Riding on Karoo's back, Vivi finally arrived at Alubarna.
But the scene before her was horrifying.
The blazing sun hung high above the desert, scorching the capital's plaza.
The moment the first cannon shot shattered the silence, the armor of six hundred thousand Royal Army soldiers and the scimitars of four hundred thousand rebel fighters flashed coldly beneath the burning light.
The conspiracy orchestrated by Sir Crocodile had finally ignited into full-scale war amid the swirling sandstorms.
The rebels' roars shook the city walls.
Koza charged at the very front, sword raised high.
"I have to reach the palace."
Vivi stared firmly toward the royal palace.
"Karoo... can you still keep going with me?"
"Gaa... Gaa!"
Karoo dragged his heavily wounded body forward.
Despite his injuries, he continued to run with unwavering determination.
But then—
A stray artillery shell struck nearby.
The impact threw sand and debris into the air.
Karoo's legs trembled beneath him. Slowly, they bent.
His body collapsed to the ground as if shielding the precious person on his back.
"Gaa! Gaa!"
Karoo cried out loudly, desperately urging Vivi to escape.
"Haven't I already told you? It's useless!"
"Ahahaha!"
Mr. 2 Bon Clay mocked them from behind.
"You stupid duck! Who told you to ruin my plans? I'll make sure you pay for it!"
But Karoo's cry held no trace of fear or pleading.
At that moment—
Two Supersonic Ducks suddenly slammed into the laughing Mr. 2, sending him flying nearly ten meters away.
"Vivi! You still have a chance to stop the rebellion!"
A blond man wearing glasses stepped forward.
"Sanji!"
"You two can leave now," Sanji said calmly, his voice filled with confidence.
"I'll handle that okama."
Southeast Gate of Alubarna
At the southeast gate of the capital, another battle had already begun.
A short, middle-aged woman stood there with curly red hair, purple sunglasses, and clothes resembling a Christmas outfit.
Beside her stood a massive, overweight man with a long yellow beard. He wore a green-striped shirt and held a four-ton baseball bat in his hands.
Next to them was a sand-colored dachshund with drool hanging from its mouth, looking utterly foolish.
Facing them were Usopp and Tony Tony Chopper, who had lost his desert goggles to Mr. 2 earlier.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Companions of Straw Hat Luffy, prepare to die!"
Miss Merry Christmas laughed wildly.
In her eyes, these two were nothing more than rookie pirates.
"ACHOO!"
The dachshund suddenly sneezed.
A baseball popped out of its mouth.
"Take this!"
Mr. 4 swung his four-ton bat and smashed the ball forward.
—WHOOSH!
The baseball shot toward Usopp and Chopper at terrifying speed.
"I'll block it!"
Chopper immediately transformed into Heavy Point and raised his fist.
Yes... that's right. Go ahead and hit it.
Miss Merry Christmas grinned wickedly.
"WAIT!"
Suddenly, Usopp lunged forward and tackled Chopper to the ground.
The baseball barely grazed their heads as it flew past.
A violent gust of wind roared behind them.
Then—
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted, sending sand and smoke surging into the air.
Everyone stared in shock.
"Damn it! How did you know?!" Miss Merry Christmas shouted angrily.
She had planned to kill the two insignificant pirates instantly.
But somehow, they had avoided it.
"Usopp!!"
Chopper's eyes sparkled with admiration.
In his heart, Usopp's image suddenly became incredibly tall and heroic.
"Ahaha... of course that was thanks to my brilliant strategy!"
Usopp puffed out his chest confidently.
In truth, he had no idea why he had reacted that way.
But acting cool was what mattered.
"Hmph. You only dodged one baseball."
Miss Merry Christmas sneered.
"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter if I tell you."
"Lassoo is actually a gun that ate the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Dachshund!"
"He fires time-bomb baseballs!"
"And as for me—"
Miss Merry Christmas instantly transformed into a mole and burrowed underground.
"I ate the Mole-Mole Fruit!"
"BAM BAM BAM BAM!"
Nearly ten baseball bombs were launched into the air.
They flew straight toward Usopp and Chopper.
"Usopp, you definitely have a plan, right?!"
Chopper looked at him expectantly.
Then—
Usopp grabbed Chopper and ran wildly.
"I'm not Luffy or Zoro! How the hell would I have a plan?!"
Suddenly, the ground cracked open.
A claw burst from the earth and grabbed Usopp's ankle.
"AAAAHHH!!"
Usopp screamed as he was dragged rapidly underground.
Chopper was thrown aside.
And directly ahead of Usopp—
A stone wall loomed.
BAM!
Usopp slammed violently into it.
Blood splattered.
Bones cracked.
His consciousness nearly faded.
"USOPP!!"
Chopper shouted desperately.
But soon, he found himself in danger as well.
Hundreds of baseball bombs filled the sky.
They rushed toward him from every direction.
"Rumble Ball! Brain Point!"
Chopper crushed a Rumble Ball in his mouth.
His body did not change much.
But his mind entered a state of extreme focus.
A blue glow flashed across his eyes.
The incoming baseball bombs seemed to slow down.
The entire battlefield became crystal clear.
It was almost like a low-level form of Observation Haki.
Chopper moved swiftly and gracefully, dodging every bomb.
Then he turned toward Mr. 4.
Transforming into his reindeer form, he charged forward.
"Horn Point!"
His antlers grew massive, thick, and razor-sharp.
But Mr. 4 immediately jumped into a nearby hole, avoiding the attack.
A moment later, he reappeared from another hole.
Swinging his bat—
CRACK!
A baseball bomb shot toward Chopper.
"What?!"
The ball was too fast.
So fast that Chopper could not react in time.
All he could do was watch as it slammed into him.
BOOM!
An explosion erupted.
Sand and smoke filled the air.
Chopper staggered back, dizzy and covered in wounds.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Low-level pirates will always be low-level pirates!"
Miss Merry Christmas laughed so hard her body shook.
"How boring... you were defeated so easily."
"Well then."
"Let's finish this."
She turned to grab the barely conscious Usopp.
But when she looked again—
Usopp was gone.
She rubbed her eyes.
"Where did he go?!"
Just moments ago, he had been lying there half-dead like a corpse.
Yet now—
He had completely disappeared.
"TAKE THIS!!"
Suddenly, Usopp leapt out of a pit behind them.
He raised a massive 10-TON HAMMER and swung it toward the back of Mr. 4's head.
SMASH!
Mr. 4 collapsed instantly.
"10... 10 tons?!"
Miss Merry Christmas's eyes bulged as she stumbled backward.
Ten tons?!
Was she seriously supposed to believe that?!
She ate the Mole-Mole Fruit, not Kaido's Dragon Fruit!
If that thing really hit her—
She would die!
"Take Uncle Usopp's 10-TON HAMMER!!"
Usopp roared as he swung again.
Miss Merry Christmas broke out in a cold sweat and dove underground just in time.
The instant she popped her head out—
Usopp's hammer came crashing down again.
The two of them began playing a bizarre game of whack-a-mole.
But suddenly—
"ACHOO!"
Lassoo sneezed again.
A baseball bomb flew straight toward Usopp's hammer.
BOOM!
The hammer exploded.
Burning scraps fluttered through the air like charred paper.
Usopp froze.
His face twisted with pure terror.
Miss Merry Christmas froze as well.
Then her rage exploded.
"So... you were playing me the whole time, long-nose?!"
The humiliation was unbearable.
Usopp immediately turned and ran.
Chopper stared in disbelief.
"...This isn't how I imagined the story would go."
"So that hammer was...?"
"Of course it was fake!"
Usopp shouted while running.
"There's no way I could lift something that heavy!"
Chopper sighed deeply.
"...I knew it."
It seemed he would have to rely on himself after all.