"Ugh!" Harn spat blood, eyes rolling back.
"Geh—!" Griv coughed weakly, still barely conscious, only for another punch to slam into his gut, folding him in half before his body spun away.
They tried everything—Tekkai, Soru, even attempted counter blows—but it was useless.
There was no room. No rhythm to anticipate. The barrage of strikes came like hail in a hurricane: chaotic, brutal, unrelenting. Their stances broke, their breaths left them, and finally—their consciousness faded.
But Zino didn't stop.
His fists trembled, his body was slick with blood, but he raised his arms. "Rise."
FWOOSH!
A gust of controlled wind wrapped around their limp bodies. With a violent whirl, the two were lifted, spinning rapidly into the sky. Zino crouched and launched himself upward with Geppo, catching up with them midair.
The height was dizzying. The air was thin.
Zino looked down. His eyes were hollow, weary—but filled with resolve.
"Let's finish this…"
He flipped midair, extended both arms, and forced wind to push downward. The two unconscious bodies began to fall, faster than gravity would allow—sped up by Zino's air manipulation.
Then, with his remaining energy, Zino dropped after them like a missile.
"Super Storm Clap!"
BOOOOM!!!
The three bodies slammed into the earth with explosive force. A massive shockwave erupted outward, creating a perfectly spherical crater at the point of impact. Sand and debris blasted into the sky like a geyser. Dust clouds swallowed everything for hundreds of meters.
People from all across Rainbase felt it—soldiers stumbled, civilians screamed, windows shattered. A quake, like something collosal had just landed.
For a moment, there was only silence.
As the dust slowly cleared, three silhouettes appeared in the middle of the crater.
Two of them were unmoving—Griv and Harn, their bodies battered, limbs twisted, blood pooling beneath them.
The third was Zino.
He stood in the center, breathing hard. His arms hung limp, his shoulders sagging. Cuts opened across his chest and arms where the earlier wounds had reopened. His body trembled, barely keeping itself upright.
"Finally…" he gasped, voice dry and hoarse. "I won…"
His knees gave slightly, but he caught himself. Still standing.
But the victory came with a cost.
He had been using the Air Element nonstop—the moment he activated it, it had overridden the Medicine Element that was holding his body together. The poison hadn't spread, but the healing stopped. And now, his body was catching up to the damage.
Blood trickled down his side. His head spun. The pain returned like fire.
"Damn… I need to switch back… to medicine…" he muttered.
He tried to will the change. But before the elemental shift could occur, before the restoration could begin, his consciousness slipped.
His vision blurred.
His body tipped.
And finally, Zino collapsed, face-first into the blood-soaked sand at the center of his own storm.
The wind slowed.
The battlefield fell quiet, heavy with dust and silence.
Some times later, two figures appeared at the edge of the massive crater. Faces drawn with worry. Chloris and Moris stood still, surveying the scene below.
"There he is…" Chloris whispered, eyes locking onto Zino's motionless form.
"He's not moving," said Moris, fists clenched. His voice was tense. "We might be too late."
"I'm going down," Chloris said.
But just before she could move—
A sudden gust of wind roared past them.
Before either could react, a blur of movement descended into the crater. A woman knelt on one foot beside Zino, and with voice trembling.
"Zino…?" she called,
It was Alvida.
Her hand pressed against his chest. Her expression turned hollow.
"No… He's not breathing…" Her voice cracked. "No, no, no… I was too late…"
She stared blankly at him, fighting back tears. For all her confidence and bravado, this was the moment that broke her.
"We can help!" Chloris called from above.
Alvida's head jerked up. She finally noticed the two Dryads.
"You…?"
"We're here to help," Chloris said as she and Moris descended carefully into the crater.
Alvida looked from one to the other, her hope flickering. "You know how to…?"
Chloris and Moris nodded.
The both of them then placed their hands on Zino's chest. The moment their palms touched, a soft green glow began to pulse around them—subtle, but alive with power.
"Jusei Kigen: Iyate no Inori!"
The light grew, spiraling outward like threads of glowing vines. The energy seeped into Zino's broken body, crawling through the cracks, wrapping around his heart, urging it to beat again.
Alvida stared in silent prayer, clutching her arms.
Come on… come back...
Seconds passed like hours.
Then—
A twitch.
Zino's heart beat once. Then twice, and trice, so on.
His chest shuddered—and rose with a faint gasp.
"…ghh…"
"He's breathing!" Alvida gasped.
Chloris smiled in relief. "We reached him."
Moris let out a shaky breath. "He's alive—but barely. He need to recover."
"There's the poison too." Chloris added. "We still need time to remove it."
The two, kept the focus, Moris continues to heal, while Chloris try to extract the poison.
Alvida dropped to her knees beside Zino, brushing strands of hair from his face. "You reckless fool… You said you will run away. Now, why are you dying here…"
Alvida complained, while the two continued to heal him. Sun was set, night came, darkening the sky above the crater.
...
Night fell over the desert, casting long shadows across the sands as Sanji's group finally arrived at the edge of the Sandora River.* The sound of rushing water echoed through the stillness of the night. The wide river shimmered under the moonlight, its surface disturbed by gentle waves.
"Alright... we made it this far," Sanji muttered, hands on his hips. "Now how the hell do we cross this thing?"
Nami looked around. "There's no bridge in sight. And the nearest crossing is probably hours away."
"Do we swim?" Ussop asked uncertainly.
"Too risky," Nami replied, squinting at the current. She pointed. "Look."
From the distance, they could see some crocodile were swimming on the sea-like river.
"Crocodile...with banana? What thing is that?" Ussop watched the banana gator with curiosity.
"The Sandora River isn't just wide. It's deep too. And those things are certainly not just for decoration." Mikita said.
Sanji lit a cigarette, thinking. "I can try carrying you girls across using Geppo. One at a time."
The girls exchanged glances, sensing Sanji's excitement before he even said another word. He turned and smiled with a sparkle in his eyes. "Ladies, I'll get you there—safely and with style."
"No need for that," Nojiko suddenly said, waving her hand. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a chalk-like substance. "Let me try something."
The group watched in curiosity as Nojiko knelt and began drawing a crest into the sand, careful and precise. The air grew still as she worked, the lines glowing faintly under the moonlight. After a minute, she stood back and clapped her hands.
"Kamon: Albatross!"
Light engulfed her, and in a burst of feathers, her form changed. Nojiko now stood before them as a giant albatross, her wings wide, feathers white and gray, and her eyes still intelligent and warm.
"I can maintain this form for about fifteen minutes," she said, her voice echoing slightly through the transformation. "Everyone, climb on. We'll fly across."
"W-Whoa…" Ussop's jaw dropped.
"That's amazing," Kaya whispered, eyes wide.
Sanji hesitated for a moment, completely dazzled. "An angel… No—A goddess of the skies…"
He scrambled onto her back last, eyes full of hearts.
"Hold tight," Nojiko warned.
With a powerful flap of her wings—*FWOOOSH!*—they lifted into the air, sand blowing around them as they ascended. The group gasped in awe as the river rapidly fell away beneath them, the desert stretching endlessly in every direction.
"We've passed the river," Nami called from behind Sanji.
"I know," Nojiko replied. "But we still have time. I'll fly as far as I can."
The wind howled around them as Nojiko soared through the desert night, the capital of Alubarna now visible in the far distance—just a glimmer on the horizon.
However, minutes passed quickly. The toll of the transformation began to show.*
Nojiko's wings faltered slightly.
"Time's almost up," she said through ragged breaths.
With a sharp descent, she swooped down, slowing her glide as she found a flat patch of desert. The group held on tightly as she landed, her wings folding in and body shrinking back to human form.
Her knees buckled the moment she reverted. Sweat poured down her face, and she collapsed onto the sand.
"Nojiko!" Nami shouted, rushing over.
Sanji was already at her side, cradling her gently. "She's burning up… Her body's exhausted."
"I… just need… a minute…" Nojiko murmured before losing consciousness.
"Damn it," Sanji gritted his teeth. "Transforming into something that massive… she pushed herself."
Kaya knelt beside Nojiko, gently wiping the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. "She needs to rest. But we also have to find shelter—soon. The desert gets colder at night."
But Nami's voice came firm and unwavering. "No… We move now. We can't waste her effort."
Everyone exchanged glances. There was hesitation, yes—but also resolve. Nojiko had pushed herself beyond her limit to get them closer to the capital. The least they could do was honor that effort by finishing the journey.
Sanji gently lifted Nojiko onto his back. "I'll carry her. Let's keep going."
With renewed determination, the group continued toward Alubarna. The capital loomed ahead, golden towers glowing faintly beneath the starry sky. The great outer wall, tall and imposing, soon stood before them.
Just as they approached the city gate, a squad of guards raised their spears, blocking the path.
"Halt!" one of them shouted, stepping forward. "Identify yourselves!"
Sanji adjusted Nojiko on his back and stepped up. "We're friends of Princess Vivi."
"That's right!" Usopp added quickly. "Her royal pet, Karoo, knows us!"
The guards looked skeptical. A few exchanged uncertain glances.
"Wait here," one of them finally said before dashing off toward the inner city.
A few tense minutes passed.
From beyond the sandstone gates of Alubarna, a familiar waddling shape emerged—round, yellow, and full of energy. It was Karoo, the loyal super-speed duck, sprinting at full tilt with his wings flapping wildly.
"Quaaaack!!" he cried, his eyes lighting up the moment he spotted the group.
"Karoo!" Nami gasped with a smile.
The rest of the group—Usopp, Kaya, and Sanji—also recognized him immediately. The oversized duck barreled forward with all the speed of a charging beast, leapt into the group, and flopped dramatically at their feet, panting heavily but clearly ecstatic.
"Karoo, you made it!" Kaya said, gently stroking his feathers.
"Yo, you look like you've been running laps around the kingdom," Usopp said with a chuckle, wiping sweat from his own brow.
"Quack! Quack!" Karoo flapped his wings in frantic, purposeful motions, shifting from one foot to the other, pointing with his beak, even using his feathers to draw strange shapes in the sand.
"What's he doing?" Usopp blinked.
"I think he's... explaining something?" Kaya leaned in.
"I still don't speak duck," Sanji deadpanned, though he watched intently.
Just then, the air grew heavier. Two figures approached from the palace—Pell and Chaka, clad in their traditional royal guard attire. Their arrival brought a sudden stillness, even among the guards.
Pell's sharp eyes fell on the scene. "Karoo. Calm down." His voice was firm, but not unkind. Almost immediately, the duck stilled, standing tall and proud before the falcon Zoan warrior.
Karoo gave one last, meaningful quack, which Pell seemed to understand perfectly. "So… your friends have arrived. And Vivi is not with them."
Chaka spoke up, eyes narrowing. "State your names. Where is the princess?"
Sanji stepped ahead of the group, standing tall. "We're part of the Orca group. Friends and allies of Princess Vivi. As for why she is not here, She's currently en route to Nanohana to stop the rebel leader, Koza before he starts the war."
Chaka's frown deepened. "She went alone?!"
"No," Nami answered. "She went with a few of our crews. Zoro, Gin, and others. You know how determined she is. We couldn't stop her."
"Still," Pell murmured, glancing southward. "Heading into the heart of rebellion… even with protection, it's risky."
"I understand your worry," Sanji spoke calmly, "but she's not reckless. She's trying to prevent bloodshed."
Pell nodded slowly, then turned to the guards. "Stand down. These are honored guests."
The soldiers saluted and moved aside, allowing the group to enter.
Karoo gave a proud quack, puffing up as if to say, "Told you they were legit."
Sanji gave him a pat. "Nice work, delivery duck."
As they walked through the gates of the capital, the group couldn't help but glance around. The city was tense—markets quieter than usual, soldiers doubling their patrols, citizens whispering of war.
Time was running out.
And Vivi, far away in the desert, was racing to stop a revolution.