S.R: I hope you guys are satisfied with the fights in this chapter… Well fight really. Honestly when I started writing this chapter I thought I was going to go on and on through the fights and basically not stop writing till Alabasta was finished and then divide it up into chapters for a mass upload. But Alabasta is shaping up to be longer than I thought it would be when I was first setting things up.

As Crocodile traversed the desert and partially regained some of his energy, he thought back to when Nico Robin mentioned that Princess Vivi had managed to obtain allies. A small frown graced his face as he realized just how wise he was to adjust his original plans after he heard her report. 'That damned brat could have destroyed my plans if not for her warning...' He lamented in his head.

Flashback

"The princess managed to escape me."

The dark haired woman spoke after he'd turned his chair to face her when she entered his office. Despite himself, the cigar in his mouth fell out at her words. It was almost unbelievable that Nico Robin was unable to kill the young princess that had caused a small wrinkle in his plans. Recovering quickly he caught his cigar and returned it to his mouth. He took a moment to calm himself. Despite the anger he felt welling up inside he stilled himself and clenched his fist to prevent lashing out like he felt the urge to. Instead Crocodile just looked at her face as he questioned how.

"She's currently under the protection of a rookie pirate crew… Not only that, but their captain flat out told me 'go ahead and warn Crocodile I'm coming. It'll make the fight more fun.' Based off they way he sounded, I think he may have clashed with you in the past."

Robin replied, telling him about the young pirates words. She neglected to mention that he privately offered her a place on his crew. Nor that the teen seemed to be confident in the fact that he could beat Crocodile. Despite having joined him after the incident, Robin had learned that the scar that marred his face was given to him by Whitebeard. Who the straw hat wearing pirate captain seemed to be acquainted with, but she didn't know if she believed that just yet.

She didn't really put much stock in the straw hat wearing teens words, but he seemed to be far more friendly than Crocodile. If he had the power to beat a Warlord, then he was also strong enough to fend off most marines, so losing her protection from the World Government wouldn't matter too much. Not unless they sent Vice Admirals or higher after her, which they had yet to do in all her years of running. After reflecting on it, the archaeologist had come to the conclusion she'd only supply Crocodile with the bare minimum of info about the pirates, and the results of the battle would determine her course of action.

Raising an eyebrow at her words however Crocodile thought back through all of his fights. Very rarely did he allow an enemy to live, and the only time he'd lost a fight was when he went up against Whitebeard 5 years ago. Out of all the people he'd allowed to live none of them would be considered a rookie pirate. But as he thought about it, the black haired man recalled the young boys that were on Whitebeard's ship when he launched his failed attack. 'I don't know if that one brat I poisoned survived, but even then... There were others. Maybe they heard about me and wanted to get revenge.'

"I see. Since you know that he is a rookie, I take it you know which crew it is?"

He spoke slowly, as he internally decided to be cautious with how he went about dealing with the new problem. Since she knew he'd heard about the article that had been released about them, Robin didn't dare leave out the largest factor for why the crew had two bounties before even entering the Grand Line.

"Yes. The crew that is protecting princess Vivi, is none other than the Straw Hat pirates… The upcoming crew of rookies who are not to be underestimated because two members are known to have survived clashing with Sir Mihawk."

Robin answered. The last comment, surprising him as Crocodile knew Mihawk was fairly ruthless. If they were already able to survive fighting with a Warlord, then Crocodile knew this upstart pirate needed to be dealt with carefully. As he tried to come up with a method to handle them, an idea struck him.

"Well then. Let's put the last few pieces in place… Go find Mr. 2 in Katorea and have him sneak you into the palace, but make sure he goes back to finish his task in Katorea after. The next time we meet, I expect the king to be ready to escort us to the Poneglyph."

Eyes widening at the order Robin opened her mouth to speak. But when she saw the brooding look on Crocodile's face she decided against it and nodded at her orders. He watched her leave, not moving nor speaking until he knew she was well on her way to Katorea.

Sighing he stood up and made his way towards the meeting room where the last few officers of his shadowy organization were waiting for their next orders. Throwing the doors open, he momentarily chuckled at the shock that came over their faces when they saw him. Panic flooded their faces as they thought they'd been betrayed.

"Calm yourselves… Since our plans are entering the final stages I thought it was time to reveal myself to you all. I am Mr. 0."

It only took a few moments but with that he was able to start the final meeting before they plan officially started.

Flashback end

'Straw hat and his crew will likely head to Rainbase in an effort to gain evidence against me… Luckily I expected someone to investigate Rainbase eventually. Mr. 1 and the others will distract them long enough for Mr. 2 to instigate a blood bath between the rebel forces and the kings army. Straw hat will be too busy preventing it from escalating to come after me until it's too late.' Crocodile thought to himself, before sending a miniature sandstorm towards Katorea to signal to Mr. 2 to it was time.

With Zoro, Usopp, and Chopper

The trio of pirates arrived at Rainbase rather quickly. Part of it was due to the fact they were rushing so as to be able to catch up with their captain in Alubarna, but another part of it was because they didn't had to restrain themselves to moving at a slower pace to accommodate the weaker members of the crew. Though the desert had been hot and near impossible for Chopper to traverse before, it was no longer so harsh for the reindeer, as thanks to Crocodile making Rainbase a desert oasis, the surrounding sands were not as hot, making it so he could move without the need to be carried.

While they moved towards the massive casino that Vivi told them was the front Crocodile used for his dealings in Alabasta, Zoro noticed a few stronger people in the area. Since it was likely they worked for Crocodile, and he knew Usopp noticed them he spoke up.

"My orders from the other day are still in effect Usopp. No Haki unless you can't win without it or we need to rush to Alubarna. But that doesn't mean not to fight seriously. Go for the kill if you have to."

"What about me Zoro?"

Chopper asked, wondering what the first mate wanted him to do.

"Well, you're a doctor so I don't know how you feel about killing, even if it ends up being in self defense. I'm the second best fighter on the crew so I'm here to guard you guys while you investigate. I just wanted Usopp to know not to hold back if he has to do any fighting as well. You shouldn't hold back if you have to fight either though."

Zoro explained, not wanting Chopper to feel like he wasn't being considered. A moment later however he had Yubashiri drawn. Zoro's right arm was extended so that the edge of his blade was blocking a spike that was aimed for the back of Chopper's head.

"Oh? Seems the swordsman has some skill after all."

A woman's voice caused the trio to turn. The blue haired lady had her leg raised in the air and extended towards Chopper as if she were kicking him. But her shin and foot were instead shaped like a spear, which was stopped by Zoro's weapon.

"Ms. Doublefinger, I suggest you stop playing around. We've got to deal with everyone that looks suspicious and then head out to Alubarna."

A man's voice echoed around the group before Zoro blocked a karate chop that was aimed at his head with the sheath of his Sandai Kitetsu. A look of shock came to the mans face as Zoro nonchalantly held two opponents back without any struggle.

"Chopper, Usopp go ahead I've got this."

Zoro commented, his stance showing the two attackers that he wasn't expecting them to delay him all that much. Chopper just nodded at the green haired swordsman, while Usopp gave him a thumbs up. Dashing off they left Zoro to fend for himself.

"My, my that was quite arrogant of you. Claiming you could handle both of us at once."

The woman said as she calmly pulled her leg back and placed it on the ground. A dark grin came to her face as she punched at Zoro, only half way through the movement her arm became a spike. Since he hadn't bothered to move, she assumed he was shocked and thought to herself that it was going to be an easy kill.

But then she felt a sharp pain. Pulling her arm back she learned that Zoro had cut her arm off just past her wrist. The transformed part of her arm falling to the ground while maintaining it's spiky shape. Clutching at her arm she reevaluated her opponent. Luckily for her, the tan skinned man that was her partner attacked again.

This time he swiped both of his hands diagonally towards Zoro. Spinning Zoro pulled Yubashiri horizontally across his chest to block the attack and cut through the mans hands. Or at least that was his plan. But the ring of metal told him a different result.

"Ha. You've clearly got skills to be able to block me like that. But it won't do you any good. My Dice Dice Fruit allows me to turn any part of my body into a steel blade. If you can't cut steel you cannot defeat me!"

The tan skinned man boasted as he turned his hand sideways before bending his fingers. The insides of his fingers became sharp edges that suddenly clawed at Zoro. Dodging, Zoro sighed lightly. If it weren't for the fact he refused to be the one to break the rule he'd set for the crew shortly after Nami fell ill, he'd cut the man down with one move thanks to his Armament Haki. But with the rule that Crocodile was the only person they could fight with Haki outside of emergency situations he was at a slight disadvantage.

As he thought of ways to overcome this challenge, Zoro jumped back dodging a spiky kick from the blue haired woman. Not even paying attention to his enemies Zoro returned the sheathed Sandai Kitetsu to his side and re attached it to the clip that was hidden inside his sash. Ducking under another attack he redrew his Sandai Kitetsu, this time without the sheath.

"Don't forget about me. I owe you for this injury after all."

She commented, as she attempted to spear Zoro with a kick once more. Snorting, he rolled his wrists so that the two swords in his hands were parallel, pointing out to his right.

"Two Sword Style: Twin Cutter, Ascending Tower"

He spoke as his movements blurred. Because of his speed being much higher than either of his opponents thought possible, neither of them were able to clearly see what he did. Lunging forward, he flashed across the ground between them and two steps before he would have been colliding with the blue haired woman, he jumped. Swinging his blades upwards as he did. The force behind his attack created two massive air blades that both cut into and picked up Ms. Doublefinger. Carrying the blue haired woman up into the air as she was thrown back by the attack.

She screamed in pain as she went flying through the air. Trailing after her, Zoro waited for the woman to bounce off of a wall before taking her out of the fight completely. Since she wasn't a major threat he avoided killing her, instead at the last moment slamming the back sides of the two swords into her head to knock her out.

Without missing a beat he turned and sliced Yubashiri upwards to block the incoming strike from the male enemy. After the ringing of metal ended Zoro frowned slightly. 'Dammit, Yubashiri isn't as heavy or as thick as the Sandai or even the Wado. If I'm not careful it'll get damaged.' He thought as his pulled his arm back.

"You can't cut me so just give up."

the man taunted, which normally would have made Zoro angry. But because he didn't want to risk his weapon he maintained his calm. Sheathing Yubashiri he took a deep breath as his stance shifted to wield the Sandai Kitetsu with both hands. Focusing intensely he flashed back to one of his last fights with Vista before they left the Moby Dick to start their own journey.

Flashback

Zoro had two swords in a deadlock with Vista's twin swords. But neither one gave, both pushing hard trying to over power the other. After a moment it seemed as if Zoro was going to win the contest of might, but Vista smirked. The moment Zoro noticed the smirk he was cautious, but because it drew his attention he was unable to react with anything other than shock when the steel practice swords in his hands were cleanly cut in half with no damage to the practice swords that Vista held.

Eye's wide he turned to Vista. His sparing partner had done that without Haki.

"I see you noticed just how special my last move was. Damaging a sword is fairly easy, but its a different story to slice through one as if it were butter."

"How?"

Was all Zoro uttered. Thanks to the intense training he had put himself under, he knew with his raw power it should be possible for him to do the same, yet not once had he managed to cut anything that was harder than iron. Not without using Haki to empower his attack further. But his technique had been honed for years, so the only solution he could come up with was a lack of strength. But he couldn't accept that he was not as mighty as Vista in raw power, especially since the older swordsman focused more on precision than power.

"It's simple. Yet hard. All the strength in the word will do you no good when attempting to cut steel, if you don't control it."

But Zoro hadn't understood what his mentor was trying to teach him.

Flashback end

'Strength without control?' He mentally queried, as he attempted to cut his opponent once more. But the taller man was quite fast and dodged the swing. But both men were confused when they saw several rows worth of buildings collapse. It was when they noticed the clean cut through the stone that Zoro realized what Vista was telling him.

Once more he took a deep breath, as he slid the Sandai Kitetsu back into it's sheath, before holding it in front of him. Shifting it to his side he held the sheath itself with his right hand as he placed his left hand on the hilt, but in a reversed grip.

The tan skinned man glanced at his hands curiously for a moment before charging forward his fingers turned into talon like steel blades.

"One Sword Style: Lion's Song"

The green haired swordsman shouted as he swiftly drew his sword and re-sheathed it in the blink of an eye. The tan skinned man rushed past him. After a second the taller man realized he missed with his attack, but when he turned to reengage in the fight a red line cut across his body diagonally. Blood sprayed out from the wound as white hot pain flashed through his body, causing him to collapse to the ground as he began bleeding out.

"Thanks for helping me learn how to cut steel without cheating."

Zoro said over his shoulder as he returned his sword and sheath to it's clip on his side. Not waiting for a response he walked away intending to find a drink while he waited for Usopp and Chopper to find whatever it was they needed to prove Crocodile was a villain.

Chopper and Usopp

The two had quickly rushed away from Zoro's battle, neither one feeling any worry for their crew mate. Usopp because he trained with Zoro for years, and Chopper because he instinctively knew Zoro would win. As they moved closer to the entrance for the casino, they were stopped by the hulking figure of a blonde man, and a very stout woman. But then a barking sound drew their attention to a weird gun shaped dog running up to the duo that stopped them.

Sharing a look with Chopper Usopp drew his own guns. He had a feeling that he needed the speed of his dual guns to deal with whatever trick they had up their sleeves that required the dog. But he also pulled his slingshot out of the pouch he kept it in and slide it into a special holster he'd made for it on his side. Even though he had years of training with guns, and he carried a few along side his slingshot, it was still his favorite weapon.

Chopper pulled a rumble ball out of his backpack and swallowed it down before taking his Arm Point form, hoping that the muscle he had would be enough to counter the muscle of the large blonde man.

The woman opened her mouth to speak, but Usopp wasn't going to let her continue after he heard the first word come out in a squeaky high pitch at an annoyingly fast pace. Shooting one of his guns at her he was slightly surprised to see her drop to the ground and begin digging to dodge the bullet. Despite her size the lady was quite fast. Not enough to cause worry, but enough to be a troublesome opponent if he couldn't use Haki.

For his part in the fight Chopper charged forward to tackle the large blonde man, only to catch the metal bat that was swung at him. At first Chopper thought they were equal in strength but then he began to slide back, which made him panic and jump back to change plans.

"Watch your footing Chopper!"

Usopp called out, having noticed the truth of the deadlock. The reindeer was equal in might with the blond man, but the woman had somehow dug out the ground underneath Chopper just enough to make a small slope that he slid down. Having predicted that he would panic the woman dug several shallow holes that the hat wearing reindeer could land in after jumping away.

But the warning came too late as one of Chopper's legs descended into the ground. At that time the gun like dog sneezed, which caused it to shoot. But what came out were baseballs, which threw Usopp off for a moment. That moment was just long enough for the big man to bat the baseballs towards him and Chopper. Even with the shock at the ammo being baseballs, Usopp was ready to counter and shot them down. What he didn't expect was to see small explosions. Chopper didn't expect it either, though his surprise was more than Usopp's as he was closer to the explosions and the shock waves pushed up off balance enough to fully fall into the hole his leg was in. But the fall wasn't enough to do any damage, and since the hole was shallow it wasn't hard for him to escape. Though his Arm Point was more muscular in the upper section of his body, he was still a reindeer so his legs still contained a fair bit of strength. Enough so that jumping out of the hole and landing next to Usopp was a breeze.

'This might be a bit harder than I figured it would be.' Usopp thought to himself as he wondered if he should switch to some of his special ammo. While he was confident he and Chopper could win, it seemed like the battlefield was going to grow and possibly destroy the casino they were going to investigate. If that happened the chances of destroying the possible evidence they needed was quite high.

Thanks to the holes, Chopper realized why he lost ground despite being even with the blonde giant in terms of strength when they were in the deadlock earlier. With that knowledge in hand he calmed down, and decided to stick with his current strategy for fighting, though he wondered what they should do about the dog that could launch explosive baseballs.

S.R: Next time we'll finish Chopper and Usopp Vs. Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas. Other than that, well you'll just have to wait and see.