As Alex and his comrades, along with the Straw Hats, leave their hiding place—with a symbolic bandage attached to each of their arms—they are greeted by the seven super spot-billed ducks, who quickly approach them.

Alex can’t help but stare at them: each one a fat, yellow duck, and every single one of them wearing a hat and at least some clothing. They differ not only in height, weight, and general appearance, but each has a radically different clothing style.

Fat, uncute wannabe Chocobos…. Hard pass on that. Who would want to ride them?

Princess Jewel wants to eat them. They look juicy.

Stop it... not now. I’ll buy you the juiciest chicken once we’re back, and I’ll even personally cook it for you and feed you if you just behave.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Princess Jewel will be perfectly obedient!

“I need to find Koza!” Vivi yells, sounding nervous, her hands slightly shaking. “Karoo! Please help me. The others need to help as well.”

The ducks all quack and salute, almost acting like soldiers.

“This is most perplexing,” Benezia comments.

“Yeah… these ducks are weird,” Tereza adds, her face twitching slightly.

“I was not talking about the ducks. The atmosphere. Don’t you hear it?”

“I am not hearing anything and my SNS is quite high,” Tereza shoots back, not understanding.”

“Exactly... despite the impending danger, the city is eerily silent,” Benezia explains. “You can feel the tension in the air—a war is about to break out. This is quite the unscientific phenomenon, isn’t it, my children?”

Menchi shrugs. “That is true... what a shame I can’t help. Guess I’m doomed to spectate from the sidelines. Maybe I’ll act as a messenger, which should barely be within the rules.”

“Try it out, but be careful, ok?” Alex says, cautiously encouraging her.

“What do we do now?!” Nami asks nervously.

“We act according to the plan, girl,” Benezia states, her voice now a little forceful. “Before the rebel army arrives, we get into position. It’s not clear where the fight will take place. You might believe it’s outside the city, but we can’t be sure. Whatever happens, it is vital that we stop the Officer Agents from interfering. We act according to our plan at any cost. We have contingency plans, and I expect each and every one of you to follow them.”

“Yes!” Nami, Chopper, Usopp, and Sanji mutter, while Luffy looks confused, rubbing his head.

“What was the plan again?” he wonders, wearing a hopelessly silly face.

“You need to focus on your task,” Alex reminds him. “You know… take down a certain… reptile.”

“Reptile?” Luffy asks, his expression empty.

This hurts my brain....

“Who do you want to beat up, huh?!” Alex snaps at him, his annoyance shining through.

“Crocodile!” Luffy suddenly remembers. “I’ll beat him up!”

“Indeed…” Alex comments slowly.

I am not sure if I should be pleased or pissed off….

“But where is Crocodile?” Vivi asks nervously. “He might already be in the palace, but this is not confirmed… he could be anywhere in this city. He could arrive with the other Baroque Works agents.... He was in Rainbase and in Yuba… where is he now?”

“I have an idea…” Alex says, grinning, taking out the familiar Den Den Mushi, which he frequently used to communicate with the organisation. “Please be silent. We can’t give our opponent any information.”

Slightly tensing up, Alex makes the call. It takes a few painful seconds that feel like an eternity before the line connects.

“This better be important… I’ve given you all clear instructions. Who is it?” a deep, calm, yet aggressive and hostile-sounding voice echoes through the phone.

“Heh, you sound rather stressed. I heard stress is bad for your health, and we all want you to remain healthy… I heard the hide of a sick crocodile loses quite a bit of its value if it’s roughed up. I’ll need you well-fed and healthy when I slowly peel off your skin from your body, before I drain your blood into a bowl, remove your bones, and cut down your meat into convenient portion-sized bits,” Alex says, his face filled with a hint of madness.

“So cool!” Luffy yells from the side.

“Shut up!” Usopp and Nami yell, grabbing him from behind and desperately trying to gag him by pressing their hands over his mouth.

“Mr. 6… no. Butcher. It sounds like you managed to group up with an annoying piece of trash I thought I killed a while ago. Not that it matters. I’ve been told about you… it looks like you intended to betray the organisation from the very beginning. So the information about Pluton was a lie as well. You’ll pay for your treachery.”

“I can offer you a middle finger—you seem to lack one, how about that?” Alex counters.

“You may taunt me as much as you like—I’ll be the one having the last laugh,” Crocodile replies coldly.

“How about you tell me where I can hear that laugh in person?” Alex asks, his voice shifting into amused mockery. “I’m sure a mighty Warlord with such an impressive former bounty—an astounding 81 Million Belly—is not scared of a poor, underpaid subordinate like me, right? I’m not even an Officer Agent, just a mere Frontier Agent. My crew and I are completely harmless. It’s not like my cute pet spider has a higher bounty than you.”

Princess Jewel is not only worth more Belly and is at least a thousand times cuter than this Peasant Crocodile!

Alex hears silence on the other end, yet the Den Den Mushi is now incredibly angry, biting its lips.

“Very good…” Crocodile finally says.

I need to rile him up even more, time to go all out... remember the toxic days of flaming on Dota 2 and CS 1.6.

“Tell me where the fuck you are, you pathetic lowlife, and I’ll end this quickly,” Alex yells, now angry himself, stomping on the ground. “Don’t waste my time, loser! Trash like you, who got their asses kicked by a sick elderly Whitebeard and have now fled to Paradise like a pathetic loser, is not even worth my time. Come on, small fry! I know you are scared, but let me finish it quickly, so you don’t have to suffer so long. Where the fuck are you hiding, you pussy?! Tell me where the fuck you are!”

Alex hears a loud sound in the background, like something snapping in half.

Did he just break his table?

“I’ll enjoy drying you up… you have just committed the worst mistake of your life,” Crocodile says, suddenly ending the call.

“FUCK!” Alex yells angrily, drawing his [Executioner’s Blade R2] and cutting through the air, wind pressure emanating from his attack, causing Nami’s and Vivi’s hair to go completely wild. “He didn’t fall for the bait.”

As he turns around, he sees the shocked faces of the Straw Hats—with the exception of Luffy, who’s staring at him with sparkling eyes.

“…I guess there is a reason for that insanely high bounty on your head,” Sanji mutters, a drop of sweat pouring down his face.

“That sword…” Zoro whispers, staring at the deadly sharp [Executioner’s Blade R2]. “You are a swordsman indeed... when this is over, you owe me a spar.”

Nami suddenly steps closer to Alex and smiles deviously, her eyes full of greed. “So, despite your strength and confidence… you are still so kind to me and don’t even get angry. Did you really fall for me? Say, if you give me a couple million Belly, I might be willing to go on a date with you. A strong captain like you must be rich.”

Begone Thot!

Jewel, suddenly enraged, covers Nami with her web, causing her to stumble backwards and fall to the ground, desperately trying to free herself.

“Help! The damn spider attacked me… and she also insulted me! She can talk?!” Nami screams in confusion.

“Jewel… stop it, we really need to address this after the mission…” Alex mutters, trying his best to hide his smirk.

That was funny… but how could Jewel ruin this chance for me?! Nami is a total hottie... this is such a tragedy, I would have paid a couple million to... well, forget it.

“Anyway, we have no choice but to trust our instinct. We know his goal, so I’d say we should search and look for him at the palace… Benezia, any idea?” Alex asks, keeping his tone firm.

“You missed the single hint he provided,” Benezia points out. “He broke some piece of furniture in anger, meaning he is not traveling but waiting. Now, human, what does that imply?”

“Human?” Nami wonders, still removing the last bits of web from her body.

“He… is already close to his goal, and just waiting before he can make his move?” Alex reasons, looking slightly unsure.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Tereza nods, agreeing with him.

Alex nods back at her. “The castle it is then… let’s get this started, we don’t have much time.”

He then briefly hugs Menchi and Tereza, both of them smiling sweetly and returning the hug, Tereza gripping him tightly, while Menchi playfully ruffles his hair. He even approaches the stern-looking Benezia, who reluctantly allows Alex to hug her as well.

“I’m so jealous…” Sanji says, crying loudly.

“Take care of yourselves… I mean it,” Alex says, his face now dead serious. Finally, he takes Jewel from his head.

“Use the grenades I’ve given you… we all depend on you. Always prioritize your survival,” Alex reminds Jewel. “This is an order, Jewel. If you disobey, I’ll get really angry, and I mean it. You are already on thin ice because of all the stunts you pulled this mission, despite your incredible achievements. Get back safely, and we’ll talk some more. Is that understood?”

Princess Jewel understands… Soulmate should have kept more than just the three Grenades with him. Please be careful until Princess Jewel finishes off any Peasant enemies, fulfills her task, and then backs up Soulmate.

“I’ll be fine, you and Tereza need the others,” Alex says, looking at Luffy. “Let’s move. Mission start!”

“Remember everyone…” Tereza says, raising her voice, her wand drawn and put to her throat to amplify her voice. “The Officer agents are not our only enemies! Some strangers, much like ourselves, have strange and unique abilities. Be very careful and trust no one who doesn’t have the mark! This entire Kingdom depends on it. I’ll be supervising everyone and may transport some of you to quickly back up whoever may need it.”

“Good, let’s look for Crocodile,” Alex orders. “He should already be close to the palace, but I’m not sure. Depending on the situation, we might have to leave. Tereza, if any of you spot him, you know what to do, right? Also, Luffy, be ready to beat up anyone in our way—Baroque Works agents, rebels, or even soldiers.”

“No problem,” Luffy replies with a grin, cracking his knuckles.

“Let me at least give you a lift,” Tereza offers. “I’ll drop you on top of the palace so you don’t have to get into it through the front. That’ll save you a lot of time and effort. I’ll catch up with the others quick enough.”

“How are you gonna do that?” Zoro asks, staring at her.

Not seeing a need to reply, Tereza quickly transforms into her full bat form, screeching loudly.

Everyone steps back, shocked at the sight.

“That’s scary…” Usopp mutters.

“I agree…” Nami adds. “These people are monsters.”

Alex gently jumps into the air, landing on top of her back.

“Thank you… let’s celebrate once we’re back,” he whispers, gently caressing her back.

Meanwhile, Luffy—smiling wildly—follows after him, also jumping onto Tereza’s back.

“Be more careful, idiot!” Sanji yells angrily. “How disrespectful can you be to a beautiful lady?!”

Just seconds later, Tereza lifts off into the air, quickly flying through the city, the palace already in sight.

“Approach it from the back, the side next to the outer city wall,” Alex reminds her.

“Crocodile!!!” Luffy suddenly yells. “I’ll beat you up!”

Fucking idiot… announce our entry to the entire world, will you?!