Chapter 47: The Further They Chase, the Farther Away?
"Let's go, Vivi," Nami called out, her voice firm.
"They are really strong. We have to trust everyone. Let's continue towards the Royal Palace."
"Okay, I understand," Vivi nodded resolutely, turning to continue running towards the palace.
Meanwhile, up ahead, Luffy, whose head had been sent flying earlier, glared down furiously at Mr. 4 below.
His neck rapidly contracted, and his head shot downwards like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, crashing forcefully towards his opponent.
"Gum-Gum Bell!"
The next moment, two foreheads collided, ringing out with a loud impact like a giant temple bell.
BANG!!
Mr. 4's massive standing figure recoiled as if struck by a heavy hammer, his head snapping back instantly. Broken teeth flew out with a spray of blood, and his eyes rolled white as he nearly lost consciousness.
"Mr. 4!"
Ms. Merry Christmas, hidden underground and still gripping Luffy's feet, cried out in alarm. Reacting quickly, she gritted her teeth and pulled hard with both arms, dragging Luffy down into the earth.
Thump!
Luffy was slammed hard into the hole, kicking up a cloud of dust, firmly stuck in the opening like a nail hammered into the ground.
Simultaneously, the nearly collapsed Mr. 4's pupils refocused. He forcefully took a step forward to stabilize himself, lowering his head to glare angrily at Luffy.
Mr. 4's physical constitution was incredibly tough; he hadn't gone down even after taking Luffy's headbutt directly.
"Bastard!" Gritting his teeth, Mr. 4 shouldered his heavy cannon, aiming the dark muzzle directly at Luffy trapped in the hole.
Seeing the heavy cannon aimed at him, a drop of cold sweat trickled down Luffy's forehead.
He tried struggling free but found himself stuck fast, beginning to panic and yell,
"Hey, wait a minute! Let me out!"
"What the— Hey, wait!"
However, what shot out from Mr. 4's bazooka wasn't a cannonball, but with a 'pop', out came...
A dog's head? (Lassoo).
No, seriously?
We're in the middle of a fight, dude.
Are you playing for laughs? Reiner thought speechlessly.
Behind him, the Red Ogre summon assumed the posture of an athlete about to throw a javelin. The long spear was held level with the ground over its shoulder as it took a powerful step forward.
Its bone-white arm gripped the spear tightly, twisting as it gathered power, emanating a majestic and terrifying aura.
RUMBLE!!!
A deafening roar like a dragon's cry tore through the air as the spear in the Red Ogre's hand shot forth explosively, ripping through the air and creating a momentary vacuum track.
Just as the dog head at the front of Mr. 4's bazooka was about to spit out a baseball bomb, the spear, like a meteor streaking across the sky, carrying immense force, slammed violently into his massive torso.
BANG!
WHAM! His entire body, pierced through, instantly twisted, flying sideways and smashing hard through several walls, stirring up billowing clouds of thick smoke.
The tremendous noise drew everyone's attention, all eyes turning towards Mr. 4's direction.
As the dust settled, revealing the scene within, all the Baroque Works agents couldn't help but show expressions of fear.
Mr. 4's huge body was pinned to a wall like a side of cured meat hanging to dry, eyes rolled back, blood trickling down his body. His status was unknown – alive or dead.
A Haki user this terrifying!
The way the Baroque Works agents looked at the Blue Ogre changed completely.
No one attempted to bypass their opponents to pursue Reiner's group anymore; instead, they each focused their attention intently on the enemy directly before them.
As they fought, they seemed to drift further and further away from Reiner's group.
"Looks like no one wants to chase us anymore," Nami blinked. "Let's just head straight to the palace like this."
Aside from Zoro fighting Daz Bonez and Sanji fighting Bon Kurei, the other officers were tied up by Reiner's Katana and Chainsaw Devils.
"What were you doing, Luffy!?" Reiner asked helplessly, grabbing Luffy's neck with both hands and forcefully pulling him out of the hole.
"Hahaha! Almost got blown up! Thanks, Reiner!" Luffy grinned cheekily, unconcerned.
Give me a break. If that could kill you, you wouldn't have survived this long.
However...
"You're being too careless, Luffy," Reiner sighed.
"Crocodile is strong. He's an enemy we must take seriously. Don't be so foolish again later."
Reiner had spent considerable effort preparing for the battle with Crocodile, and even so, he didn't feel victory was guaranteed.
Luffy, on the other hand, had sailed too smoothly since setting out, without experiencing any major setbacks.
Reiner hoped Luffy's fearlessness stemmed from the courage to face difficulties head-on, the determination to persevere even after failure, and not just the naive audacity of a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger.
"Ah... sorry." Hearing this, Luffy also dropped his playful expression and responded seriously:
"I understand, Reiner. Let's keep going."
The group continued towards the Royal Palace without stopping. The capital city was huge. Reiner created several horse templates, summoning them directly for the crew to ride.
Back where they were, Zoro and Sanji remained to face Daz Bonez and Bon Kurei.
The Katana Devil and Chainsaw Devil summons took off in pursuit of Miss Doublefinger and Miss Merry Christmas.
Arriving at the Royal Palace, Vivi led Reiner and the others through as if it were uninhabited territory, heading straight for the center.
All the guards recognized the long-missing princess at a glance and offered no resistance. Soon, the group arrived outside the central main hall of the palace.
"Princess Vivi!"
An urgent voice called from above. The group looked up to see a giant falcon diving down from the sky, wearing a long sword and clad in a white robe.
"That big bird can talk?"
"Is it an enemy?!" Luffy immediately prepared to fight.
"Don't worry, everyone! Pell is the Vice Commander of the Royal Guard!" Vivi quickly explained.
The giant falcon landed and transformed into human form. He wore a white turban, his clothes adorned with purple cross patterns, and two lines tattooed from his forehead down past his eyes.
"Where is Father, Pell? Is he alright?" Vivi rushed forward anxiously.
Seeing the princess's urgency, Pell's face filled with guilt. He dropped to his knees with a thud. "Princess Vivi... His Majesty... he... he's missing!"
Pell pressed his hands firmly onto the ground, then looked up abruptly, shouting:
"I'm sorry, Princess! It's all my fault! I failed to protect His Majesty! I'm sorry!"
"How could this happen... Father, he..." Vivi stood frozen on the spot, staring blankly at Pell, her eyes vacant.
She hadn't expected Crocodile would dare to barge directly into the Royal Palace and target the King himself. Reiner's prediction had come true.
Luffy and the others were at a loss for what to do. Luffy was good at fighting, but he had no idea how to help with a disappearance.
"Emmm... Vivi, they should still be nearby."
Reiner spoke quietly. The Blue and Red Ogres, radiating Observation Haki, had sensed several figures nearby, but on a different level from everyone else.
"Right near us... slightly west and below. Is there some kind of underground crypt or secret room?"
"To the west is the Royal Tomb... As for underground... I don't know."
"Worth trying to break through the floor, right?"
"Yes! As long as we can find Father! Even the slightest possibility is worth it!" Vivi replied decisively.
"Yosh! In that case—"
Luffy stepped forward directly. Before the Blue and Red Ogres could act, he swung his leg high into the sky, then rapidly contracted it, smashing it furiously downwards.
"Gum-Gum... Battle Axe!"
BANG—!
The furious blow slammed directly into the floor, causing a huge tremor. Cracks instantly spiderwebbed out from the point of impact, spreading rapidly across a large area of the open ground.
"Wait, wait!"
"Luffy, you idiot!"
BOOM!!!
A deafening crash echoed as the floor shattered. Nami and Usopp's screams were mixed in as the ground beneath them began to collapse amidst violent vibrations.
Reacting with quick eyes and fast hands, Reiner grabbed Usopp and Nami beside him, one in each arm, just before they fell. Chopper leaped onto his shoulder, clinging tightly to his head.
Pell transformed into his animal form, catching Vivi just before she fell. Everyone began to plummet downwards.
"AHHH!!!"
The screams of the Weakling Trio echoed through the air.
"My eyes, Chopper! You're covering my eyes, damn it!!"
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