At this moment, the entire palace of Alabasta was under Crocodile's control.
Vivi sat quietly, curled up in a corner, her heart breaking as she watched her father, the King of Alabasta, suffer at the hands of Crocodile. The bayonet pressed cruelly into his side, and despite her desperation, Vivi couldn't bring herself to move. She watched helplessly, tears falling from her eyes, unable to summon the courage to act.
"Princess, you must leave now. If they find you here…" One of the last remaining ministers, his voice filled with panic, wrapped his arms around Vivi. "You must escape before it's too late."
But just as he was about to pull her away, a tremor shook the ground beneath them. Crocodile, who had been as calm as ever, furrowed his brows in confusion.
"What was that?" he asked sharply, pausing his actions and glancing toward his men.
"Mr. Crocodile, if I had to guess, it's the underground prison. The old man went down there, so there's a chance he's causing a disturbance," one of his subordinates suggested.
Crocodile's eyes darkened. He knew all too well that if his plans were interrupted at this critical moment, everything he had worked for would fall apart.
"Listen," he began, his voice cold and firm. "This is my first time becoming King of Alabasta, and I'm not going to let anything or anyone ruin this. Do you understand?"
The subordinates around him nodded, recognizing the weight of his words. They knew that Crocodile's wrath was not to be underestimated.
"I'll contact the old man immediately," one of them said, moving to follow his orders.
Crocodile's gaze narrowed as he turned toward another subordinate. "And you," he snapped, his voice laced with venom. "You think it's more important to stay by my side, playing the loyal follower, than to handle your duties?"
Without warning, Crocodile extended his arm, the sand wrapping around the man's neck with brutal force. The subordinate gasped, struggling in vain as the sand tightened.
"I don't enjoy making things difficult, but if you can't handle this, I'll make sure your death is far worse than anything you could imagine," Crocodile growled.
The man's face turned purple, but he could do nothing but choke. With a final, disgusted gesture, Crocodile flung him to the ground. He then took the seat of the King of Alabasta, his expression twisting into one of twisted satisfaction.
"Ah, this feels wonderful. With the title of King of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, I'm practically untouchable now," Crocodile mused, his eyes drifting to the King of Alabasta, who lay dying beside him. Despite the wound, the King was still clinging to life.
"It must be a terrible feeling," Crocodile continued, his voice low and almost taunting. "To watch your country be turned into someone else's prize. I wonder how long you'll last before the pain becomes too much to bear…?"
Meanwhile, Akira and the others had already left the prison and were heading toward the palace, unaware that something was amiss. The palace's sprawling halls seemed identical, and yet they found themselves hopelessly lost.
"This is ridiculous," Ace grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "The palace looks like it should be easy to navigate, but why the hell are we lost? How is that even possible?"
As if on cue, a figure appeared before them. He looked them over with suspicion, his eyes narrowing. After a brief pause, he quickly closed the distance, stopping just short of them.
"Who are you? You don't look like you belong here," the man said, his tone defensive and confused.
Akira had initially planned to keep their identities hidden, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, Ace burst out laughing.
"Are you seriously this clueless? It's me, Ace!"
Akira froze, her face blank. Ace… sometimes, his lack of awareness was just mind-boggling.
The man's eyes widened in disbelief, and without missing a beat, he drew his weapon, pointing it straight at them.
"So, it's really you, Ace? They weren't wrong after all…" the man muttered darkly.
Hancock stood frozen, unsure of how to react, her eyes darting between the stranger and the group.
Ace, meanwhile, only seemed more confused. "Wait, you knew about me? How? What do you want?"
Realization dawned, but it came too late. Akira's patience was wearing thin. This wasn't the time for a slow-witted encounter, and they had no intention of letting this man interfere with their mission.
The stranger, now fully armed, made his move.
In an instant, the enemy's body transformed into a bolt of lightning, hurtling toward Akira at incredible speed.
"Feel the speed of my lightning-fast reflexes!" the enemy taunted.
Akira's eyes narrowed, her instincts flaring. With a simple shift of her body, she raised her hand just as the bolt of lightning reached her. In the blink of an eye, her barrier flickered into existence, absorbing the incoming strike without so much as a ripple.
The enemy screeched to a halt, his form crackling with energy, as Akira slowly lowered her hand. She gave him a cold smile, her voice calm but with an edge of finality.
"Is that really all you've got?"
Without waiting for a response, Akira dashed forward, her movement a blur. She closed the distance in an instant, her fist striking the enemy square in the chest with a bone-rattling punch.
Boom!
The shockwave of the impact sent him crashing into the wall, his body slumped and twitching, barely conscious. The sound of his defeat echoed through the corridor.
Ace and the others stood in stunned silence for a moment.
"Man, I swear you're something else, Akira," Ace remarked, shaking his head in awe.
Akira didn't respond, her attention already shifting back to the path ahead.
"Let's move," she said, her voice carrying an unspoken command. "We're wasting time."
Without hesitation, the group pressed forward, leaving the defeated lightning-wielder behind as they made their way deeper into the heart of the palace.
Akira couldn't understand why this man was so confident. As the lightning-like figure closed in, the blade in his hand sliced through the air, aiming to strike.
But Akira was more than ready. Thanks to the special bonus from Payne's ability, his body reacted instinctively. With a swift motion, he absorbed the man's attack, effortlessly redirecting the blade's path and pulling his opponent into his grasp. In a single, fluid motion, he slammed him into the ground.
The impact was thunderous, echoing through the prison. The enemy's body convulsed briefly before going limp—unconscious, unable to fight back.
"Lord Akira is truly remarkable!" Ellie exclaimed, her voice filled with awe, admiration clearly in her eyes.
Ace watched in silent respect. He'd been prepared to jump in and take over the fight, but now, seeing Akira's effortless strength, he realized there was no need. For a moment, even he was taken aback by the raw power Akira exuded.
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Akira stepped forward, his gaze already focused ahead.
Though the turn of events surprised Ace, it brought a sense of relief as well. They could finally move forward.
"It's almost too easy," Akira muttered with a proud smirk, his confidence clear as he led the group toward the exit.
With the dungeon behind them, the group braced themselves for what lay ahead. If Crocodile had fully seized control of Alabasta, they knew they had to act fast—and decisively. Akira's mind was already set: they had to show they weren't here to play by anyone else's rules.
Their methods may have been extreme, but there was no turning back. The excitement of being in this world, of carving out his own destiny—this was his moment.
After all, he was the protagonist here.
But just as they neared the exit, a figure appeared before them—a woman, standing firmly as an immovable barrier.
"Anyone who can escape the underground prison must be no ordinary people," she said, her voice calm but laced with an unmistakable challenge.
Akira's lips curled into a confident smile, his eyes narrowing slightly as he sized up this new obstacle.
"You're right about that," he said, his voice steady, filled with unshakable certainty. "But then again, ordinary people don't leave dungeons like this."
The woman's eyes flashed, but she remained silent, as though waiting for the inevitable confrontation.
Ace, now standing beside Akira, cracked his knuckles, clearly ready to throw down. Ellie stayed close to Akira, eyeing the woman warily but trusting in their leader's strength.
With the tension thick in the air, it was clear: the group was on the verge of something even bigger. The final barrier to their escape had appeared.
And Akira, grinning with unshakable confidence, was more than ready to face whatever came next.
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