I winced as I hit the ground, a massive Zinogre towering over me.
"You wanna fight, do ya?", I hissed, wiping the blood from my lip.
The wolf let out a piercing howl as lightning crackled around it. Pantheroar gave a roar of his own, his wings rattling and his tail swaying. Pantheroar leapt forward and tackled the wolf, locking his jaws around its neck. The beast roared in pain and tried to shake the wyvern off. I stood up and went to attack the wolf, but I saw Snowsaber standing off to the side.
Once again the dream crumbled away, leaving only me and the Elder Dragon. As I approached him, he once again seemed to speak.
"Follow...", a deep, baritone voice sounded. Snowsaber turned and started walking away, motioning with his head for me to follow.
I complied and followed him, eventually ending up in a vast desert. It seemed pretty normal at first, that is, until the sand turned a blood red and dead, mummified bodies poked through the crimson dunes. I gasped and looked around at the sea of bodies. The sand began to shift, before a massive Diablos emerged. It seemed fairly normal, save for one of its horns being much larger and made of gold. Snowsaber motioned for me to hop on his back, which I did, and we started running from the Diablos. The beast charged, roaring loudly as a sandstorm picked up.
The sand formed massive clawed hands, grabbing at us to try and pull us to the golden horned Wyvern. Just before the sand swallowed us, Snowsaber gave a powerful leap, putting us out of range of the grasping hands.
Now out of danger, Snowsaber looked back at me
"Beware the sand tyrant with the golden horn", he said, "he will slaughter all who seek to take his kingdom from him."
...
"GAAAAAHHHH!"
I shot up, gasping for breath and panicking. I got tangled up in my blanket and once again found myself on the floor.
"If that's gonna be a regular occurrence, I gotta find a better way to land", I mumbled, untangling myself from my blanket prison. I stood up and stretched, and found the room was a lot hotter than it was before. I felt disgusted when my clothes under my armor stuck to my skin via sweat, and quickly pulled my armor off. I put the Lagombi armor away and went to go shower.
Once I was showered and feeling refreshed, I returned to my room to pick a set of armor better suited for the heat. I picked out a personal favorite of mine, my Basarios armor, which was highly resistant to heat. Slipping it on I could feel my body cooling down under the thick, stone plates. I also swapped out Eternal Hate for my Raging Blade: a massive greatsword with giant, retractable talons.
Setting the blade upon my back I headed upstairs, with the now awake Pantheroar following behind. I didn't see Navirou when I woke up, so he was likely already on deck. When we reached the deck I spotted an angry Sanji yelling at Luffy, who had crumbs all over his face. No doubt he had raided the fridge... again. Usopp, Chopper and Carue were busy fishing, Zoro was passed out, no surprise there, and Nami was leaning on the railing talking to Vivi.
"Good Morning Saurus-Chan!", Sanji called with hearts in his eyes.
"Good morning Sanji", I greeted back, "Let me guess, Luffy raided the fridge again?"
"Damn right he did", Sanji replied, glaring at Luffy who now had a bump on his head, "we need to get a refrigerator with a lock."
Luffy looked up and his eyes sparkled upon seeing my armor.
"So cool!", he shouted, getting up and running over to me.
"You think everything is cool", I commented, rolling my eyes.
While Luffy was poking and prodding my armor, even removing the helmet to try it on himself, Vivi decided to discuss the situation with Alabasta. She said that people saw Crocodile as a 'hero of the people'.
"Hero?", Nami questioned, "How is Crocodile the hero of Alabasta?"
"Basically, the Shichibukai are pirates working for the World Government", Vivi explained, "whether the Shichibukai Crush pirates for treasure, or the marines crush pirates for justice, the people's gratitude doesn't change."
"Kind of like Hunters and Riders", Navirou said.
I shot him a look.
"Hunters and Riders don't raid villages or attack people", I retorted, "those Shichibukai sound like government lapdogs."
"You're not wrong", Vivi said.
"I get it", Sanji said, "the people wouldn't ever think that their hero is actually trying to take control of the country."
"So look out, Crocodile!", Luffy shouted, the Basarios helmet still sat on his head, "we just have to kick his ass, right?"
"Yes...First we need to stop the rebellion", Vivi said, "if we can drive Baroque Works out of Alabasta, my country will be saved."
"Wait, hold on", Usopp interjected, "How does this Baroque Works system work anyways? Mr. 'This', and Miss 'that'."
"It's pretty simple", Vivi explained, "at the top is Crocodile, 'Mr. 0'. There are 13 agents who take orders directly from the boss: 12 men and 1 animal. All their names are Mr. plus a number. They are paired with female agents who compliment their particular powers. Mr. 13 and Miss Friday are special in that they punish the other agents for failure."
"Ragnarok punted a pair of weird looking animals back on Little Garden", I said, "an otter and a bird, was that them?"
Vivi nodded.
"All the agent from Mr. 5 up are called Officer Agents", Vivi explained, "Most of them have devil fruit powers. They don't act unless business is extremely important. Below them are the Frontier Agents. They command the basic units. Their job is to raise funds for the company around the entrance to the Grand Line. That's Baroque Works in a nutshell."
"I get it now, LOOK OUT CROCODILE!", Luffy shouted, the helmet still atop his head, "I just need to kick his ass, right?"
I rolled my eyes and plucked my helmet off his head, putting it back on my own. I had to shake out a few crumbs though.
"Quite the operation he's got going on", I commented, "too bad for him, we're gonna bring it all crashing down."
"If the takeover of Alabasta is Baroque Works' final plan, then that means, the Officer Agents, should all be together!"
...
The next morning I awoke to find Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and Navirou fishing again, but Carue didn't seem to be with them. Vivi walked over to see if they caught anything, but helped when she saw them using Carue as bait. I rolled my eyes and handed Navirou a small pouch of Snakebee Larvae for bait. Luffy and Usopp were still adamant that Carue would land them a bigger fish.
Vivi and I looked up and spotted what looked like smoke rising from the ocean's surface. Thick billowing smoke, rising from the ocean as if it were part of the scalding Tainted Sea.
"Quick, Nami! There's something up ahead!", Vivi called for the navigator.
Nami came over to check out the rising smoke, but she didn't seem even the slightest bit concerned.
"Oh don't worry, it's just steam", Nami explained. Just like the Tainted Sea then, no doubt due to an undersea volcano. Hopefully there wasn't a Dire Miralis lurking around here, otherwise we'd be in serious trouble.
"Steam? From the ocean?", Vivi questioned.
"Yeah, its a hot spot", Nami replied.
"What's that?", Vivi asked.
"It's where magma comes out", Nami explained, "below us are underwater volcanoes."
"There are volcanoes underwater?", Chopper asked.
"Yes, there are more volcanoes underwater than there are on land", Nami explained, "in several thousand years or so, there will be a new island here."
"And these underwater volcanoes support unique environments, with animals and plants that feed off of the minerals released by the volcanoes", I added.
Nami nodded affirmatively.
"That's so cool Nami-San, Saurus-Chan!", Sanji cooed, hearts in his eyes.
"This place is amazing", Vivi said, in awe of the volcanic sea.
I scrunched up my nose as the smell of sulfur filled the air. If this place was on land, it would be a paradise for monsters like Gravios and Uragaan. I could imagine the sea teeming with monsters like Lagiacrus, Gobul, Plesioth and even Ceadeus. The ship steered into the thick clouds of steam, obscuring our vision. I could faintly here Carue quacking, but I just assumed he was frightened by the lack of vision.
When the ship exited the steam, everything seemed normal. Until I heard Luffy and Usopp shouting, and Carue squawking louder than before.
"WE CAUGHT AN OKAMA!", the boys shouted.
We ran over, and were met with the sight of a strangely dressed man hanging onto a panicking Carue. He was wearing a pink ballerina outfit with swan heads and wings, and makeup that made him look kinda like a strange geisha.
"How did I get stuck on this weird, giant duck?", the man shouted before losing his grip and falling into the sea. He hit the water and immediately sank, clearly unable to swim. Had he eaten a devil fruit? I remembered Luffy telling me that eating a devil fruit made a person unable to swim.
Upon Luffy's request, the crew pulled the strange man to safety.
"Thank you very much", the man thanked us, "You are swanderful people."
"Swanderful?", I thought.
The man continued to thank the crew, who seemed slightly irritated when he asked for soup, before he noticed Vivi.
"Ooooh, well aren't you a cutie~", the man swooned, "I could just gobble you up."
This guy just got weirder with every second.
"Hehe, so you can't swim either then", Luffy commented.
"That's correct, I ate a devil fruit", the man replied.
"Really? What kind?", Usopp asked. He was just asking for trouble.
"Well, since I have to wait for my ship to come back, I might as well put on a little show", the man said.
He then slapped Luffy, hard, sending the boy tumbling onto his back. We all stood up, ready for a fight. Pantheroar was hissing and lashing his tail.
"Wait, WAAAIIIT!", the man shouted, waving his hands in front of him, "This is all part of my show."
He then leaned forward, and we were shocked to see Luffy's face instead of the man's. I stumbled back as the man spoke, his voice perfectly mimicking Luffy's, like some sort of human Qurupeco. Pantheroar did not like this at all, as his back was now arched and he was hissing louder in confusion.
"If I touch with my left hand, it goes back to normal", the man said, touching his face to make it return to normal, "this is the power of my Mane Mane no Mi!"
He then touched the faces of Usopp, Chopper, Nami, Zoro and Navirou.
"Well, its not necessary for me to punch you", the man said, changing his face into those of my friends, "if I just touch your face with my right hand, I can imitate anyone, just like this."
When he turned into Nami, he opened his shirt, and I quickly averted my eyes as I blushed.
"And I can mimic your bodies too", he added.
Name them punched him in the head, hard. The man collapsed with a whimper as a bump formed on his head.
"Stop it!", Nami roared angrily.
The man then stood up dusting himself off.
"I'm sorry, but that's all I can show you", he said.
Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and Navirou begged him to show them more, which he was surprisingly quick to oblige them. I rolled my eyes as the boys became entranced, but I noticed Vivi turned shocked at one of the faces. It tried to catch a glimpse, but he changed too quick for me to see it.
"Ridiculous...", Zoro grumbled unimpressed.
The males danced around the ship, locking arms and cheering as though they were best friends. I was surprised Luffy didn't ask the man to join our crew.
"Hey, there's a ship coming this way!", Nami called out, "is it yours?"
"Oh my, is it time for me to leave already? Too bad", the man pouted.
The boys were upset to see their new friend go.
"Do not be sad, my babies. Separation is inevitable. Never forget me", he said to them, "length of time means nothing to true friendship."
"We'll see you again!", the boys called out as the man hopped onto his ship, which was as flamboyant as he was.
"Let's go, Lovelies!", the man shouted to his crew.
"Yes sir, Mr. 2 Bon Clay Sir!", The men shouted, sterling the ship away.
Hearing the man's name made us all panic, even as he sailed into the distance. This guy was an agent?!
"Mr. 2!", Usopp shouted.
"That was Mr. 2 Bon Clay!", Vivi gasped in horror.
"You didn't recognize his face?", Luffy asked.
"No...I've never met Mr. 1 and his partner or Mr. 2 before", she replied, seemingly ashamed that she didn't know better, "I didn't know that he had powers either. But I did hear rumors about him. That he was a huge Okama, talked like an Okama, wore a swan coat with Okama Way written on the back..."
"You should've noticed", Luffy, Usopp and Zoro deadpanned.
"Hey, come one guys, cut her some slack!", I chastised, "she's already going through a lot, no need to make her feel worse than she already does!"
"One of those past faces he showed from memory...was my father's", Vivi said, trembling, "What in the world is he going to use my father's face for?"
"If he disguised himself as the king, he could do some awful things", Zoro commented.
"We just let a really dangerous guy get away", Usopp said worriedly.
"He was an enemy?", Chopper said, still shocked by the revelation.
"Well, he will be dangerous if he turns into an enemy...assuming he finds out we're his enemies", Nami said, "if he uses his memory to turn into one of us, we won't be able to trust each other."
"Really?", Luffy questioned cluelessly.
"Wait a minute", Zoro interjected, "She may have a point, but there's no need to be afraid of him. I think we're lucky we met him. Now we can use counter measures."
...
As we sailed on, the ship suddenly started rocking as a massive creature breached the waves. It looked like a hybrid between a fish and a cat, and one of its ears bore a massive earring.
"WHAT IS THAT!?", Usopp shrieked.
"A Sea Cat!", Vivi gasped.
"Our first meal in four days!", Zoro growled, swords drawn and he and Luffy drooled. Maybe if Luffy hadn't raided the fridge we wouldn't be in this situation. Nami didn't even seem slightly fazed though, more focused on keeping the ship on course.
The sea cat, sensing the danger the hungry pirates posed, starting swimming away. Luffy and Zoro shouted for Nami to turn the ship around so they could eat the cat.
"Don't let it get away!", Sanji shouted, "Make sure you kill it!"
Suddenly, the starving pirates were bashed over the head by Vivi, who was somehow wielding a massive, spiked club.
"NOOO!", she yelled at them, "you can't eat it! In Alabasta, Sea Cats are sacred animals."
The crew seemed rather distraught that they couldn't eat the sea cat.
"Don't worry, soon you'll be able to eat all you want", Vivi reassured us.
"Vivi, the wind and temperature seem to have stabilized.", Nami informed her.
"Yes, we've entered the Alabastan climate zone", Vivi replied, "the sea cat is more proof of that."
"I bet those things behind us are even more proof we're close to Alabasta", Zoro said with a smirk.
We turned to see a massive fleet of ships headed our way. Emblazoned on their sails was the Baroque Works symbol, and they were stretched far across the horizon. Usopp became panicked, but Zoro said they were nothing.
"Those are probably the Billions, servants of the Officer Agents", Vivi explained.
"200 of them will be tough", Nami said.
"And these are different from the 200 bounty hunters hired for Whiskey Peak", Vivi explained.
"Yeah, all is lost if we lose sight of our true objective", Sanji said.
"There's only 10 of us", Zoro said, handing each of us a length of white bandage, "so tie them on tight."
"I see", Vivi said.
"As long as we can see these, we don't need to doubt each other", Nami added.
Navirou and I tied on our bandages, putting them on our left arms. Once we all tied them on, we held them out in a circle.
"Okay, whatever happens from now on, this mark on our left arm, is proof of our friendship!", Luffy declared.
With that, we headed for dry land, ready to take our first steps into Alabasta.
...
Nargacuga Ecology...
Deep within the forest lurks a shadow, one armed with sharp blades and a lethal tail. Racing through the treetops of her forest home is a Nargacuga. A medium sized Flying Wyvern, it is closely related to the Tigrex and the Barioth of the far north. Like the Tigrex, it is incapable of flight, instead only able to glide when leaping from high points.
This female is not alone though, and as she dashes through the treetops, two smaller shadows follow close behind, though their movements are not as graceful. The Nargacuga leaps from the branches and glides down to the ground, landing with ease. Her two shadows though, land less gracefully. These two are revealed to be her offspring, each only a year old and joining their mother for their first ever hunt.
Soon, the mother catches the scent of prey moving through the forest. She quietly stalks through the forest, her dark fur hiding her in the shadows of the underbrush. The younglings follow suit, taking up their mothers low stance and quiet steps. Through the foliage, her sharp eyes catch a particularly enticing meal: a Malfestio. This large bird Wyvern greatly resembles an owl, and, like the Nargacuga, is a top predator of the forest. She has yet to notice the larger Wyvern though, too busy preening her feathers while her wing blades glint in the dappled sunlight.
It is a rare sight to see a Malfestio so unaware while on the ground, especially during the day. The mother Nargacuga is eager to take advantage of this situation, and quickly stashes her young in a nearby bush so they can learn how it's done. She then makes her move. With careful steps, she slowly makes her way through the brush towards the Malfestio. Her light steps and padded feet can easily deceive prey, making them think she is just a nearby Kelbi or Mosswine. This fools the Malfestio as well, who ignores the seemingly light footsteps and continues her preening.
The mother quickly and quietly ascends a nearby tree, walking out onto an outstretched branch just above the bird Wyvern. Then, she lunges, wings stretched out and claws ready to tear into flesh. The Malfestio only has enough time to glance up before the Nargacuga's wing blade has torn into her flesh, tearing her open from throat to pelvis. The Malfestio slumps to the ground dead, and the Nargacuga calls out for her young. The two scurry over to their mother and join her in feeding.
Today they have learnt the art of hunting, and, with time, it will allow them to grow big and strong, just like their mother.
...
Next time...
Our heroes have landed in Nanohana, and immediately get separated from Luffy.
Saurus will encounter strong pirates and marines alike, including men made of fire and smoke.
They must go undercover to avoid Baroque Works, but how long will it protect them?
Next Time on Monster Hunter: Open Ocean...
Man of Fire, Man of Smoke. An Alabastan Adventure!
