Alabasta's royal capital, Alubarna, was built atop a raised circular plateau in the desert. Five white marble stairways had been constructed along the front and sides, and those five stairways were the only way into the royal capital.
"Everyone, the royal capital is in sight!"
At that moment, Reiner and the others were racing through the desert on horseback, already approaching the stairway leading to the southern gate.
When they reached the foot of the steps into the city, Reiner summoned the undead.
"No time to waste. Let's get up there."
They had ridden straight from Cattelya to the royal capital, stopping only once to rest along the way. Even so, Baroque Works had probably already laid an ambush.
There were plenty of spies among the Rebel Army. Once word of the ceasefire spread, it would certainly reach Baroque Works quickly. After all, they had Transponder Snails for communication.
Leaving the horses behind, the group immediately rushed up the stairs until they reached the gate at the end.
"Stop! Who goes there?!"
"This is a special time. The entire city is under martial law!"
Several guards raised their spears to block them, while a large formation of Royal Army soldiers stood ready behind them.
"It's me!" Vivi directly pulled back her hood, revealing her sky-blue hair and face.
The guards were all shocked and immediately lowered their weapons. "Princess Vivi! Why are you here?"
"There's no time to explain! Let us in, quickly!" Vivi cried urgently.
"But they... I understand!"
"Make way for the princess!"
The guards looked at Reiner and the others behind Vivi. Though they were full of doubts, they still carried out the princess's orders without hesitation.
Even at this critical moment, when war could break out at any time, no soldier would doubt the princess.
Meanwhile, inside a house somewhere in the royal capital, two people sat beside a table. Not far away, a bound man lay in the corner.
"Mr. 0, is there still any need to carry out my plan?"
Mr. 2 cautiously looked toward the gloomy man beside him. Their original plan had been to abduct the king, then have him use his ability to impersonate the king, inciting unrest and accelerating the outbreak of war.
Now the king had already been captured and was tied up nearby. Yet they had just received word that the Rebel Army had learned the truth and was spreading the news of a ceasefire everywhere.
Bang!
"Straw Hat Crew!" Crocodile gritted his teeth, his expression darkening into a twisted scowl.
The news had come far too suddenly, without even the slightest warning.
They had only arrived in Alabasta yesterday, yet they had somehow quelled the rebellion already?
A group he had never taken seriously had quietly accomplished something this significant.
"There's no need to carry out the original plan."
Crocodile forced the words through clenched teeth, his voice icy. "Go meet up with Mr. 1 and the others. Erase the Straw Hat Crew."
"Understood, Mr. 0." Mr. 2 responded, pressing his fingertips together as he danced away in ballet steps.
At this point, it would be difficult to provoke a war again. Once the truth spread, no one would want to step onto a battlefield.
With a dark expression, Crocodile walked over to Cobra and crouched down, forcefully tearing the tape from his face.
"Sand Crocodile!"
"Don't shout so loudly."
Interrupting Cobra's furious roar, Crocodile spoke with a sinister grin.
"Looks like you really did raise a fine daughter, Cobra. Once I obtain that thing, I'll be sure to thank her properly."
"Whatever you're plotting, you've already failed!"
Cobra cursed as he twisted his body and shoved his face close to Crocodile's.
"Your scheme has been exposed. The World Government will definitely strip you of your Shichibukai title. You're finished, Crocodile!"
"Hehehe... Shichibukai?"
Crocodile pressed the golden hook on his hand against Cobra's throat and sneered.
"That kind of thing is irrelevant. I only accepted that title because it made things more convenient for me.
"Since things have come to this, let them strip it away. As long as I obtain the Ancient Weapon, what can the World Government do to me?"
"You..."
Cobra stared at Crocodile in shock, too stunned to speak. So this was his true goal! How had he learned of it?
Cobra then gritted his teeth and glared viciously at him, growling.
"That's only a rumor. No one knows whether it's real, and no one can verify it!"
"Hehehehe, that's none of your concern. You only need to tell me where the Poneglyph is."
"Keep dreaming! Even if I die, I will never reveal a single thing about the Poneglyph!"
"You'll tell me where the Poneglyph is."
Crocodile grinned wickedly. "I planted a bomb in this city. If it explodes, it'll affect an area five kilometers in diameter. Cobra, you wouldn't want so many people in this city to die, would you?"
"You bastard!!"
Cobra looked as though he wanted to devour Crocodile alive, his eyes nearly splitting as he roared.
"You monster!!"
"Hehehehe~~"
Meanwhile, in the city, the residents from the outer districts had been moved to shelters because war could break out at any moment, leaving the streets deserted.
Boom!!!
A violent explosion rang out. Reiner and the others, who were heading toward the Royal Palace, were stopped by the sudden bomb and came to a halt, looking around.
"What was that!"
"A baseball that explodes?"
"Over there!"
Following the direction of Reiner's finger, they saw a tall man with thin limbs standing in a hole, half his body protruding from the ground. He held a solid metal baseball bat in his hand.
"That's chief agent Mr. 4!" Vivi shouted seriously.
"His partner, Ms. Merry Christmas, is a Mole-Mole Fruit user. She can freely dig tunnels underground."
"They're enemies, right?" Luffy charged straight at them.
"Be careful, Luffy!" Vivi cried in alarm. "His arm strength is tremendous!"
The solid metal bat in Mr. 4's hand clearly bore a 1t marking.
Before Vivi had even finished speaking, Luffy, who had rushed before him, suddenly stumbled. Two mole claws emerged from the ground and locked around his feet.
"Hey, hey, hey, wait a second."
Luffy was startled by the sudden attack. Before he could break free, Mr. 4's bat swung before his eyes and smashed heavily into his face, caving it in and sending his entire head flying away.
"Don't worry about Luffy. Blunt attacks don't work on him."
Reiner turned sideways and looked upward. A tall, muscular bald man stood on a rooftop, arms crossed as he looked down at them.
"There's more than one enemy. They're all here."
Trash. How dare he stand that high in front of me. Reiner was displeased.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
As soon as he finished speaking, a sexy woman with an afro appeared behind them. Swaying her hips in high heels as she strutted forward, she parted her crimson lips and spoke in a sultry voice.
"You actually resolved the Rebel Army situation so quickly. You really are something."
"Because of you, my fun little secret plan got canceled."
Another strangely dressed person emerged, making Sanji shudder. "What kind of freak is that?"
"That's incredibly rude, you bastard!"
Mr. 2 looked as though he had suffered the ultimate humiliation and charged forward in ballet steps.
"Let me show you the power of men combined with the flexibility of women—the power of an okama!"
"Okama Kenpo!"
A long bare leg covered in thick hair lashed out at high speed. Sanji charged forward to meet it, returning the attack with an equally darkened kick.
"You dead okama, quit disgusting people here."
Sanji cursed through the cigarette clenched in his mouth. Feeling the force coming through his leg, however, he was secretly shocked. Someone could actually match his kicking skills? He turned and shouted to Reiner and the others.
"I'll handle this guy. You keep going."
"Keep going?" The bald man on the rooftop jumped down directly from above and said coldly.
"You're looking down on us too much. Today, you'll all die beneath my blades!"
In midair, Daz curled his ten fingers into claws. His dark palms suddenly flashed with a cold gleam as he swung both hands at Vivi, sending invisible slashes flying toward them.
"Ten-Finger Slash!"
A Flying Slash Attack? No, it must be produced through his Devil Fruit ability.
Reiner secretly controlled the undead, including Saw Devil, to step forward and protect the Weakling Trio. Zoro had also drawn his swords and stepped in front of Vivi.
Clang!
"A strange kind of slash. Then I'll take this one." Zoro grinned, blocking the ten-finger claw blades as he looked at his opponent with interest.
I forgot to set the scheduled release, sorry.
Before you continue