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The sounds of battle in the city grew quieter and quieter as the remaining members of Baroque Works were systematically defeated by Luffy and the others.
At that moment, the Revolutionary Army, led by Koza, finally entered the city.
Koza felt a wave of relief upon learning that the so-called "monsters" and pirates wreaking havoc in the city were actually his allies.
After all, the reports he'd gathered painted a picture of utter chaos. The battle had been intense, and the destruction caused by those "monsters" had left one-third of Rainbase in ruins.
However, the blame didn't lie entirely with Luffy and Ace. The real issue was the civilians. Many of them had recklessly stayed behind, eager to watch the commotion.
Rainbase was no stranger to trouble, but such incidents typically ended with Crocodile arriving as the supposed "hero," defeating the perpetrators in dramatic fashion. The civilians would cheer and applaud, and Crocodile would return triumphantly to the central casino.
But this time, things were different. Crocodile was gone, defeated and handcuffed with Seastone by Tashigi and the Marines. Without their "hero," the civilians had been caught in the chaos of Luffy and Ace's large-scale rampage.
When Ace and Luffy noticed the rebels entering the city, accompanied by Mewtwo Sabo and Ikki flying above them, they knew the battle was finally over.
With the rebels now in control, things became much simpler. Koza led his forces to round up the unconscious Baroque Works agents scattered throughout the city.
The more notable agents—like Mr. 1, Miss Doublefinger, Mr. 4, and Miss Merry Christmas—were placed under Koza's personal watch to ensure they wouldn't escape.
After the city had been secured, Luffy regrouped with Ikki and the rest of their companions.
Sanji and Nami both stared at Luffy in shock when they saw his current form.
"What… what happened to you?!" Nami exclaimed, her wide eyes fixed on Luffy's new four-armed appearance.
Luffy, oblivious to their disbelief, struck a series of exaggerated poses to show off. "Pretty cool, right? I've got four arms now!" he said proudly.
"Enough of that," Ikki interrupted, shaking his head. "Where's Psyduck?"
Usopp stepped forward with a grin. "Psyduck and Bon Clay are waiting for us at a desert tavern outside the city."
"Good. Let's go find them. We need to fix Luffy and Ace before anything else," Ikki replied firmly.
And so, the group—minus Cobra and Vivi—set off for the tavern outside Rainbase.
Because the tavern was located outside the city, it had remained largely unaffected by the destruction. In fact, it had become more lively as civilians fled from Rainbase, seeking refuge and entertainment.
The moment Ikki stepped inside the tavern, he was greeted by the sight of a large goose dancing gracefully on the stage. A group of drinkers cheered and clapped enthusiastically, thoroughly enjoying the performance.
The dancing goose was none other than Bon Clay. Bored of waiting, he had taken to performing for the crowd.
As soon as Bon Clay spotted Ikki, Usopp, and the others entering the tavern, he leaped off the stage and rushed over to greet them.
Meanwhile, Smoker, who was dragging Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger behind him, noticed the commotion. The restrained agents glanced at the goose, their expressions shifting to confusion.
"This goose…" Mr. 1 muttered, narrowing his eyes. "It looks familiar."
Mr. 4 pointed at Mr. 1, who sat pale-faced with a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around his chest.
Before Mr. 1 could respond, Mr. 4 drooled and muttered, "Goose… I want to eat it! Goose stewed in an iron pot sounds delicious…"
"You idiot! We're prisoners, and all you can think about is food?!" snapped Miss Merry Christmas. Despite being captured, her sharp tongue and arrogance remained as biting as ever as she berated her partner without hesitation.
Then, glaring at the dancing goose, she added, "This big goose! We saw it before—at the entrance of Spider's Café!"
Finally, the usually taciturn Mr. 1 broke his silence. "It's true. I remember it was there…"
Meanwhile, Bon Clay had rushed over to the group of former Baroque Works agents. His eyes widened as he recognized them.
"Quack, quack, quack…" (Why were you arrested?)
"Quack, quack…" (I can't believe Zero turned out to be Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai!)
Listening to the goose's incessant quacking, Mr. 1 frowned and hesitated before asking, "You… Mr. 2?"
The moment Mr. 1 recognized him, Bon Clay's eyes filled with tears of joy. He flapped his wings dramatically.
"Quack, quack…" (You finally recognized me, Little 1!)
Mr. 1: …
Looking at the expressive face of the big goose, Mr. 1 felt certain—this was the flamboyant Mr. 2, Bon Clay, without a doubt.
But one question gnawed at him: how had a fully-grown man turned into a goose?
At that moment, Psyduck waddled over to Ikki and handed him the monkey talisman.
Ikki looked down at the Psyduck, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Well, well… Psyduck, it seems you've seen a lot of the world. Not only did you know about a mythical creature like Mewtwo, but you managed to make it a mutant dragon type at that."
Hearing this, Psyduck covered his head with its wings in its signature pose before darting toward Nami to act cute.
Ikki shook his head but didn't say more. In his mind, the stronger Psyduck was, the better it was for the Straw Hats.
With the monkey talisman in hand, Ikki turned to Sabo, Ace, Luffy, and Bon Clay. Using its power, he restored them all to their original forms.
The transformation left Mr. 1, Miss Merry Christmas, Mr. 4, and Miss Doublefinger completely stunned. They stared at Ikki and the monkey talisman in awe, their expressions grim.
Ikki, noticing their reaction, grinned mischievously. "Smoker, it seems troublesome to keep these four under guard like this. How about I turn them into geese for you?"
Smoker raised an eyebrow at the suggestion but glanced at the four defeated agents. Though he could easily keep them restrained himself, a simpler solution was hard to resist.
"Fine. But make them rabbits instead," Smoker replied with a smirk.
"Oh? So you prefer fluffy rabbits, Smoker?" Ikki teased.
With a flick of the monkey talisman, the four Baroque Works agents transformed into rabbits. Smoker then found a large cage in the tavern and locked them inside, ensuring they couldn't escape.
Once things settled down, Luffy, now back in his human form, eagerly introduced his two brothers to his crewmates.
"This is my deputy captain, Ikki! He's super strong and can come up with all kinds of magical props!" Luffy exclaimed proudly, finishing his introduction with a flourish.
Ace smiled warmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ikki."
Sabo extended a hand politely. "I've already had the chance to experience some of Ikki's magic firsthand."
In Sabo's mind, the monkey talisman alone was a game-changing tool. Its ability to transform people into animals was nothing short of revolutionary. He couldn't help but imagine how much it could benefit the Revolutionary Army, especially for covert operations and infiltration missions.
But as Luffy's brother, Sabo quickly pushed the thought aside. No matter how tempting the talisman's potential was, he had no intention of coveting something that belonged to his brother's crew.