The cobblestones were cold and unforgiving against Vivi's knees. A choked sob tore from her throat as she cradled Carue's head. The loyal duck's labored breaths painted the air with puffs of dust.
"Carue! Please, talk to me!"
"Kwee… Princess… run…" Carue rasped, a wing feebly pushing at her. "You must… go…"
The elegant, lethal figure of Mr. 2 Bon Kurei sauntered closer, his smile a slash of malice. "How touching! But the curtain call is here, my dears!"
Before he could strike, a furious chorus of "QUACK!" erupted. The Super Spot-Billed Duck Squad descended like feathered cannonballs, their synchronized headbutts slamming into Bon Kurei's side with a solid THWACK, sending him stumbling.
"Our hero ducks!" Vivi gasped.
A familiar plume of cigarette smoke drifted into the chaos. "Your taxi's here, little ducks. The fare's paid." Sanji landed lightly between Vivi and their foe, his expression unreadable behind his goggles. "Get her out of here."
"Sanji!" Vivi cried, hope flaring. But she looked down at Carue, her resolve hardening. "No! Take Carue! Get him to safety!"
Sanji didn't turn, but gave a sharp, single nod. "Go. Now."
Tears blurring her vision, Vivi pressed her forehead to Carue's for a heartbeat, then forced herself to her feet and fled, the sound of her footsteps echoing her breaking heart.
Bon Kurei straightened, his painted face contorted with rage. "You ruined a beautiful tragedy!" he shrieked, launching himself at Sanji. "DIE!"
CLANG!
Sanji's leg met Bon Kurei's in a shockwave of force. "Before that," Sanji growled, pressure building in his kick, "give back the sniper's goggles you stole. They don't suit your ugly mug."
Bon Kurei disengaged, flipping back with a dancer's grace, but his eyes narrowed. "Such strength… You're not like the other riffraff. Are you the one they whisper about? The mysterious 'Mr. Prince'?"
With a deliberate motion, Sanji reached up and removed his goggles, letting them fall to the ground. The intensity in his blue eyes was unveiled, sharp as a chef's knife. "Wrong. I'm no prince." He took a long drag from his cigarette, the ember glowing fiercely. "I'm the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates. A first-rate chef of the sea. My name is Sanji."
Bon Kurei threw his head back and laughed. "A cook? How delightful! I am Bon Kurei, a first-rate okama of the sea! Cooks shouldn't play in the dark with organizations like Baroque Works, darling. You'll get burned."
Sanji exhaled a stream of smoke, settling into his fighting stance. "I'm a cook and a pirate. And that," he said, his voice dropping into a deadly calm, "goes for you, too. So take your little troupe and get the hell out of this country."
Bon Kurei's laughter died. A terrifying serenity settled over him. "A pirate cook with principles… How interesting. Then let's see if your flavor can withstand my recipe for destruction!"
---
Southeast Gate – Alubarna
The world was a ringing silence and the acrid smell of burnt gunpowder.
"Chopper! CHOPPER!" Usopp coughed, clawing through the debris. His hands found fur matted with blood and grit. "Talk to me, buddy!"
The reindeer doctor groaned, blinking dazedly. "Usopp… I'm okay. But we're not safe. They're still here."
"Who's 'they'? Where?" Usopp spun, his slingshot trembling in his hands. The courtyard was empty.
As if in answer, a massive stone pillar ten feet away shattered from the ground up, collapsing as if bitten by a giant, invisible worm.
"What the—?!"
"They're underground!" Chopper whispered urgently, struggling to stand. "Miss Merry Christmas… she ate the Mogu Mogu no Mi. She can dig through anything like it's air. And her partner, Mr. 4… he's a 'fourth batter.' He has a dog…"
Usopp's brain stuttered. "A fourth batter? A dog? What does that even—?"
WOOF!
A deep, resonant bark echoed from beneath their feet. A small, white, spherical object was ejected from a hole in the ground, arcing high into the air.
Usopp stared. "A… baseball?"
From another hole, a hulking, slow-moving man with a vacant expression rose, wielding a massive, ornate baseball bat. Mr. 4. He swung with terrifying, casual strength.
THWOCK!
The bat connected. The ball shot toward them, not with speed, but with a sinister, ticking sound.
Tick… tick… tick…
"USOPP, MOVE!" Chopper screamed.
Paralyzed, Usopp could only watch as the ball sailed lazily, deceptively, directly toward his face. The ticking grew louder, a clockwork countdown to oblivion. It hovered an inch from the tip of his long nose.
TICK.
The world dissolved into fire and thunder.
---
When the smoke cleared, Usopp was on his back, his ears screaming, his body a map of new pains. He turned his head, choking on dust. "Ch-Chopper…?"
"I'm here…" Chopper mumbled, nearby.
Through the swirling haze, a shape emerged. A small, dachshund-like dog trotted into view. It sat before them, yawned, and its mouth opened far too wide. From its throat, the gleaming barrel of a cannon slid out with a metallic shink.
Usopp's blood ran cold. The dog was the weapon.
From behind the dog, the massive, silent form of Mr. 4 stepped forward, hefting his bat again. Beside him, the ground bubbled and Miss Merry Christmas popped up like a deranged prairie dog, her grin wide and cruel.
"Strike one, little bugs!" she cackled. "Lassoo here loads the explosive balls, my darling Mr. 4 hits 'em! A perfect team!"
Lassoo's cannon-barrel mouth glinted, now aimed directly at Usopp's chest. A low, mechanical click-clack sounded from within as it loaded another round.
Mr. 4 raised his bat, his eyes empty of everything but impending violence.
Usopp, weaponless, terrified, with a wounded friend at his side, could only stare down the dark, unblinking eye of the cannon. The tick-tick-tick began again, not from a ball, but from the dog itself—a timer on their lives.
Miss Merry Christmas giggled. "Let's see if you idiots can dodge… at point-blank range."
The last thing Usopp saw was the spark of ignition deep in Lassoo's throat.
(⭐ If you love the journey, please support us by collecting this story, adding it to your library, and leaving a rating! Your support keeps the adventure alive!)