The dying light cast long shadows over Yuba's shattered plaza. The air hung still, not a sound stirring—until the crunch of footsteps echoed from the dunes.
From the ridge above, a hulking figure appeared first.
Mr. 4.
Each step he took sank deep into the sand, the massive iron bat dragging behind him like a ship anchor. The weight of him seemed to shake the silence itself. His eyes were half-lidded, as though nothing around him truly registered. His striped cloak fluttered once in the wind, then fell still.
Beside him, laughter chimed unnaturally.
Miss Merry Christmas twirled her parasol as she bounded down the slope, her feet tapping delicately like a child skipping rope. Her voice sang into the air, mismatched with the dread her presence brought.
"Princess Vivi~ Playing in the ruins, are we~?"
The parasol's sharp-tipped edges glinted crimson in the setting sun. Her eyes narrowed with glee.
A low rumble followed.
The sand just behind them cracked and surged as Lassoo burst from below, muzzle-first. The absurd creature—a cannon-gun that had eaten a dog Zoan fruit—barked gleefully, steam pulsing from his mechanical snout.
Sanji's eyes hardened. "So they really brought out the freak show."
"I'm not ready for a dog that's also a bazooka," Usopp whimpered.
Miss Merry Christmas bowed theatrically. "Correction! A gun that ate a dog—and a very good boy, aren't you, Lassoo?"
Lassoo barked.
Then launched a cannonball.
It shrieked through the air.
Zoro's voice cut sharp. "Scatter!"
The plaza erupted. The cannonball struck just left of the dried fountain, exploding with a thunderous blast that tore through sand and stone. Shards of ruined masonry flew in every direction, pelting the surrounding buildings and shaking loose a wooden overhang.
Nami ducked behind a collapsed stall, heart pounding. Heat from the explosion passed over her like a slap.
Sanji flipped mid-air over the next cannonball, gritting his teeth as Mr. 4 raised the bat for another swing.
The bat fell with a crushing BOOM, creating a fresh crater where Sanji had stood seconds ago. The shockwave cracked the plaza stones, sending a tremor through the sand.
"He's too strong to block!" Sanji spat.
Luffy moved in a flash, Shadow Step activating beneath his feet with a low hum. The sand kicked up in twin spirals as he surged forward toward Lassoo.
He cocked his arm.
But the ground gave a warning tremble.
His system flickered.
[ENVIRONMENTAL SHIFT – PROXIMITY: 3M]
Luffy's instinct flared.
Miss Merry Christmas burst from below, claws first. She rammed into him mid-stride, sending him flying into a crumbling column. Dust exploded from the impact as he skidded across the plaza, groaning.
"I hate moles," he muttered, getting back to his feet.
Usopp ducked behind cover, holding his slingshot shakily. "Can we maybe—run?"
Vivi stood next to him, eyes hard. "We can't. If we do, they'll follow us straight to Katorea."
She stepped forward.
Another cannonball came screaming toward them. She pivoted, peacock slashers flashing in the light.
CLANG.
She split it clean in two, the halves exploding mid-air behind her.
Usopp's jaw dropped. "You sliced a cannonball?!"
"I've trained too," she replied, eyes never leaving the enemy.
Zoro's clash with Mr. 4 rang across the square—his blades deflecting the bat's brute weight, each strike forcing him back several steps. The ground broke beneath their feet, dust clouding every movement.
Miss Merry Christmas reappeared beside Lassoo.
"Formation Three!" she giggled.
The dog barked and launched two cannonballs—one arcing high, one skipping low.
The high one Luffy punched aside, his shadow erupting with the impact. The low one Sanji deflected with a swift spinning kick into a broken wall.
"We're not breaking them apart like this," Zoro growled. "They're moving like a choreographed circus act."
"They're too synced," Nami shouted from cover. "We need to disrupt their timing!"
Luffy's eyes narrowed. "Above and below… They hit in cycles."
Another tremor rippled beneath the square.
Sand spiraled.
Vivi stepped forward—too close to the center.
Luffy turned. "Vivi—back!"
Too late.
The sand collapsed beneath her in an instant, as if the desert exhaled and swallowed.
"VIVI!" Sanji shouted, sprinting.
Her scream echoed as she disappeared below the plaza.
[End of Chapter 124]
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