It was an odd sight looking at the three High Princes out of Raftel. This never happened before. Ever since the war against humans and the traitors, the High Princes never left Raftel but here they stand ready to set sail to find the three humans they welcomed.

Chopper also decided to sail with the High Princes, for his guilt still resides in his mind. Deep down, he blames himself for not paying sufficient attention to the three princesses after they have found the other humans. No matter how many times Marco and the others tell him that it is not his fault, he feels like it is. He is supposed to be looking out for them, to take care of them, and if by chance something happens to the three, he cannot forgive himself.

"You have been frowning more than you should." Robin's voice woke Chopper from his musings. As he looks up, he was met with a kind and calculating eyes. Like him, Robin also volunteered to search for the Princesses. She believes that whatever happens, it will mark an important event for the history of Raftel. And not just Raftel, but the world itself.

Histories that will forever be engraved...

"I cannot help worry about their welfare."

"Indeed, but the High Princes are determined to find them at all costs." Robin's smile took away a small portion of Chopper's worries.

The doctor's eyes travel from Robin's to where the High Princes are. Their actions spoke volumes of what their current predicament is. Even Lord Achilles is restless. The Wolf Lord had expressed his desire to find the three human princesses, to protect them, but they knew too well, everyone does that his desire to protect Sab is unrivaled.

"Your Highness. The ship is ready to depart at your commands."

The three High Princes nodded, all at once as if the news is the only thing they have been waiting all this time, and indeed it is. Had it not been for Whitebeard preventing the three from flying, they would have rushed out of Raftel, flying in their beast forms. No matter how powerful they are, it is still risky to fly to human territories where they can alert Akainu.

"Let us set sail." Marco commanded, his face still full of worry and determination to find his mate. His heart cannot be at ease, the distance providing nothing but agony to him. He had been waiting for her for as long as he can remember and the moment he saw her, everything changed... he saw a light he never thought he will see...

And yet, here he is finding himself in a situation no one expected or predicted. The High Prince of Ipraecia cannot fathom the thoughts swirling his mind... Scenarios that are unthinkable and just imagining it makes him want to erupt in madness. He prays to all deities out there for Ann's safety.

Marco is not the only one swirling with such thoughts right now. At this very moment, far more conflicting sentiments are swirling around Kidd's mind. Unlike Marco, he ignored her, denied her of what Sab is to his life. He's never thought that by her disappearance, more intense feelings will resurface. The smell of the sea is strange to him, the musky and salty smell makes him long for home, but Kidd thought about his home in Raftel, his kingdom - Beogia. If he goes home now, what will await him?

Nothing...

His palace walls served as a cage for him as everywhere is full of memories that remind him of the loneliness he has been feeling for years. The idea of going back to his kingdom with the lack of presence from the woman he thought he loathed feels like darkness to him. He does not want to go back to such emptiness.

Sab's voice once again echoed inside his head. Her eyes that made Kidd's heart skip a beat, the way she caresses Achilles, her smell, her sharp words of refute and argument, her presence... Everything about her pains Kidd's heart at this moment.

It is true, you will never know how valuable someone or something is until it disappears from your sight.

The slight tap on his shoulders woke Kidd from his thoughts and as he turns to look at the person who dared disturb him, he found himself facing Killer whose hand is still on his shoulder, pressing him in a form of assurance that everything will be fine.

Clenching his fist, Kidd nodded and signaled his men to board the ship for departure.

Sensing the commotion and hearing the words of their departure, Zoro opened his eye, waking from his slumber, and without a word, he walks to where the other High Princes are.

Whitebeard stands, bisento on his right hand.

"You all must be careful. The enemy is not someone we can underestimate and we have yet to unravel the mysteries revolving around this enemy. I pray to all deities that you return to Raftel safe and sound… with the princesses."

With such final words, they all boarded the ship and left. The ones who remained in Raftel prayed for the High Princes' safety.

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

Shouts of men can be heard all over the place. All of them carrying a weapon of their choice while they train themselves to fight. Akainu stands on his balcony, nodding with a smirk on his face looking at a hundred thousand soldiers and thousands of dark magic practitioners surrounding his palace.

It is in that time that a crow landed on his shoulder, on its feet is a paper that contains a message. Without hesitation, he opens the letter. The message contains something he is waiting for. A sinister smile graces his lips while burning the paper.

"It looks like Roger's daughters have come out of hiding to play with me. Now, this is what I have been waiting for…"

His men might have failed to kill the daughters, but this time, Akainu will be certain to capture them. Roger will have no choice but to provide the information Akainu needs once he sees the faces of his daughters.

Without words, he finds himself in the palace dungeon where the former King and Queen are being held. They are in a pathetic state, torn robes grime and dirt decorating their faces, wounds all over their body due to the amount of torture they have to put up - yet, despite all of these, Akainu hates how their eyes never waver. Their eyes look at Akainu as if they are winning, will so unbreakable that irritates Akainu to no end.

"Your daughters have come out of their hiding." That was his greeting. He carefully looked at their eyes to see how they will react, and yes, the light in their eyes change, satisfying Akainu. He wants to see how they will beg him, to despair and grieve. "I will have my men capture them. Once I have my hands on them, they will suffer the consequences if none of you will tell me where to find it."

Much to Akainu's surprise, Rouge laughed.

"You are desperate Akainu. Your greed will be your downfall - mark my words. You and Teach will not be able to rule this world, not now, not ever. You may have captured us, you may have gotten the other kingdoms to dance according to your will, but that will never last."

Akainu is silent. The anger creeping back into his mind upon hearing Rouge's words.

"If you think that by capturing our daughters you will be able to make us tell you what you want to know, then you are dead wrong. We will never tell you, Akainu." Roger's conviction is unfathomable.

"I never thought the two of you can be heartless considering that your daughters' lives are at stake." His voice is filled with sarcasm, mocking the convictions of Roger and Rouge.

"The power you seek cannot be obtained Akainu. You could never obtain it. Never!"

A growl escaped Akainu, glaring at the two prisoners. Without a word, he left the dungeon, anger flaring.

"Is it time for me to make my move? Zehahaha!" Teach appeared out of nowhere, almost startling Akainu when he stepped out of the dungeon. No information escapes Teach. The news of the princesses being out of Raftel spread like wildfire to their men.

"The fools will not waiver even if we have their daughters."

"And are we going to give up getting that information? I never thought your will can be easily dispersed, Akainu." There is a relative mocking in Teach's voice, prompting Akainu to send deadly glares to the other.

"Never!" He's worked hard to obtain a power capable of bringing order to the world. "If they will not talk, then so be it. We will find it once we take over Raftel. I refuse to believe that information is not available in the Valley of Xavaria."

"Then, all we have to do is take over Raftel, right?"

And they reached an agreement.

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

"We'll arrive in Alabasta in a few hours. We can't dock in Alubarna. For all we know there are spies all over the place. The safest place for us to dock is in Sandora River where we can temporarily hide the ship." Nami explained to the crew. Due to the damage when Akainu's men attacked, it slowed down their speed. Instead of 3 days, it took them almost a week of travel to Alabasta.

"Vivi-chan is already aware that we will be arriving. It will be dangerous for her to leave the palace, hence, Koza and Pell will be accompanying us." Sanji added. They've arranged for letters to be sent instead of using denden mushi where there are also risks of being tracked.

Hours passed by and they arrived in a remote part in Sandora River. This is the biggest river in Alabasta which is guarded by the Royal army. Alabasta is a kingdom in the middle of a desert, any source of water is valuable to them.

Thousand Sunny ship managed to find a secret cave where they can hide the ship. In that cave lies two familiar people waiting for them. It's Koza and Pell.

"Your Highnesses, welcome, and we are happy that the three of you are safe!" Pell bowed to the Princesses. Ann, Sab, and Luffia have been in Alabasta since they were young, often visiting the place and have formed special bonds with the only princess, Vivi.

"Thank you, Pell. It's been a while since we last saw you." There's a melancholy in Ann's voice upon seeing another familiar person she has not seen for months. After all that had happened to them, it gives her a sense of relief that there's still someone worrying about their safety.

"Yes, Your Highness. Princess Vivi has been worried about the three of you. Thank the deities for guiding you safely here." Pell earned hugs from the princesses as gratitude.

"Koza..." Sab called out, smiling brightly at the man. "Any wedding news for us?"

"No, not this year. With everything that is happening, we can't possibly plan a wedding." Koza is Vivi's fiance. They were expected to marry this year, but he's right. This is not the best time for them to get married.

"We should go now. Our journey towards Alubarna will be quite a long ride. We have to avoid being seen as much as we can. Tonight, we will stay at the Royal Family's base a few hours from here before we resume our journey to Alubarna in the morning." Koza explained as he ushered them to follow where the super spot-billed ducks are waiting for them.

Franky and Usopp will remain in the ship to guard it in case of unexpected circumstances. The rest will journey towards the nearby Royal Family's base.

It has been a while since the princesses have been here. They visit Alabasta for vacation, not for refuge. Time has changed. They can't help but feel sad how things had turned out in a span of weeks.

All of them remained silent as they travel to the Royal Family's base. They are thankful that no other unprecedented matters happened and safely arrived.

The base is a manor that serves as a vacation house for the Royal Family of Alabasta. It is devoid of any servants at this time per the instruction of Pell. They can't risk the information of getting leaked out to the enemies.

"How's Alabasta?" Sab asked after their dinner. She waited until they arrived at the base to ask this question, considering the sensitivity and length of the possible discussion depending on the answer provided.

There was a relative silence between Pell and Koza.

"It's not as bad as we expected, but it is not good. The usurpers of Cresta managed to plant a doubt amongst the people. The morale is not as high as we want it to be even within the Royal Army. The allies of Cresta all over the world are being targeted by the enemy kingdoms, disregarding any peace treaties built for years." Pell said.

Yes, the princesses expected the situation to be like this but to hear it directly from their allies makes them dread on the situation. Often, they wonder if they are doing the right thing in dragging their allies into this war. But what choice do they have? Cresta's armies are no longer functional, most of the soldiers either fled from Akainu, some were killed, some were imprisoned and worst of all, some of them are now serving the usurper. There's nothing more painful than seeing that betrayal take form.

"Have you been communicating with our other allies?" Ann asked.

"Yes, we have but we are being careful in talking about sensitive information over denden mushi, afraid of the information leaking out to the enemies and that is the last thing we want to do." Koza answered.

The twins nodded. It is wise that they didn't, lest they will find themselves in a far worse situation than they already have.

"Where have you three been?" Koza finally asks. "There was news that you were dead, but I can see that you are not." The three sisters fell silent, even Nami and Koala did not utter anything. This information is very sensitive and they agreed not to let this be known to anyone else, even if it's their allies.

"We hid in the Dark Forest for weeks until we were able to recover from our wounds." Sab answered. She did not fabricate any lie in her words, she just omitted crucial information.

"I see. That must have been terrible. Let's rest tonight and continue our journey tomorrow at 6:00 AM." Pell and Koza left the bedroom that the sisters share. They insisted that they share a bedroom while Koala and Nami will rest in the one right next to theirs.

There is a lot of things they must do. Who could have thought leading a war against a big army is stressful? More than that, they felt guilty for the people who lost their lives in this war. How can such a cruel thing happen to them? None of them deserve this.

"It is time to sleep. There's no use overthinking things, Sab." Ann reminded her twin sister. She, too, is riddled with such thoughts, but they must remain united, composed, and strong to go through this ordeal.

"I suppose." Sab answered.

The twins looked at Luffia who was silent, not even saying anything during the conversation with Pell and Koza.

"It's odd." She started. "It's been a week since we were attacked by Akainu's men but don't you think it is odd that no men of his are after us?"

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yes, it is Ann. But I can't help but think..." Calm before the storm... She thought to herself. Her sisters must have read her mind but said nothing.

"Let's sleep, for now, Lu. We will talk about it tomorrow, okay?" Sab suggested. Her voice is tired, not physically, but emotionally and mentally.

Luffia nodded. In her slumber, she finds herself standing at the balcony, looking at the vast ocean before her, and in the sky echoes the roar of a green dragon. Zoro… She told herself. As if hearing her call, the green dragon descended from the sky, landing right in front of her. It extended its neck, encouraging her to get on it. Without hesitation, she leaped from her balcony into its neck, but before she can safely land on him, she finds herself falling in a cliff of darkness.

Bottomless darkness.

Go back to Raftel… Come to us… the same voice she heard when they were in the cave in Purgatory echoes. She tries to find the source, but all she sees is eternal darkness.

'Go back before it is too late…' The voice said.

"Who are you?!"

'Return to Raftel…'

"Why do you want me to go back?" The question is full of stupidity. She was warned before by the same voice that the hesitance can lead to a disaster. Yet, they must stand their ground. Like her sisters, she does not want Raftel to be roped into this war.

'You know very well why. You must go back with your sisters.'

Before Luffia can answer the voice, she was startled awake by a blinding light coming from Sab and Ann's necklaces. Getting up from her bed, she stood right in front of her sisters, sleeping soundly, unperturbed by the light from the necklaces. What is going on?

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

The sea is calm, eerily silent except for the waves crashing at their ship. The moon is up high, full, and illuminating it with bright rays. It would have been a perfect night in Raftel had it not been for the situation they are in.

The High Princes along with Killer, Thatch, Izou, Robin, and Chopper left Raftel days ago in hopes to find the princesses.

Kidd sat on his bed, closing his eyes and concentrating as hard as he can to search for the connection he hid inside him - his connection to Sab. It was hard to form when the stone is right next to her all the time. He lost count how many times he tried but failed to find the connection, but this time, it seems he succeeded.

He was able to enter her dreams. People fated together can communicate through dreams.

Kidd is floating on top of the sea while she is there on the other side, standing on a sandy beach. What is baffling is that instead of palm trees surrounding her, there's nothing but sand around as if she is in a desert. She looks as beautiful as he remembered her. His hand instinctively tried to reach for her but there's an invisible barrier preventing him from doing so.

"Sab!" He shouted but he doubts that she can hear him at all. What he can hope is that she will turn around and see him.

And when she did, it gave Kidd hope. Their eyes locked. She was visibly surprised to see him out of nowhere. Slowly, he extended his hand to her, his eyes encouraging her to reach out to him.

She stepped forward, eyes still locked to Kidd's, then to his extended hand.

"Please..." He muttered to himself. "Take my hand, Sab." There was hesitation in her eyes before slowly, her hand reaches to get his...

...

Sab was in dreamland again. This time, she is surrounded by nothing but sand. Looking around, she noticed the figure standing in front of him, shouting, but she could not hear what he is saying.

The man is familiar, someone she knows. It was Kidd. His eyes are devoid of hatred directed to her, instead, what his eyes are portraying are hope and longing to her. Is she imagining things? This couldn't be Kidd she knew of. The Kidd she knew has nothing but disgust and hatred for her existence. He won't be looking at Sab like this.

When he extended his hand, eyes encouraging her to take it, this surprised Sab. Never had she imagined that he will be reaching out to her like this.

She stepped forward while looking at him. He muttered something under his breath but she cannot hear it. All she can see is the desperation in his eyes as he waits for her to take the hand.

Her instincts are telling her to take it. Even if it's just a dream, at least he can accept her. If this is a dream, she does not want to wake up. There's nothing she wanted more than to reach for him and slowly, she raised her hand to meet his.

While she is in the dream, the stone she wore was shining brightly, too hot but she did not notice. Her consciousness is still in the dream.

When their hands are about to touch, Sab stopped. This is a dream, nothing but a dream. Kidd wouldn't be reaching out to her like this. He will never.

Her reality is somewhere else, where the war is about to commence, where responsibilities are waiting for her. This is not her reality.

Realizing the situation, she retracted her hand and at the same time stepped back. Kidd who was watching this was shocked.

"NO!" He shouted but his voice cannot be heard at all. Sab's tears fell off her eyes as she turned her back against him. She felt sad that this is only a dream, but she is thankful that it happened. It brings her comfort even if it will never become a reality.

Sab woke up, startled by the warm liquid on her cheeks. She noticed Luffia who was standing there beside her bed, looking at the stone on her chest.

"Luffia..." She called out, sitting on the bed and she felt it. The stone was hot, almost blazing to touch and there are remnants of light shining from the stone before it faded away.

"The stone was shining brightly a moment ago. So as Ann's." Luffia muttered before pointing to Ann's bed. She's still sleeping, but the stone is lit.

Sab recalled her dreams. Does it mean...? No, it couldn't be.

"Wake Ann up." Luffia needed not to be told twice. She turned to Ann, shaking her until she woke up. The light from Ann's stone diminished as seconds pass by. The twins locked eyes and realized what just happened.

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

Marco's flying in a land barren except for the glistening light of the sun and the sand below it.

He does not understand why he's here, but he continued in search of Ann. Minutes of searching, he finally saw ruins nearby where she stood there as if waiting for him.

He willed himself to go down, but he cannot. There's a force that is preventing him from doing so and it is frustrating. How can this happen? But that is the least of his worries.

"Ann!" He called out in desperation as he remained above ground.

He was hoping she can hear him but to no avail. She could not.

"Ann!" He shouted once more and she stopped, looked above, and was surprised to see a familiar figure.

"Please... Come to me." Marco begged. No words were coming from her mouth and all he received as an answer is a firm shake on her head. As if she's telling him not to look for her. As if she wants him to stay where he is, away from her.

But Marco cannot do that. He will die knowing that she's away from him. He is already as miserable as he is when she left Raftel.

"Please don't run away from me Ann. I am begging you..." He reached out again, a few centimeters away from her but she stepped back. When she looked up again at him, there was a lingering sadness in her eyes as she smiled before walking away...

Marco did not give up easily. He followed her again. If only he could reach the ground where she is, it would have made things easier, but it didn't. He figured that the ancient stones are preventing him from getting close to her. His desperation is beyond its limits. He used more power more than he should have in order to lessen the distance between them.

Ann looked surprised that Marco is just a meter away from her, floating on top of the sandy lands, hands reaching out to her.

What should she do?

Before she could decide on what, someone else did. Ann was woken up from the dream, suddenly leaving Marco in the middle of the desert, Ann just disappeared like that in a blink of an eye.

"AAAHHHHH!" Came a frustrated shout coming from the High Prince.

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

Ann kept staring at the necklace. It's 5 AM and they are about to leave for Alubarna in an hour. Ever since she was woken up from that dream, she can't stop staring at the stone who looks as dead as the night around the Royal Family's base.

When she woke up, she was covered in sweat and tears, the stone lits up for a few seconds before it's long gone.

That couldn't be a coincidence. This just means Marco is trying to make contact with her but was prevented by the stone. Had she reached out to him, the stone might have been broken by now and he will know where she is.

It scares her but at the same time, it brings comfort in her.

"I am sorry we woke you up." Sab muttered. They cannot go back to sleep now. After what happened, none of them can't.

"No. I should be thanking you. Had you not woken me up, I would have reached out to him." Sab feels guilty that she told Luffia to wake Ann up. It's as if she was preventing her twin sister from possible happiness and comfort in the arms of Marco. "I heard you experienced the same thing."

"I don't want to think about it." Sab muttered while looking outside, staring at nothing while her mind wanders at the dream. She wants to hope that it is true, but part of her still can't believe it.

"You could have reached out to them..." Luffia said.

"And drag them to this war? No. I can't do that." Sab answered. Even if she wants to, she can't. Her rational mind is preventing her from being selfish. She believes it is enough that he tried to reach out to her. There's no need for him to come where she is, for him to be dragged to the war in the Human Realm.

"Let's get ready. We have to leave for Alubarna..." Ann encouraged her sisters to prepare and so they can stop talking about this topic.

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

"FUCK!" The shout was followed by a crash and cracking sounds that startled the Raftelians on deck. All of them went below deck to see what happened only to see Marco and Kidd's room in a mess. The doors are shattered, the tables are torn to pieces.

"Marco!" Izou shouted after seeing Marco's desperate state. He's standing in front of the window of the room, looking at the peaceful ocean.

"I am so close! I am so close to breaking that damn stone, yoi!" It is rare to see the usually composed Marco break into fits of anger. No one can blame him nor Kidd. They have been trying to establish a connection to the princesses for days to no avail. If they managed to do so right now, it means they are not that far from them.

"You two finally entered their dreams?" Thatch inquired.

"Yes, but she refused. She walked away. That damn stone! I swear I will tear that to pieces when I see it!" Kidd provided an answer. The stone kept him away but he knows too well why she didn't take his hand. It's because of what he did before. He knows it is also his fault which makes it more irritating because he cannot do anything but try again.

"Did you see them in a certain place?" Robin asks.

"In the middle of a desert." Marco answered nonchalantly, his mind still a mess after the failed attempt.

"And what about Sab?" The question was directed to Kidd.

"I was in the sea while she was standing in a place with nothing but sand..." His voice trailed off. Was it a coincidence that he and Marco both saw them in a desert?

"It seems we have our destination settled." Robin smiled at the High Princes who are in a desperate state. "Amongst the allies of Cresta is the Royal Family of Alabasta - the kingdom in the middle of the desert. If the two of you saw both of them in a desert, then there's a high possibility that they are in Alabasta right now."

Her words lit up Marco and Kidd's mood. They saw hope for them to catch up to the princesses.

"How long do you think it will take before we arrive in that place, yoi?"

"We are about 3-4 days away from that place judging from the map. The Royal capital of Alabasta is Alubarna and that is where the Royal Family resides as well. We will head straight to Alubarna. However, it will not be easy in getting an audience from the Royal Family."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that since they are not aware of who we are, they might not exactly let us meet the princesses. We have to proceed with caution and we cannot openly demand audience from them and risk exposing our identities."

"It doesn't matter. As long as we get to see them, that's all I care about." Kidd said.

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

The journey to Alubarna is relatively quiet. Nami and Koala are stealing glances towards the three princesses, worried about the eerie silence.

They did not talk unless it was necessary and this is very concerning.

Asking them what is wrong is a pretty stupid question. All of them know that the princesses have a lot of things in their minds - the war to worry about.

It took them almost an entire day before they reached the Royal Capital of Alubarna. The journey should have taken them 2 days but they pushed themselves hard, only stopping to let their rides rest before continuing their journey.

It was exhausting. They are thankful that they were able to arrive without being detected by anyone else, using a route that is unknown to the public. Even though the people of Alabasta are allies of Cresta, they still can't help but be wary in case spies are amongst their people.

"You're here! Thank goodness!" Vivi immediately ran towards the princesses, hugging them tightly as they arrived in the Palace.

"Vivi!" This came as a chorus response from the princesses after recognizing the woman in a beautiful blue dress.

"We've been worried about the three of you! Come, let's get all of you settled. Father is waiting for the three of you. The journey must be exhausting."

"You have no idea." Nami answered when they were in the Royal bath, scrubbing off the dirt off their bodies.

"I am hungry. Can we eat after our bath?" Luffia's stomach growled as soon as she asked, earning a chorus of laughter from all of her companions. The food they brought in their journey is only minimal to avoid the weight slowing down their rides - a wise decision but it does not mean that Luffia likes it.

"Of course. The food will be ready." Vivi is aware of how much food the three princesses can eat. Often, their Royal Father - King Roger sends copious amounts of money as an expense when the three of them visit Alabasta as he knows his daughters are going to deplete the amount of food the Royal Family has.

"The three of you looked... different." There are no sufficient words that Vivi can think of to describe the sisters right now. They look the same, but at the same time, they don't. There's something odd about them.

"War changes anything and everything." Ann said, sighing as she finished her sentence while caressing the stone that is still intact. The stone serves as a barrier and at the same time a connection.

"That is true." Vivi agreed. "I heard you were in the Dark Forest for weeks. How did you survive that environment?"

"We have someone who helped us." That was a vague answer from Sab.

"Was it Rayleigh?" Upon the mention of that name, the princesses are reminded of a trusted ally they have for years.

"No. He was on a mission before the attack in Cresta. We haven't heard from him for over a month now. Have you heard any news of him?" Ann asks. If Rayleigh is still alive somewhere, they will need his help in reclaiming Cresta.

"No, unfortunately not. Other than Shanks and other allies, we have no news of him. Maybe Shanks knows of his whereabouts." That is a possibility. They can only hope to find him. They need him now more than ever.