Footsteps are heard, what was their surprise to see a squadron of super ducks with Kaloo in the lead.

They all get on the back of a duck and head for Alubarna with Stella following them from the sky.

Anxiety can be read on all the faces. There are only 3h30 left before the final battle.


Stella follows the straw hats from the sky. Despite the distance between her and the others, she is able to hear the conversation below.

"Vivi! Once we get to Alubarna, what are we going to do? Baroque Works must be waiting for us there!" Shouts Usopp to drown out the noise of the super ducks running through the desert.

"I thought of that! There must be agents waiting for us! But the priority is to stop the rebels! They should be coming through the south gate!"

"They'll never let us through! As soon as they see us, they will attack us! I think we need to split up to draw them out, then fight them!" Shouted Zoro as he looked straight ahead

"I can't let you do that! You'll get hurt or worse!"

"The seaweed head is right! This is a risk we are willing to take for you, princess! If we are here, it is to help you and stop this war! And besides, kicking ass has never scared us!" Said the cook with a big smile.

"Speak for yourself! I don't feel like fighting an agent of Baroques Works head on!" Shouts Usopp.

Vivi continues to try to dissuade the others from splitting up and fighting the agents, but is met with an emphatic refusal from the others. Even Usopp is willing to play bait and switch. The princess finally gives up trying to reason with them and focuses on the plan. Groups of two are formed and directions are assigned. Vivi will have to wait until all the agents have left before heading toward the rebels and trying to stop them.

After two hours of running, the royal city of Alubarna is in sight. Stella scans the area and detects five agents in front of the city. Everyone follows the plan, they cover themselves with a cloak, effectively hiding their appearance, and run towards the city. The agents don't need much more to start attacking the pirates, who split up and draw the agents in as planned. Stella looks at Vivi, who is hidden behind a rock.

"Thank you... friends..." She whispers as she trembles with worry, she only has 30 minutes before the rebels arrive and start the war. The swordsman's blood red eyes redirects to the others who are now only small dots in the distance.

"Aoi, Maru?" The two snails come out of the bag and give him a questioning look. "Get ready to take the hundreds of pictures! The show is about to start!" They flash a smile as amused and excited as the red-haired swordsman's. After one last look at the princess, Stella runs towards the city, heading towards the position occupied by Usopp and the dromedary. She hasn't had a chance to see how the sniper fights, hopefully he has something up his sleeve and the training he has undergone will allow him to defeat the agent who chased him. She arrives just as the sniper and the animal reveal their true identities.

" Lost!"

"A dromedary! And you... Who are you, long nose ?! You dared to play with me?!" Said angrily the agent, who is a made-up man wearing a cape with two swans on his shoulders. Hey, an Okama ? I wonder if he knows Ivancov?

Usopp and the dromedary jump from their duck, totally frightened by the angry man.

"So... Sorry!" The okama's face contorts in anger and he kicks the two idiots hard in the head, and they fall unconscious instantly. Stella facepalm. He didn't even try to defend himself, I feel like I'll have to drastically increase my training with him...

The okama looks at their bodies with irritation before moving towards Usopp and giving him a huge slap. The extra blow didn't wake up Usopp from his coma but the Okama starts to smile.

"You've got me all riled up, but thanks to you I can kill your friends easily! "

Stella watches with irritation as the okama's face changes shape to become a carbon copy of the sniper. Not only the face is copied, but also the body and the voice.

"You can say goodbye to your friends, I'd gladly kill you, but I'd rather see you be betrayed by your comrades. After all... You will betray them yourself! Ha ha ha ha!" Laughs the swan-man. He rips off Usopp's glasses and heads for the south door. The red-haired swordsman lets out a sigh as the ducks go looking for someone to save their rider. Well... What should I do? The fake Usopp is going to go kill Vivi, who doesn't know about his power. Otherwise she would have told us... Stella decides to follow the fake sniper, she's sure the others will be able to handle it. Anyway it's not like she's going to help them, but it's just less pictures to take.


The okama enters a house to steal some clothes that he puts on top of his own, then he goes in search of a horse to reach Vivi faster. Except that the appearance of a red-haired swordsman stops him dead in his tracks.

"Well, the straw hat sniper? I see you got to town quickly. I'm curious to know how you did it?" Okama looks warily at the man blocking his path. He tries to determine if he is an ally or an enemy of the sniper. Not that it matters much. Sandy looks at the fake Usopp with a mocking smile. The rebels haven't arrived yet, Vivi still has 15 minutes before they get to town, so she might as well stall.

"Well? What's the matter? Have you lost your tongue?" Without warning, the okama pounces on the swordsman to give him a violent kick. A kick that is stopped by Hebi's guard. "Aren't you supposed to be a sniper? What are those glasses for? I didn't know you were capable of kicking that hard. " Irritated, the okama takes off his disguise.

"I don't know who you are, handsome, but you've got the wrong guy!" The smile increases again.

"I can see that. What's your name? I'm Sandy." Okama stands on one leg and assumes the Bruce Lee posture.

"I'm Mr. 2! What do you want from me?" Sandy rests Hebi on his shoulder in a relaxed position.

"Not much, but I wanted to know if you knew Queen Ivancov and if you know where he/she is. I need to ask him/her something." The okama's demeanor changes immediately. Going from hostile to friendly in a split second.

"You know Queen Ivancov?! " A frank smile lights up the swordsman's face.

"Yes, I have known him/her for a long time but he/she has been off the radar for a while. I'm sure he/she is not on his/her island. So I ask every okama I meet if they know where he/she is." He blinks before spinning around.

"Have you ever been to his/her island?! But it's great! I would love to go there one day when this war is over! But I don't know where it is exactly..." He finished with a dejected face and a sulky pout.

"Really? I can tell you where it is if you want." The okama starts to cry and hugs the swordsman. Sandy tenses slightly at the contact, careful not to let the okama touch his face.

"Haaaaa! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You are so awesome! We are friends from now on!" He yells, jumping around. Sandy is amused by the okama's behavior, but he doesn't forget that he is technically an enemy, at least to the Straw Hats.

"Yes, we are friends now! Besides I have something to ask you."

"You can ask me anything you want my friend!" He exclaims as he continues to twirl.

"I noticed that there is some tension in town, did you mention a war?" He stops twirling and looks at me, blinking.

"You don't know about this?" Sandy runs his hand through his hair and puts on a slightly shameful face.

"I just arrived in Alabasta yesterday and I've only just gotten into town. I've heard that the capital is a very touristy and nice city. But I find that there are a lot of guards at the entrance to the city. So I wondered if there was something going on. But I didn't expect there to be a war. Do you know why?" The agent gives him a long look, squinting slightly before his face lights up with a smile.

"The country is about to change, to become a real paradise! Alabasta is about to get even more awesome!" Sandy frowns.

"Is it going to change? How? I don't find that a war is the best solution." The okama flashes a big smile.

"Of course it is! When the royal family no longer exists and the city of Alubarna is destroyed. The country will be free of this oppression! It will become truly free! Without the world government saying what to do!" Sandy's face is neutral, quickly thinking about what the okama just said. The thing that made him tick the most was the destruction of the capital.

"How will the city be destroyed?"

"With a huge bomb!" The okama plates his hands over his mouth as he realizes he let that information slip to the man in front of him. "Shit! Forget what I just said!" Sandy's fists are clenched and he shakes with anger. Blood red eyes focus on Mr. 2's, who backs away slightly from the deadly stare.

"You're going to raze the city with all its inhabitants? Are you kidding me?! Hundreds of thousands of people are going to die for a pseudo ideal that doesn't exist!" The okama cowers in the face of the swordsman's anger. "So that's why you provoked a war?! For an ideal that will be built on the dead bodies of the inhabitants?! And that will only last a few months!" Mr. 2 leapt to his feet, his face scowling.

"The inhabitants are long gone from here! Only the royal guards and agents of our organization are left, so you can't blame us! And this ideal will last forever!" He lunges at the swordsman to kick him in the stomach, but Sandy only shifts to let the okama crash to the ground.

"And you're sure all the civilians are gone? Did you tell the resident to leave?" The officer rises from the ground, his clothes full of dust.

"I don't know and I don't care! If they decided to stay, that's their problem for being so stupid!" He lunges again, aiming his foot at Sandy's head, who catches it easily. Mr. 2 tries to pull on his leg, but he can't get his foot out of the swordsman's grip.

"Stupid? How stupid is it to believe in the royal guard to protect your city?" Despite the trapped foot, Mr. 2 smiles.

"Yes, they are stupid because half of the guards are actually part of our organization. " Sandy keeps a neutral face but his gaze turns to the south gate where shouts can be heard, a sign that a battle is in progress. "It seems the princess wasn't able to stop the rebels after all. " Sandy's red eyes focus on the okama.

"I assume you mean the princess of this kingdom?" The okama takes another shot at his leg and breaks free of Sandy's grip.

"Yes, the princess Nefertari Vivi. That pest is getting in our way. So unless you want to fight, you're going to let me through so I can kill her!" A movement catches Sandy's attention.

"I'm not going to fight you, but I think someone else wants to take you on." He says as he points behind the okama who turns around. He sees a thin man in a three piece suit with a blonde streak hiding half his face smoking a cigarette. Mr. 2 frowns and looks back at Sandy who has totally disappeared.

"Huh?! Where did he go?!"

Sanji looks at the okama with squinted eyes.

"I won't let you hurt Vivi-chan! You'll have to go over my body first, you old crazy!" The agent immediately feels offended by Sanji's words.

"How are you going to stop me from killing this lousy princess?! Are you a friend of the straw hat?! You must be the famous Mr. Prince?!" Sanji flashes a mocking smile.

"Lost, I'm Sanji, exceptional cook, and I'm not enchanted. You are an agent of Baroque Works, aren't you?" The okama resumes a fighting stance.

"I'm the one and only Mr. 2, an exceptional crazy person! And you! You won't be able to stop me from getting the princess back, little cook!" Sanji raises his leg, ready to attack.

"Just so you know, I'm a pirate too, I know how to defend myself outside a kitchen. If you think you can get through, you'll have to kill me." The okama's face turns serious with a toothy grin.

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Is that it?" Sanji displays the same face.

"Exactly. Now you will leave this kingdom alone." Without mercy, the two send their foot right into their opponent's head. This throws them both against the opposite wall. The force is so great that the walls collapse on the two fighters as they slowly get back up.

"Urgh! The bastard!" Groans Sanji as he gets to his feet. His leg shakes a little, obviously the fight against Sandy still leaves its marks.

Sandy watches the fight from the rooftops, biting his lip in guilt as he sees Sanji's leg shake. Obviously the damage is greater than expected. Even one fight against him will probably have a big impact on this fight. The swordsman grabs Hebi's guard for reassurance in case the fight goes bad.

"Rhaa! That's quite a kick... I didn't think he'd be able to compete with my ballet move!" Complains Mr. 2 as he emerges from the rubble. " Come on, move out of the way, my darling!" Says he as he gets angry at Sanji.

"I already told you that you'll have to go over my body if you want to continue your way."

" Yeah, be a smart ass... Laughs best who laughs last! I have been training day and night. So it's not a punk like you who will manage to defeat my fighting techniques! Ballet-punch!" He throws a punch at Sanji who dodges it at the last moment. But his hand unfolds to take the form of a beak. "You won't escape my fist, my bunny! Ballet move, the drunken swan dance!" His attack is directed at the cook's chest, who doesn't waste a moment to counterattack with more and more destructive and fast kicks, to the point that the okama can't keep up.

"Too slow…"

"Wha... What!" The blow sends the okama waltzing against the wall. Sanji digs his hands into his pockets and waits for the man to get up.

"Ok... Let's stop playing... You don't know the power of the Clone-Clone Fruit, do you?! It allows me to memorize countless faces! And by combining them, I can imitate someone or make a montage! You'll see! When you're bent over, it will be a breeze to finish you off! ! With the most hilarious face in the world!" Sanji looks at the agent with an annoyed look. "We start with the face, then the weirdest eyes, then the most ridiculous nose and finally the most deformed fly! And here's the exclusive, the facial montage!" Silence falls, the okama face is exactly the same, except it has Usopp's nose.

"It's your face 90%" Sanji uselessly comments while the okama goes to cry dramatically in a corner while looking at himself in a mirror. Sanji is fed up with these antics and doesn't hesitate for a moment to kick the crying man.

"Arg! ! Don't you have a heart? To kick a man in a moment of weakness?!

"I don't have time for your antics!" Sanji sighed, ready to kick again.

"Antics?! I assure you it's not just for fun! I've known men who, out of friendship, were incapable of lifting a finger against me!" The cook emits a mocking laugh.

"I'd love to see you try..." The okama takes in Usopp's face and gives him a proud smile.

"Ha ha ha! Why don't you try hitting me now... BLEURF!" Sanji kicks him in the head. Sandy bites his lips to keep from laughing. Obviously, he didn't need to worry about the cook. "But?! But what a monster! Don't you recognize your friend's face?! Is this how you treat your comrades?!"

"You can look like anyone you want... I know it's you. I'm not the kind of person to be fooled by appearances, you know. A person is above all a heart!"

"A... A heart?!" The okama is visibly shocked. Sandy raises an eyebrow at Sanji's response. Apparently, my disguise is more effective than the Clone-Clone fruit's. Or simply because Sanji saw him transform. "Damn, if only I had the face of everyone else or even the princess..." He whispers, but loud enough for Sanji to hear.

"Indeed, you have no chance, now come here and fight like a man! Know that I too have undergone intense training!" The cook rushes in at full speed, the okama reacts quickly to block the first blow, but not enough for the second one that sends him crashing to the ground. Sanji doesn't wait this time and continues to attack the made up man relentlessly.

"Arg! !" Mr. 2 goes to crash into a wall. But he quickly gets up with an enraged face. "That's enough, you're going to get a taste of my special technique, cupcake!" He rips off the two swan heads on his shoulders and hangs them on the end of his feet. This makes him look even more ridiculous. "FYI, the one on the right is a male and the one on the left is a female."

"Like I care!"

"Gyah ha ha ha! Whatever! Eat this instead! Ballet bomber kick!" The okama gives a new waltz of kicks, but the swan's head which had remained motionless, rushes at full speed and almost impales Sanji who managed to dodge by throwing himself to the side. It's with a bang that the head of the swan plants itself in the wall leaving a perfectly circular hole. "Gyah ha ha ha! Good job! You did well to avoid it! Just look at that flexible neck and steel beak! True power, when it's concentrated in one spot. Each of my kicks is comparable to a rifle bullet, but of a slightly higher caliber!" Sanji dodges each blow, at first you can see the concern, then he becomes serious. Each blow is dodged with more and more ease despite the long range of his opponent. Apparently Stella-chan's training is not in vain, it seems to be enough against this opponent. "Shit, stop dodging! And let my darlings pierce you!" He delivers another blow that only meets the air. Sanji stands 10 meters away and lights a cigarette.

"I think this fight is over..."

"Indeed! I will beat you to death!" The okama lunges again with another aerial spin, but Sanji is faster and gets to hand-to-hand easily, allowing him to be out of range of the swan's head. His foot hits Mr. 2's cheek and sends him flying, but he's not done and chains him with every technique he knows. But the okama has not said his last word and manages to give a violent blow in the stomach of the cook while Sanji finishes his sequence, which separates once again the two fighters, who are going to crash on the ground. Sanji tries to get up and especially to catch his breath before the agent gets up first. The cook rolls to the ground to dodge another blow and jumps on his legs in a soft pirouette.

"Shit, are you still up?!" Sanji growls through his teeth. The blows rain down again. Thanks to his speed, Sanji manages to dodge most of the blows, but he still gets hit a few times.

Sandy looks at the fight below with a neutral look. Aoi and Maru are having fun with all the pictures they are taking. The swordsman's attention turns away from the fight for a moment to examine the city. Vivi is in the royal palace with other people, perhaps organizing a plan to stop the ongoing war. Usopp and Chopper are fighting two agents and they appear to be badly injured and exhausted, but so are their opponents. Zoro and Nami run between the streets as two agents chase them.

"Arg! !" The shout brings Sandy's attention back to the fight. Sanji and the okama face each other before Mr. 2 collapses on his back, close to fainting. The cook takes a deep breath of nicotine before starting to walk towards his opponent with trembling steps.

"Shit... I've been had!"

"Still alive? You surprise me... What are you waiting for? Get up if you don't want me to give you the coup de grace!" The okama let out a painful laugh from the back of his throat.

"You want to laugh! What's the point of running away from my fate? I can't even move! You... You've won! Finish me off!" Okama screamed as he stared at the sky, as if it was the last time he would ever see it.

" ... "

"Anyway, the organization will make me disappear sometime..." He added wearily before turning his head towards Sanji and darkening his brows. "I can see why you're hesitating! Hurry up! Let's get this over with!" Sanji gave him a long look before reaching out to the okama and smiling.

"That was a nice fight... There's nothing else to say!" Mr. 2 looks at him with surprise before smiling and straightening up slightly to shake the cook's hand and start crying. But he doesn't cry for long because Sanji gives him a final kick that immediately knocks him out.

" So, goodbye again! And thanks for the glasses." Then he moves away from him in the direction of the palace. "Damn... How many more bones did I break? " He stops when he hears someone clapping behind him.

"Bravo, it was a very nice fight. You still have to learn but it's a good start. " Sanji slowly turns around to see Sandy smiling gently at him. Strangely, Sanji relaxes slightly.

"Ho... Is that you? What are you doing here?" Sandy looks at the okama and slips a piece of paper into his jacket. On this mysterious paper are written the coordinates of Ivancov's island that he had promised the man.

"Your captain told me you would be here. So I decided to follow you and observe you." Sanji frowned as he saw the piece of paper tucked into his opponent's jacket.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it was wrong to follow people without their permission?"

"It was Luffy who told me we'd meet up later. He just didn't say when." The cook looks at the swordsman warily. He may have helped them at the casino, but he could very well be playing a double game."

"What do you plan to do in this war?" Sandy shrugs.

"Just observing, I won't fight. So you don't have to worry. Anyway, Vivi is at the palace right now. You should stick around. I doubt the guards will let you through anyway." Sanji's eye twitches. He is no more reassured.

"Why are you just looking? Which side are you on?" Sandy looks up at the sky and hums.

"I'm not on any side. I'm just an observer of different conflicts. And I write about them to keep a record for future generations."

"You're a journalist?" Sandy shifts his blood-red gaze to the cook's azure blue eyes.

"I'm more of an explorer and historian. I write history as it really happened. Because as you know... History is written by the victors. And the world government likes to polish its image with a nice distorted history." Sanji sustains the intense gaze of the swordsman, who looks far too old for the man.

"I wonder what kind of conflict you've seen..."

"I could tell you a few, but I think you have something else to do. Right?" He finishes with a smirk. Sanji looks at him for a moment longer before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath on his cigarette.

"You're right. The others need to fight the other agents. You should go see them, I'm sure they'll give you a good show." Sandy chuckles softly at this comment.

"That's a good idea, Sanji. I think I'll do it." With a final nod, Sanji turns and heads back to the palace to find Vivi. "By the way..." Sanji turns around slightly. "There is a bomb somewhere in this city. You should focus on finding it." The cook's eyes widen in horror.

"WHAT?! Are you sure?!"

"Yes, he is the one who told me by accident." He said as he pointed to the okama on the floor.

"Shit! I have to warn the others! ! ! And Vivi!" He starts sprinting at full speed. "Thanks for the info by the way!"

"No problem!" Sandy watches Sanji disappear over the horizon. Aoi and Maru come out from behind his back and give him a look. What should we do now? "Let's go see what the others are doing." Without a last look at the okama, Sandy heads towards Nami and Zoro who seem to have started their fight. Usopp and Chopper seem to be done, as they head towards the center of the city. However, the presence of Crocodile in the palace worries him. Especially since he is very close to Vivi.

"It's a mess without a name. But I can't do anything about it, I have to let the others protect her, so let's focus on Zoro and Nami instead!" Aoi and Maru play happy notes as Sandy flies into the sky.


Here is a new chapter, a little shorter than usual, but I hope you liked it. I have a few scenes in mind for the next chapter which will be a bit more eventful. For those wondering, Sanji could have gone faster, but because of the fight with Sandy, he had to slow down because of his leg. For now, events are running their course, but they will start to diverge more and more, so watch out!