"We'll retreat from the capital," Koza said, Agreeing to Zino's request.
Chaka also nodded. "We'll evacuate the citizens temporarily to ensure their safety."
"There is something I need to tell." Pell interjected, his voice tight with urgency. "We still haven't found His Majesty, King Cobra."
"What?" Vivi turned sharply toward Pell, alarm flashing in her eyes. "Father? What do you mean?"
"He's been missing since yesterday morning," Pell admitted, a grim shadow falling over his expression. "It was reported that his Majesty was at Nanohana, but it seems impossible as it would takes a long time to reach Nanohana from this capital, while his Majesty was actually with us just a few hours before that."
Chaka on the side added, "Also, someone returned to the palace wearing his face, but… it was an imposter."
"An imposter?" Vivi whispered, barely able to process the words.
"That's Mr. 2—Bon Clay," Sanji said, his gaze hardened. "A numbered agent from Baroque Works. He can copy others. I already took care of him."
Koza's eyes widened, wheels turning in his mind. "Then, that explains many things." Pieces of the puzzle that confused him began to fall into place. "The chaos, the confusion… it was all orchestrated."
"I need to find my father," Vivi said, her voice trembling. "What if he's in danger?"
Zino then spoke up. "Baroque Works might have him. You should start by interrogating their agents."
Chaka stood, his resolve evident. "I'll question them myself. Every second matters."
"Let me help search the king," Koza offered. Determination burned in his eyes as he added,
With a tense nod of agreement, the group began to move. As they exited the temporary refuge of the ice palace, Zino dissolved the frost with a wave of his hand, leaving no trace of their presence.
Chaka wasted no time. Standing amid the captured Baroque agents, his voice was sharp and commanding. "Where is King Cobra?" he demanded.
But the agents, bound and surrounded by soldiers, scoffed or remained silent, their loyal smirks betraying no useful information.
"Beat them." Chaka commanded.
A few of the other royal soldiers came forward, volunteering to beat the agents.
A few moments later, frustration tightened Chaka's expression. He muttered under his breath, "Tch. They know nothing about a kidnapping."
The captured agents had only been tasked with infiltrating the royal army and stirring unrest. Beyond that, they were completely unaware of any higher-level plans.
With a heavy sigh, Chaka turned to his men, his voice sharp with urgency.
"Split into two units. Half of you—search the capital. Check every street, alley, rooftop, and hidden passage. The rest, stay here and guard the prisoners. Don't drop your guard for even a second."
The soldiers nodded and quickly moved to carry out his orders.
Chaka's eyes narrowed. "One more thing. There's a time bomb hidden somewhere in the capital—planted by Baroque Works agents. We need to find the king immediately."
"What?!" Several soldiers gasped. Panic flickered across their faces. "Shouldn't we evacuate the people?"
"We don't leave without the king," Chaka said firmly. "Not while he's still missing."
Meanwhile, Koza returned to the rebels, urgency etched into every line of his face. Climbing onto a low crate, he raised his voice to command attention.
"Everyone, listen!" he called out. "The man who claimed to be King Cobra in Nanohana... was a fake. An imposter sent by Baroque Works. As for the real king, King Cobra has been missing for some times."
A wave of shock rippled through the crowd. Gasps, murmurs, and cries of disbelief filled the air.
Koza gestured toward the bound agents surrounded nearby. "These men—these infiltrators—were working from the shadows to pit us against each other. We've been tricked into fighting a false war!"
His voice grew firmer, louder. "But now, we have a chance to make it right. If we want to save Alabasta and stop the true enemy, we must work together!"
He paused, then said, "We need to help search for the missing king."
There was a pause—then a rebel stepped forward, clenching his fists. "We'll help find the king."
Another followed. "If Baroque Works is behind this, we'll crush them!"
Koza nodded resolutely. "Good. But listen carefully—there's a time bomb somewhere in the capital. We don't know when it'll go off."
"WHAT?!" The rebels paled, eyes widening with alarm.
Koza didn't let the panic spread. "There's no time. Spread out. Search the outskirts. Help the royal army. Every second counts!"
With that, the search began.
The royal soldiers swept through the city like a tide, combing every street and shadow. The rebels dispersed outward, covering the plains and hills. The Orcas also moved out.
Everyone was now united with one purpose, to find the missing king.
...
Near the Sandora River.
Alvida, Chloris, and Moris had finally managed to cross the wide, sea-like Sandora River. Much of their time had been wasted just trying to find a boat to get across.
Thankfully, Chloris's unique ability to understand and speak with animals came in handy. She communicated with a Kung-Fu Dugong, who not only helped them find a small boat but also escorted them across the river, keeping the Banana Gators at bay.
"Let's go. We need to hurry," Alvida urged.
The other two nodded, and they quickly resumed their journey, heading toward Alubarna to catch up with Zino.
Just then, in the distance, they noticed a lone figure running aimlessly across the desert sands.
Alvida narrowed her eyes, then blinked in surprise. "Zoro?!"
Sure enough, it was Roronoa Zoro—sprinting across the desert while glancing around, clearly trying to get his bearings.
"Hey! Zoro!" Alvida shouted.
Zoro turned at the sound of her voice and looked relieved to see them. "You guys? What are you doing here?"
"We're headed to Alubarna," Alvida answered. "What about you?"
Zoro scratched his head. "Uh… same here. I'm heading to Alubarna too."
The three of them exchanged a look—he was clearly lost.
"Come with us, then," Alvida offered.
Zoro gave a small sigh of relief and nodded. Without wasting more time, the four of them set off together, heading toward Alubarna under the scorching desert sun.
...
Clock Tower, Alubarna
Smoker stood at the base of the massive clock tower, gazing upward toward its towering peak.
"This must be the place," Tashigi said, stepping beside him. Several Marines craned their necks, following her gaze.
"Let's check it out," Smoker ordered.
The group quickly entered the tower and began their search, sweeping from the bottom floor all the way to the highest accessible room. They checked every nook, every compartment—but found nothing.
"There's no bomb here," one Marine reported.
Tashigi frowned. "Did that guy lie to us?"
Smoker narrowed his eyes, thinking. "He doesn't strike me as the type."
Suddenly, a voice called out from below.
"Hey!!"
Smoker moved to the window and looked out. At the tower's base, two Marines were facing a new arrival cautiously—Zino, now approaching with purposeful strides.
"Oi, Smoker! Did you find the bomb?" Zino shouted.
As he asked, he kicked off the ground and soared upward using Geppo, hovering beside Smoker and Tashigi in moments.
"There's nothing here," Smoker said. "You sure your intel was right?"
"It should be," Zino replied, his eyes narrowing. Then a realization struck him. "Wait… there's one place you didn't check."
Smoker raised an eyebrow. "Where?"
"There." Zino pointed straight up—at the giant clock face perched above the tower, hidden from inside access.
Tashigi's eyes widened. "It's inside the clock?"
"If I'm not mistaken," Zino said, eyeing the clock. "That should be where the bomb is."
Zino and Smoker launched upward with *Geppo* and smoke propulsion, reaching a narrow ledge just beneath the massive clock face. With some effort, they pried open a maintenance hatch and climbed inside.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The sound hit them instantly. And there it was—a mechanical monstrosity nestled between the gears of the great clock. Dozens of wires and a timer blinking in red.
03:11:48
03:11:47
"It's active," Zino said, looking at those ticking timer.
"This thing's huge," Smoker muttered. "If it goes off—"
"The whole capital is gone," Zino finished grimly.
Without wasting more time, they moved closer. Just then, two figures dropped from the shadows—agents of Baroque Works.
"Too late, heroes," sneered Mr. 7, holding a strange trigger. Beside him, Miss Father's Day giggled, her rifle casually resting on her shoulder.
"We were told to wait for the signal... but it seems we no longer need to wait," she said.
With a click, Mr. 7 slammed the trigger down.
Beep beep beep!
00:03:00
The bomb's timer suddenly accelerated.
"Tch—idiots!" Smoker growled, already turning into smoke.
Zino moved in a flash. A burst of wind shot forward, slamming Mr. 7 against the wall. Miss Father's Day fired, but it goes through Smoker's smoke body without harming him. Smoker retaliated with a solid fist, knocking her out cold.
Zino rushed to the bomb, arms bracing around its core.
"We don't have time to disarm it!" Smoker already frowning at the fast ticking time bomb.
"I'll take it," Zino said, wind swirling violently beneath his feet.
Smoker clenched his jaw. "You sure you can carry it?"
"No choice."
00:01:52
Zino launched into the sky, bomb in tow. Below, Smoker, Tashigi, and the rest of the marines looked up as a streak of wind shot into the heavens, carrying the ticking death above them.
Higher and higher Zino climbed. The weight dragged on him, sweat lining his brow.
00:00:38
He reached the edge of the atmosphere above the desert, then threw the bomb as high as he could. A final compressed wind storm carried the bomb even higher. The time was still ticking, until it reached 0 second. Then—
BOOOOM!!!
A blazing explosion lit up the sky, far beyond the city. The shockwave rippled outward in a powerful wave, but only a dusty gust swept across Alubarna.
The deafening echo of the blast thundered through the capital, rattling rooftops and windows. Birds scattered. Children screamed. The city held its breath.
Across Alubarna, everyone halted.
The rebels searching beyond the gates, the royal soldiers combing alleyways, and the Orcas scattered across the capital—all froze, eyes turning upward.
High above, the remnants of the explosion shimmered like dying stars. A wind followed, crashing down in a roar that swept the streets. Sand and dust howled through the city. Some fell to their knees. Others shielded their faces, shouting over the storm.
"W-What was that?!" one of the rebel scouts shouted.
"Is that the bomb?!"
Nami squinted through the swirling dust, her voice tight. "Did Zino take it up there? Is he okay?"
Usopp held onto his headwrap. "Please tell me he didn't ride the bomb!"
Kaya looked toward the sky, biting her lip. "He did, didn't he…?"
"No need to worry," Mikita said. "I'm sure he would come out okay."
The scattered Orcas stood silently, gazes locked upward.
Back at the clock tower, Smoker stood at the edge of the rooftop, wind tugging at his coat. He stared up at the fading glow of the explosion, lips curled into a scowl.
"That kid's insane," he muttered.
Suddenly, a shadow descended through the clearing dust. Calm. Controlled. Zino floated down like a feather, his cloak fluttering as he touched down beside Smoker.
He wore a faint smile, his boots tapping the stone with barely a sound.
"Nah," Zino replied with a casual shrug. "Didn't have time. I just made sure it blew up where no one could get hurt."
A Den Den Mushi crackled to life on smoker's belts. "Captain! The people saw the explosion. Panic's rising—what should we tell them?"
Smoker looked to Zino.
Zino exhaled. "Tell them the sky lit up… because the kingdom just avoided disaster."
Smoker replied to the call "Tell them to not worry about it. Alabasta's safe. The bomb has been sent away."
"Yes sir."
The call went off.