The looming threat of the time bomb had finally passed.
As the last echoes of the explosion faded, a wave of relief swept across Alubarna. People exhaled deeply, hearts still pounding from the tension. But despite the danger being averted, the search for King Cobra was far from over.
Wasting no time, Zino departed the clock tower and joined the ongoing search efforts, weaving through streets and alleyways alongside soldiers and rebels alike.
Meanwhile, Smoker, Tashigi, and the Marines stood atop the tower, surveying the activity below. The city was alive with motion—civilians and fighters alike scouring every inch of the capital.
Smoker narrowed his eyes. "Looks like everyone's looking for the king."
Tashigi glanced over. "Should we assist?"
Smoker shook his head. "No. This is no longer our task. Let this kingdom handle the search for their own king."
"What about Nico Robin?" Tashigi asked, remembering their second purpose to be here.
"Robin's long gone by now. She won't stay here if she saw this chaotic search. And with Crocodile defeated, it's time we take him back to headquarters." Smoker turned toward his men. "We've done our part. Let's go."
Elsewhere in the city, Alvida, Chloris, Moris, and Zoro met Gin and Creed.
Gin squinted at Zoro, exchanging a look with Creed. "...You actually found your way here?"
"What?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing," Gin said quickly, though both men thought the same thing: It's a miracle he ran into Alvida and didn't end up in the desert again.
Across Alubarna, the search continued relentlessly.
Sanji and Vivi were calling out the king's name through the market district, checking beneath rubble and inside abandoned buildings.
In another corner of the capital, Chaka and Usopp strained to lift a collapsed stone pillar, hoping to find any trace of the missing monarch beneath the wreckage.
Overhead, Pell soared high above the city, falcon eyes scanning every rooftop and alley for the silhouette of his king.
Beyond the city walls, the rebels spread out across the sands, voices echoing through the vast desert as they called out, "Your Majesty! King Cobra!"
But despite their efforts, the king was still nowhere to be found.
Zino roamed the streets of Alubarna, scanning faces, asking questions, and searching every alley he passed.
"Has anyone seen King Cobra?" he asked repeatedly.
But each time, he was met with a shake of the head or a hesitant, "No, sir."
As Zino ran down another dusty street, a memory surfaced—a brief scene from the One Piece anime and manga. It was a location he'd nearly forgotten, a hidden place beneath the palace.
"The underground chamber..." he muttered to himself.
Without wasting a moment, Zino bolted in that direction. His boots kicked up clouds of sand as he dashed past rubble, guards, and broken stone. He followed the path from memory, weaving through alleys until he reached the side of the palace ruins.
There, nestled against the collapsed wall, was a wide stone entrance partially buried in debris. A handful of royal soldiers stood outside, examining a sloping path that led down into darkness.
"Is there anything inside?" Zino asked, his sudden arrival startling the group.
The soldiers stiffened at the sight of him—the man known as a walking natural disaster. But then they remembered—he was searching for the king too.
One of the soldiers stepped forward. "The entrance is blocked, sir. It looks like part of the underground tunnel caved in. The ground keeps trembling, too. It might be unstable."
"This place might collapse at any time," another added nervously.
Zino narrowed his eyes, analyzing the stone wall blocking the entrance.
"Alright," he said firmly. "All of you—back away. Leave this to me."
Without hesitation, the soldiers scrambled back, watching from a safer distance.
Zino stepped toward the stone gate, placing his palm against its cool, solid surface. He closed his eyes and whispered:
"Decay."
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, grain by grain, the thick stone began to disintegrate beneath his fingers, slowly turning to sand and crumbling away. His control over the ability wasn't perfect yet, and the process took time—but it worked.
After several minutes, a narrow hole had formed—just wide enough for someone to go through. Zino ducked down and squeezed inside.
The air was thick and heavy with dust. As he moved further into the tunnel, he reached another blockage—this time, a combination of debris and a second gate.
Tightening his jaw, he stretched out his hand and touched the rubble.
"Decay."
Once again, the obstruction began to dissolve, faster than before. Zino pushed the sand aside, creating a gap he could pass through. Beyond the debris, he laid his hand on the second gate and repeated the process, watching the stone erode faster this time. His mastery over the decay was slowly improving—driven by urgency.
Finally, a second hole opened up, and he stepped through.
Darkness greeted him. The air was still and silent, except for the faint groaning of the structure above. There were no torches, no flickering light—only the deep, suffocating black of the underground.
Zino narrowed his eyes and took a steady breath. The underground chamber was cloaked in darkness, but he didn't need light—he had Observation Haki.
Extending his senses, he scanned the space. The chamber was in ruin. Cracked pillars leaned dangerously, large stones had collapsed from the ceiling, and broken debris littered the floor. The structure groaned above him, unstable and on the verge of collapse.
Then, through the shifting aura of the room, he sensed them—two distinct life forces. Both were weak, but alive.
Zino moved forward, his boots crunching on loose gravel.
The two figures were slumped near the massive stone monolith—an ancient Poneglyph. One of them had a leg trapped beneath a fallen support beam, the other leaning against the stone, breathing faintly.
"Hey! You two alright in there?" Zino called out, his voice echoing off the walls.
Both figures stirred.
Robin turned her head slowly, eyes squinting toward the entrance. After so long in the dark, her vision had adapted, and she could make out the silhouette of a tall figure stepping through the hole in the wall.
"Who's there?" King Cobra asked, pain lacing his voice.
"Zino?!" Robin's voice caught in disbelief.
Zino smiled slightly, walking toward them. "Glad to see you two still breathing. I'm here to get you out of here."
Wasting no time, Zino moved to their side. He raised his hand and summoned thick pillars of ice, carefully bracing the crumbling ceiling around them to stabilize the immediate area. With the space secured, he turned to the structure pinning Cobra's leg.
"Hold still," he said calmly.
Zino touched the stone, activating his decay ability. The massive slab slowly dissolved into sand, grain by grain, until King Cobra's leg was free. But the sight wasn't good—his leg was visibly fractured, swollen, and twisted unnaturally.
"Give me a second," Zino said, shifting his element once more.
A faint glow surrounded his hands as he tapped into his healing ability. Gently, he touched Cobra's leg, easing the external wounds and stopping the bleeding. But despite his efforts, the bone remained broken, and the deeper damage—torn tendons and fractures—was beyond his skill.
"This will have to do for now," he muttered. "Let's get out of here first."
He knelt down and carefully lifted Cobra onto his back.
Turning to Robin, he asked, "Can you walk?"
"I think so," Robin replied, her voice hoarse. She staggered to her feet, her body weak from hours of being trapped with little air.
Zino caught her before she could fall. Without waiting, he pulled her close by the waist.
"W-What are you doing?" she snapped, trying to push him away. "I said I can manage."
"Just shut up and let me carry you," Zino snorted. "We're not wasting time here."
With Cobra on his back and Robin supported under one arm, he began making his way out of the collapsed chamber. The ground crunched beneath his feet as he carefully navigated the unstable corridor. The support pillars of ice held strong—for now.
Behind them, the ruins creaked and shifted ominously, as if protesting their escape.
But Zino didn't slow down.
Soon, light began to peek through the tunnel ahead. The exit was close.
With a final push, Zino stepped through the crumbled hole and emerged into the open air, carrying King Cobra over his shoulder and supporting Robin at his side.
"Your Majesty, King Cobra!"
A wave of gasps and cries erupted from the soldiers nearby. Their eyes widened in shock and relief as they rushed forward to assist.
"Stand back," Zino ordered firmly. "His leg is injured. Don't jostle him."
The soldiers halted, then looked down and saw the grim sight—Cobra's leg bent at an unnatural angle, swollen and bruised.
"His Majesty is hurt!"
"What should we do?!"
"Someone get a doctor!"
"Bring a stretcher!"
The scene quickly spiraled into chaos as panic set in among the soldiers. Zino's brow twitched.
"Oi! Enough!" he barked, raising his voice. "Stop shouting and move! Take him to the palace—now!"
His command snapped them out of their panic. "Yes, sir!"
A few soldiers scrambled to produce a stretcher—where it came from, no one questioned. They carefully placed Cobra onto it, making sure not to further injure his leg, and immediately began escorting him toward the palace with urgency.
Zino watched them go for a moment, then gently set Robin down beside him.
"You good now?" he asked.
Robin nodded, catching her breath. "I'll be fine."
Zino turned away, inhaled deeply, and activated his air element. Using it to amplify his voice, he sent a clear message across the capital in all directions.
"King Cobra has been found. He's injured but alive, and is being escorted back to the palace."
The message carried far—not deafening, but strong and steady. Those scattered throughout the city paused as it reached them: the rebels outside the walls, the royal soldiers in the alleys, and even the Orcas searching from rooftops. They heard his words and turned toward the palace, their hearts lifting in relief.
With the king finally found, all forces converged toward the royal palace.
Koza stood before the rebel troops, his expression stern but calm. "Set up camp outside the capital walls," he commanded. "We don't want to cause more confusion or conflict. I'll go ahead to see the king."
The rebels nodded, understanding the situation. Koza then turned and entered the capital alone, his pace quick, heart heavy with anticipation.
Overhead, Pell swooped down from the sky, his wings slicing through the wind as he rushed toward the palace at top speed.
Elsewhere, Chaka took off in a sprint, leaving Usopp panting and struggling to keep up. "Hey—wait up!" Usopp called out, already exhausted from the earlier search.
Vivi, her face brightening with renewed hope, broke into a run, tears brimming in her eyes. Sanji trailed close behind, protective as ever, his eyes darting around for danger.
Meanwhile, Nami, Kaya, and Nojiko moved with a steadier pace. They didn't rush, but they were heading towards the same direction. The palace was now their destination, just like everyone else who had fought to protect Alabasta.
From every corner of the city, allies were heading in the same direction—for one reason:
to see the king.
...
Somewhere on the outskirts of the capital.
Mr. 2 Bon Clay limped through the desert scrub, leaning heavily on a stick to support his battered body. Every step sent jolts of pain through his limbs, reminders of his fight with Sanji.
He paused and glanced back at the silhouette of Alubarna in the distance, its palace faint but visible under the golden sky.
"One day," he muttered under his breath, "we'll meet again... And next time, the Okama Way will prevail!"
With a grunt, he continued on his slow escape, dragging his feet through the sand.
After some time, he spotted a group of familiar figures up ahead.
Mr. 1 leaned against a boulder, arms crossed, though even he looked worse for wear. Bandages wrapped around his torso and arm.
Miss Doublefinger sat nearby, carefully bandaging the unconscious Miss Merry Christmas. She herself wore several layers of bandages, evidence of battle wounds that still stung.
Mr. 4 lay motionless beside them, still unconscious. A bandage wrapped around his head, and Lasso, his dachshund-bazooka hybrid, was curled beside him, whimpering faintly.
"You all..." Bon Clay blinked in disbelief. "You were defeated too?"
Daz Bones glanced at him, emotionless as ever. "So were you."
Bon Clay fell silent.
Zala—Miss Doublefinger—finished tying a bandage and sighed. "We're still missing a few. Mr. 3 and Miss Golden Week... we haven't seen them since the collapse."
"And Miss All Sunday? What about the boss?" Bon Clay asked, his voice more hesitant now.
Miss Doublefinger shook her head slowly. "No idea. But either way, this place is done for. We need to leave. The Marines will be on high alert now."
No further words were exchanged. There was nothing else to say.
Mr. 1 stepped forward, lifting the unconscious Mr. 4 onto his back without a word. With a silent agreement, the defeated agents of Baroque Works turned and began walking away from the capital—quiet, limping, and broken.
Before long, their silhouettes vanished into the desert haze.