"Quickly raise the white flag and surrender! King's Army, stop fighting each other!"
At Princess Vivi's urgent plea, the King's Army reluctantly dropped their weapons. Scrambling for scraps of white cloth, they fashioned surrender flags on the spot and raised them high.
The white flags waved in the air as the King's Army attempted to greet the Rebel Army, who had already crossed the central plaza and were preparing to storm the palace.
The leading members of the Rebel Army pushed forward, weapons drawn and cannons ready.
"The King's head is right in front of us! Kill everyone in the palace!"
"For the Alabasta Kingdom! Victory is within reach! Charge!"
"Prepare to fire! Wait—!"
The sudden halt of the front-line cannon operators sent a wave of confusion through the ranks.
"Emergency ahead! Stop!"
The wave of halts rippled back through tens of thousands of Rebel Army soldiers. They all turned their attention toward the figure standing ahead—on a stone pillar, holding a white flag.
"That's... Koza!"
"He's holding a white flag? In front of the King's Army?"
"Is this some kind of trap?"
"What's going on?!"
The momentum of the Rebel Army faltered in confusion.
Koza, gripping the flag tightly, shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Rebel Army, stop! The King's Army has laid down their arms. They've surrendered! The war is over!"
"This…"
"They surrendered? Now?"
The soldiers exchanged glances, frustration and disbelief simmering in their eyes. They had fought tooth and nail through the desert, starved, bled, and died—only to be told to stop at the gates of the palace?
What about the riches they dreamed of?
What of the revenge they craved?
Where were the jewels, the power, the beautiful life they imagined?
Sensing the crowd's unease, Koza raised his voice again, desperate:
"The battle is over!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots tore through the tense silence.
Koza's body jerked violently, and blood bloomed across the white cloth over his chest. His grip loosened, and he collapsed, still clutching the white flag.
"Ko—Koza!"
Vivi screamed in horror from atop the palace.
She had seen it clearly. The gunfire came from within the King's Army—specifically, from one of their own holding a white flag. But it wasn't a loyal soldier. It was a mole—one of the Baroque Works infiltrators.
Too late to warn them.
"Hehehehe…"
The traitor sneered as smoke curled from his rifle barrel.
"Koza was ambushed!"
"The King's Army shot our leader!"
The Rebel Army exploded in fury.
"Despicable traitors! This was a setup!"
"They lured us into a ceasefire just to kill Koza! CHARGE!"
"Kill the King! Avenge our leader!"
Despite the King's Army frantically waving their white flags in panic, insisting on peace, the Rebel Army was too far gone.
"Wait! It's a misunderstanding! That man wasn't one of us!"
"Calm down! We surrendered! We don't want to fight!"
But it was no use.
A sand-laden wind began to rise, swirling across the plaza and cutting off visibility. Within seconds, the world turned into a blur of tan and rage.
"Heh heh… our turn now."
From the shadows of the side streets, Baroque Works' Millions emerged. Hidden snipers and infiltrators aimed their weapons at the charging Rebel Army.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One by one, Rebel soldiers dropped mid-charge. They couldn't see their attackers through the storm of sand and wind.
"The King's Army opened fire!"
"Return fire!"
Fueled by rage and confusion, the Rebel Army charged into the hail of bullets.
"Kill them all!"
"Burn the palace to the ground! Leave no survivors!"
The Millions, acting as if they were part of the rebels, roared the same slogans to fuel the chaos.
"Defend the gates! Don't let them breach the palace!"
The King's Army, forced to defend themselves, abandoned the white flags and rearmed themselves in desperation.
"Stop! You're all being deceived!"
"The real enemy is Crocodile!"
Vivi screamed, but her voice was lost in the storm of violence.
Suddenly, a chilling voice echoed behind her:
"Do you feel helpless now? Even after doing everything you could to stop this?"
Crocodile's voice.
"Crocodile…!"
Vivi spun around, only to be seized by the throat. Crocodile's sand-coated hand lifted her effortlessly into the air.
He raised his hooked arm, gesturing to the chaos below with a sinister grin.
"Look at them. Ants, killing each other joyfully."
"They're not ants! They've just been tricked!" Vivi gasped, struggling for breath.
Crocodile sneered, cigar clenched between his teeth. "You're wrong, Princess. The weak have no right to save anyone. That's the truth."
"No!" Vivi's voice cracked, her eyes brimming with tears. "Even if I'm weak… I won't abandon this kingdom! The people love this land—so do I!"
"Love?" Crocodile scoffed. "That won't save anyone. In less than fifteen minutes, the bomb will explode. Everyone will die. That's your 'love.'"
Tears spilled down Vivi's face and dripped onto Crocodile's sand-covered hand.
Crocodile laughed darkly. "This entire kingdom was just a toy in my hands from the beginning."
"And you… all your spying and effort inside Baroque Works? It meant nothing."
He extended her out over the palace walls, sneering. "You were never enough to stop any of this."
Crocodile's arm shifted into pure sand, and his grip vanished.
"Die, weak princess."
Vivi plummeted from the palace wall.
Sorry, everyone… I couldn't save this country after all.
She closed her eyes.
Then—Swoosh!
A strong wind surged.
Arms caught her midair, halting her fall.
A warm, familiar voice called out:
"Princess, don't be afraid. This isn't the end!"
Vivi opened her eyes, trembling.
"Shirogai…"
She sobbed into his chest as he carried her upward, wings of black energy spread wide behind him.
"I failed… everyone… I couldn't stop the war. No one could hear me…"
Shirogai Yamikuro smiled. "But they did hear you—your companions heard you."
He pointed toward the sky as a shadow descended rapidly.
A figure dropped from a giant bird—Karoo—and landed with a grin.
"Crocodile! Round two!"
"Straw Hat Luffy…"
Crocodile's eyes narrowed as he muttered in disgust. "So this brat again… Shirogai, are you mocking me?"
In the air, Shirogai's six dark wings beat calmly as he hovered beside the palace, holding Vivi.
"The stage is yours, Luffy. Time for your final act."
---
I still need y'all's feedback on the two new fanfics I started.
The first one's a Naruto story (point system type, set in the same generation as Minato and Nawaki—pretty dope).
The second one's a One Piece story (MC basically dominates with Conqueror's Haki).
They're both free to read—the only catch is you join as a free member.
Patreon.com/Zphyr_