Luffy's eyes tracked the spinning cannonball as it arced overhead.
His pupils narrowed.
The angle was wrong.
"That's not for us," he muttered.
Usopp followed his gaze and felt his chest tighten. "The tunnel entrance—!"
Before he could finish, Luffy vanished.
Shadow Step cracked beneath his boots, and his body split into streaked afterimages. The wind tore around him as he launched upward toward the falling projectile.
The moment before impact stretched. Luffy twisted, shadows rippling around his arm as he punched upward.
A deep thud echoed across the plaza.
The cannonball exploded.
The air recoiled with a sharp blast. Sand lifted in a swirling vortex, blinding all nearby. The shockwave rippled outward, cracking tiles, shaking beams, and shattering the already-unstable arch near the tunnel mouth.
Chunks of stone rained down, followed by a grinding rumble.
The tunnel entrance collapsed.
Below, the quake thundered through the tight tunnels. Dust poured in from cracks above.
Sanji's arms shielded Vivi as the ceiling shook violently. Pebbles thudded against his back. He exhaled sharply, bracing her against the slope of the tunnel wall.
The chaos faded slowly.
"Vivi? You alright?" he asked, his voice rough.
Vivi coughed, brushing dust from her lips. "I think so…"
They both looked up.
The faint light from the surface was gone.
Only darkness and settling dust remained.
Vivi's voice was tight. "The exit…"
Sanji stood, brushing grit off his jacket. "They sealed it."
"We're trapped."
"Then we dig out after we win."
He offered her a hand. She took it.
Above, Usopp stared in shock at the buried entrance. "They're trapped…"
A beat of silence passed. His fingers trembled on his slingshot.
Luffy placed a hand on his shoulder. "We keep fighting. They trust us."
Usopp nodded, teeth clenched.
A laugh cut through the tension—soft and sing-song.
"Oh ho~ So many brave little bugs~ I wonder how long until I squish another?"
Miss Merry Christmas's voice floated up from the earth itself, echoing eerily as if it crawled along the roots of the city.
Usopp jumped, heart pounding. "She's circling!"
Luffy's gaze sharpened. "Watch her rhythm."
Zoro grunted as Mr. 4's bat came swinging again.
The impact of metal against stone was like a church bell—massive, slow, but earth-shaking. Zoro parried, but the force still shoved him back. Cracks spidered beneath his feet.
He adjusted his stance, jaw clenched.
"His swings are slow—but heavier than they look."
Another thud behind them.
Usopp whipped around. The ground was bulging.
Miss Merry burst out, claws gleaming.
Usopp fired.
A triple-shot exploded from his slingshot—one ink, one pepper, one smoke.
The combination slammed into her face.
She shrieked as her parasol was knocked from her hand, spinning into the dirt.
"Ewwwwww! You filthy pest!"
She retreated underground with a hiss.
Usopp gasped, staring at his own slingshot. "I… I actually hit her again?"
Luffy gave a half-smile. "Good. Now keep it up."
In the tunnels, Sanji placed his palm against the dirt wall. The vibrations pulsed faintly—footsteps above. Cannonballs. Voices.
"They're still close," he muttered. "We're right under them."
Vivi nodded. "Then we flank them from below."
Sanji smirked. "Let's bury the mole."
Miss Merry surfaced again, slashing at open air. Usopp was already gone—ducking behind a stone arch.
He fired again—this time, a gooey star that hit her parasol and glued it shut mid-spin.
"No fair!" she screeched. "These aren't even approved projectiles!"
Nearby, Lassoo barked, muzzle steaming.
He launched.
The cannonball spun into the sky, trailing smoke and glinting in the orange light.
Usopp watched its arc.
"One… two…"
Down below, Sanji crouched beside Vivi.
"She's watching the cycle. Three seconds."
"Ready?" she asked.
He didn't answer.
He just pushed off the ground.
Lassoo's cannonball hung for a beat at the peak of its curve—
—then began its descent.
Aboveground, Mr. 4 raised his bat high, stepping toward Zoro for a finishing blow.
Usopp shouted, "NOW!"
The earth cracked.
A column of sand burst upward in a golden spray—
—and from beneath it, Sanji's foot shot up like a missile.
The flames around his heel glowed in the falling sun.
His leg connected with the underside of Mr. 4's jaw—
[End of Chapter 126]
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