"Shouldn't you talk to Koza or your father first?" Marcus asked.
Vivi shook her head firmly. "They'd never agree to it."
"Arabasta survives as a desert kingdom because of trade. Without ships coming from the outside world, our population would collapse. But that's only true for a normal desert kingdom. With your abilities... I don't think we'd have that problem. Even if every merchant ship from the Grand Line stopped coming, I believe our people could create better lives through their own efforts."
Marcus couldn't help but smile wrily. "Should I say you trust me too much, or that you're being way too headstrong?"
Vivi scratched her head. "Hehe, you're making me blush with all the compliments."
"I wasn't complimenting you."
Marcus glanced over at Cobra and Toto. "At the very least, you should hear what your father and that former merchant have to say. More perspectives might give you a different answer than the one you've already decided on."
Vivi hesitated for a long moment. She knew Marcus was right, but she also knew what the answer would be. Arabasta had survived for generations because of trade routes.
But when she finally worked up the courage to approach her father and explain the idea, the response shocked her.
"You can really do that? That's incredible!" Toto was the first to speak.
"You're... not against it?"
"Against it? Why would I be?" Toto looked at her like she was crazy. "Do you have any idea what demagnetizing the Grand Line would mean? Yes, we'd lose the guidance of Eternal Poses, but that's not the only way to navigate. Vivre Cards work just as well, and they're more reliable anyway. And once we're demagnetized, the voyage to Arabasta would become safer. Pirates rely on those magnetic currents to find their targets. Without them, only people who want to do business here would make the effort to find us. I can't even imagine what Arabasta's future would look like..."
Cobra had fallen silent. His first instinct had been to reject the idea outright, it sounded too risky. But as he listened to Toto's reasoning, something clicked in his mind.
He'd been thinking too narrowly, focusing only on the immediate consequences rather than the long-term benefits.
Yes, trade would be disrupted initially. Merchants wouldn't be able to follow their usual routes. But once the dust settled... No more pirate raids. Trade would become more stable. And in the long run, merchants would probably be fighting each other for the chance to do business in Arabasta. After all, a nation with this large a population had enormous consumer power.
"If Arabasta could truly be demagnetized from the Grand Line's network... that might be one of the smartest moves we could make."
Vivi stared at her father in disbelief. She'd been so certain he'd say no. Behind them, she noticed Marcus smiling and nodding, like he'd predicted this outcome all along.
"Was I really thinking about this too simplistically?" she muttered to herself.
Once Cobra and Toto fully grasped that Marcus could accomplish this feat, their excitement only intensified. The way they looked at him completely changed.
"Marcus, Arabasta is just one small nation in the first half of the Grand Line! There are so many other countries that desperately need your abilities! Since the Great Pirate Era began, island nations have been constantly tormented by pirate attacks. They need you! You could change everything!"
As a member nation of the World Government, Cobra had witnessed countless allied countries destroyed or crippled by pirate raids.
Marcus pointed at himself. "Hate to break it to you, but we're pirates too."
"That's completely irrelevant!" Cobra waved the concern away like it was a mosquito. Then his eyes lit up. "Oh, by the way, do you need a girlfriend? What do you think of Vivi? She's kind, intelligent, well-educated..."
"Father!" Vivi's face turned bright red, and she wanted the sand to swallow her whole. This reminded her of that embarrassing moment on the ship when she'd tried to offer herself in repayment for his help. That had been embarassing enough without her father actively trying to auction her off.
"I'm so sorry, Marcus. Please don't take him seriously. He's just... getting old and his brain doesn't work properly anymore." She couldn't meet Marcus' eyes.
Marcus didn't take the bait.
"Don't worry about it. But I'm actually not sure I can demagnetize an island yet. It's theoretical. I'll need you to give me an Eternal Pose so I can experiment with it."
Seeing the topic successfully changed, Cobra didn't push the matchmaking angle any further. Instead, he watched the interaction between Marcus and Vivi with a smile.
Over the past few days spent traveling together, he had formed a clear impression of Marcus. The young man clearly wasn't from a common background. His manners were impeccable, he carried himself with confidence, and he showed respect without being obsequious.
"Where is your homeland, if you don't mind me asking? You must have received an excellent education growing up."
The question caught Marcus off guard for a moment.
"My homeland? It's an ancient kingdom in the north. Back there, everyone had access to good education."
"An ancient kingdom in the North? You mean somewhere in the North Blue?" Cobra frowned, mentally running through the nations he knew. The only one that came to mind was Deul Kingdom… and that place didn't exactly have the best reputation.
"The Deul Kingdom? If you're from there..." he trailed off, clearly trying to be diplomatic about his opinion.
"Not the North Blue. My homeland is... much farther away than that. And it's not a World Government member nation."
"I see." Cobra nodded in understanding. That explained a lot, actually. If Marcus came from a World Government member nation, he wouldn't have such unconventional ideas about governance and society.
After their conversation, Marcus and Vivi departed from Yuba on the sand sled, leaving Cobra and Toto behind to oversee the restored city.
Once they were out of earshot, Toto looked at Cobra with confusion. "Your Majesty, you..."
"I'm not king anymore."
"What?!" Toto's eyes widened. "Has Vivi already inherited the throne? She's still so young!"
But Cobra's next words nearly made the old merchant's legs give out entirely.
"No, the one who inherited the throne is your son. Koza is the new king of Arabasta."
"WHAT?!"
---
Back on the sand sled, Marcus and Vivi sat facing each other.
Vivi fidgeted nervously, unable to sit still. She kept adjusting her position, smoothing her clothes, touching her hair... anything to avoid making eye contact.
Marcus, meanwhile, appeared completely calm on the surface. But his mind was occupied with a problem: how exactly would he demagnetize an island?
Back at Sapoten Graveyard and Whisky Peak, he'd used his abilities to shorten the time needed for a Log Pose to record an island's magnetic signature. During those experiments, he'd excavated massive amounts of iron ore and even discovered a gold deposit that stretched thousands of meters deep.
So what actually determined an island's magnetic properties? Was it the iron ore content? The composition of the bedrock beneath the island? Or perhaps those vast underground gold veins?
He quickly ruled out the gold as a primary factor. If gold was the key component, then Skypiea shouldn't have any magnetic signature at all. After all, that island had been blasted ten thousand meters into the sky by the Knock Up Stream. There was no way enough gold could have been carried along in that violent ascent to sustain a magnetic field.
Plus, Enel had melted down most of Skypiea's gold to build his flying ark, the Maxim. If the island still retained its magnetic properties after that, it proved that gold wasn't the determining factor.
So it had to be something else. The bedrock? The iron content in the stone? Or maybe something about how Devil Fruit powers interacted with the island's natural magnetic field?
Marcus was so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice Vivi's increasingly nervous fidgeting. Finally, it registered that she'd been squirming in her seat for the past several minutes.
"What's wrong?"
Vivi jumped slightly. "Oh! Nothing! I'm fine! Completely fine!"
Marcus raised an eyebrow. She was obviously not fine. "You've been acting weird since we left your father. Did something happen?"
"No! Nothing happened! Why would anything have happened? I'm just thinking about... things. Normal things. Regular thoughts that people have."
Marcus stared at her for a long moment. "You're a terrible liar, you know that?"
Vivi's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I know," she admitted quietly.
"So what's bothering you?"
She was quiet for a long time, staring at her hands clasped in her lap. "What my father said earlier... about... you know..."
"The girlfriend thing?"
"No!" Vivi's face turned red again. "He was trying to... I mean, he was suggesting... and I know you're not interested, obviously, why would you be, but it was just so embarrassing and—"
"Your father was just being a dad. Embarrassing you is basically in the job description." Marcus smiled slightly. "Don't worry about it. I didn't take it seriously."
"You didn't?"
"Of course not."
They lapsed back into silence.
Marcus returned to pondering the demagnetization problem. The problem was that he didn't fully understand how his Minecraft abilities interacted with the One Piece world's magnetic navigation system. In the game, blocks were just blocks. But here, everything had real-world physics.
If he removed too much iron ore from beneath an island, would that be enough? Or would he need to alter the bedrock composition? And what about unintended side effects? Could he accidentally destabilize an island's geological structure by messing with its magnetic field?
"Marcus?" Vivi's voice interrupted his thoughts again.
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"What you said about your homeland... that ancient kingdom in the North... Is it really that far away? Or were you just being vague because you don't want to talk about it?"
Marcus considered the question.
"It's complicated," he finally said. "Let's just say I can't go back there, even if I wanted to. So in a way, yes, it's incredibly far away. Impossibly far."
Vivi nodded slowly, accepting his answer even though she clearly wanted to know more. "I'm sorry. That must be hard."
"It's ok."
"Marcus?"
"If you want to ask me something, just ask. Don't be shy about it."
Vivi took a deep breath. "How... how do you see me?"
A girl's blush spoke louder than any words. Marcus wasn't oblivious, he could read the subtext in her question. But he stayed cautious. After all, there were three great illusions in life: thinking you could win a fight you were losing, thinking someone liked you romantically, and thinking your phone was vibrating in your pocket. Well, the last one was just weird...
He chose his words carefully. "How do I see you? You're a princess who gave up her throne to serve her people's best interests. Someone who puts ideals above personal gain. And... also a beautiful woman."
"That's it?" Vivi seemed a little disappointed.
Marcus frowned, a bit confused. Wasn't that a solid compliment? What more did she want?
Vivi's expression grew complicated. "Did I... do the right thing?"
Ah. So that's what this was really about. She wasn't fishing for compliments, she was looking for confirmation that abandoning the traditional path of royalty hadn't been a mistake.
From Marcus, she'd learned about revolutionary ideas and tried to implement them as she understood them. But the whole process felt like being a student taking an exam, waiting anxiously to see if the examiner would pass her or fail her.
And his answer had sounded like the bare minimum, without any indication that she'd exceeded them.
He smiled, finally understanding what she needed to hear. "You've done incredibly well. You have to understand how rare what you've accomplished is. Most people, once they're in a position of power, will do anything to stay there. They'll rationalize, compromise their principles, betray their ideals, all to keep that seat. But you? You were willing to give it all up for an uncertain future. You chose the hard path over the easy one. That takes more courage than most people possess in their entire lives. You've surpassed ninety-nine percent of humanity just by being willing to question whether the system you inherited is worth preserving."
Hearing Marcus' words, Vivi exhaled slowly.
The weight she'd been carrying seemed lighter now. As long as she knew she was moving in the right direction, she could handle the uncertainty.
Even though many people had recognized her efforts, deep down she'd been drowning in self-doubt. Dalton could lead by example because he came from the people. But Vivi? She represented the old nobility, whether she wanted to or not. If she'd continued to rule as a traditional monarch, the outcome would have been just another cycle of the same problems repeating themselves.
But stepping outside that cycle meant walking into the unknown. Behind her lay a path she understood completely. Ahead of her stretched a future she couldn't predict.
Marcus didn't fully understand the pressure she had been under. He'd never tasted power, or felt the intoxication of having people follow your every command. All he could offer was verbal support.
"By the way," Vivi said, shifting topics, "do you know about the 'D'?"
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Why bring up D all of a sudden?"
"Because you're always talking about fate and destiny and things being connected... And yesterday, my father told me something. My full name isn't just Nefertari Vivi. It's Nefertari D. Vivi."
Marcus felt his brain screech to a halt. He hadn't expected Cobra to share that secret with her. Although he had only watched the anime up to the Dressrosa arc, he'd occasionally paid attention to spoilers and theories online about Nika and the significance of the ancient murals.
He knew that the Poneglyphs had been scattered across the world because someone from the Nefertari family, Nefertari D. Lili, had used the Paw-Paw Fruit to send them flying to different locations.
"So what does the D actually mean? Father said it represents a kind of will, a kind of belief. But he wouldn't explain further."
Marcus smiled and nodded. "Your father's right. That's exactly what it is."
"But what KIND of will? What KIND of belief?" Vivi puffed out her cheeks. "Why do you and Father both love speaking in riddles?"
Marcus spread his hands apologetically. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. The will of D has many interpretations. It can represent resistance against oppression, or liberation from tyranny, or even just an adventurous spirit that refuses to accept the world as it is."
"That's so vague! How is that helpful?" Vivi complained.
"Think about it this way," Marcus said. "Luffy's name has a D in it. So does yours. Are you two related?"
"Definitely not."
"Exactly. So the will of D, as it's passed down through generations, gets interpreted differently by different people. That's what makes it so powerful, it's not rigid dogma. It's a mindset, a way of approaching the world."
Vivi fell silent. Different people, different interpretations... but why the letter D specifically? What had the very first D originally stood for?
Her family had once been Celestial Dragons. So why had they refused to move to Mary Geoise, instead returning to Arabasta? Was the will of D opposed to the Celestial Dragons and everything they represented?
She looked at Marcus seriously. Why would someone with revolutionary thinking choose Luffy as... what? An ally? A friend? Something more?
The pieces were starting to fit together in her head. The will of D...
"I think I'm starting to understand."
Marcus was surprised. His explanation of D hadn't been wrong, but it was far from complete. How could he possibly know the full meaning when even Oda hadn't finished revealing everything? Some theorized that Nika's smile was shaped like a D, hence the connection. Others claimed D stood for "Dawn," representing hope and liberation like the rising sun breaking through darkness.
But seeing that Vivi had reached some conclusion that satisfied her, he nodded encouragingly. "Good. Understanding comes in stages."
"So, your name doesn't have a D, right?"
"Nope."
"That's kind of strange, considering everything." But Vivi didn't dwell on it further and looked ahead of the sand sled. They'd reached another desolate area.
There were no people here anymore, though scattered throughout the sand stood structures that looked like tower spires.
"This place is really depressing," Vivi murmured.
"Was this an oasis too?"
"Yes, but a smaller one. Travelers used to stop here to rest and resupply. When Yuba was the major trading center, routes extended in all directions, so you needed multiple supply stations along the way. Now it's all gone."
Marcus wasn't surprised by the decay. Crocodile's artificial drought had killed multiple oases, destroying communities that had existed for generations.
He got to work immediately, pulling out his tools and beginning the restoration process. In less than thirty minutes, buildings stood tall again, and trees that he had planted were already lush with green leaves.
"Your abilities never stop being amazing," Vivi said softly.
---
Meanwhile, in Mary Geoise, the holy land where the Celestial Dragons dwelt, a very different scene was unfolding.
A CP agent was delivering his report.
"You can't even deploy a mere Warlord for this?" A snotty-nosed man glared at the CP officer. "File an official complaint. I want Crocodile stripped of his title immediately! And send orders to the other CP departments. I want that builder. I want him as my personal slave! He'll construct a different building for me every single day! Such marvels aren't meant for lowborn filth to enjoy."
"Yes, Saint Charlos!" The CP officer bowed deeply and hurried away, grateful to escape with his life.
He was already the fourth CP agent to deliver reports about the situation in Arabasta today.
Why the fourth? Because the previous three agents, when reporting to different Celestial Dragons, had been executed on the spot for bringing "boring news" or "wasting their time."
The CP organization technically served all Celestial Dragons, but in reality, their status was only marginally better than slaves. When a Celestial Dragon was displeased or wanted to punish someone for entertainment, CP agents had no recourse. Rights? None. Protection? Same answer.
"This job is impossible," the agent muttered once he was safely out of earshot. He belonged to CP-1, the division specifically tasked with serving the Celestial Dragons directly. They weren't trained for combat like CP-9, their specialty was surviving the whims of spoiled, murderous aristocrats.
The intelligence about the "Miracle Builder" in Arabasta had come through his network, passed along by an associate in CP-8 who worked in information gathering. He was just the messenger, but somehow he'd gotten volunteered to be the one delivering reports to the most volatile Celestial Dragons.
Of course, his so-called partner had painted this as an opportunity. "If you handle this well," the CP-8 agent had said, "you could rise through the ranks. Maybe even get reassigned to a safer position."
What a load of crap. The only thing this assignment would get him was an early grave if he wasn't extremely careful.
Fuck that guy!