"K-Karoo, thank you for protecting me," Vivi knelt beside the collapsed duck, trembling. Her gaze drifted to the royal city in the distance, where cannon fire echoed and the sky was thick with smoke.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, everyone. I failed…"
Tears streamed down her dirt-streaked cheeks, her voice shaking with emotion.
"We tried so hard, but in the end, we still let the civil war break out."
She wiped her tears with scratched, trembling hands and clapped them together, forcing herself to feel the sharp sting—an attempt to suppress the overwhelming sense of despair.
As the pain grounded her, Vivi clenched her fists, trembling as she muttered under her breath:
"I can't cry! It's not over yet!
I learned from everyone—not to give up!
No matter how bad things get, there's always hope to turn it around!"
She gently stroked Karoo's blood-matted feathers, her voice firming with conviction.
"Karoo, we're going to stop this! I promise!
We can end this madness before it's too late!"
Watching from beneath a rock outcrop, Shirogai Yamikuro observed the scene with a faint smile.
"Vivi's thinking is a little too idealistic," he murmured, "but her unwavering perseverance and quick judgment surpass any princess."
Thump… thump… thump!
A tall horse galloped toward them from the direction of Alubarna.
"Vivi! There you are! I finally found you!"
The horse came to a stop several meters away.
Atop it sat none other than Usopp, the Straw Hat Pirates' eccentric but reliable sniper.
"Usopp!" Vivi's face lit up with hope.
"Vivi!" he called back, his expression grim as he glanced at the chaotic battlefield in the royal city.
"I just came from the city—it's already turned into an all-out war! Hurry, get on the horse!
There's still a chance to stop this civil war from escalating further!"
"Karoo, hang in there!"
Vivi nodded, then turned to lift Karoo onto the horse.
There was no way she'd leave her companion behind—not now.
Karoo was badly wounded, and the harsh desert sun could kill him if left alone.
"Hurry up!" Usopp shouted anxiously. "That duck's done for! Leave it!
If we don't act now, the war will get worse!"
"That duck…"
Vivi froze, her back still turned to him. Her pupils contracted, her heart pounding like a war drum.
Bang! Bang!
Beads of sweat trickled down her pale, dusty face as a troubling realization took shape in her mind.
"Usopp would never call Karoo 'that duck'… He always called him by name.
He even appointed Karoo as his personal lookout. To Usopp, Karoo is a comrade… not just some bird."
She took a slow, deep breath and turned, her voice hoarse:
"Usopp… prove to me that you're really you."
"At a time like this? Really?" 'Usopp' let out an exaggerated sigh and rolled up his sleeve to reveal a bandage on his left arm.
"This! Look! It's the proof!"
Vivi's eyes widened, horror blooming across her face.
That's the wrong proof!
He's not Usopp!
The figure atop the horse watched her carefully. When he saw her reaction, he gave a long, exaggerated sigh.
"…So I messed up the details, huh? I thought I had the disguise nailed."
His voice shifted subtly. A moment later, his face rippled like melting wax.
Gone was Usopp.
In his place, the unmistakable queer face of Mr. 2 Bon Clay grinned from atop the horse.
---
Meanwhile, back in the chaotic streets of Alubarna…
"Sanji, you're here! Haha, we're totally fine!" Usopp and Eyelashes the camel were crammed inside a gleaming metallic sphere, faces bruised and battered, but grinning with forced confidence.
The injuries on their faces, however, told a very different story.
Sanji, disguised in black-rimmed glasses and holding a cigarette, stared at them with a frown.
"You should be rushing, not lounging around!
Your two speedy ducks came to me for help. I told Chopper to stall the enemies so I could come save you.
Why are you two hiding in there?"
Usopp tried to explain, but then stiffened, staring at Sanji:
"Wait! Sanji! Prove to me that you're really you!
My last opponent was a damn shape-shifter! I can't trust appearances anymore!"
Sanji raised a brow, amused. "Tch, cautious now, are we?"
He pulled off the bandage wrapped around his left hand, revealing an X-shaped scar underneath.
Sanji re-wrapped it and smirked:
"How's that?"
"Double verification successful! You really are Sanji! Disengaging the memory metal shield!"
Usopp sighed in relief and hit a button on the remote control.
The spherical barrier disintegrated into metallic shards, which wriggled like living worms and gathered into a small capsule.
Usopp stuffed it into his pouch with care.
Sanji eyed the process with curiosity.
"That from Shirogai? After swallowing part of an island?"
"Yup!" Usopp puffed out his chest, ignoring his black eye.
"This is [Memory Metal Protective Shield]—my ultimate defense!"
Sanji frowned. "So much material… and this is all he made? Feels like a waste."
"Don't underestimate it!" Usopp declared. "It saved me and Eyelashes from that queer's kick barrage!"
"…Saved you? Then why the hell do your faces look like you got steamrolled?"
Usopp and Eyelashes looked at each other and pointed at the other at the same time:
"He crashed into me!"
"You idiots," Sanji muttered. "Friendly fire, really?"
Usopp groaned, rubbing his swollen face:
"The shield protected us from damage, sure… but it didn't negate external force. Every time we got kicked, the whole thing flew, and we smashed into each other!"
Eyelashes nodded angrily, pointing at the bump on his own head.
Sanji's smile faded suddenly. A flicker of concern crossed his face.
"…Wait. Vivi! She's in danger!"
---
Back in the desert outside Alubarna…
The imposter, still atop the tall horse, smirked darkly.
"I don't get it… I had all the intel. Mr 0 said the left arm was bandaged. So how did you know?"
He reached up, tapping his cheek.
His face once again morphed—returning to Bon Clay's unsettling visage.
"That was supposed to be foolproof…"
---
Send Stones.