The desert trembled in the wake of the cannon blast.
As smoke dissipated, the shattered dunes revealed chaos—masked Baroque Works agents emerging from their ambush points, weapons drawn. Sand still rained down from the night sky like glittering ash.
Luffy's straw hat barely moved as he stepped forward, shadow stretching unnaturally behind him. No words, just presence. His crew fell into place instinctively—Zoro to his right, Sanji to his left, Usopp crouching behind a dune with his slingshot already loaded.
"These aren't small fry," Vivi said sharply, drawing closer to Nami. "They're trained. Probably sent straight from Rainbase."
"They'll regret it," Zoro muttered.
One of the agents bolted—likely to report. But Luffy vanished with a soft pulse of black shadow.
THUD.
The fleeing man collapsed mid-step, knocked out cold by a punch no one even saw. Luffy appeared behind him, expression blank, as his shadow retracted with a quiet hiss.
That was the signal.
Zoro burst forward in a blur, his swords glinting under the moon. "Two-Sword Style—Falcon Slash!"
Two agents dropped.
Sanji launched himself into the air, his leg igniting as he spun. "Anti-Manner Kick Course!"
His fiery heel crashed into the chest of an attacker, sending him tumbling like a ragdoll. Usopp provided cover from the rear, shouting, "Exploding Star!" as his shots burst into flashbangs, disorienting the enemy lines.
Luffy's movements were silent but devastating. Every time his feet touched the sand, the shadow beneath him responded, binding ankles, shielding allies, and striking with preternatural precision. The agents didn't stand a chance. One screamed as a dark claw shot from below and snatched his weapon away.
Nami jabbed with her staff, zapping a foe with an electric shock while staying close to Vivi.
"We need to move!" Vivi shouted as Zoro dropped another pair of attackers. "They'll send more!"
Luffy nodded. The sand beneath them shifted unnaturally for a moment—then stilled. "Let's go."
The final stretch to Rainbase was a test of endurance.
Their footsteps left deep prints in the moonlit dunes. The night air cooled rapidly, but the day's heat lingered in the sand, radiating upward with each step. The camels trotted obediently behind, tired but silent.
"Feels like we've been walking forever," Usopp complained, wiping his forehead dramatically. "I'm going to start hallucinating soon."
"You already do," Zoro said flatly.
Luffy, walking at the front, shared a glance with Vivi. The faint shimmer of the Shadow System glowed at the edge of his vision. Quietly, without a word, he allowed it to extend just enough to siphon fatigue from Nami and Vivi, feeding it into the shadows he could absorb.
Nami blinked, surprised at her sudden second wind.
"You okay?" Vivi whispered.
Nami nodded, unsure why she no longer felt like collapsing.
They crested the final dune—and then they saw it.
Rainbase.
The city glittered like a mirage, its canals reflecting starlight. At its center loomed Rain Dinners, Crocodile's infamous casino. Bright lights flickered from its towers. Water flowed in thin decorative channels. The air buzzed faintly with music and laughter.
"Looks like a trap wrapped in gold," Sanji muttered.
"No... it is a trap," Vivi said, pulling her cloak tighter. "Let's not give them what they want."
The guards at the city gate eyed them warily but didn't stop them. Luffy kept his presence small, his shadow flickering into a narrow strand behind him. Usopp adjusted his headwrap, Sanji acted like a wandering tourist, and Zoro tried not to scowl too much.
Vivi pulled her hood low.
Inside the casino, chaos met luxury.
Gold-framed chandeliers swung above velvet tables. Gamblers in silk coats shouted over spinning roulette wheels. Girls in feathered dresses danced. Den Den Mushi blinked on walls beside slot machines. A sickly-sweet perfume hung over everything, masking the tension.
"Split up," Nami whispered. "Act like you belong."
Sanji and Usopp veered toward the bar. Zoro wandered toward the roulette table. Luffy didn't move—he stood silently in the main hall, eyes closed, sensing.
The Shadow System pulsed.
Tunnels. Water ducts. Damp walls. A feeling of danger below.
Then—click. A Den Den Mushi chirped in a guard's palm.
"They've arrived," a distorted voice rasped. "All of them."
Luffy's eyes opened. His shadow contracted.
The guard turned, headed toward a hallway behind the prize exchange room.
Luffy followed.
Behind an opulent gold door lined with red velvet, a dark room awaited.
Crocodile sat in a wide chair carved from black stone, swirling a glass of wine. His long cigar burned slowly, casting a sharp scent across the air. Behind him, a golden hook gleamed ominously in the low light.
He didn't turn to look.
Instead, he exhaled a cloud of smoke and said, coolly—
"Let the rats in."
He grinned.
"It's time we dealt with the pests personally."
[End of Chapter 130]
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