The capital of Alabasta, Alubarna, was built atop a circular plateau rising from the desert. From the front and both sides, five grand staircases of white marble led up—these were the only ways into the city.
"Everyone, look! The capital!"
At this moment, Reiner and the others were galloping across the desert on horseback, heading straight for the southern gate.
Reaching the foot of the massive stairs, Reiner summoned his undead.
"No time to waste—let's move."
They had come directly from Katorea to the capital, stopping to rest only once along the way. Even so, Baroque Works would surely have had enough time to set up their ambush.
With so many infiltrators among the rebels, news of the ceasefire would quickly reach Baroque Works through their Den Den Mushi.
Abandoning their horses, the group charged up the staircase. But at the gate—
"Stop! Who goes there?!"
"It's a state of emergency! The entire city is under martial law!"
Several guards leveled their spears at them, with a full squad of royal soldiers arrayed behind.
"It's me!" Vivi pulled back her hood, revealing her long, sky-blue hair and familiar face.
The guards froze in shock, then immediately lowered their weapons.
"Princess Vivi! How are you here?"
"No time to explain—let us through, quickly!" Vivi urged.
"But they— I understand!"
"Make way for the princess!"
Though clearly puzzled by the strangers with her, none of the soldiers would doubt their princess. Even in such a critical moment, her word was absolute.
Meanwhile, in a house within the capital, two figures sat at a table. In the corner, a man lay bound.
"Zero-chan… is there still any point to my plan now?"
Mr. 2 looked nervously toward the grim man beside him. Their original plan had been to abduct the king, then use his ability to impersonate him, inciting chaos and accelerating the war.
The king was indeed captured, tied up in the corner. But just now they had received word—the rebels had learned the truth and were spreading the call for a ceasefire.
Bang!
"Straw Hat crew!" Crocodile ground his teeth, his face twisted with fury.
The news had come far too suddenly, without the slightest warning.
They had only arrived in Alabasta the day before, yet somehow managed to quell the rebellion already?
The crew he had dismissed as nobodies had quietly pulled off something monumental.
"…Forget the original plan."
Through clenched teeth, Crocodile's voice was like ice.
"You and Mr. 1 will regroup and wipe out the Straw Hats."
"Understood, Zero-chan." Mr. 2 pressed his palms together, striking a ballet pose as he pranced away.
At this point, reigniting the war was nearly impossible. Once the truth spread, no one would willingly march to battle again.
Crocodile's expression grew darker as he crouched before the bound King Cobra, ripping the tape from his mouth.
"Crocodile!"
"Don't shout so loud."
Cutting off Cobra's roar of rage, Crocodile sneered:
"Looks like you raised quite the daughter, Cobra. Once I obtain that thing, I'll be sure to give her a proper reward."
"No matter what you're scheming—you've already lost!"
Cobra struggled, glaring into Crocodile's face.
"Your conspiracy is exposed! The World Government will strip you of your Warlord title. You're finished, Crocodile!"
"Heh heh heh… Warlord?"
Crocodile pressed his golden hook against Cobra's throat, smirking:
"That title means nothing to me. I only accepted it to make my work easier.
"Even if they strip it away, so what? Once I obtain the Ancient Weapon, not even the World Government will be able to touch me."
"You—you…"
Cobra's face went pale, shocked beyond words. So that was his true goal all along?! How did he even know?
Snarling, he spat:
"That's nothing but a legend! No one knows if it even exists, let alone how to find it!"
"Heh heh heh… That's not your concern. All you need to do is tell me where the Poneglyph is."
"Dream on! Even if it costs me my life, I'll never reveal a word about the Poneglyph!"
"You will."
Crocodile grinned wickedly.
"I've placed a bomb somewhere in this city. Its blast radius covers five kilometers. You don't want to see thousands die here, do you, Cobra?"
"You bastard!!"
Cobra's eyes bulged with rage, his body trembling as he roared:
"You monster!!"
Crocodile only laughed coldly.
Meanwhile, the capital's outer streets stood empty, and the civilians evacuated to shelters for fear of war breaking out.
BOOM!
An explosion tore through the quiet. On their way to the palace, Reiner's group was forced to a halt, scanning the area.
"What the hell was that?!"
"A baseball… that explodes?!"
"There!"
Following Reiner's pointing finger, they saw a massive man with spindly limbs emerging from a hole in the ground. In his hands was a solid steel bat.
"That's Chief Agent Mr. 4!" Vivi cried, face grim.
"His partner, Ms. Merry Christmas, ate the Mole-Mole Fruit—she can dig freely underground!"
"They're the enemy, right?!"
Without hesitation, Luffy charged.
"Be careful, Luffy!" Vivi shouted in alarm. "His strength is incredible!"
Mr. 4's steel bat bore the clear marking of 1 ton.
Before Vivi's warning even finished, two mole claws burst from the ground, clamping onto Luffy's ankles.
"Eh?! Hey, wait a sec—"
Caught off guard, Luffy couldn't break free in time. Mr. 4's bat swung down, smashing into his face with crushing force, sending his head flying back.
"Don't worry about Luffy—blows don't work on him."
Reiner tilted his head upward. On a nearby rooftop stood a tall, muscular bald man, arms crossed as he looked down at them.
"The enemy isn't just them. They're all here."
Tch. Standing over me like that… Reiner's mood soured.
Click, click, click.
Heels tapped against stone. From behind came a sultry voice, accompanied by swaying hips and crimson lips.
"My, my… to resolve the rebellion so quickly—you really are impressive."
"Because of you, my fun little plan got canceled. How very rude."
Another bizarrely dressed figure emerged, sending a chill down Sanji's spine.
"What the hell kind of freak is this?"
"How dare you! That's an insult!"
Mr. 2, feeling utterly affronted, launched forward in a ballet leap.
"Let me show you the power that combines a man's strength with a woman's grace—the strength of the Okama!"
"Okama Kenpō!"
His hairy, muscular legs whipped out with startling speed. Sanji met him head-on, his own leg arcing upward in a black blur to clash with the strike.
"Damn freak—don't disgust me here."
Sanji clenched his cigarette, cursing as he felt the force reverberate through his leg. This guy's actually matching my kicks?
Gritting his teeth, he shouted back to the others:
"This bastard's mine! You all keep moving!"
"Move on?"
The bald man on the rooftop leapt down, his voice cold:
"Don't underestimate us. Today you'll all die under my blades."
Midair, Daz's ten fingers bent into claws, each hand gleaming with razor-edged steel as he slashed down toward Vivi.
"Spadas Las Doscientos Cincuenta (One Hundred-Fifty Pound Slash)!"
No—the attack wasn't a mere sword strike. It was a slash born from his Devil Fruit ability.
Reiner sent his Sawblade Demon and other undead forward to shield the "weak trio," while Zoro stepped in front of Vivi, blades drawn.
Clang—!
"What a strange slash… Then I'll take this one."
Zoro grinned, locking swords with Daz's claws, his eyes burning with interest.