"Let's go, Vivi." Nami called out firmly.
"They're very strong. Have faith in everyone. Let's keep heading to the Royal Palace."
"Yeah, I understand." Vivi nodded heavily, turned around, and continued running toward the Royal Palace.
Up ahead, Luffy, whose head had been knocked flying at the start, glared furiously down at Mr. 4.
His neck rapidly contracted, and his head dove down like an arrow loosed from a bow, slamming toward his opponent with all his strength.
"Gomu Gomu no Kane!"
The next instant, their foreheads collided, producing a deafening impact like an enormous temple bell.
Bang!!
Mr. 4's massive body staggered as though his head had been struck by a heavy hammer, snapping backward. Broken teeth flew out amid sprays of blood, and his eyes rolled white as he nearly lost consciousness.
"Mr. 4!"
Ms. Merry Christmas, hidden underground and gripping Luffy's feet, cried out in alarm. Then she came to her senses, gritted her teeth, and pulled with both arms, dragging Luffy underground.
Bang!
Luffy was smashed heavily into the hole, kicking up a cloud of dust. Like a nail hammered into the ground, he was firmly stuck in the opening.
At the same time, Ms. 4, who had nearly fallen over, refocused her pupils, suddenly stepped forward hard to steady herself, and lowered her head to glare angrily at Luffy.
Mr. 4's physical strength was actually this formidable. He had taken Luffy's headbutt head-on and still had not fallen.
"Bastard!" Mr. 4 ground his teeth and hoisted the heavy cannon onto his shoulder, its pitch-black muzzle aimed directly at Luffy, who was stuck in the hole.
Seeing the heavy cannon in his hands, a bead of cold sweat trickled down Luffy's forehead.
He tried to break free, only to discover that he was stuck fast. He immediately began flailing about and shouting,
"Hey, wait! Get me out of here!
"What the hell? Wait, hey!"
Yet what emerged from the rocket launcher in Mr. 4's hands was not a cannonball, but with a pop, something extended from inside.
A dog head?
No.
We're fighting here, man.
Why were you suddenly doing slapstick comedy? Reiner was speechless.
Behind him, the Red Ogre raised his spear parallel to the ground over his shoulder like an athlete preparing to throw a javelin, then took a powerful step forward.
His bone-white arm gripped the spear tightly, twisting as he gathered strength and radiated an immense, terrifying aura.
Rumble!!!
The deafening sound of tearing air was like a dragon's roar as the Blue Ogre hurled his spear, ripping apart the air and creating an instant vacuum trail.
Just as the dog head at the front of Mr. 4's rocket launcher was about to spit out a bomb, the spear streaked through the sky like a meteor and smashed into his massive body with overwhelming force.
Bang!
Bang! His pierced body twisted instantly, flying sideways and crashing through several walls, sending thick clouds of dust billowing up.
The tremendous noise drew everyone's attention, and they all turned to look in Mr. 4's direction.
When the dust cleared and revealed the scene within, everyone from Baroque Works could not help but show fear on their faces.
Mr. 4's huge body was nailed to the wall like a slab of cured meat. His eyes had rolled white, and blood trickled down his body. Whether he was dead or alive remained unknown.
A Haki expert was actually this terrifying!
The people of Baroque Works looked at the Blue Ogre differently now.
No one tried to get past their opponents to pursue them anymore. Instead, each focused on the enemy in front of them.
As they fought, they somehow seemed to be getting farther and farther away from Reiner's group.
"Looks like no one wants to chase us anymore." Nami blinked. "Let's just keep heading for the Royal Palace."
Aside from Zoro fighting Daz and Sanji fighting Bon Clay, the other officers had also been tied down by Reiner's Saw Devil.
"Just what are you doing, Luffy?" Reiner said helplessly, grabbing Luffy by the neck with both hands and yanking him out of the hole.
"Hahaha, I almost got blown up. Thanks, Reiner." Luffy grinned carelessly.
Come on. If explosions could kill you, you wouldn't have survived this long.
But—
"You're taking this too lightly, Luffy." Reiner sighed.
"Crocodile is strong. He's an enemy we have to take seriously. Don't do anything this stupid again later."
Reiner had put plenty of thought into preparing for the battle against Crocodile, but even so, he did not think victory was certain.
Ever since setting out to sea, Luffy had had it too easy. He had never suffered a real setback.
Reiner hoped Luffy's fearlessness came from the courage to face hardship and the resolve to keep moving forward after failure, rather than the reckless fearlessness of a newborn calf unafraid of tigers.
"Ah, sorry." Hearing that, Luffy's careless grin vanished, and he answered seriously.
"I understand, Reiner. Let's keep going."
The group continued running toward the palace without slowing down. The capital was enormous, so Reiner made a few horse templates and summoned them to carry everyone.
Zoro and Sanji remained behind to face Daz and Bon Clay.
The Saw Devil and the other undead began pursuing the Afro Hedgehog Woman and the Mole Woman.
After arriving at the Royal Palace, Vivi led Reiner and the others through it as though there was no one around, racing all the way toward its center.
Every guard recognized the princess who had been missing for three years at a glance, and no one stopped them. The group quickly arrived outside the Royal Palace's central hall.
"Princess Vivi!"
An urgent voice rang out from above. Everyone looked up to see an enormous falcon diving from the sky, wearing a longsword and a white robe.
"This big bird can talk?"
"Is it an enemy?!" Luffy moved as though he were about to attack.
"Don't worry, everyone. Pell is the vice captain of the kingdom's guard." Vivi hurriedly explained.
The enormous falcon that had spoken landed and transformed into a human. A white headscarf was wrapped around his head, purple cross-shaped stars were painted across his clothes, and two markings extended from his forehead over his eyes.
"Where is Father, Pell? Is he alright?" Vivi urgently rushed forward in panic.
Yet when Pell looked at the anxious princess, his face was filled with guilt. He dropped to his knees with a thud. "Princess Vivi... His Majesty... he's missing!"
Pell pressed both hands tightly against the ground, then abruptly raised his head and shouted,
"I'm sorry, Princess! It's all because I'm incompetent! I failed to protect His Majesty. I'm sorry!"
"How could this happen... Father..." Vivi stood there in a daze, staring blankly at Pell.
She had never expected Crocodile to dare storm the Royal Palace and directly target the king. Reiner's prediction had come true.
Luffy and the others were at a loss. Luffy was good at fighting, but he had no idea how to help with something like a disappearance.
"Emmm, Vivi, they should still be here."
Reiner spoke quietly. The Blue Ogre and Red Ogre had used Observation Haki to sense several figures nearby, though they were not on the same level as everyone else.
"They're near us, a little to the west and below us. Maybe some kind of underground palace or hidden chamber?"
"To the west is the Burial Temple. As for underground... I don't know."
"Should we try smashing through the floor?"
"Yes. As long as we can find Father, even the slightest possibility is worth it!" Vivi answered decisively.
"Alright! In that case—"
Luffy stepped forward. Before the Blue Ogre or Red Ogre could move, he flung one leg high into the sky, then rapidly contracted it before smashing it down in fury.
"Gomu Gomu no Ono!"
Bang—!
The furious blow pierced straight into the floor, causing a tremendous quake. Cracks spread from the point of impact, covering a huge stretch of open ground in the blink of an eye.
"Wait, wait!"
"Luffy, you idiot!"
Boom!!!
The deafening sound of the floor breaking apart erupted, mixed with Nami and Usopp's screams. The next instant, the ground began collapsing amid violent tremors.
Reiner reacted quickly. Before they fell, he grabbed Usopp and Nami, one in each arm. Chopper jumped directly onto his shoulder and tightly hugged his head.
Pell transformed into his animal form and caught Vivi in front of him as everyone began falling nonstop.
"Ah!!!"
The Weakling Trio's screams echoed through the sky.
"My eyes, Chopper! You're covering my eyes, idiot!!"
Before you continue