Vivi rode "Run Fast" to Alubarna, only to witness a scene like this:
The bloody sand and red sun of Alubarna hung over the desert, scorching the plaza of the capital, Alubarna. When the first cannon shot ripped through the silence, the armor of 600,000 Royal Army soldiers and the scimitars of 400,000 rebel soldiers gleamed coldly under the scorching sun. Crocodile's conspiracy finally ignited the war in the sandstorm.
The rebels' roars made the city bricks tremble. Koza, wielding a long sword, charged at the forefront. The hands that once dug wells with Vivi in Yuba now gripped the blade of revenge. The "evidence of the king's crimes" forged by Baroque Works had long since turned the resentment of three years of drought into a raging inferno. They charged across the cracked earth, their eyes burning with determination beneath rough cloth headscarves. Weapons fashioned from farming tools clashed with standard longswords, emitting a piercing metallic shriek.
The Royal Army's formation was like a moving iron wall. Chaka's guard unit, shields raised, formed a defensive line. Spears thrust out from between the shields, yet hesitated when facing their former compatriots.
A sandstorm swept in without warning—Crocodile's doing. The yellow sand instantly swallowed visibility, turning the battlefield into a chaotic slaughterhouse. Gunshots echoed intermittently through the sand curtain. Baroque Works agents, mixed among both armies, fired cold shots, and fallen soldiers couldn't tell if they were hit by friendly fire or killed by the enemy. A flag embroidered with the kingdom's emblem was barely planted on a broken wall before it was set ablaze by rebel torches. Charred scraps of cloth fluttered into the sky with the wind, only to be slapped down by the sand into blood-stained shell craters.
The fountain in the center of the plaza had long since dried up, but now it became a contested high ground. Royal Army crossbow bolts rained down, while the rebels, enduring the arrows, threw fire bottles. The wooden fountain walls crackled in the flames.
When a young rebel soldier fell, half a piece of hard, dry bread dropped from his arms. It was three days' rations he had saved, now covered in sand and blood. Not far away, an old Royal Army soldier was helping his injured compatriot. The short knife in the other man's chest was actually a modified farming tool he had once given to a boy from a neighboring village.
"I must go to the palace, Karoo, can you still come with me?" Vivi's gaze was fixed firmly on the palace.
"Quack… quack…" Karoo dragged its heavy body, yet still charged forward with determination.
However, a stray bullet made Karoo's persistence futile. Its legs gradually buckled, and its body lay on the ground, as if carrying something incredibly precious on its back.
"Quack… quack!" Karoo cried out wildly, as if warning Vivi to escape.
"Didn't I tell you? It's… useless! Ahahaha, you stinky duck, who told you to interfere with my good deeds!! I'll deal with you properly!" Mr. 2 mocked.
"Quack… quack!" There was no plea for mercy in Karoo's voice.
Just then, two Karoo ducks crashed into a wildly laughing Mr. 2, sending him flying nearly ten meters!
"There's still a chance to stop the rebellion, Vivi!" A blond man with glasses appeared.
"Sanji!"
"You can stand down. I'll handle that transvestite!" Sanji said with a confident and calm expression.
…At this moment, a fierce battle was taking place at the Southeast Gate of Alubarna. Ms. Merry Christmas, a mole-human who had eaten the Mole-Mole Fruit, could dig tunnels underground; Mr. 4 was a baseball player; and by his side was a dog, or more accurately, a dachshund gun that had eaten the Dog-Dog Fruit.
The dachshund used its snot to create baseball bombs, which Mr. 4 then struck with his extremely heavy bat, putting Usopp and Chopper in perilous situations and leaving them covered in wounds! From time to time, they also had to contend with Ms. Merry Christmas's sneak attacks, which were impossible to guard against!
At this point, Usopp was almost fatally wounded by a baseball bomb, and Chopper was frantically fleeing with him.
"Oh, so you're a Zoan type? I knew you weren't an ordinary human!" Ms. Merry Christmas seemed slightly surprised.
With a snot from the dachshund, a baseball shot from its mouth, and Mr. 4 swung his bat powerfully towards Usopp.
"Just hit it away!" Chopper used a Rumble Ball to enlarge himself. He came before the baseball, ready to throw a punch, but Ms. Merry Christmas, using her Earth Release, grabbed Chopper's foot, immobilizing him. He could only watch as the baseball grew larger in his eyes!
Just as the baseball was about to hit Chopper, he had a flash of inspiration and instantly shrunk his body, dodging the attack. But Ms. Merry Christmas, as a mole-human, had terrifying mobility!
As Chopper was caught in a dilemma, Usopp, wielding an iron hammer, slammed it hard into Mr. 4, knocking him to the ground. The "5t" visible on the hammer was easy to see.
"How is that possible? A 5-ton hammer, where did this kid get such strength?" Ms. Merry Christmas wondered, shocked and afraid!
"People respectfully call me the King of Destruction, who has destroyed countless warships! Captain Usopp!" Usopp said calmly, swinging the 5t hammer.
"Now, it's your turn. Take my 5-ton heavy hammer!" Usopp easily swung the hammer in his hand and charged towards Ms. Merry Christmas!
"Waaah, waah, waah!" Ms. Merry Christmas quickly burrowed into a hole, leading to a delightful game of whack-a-mole!
"Ouch," Mr. 4 touched his head at this moment. Anyone with eyes could see he was unharmed.
"There's not even a bump on Mr. 4's head. Something's fishy!" Ms. Merry Christmas said, puzzled.
"Achoo!" Just then, the dachshund sneezed, and a flash of fire exploded, turning the hammer in Usopp's hand into ashes. It turned out that the hammer was just two frying pans put together, weighing no more than two kilograms!
"Kid, how dare you trick me! I won't forgive you!" Ms. Merry Christmas was furious. "Earth Dragon Escape Technique
"Usopp!" Chopper cried out anxiously.
"Four Hundred Pound Ultra Strike!" Mr. 4 spun his bat at lightning speed, and baseballs flew one after another towards Chopper.
'No, I can't block an attack like this. I have to go all out.' Chopper was very calm. "Rumble Ball – Brain Point!" Chopper instantly reverted to his small reindeer form, using his powerful brain to dodge the baseball attacks and desperately search for the enemy's weakness!
Meanwhile, Usopp was leading Ms. Merry Christmas towards a wall, trying to make her smash her head. With a bang, the wall collapsed!
"Wahahaha, you stinky penguin old hag, you're finally dead!" Usopp said triumphantly.
"I told you, I'm a mole!" Ms. Merry Christmas grabbed Usopp's legs and charged towards a wall. "Mole Mound… Highway!" "Mole Crushing!"
At this moment, Chopper also discovered their weakness. He went in front of the dachshund, kicked up a cloud of dust, "Achoo!" As the dachshund sneezed, he pressed its dog head into a hole and shouted to Usopp: "Get away from the mole!" After that, fire erupted everywhere!
It turned out that the holes Ms. Merry Christmas dug were connected, so there was no need to catch them. Everything seemed to be over…