Three days later.
By this time, Buffalo had already left ahead of them, leaving only Viola on the ship.
The reason she had been able to reach Alabasta within a single day before was entirely thanks to Buffalo's ability.
After Baby-5 had captured Koby with a precisely fired cannonball, she had happened to meet up smoothly with Viola and Monet, who had not yet been transformed into a bird-human.
After taking a short rest, Viola once again partnered with Buffalo and headed toward Alabasta.
As for now, she had originally wanted to speak with Luffy alone.
But Buffalo mistakenly thought she wanted to use the opportunity to build a relationship with Cain and try recruiting him again, so he did not ask too many questions and simply left.
Meanwhile, Bon Clay was steering the Merry upstream along the inland river.
He was going there to meet up with the Straw Hat crew.
"What are you two doing here?"
Uta walked over carrying food.
Her gaze fell on the two who were staring at each other from a distance, and she spoke up.
"Sorry, Uta. I was too focused just now."
Cain came back to his senses and smiled.
"I was just worried this guy might take the chance to run away."
"Hmph. I've got Seastone on me! What, am I supposed to jump into the sea or something?"
Ace raised an eyebrow, then suddenly changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, that woman in the cabin. Are you just planning to leave her alone?"
"Don't worry. No need to bother with her."
Cain thought of Robin, who had secretly boarded the ship, and answered casually.
"Her?"
Uta keenly caught that word and looked puzzled.
"Nothing, nothing."
Cain hurriedly changed the topic and pointed at the sky.
"Look at how nice the weather is today! Oh right, Uta, this is actually the perfect time to try using that video Den Den Mushi and take your first step, isn't it?"
Uta's attention was instantly shifted.
She answered and turned to fetch the video Den Den Mushi.
Taking advantage of Uta's absence, Ace wrapped an arm around Cain's shoulder and squeezed his eyes teasingly.
"You like Uta, don't you? I remember you and Luffy mentioning her before. And I saw that girl's portrait in your sketchbook too. You sure hid it well."
"Stop making fun of me."
Cain slapped his hand away and immediately counterattacked.
"What about you? You've been sailing for so long. Haven't you met any girl who made your heart move?"
"Hahaha, no way."
Ace laughed loudly.
"Then you must have some female friends, right?" Cain pressed relentlessly.
"No, no. Really, no."
Ace waved his hands repeatedly.
Then his tone shifted, and a nostalgic smile rose at the corner of his mouth.
"Well, I guess it's not completely none. There's a little girl named Tama. I met her in Wano… and also a girl who kept insisting she was a man…"
As the two chatted and laughed, Uta had already walked out carrying the video Den Den Mushi.
The instant the Den Den Mushi activated, a floating screen of light suddenly lit up.
What appeared on the screen was live footage transmitted by people who held the same type of Den Den Mushi.
The images were filled with war and smoke.
Displaced people, ruined towns, and tragic scenes appeared everywhere. And most of this suffering had likely been caused by rampaging pirates.
The smiles on Ace and Cain's faces instantly faded.
Their expressions both turned solemn.
Cain slowly stepped forward and gently patted Uta's shoulder. His voice was steady.
"Go, Uta! Bring a new era to this cruel world."
Uta nodded firmly, took a deep breath, and reached out to open the video Den Den Mushi's broadcast interface.
At the same time, every Den Den Mushi connected to that channel received Uta's image.
Uta felt something stir in her heart and began singing loudly.
"Shinjidai wa kono mirai da, Sekaijuu zenbu kaete shimaeba, kaete shimaeba…"
"Jamamono, yanamono nante keshite"
"Kono yo to metamorufooze shiyouze"
"Myuujikku, kimi ga okosu majikku"
Ace chewed his food while watching Uta's performance with great interest, his eyes full of approval.
Viola looked at the scene, and her fingertips unconsciously moved along with the rhythm.
She suddenly thought of the dances of her own country.
But the moment that thought rose, she gently shook her head and quietly withdrew into a corner where the video could not capture her.
She did not want Doflamingo to catch any sign of her whereabouts through the Den Den Mushi.
Cain caught sight of Bon Clay twisting along with the rhythm in his signature okama dance moves.
The exaggerated posture was so hard on the eyes that Cain casually grabbed a slipper and hurled it at his forehead, stopping him in annoyance.
"Shhhhhh! Don't just randomly join in! tone it down!"
Bon Clay clutched his head in pain and immediately restrained his movements, turning serious in an instant.
At that moment, the Merry happened to reach its destination.
The ship Bon Clay had left behind earlier was docked by the riverbank.
He hurriedly jumped down, ran onto the ship in three steps, grabbed the Den Den Mushi, and dialed the royal palace channel, urgently urging Luffy and the others to hurry over.
When the song ended, Uta slowly bowed toward the floating screen of light.
Her face carried a gentle yet determined smile, and her voice spread through the Den Den Mushi into every channel.
"Thank you all for watching me. I'm Uta! I want to use my singing to bring a brand-new era to this broken world…!"
Although there was no packed audience here, and there were not many immediate replies, her heart was still full of joy.
After all, she had finally bravely taken the first step toward changing the world!
She had stepped onto the stage of this world!
Ace and Cain exchanged a smile, then both of them clapped hard.
Viola also looked at Uta's figure on the screen and silently cheered for her in her heart.
Everyone waited anxiously on the ship for a long time before Luffy and the others finally hurried over.
They had already informed Vivi and arranged to meet at the riverbank at noon.
At that time, they would pick her up and leave together.
Just then, broadcasts across every corner of Alabasta suddenly rang with Vivi's voice.
She spoke of her journey and what she had seen, calling on the people to set aside their conflict and protect their home.
The Straw Hats boarded the ship one after another.
The moment Sanji spotted Viola, his eyes instantly lit up like stars!
With a face full of smiles, he eagerly moved closer and asked,
"Beautiful lady, would you care to have a meal together?"
On the other side, the moment Luffy saw Ace and Cain, he spread his arms and launched himself over like a cannonball, shouting excitedly.
"CAIN! ACE! YOU TWO SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED BEFORE! YOU SCARED US SO MUCH! BUT THIS TIME, I WAS SUPER STRONG! I REALLY BEAT CROCODILE!"
"Yeah. Well done, Luffy."
Ace smiled and raised a hand to pat his shoulder.
Unfortunately, the Seastone on his wrist accidentally touched Luffy.
The next second, all the strength drained out of Luffy's body.
He collapsed limply onto the floor, still mumbling, "I feel so weak…"
"RIGHT! WHAT ABOUT THAT BOMB FROM BEFORE…?!"
Nami hurriedly asked.
"Yeah, we dealt with it," Cain answered with a nod.
The moment his words fell, several Marine warships suddenly sped toward the Merry, their cannon barrels already aimed at them.
But the agreed time had not arrived yet.
They had to wait for Vivi to board the ship. They absolutely could not leave now.
At that critical moment, Bon Clay, as a friend of the Straw Hats, stepped forward while thumping his chest.
"LEAVE IT TO ME!"
Before his voice had even faded, he activated the power of his Clone-Clone Fruit and transformed into Luffy's appearance.
Then he led his companions on their ship and charged toward the Marine warships, deliberately exposing himself to draw fire.
Cain watched his departing figure, first shaking his head, then slowly nodding.
He knew too well that even if Bon Clay managed to escape safely this time, he would eventually still charge into Impel Down without hesitation for the sake of his companions.
But no matter what, this hidden thread of helping Luffy had to be planted.
Besides, for Bon Clay, that seemingly hopeless Impel Down might actually be the "Okama Paradise" he truly sought.
At last, the time reached noon.
"So it still ended up like this. Let's go, Luffy. It's already past twelve," Sanji said helplessly.
"EVERYONE!"
Vivi's shout drifted over from the opposite bank.
"LOOK, VIVI'S HERE!"
Luffy's eyes lit up, and he instantly ran to the stern.
Holding a microphone, Vivi shouted loudly while sobbing.
"I CAME TO SAY GOODBYE! …I CAN'T GO WITH YOU! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING UNTIL NOW!"
"I WANT TO CONTINUE ADVENTURING WITH YOU, BUT I REALLY… I REALLY LOVE THIS COUNTRY! SO I CAN'T JUST LEAVE IT BEHIND!"
"I see."
Luffy grinned, his tone full of understanding.
Vivi could no longer hold back. Tears poured from her eyes, and her voice trembled.
"I… I… EVEN THOUGH I'm STAYING HERE…! IF WE MEET AGAIN SOMEDAY… WILL YOU STILL CALL ME YOUR COMPANION?!"
"YOU'LL ALWAYS BE OUR COM—!"
Luffy blurted out.
"You can't answer her!"
Nami hurriedly covered Luffy's mouth and said anxiously,
"The Marines have already noticed Vivi. If they gather evidence connecting her to us, she'll be charged as a criminal!"
Luffy froze for a moment after hearing that.
Then he exchanged a glance with his companions, and one by one, they all turned around, showing their backs to Vivi.
Seeing this, a wave of disappointment rose in Vivi's heart.
But at that moment, every member of the Straw Hat crew slowly raised their left arm, revealing the special X mark drawn there.
Luffy stretched out his rubber arm and raised Cain's hand too.
Seeing this, Cain used his right hand to lift Uta's left hand.
Uta looked a little confused.
After all, she clearly did not count as one of their companions.
Cain sensed her hesitation and spoke softly.
"Sometimes, that's just how it is. Even if the time spent together is short, a companion is still a companion, right? Even if you aren't a member of this pirate crew, you're still a companion."
"Is that so?" Uta murmured to herself.
Those words quietly stirred waves in her heart.
Vivi looked at the scene before her, and her tears fell even harder.
Together with Karoo beside her, she raised her left hand high and waved with all her strength toward the Merry, saying farewell to everyone.
Then Luffy turned around, thrust his arm high, and shouted.
"SET SAIL!"