Mr. 4 suddenly emerged from the hole, gripping his massive bat. With a powerful swing, he sent the white baseball hurtling toward Chopper and Jango.
The two immediately dodged.
Boom!
The baseball exploded upon impact behind them.
Chopper's face paled. "That white ball explodes?! As expected of you, Jango! If you hadn't warned me, I might've been hit!"
Jango's eyes widened as well. "What's with that dog? Why does it look like a cannon? And that baseball just now—it exploded! Could it be some kind of Devil Fruit power?"
But, of course, their enemies weren't about to give them any answers.
Miss Merry Christmas kept digging, rapidly turning the battlefield into a maze of deep holes.
Jango seized an opportunity and hurled a spinning buzz saw at her, but Miss Merry Christmas was quick—she dived into a hole before the attack could land.
"Jango, what do we do?" Chopper asked, feeling uneasy.
Jango didn't hesitate. "Chopper, stop asking so many questions during a fight! If you're a man, you have to fight with courage! Do what you can—I'll handle the rest. Got it?"
Chopper nodded. "Got it, Jango-senpai!"
With that, he transformed into his reindeer form and charged straight at Mr. 4. But before he could land a hit, Mr. 4 simply dropped into another hole and vanished.
At that moment, the dachshund cannon let out another sneeze—
Whoosh!
Another white baseball shot out, flying toward Chopper. At the same time, Mr. 4 popped out from underground and swung his bat at the ball, aiming directly at Chopper.
Chopper's eyes lit up with determination. He shifted into his human form and threw a punch.
But before his fist could connect, Mr. 4 disappeared underground again, making Chopper's attack miss completely.
Jango, meanwhile, easily sidestepped the flying baseball. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Miss Merry Christmas emerging from a hole right behind Chopper, preparing for a sneak attack.
"Tch! Not happening!"
Jango swiftly flung two buzz saws toward her.
Miss Merry Christmas's instincts kicked in. She heard the sharp whirring sound and immediately turned her head. Her face twisted in alarm as she dove back into her hole just in time to avoid the attack.
But if she thought Jango's attack was that simple—she was dead wrong.
Jango smirked and effortlessly caught the returning saws with one hand.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The dachshund cannon sneezed again, firing three more explosive baseballs.
Mr. 4 shot out from underground, moving through three different holes in rapid succession. In the blink of an eye, he swung his bat and launched one of the baseballs straight at Chopper.
Chopper's expression hardened. He had no choice—
He bit down on a Rumble Ball.
"Jump Point—Boost!"
"Brain Point—Boost!"
Chopper leaped into the air, scanning Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas with sharp eyes. With a quick analysis, he identified their weak points.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas, along with their dachshund gun, kept launching explosive baseballs, creating continuous blasts across the battlefield.
Chopper and Jango barely managed to dodge in time.
"Now, Jango!"
Chopper suddenly shouted.
Jango instantly understood, adjusting his glasses with a sly grin.
"One, two—hypnotize!"
With a snap of his fingers, his hypnosis took effect.
At that exact moment, the dachshund cannon fired another white baseball, and Mr. 4 had just emerged from a hole. The ball was flying straight toward him—
But suddenly, Mr. 4 was shoved forward out of the hole!
His eyes widened in shock as he turned to see who pushed him.
It was Miss Merry Christmas.
But something was wrong—her eyes were dazed and unfocused.
Jango chuckled. "You saw my buzz saw, but you didn't notice my hypnosis! This was exactly what I was waiting for!"
BOOM!
The white baseball struck Miss Merry Christmas right in the face, sending her flying.
"Arm Boost—Carved Hoof: Sakura Blossom!"
Taking advantage of Mr. 4's moment of confusion, Chopper jumped onto his head and delivered a devastating blow to his face. The impact knocked Mr. 4 out cold.
With that, the Chopper & Jango duo completely defeated Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas!
"Jango, we did it!" Chopper cheered, his excitement overflowing. This was his first time teaming up with a partner in battle, and he hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
But he also knew the victory was largely thanks to Jango's hypnosis. When analyzing their enemies' weaknesses earlier, Chopper had noticed that Jango had successfully hypnotized Miss Merry Christmas, which turned the fight in their favor.
"Jango, your hypnosis is amazing!" Chopper praised.
Jango smirked. "Heh, it's nothing. You did great too, Chopper! You were the real MVP this time!" he said, playfully ruffling Chopper's fur.
Truthfully, Jango hadn't taken this fight very seriously—he didn't see Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas as real threats, so he barely needed to act. In hindsight, he almost wished he had stayed behind with Carl to help block Akainu, like Usopp. That would've been a much more exciting battle.
With their enemies defeated, the reindeer and the hypnotist made their way back into the city—where they ran into Law, Sanji, and Nami.
It seemed that everyone finished their battles around the same time.
Before long, Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin returned as well.
"Phew! It's way too hot! Captain, let's hurry up and get out of here, or we'll be roasted alive!" Bepo complained, looking exhausted.
"I agree, Bepo!" Chopper chimed in.
Law glanced at his crew and confirmed that the three of them had successfully defeated all the Baroque Works millions stationed outside the city. He nodded in satisfaction.
"Let's head to the palace," Nami suggested. "We should help Vivi!"
No one objected. Without wasting time, they all rushed toward the palace.
Meanwhile, with Vivi—
Thanks to Karoo and Lash, Vivi had no trouble making her way through the city.
The millions who tried to block her path—whether in groups or through sneak attacks—were all stopped effortlessly by Lash alone.
With a single swipe of his claws, the enemy would collapse instantly!
Even bullets couldn't pierce Lash's thick fur!
With such protection, Vivi rode Karoo toward the palace without any hesitation.
By the time she arrived, the rebel army had already surrounded the palace. Though fighting had broken out between the rebels and the palace guards, it wasn't an all-out war yet.
Rather than trying to storm the palace, the rebels were applying pressure—trying to force the king to come out.
Within the rebel ranks, several individuals exchanged knowing glances and gave subtle nods to one another.
They were undercover Revolutionary Army members.
Originally, they had planned to withdraw from the battle entirely, but after receiving Sabo's orders, they focused on delaying the rebels' advance instead.
Although the war had inevitably begun, their efforts had significantly slowed its escalation.
Moreover, their arguments had influenced the rebel leaders—convincing them that their lives were also precious.
If they could force King Nefertari Cobra to abdicate without unnecessary bloodshed, it would be the best outcome for everyone.
These ideas gained traction, earning support and agreement from many rebels.
After all, why had they revolted in the first place?
Because they believed the king had used Dance Powder, causing droughts in the other regions of Alabasta. The people were desperate—so they took up arms in rebellion.
But their goal was simple: to remove the Nefertari family and elect a new leader who would restore the country.
Now, with 200,000 rebels surrounding the nearly defenseless palace, they were certain the royal family would surrender.
If the king refused? Then, and only then, would they fight.
When Vivi arrived, she saw the entire palace surrounded.
The initial clash had resulted in some casualties, but far fewer than expected.
Vivi exhaled in relief before urging Karoo toward a higher vantage point.
She took a deep breath—
Then, with a firm and commanding voice, she shouted:
"Citizens of Alabasta, listen to me! I am Nefertari Vivi!"
At the same time, she revealed her face—one that almost every citizen in the kingdom recognized.
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