(Vivi x Crocodile) One Piece: The Princess and the Villain - Season I

08 - THE HAUNTING DREAM

Months had passed since Vivi's daring escape from Crocodile's grip. The desert sands shifted with time, but the chaos that could have erupted had been skillfully averted—just as Crocodile had predicted. The princess had returned to the palace in Alabasta without revealing the truth about her captivity, opting instead for a carefully constructed lie. Her silence had been a calculated move to protect her kingdom, and Crocodile had adjusted accordingly.

True to his nature, Crocodile had orchestrated the situation to his advantage. His spies in the palace had relayed everything, confirming that Vivi had woven a story to explain her absence—one that conveniently left out his role. She had claimed she found traces of a suspicious organization that could pose a threat to the palace and the entire country. Vivi decided to try to investigate it, but before she could discover the name of the organization or who the leader was, the situation became too dangerous for her, and she was forced to withdraw from continuing her investigation.

Crocodile's smirk had only grown with each passing report. Everything had fallen back into place, as if her escape had been nothing more than a temporary disruption. His underground network continued to flourish, his business dealings thriving without interference. Alabasta's people still viewed him as their hero, a man who had brought prosperity to the desert kingdom. And Vivi? She had quietly slipped back into her role as the princess, maintaining her composure and playing along with the deception.

But even as the situation stabilized and the kingdom returned to its usual rhythms, Crocodile couldn't shake the lingering presence of Vivi in his mind. Despite her absence, the memory of her had a strange way of resurfacing in quiet moments. He had underestimated how much the time spent with her had seeped into his thoughts, twisting them in ways that unsettled him.

***

In the dead of night, Crocodile stirred, his body tense even in sleep. The vast, dark expanse of his dreamscape unfolded before him—a familiar yet distorted version of his lair, grand and foreboding, shrouded in shadow. He sat on his throne, the cold stone beneath him a reminder of the power he wielded, but tonight, the air felt different—thick with tension he couldn't place.

Through the dim light, Vivi appeared. Her elegant figure moved with grace, her royal attire draped over her as if she'd never left his domain. But what stood out were the chains, gleaming cold metal around her wrists and ankles. He had seen her like this before, but something felt off. Her expression was composed, serene even, yet her eyes held something deeper—fear, submission, perhaps both.

Crocodile's pulse quickened. As she approached, he reached out with the same commanding hand that had seized her many times before. She came to him willingly, settling onto his lap, but her body felt different. No resistance, but no surrender either. She was... in between, suspended in a limbo he couldn't control.

His grip tightened reflexively, seeking to reassert the dominance that came so naturally. But as he pulled her closer, her hand rose slowly, cupping his face with a tenderness that froze him in place. Her touch was soft—too soft—and for the first time, a flicker of something unfamiliar ran through him. It wasn't power. It wasn't control. It was... fear.

He leaned forward, lips hovering near hers, ready to take her as he always had, but her presence was slipping through him. His hands traced her, but the sensation felt hollow, distant. The more he tried to hold her, the more she drifted away.

Suddenly, the scene shifted.

The dark lair gave way to the open sands of Alabasta, the golden desert stretching endlessly in every direction. Vivi stood before him, free of the chains, the weight of them gone. She looked at him, her expression now unreadable, her regal stature returned. Behind her, far in the distance, a figure waited—someone from her world. He couldn't tell who it was, but the sight sent a wave of rage surging through him.

She turned slightly, as if she were about to leave, to walk toward the figure. His chest tightened. He reached out, desperate to pull her back, but his hand passed through her as though she were made of smoke. His heart pounded, his breath quickened as the realization hit him—he was losing her.

She was fading, slipping away into the horizon, and no matter how hard he tried to grasp at her, she moved further from his reach. Alone now, Crocodile stood in the vast emptiness of the desert, the sands swirling around his feet, slipping through his fingers.

A scream built in his throat, but it never came. The void inside him grew unbearable, a hollow ache he couldn't quell. And as the dream faded, he was left with only the crushing weight of his loss.

Crocodile awoke, breathless, the lingering emptiness still gnawing at him. He threw the glass that was on the bedside table against the wall, shattering it into pieces. Rage spread throughout his body. Even in his dreams, she eluded him. Despite all his power, Vivi was slipping away from him in ways he hadn't anticipated—and in ways he feared he would never be able to stop.