Chapter Text
Kaidou was dead.
When those words were first proclaimed, most people didn't believe them. Claims like that had been made before, and they inevitably were proven wrong, often by Kaidou himself. As such, when people heard them, they dismissed them, and expected news to break in the coming days that he was still alive and well. But one day past, and the news didn't come. Then two days past, and the new still didn't come. Inevitably, an entire week came and went, and no reports of Kaidou's survival were confirmed. People began to truly wonder if those might've been true, and soon enough, the week turned into a month, and there was no other conclusion to make. Kaidou truly was dead.
There were always people whose activities received a lot of attention, simply by virtue of who they were; people who's actions and movements were subject to constant attention and surveillance, because said actions and movements had a tendency to have lasting consequences for many others. The Four Emperors were the most prominent cases of that, and indeed, word was echoing across the world across every sea and body of water: the King of the Beasts was no more. It would soon be news everyone would hear, and that wasn't good for the World Government.
Confirmation had only recently come just come in about the report, and how it was accomplished wasn't entirely known; the WG knew he had taken up residence in Wano, occupying the country for some years now, but beyond all that, the details were sketchy at best. There were reports, rumors more accurately, that the Whitebeard Pirates were sighted in that region as well, and there were also reports that Whitebeard had claimed the island as his territory. Whether or not that meant the man himself has been involved in the affair, or was even the one who killed Kaidou, was up in the air. Those were all just a few of many unknowns about how Kaidou had died. Ultimately, it didn't matter, though. The simple fact that Kaidou was dead was all that really mattered, and it was that exact matter that was the primary topic of discussion as the Five Elders convened in Mary Geoise.
"I suppose in a way we should be happy," St. Marcus Mars said, "That's one headache we don't have to concern ourselves with anymore."
"I doubt it'll last," St. Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro responded, "Nature hates a vacuum, after all. It'll only be a matter of time before someone else emerges to take his place." The Five Elders were assembled in a smaller conference room than usual, the one they used when they had a matter too serious to risk any undeserving ears. The only other "ear" there was a small, modified Transponder Snail, listening intently to everything they said.
"Can we be sure that this isn't just a rumor? That he's actually dead?" St. Shepherd Ju Peter asked.
"We've verified through multiple sources that he is dead," St. Jaygarcia Saturn answered, "I think we can say with some confidence at this point that it's true."
"We should deploy the Marines where we can to maintain order," St. Topman Warcury added, "Every pirate crew with a flag will be trying to seize the territory that was once his, and before we know it, the whole of the New World will dissolve into chaos."
"Any reports of anyone in particular filling the void?" Mars asked.
"Nothing yet," Saturn responded, "I suspect it'll be a while before anyone rises to match his level of power." In the meantime, it went unspoken that they would all take advantage of this when and where they could. A number of islands had already been taken over, though in the New World, control could be a little fickle, especially with many pirates no doubt emboldened by Kaidou's collapse.
Though the best case scenario would be no one would inherit the Kaidou's former position, none of the five were naive enough to believe such a thing; while the broader consequences had yet to take effect, it was only a matter of time before the free for all broke out across the New World. However, there weren't that many pirates who were of the caliber to take Kaidou's place as emperor. Golden Lion Shiki was perhaps the most likely candidate (like Kaidou, he was a former crewman of the Rocks Pirates), though he hadn't been seen since he escaped Impel Down. No doubt, the Elders would have to be vigilant in the coming years.
That turned out to be just the beginning, though, as word had spread that the land of Wano had opened its borders to the wider world. Where once its ports were devoid of much more than fishing ships, and daring pirates, trade was finally starting to funnel out of its towering waterfalls and swirling waves. That was bound to affect the affairs of state in the New World, even if how and to what end was still uncertain.
The notion of annexing Wano had actually crossed the Elders' minds; the vast resources the country had would do the WG nothing but good. However it was quickly figured that would be extremely difficult, if not outright impossible. Not only were the warriors of Wano unparalleled, but the island was now considered Whitebeard's territory, and thus under his own aegis of protection. In all, even if they could take Wano, it wasn't worth the cost it would no doubt bring. Nothing short of deploying the Gods Knights would deliver results, and even that would be a hard.
"Do we know what happened to the rest of Kaidou's crew?" Ju Peter asked.
"The intelligence we have is second hand, but they seemed to have disbanded," Mars said, "Though there is no word on the individuals known as 'King' and 'Queen'." Those two were of particular importance for the Elders; the former because he was a Lunarian, and the latter because he once worked with the MADS. The idea of either of those people being at large didn't sit well with the Elders.
"Until we have empirical evidence to the contrary, we should treat them as still alive, and at large," Saturn said, frowning, "Catching them should be a priority going forward." The moment he was done talking, a voice suddenly came from the Transponder Snail, that made all five men immediately flinch.
"What of his Devil Fruit?"
"If past is present, Great One, then we can only imagine that it's returned to circulation," Saturn said, "Devil Fruits are inconsistent about when they manifest though. It could b-"
"I want it found," the voice said, "That such a treasure fell out of our possession was always an obscenity."
"Of course, Great One," Warcury said, "We will endeavor to find it, wherever it may turn out to be. We will send every Cipher Pol agent to begin scouting" In hindsight, bringing to the God Valley had been a poor decision; they should've kept it under lock and key, or even just give it to one of the Gods Knights. The thought that it could now fall into the hands of a lowly mortal made all five of the men shudder.
"There are many powers that are unworthy of being in the land below," the voice said, "This one is such an example. I don't care what you need to do, you WILL find it."
"Of course, Great One, consider it done," Mars said. The voice on the other end of the snail apparently had nothing left to say, as it clicked off. All five of the Elders let out a breath.
"It sits ill when we make commitments to him that we can't definitively keep," Warcury said.
"I think he knows as much," V. Nusjuro said, "But if we can just figure out where we can start looking..."
"It'll turn up eventually, and when it does, we'll be ready," Ju Peter said. Optimistic, perhaps overly so actually, but it was all they had to go one, especially when these orders had come from the highest possible authority in all of existence.
(ten years later; Alubrana, capital of the Kingdom of Alabasta)
Cobra always took pride on the integrity of his people. True, they were as human as everyone else, but he liked to believe that he and his family had helped foster a certain amount of good will and decency amongst their subjects. If ever something was amiss, they were quick to come to him to report it, and Cobra could generally count on them being honest; it was said that the mark of a good king was honest subjects, and Cobra endeavored to be as good as he could be. So while intrigued, he wasn't entirely concerned when a subject came before him.
"What concerns you today, my friend?" Cobra asked amicably, hoping to dissuade any anxieties the farmer might've had. However, the other man's face only grew more serious, as he looked down, and to the side.
"Your Majesty," he said slowly, "I was tending to my farm yesterday. You see, I'm an orchardist."
"I see," Cobra said with a nod, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"And... I was tending to my crop, when I found this hanging from one of the branches." With that, the man reached into his satchel, and pulled out an item wrapped in cloth. He took a moment to unwrap, and revealed a very strange looking fruit. The fruit had an oblong shape, bringing to mind something like a pinecone with a blue exterior that resembled scales with the signature swirls on them, and twin curved stems coming out of the orange leaves on top.
"Your Majesty," Igaram said from his position beside the throne, "Is that... Is that what I think it is?"
"Yes," Cobra said, narrowing his eyes, "I believe it is."
Cobra thanked the man for his service, had him compensated for his troubles, and dismissed him. Once he was gone, he summoned the rest of his council to discuss the matter of this strange new item they now had in their possession. Now, Cobra's knowledge of Devil Fruits was not much greater than the average person's. He heard the stories, and read what had been published about them, but that was about. He certainly couldn't identify a Devil Fruit on sight, which was a shame, because if he could do that with this one, it may have had a better idea what to do. As it was, though, he didn't have the foggiest idea what it was, and even less idea just what to do with it, as he held it in his hand.
"I'm impressed that the person who found it wasn't tempted to eat it in their own right, or at least to sell it," Pell said, "Though that still leaves us with just what do with it."
"Unfortunately, if we ever had a record of Devil Fruits in our library, I'm afraid it's long lost, so we couldn't say just what kind of Devil Fruit it is," Cobra said, "It could be a Paramecia, a Zoan, or a Logia for all we know."
"Sometimes the shape of a Devil Fruit can hint as to its nature," Chaka said, "I know my own fruit had details resembling the paws of dogs."
"And my fruit had feather-like leaves on top," Pell added.
"Well then, any inferences that can be made from this?" Cobra asked, gesturing down. Both Chaka and Pell looked down at it, before looking at each other.
"If it's a Zoan, it's not for any animal I can think of," Chaka eventually said, shaking his head.
"Well, regardless of what it is, we are still faced with the question of what to do with it?" Cobra mused, furrowing his brow. For his own, Cobra had no intent on eating it; he had enough power as king, and he didn't need any supernatural power enhancing it (if anything, he was worried it would negatively affected his performance). Of course, Pell and Chaka already had Devil Fruits of their own, which just left Igaram.
"You are free to it, Igaram," Cobra said, looking at his captain of the guard, "You are, after all, the only officer who does not possess one." The tall man looked down at the fruit, as his brow furrowed, and he cleared his throat.
"To be honest, Your Majesty," Igaram said, looking back at his king, "I never had any particular to desire to consume a Devil Fruit in my time, but if Your Majesty commands me to, I will readily eat it, and take whatever power it may hold."
"No, no, Igaram," Cobra said, holding up his hand, "I would never make you do such a thing."
"We could always sell it," Pell offered, "I'm sure a Devil Fruit would add to our treasury considerably."
"True enough," Cobra said with a nod, as he looked down at it. No doubt a Devil Fruit would fetch a pretty price on the market, but strangely, the idea didn't appeal to the king. As he gazed down at the fruit, there was a strange impulse that said that was the wrong move. Maybe time would change his mind, though.
"Lock it up for the time being," he said, "We'll keep it close. One can never be sure just when its power, whatever it may be, may come in handy."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Igaram said, as he took the fruit with a nod, "We will keep a close eye on it."
"And it should also without saying that this should stay between us," Cobra said, "I think we can all surmise the consequences of news like this breaking." All the men nodded in affirmation, before Cobra dismissed them. As Igaram went off with the box, Cobra watched, leaning on his hand; was a strange sensation, but the king felt like they were doing the right thing by holding onto it rather than having someone eat it. Cobra had a feeling that someday, that fruit would help Alabasta in a great way, though just how he couldn't say just yet.
(some years later)
(flashback)
The past few days or so had been something of a blur for Vivi. After the fiasco with the whale (privately, Vivi was glad they could leave the animal alone), and the encounter with the Straw Hats, Vivi had been thankful that they could maybe bring in a decent bounty to the bosses. It would've given her a chance to ascend the ranks further, and hopefully help her cause. Suffice to say, things didn't end up that simple, and now Vivi and the pirates were sitting squarely atop Baroque Works' hit list, really just for a slip of the tongue. They had something resembling a plan, even it was rather haphazardly thrown together. And now, Igaram was dressed as her (not well, mind you, but the sentiment was what mattered), in an attempt to draw away any prying eyes while Vivi took the indirect route to Alabasta with the Straw Hats.
Were the circumstances different, Vivi would've laughed at Igaram's failed attempt at a disguise, but alas, that wasn't the case; if anything, the prospect of her long time friend and protector risking his own life like this sat ill with her. She also wasn't sure what to make of the Straw Hats just yet; true, they seemed capable enough, and didn't have anything against Vivi or Alabasta (heck, the captain had fought the swordsman when he thought the swordsman was attacking them) but Igaram seemed to trust them, and Vivi supposed that was enough for her. Besides, it wasn't like she had much more options at this point. She was just about to leave with the others, when Igaram stopped her.
"One more thing, princess," Igaram said, stepping forward.
"What is it?"
"There's something you should have," Igaram answered, as he reached into his satchel, "I'll admit, your father doesn't know that I took this." Vivi watched as he pulled out an object wrapped in linen; upon unwrapping it, it revealed what looked like a blue fruit. It had two curly stems that almost resembled horns, and had skin that reminded Vivi of blue scales with spirals on them.
"Is that a... Devil Fruit?" Vivi asked, her eyes widening, to which her guardian nodded.
"I'm afraid we don't know what kind," Igaram explained, "We acquired it some years ago, when you were still young, but couldn't decide just what to do with it. Regardless of what the fruit actually does, the notion of Crocodile potentially getting a hold of it sat ill with me, so I absconded with it before we left. I think it's best that I give it to you." With that, he handed the fruit over to Vivi, who tentatively took it in her hands. As she stared down at it, a strange sensation rippled through her, as if the fruit itself was gazing up at her, waiting for her to eat it. As she looked at down at it, her head began to grow heavy...
"Princess?" she heard Igaram's voice suddenly say. Shaking her head clear, she looked back up.
"Why... Why are you giving this to me?" Vivi asked softly.
"For whatever you may decide to use it for," Igaram said, "Whether you want to sell it, give it away, or eat it yourself, it is your decision." Vivi looked down at the fruit again, before sighing.
"Thank you," she said with a nod, "I promise, whatever I end up doing, I'll make good use of it." After stowing the fruit in her own bag, she offered a hand, which Igaram took.
"See you soon," she said, to which her guardian just nodded firmly.
As Vivi watched the boat he was on sail into the night, she let herself smile. She knew that she was right; before she knew it, she would be back home in Alabasta, with her family and friends. Something in her told her that things would ultimately turn out alright….
(end flashback)
That's how it should've been, anyway.
It had all happened so fast, Vivi almost felt like she was in a dream. She half-expected to wake up in short order back at the palace, with Carue next to her, and with everyone as it should've been. She'd go about her day, write to Khoza and Toto, and all would be right with the world. But reality was cruel just by nature, and that wasn't what happened. She was now standing at the railing, watching Whiskey Peak disappear over the horizon.
"So, what's this about Little Garden?" The straw hatted captain of the pirate crew Vivi now had for traveling companions asked.
"I don't know," Nami said, folding her arms, as she leaned on the railing beside Vivi, "We just got into the Grand Line. All we have to go off now is the Log Pose."
"I mean, 'Little Garden' sounds like a nice enough place," Usopp said, "How bad could it be?"
"The fact that you just said that means it'll probably be very bad," Sanji said, gesturing with his cigarette.
"And we might not have had to worry about any of this if our idiot captain didn't smash the Eternal Pose!" Nami said, glaring at Luffy.
"What?" Luffy said, with a shrug, "Isn't the whole point of an adventure to-" He didn't get to finish as he was sent careening across the deck by Nami's fist.
"Captain or not, you don't get to decide things unilaterally like that!" she said angrily, "What you do affects us too, ya' know!"
"Come on," Zoro said, as he opened one eye from his place dozing on the deck, "You're making a big deal out of nothing. We just go to a couple islands, deal with whoever's there, and-" Much like Luffy, he didn't get a chance to finish, as Nami put her shoe in his face.
"Don't you start talking!" She hissed, "If you hadn't…" As they continued to bicker, Vivi stopped listening, as she lowered herself down to the deck, and curled her legs in. Carue was nestled next to her, his wing around her shoulders, but his attempts to comfort her proved to have little effect. All that time they spent on Whiskey Peak as Frontier Agents, and it all came crashing down in an instant. It was almost farcical, but Vivi didn't feel like laughing.
Her hand fell down to her satchel, where the Devil Fruit was stashed, and slowly pulled it out. She didn't know much about Devil Fruits herself, beside what she heard, but she knew how they could run the gauntlet in terms of powers. Heck, just today she encountered four different Devil Fruit users with radically different abilities. Vivi initially wasn't sure whether or not to tell the pirates about it, but she figured they'd probably find out on their own before long, and then it would look like Vivi was keeping a big secret from them. And they had still helped her at this point, and she supposed that warranted at least some measure of trust.
At any rate, it didn't matter, as she found herself staring at the fruit. She had taken it out without even realizing it, a thought that made her nervous. Like others, she had heard the stories of Devil Fruits having wills of their own, and how they'd try and entice people into eating them. Now Vivi wasn't superstitious or anything, but as she stared at the Devil Fruit, the noise around her began to fade away. A certain drowsiness began to overtake Vivi as she found her eyes going out of focus, as she leaned down towards the fruit…
"Wait a tick, that's a Devil Fruit!" Vivi was jolted out of her trance, and looked up to see Usopp leaning down next to her.
"Say what?" Zoro asked, as he sat up, "Someone has a Devil Fruit?"
"What's this about a Devil Fruit?" Nami asked, as she came down to join them. Looking around, Vivi saw just about the entire crew now standing around her, and with the Sea Cat out of the bag, she figured there was no point in hiding, so she sighed, and rose to her feet.
"I got this from Igaram," she explained, "Before…" She trailed off slightly, as she averted her gaze, biting her lip, and pushing back the tears before they could manifest.
"Well, how about that? Just a couple days in the Grand Line, and I've already run into more Devil Fruits and Devil Fruit users in my entire life up until this point," Sanji said, as he folded his arms. Luffy walked over, and before Vivi even noticed him, he took the Devil Fruit from her hands.
"Hmm," he said, cocking his head, "Looks a lot different from the one I ate."
"Of course it would," Nami said, standing beside him, "Even I know that no two Devil Fruits are alike, after all."
"How long have you had that thing?" Usopp asked.
"Well, I only just got it from Igaram, but he said my father had it in storage for some years now until they figured out what to do with it," Vivi answered, as she took the fruit back from Luffy, "None of them seemed to know what kind it was, though."
"So, what do we do it with it then?" Luffy asked, putting his hands behind his head.
"Well, normally people eat Devil Fruits," Usopp said.
"I sure as hell ain't eating that," Sanji said, with a frown, as he tossed his spent cigarette over his shoulder, and into the water, "I like being able to swim."
"Same here," Zoro said, "I don't think we should start stacking the crew with Devil Fruit users." Eyes shifted over to Usopp, but he quickly held up his hands.
"I ain't no gambler," he said, "They say eating a Devil Fruit is like playing North Blue Roulette."
"I already got one," Luffy said with a shrug, "So I don't care what we do with it."
"Screw eating it!" Everyone flinched at the sudden shouting, as Nami stood over Vivi, her eyes literally glowing.
"Devil Fruits can go for millions!" she said, "Strike that, hundreds of millions! Hell, they could go for billions! We could sell it and be set for years!"
"Who would we even sell it to?" Usopp asked.
"I'm sure we could find someone somewhere who can give us money for it!" Nami said, as she started to bounce slightly on her feet, practically salivating at the thought of what they could get for that. She kept talking after that, but Vivi stopped paying attention, as she stared down at the fruit. As she did, the experiences of the past few days came back to her.
Igaram had been lost trying to protect her; she didn't even know what had happened to Mr. 9 and Miss Monday (Vivi then realized she had never learned their actual names, and that made her feel bad), but she had to assume the worst knowing Baroque Works. And Vivi hadn't been able to stop any of it. Now, she knew how to fight with her peacock slashers, but that was the extent of her fighting prowess. She was currently just a simple princess, far away from her kingdom, with nothing but her peacock slashers, and her allies, consigned to island hopping to make it back to her homeland. It all lead itself to one particular observation: she was weak.
But she didn't have to be.
Vivi wasn't sure where those thoughts came from; they didn't feel natural to her, like something she would otherwise think of. Growing up, power, or the acquisition of it, was never something she thought too hard about. But the thoughts didn't stop there, as she looked down at the Devil Fruit. She could have all the power she could ever have wanted, and more; the power to protect Alabasta, to stop the civil war, and maybe even defeat Crocodile, and all she had to do was take a bite. Images started to flash in her head; images of a massive dragon bathing the forces of Baroque Works in fire, all the enemies of Alabasta being turned to ash, and even the desert itself being turned to glass. Clenching her teeth, Vivi felt the tears she was trying to push back well in her eyes, as she clenched her teeth.
At this point, the Straw Hat's talking was nothing more than white noise. They might have been talking to her directly, but Vivi wasn't listening. Her mind then became fuzzy, as her body moved on its own, leaning down. With that, Vivi closed her eyes, opened her mouth, and sank her teeth into the fruit.