Outside Rain Dinners, another chaos reigned.
The Billions agents scrambled through the rainy streets, Nojiko's bark-armored body glistening from the rain. With a sharp wave of her hand, a ring of sentient tree soldiers surged forward, roots coiling and tightening around the ankles of anyone who tried to flee.
"I hate fighting in the rain. Why didn't Nami hold back with her rain?" Nojiko muttered, her tone calm and steady. Her eyes glowed green. Vines erupted from the earth like whips, slamming into struggling agents.
Meters from her, a sharp crack split the air.
Carina shot through the battlefield like a bolt of lightning wrapped in sound, her body blurting. A sonic shockwave exploded outward in her wake, sending a dozen men flying.
"Oops. Was that too much?" she grinned, brushing her damp hair behind her ear. "Guess I'm not good at holding back."
Above them, light danced across the rain.
Conis was fully transformed into her angelic form, hovering gently with her six wings extended wide. From her palms, glowing lassos spun like threads of divine silk, snaring enemy after enemy. The binds wrapped around limbs and weapons, locking them in place mid-swing.
"Please stop resisting," Conis called out, her voice calm and echoing. "We don't want to hurt you."
"You're too soft, Chef!" came a shout overhead.
Wild-eyed and grinning, Porche rode a massive pterodactyl, her long, soft blue hair whipping in the rainy wind. Below her, an army of beasts tore through the remaining resistance — raptors darting between alleys, a T. rex smashing through wagons, saber-toothed tigers snarling and catching some agents.
She pointed dramatically, shouting down to the last group of defiant agents.
"Time to meet your exterminator!"
The triceratops crashed through a line of defense with a triumphant bellow, sending bodies flying like dolls while squads of pterodactyls attacked from above.
***
The Embercloud, high above the chaos, was quiet, not wet from rain.
Nico Robin leaned on the ship's railing, her wrists and ankles bound with discreetly crafted sea stone restraints. Her blue eyes watched the distant light flashes and movement from Rainbase below. The wind tugged at her orange prison attire, damp with mist.
Reiju sat casually on a cushioned bench beside her, sipping a citrus-infused tea, her pink hair tucked behind one ear.
"You're not going to join them?" Robin asked, calm and curious.
Reiju didn't glance her way. "No need." She took another sip. "They'll wrap up the entire fight in under thirty minutes or less."
Robin looked back at the battlefield. "You don't enjoy fighting beside them?"
Reiju tilted her head thoughtfully. "I don't dislike it… but I don't like it either. I preferred to be immersed in scientific discovery or finding new formulas for my next research. Besides, there's something fun about watching them having fun." A slight smile touched her lips.
Robin studied her momentarily, then turned her gaze back to the battle. "Why would Jacob go this far, picking a fight with a Warlord?"
Reiju exhaled lightly, setting her cup down. "Because he wants to become the strongest… not for glory, but to protect the people he cares about."
Robin raised a brow slightly.
Reiju added, eyes distant. "He once told me… he didn't want to die again."
Robin glanced at her, brow furrowed.
"Again?"
Reiju chuckled softly, the sound oddly affectionate. "Yeah. According to Carina, he drowned once; that's probably what made him think he had died. Kaya said he was the village liar and troublemaker, but after he had left Syrup Village three years ago, he changed. Probably amnesia, but he has become a different person ever since." She looked back toward the flashes of battle light on the horizon. "Now he's using that second life to keep everyone else from losing theirs."
Robin didn't reply immediately, but there was something unreadable in her expression. The ship rocked gently beneath them, and distant thunder rolled across the sky.
***
The smell of scorched wood and wet sand hung in the air as Vivi, flanked by Luffy, Zoro, Borodo, and Honey Queen, stared in stunned silence at the ruined Rainbase.
The once-bustling desert city was now a shadow of itself. Shattered windows. Collapsed rooftops. Palm trees smoldered in the rain-drenched streets. And at the center of it all, Rain Dinners Casino—once Crocodile's fortress—was a scorched skeleton.
"What the hell happened here?" Zoro muttered, gripping the handle of one of his swords.
Vivi stepped forward, her heart pounding. "This… this is insane. What kind of person can defeat Crocodile on his turf?"
Borodo bent down beside an unconscious Baroque Works agent half-buried in rubble. The man groaned, bruised and barely coherent.
Vivi knelt beside him as well, her voice urgent but gentle. "Hey. What happened here? Who did all of this?"
The agent's eyes fluttered open, bloodied and wide with fear.
"Monsters…" he rasped. "They came out of nowhere… lightning, trees, beasts—" he coughed, wincing. "—a girl with wings, a man with a glowing sword like the sun… we didn't stand a chance. We tried to fight. But…"
His voice trailed off as unconsciousness retook him.
Vivi stood up slowly, pale, her hands shaking. "Crocodile's been attacked… someone got to him before we could. Are they related to the Huntress in Whiskey Peak?"
Honey Queen's eyes scanned the wreckage. "Whatever did this wasn't ordinary. They wiped out an entire syndicate in a day."
Luffy clenched his fists. "Strong enemies, huh? Hehe… this just got interesting."
Zoro nodded. "Whoever they are… they beat us to the punch."
Vivi's boots splashed in shallow puddles as she turned at the sudden gust of wind from above—a giant falcon streaked through the clouds—fast, dark, feathered, and familiar.
Pell.
He descended in a swirl of wind, his complete falcon form rippling with power as he landed beside her with a heavy thud. He looked battered and slightly scorched but determined.
"Princess Vivi!" he called out, his voice strained but strong. "The King requests for your return. Something unexpected has happened. Igaram and your other companions have come."
Vivi took a step forward, blinking. "Pell? You're hurt—what's going on?"
He nodded quickly, eyes flicking to Luffy and the others before looking back at her. "A girl with thunder logia attacked me, but she's an ally, and Crocodile has been defeated."
"What?" she gasped.
Even Luffy stopped grinning. Zoro's brow furrowed. Borodo exchanged a wary look with Honey Queen, who crossed her arms.
"By who?" Honey Queen asked warily. "Was it the Navy?"
Pell shook his head. "No. A private group… calling themselves the Revenants; they were all powerful but strange. They made a deal with the King—promised Crocodile's defeat in exchange for liquid berries and favors."
"So… bounty hunters?" Borodo asked.
"More like mercenaries," Pell said. "Their leader isn't registered with the World Government. His name is Fire King Jacob."
Vivi froze. That name sounded vaguely familiar—something whispered to her by Igaram, a boy around her age with a prominent long nose. A fire-wielding boy. A money-oriented man?
"The King agreed to this?" she asked, still stunned.
Pell gave a slight nod. "He had no choice. The rebels plan to strike by dawn. Jacob and his crew have already wiped out Baroque Works across the kingdom this early afternoon. Anyway, The King needs you back in Alubarna—for guidance and negotiations."
Luffy cracked his knuckles, still itching for a fight. "Sounds like someone stole my fight."
"Tch. And I had just sharpened my blades," Zoro muttered. His eyes flashed at the mention of the Fire King.
Honey Queen flicked back a strand of wet blonde hair. "At least we didn't have to get our hands dirty."
"Are you going to admit you're relieved you don't have to fight the Warlord ?" Borodo teased with a crooked grin.
"Who says I'm afraid, you idiot," she replied curtly.
Vivi smiled faintly despite the chaos. "Let's go back to my home first. We will ride together. Pell can carry us."
Pell crouched low, allowing the group to climb onto his broad back. Vivi sat in front, gripping the base of his wings as the others held on.
As they lifted into the lightly rained sky, Rainbase grew smaller behind them, its broken buildings lost to fog and ash. Vivi looked down once, her thoughts jumbled.
Jacob… What are you planning?