Night fell, and a solitary half-moon hung in the pitch-black sky.
The cold moonlight bathed the desolate desert as a long caravan, heavily laden with luggage, marched forward. The scene evoked an inexplicable sense of loneliness.
"The temperature is too low. It's no longer suitable to keep moving. It'll only get colder after midnight, which will make setting up camp a hassle. Let's rest here," Nami suggested to Allen after assessing the endless wasteland ahead.
"Then we'll rest here. Sanji, prepare dinner."
"Got it."
The caravan halted, and everyone dismounted their camels. Sanji and Gin led their respective subordinates to start fires for cooking and set up tents.
Before long, clusters of firelight illuminated the desert, adding a touch of warmth to the barren land.
It also attracted an uninvited guest.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The ground trembled violently. This massive commotion immediately caught everyone's attention, and they all turned to look.
"Pfft—!!"
"What a huge monster!!"
Upon seeing it, everyone's jaws dropped to the ground in sheer terror, their eyes practically popping out of their sockets.
A colossal purple-skinned lizard, standing three stories high at the shoulder and measuring dozens of meters long, was charging at them on all fours with its gaping, bloodthirsty maw wide open.
Koza's expression drastically changed as he hurriedly shouted, "Watch out! It's a Sandora Dragon!"
"A lizard? Isn't it a bit too fat? And it's purple. Is this thing edible?" Allen asked Koza with a bewildered look on his face.
Sanji also cast a curious glance, blinking as he waited for an answer.
If it was edible, they could try swapping out tonight's main course.
Seeing that the two weren't the least bit anxious, Koza couldn't help but grow even more frantic. He yelled, "Are you kidding me?! That's an apex predator at the top of the desert food chain! Even bullets can barely...!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat!!
Before he could finish his sentence, a dense barrage of gunfire erupted.
"Taste the power of a Gatling gun!"
"Die, monster!!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat!!
Muzzles spat tongues of fire as dozens of pirates, wearing crazed expressions, hoisted Gatling guns and heavy automatic machine guns, wildly spraying bullets at the charging giant lizard.
In an instant, blood and gore sprayed through the air.
"Hiss—!!"
The giant lizard flicked out its long tongue and let out an agonized howl to the sky. With a heavy thud, its massive, plump head crashed into the sand.
The world returned to silence.
"S-Such... such overwhelming firepower...!" Koza was so shocked he froze. "Does your pirate crew... only use... these kinds of heavy machine guns?"
"Huh? Of course not." Allen denied it, showing off with a grin, "They also use submachine guns and rocket launchers."
"I... Is that so..."
The corner of Koza's eye twitched.
Equipping over a hundred men with this level of firepower... if they had bought cheaper firearms instead, that money could have armed three thousand people. What an absolute luxury.
Thinking about how a portion of his rebel army was still using crude, homemade weapons and blades, there was simply no comparison.
"So you still haven't answered my question. Is this thing edible or not?" Allen pressed, pointing at the giant lizard once more.
Koza hesitated, his expression uncertain. "...It should be... I guess."
"Then let's give it a try." Sanji smiled. He grabbed a large cleaver, rested it on his shoulder, and eagerly ran forward.
A short while later, the camp was fully set up.
Everyone gathered around to happily feast on lizard meat soup, roasted lizard, baked rice with lizard meat, lizard...
After the meal, they all slipped into their sleeping bags and rested until the early hours of the next morning.
The sky was just beginning to brighten. The desert temperature was still a bit low, but having just rested, everyone was brimming with physical and mental energy. It was the golden time to travel.
The caravan packed up their belongings and set off once more. The journey proceeded without any further incidents.
Occasionally, a few uninvited guests would appear, but when faced with their 'carbon-based lifeform pacifiers', they either became docile or went completely stiff.
It wasn't until just after eight in the morning, when the sun had fully risen, that the faint silhouette of a massive city standing tall in the desert finally appeared before their eyes.
Excitement and tension flickered in Pell's eyes.
According to what Allen had said, Crocodile was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user with immense power. Ordinary attacks couldn't harm him in the slightest.
Furthermore, Baroque Works had likely already ambushed the royal capital with a large number of personnel to intercept them, and they might have even infiltrated the royal palace with numerous spies.
The stakes were too high. Until they saw the King... no, until Crocodile was defeated, they absolutely could not let their guard down!
Soon, the caravan arrived at the base of the royal capital.
Allen looked up. The entire city of Alubarna was built atop a massive circular plateau, with six extremely long staircases leading up to the city gates on each side.
The number of garrisoned troops in the royal capital was quite staggering, but with Pell and Chaka present, entering the city gates was no problem for them at all.
As they ascended the stairs, the guards on the city walls immediately recognized Pell's identity. Allen's group passed through the gates without any hindrance.
Upon entering the royal capital, the bustling streets immediately caught everyone's eyes.
Nami couldn't help but marvel, "It's even livelier here than in Nanohana. There's absolutely no atmosphere of an impending war."
"Let alone the citizens, I'm afraid even His Majesty Cobra is unaware that war is about to break out. We must hurry back to the royal palace!" Pell's tone was urgent.
Allen glanced at him and said indifferently, "The war doesn't matter. As long as Koza is here, even if the rebel army reaches the city gates, they can be stopped at any time. You should be more concerned about whether we can successfully meet the King."
Baroque Works' operations might not solely target them. Given Crocodile's shrewdness, infiltrating the royal palace to strike at Cobra was highly probable.
"Let's move quickly. Everyone, stay on high alert and be prepared for an ambush at any moment."
Allen barked an order, and the group set off again. Everyone loaded their weapons, ensuring they were ready to fight at a moment's notice.
The large group of people and mounts swiftly navigating the streets caused quite a bit of commotion.
Along the main road leading from the East Gate to the royal palace, Baroque Works agents hid in concealed corners, secretly monitoring their movements.
For a time, an undercurrent surged through the entire East District. People armed with blades and guns rapidly converged from every street.
It wasn't until Allen's crew rode their camels past the Clock Tower Square that figures suddenly darted out from all directions!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Kill them!"
"Attack together!"
Boom! Boom!
The sound of gunfire and explosions erupted without warning. A large number of assassins disguised as civilians roared as they charged into the square from the surrounding streets.
Lethal intent exploded. Seeing this, the pirates all sprang into action, drawing their pre-prepared firearms of various types. The counterattack began instantly!
"Open fire!!"
Boom! Boom!
"Watch out for the artillery!"
"Machine gunners, suppress the right flank!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!
In an instant, waves of explosions echoed everywhere. The entire square was filled with the smoke of gunpowder as a massive barrage of bullets wove into a dense net of crossfire, suppressing the enemies in all directions.
The battle broke out in a flash. A large number of nearby civilians fell into a panic and fled in all directions. Screams and wails echoed through the sky above the Clock Tower.
"Maintain suppressive fire at the front!"
"Bring up the rocket launchers!"
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
"Assaulters, move up and clear the way!"
"Yes, sir!"
Gin shouted at the top of his lungs, commanding the battle. Under the terrifying, relentless firepower, the assassins surging forward like a tide from all sides were pushed back.
Directly ahead, ten machine guns lined up in a row, their muzzles frantically pouring out bullets to suppress the emerging assassins.
Under their cover, a dozen assaulters paired up side-by-side, forming a vertical column as they spurred their camels to accelerate forward.
The dozen pirates, each armed with a submachine gun, wildly sprayed bullets into every alley they passed on the left and right.
Even in the center of the battlefield, Allen and the others didn't slow down in the slightest, charging straight toward the royal palace.
"Hey! You're taking this too far! Many civilians in the alleys will get caught in the crossfire!" Looking at the figures lying haphazardly in pools of blood in the passing alleys, Pell couldn't help but feel anxious.
"Cut the crap! Their lives aren't worth as much as my subordinates' lives. If you keep nagging, you can get down and fight them yourself!" Allen shouted disdainfully.
In such a chaotic battlefield, who had the time to distinguish between civilians and enemies?
With such a massive commotion, any proper civilian would have hidden long ago. Anyone who dared to show their face in front of them would be treated as an enemy.
Pell gritted his teeth. He was unwilling to accept it, but he could only endure it, fixing his gaze on the constantly approaching city walls ahead.
With the pouring heavy firepower clearing the way, Allen's group made a beeline for the royal palace at top speed. Just as they were about to burst out of the street...
"Hey! Look at that."
"What is that thing?!"
At the end of the street, a dachshund with a cannon barrel for a body stood alone in the middle of the road, staring at them with round, beady eyes.
"A dog?"
Nami frowned in confusion. Suddenly, the dachshund opened its mouth and sneezed. Accompanied by the "Boom!" of a cannon firing, a baseball shot out of its mouth!
"A baseball?"
"It's a cannonball!"
While the pirates still wore strange expressions, Allen had already reacted. He let out a loud shout, swiftly drew a dagger from the waist of a man beside him, and hurled it forward.
Swish—!
The dagger pierced through the air and accurately struck the baseball mid-flight. The next second, a burst of intense white light bloomed from the baseball!
Boom!!
"T-This... this is a bomb!!"
Flames mixed with black smoke billowed upward. The violent explosion shocked all the pirates.
At the exact moment of the explosion, a fat old woman with a red afro leaped out of a pothole in the road. Her palms bore sharp claws resembling those of a mole.
At the same time, a man and a woman jumped down from the rooftops on both sides of the street.
Daz Bonez looked down with cold eyes. He raised his right hand, his five fingers slightly curled. The inner edges of his fingers transformed into gleaming sharp blades as he viciously slashed down at Allen!
Allen remained unmoved. He merely looked up with a faint glance as a dark silhouette rapidly leaped out from beside him.
Gin's eyes darkened, and the spinning tonfa in his hand swiftly moved to intercept.
Clang!!
The iron ball and the finger blades collided, emitting an ear-piercing, vibrating hum. The two exchanged a cold glare before separating and leaping back.
"You go on ahead, Captain! Please leave this place to me! Second Division, stay with me to cover the rear!"
Gin shouted loudly as he landed back on the ground. Pushing off forcefully with both feet, he leaned forward and charged, engaging in a fierce melee with Daz Bonez.
On the other side, Miss Doublefinger Zala lunged at Koza. Activating her Spike-Spike Fruit powers, she transformed her ten fingers into long, sharp spikes and thrust them forward!
"Stinger Finger!"
Clink!!
Sham's figure flickered into view. He slashed down with his Cat Claws, blocking the sharp spikes, and said with a sinister smirk, "Keeping your nails too long is dangerous, miss."
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