuinely. Not because I have to. Not because I want something. Just because… he's Naruto."

My father exhaled slowly, then walked over and put a hand on my shoulder.

"That's all I needed to hear."

I looked up.

"You're not forbidden to fall in love, Vivi. I just wanted to make sure that if you do… it's your heart speaking. Not your duty."

And just like that, the weight lifted.

Later that night, I stood by the window, watching the stars.

Somewhere out there, Naruto was flying through the skies on that monstrous flying fortress of his. Chasing cursed swords, justice, and God-knows-what else.

And here I was… still thinking about a kiss.

My fingers brushed my lips, and I laughed softly to myself.

"What are you doing to me, Naruto Uzumaki?"

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Doflamingo's laughter echoed through the dimly lit war room, sharp and manic like the crack of a whip. The flickering candlelight cast twisted shadows across the walls, dancing to the rhythm of his cruel mirth. His men exchanged uneasy glances, the bravado in their eyes shrinking beneath the weight of his insanity.

"Gladius, Señor Pink, Viola… all fallen," Doflamingo mused, voice dripping venomous amusement. "They didn't just lose—they were destroyed. Like pawns in a game they never knew they were playing."

His crimson eyes glinted with dark pride, but beneath the surface lurked a sliver of unease. The communication with Arabasta had gone dead. Silent. As if the desert kingdom had been erased from the map—cut off from the world. And now, something unknown was out there, lurking.

"An unknown enemy… with no name. No face," he muttered, fingers drumming on the polished table. "Is it some random hero, or… Mihawk himself? Did he slip through the cracks and end my men?"

Trebol, ever the cautious one, stepped forward. "Should I go, my lord? Hunt this… ghost before it becomes a problem?"

Pica's bulk loomed behind, silent but clearly unwilling to leave the fortress of Dressrosa.

Doflamingo waved a hand dismissively. "No. No, that would be foolish. This enemy wants to chase us down, picking us off one by one." His grin widened, teeth flashing like daggers. "If that's the game… *then we'll make sure they come to us. Let them walk right into my web."

The room grew quiet, the tension thick enough to choke on.

"But," he said, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "this is no game. Anyone who thinks they can outplay me has no idea what cards I'm holding."

With a swift motion, he picked up the ornate phone on the table. His fingers curled around it, tightening as he dialed a number known only to a few.

"King," he said when the connection clicked, "someone's targeting us. This isn't just a nuisance—it threatens the very supply lines of the Devil Fruits. You need to be ready."

The call ended quickly, but Doflamingo's expression remained calm, almost serene.

He wasn't angry. Not yet.

"I'm still too weak," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else. "Monsters like Kaido are leagues beyond me. But that's going to change."

He stared out the window, the city lights of Dressrosa flickering like dying embers.

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Okay, so picture this: We're all hanging out on the ship—Kakashi looking half-bored, Shikamaru trying to act all chill but totally stressed under the surface, and me, just trying to process the fact that our next big enemy might be some kind of dragon god. Not just any dragon god, but Kaido—the strongest man in the entire world. Yeah, no pressure or anything.

Viola drops this bomb on us: Doflamingo wasn't just your average creepy kingpin—he's been supplying devil fruits to Kaido's crew. I blinked. Twice. Then I looked around at everyone's faces. Kakashi's eyebrow practically hit his hairline. Shikamaru groaned and muttered something about "why couldn't it just be a boring ninja problem." And Gaara? Well, let's just say his sand didn't look quite as confident anymore.

I mean, come on. We just thought we'd be dealing with one big, bad guy. Now it's like we signed up for a whole fantasy monster guild. Dragons, devil fruits, and an empire that apparently stretches beyond our wildest ninja dramas.

"Wait, wait," I said, trying to keep it light because freaking out wasn't gonna help anyone. "Before you all start panicking—chill. We've got this."

How? Well, for starters, I had already marked a bunch of safe spots around the world with teleportation seals. No one could track us if we didn't want them to. It's like the ultimate ninja hide-and-seek. You want to follow us? Nope, sorry, better luck next time.

Kakashi nodded, impressed as always, and Shikamaru actually managed a tiny smile. That's a win in my book.

"But… how strong are Kaido's men, really?" I asked Viola, because this was serious business. We could talk about teleportation and secret bases all day, but at the end of the day, power levels mattered.

She gave me that look—kind of amused, kind of warning—and said: "Stronger than Doflamingo."

Cue the collective gulp.

There it was.

Stronger than him.

The guy who had been giving us nightmares.

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the familiar mix of excitement and that tiny voice in my head screaming, Are you nuts? But hey, if there's one thing I've learned on this crazy journey, it's that freaking out gets you nowhere.

So yeah, we're up against some serious heavy hitters. But you know what?

I've got my team. We've got some tricks up our sleeves. And thanks to my teleport seals, we can always bail if things get too crazy. (Not that I'm planning on bailing anytime soon.)

"Let's just make sure we don't get caught with our pants down," I said, grinning like I was about to announce a ninja party.

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Okay, so here's the deal: Our ship is not just some floating fortress of ninja awesomeness anymore—Viola's on board, which means we've basically upgraded to Ninja Crew 2.0: The Sea Edition. With her around, our info game just leveled up big time.

We weren't just swapping doom-and-gloom stories about Doflamingo and Kaido (though, yeah, that was still happening—don't get me wrong). Nope, now we were geeking out over the other seven warlords of the sea. Yeah, seven more badasses with devil fruits, crazy powers, and probably zero chill.

Tenten? Oh, she was buzzing. I swear, she'd been waiting her whole life for this moment—she couldn't wait to meet Mihawk, the guy who's apparently so sharp with swords he could probably slice a moon in half (or something equally metal). You could see it in her eyes—the sparkle of a true weapon nerd getting ready to fangirl.

Shikamaru, being his usual master of lazy scheming, surprised everyone by actually showing interest in Gecko Moria. Yeah, the guy with the creepy shadow powers and the whole "zombie king" vibe. Shikamaru wasn't just curious for the heck of it—he was probably thinking about how to stab the guy and snag his devil fruit. I couldn't argue with that logic. If you think about it, with chakra, maybe we could hack around the usual devil fruit weaknesses. Like, what if you could block water or sea stone using your chakra? Mind blown.

Then there's Viola. She's been hanging around Kakashi lately—probably impressed by his half-masked, mysterious vibe—and she actually suggested he hunt down the lightning devil fruit. "It would totally suit him," she said with a wink. I'm not sure if Kakashi blushed behind that mask or if it's just me imagining things, but either way, it was kinda funny.

"Where the heck do we find a lightning fruit?" Kakashi asked, sounding mildly interested.

"Skypiea," Viola answered coolly. "Last we heard."

Skypiea. Yeah, that place. The sky island floating somewhere way up there. I mean, teleport seals help with the traveling part, but I wasn't exactly looking forward to bumping into a bunch of sky warriors or giant bugs. But hey, adventure's adventure, right?

Tenten was already talking about prepping her gear for the journey, probably practicing her throwing weapons midair or something. Shikamaru was, of course, already plotting three steps ahead, probably imagining how to sneak in and snag a devil fruit without anyone noticing.

Me? I was just trying to keep everyone from getting too excited or too panicked. But honestly? It was kinda fun. All this talk about warlords, devil fruits, and crazy places made me feel like we were starring in our own epic ninja-anime-meets-pirate story.

I looked at the crew—Viola, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Tenten, Gaara—and thought, Yeah, we got this. Or at least, we'll survive with a few bruises and some hilarious stories to tell.