In the streets leading up to the palace, Zinnia and Ubitsa continued their battle. Ubitsa slashed the air with his battle axe, creating a massive razor sharp shockwave that sliced through an entire city block.

Zinnia dodged, looked at the carnage, then turned back to Ubitsa with a blank expression on her face. Ubitsa's blood started to boil.

"Dammit! Why won't you stand still?!" he shouted at her as he tried to catch his breath.

"I am not sure what you want from me, sir," she responded, casually strolling around him. "It is you who wanted to fight."

People ran from the destroyed buildings, only to be greeted by people running from revolutionary forces. Zinnia noticed this, and said "Hm, I wonder why those people are running in the opposite direction."

Ubitsa brought his axe down on Zinnia's head, only to be blocked once again by Ruth's helmet. Ruth hissed at Zinnia, who turned to face her attacker.

"Sir, can we finish soon? I would like to see why there are two groups of people going in opposite directions."

"Oh, we'll finish alright… nohohohoho…" Ubitsa chuckled.

Ubitsa grabbed the nearest building he had sliced up, lifted it over his head with his super strength, then jumped high.

"Let's see you dodge this!" he shouted as he dropped the building on Zinnia.

Zinnia just stared, then walked away as the building fell. The building broke to pieces with a loud crash, but Zinnia was safely out of the attack radius. A few pieces of rubble landed at her feet.

"Sir, I feel you would have better success if you did not telegraph your attacks so much," she said.

"Grrrr!" Ubitsa growled as he landed. He picked up his axe and began to spin.

"I'll show you my ultimate technique!" he shouted as dust kicked up around him. Again, Zinnia just stood and stared.

"Behold! My AXE HURRICANE!"

Blades of razor sharp air began shooting out of Ubitsa's dust storm. Zinnia stood there as the razor wind tore apart her clothes and made deep gashes in her skin. Ruth hissed at her, at which point Zinnia started to block and wince in pain.

"NOHOHOHOHO!" Ubitsa laughed as he drew closer and closer to Zinnia with his spinning.

Zinnia whispered to Ruth, who was able to hear her despite the fact that snakes don't have ears, and placed Ruth on the ground. Ruth slithered along the ground and under the rapidly firing razor wind. She then slithered up Ubitsa's tiny leg and bit him, sinking her fangs in deep.

Ubitsa stopped spinning and began to howl in pain as Ruth slithered back to her owner. He fell to his knees and began to writhe in agony as his leg turned purple.

"What?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!" he shouted.

"Ruth's fangs secrete a powerful neurotoxin capable of disabling most targets instantly. More likely than not, you will need to have that leg amputated, sir," Zinnia explained as Ruth coiled around her.

Zinnia stood there as Ubitsa continued to writhe and scream. Ruth hissed in Zinnia's ear.

"Hm? Yes, I suppose we should spare him his agony. At least so people do not have to hear his screaming."

Zinnia walked forward and cracked her knuckles. She stood over Ubitsa as he wailed in agony and raised her fist.

Worldwide Smoke vs. Minus World, battle of the Royal Road

Winner: Zinnia (and Ruth)

—-

Andy sat in the clinic on Chikitsak Street. Roxanne and Puerco lay on beds, freshly stitched and bandaged, asleep.

"Doctor, are you sure an open clinic like this is a wise idea? Seems like a great way to let germs and bugs and stuff in," Andy asked.

"I am not a high-end doctor," the doctor replied. "This is not a wealthy area of the city."

"Weird. The restaurant across the street was some of the best food I've ever had. And it was pretty cheap, too!" Andy said. "I can only imagine what the higher-end restaurants are like," he added, mouth watering.

People started running down the street, screaming, and sounds of gunfire could be heard in the distance.

"W-what's going on?" Andy desperately asked one of the longlegs running away.

"Run, little one!" the longleg exclaimed. "It is an uprising of the Unclean!"

"Uh oh…" the doctor said, looking at Roxanne and Puerco's unconscious, wounded bodies.

"What are we going to do?" Andy asked, holding his wife's hand.

"I do not know…" the doctor replied.

The Unclean drew closer.

"…there's also the matter of your bill," the doctor added.

"Is this really the time?!" Andy shouted, exasperated.

Andy picked up Roxanne bridal style and began to run.

"Doctor! Get Puerco and let's run!" Andy exclaimed. "We'll pay extra if we survive!"

The doctor obliged and grabbed Puerco, and they took off together in search of a hiding place.

—-

"Gone?!" Samudra shouted. "What do you mean 'gone'?!"

"The army has, by and large, abandoned their posts, thanks to Uncle Barabar's spies poisoning them with his new ideology," said Ta'Gup. "The rest are being sent to Baagee to take out Barabar."

"SO YOU'RE LEAVING SHAHAR UNDEFENDED?!" Samudra shouted. "Do you have any idea how many innocent people will be slaughtered?!"

Samudra smacked his head.

"Ta'Gup! What is wrong with you?! You did not used to be like this!"

"It is not my concern how many people of the lower classes die, it is-"

"THEN WHO WILL KEEP THE COUNTRY ALIVE?!" Samudra roared. "A country is its citizens, not its ruler!"

"The class system must stay alive, at any cost."

"Do… Do you hear how you sound right now, Ta'Gup?! You… You'll let your capital city burn for the sake of tradition?!"

"The police will mitigate the damage," Ta'Gup casually responded. "You seem to not understand the point of tradition, Samudra. The collective wisdom of our forebears is-"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Samudra interrupted. "You… You'll disown me for even being remotely associated with a city being destroyed, but you'll let a city five times that size burn for your own ego?"

"I suppose when you put it like that… I can always call the army back. It is a bad look, and any survivors might launch a further uprising."

Samudra was flummoxed. He literally could not find the words to respond to what he was hearing. He thought for a moment, then spoke up again.

"What happened, Ta'Gup? It seemed like you were primed to be a wise and kind ruler like Father…"

"What are you even talking about, Samudra?" Ta'Gup responded. "I have always been like this. It is you who must have forgotten, with your constant dalliances around the world. The lower classes were born to serve the royal family. That is why the gods chose our family."

"I…" Samudra was once again lost for words. "I am starting to think Uncle Barabar is right. If nothing else, he's right about you, Ta'Gup. And I… I will not do anything to stop the assassins coming for your head. The prophecy designates me as the one who will save this kingdom and-"

"Please, do not tell me you actually believe that prophecy tripe," Ta'Gup interrupted.

Samudra turned around and began to turn into steam.

"I will reform this country with as little bloodshed as possible. I am the chosen hero the seer spoke of. I will pacify the Unclean forces, and if you survive, I will do everything I can to remove you from power peacefully. You are not fit to be king, Ta'Gup."

He drifted back under the door without any further words.

—

Shaska walked through the streets of Shahar, bruised and bleeding from her encounter with her daughter. She puffed on her cigar and stretched, listening to the sounds of gunfire and screaming in the distance.

"Alright, so…" she said, looking around at the people running for cover. "The war is on. And Zeiko…"

She blew smoke and thought.

"Should I really leave my own daughter for dead like that…?" Shaska thought. "She wants to send me to Impel Down, a literal Hell on Earth, because I don't like the government stealing from me…"

A longleg citizen ran up to her.

"Hey! You need to get out of here! There's an entire army of Unclean marching on the city and bent on killing us all!"

"I'm good," Shaska responded.

"But ma'am! You're injured!"

"Go away," she said, blowing smoke.

The longleg shook his head, then ran off to find shelter.

"Now… there should be a land-based Kemuri Mart around here somewhere. It'll do us some good to strongarm those Kemurchants into protecting the city," Shaska thought aloud.

She grabbed one of the longlegs who was running away from the fighting.

"Hey, you, where's the Kemuri Mart?" she asked.

"That's in the direction of the war! Are you insane?!"

"Maybe a little," she responded, blowing smoke.

The longleg hesitated, then pointed and said "two blocks down that way, on Dhuaan Street."

"Thanks," Shaska said, letting him go. She headed toward Dhuaan Street, still covered in blood.

—-

The rukh bird fleet soared over Shahar, preparing to land at the airport. Franco and Johnson looked out the windows of the cabin on the lead bird's back, witnessing the carnage and the blood running in the streets.

"This is awful…" Lieutenant Johnson said, hand over his mouth. "We have to help the citizens!"

"Our main goal is catching Shaska," Captain Franco responded. "We should prioritize that."

"And let countless civilians be slaughtered?!" Johnson asked, astonished.

"We have our orders, and as your superior, I order you to stay with me to find Shaska!"

"Surely we can send some of our soldiers to help quell this! This isn't right!" Johnson said.

"That's what the Panipuri Army is for," said Franco. "And don't call me-"

Johnson smacked Franco with one of the hands from his robot backpack. "Do you see a Panipuri Army down there?!"

Johnson stood up and shifted to his half-ostrich form. He went over to the door of the cabin and opened it.

As the air rushed past, he shouted at Franco "I don't care what happens! I'm pacifying that army!"

He jumped off the bird and began gliding down to the city, aiming for where the Unclean army was. Franco shut the door behind him.

"Ugh… that kid's gonna get us both court-martialed," he muttered as the bird descended toward the airport.

—-

In the palace foyer, Schwarz relentlessly attacked Princip from every possible angle, but the bigger man was able to evade or block every one of Schwarz's strikes effortlessly. His eyes were flashing red the entire time. Every block from Princip's sheath was accompanied by sparks somehow.

"Dammit!" Schwarz cried. "Why won't you die?!"

"Tell me, child, why are you so angry?" Princip casually asked.

Schwarz couldn't help but stop his attacks and just stand there.

"Are… are you serious?!" Schwarz asked, nonplussed.

"You say I took everything from you?"

"You murdered my entire family! The Johann family of the South-"

"I've murdered plenty of families," Princip responded. "But any survivors usually know better than to seek vengeance against me."

Schwarz lunged at him, but Princip sidestepped and slashed at Schwarz with his sheath, leaving a deep gash on Schwarz's chest.

"H-how?" Schwarz choked out.

Princip picked up a bit of dust off the ground and blew it in Schwarz's face, causing him to start coughing up blood after he breathed it in.

"I'm a sharp man," he said calmly. "I ate the Sharp Sharp Fruit; anything I touch can become razor sharp, cutting through anything but sea-prism stone."

Schwarz fell to his knees as he bled and coughed up blood.

"Kid, you don't even seem to have Haki. Yet you thought you could take me. Now, if I had actually drawn my sword for that attack, you would be dead."

Princip turned around and started to walk away.

"You're lucky I don't kill anyone without good reason. I used to only kill for money. But now, I seek a higher goal. I seek utopia."

"You… bastard…" Schwarz coughed.

Schwarz spawned a hole under himself, then one above and behind Princip. He dropped through, sword drawn, but Princip sidestepped and drew his sword. As Schwarz fell, Princip impaled him through the side.

"Stop struggling, child," he said. "Accept your fate that you weren't able to beat me this time. Maybe next time you'll have better luck."

Schwarz did nothing but cough up blood as he was impaled on the sword. He couldn't even call Princip a bastard.

Princip withdrew his sword, wiped the blood off, and sheathed it, and let Schwarz fall to the ground.

"One last word of advice," he said. "Try to be more creative with your Devil Fruit. Your attacks were pathetically predictable."

Worldwide Smoke vs. Minus World, battle of Shahar Royal Palace

Winner: Sirhan Princip

—-

At the northern edge of the island, at the base of the mountains, a massive ship dropped anchor. It looked like a floating castle, bearing the words "Die Gleichheit" in huge, golden letters on each side. On its mast was a red sail bearing the logo of the World Government (a cross with circles on each point and in the center) with a huge line drawn through it. Countless red flags flew on the ship, bearing the initials "MW" written in gold, along with a set of golden gears crossed with a wrench.

Soldiers dressed in red filed off the ship in an orderly fashion, with gear-shaped hats and MW emblazoned on their uniforms in gold. They were soon followed by a massive man clad in black armor with a red and gold cape and a sword at his hip. He stood ten feet tall, with a brown goatee and metal band around the top of his head, mostly hidden by shaggy brown hair. On his wrists were black gauntlets, along with what looked like broken sea-prism stone handcuffs. He descended from the ship followed by a young woman with long brown hair in a pink, blood red, and gold dress. She had a gear and wrench charm in her hair.

"Brother! I vanna kill somevon today!" she exclaimed joyfully in a childlike, but still clearly adult, voice.

"Only if you are good, Rusila. Ve must make our appearance known to ze vorld today, but ve shall only kill vhen necessary," said the man in a deep, imposing voice.

"Brother! I! Vanna! Kill!" Rusila whined.

"Rusila, you vill behave yourself. If you vhine like zat any furzer, you vill not kill anyvon."

Rusila nodded, then giggled gleefully.

One of the soldiers approached the man in black armor and bowed. "Lord Balthasar! We have confirmation that the agitation force led by Prince Barabar has entered the city! They're slaughtering everyone in sight!"

Balthasar von Esens crossed his arms and sighed. "My orders to him vere clear. He vas supposed to kill only ze army und convert ze citizens to our cause, not murder all of zem. God vill not be pleased."

"Sir! How shall we cross this mountain?" the soldier asked.

"If it iss God's vill, my faith und my blade shall move it."

He drew his sword, knelt down, and bowed his head.

"Lord, if it iss your vill, grant me ze strength to move zis mountain," he prayed.

Von Esens stood up again and brandished his sword. He made a single swipe, and the mountain was sliced in two.

The soldiers began to panic as it started sliding toward them and the ship. Tens of thousands of tons of rock and snow began hurtling towards them.

Then, with a single hand, Von Esens caught the mountain at its base. He grabbed with both hands, and with all his might, lifted the mountain over his head and threw it into the sea, creating a colossal splash that almost capsized the ship, the Spirit of Liberty.

The soldiers stood in awe. Rusila was more interested in a passing butterfly.

Von Esens sheathed his sword and clasped his hands in prayer.

"My Lord, I sank you for your blessings. May you have mercy on ze people of ze Panipuri Kingdom today. Amen."

TO BE CONTINUED