Back at the port city.
After the dream exploration group returned, aside from Ryuen, Nami, Robin, and Daisy who were busy with their own stuff, the rest were bored out of their minds.
Kuina and Hogg had gone to the rooftop to train.
The others were just lying around in the living room doing nothing.
"Ugh, I'm so bored!" Leah rolled back and forth on the sofa, loudly complaining. "Ryuen, is there anything fun in this country? I wanna go see what's happening."
Across from her, Anya, Sugar, and the others lit up when they heard Leah's words.
They quickly sat up from the couch, eyes full of excitement as they looked at Ryuen.
Ryuen paused his writing, turned around, and smiled at them.
"Now that you mention it, I just remembered. The intel bird came back earlier and reported that there's a fight going on somewhere along the road from the capital to here."
"Turns out CP0's target really is that Princess Angela."
"So on Liff's suggestion, the princess was trying to hide from CP0 by coming to our hotel. But from the looks of it, they probably caught up to her halfway."
"If you're bored, you could go check it out."
"For real?"
"Let's go, let's go! Anya, Sugar, Reina, come on! Let's go see the action!" Leah jumped off the couch, pulling the others with her.
"Action?"
"Is there a fight?" Kuina and Hogg had come down the stairs just in time.
"Yep!"
"Kuina, come on, let's—" Leah's eyes lit up the moment she saw Kuina and quickly dragged her out of the living room.
The others who were interested also rushed to catch up.
In just a few seconds, only Ryuen, Nami, Daisy, and Robin were left in the room.
"Ryuen, even if that princess comes here and CP0 doesn't dare to make a move because of us, we'll have to leave this country eventually. Once we're gone, won't CP0 just go after her again?" Robin turned to Ryuen, voicing her concern.
Ryuen answered without hesitation:
"That's for the Revolutionary Army to deal with. They're already involved in Magiatsuka's internal affairs. So the problems that follow should be theirs to fix."
"But I think what the Revolutionary Army did this time was pretty dumb."
"Before things were fully clear in Magiatsuka—or even if they were—they still shouldn't have shown themselves this early. They should've just supported Princess Angela from the shadows."
"Now that the World Government knows, Magiatsuka might face all kinds of threats in the future."
"The Revolutionary Army just isn't strong enough to fight the entire World Government. And don't forget, they'll also have to deal with pirates later."
"That really is a shame~" Robin muttered, gazing out the window.
Nami and Daisy, after hearing Ryuen's words, also looked out toward the streets below, where the citizens were excited about Angela's coronation in two days. Their faces showed a hint of thoughtfulness.
Ever since they entered the Grand Line, everyone's mindset had shifted like the waves of the sea—changing with every new event and experience.
Maybe they were starting to get a little too "nosy"?
Every time they saw something unfair, they'd feel a certain pull in their hearts. This was especially true for the women—it was happening more and more often.
Seeing the three of them frown in thought, Ryuen chuckled and said:
"Don't overthink it. Back when we pushed ourselves so hard to get stronger, wasn't it just so we could say 'no' to things we didn't like?"
"And now, we've become one of the most powerful forces on the sea."
"As our roles and status change, it's natural that the way we see things changes too. After all, if we're this strong, but we still can't do what we want—then what's the point of being strong?"
"Isn't that what you always taught us? To be decisive and ruthless!" Daisy muttered under her breath.
"What does that have to do with being ruthless? If someone needs to die, you kill them. If something bothers you, deal with it. Simple as that." Ryuen shot her an annoyed glance, then went back to what he was doing.
"You said it!" Nami grinned. "Daisy, Robin, let's go check it out too!"
"Wait, Nami, let me grab my bag." Robin spoke while using her power to pass her bag over.
Ryuen watched them leave, shook his head helplessly, but didn't say anything to stop them.
They were pretty much ready now.
Even if they had to go up against the World Government right away, it didn't matter. That fight was bound to happen sooner or later.
He raised his hand, and a small flame lit up on his fingertip. The moment it appeared, the air around it started to warp from the heat.
"Maybe we should find someone to test if they can handle this temperature," Ryuen muttered.
....
More than an hour later.
The scene shifted to the road from the capital to the port city.
News of the battle had already spread far and wide. More and more people now knew someone had tried to attack Princess Angela!
Once the word got out, the kingdom's army rushed over!
Kuina and the others had also arrived. When they saw the people fighting, they immediately recognized Liv. She and Princess Angela were dodging attacks from CP0, who kept striking from time to time.
The two of them looked beaten up.
Out of the seven CP0 members, only four were still standing. Kana, Sera, and Witt were seriously injured, and out of the original hundred-plus soldiers, only about thirty were left.
The only one still unhurt was Damm.
"So it really is those CP dogs," Kuina said coldly. As soon as she spoke, she drew the Wado Ichimonji.
People nearby saw a sudden flash of blinding white light.
Everyone instinctively shielded their eyes, and when they opened them again, a deep slash had been carved into the ground!
"Dream Exploration Team!"
"Are you planning to interfere in the World Government's affairs now?" asked the CP0 member in the lion mask, his voice serious after barely dodging Kuina's attack.
The other three CP0 members walked up to the one in the lion mask.
Kuina and her group ignored them and instead walked over to Liv and Angela.
"Kuina, Lia… You guys came!" Liv was the first to spot them, and her face lit up with joy.
"Liv, are you okay?" Anya and the others rushed to her side.
"I… I'm fine!" Liv said, her voice a little shaky.
By now, everyone at the scene knew—the Dream Exploration Team had arrived!
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