Chapter 13: I Bless the Rain Down in Alabasta

My first encounter with Luffy wasn't as eventful as one might have expected. In fact, he never even noticed my presence in the minutes I spent right next to him as he ate. Neither did he notice me as he fled the scene with both the marine and his brother in tow when they reappeared in the bar.

So, there I sat alone, my free meal ruined in the heat of the situation. I considered what other plans I had made for today before I ultimately decided to follow the three men out of genuine curiosity.

Not too far down the street, I could see the commotion happening. The scene looked straight out of a cartoon, with Luffy being chased by the marine captain, who, in turn, was chased by Ace.

I tailed the comedic entourage until they appeared near the harbor, where Luffy called out to his companions and fled to their ship. Ace had a small touching moment with Luffy, telling him they would meet up later, after which he fought the Marine captain for a bit and then left.

The whole thing took no longer than twenty minutes, and no one seemed hurt, so I made my exit, now wondering where to finish my lunch.

'Hmm, maybe I'll eat with Robin over a game of Rummy. Yes, that's the plan!'

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[POV: Vivi Nefertari]

At this point, the Straw Hats and I had been walking in the Sandora Desert for approximately five hours, and everybody was tired.

We had managed to flee from Nanohana safely, miraculously avoiding getting close to any Baroque Works ships. Our next plan was to head for the Rebellion's base in Yuba since I was confident I could pacify the leader, Koza, once I talked with him a bit.

'Despite how weird these pirates are, there's no denying their heart is in the right place', I thought to myself as I looked around at the Straw Hat's determined faces. It was clear that they believed in the righteousness of their cause, even if they were an eccentric bunch. When I divulged the details of Crocodile's scheme, exposing his plan to use Dance Powder to frame the royal family and plunge Alabasta into chaos, their commitment to our mission only deepened.

'Hmm, if I'd known nudging their emotions could've inspired them to such an extent, I would've turned on the waterworks earlier', I pondered silently. Manipulating their feelings had proved to be a powerful tool in rallying their support. If playing the role of the helpless little princess for a while longer was what it took to ensure the stability of my future nation, I was willing to go all in without holding back.

It was important for now that the Straw Hat pirates saw me as an ally in a noble cause, as they were really my only chance to succeed at this point.

There was no way I would allow the people to overthrow the dynasty. I had reached the age of maturity, the age where I was now eligible to inherit the throne. And to inherit a democracy? Well, duh, It didn't work like that.

The monarchy's power was rightfully mine, and I intended to claim it. If it hadn't been for the interference of Crocodile, most of the groundwork would've already been laid. As per my design, my father, the king, would have already been on death's door, suffering from a mysterious, incurable disease. Then, I, the young princess, would be forced to take the throne at a young age, accompanied by my childhood-friend fiancé. That stupid country boy Koza, I spent practically all my childhood grooming him to be my perfectly loyal and harmless puppet king to stand beside me once my time came.

"Vivi… something's off with the weather". Nami suddenly called out to me. She was frowning as she pointed to a large gathering of grey clouds in the distance. "I'm 100% sure those are rain clouds. What's going on?".

I was just as confused as Nami as I sputtered. "I- I don't know what to say. I haven't seen clouds like these in years…". I, however, quickly pulled myself together again and spoke more clearly. "If anything, this means something drastic happened while I was gone, and we must hurry up even more, to find out what".

Sanji came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. Looking back at him, he wore an uncharacteristically somber expression as he spoke slowly. "Princess, you must know… if the rain is coming, it might already be too late. Maybe the rebellion is already finished, and your family…." He seemed not to want to complete his sentence.

'Fuck he's right! If the rebels already killed my family, Crocodile would have no reason to keep the rain away. Shit, shit, shit, there goes my throne. And what's with Sanji? Why is he only this competent and serious at the weirdest of times?!' On the inside, I was having a small mental breakdown. On the outside, however, I kept my composure.

I smiled wanly at Sanji and then at the rest of the Straw Hats, my eyes purposefully watering a bit. "I know what this might mean… But, even if there's only the smallest chance of succeeding, I still need to do this for my country, my people". I put on a resolute face and looked out into the distant clouds. I had just put on an Oscar-worthy performance.

"Let's move forwards already", Luffy said seriously, stretching his shoulder. "I'm anxious now."

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[POV: Robin]

I stared into the eyes of the predator in front of me. Cold sweat ran down my back, feeling my time was about to run out. I scoffed and cursed at my own stupidity for having provoked such a fierce existence.

Looking down in front of me a final time, just to, once again, confirm there was nothing I could do, I sighed deeply. Finally, I closed my eyes, resigning my being to the inevitably cruel fate waiting for me on the other side.

"Pass", I whispered, my voice shaky. I was about to cry.

The grin on my adversary's face was unmistakable; he was about to deal the finishing blow.

Placing the remaining cards in his hand on the table and shuffling around the order a bit, he spoke in a self-satisfied tone. "Aaaand… done. I win again. That makes it 52 in a row. What was it you offered this time?" Albert's Cheshire smile was hanging from above his ears at this point – he looked downright malicious.

'For someone who allegedly wants to help me find happiness, he sure enjoys making me mad. My hands were clenched and shaking violently at my sides, and wetness formed in the corners of my eyes.

Albert and I had been playing Rummy together every night since our big talk about expectations. Initially, it was just a fun new game he introduced and a pleasant way to pass the time. It was then, however, that I noticed he won every round. I knew Albert was smart, but I was also pretty smart. Furthermore, with the amount of luck needed to win, there should be no way for him to beat me every time we played… right?

So obviously, I kept playing him. It was only a matter of time, right? He had to lose at some point, right? Yet here I was, with a losing score of 52-0.

At some point, Albert began to get bored, so he suggested that every time I wanted to play him, I'd gamble a possession of mine, and If I ever managed to beat him, he would return all the items.

In the beginning, it was fine, just some money and trinkets here and there. But by this point, I was practically ruined.

At Albert's request, I bent down, unclasped my right sandal, and handed it to him while keeping eye contact. That was my last shoe. I had lost the left sandal the previous game.

'This man… what a scary person', I repeated in my mind.

I shook my head at such immature thoughts. He was just a normal human, and no human could win indefinitely.

Wiping the remnant tears from the corners of my eyes, I began reshuffling the cards. I looked at him once more and stubbornly stated, "We play again. This time I'll bet my shirt!'

Albert just continued smiling, and he seemed to find my attitude amusing. "Fine", he said. "Be my guest".