Vivi and Nami's group, moving at high speed atop the desert crab Scissors, finally reached the edge of the Sandora River.
But there was a problem.
Scissors, like most desert-born creatures, feared water.
Even with Nami dressed in a dancer's outfit—doing her best to coax it forward—the giant crab only made it halfway across the river before panicking and sinking straight to the bottom.
They had no choice but to part ways with Scissors, who returned to shore with visible reluctance.
Left with no other option, the group swam across the Sandora River themselves.
Fortunately, they encountered a group of Kung-Fu Dugongs along the bank—Luffy's loyal students.
With the Dugongs' help, they crossed the river safely and soon reunited with the Super Fast Duck Squad.
"Quack!"
"Quack!"
"Quack!"
The troop's captain, Karoo, had already returned from his solo mission to Alubarna.
Without wasting a moment, the group mounted the ducks and sped toward the capital.
Time was slipping away.
If they didn't reach Alubarna before the Rebel Army, the war would be unstoppable.
Yet, it wasn't the Rebel Army—or Vivi's group—who arrived in Alubarna first.
It was the elite agents of Baroque Works.
Mr. 1, Miss Doublefinger, and Mr. 2 Bon Clay arrived calmly in a carriage pulled by a massive desert turtle. They had already finished their assigned missions to slander King Cobra and now met up with Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas, who had captured the king.
The orders from their boss, Crocodile, were simple:
Do not let Princess Vivi meet with Koza.
The princess and the rebel leader had known each other since childhood. If they reunited, she had a high chance of talking him out of violence.
That could not be allowed.
Swish!
Mr. 1 sliced Vivi's photograph clean in mid-air with a single finger. The pieces floated down, fluttering silently.
"Looks like this mission won't be complicated."
The Baroque Works commanders exchanged cold glances and laughed quietly.
"As long as Princess Vivi dies, there's no chance of her meeting Kohza."
Like venomous snakes, they melted into the crevices and alleyways of Alubarna, waiting patiently to strike the moment Vivi's group arrived.
Tied to the ground, bleeding from the forehead, King Cobra watched the silent preparations in horror.
"Chaka, Koza," he whispered. "You must not fight. We are one kingdom. We must not kill each other…"
His voice was weak, but his heart was heavy with hope.
Shirogai, I'm counting on you. Minimize the losses, bring back peace…
If you truly do what you promised, I'll swear loyalty to Vespera and never betray it.
Above him, the night began to fade.
The moon disappeared behind scattered clouds, and the stars dimmed one by one.
In the east, faint sunlight touched the sand dunes like a whisper.
Desert predators returned to their burrows, fleeing the heat to come.
---
Meanwhile, at Alubarna's West Gate Gobi…
This narrow pass was the only route through which Vivi's group could enter the capital.
"… …"
Mr. 1 sat silently on a large rock, his eyes closed, unmoved by the pre-dawn chill.
He looked like a monk in meditation, enduring the desert's freezing winds without complaint.
"Spin! Spin! Spin!"
Next to him, Mr. 2 Bon Clay trembled and twirled in place, trying to stay warm.
The others lounged behind the rocks, killing time in silence.
Only Mr. 4 was actively watching the horizon through a telescope.
Boom… Boom… Boom…
Dust suddenly rose in the distance.
"Huh? Is the Rebel Army approaching?" Mr. 4 murmured.
Mr. 2 leaped gracefully onto a boulder, squinting at the cloud of sand.
"Yes! Look at that dust! So many of them! What a magnificent number!" he shouted with theatrical flair.
Landing lightly on the ground, he resumed spinning, mockingly:
"That Princess Vivi thinks she can stop that whole army by herself? What an overconfident clown!"
"…"
None of the others replied.
Used to his antics, they simply ignored him.
But Bon Clay wasn't the type to get embarrassed. He glanced around, still grinning.
"Will that clown princess show up? Will she not? Will she? Or won't she? It's killing me!"
"You annoying freak!" Miss Merry Christmas snapped, her foot stomping the sand as her temper flared.
"Idiot, idiot, idiot!"
"If those idiot Straw Hats and the idiot princess don't show up soon, and the Rebel Army gets here first, we'll have wasted the whole night!"
"Don't worry, Miss Merry Christmas."
Miss Doublefinger, smoking from an elegant dry tobacco pipe, twisted her slender frame with a sultry smirk.
"They may not make it in time. They wasted hours back in Rainbase."
Mr. 2 Bon Clay asked with genuine curiosity, "If the Rebel Army arrives first, what do we do? Won't the battle already have started?"
Miss Doublefinger exhaled a puff of smoke and replied coolly, "Then we do nothing. Once the fighting starts, the princess won't be able to do a thing."
Mr. 1 opened his eyes and gave Bon Clay a mocking glance.
"You really can't figure out something that basic, huh?"
Bon Clay struck a flamboyant pose. "Careful. You're about to taste the fury of my Human Swan Fist!"
Miss Doublefinger sighed, sounding like a tired babysitter. "You two, enough. Don't start bickering now."
Then, Mr. 4 finally turned his head and spoke slowly.
"They… are… coming…"
"What? They actually made it?" Miss Merry Christmas pushed him aside and grabbed the telescope.
She gasped.
"It's them! The Super Fast Duck Squad! But… why are there six riders?!"
Through the lens, she could see a trail of sand kicked up by six ducks—each carrying a rider cloaked in white.
Strangely, all of them wore identical robes with hoods, completely concealing their faces and figures.
"No way to tell who's who!"
"Mr. 0's intel said only four people remained from the Straw Hats' group—after Shirogai Yamikuro and Straw Hat Luffy were 'dealt with.'"
Miss Doublefinger added, "There was talk about someone called Mr. Prince. And if there's a Mr. Prince, maybe there's a Miss Princess too. Two extra people wouldn't be surprising."
"Doesn't matter how many they brought. Our target is Princess Vivi. Just kill her."
Mr. 1 jumped down from the rock with a chilling grin.
As he landed, the stone behind him shattered into perfect cubes—cut neatly by his blade-like body.
"Just kill Vivi?" Miss Merry Christmas scowled.
"Then tell me, genius, which one of those six cloaked figures is her?"
Everyone stared at the incoming figures in frustration.
"Damn it!" Miss Merry Christmas shouted. "They tricked us!"
"They knew we'd be waiting here… so they disguised themselves!"
Their targets approached rapidly.
The sandstorm behind them roared like a curtain rising on a stage.
And in that whirlwind of dust, six silent riders drew closer…
---
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