They could both seem like they were confined in a prison that they were unable to escape from.
Una needed her sister to keep living, and she needed to be around to protect her, so she needed to maintain her power and control over Empirica Island, which meant that she could not leave.
Una was the stronger of the two with the greater power, while Deux was known for being a good support and was skilled in other ways during their journey and following that.
It was usually Una who was doing most of the battling during the journey in the past, and she had often been protecting her twin sister and her crewmates.
That had only changed slightly after they split up from their crew and returned to their birthplace.
It could be seen that Deux had been the weaker among the two and would need more protection, especially if they were put in a very difficult situation or were exposed to too much, leading to the present situation.
There were things mentioned about their crew and how they once had some connections with the Mink Tribe, and how there was a member of the Mink Tribe on their crew.
That was a reason why Deux had been able to get a little more comfortable with Alyssia since it allowed her to reminisce about her past friendship.
The closer that they got, the more Alyssia started to feel that it would be a little wrong to take advantage of everything for personal gain.
She could steal away Deux, but perhaps that would end up being the wrong decision that she could make from what was available.
She chose another route that had always been available, and that was to do more research by collecting what she could from Deux so that she could replicate the effects of the Devil Fruit.
Perhaps if she could achieve something similar, then it would become possible for her to achieve something that even someone like Doflamingo wished to achieve but was unable to.
One of the greatest ways to win in the world was to survive longer than anyone else.
If a person lived much longer than others, then they could continue to affect the world around them, while others who died would eventually fade away into history.
Even the greatest of enemies could not remain such a huge threat forever, as they would grow old and die.
The only way they could continue to remain a threat would be if they had something similar that would allow them to keep living past their original lifespan.
Alyssia had come to know so much about the truth of the world a long time ago, so she understood a lot more than others.
She knew about where that thinking process came from since it had already been achieved by others, and that was the reason why Doflamingo would know of such things and would want the same for himself.
That was how Alyssia had been able to be open-minded toward the situation involving the story of Una and Deux, along with the history of the Empirica Island that had been cut off from the rest of the world for so long.
If they came from a certain time period linked to the void century, then it would make even more sense.
After spending some time there and learning some things, their friendship grew, but the time came when they had to part ways.
Alyssia made sure to collect what samples she could from the water source and from Deux.
The next morning, the sisters met again.
They came face to face like usual, but Deux seemed a little more lively than in the previous exchange.
A challenging smile appeared on her face as she held a piece of paper out toward Una. "Hey, sister. This is for you."
The red eyes of Una narrowed upon seeing something that was not kept within the chambers where Deux had been kept for so long.
She snatched it from her hands before reading it.
[Dear Una,
You and your sister are quite interesting. So is the kingdom that you have built, but the world cannot help but grow interested. If you wish to maintain the present peace, then you must learn to adapt to the times.
You cannot remain hidden forever, and new dangers will appear even if you try to avoid them. I will do what I can to delay things for you, but it would be in your best interests to find a good ally to rely on to get through the coming storms.
Prepare yourself and meet me at the most secluded part of the island in two weeks. There, we can fight and test to see which of us is better and whether we can consider each other worthy of partnering with the other.
Oh yeah, and if I win this duel of ours, release your sister and let her gain some freedom. She may need protecting and hiding from the world, but these measures you are taking are a little too extreme when used toward a loved one.
A.L.]
Alyssia liked strong people for how they could provide a great challenge for her, just as they would be great potential allies.
The future would be full of dangers from what she had discovered from the knowledge she gained from Dr Vegapunk on Egghead, so she needed to prepare for such a time.
There were already plans that she had been working on developing, which would be useful when that time did come.
There had been some others that had been in development in the present, while some still needed more time to start working on them.
Some may have judged Una as a poor ruler or a tyrant from some of the things she did in the past, but Alyssia did not think the same.
It was just that the time Una was living in did not leave many choices to choose from, and under those conditions, it would only be possible to abandon some to save others.
What mattered was how the kingdom turned out after such a time, once all of that was over.
There were still some minor issues Alyssia found, like the green cloaks who were banished to the forests, but the overall state of the kingdom was quite simple and not lacking in the slightest.
Such a process could be seen as a death sentence for some, but it could be understandable if there were valid reasons for banishing them in such a way.
It was not entirely her place to judge right from wrong when she had only seen a little of the kingdom, and each story had numerous sides to it.
Order and peace were present from what Alyssia had witnessed and told, while the lands were maintained, and there were ways for people to live their lives.
Their technological advances and other things may not have advanced much, but they were far better than other places in terms of crop development and similar areas, from what she had seen and been told by Deux.
The method Alyssia most loved when getting to know others was through combat.
Combatants in sports and warfare would co-adapt their behaviour to their opponent, leading to interpersonal synergy.
In combat, opposition could often be a way to learn about someone's fighting style, determination, and mental toughness.
Observing how they react to challenges and how they handle setbacks could provide valuable insights into their character and approach to life, which could often be more revealing than a direct conversation.
Alyssia wished to experience that from Una, especially after hearing about the past of Una and Deux, but there was another thing which made her want to fight just as much.
From what Deux had told her, Una was very powerful on her own, and it would be difficult for Alyssia to defeat her, no matter how strong she believed herself to be.
That only intrigued her more, and she took it as a challenge to overcome.
The letter was read by Una, and it crumpled in her grip a moment later.