Sanji's cigarette fell from his lips, ash scattering in the dry Alabastan wind.
Two seconds.
That was all it had taken. Mr. 2 Bon Kurei—that flamboyant, dangerous man—had appeared like a phantom and vanished just as quickly, leaving behind only unconscious guards and a chilling realization.
"Vivi," Sanji whispered, his blood running cold. He crushed the cigarette beneath his heel. "She's alone."
---
Outside Alubarna's walls, the desert heat shimmered like a fever dream.
"Come now, Vivi-chan!" the figure wearing Usopp's face called, his voice just a shade too bright. "We must hurry! Leave that silly bird behind!"
Vivi froze, one hand on Carue's feathered back. "Silly… bird?"
"Yes, yes!" Fake Usopp waved impatiently. "No time for pets now!"
Carue let out a low, distressed quack. Vivi's fingers tightened in his feathers.
Something's wrong.
The real Usopp—the one who'd shared whispered secrets with Carue during night watches, who'd named him with genuine affection—would never call him "that silly bird." The real Usopp knew Carue had carried her through sandstorms, had fought beside them, had become family.
"Prove it," Vivi said, her voice steady despite the hammering of her heart. "Show me your left arm."
Fake Usopp blinked, then smiled—a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Of course! Our mark of fellowship!"
He pushed up his sleeve, revealing the familiar X-marked cloth tied around his forearm.
Vivi's breath caught.
Got you.
"Carue!" she screamed. "RUN!"
The loyal duck didn't hesitate. He snatched Vivi up with his beak, tossing her onto his back, and took off across the sand like a bullet. The wind tore at Vivi's hair as she clung to his neck, looking back just in time to see Usopp's form melt away like wax.
In its place stood Mr. 2 Bon Kurei, hands on his hips, his painted face a mask of theatrical confusion.
"How did you know, darling?" he called after them, his voice carrying unnaturally across the distance. "I was certain I had it perfect! The cloth and everything!"
Vivi didn't answer. She leaned low against Carue's back, whispering desperate encouragement as the duck poured every ounce of his strength into his sprint.
Bon Kurei watched them flee, then struck a pose. "Ah well! No matter! An okama never gives up the chase!"
He exploded into motion, kicking up a plume of sand as he pursued.
---
Flashback: Hours Earlier, On the Merry Go
"We need a way to tell each other apart," Zoro grunted, leaning against the railing. "That shape-shifter could be any of us."
Nami frowned. "But how? He can copy appearances perfectly."
"Not everything," Zoro said, tapping his left forearm. "We mark ourselves here. Something simple. An X beneath bandages."
Sanji's eyes narrowed. He took a slow drag from his cigarette, the smoke curling between them. "That's… surprisingly not stupid for you, moss-head. Suspiciously not stupid."
Zoro's head snapped toward him. "What are you implying, cook?"
"I'm implying," Sanji said, blowing smoke in his direction, "that the real Zoro would have suggested something dumber. Like challenging everyone to a fight to prove their identity."
"I'LL CUT YOU TO PIECES!"
The roar was so authentically, perfectly Zoro that everyone relaxed.
"Yep," Usopp sighed. "That's him."
Luffy laughed, already scribbling an X on his arm. "Okay! X marks the spot!"
---
Present
Carue's breaths came in ragged, wheezing gasps. Blood matted his feathers where a stray bullet had grazed him, but he didn't slow. Couldn't slow.
Behind them, Bon Kurei closed the distance with terrifying speed, his laughter a merry, deadly chime.
"Faster, Carue!" Vivi begged, tears streaking through the dust on her face. "Just a little farther!"
Ahead loomed a sheer cliff face—a dead end.
"No!" Vivi cried.
But Carue didn't stop. With a final, desperate burst of energy, he hit the cliff at a full sprint and did the impossible: he ran straight up the vertical rock face, his webbed feet finding purchase where none should exist.
Vivi clung to him, her world tilting sideways as they defied gravity. Below, Bon Kurei skidded to a halt at the base of the cliff, staring up in genuine astonishment.
"My, my!" he called up. "What a talented bird!"
They reached the top. Carue stumbled, his strength finally spent. One foot slipped over the edge, sending stones cascading down the cliff.
Bon Kurei smiled, waiting for the fall.
But Carue spread his wings—wings Vivi had never seen him fully extend—and with a mighty flap, launched them both over the edge and onto solid ground.
For a moment, there was only the sound of Carue's panting and Vivi's pounding heart.
"You… you flew," Vivi whispered, stroking his neck. "You amazing, brave friend."
She looked down the cliff. Bon Kurei stood far below, growing smaller by the second. A sob of relief escaped her. "He can't follow us now. We made it, Carue. We—"
The cliff face exploded.
Not with gunpowder or impact, but with motion. Bon Kurei shot upward, his legs a blur as he ran straight up the vertical surface, his expression one of manic determination.
"DARLINGS!" he sang out, his voice growing louder with every step. "DID YOU FORGET? THERE IS NOTHING AN OKAMA CANNOT DO!"
Vivi's blood turned to ice.
"Carue," she whispered. "Can you… can you make it through that?"
Before them stretched the main battlefield—a chaos of clashing rebels and royal guards, gunfire and screams, a swirling storm of violence where the fate of Alabasta was being decided.
Carue met her eyes, his own filled with pain and exhaustion… and unwavering resolve.
He quacked once, softly.
Then he ran straight into hell.
Vivi buried her face in his feathers as they plunged into the maelstrom. Bullets whizzed past. Men shouted. Sand and smoke choked the air. Carue weaved and dodged, his movements growing slower, more labored.
Just a little farther, Vivi prayed to any god who might be listening. Just let us reach the palace. Just let me stop this war.
A shadow fell over them.
"Found you~!"
Bon Kurei landed lightly in front of them, blocking their path. Around them, the battle raged, but in that small circle, there was only the three of them.
"Such a valiant effort," Bon Kurei said, almost sadly. "But all dances must end."
He raised his hand, fingers poised in a familiar, deadly stance.
Vivi slid from Carue's back, placing herself between her friend and the assassin. "Please," she said, her voice breaking. "Let him go. It's me you want."
"Vivi, no!" Carue tried to stand, but his legs buckled.
Bon Kurei's expression softened for a moment. "Oh, my dear princess. So noble. But I'm afraid—"
A gunshot rang out.
Not from the battlefield.
From above.
Bon Kurei staggered back, a bloom of red appearing on his shoulder. He looked up, shock replacing his theatrical calm.
Perched on a crumbling wall, a figure lowered a smoking rifle. The sun behind him cast his face in shadow, but the long nose was unmistakable.
"Sorry I'm late," Usopp said, his voice trembling but clear. "But you shouldn't pick on my friends."
Vivi's heart soared. "Usopp!"
But Bon Kurei only smiled, touching his wounded shoulder. "Another Straw Hat! How delightful!"
He began to change—his form shifting, melting, reforming—
Into Usopp.
An exact duplicate, down to the bandaged arm and the determined glint in his eyes.
The real Usopp paled, his rifle wavering.
"Now then," both Usopps said in perfect unison, their voices overlapping in eerie harmony. "Which one of us is the liar?"
And as Vivi stared between the two identical faces, the battlefield fading around her, she realized with dawning horror that she had no idea which was which.
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