Update: April 25, 2018
Chapter Twenty-One: It's a Trap!
The group came to a stop when it became mutual knowledge that they were once again missing one of their members. Heads turned back to see that Luffy had stopped in his trek and was now sitting underneath one of the decaying trees, using it more for support than shade.
"Luffy! What are you doing?" Nami shouted from Eyelash the Camel. The Captain let out a light grunt. Rowan watched with quiet interest. She had said nothing since rejoining the group. The woman had even tried to keep her distance but, the others had had different ideas. Instead of leaving Rowan to herself, she had found herself surrounded. Luffy refused to leave her side and if she stopped for longer than two seconds Zolo was up on her ass. Chopper kept sniffing at her as if expecting her to fall down at any given second.
Their constant surveillance only made Rowan's stomach tight and uncomfortable. Her shoulders had been pinned back and her head at a constant high. Green orbs continued to shoot about nervously. She didn't like being encircled like she was.
Zolo's breath was hot on Rowan's neck. Her shoulders tensed greatly at the feeling of him at her back.
"What's wrong, Luffy?" Vivi asked from in front of the group.
"I quit."
The stunned silence was more than enough evidence that Rowan wasn't the only one that hadn't the slightest as to what was going on.
"You quit?" Nami demanded hotly.
"What are you saying, Luffy?" Vivi asked.
"We don't have time to waste on your whims! Move!" Sanji shouted. Luffy only huffed and frowned at the others.
"We're going back, right?"
"We have to go back and stop the rebels at Katorea!" Sanji explained with great exasperation. Rowan raised a brow at this news. She had left before she had heard any final decisions by the group. It at least explained why they had been heading back in the direction she had originally set out in. Rowan hadn't thought they would head back to the Merry Go, and had made that her point of destination. "Otherwise the entire country's going to explode into bloodshed. This is for Vivi! Now let's go!"
"It's boring!" Rowan felt her eyebrow twitch uncontrollably. A sharp pain came from her tongue as she bit hard on it to stop from talking.
"Boring! Why you—!" Luffy frowned heavily while his brows furrowed deeply in between his eyes. Lips pressed tight, the boy grunted,
"Vivi."
"Yeah?"
"I wanna kick Crocodile's butt!" The way the Luffy said, Rowan couldn't help but let go of some of her annoyance at him. Frowning slightly, the woman leaned her weight on to one leg. She couldn't help but agree with Luffy slightly. Running around and trying to stop an angry mob, the odds of which were already extremely low, wasn't the best idea. "Stopping the rebels isn't going to stop Crocodile. There's nothing we can do in that Katorea place. We're pirates. It'd be better if we didn't even go there." The crew was silent for a moment as wide eyes stared.
"Sometimes he makes a lot of sense for an idiot." Rowan had to agree with Sanji.
"That's Luffy."
Vivi began to protest but was stopped by Luffy cutting her off.
"You think you can stop the rebels without anybody getting killed? That none of us and none of your people are going to die?" Luffy snorted heavily and shook his head. "We're up against one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. A million people are itching to fight and you expect everybody to live? That's naïve."
Anger grew into a tight knot in Rowan's stomach. Blood flowed in her mouth as she bit harder on her tongue. But her conscious refused to let her speak so soon after she had tried to leave. It just wasn't right.
"Shut up, Luffy! Of course, Vivi cares about her people!" Nami screamed at the top of her lungs. Before the woman could say another word, Sanji was pulling her up short with a hand held out in her direction.
"What's wrong with that?" Vivi shouted at the still sitting Luffy. A heavy flush had colored the girl's otherwise pale complexion. "What's so wrong about not wanting anyone to die?"
"People die." Rowan's fingers barely missed Vivi's jacket when the girl launched herself with a scream. A curled fist slugged against Luffy's cheek, sending him completely to the ground.
"Shut up!" Vivi bellowed hotly at the boy. "Don't say things like that! Say that again and you'll be sorry! I'm trying to prevent blood shed!" Luffy grunted as he shoved himself up off the sand. "I'm trying to stop the rebels! And the Royal Army! No one in this kingdom is to blame. Why must any of my people die? It's all that Crocodile's fault!"
Luffy punched Vivi.
Rowan temporally saw red and was only stopped form attacking Luffy by a strong vice across her chest pulling her short. Rowan struggled against the hand for a moment before another wrapped tightly around her waist. Nami had to pull Sanji and Usopp from their rages as Zolo continued to keep Rowan from beating Luffy from within an inch of his life.
"But you're risking your life! Even I can see what needs to be done!" Luffy roared. The two began to roll on the ground, fists being thrown and kicks lashed out. "You can't do it all by yourself!" Luffy shouted while Vivi crawled on top and began to pound on his face.
"I have to!" Vivi shouted right back. "I don't care what the cost is!" Luffy surged forward, gripping Vivi's shoulders and screamed into her face.
"Then let us help you! We're your friends aren't we?" Rowan stopped struggling the second she saw Vivi's shoulders start to jerk. The two brawlers pulled away from each other. Her shoulders jerked again as she pulled in on herself. Luffy pulled his hat back on to his head from where Vivi had sent it flying. "Tears. Even Princesses cry." Luffy removed his hat in order to dust sand from the inside. "The truth is, you want to kick his butt more than anyone, don't you?" Zolo released Rowan and the woman was quickly at Vivi's side. Wet covered Rowan's neck as Vivi sobbed into her shoulder, nails digging deep in to her skin.
"This is the oasis of Rainbase, which lies north of Yuba. That's where we'll find Sir Crocodile," Vivi stated, pointing at her map while the group continued their march through the desert. "It'll take the whole day to walk through the desert."
"Great, another night in the sand," Rowan mumbled to herself. Digging her fingers into her hair the woman tried to rid herself of any sand that had thought it a good idea to stick to her scalp and madden her with the constant itching. Long legs stretched out in front of her, Rowan glowered at the multitude of sand that covered her bare tummy. Her newest scar was beginning to itch from the sweat and dirt. Rowan couldn't help but glare at the multitude of skin showing. The outfit really was to revealing. Then again, she was just happy she was wearing pants.
"Is there water there?" Chopper asked, mouth open in a pant.
"Yes. And it's a gambling town, so there aren't many rebels." The high pitched squeal had Rowan glowering in Nami's direction.
"Gabling?"
"Don't get any ideas!" Zolo barked. Rowan wrapped her head dress back around her head, annoyed by the heat but given relief by the shade. Peering over her shoulder, Rowan watched the swordsman as he glowered at Nami.
"At least there' still one fun place left in Alabasta." Zolo turned his attention to Rowan, causing her to quickly turn away.
"GUM-GUM NO WAY!"
"Give it a rest!" Sanji snapped at the two hooligans. Rowan looked over from their semi-circle to watch Luffy's hands stretch past them, a small cup of water firmly grasped between them.
"Can't I have just one little sip? What good is water if you can't drink it?" Usopp begged miserably.
"No!"
"Give it!"
"NO! GUM-GUM NO WAY!"
"Gimme!" Rowan watched the two boys fight over the cup for a moment longer before turning her attention back to the task of removing sand from her body.
"That dried-up old man dug all night so that we could have this water! We can't waste a drop!" Rowan's lip twitched softly. With a silent chuckle, the woman stood.
"If we're going to make it, we need to leave now," she stated. After her desertion the woman felt she had no right to boss, or challenge any of the others. Some things, however, were hard to change. Just because she had been gone for half a day hadn't changed the crew or Rowan's feelings on how helpless they were without her. Rowan was the one that suggested the breaks and when the breaks were probably done. None of the others rebutted her. It didn't go by unnoticed to Rowan that the others were treating her as if she hadn't tried to bolt for it.
And that only made the guilt that much worse.
"So now you're the voice of restraint, Luffy?" Nami teased.
"Whaddaya mean by that? Aren't I always?" Rowan's snort of laughter had the rubber boy turning a glare on to her.
"All right, let's get going! We have to hurry," Zolo ordered to the rest of the group. Confused as to why his voice suddenly sounded far away after having him up her backside the entire trip, Rowan looked over her shoulder. The swordsman was wondering off in another direction.
"North is this way," Sanji called out with an obvious sneer.
Rowan's temper was coming to a very close end. The heavy panting from Luffy and Usopp who walked behind her wore on her last, frayed nerve like a grater on cheese.
"Stop groaning, you two!" Nami barked.
"Shut up! You get to ride the camel!"
"Yeah, let us ride!"
"Camel hog!"
"Nami Hog!" After that it didn't surprise Rowan that Sanji was the one who blew up.
"Oh, shut up!" Rowan rubbed at the sweat on her forehead, cursing the heat that continued to plague her.
"You're doing better today, Chopper." Rowan peered over her shoulder and smiled at the reindeer. He was doing very well since their last break. Having changed to look like a normal reindeer on all four feet, the blue nosed deer was now trekking along the sand like everyone else instead of being pulled.
"I'm hanging in there," Chopper puffed up.
"Luffy?" The boy turned to Vivi with a mighty pant. "Thank you." Vivi's head lowered as she found it hard to look the boy in the eye. "I owe you a great deal…"
"Then feed me," Luffy growled. Leaning heavily into his walking stick that he and the other boys had all fought over before Rowan had found each of them their own, Luffy continued his heavy panting. "After I kick that crocodile's butt, feed me till I explode, okay?" Vivi's giggle was soft.
"It's a deal. You have my word!"
Zolo stared up into the sky, the black openness full of life compared to the harsh sand below. A cold breeze came over the dune that the group had settled under for a short break. A small fire crackled. Snores came from the pile of boys, while Nami was curled tightly into Vivi who was plastered into Rowan's side. Zolo had his back to the fire, allowing it to warm him along with the robe. Zolo hadn't volunteered for watch duty, in fact they hadn't bothered with a watch this far out in the desert. He just hadn't been able to fall asleep.
The small noise would have been inaudible had they not been in the middle of a silent desert. Zolo's large callused hand gripped his sword tight in preparation for anything. He was just beginning to stand when another noise was made, allowing him to realize where the noise was coming from.
Rowan let out a groan again before turning on to her side. Vivi's face twisted slightly before she cuddled closer to Nami. The woman twisted in her sleep again, her face contorting. Lowering himself back down in to a sitting position, Zolo watched the woman try to escape whatever torment she was going through in her sleep. When Rowan kicked out a leg it almost hit the fire. Zolo lashed out and grasped the ankle of that leg.
Zolo watched with hooded eyes as the crinkles along Rowan's brow smoothed and her panicked breath turned soft. When Zolo was sure the woman had returned to a fit slumber, he released his hard grip and simply rested his hand on her bare flesh. The golden hue, enhanced by the fire, refused to let Zolo draw his attention away. Callused fingers ran up and down the rather large foot.
"Stupid Princess," Zolo barely whispered, his nails digging lightly into the skin and causing goosebumps to rise. "You don't need to fear anything."
Rowan blocked her eyes with a hand from the sun's harsh glare. The sun rose at Rowan's back, warming her. The outline was wavy but Rowan could make out the city they were headed to. The others paused for a moment on top of the sand dune.
"That's Rainbase!" Vivi proclaimed. A sigh of relief went through the group as they finally laid eyes on their destination. Walking for a day and a night had not been something any of them had enjoyed.
"Yeah! Let's kick Crocodile's butt!" Luffy screamed, throwing fists into the air as tears ran down his face.
"Water!" Chopper and Usopp all but begged.
"Not so loud you two," Zolo ordered. Rowan started down the hill, the others following suit.
"Usopp, is that thing I asked for you ready?" Nami questioned from atop the camel Eyelashes. Usopp nodded enthusiastically while reaching into the yellow bag at his side.
"That thing?" Sanji asked from her side.
"Ready? It's stupendous!" Usopp pulled out three blue pipes from his bag. "Have a look! Just what you asked for! I call it the 'Clima-Tact'!" Nami reached down from the camel and took the pipes from the sniper.
"Clima-Tact?"
"That's right. At first glance, they look like ordinary pipes but you can combine them in different ways for different attacks! Which reminds me—" Rowan turned to Usopp as he handed over a few small black balls. Rowan took them in hand and watched them roll around in her palm. The woman's lips went wide as she smiled down at the items.
"Told you you could do it if you just put your mind to it," Rowan smiled, looking down at her clothes before frowning. She didn't have any pockets. With a heavy sigh the woman placed the balls along the lining of her top, the balls resting next to her brass knuckles.
"Hey, don't give Nami-chan that dangerous weapon! Nami-chan, Vivi-hime and Rowan-sweet—"
"Excuse me?"
"—don't have to fight! I'll protect them!" Rowan scowled at the chef but he just continued on. "Just call me Prince Charming!"
"Move it Prince," Zolo barely acknowledged.
"Watch it, Zolo!"
"Do you think Baroque Works knows we're here?" Zolo ignored Sanji in favor for Vivi. Rowan jumped just slightly when she realized how close the man had gotten too her while talking to Usopp.
Since she had been the first to wake from their nap, the woman had found a hand on her ankle. The strong fingers had kept a firm grip even when she tried to pull away. Finding Zolo's hand there, keeping her, had caused something to stir in her heart. A cocktail of fear, anger and…hope had blossomed in Rowan's chest. She shoved down those feeling in favor of fixing her shirt in hopes that the thing didn't come untied and release her breast.
"Probably," Vivi admitted. "We know that Mr. 2 and his partner, along with Mr.3 are here so we can assume they know we're in Alabasta."
"So what?" Luffy asked.
"They know what we look like. We'd better be careful."
"How come?"
"There could be Baroque Works Agents anywhere in Rainbase. If they find out we're here who knows what they'll do!" Usopp explained with exasperation to Luffy.
"They specialize in assassination." Luffy leapt forward and screamed at the top of his lungs,
"Let kick Crocodile's butt!" Usopp lashed out before Rowan could and hit the boy on the head.
"We're you even listening?" Vivi's soft voice actually surprised them all by saying,
"Actually, Usopp, I agree with Luffy. We don't have time to make plans."
"Not afraid are you Usopp?" Nami laughed.
"I'm ready to fight!" Chopper declared. Rowan chose to ignore them all in favor of continuing towards the city ahead of them.
It didn't take the group but another half hour until they reached the busy city. Rowan watched with narrowed eyes at the many people that bustled about in their own business. The city was loud in Rowan's opinion as buildings shouted out their specials and drunks continued to waste their money on gambling machines and bets. Sanji was the one who found them a place to rest for a short moment. The half destroyed brick wall gave enough shade to hide under and a place to rest against.
"We need water." Luffy and Usopp were quickly to volunteer to Nami's statement. With money in pocket, the two boys scrambled off.
"You think it was a good idea to send them?" Sanji questioned as he watched the two disappear into the crowd.
"I need to pee."
"Don't wonder to far Chopper. And Usopp's with him. They shouldn't get into much trouble," Rowan reasoned, hiding in the shade.
"It's just a simple errand. They'll be fine," Nami agreed. Rowan looked up when Eyelashes let out a rather disgruntled sound. She found Zolo poking the camel in the face with a stick.
"I don't know," the swordsman mused aloud, stabbing the stick at Eyelashes nostril. "Those two are magnets for trouble. Be ready to run."
"Luffy is a magnet for trouble, Usopp is a side-effect. Leave the beast alone," Rowan ordered, trying to hide from the sun again.
Soon enough, boredom had Rowan playing with the gold coins on her hip, listening to them jingle. She wasn't bored for long however, for the next thing she knew, Luffy and Usopp were screaming at the top of their lungs as they ran at the crew. Rowan scrambled to her feet and watched with an unhinged jaw as she caught the column of marines following after her two crewmates.
"The marines are on their tail!" Sanji yelped, scrambling to his own feet.
"They're leading them right to us?" Nami screamed. The crew was seconds from bolting when Vivi pulled them back.
"Chopper's not back yet!" Rowan snagged Vivi's arm and had her running after her.
"Leave him! He'll be alright!" The crew didn't need a second excuse and bolted. Rowan's long legs propelled her to the front of the group beside Vivi, easily barreling through the portion of the crowd that didn't have time to get out of their way. Vivi continued to lead the way with Rowan at her side, going through busy streets and causing a loud ruckus that was quickly catching plenty of attention.
"If we keep running around town like this, Baroque Works is sure to notice!" Sanji called from the back of the group.
"Too late," Zolo stated, pointing to the group of citizen looking men following after the Marines.
"Then let's go! To Crocodile's place, Vivi!" Luffy shouted. Vivi nodded her head back to the Captain before speeding down a street. At the end of the street, Vivi's finger pointed out a rather dramatically looking building.
"There! See the building with the crocodile on it?"
"How can you miss it?" Rowan questioned, staring. The building was shaped to look like a pyramid with a large golden crocodile atop it.
"That's Rain Dinners, Crocodile's casino!"
"We should split up!" Sanji stated.
"Good idea," Zolo agreed.
"Go in pairs," Rowan ordered.
"Okay! We'll meet up at Crocodile's place!" Luffy shouted, his arms stretching out and springing him away from the group. Rowan snatched out and snagged Zolo's arm.
"I'm not letting you get lost!" she explained to his raised eyebrow. The raised eyebrow quickly turned into a sneer. "Last thing we need is you to be lost in the middle of a desert." Rowan peered over her shoulder and watched Vivi go off by herself, causing a twist in the woman's stomach. Sanji, Usopp and Nami ran off in another direction, successfully splitting the group up. Rowan's stomach loosened slight when she saw that most of the Marines came after them. "We got company," Rowan stated, watching the marines surround them. With a light smirk the woman reached into her shirt and gripped the brass knuckles tight.
The Marines quickly descended upon the two and the two quickly made them regret that. Bones broke and organs ruptured under Rowan's unforgiving fists. Rowan broke a man's jaw with a kick to the hinge before turning and kicking a man in the gut, sending him flying backwards. Using momentum from her kick, another marine fell under a solid punch to the gut.
"Hurry up with your lot, Swordsman!" Rowan shouted, knocking another man out with a punch to the temple.
"Shut it Princess!" The sudden noise from Zolo had the female turning around. Her elbow lashed out and jabbed hard into a marine who tried to sneak up behind her.
"Roronoa Zolo! So we meet again?" Rowan peered over Zolo's shoulder and looked towards the new figure. Rowan mock saluted the woman, recognizing her as Captain Smoker's second hand Tashigi.
"How you do?" Rowan called out, receiving a glare in turn.
"I don't have time for you, but I haven't forgotten the insult!" the glasses wearing woman barked.
"I've got no beef with you! Our business is finished!" Zolo shouted at the woman.
"Finished? We never even crossed swords!" Rowan jumped away from the swordsman when he suddenly went ballistic.
"Don't look at me with that face!" he thundered, pointing a demanding finger at her.
"What? Don't you tell me what to do!" Tashigi shouted right back, looking flustered. Rowan let out a yelp when Zolo suddenly grasped her wrist and pulled her behind him.
"I can't fight her!" Zolo grumbled to himself. Rowan dug her heels into the sand and changed the man's course by throwing her body into her pull.
"Wrong way, idiot!" The two pirates sped through the city, Rowan leading them to the giant crocodile. Rowan pulled up short when she made it to the bridge that attached the casino to the island from its spot in the river. Rowan looked down the other streets and saw that Nami and Usopp were headed towards them. Rowan looked back to the entrance and snarled when she saw the Baroque Work members. "Zolo!"
"On it!" Rowan was right on Zolo's heels as the two burst through the street. It was Zolo's boot that slammed into the nearest Baroque Works and sent him and the others flying with their guns.
"Zolo! Wasn't Vivi with you?"
"She went another direction!" Rowan answered Nami's question. The redhead kicked out and knocked out the one Baroque Works member that hadn't had a direct hit and was trying to get back up.
"Maybe she's already inside?"
"We can't worry about that right now!" Rowan stated, pointing down one of the streets. Luffy was headed right for them with Captain Smoker right on his tail. "Inside! Inside! Inside!" Rowan screamed. Luffy sped past his crew taking the lead.
"Here we come, Crocodile!" Rowan and the crew entered the casino with a flourish of panic. Rowan had to once again dig her heels into the ground in fear of running Luffy over when the boy suddenly stopped right in front of her.
"Is it really smart to stop right in the doorway when Smoker is behind us?" Rowan barked but Luffy wasn't listening to her and just continued to shout out for Crocodile.
"Fool! You call that luring him out?" Nami screamed.
"He's a hero here! You want the customers to tear us to pieces?" Usopp yelped. Rowan's green eyes burned into their new surroundings. The casino was filled with customs, all of which were playing some sort of gambling game, be it cards or machine. Though more were beginning to look in their direction.
"Then what do we do?" Luffy demanded.
"Wait a minute! Vivi's the only one who knows what he looks like!" Rowan's lips pulled into a frown when she realized that the blue haired girl had still not joined them. Rowan about jumped out of her skin when the three began to scream for both Crocodile and Vivi this time.
"Enough of this!" Rowan snarled, her spine tensing when she saw that Smoker had finally entered the building. "Move! By the Kings, if we get caught by the marines before we even get Crocodile I will kill each and every one of you!" Rowan shouted before they charged further into the casino.
Luffy was the bulldozer this time, taking out three men that Rowan could only assume were security, just by running. The fact that Rowan was positive they had just run security over, Rowan was beyond confused when the workers suddenly began to point them in the direction of a red carpet that lead to a fancy looking door.
"This way, please!" a man in a suit gestured with a bright smile.
"To the V.I.P room!" a woman in a dress expressed.
"Is he daring us to attack him?" Nami questioned, not pausing in her run.
"The pig's got style," Zolo chuckled. Rowan threw her shoulder into the door, Luffy at her side, and the crew was flying down a hallway that wasn't dull but didn't have the luster the casino obviously had.
"Let's go!" Luffy hollered to the others. "…what's V.I.P anyways?"
"Now's not the time for questions like that!" Rowan barked, her eyes open for any signs of a trap. "Watch out Luffy! Even Crocodile, a Warlord, can't be this brazen!" The group continued down the hallway until the end which led off into two different directions. A bold sign pointed in both, one stating their designation, the V.I.P room, and the other stating pirates.
"Which way do we go?" Luffy asked as they got closer.
"The V.I.P room is to the left!"
"Wait!" Luffy screamed. "But we're pirates! To the right!" Rowan grabbed the back of Luffy's cloak just in time for the ground beneath her to open up into a dark abbess.
"You've gotta be kiddin' me!" Rowan bellowed as Luffy's weight and the suddenness of the missing floor sent her sprawling head first into darkness. Bodies banged against other bodies and against the small tunnel they were currently falling through. Curses and shouts were clearly heard over the sound of impact. Rowan cried out when light assaulted her eyes and cried out again when the floor made an abrupt impression upon her back. Blinking stars out of her eyes Rowan opened them just in time to watch Luffy slammed into her stomach. The air was forced out of her lungs in one foul swoop. Gagging Rowan gave out a silent scream when four other bodies landed on top of hers. The feeling of suffocating had the woman all but throwing them all off of her with a panic thrust.
Rowan gasped for air like a fish out of water, trying to refill her lungs. Coughing was quick to presume until Rowan felt like her lungs were about to die. It was at that point that Luffy must not have wanted to live much longer.
"That was a clever trap."
"Sure fooled us." Rowan found her strength tenfold and grabbed the back of each of the boys. It was with great pleasure that Rowan bashed their heads together. The two fell to the ground, large lumps smoking from their new wounds.
"We played right into his hands! How could you not see it? Idiots!" Nami screamed. Rowan fell to her backside, still trying to regain her ability to breathe completely. Luffy climbed to one of the walls of their imprisonment and Rowan finally took in where they had landed. A large box, where all but one wall was made up of brick, while the other was made up of bars. Upon looking up, Rowan saw that their entrance had been closed.
"I feel so weak," Luffy groaned out, hands grasping the bars. Rowan looked over with a raised brow.
"What's wrong? Are you hungry?" Smoker's body rushed past Rowan, stunning her with its presence. She hadn't thought about the marine. She had been sure he wouldn't have fallen for such an obvious trap or at the very least, would have used his ability to escape. The fact that he was still here didn't sit well with the woman at all.
Luffy yelped when Smoker's weapon rammed in to him and sent him tumbling to the floor. Rowan's fist clenched tightly on one set of brass knuckles while her other hand quickly went to the strap of leather tied to her wrist. Smoker's club smashed into Luffy's chest, keeping the boy pinned. The way Luffy's head lulled spurred Rowan on faster.
"You jerk! All right, if it's a fight you want, I'll fight you, smoke dude! I helped defeat a human bomb once!" Usopp stuttered out miserably.
"What wrong with me?" Luffy panted. "I can't move! It's like I fell in the water."
"That's right."
"What did you do to Luffy, smoke-stack?" Smoker only sensed Rowan when it was too late. The piece of leather was gripped between her two hands and pulled tight against his neck. Smoker gagged against the pressure and lost his grip on his club. Taken down to one knee, Rowan glowered down at the top of his head covered in white hair.
"I'm gonna guess that the tip of your weapon has Sea Prism embedded into it," Rowan growled into the man's ear, even as he reached back and gripped her knee. Rowan could feel the strength there still but didn't worry. There was enough power in her strip to make sure he couldn't burst into smoke. Luffy was pushing himself up into a sitting position, eyes wide.
"Sea Prism?" Nami questioned from her side.
"It's a stone found only in one place in the ocean. I'm willing to bet that this entire box is made out of the stuff, just like the bars in jail at Marines Headquarters. They use the stuff to fight Devil Fruit users. It's still a completely mystery and no one how it emits the energy identical to the ocean's. However, lucky for my people, we've found that a certain patch of land on our island is brim with the same energy. It's soaked into the grass and we've found that if we feast our elk on this, that their bodies show the same signs as the Sea Prism stone. We make leather from their hides and, with a good treatment, we have our very own leather coated sea prism." Smoker's hand tried to grip the leather and pull but Rowan wasn't having any of that. Smoker choked slightly as he turned to glower at Rowan over his shoulder.
"I was right," he grounded out through clenched teeth. "No normal person would have survived that stunt you pulled back on base. You're a Clodagh." If possible, the hatred in the man's eyes grew.
"Born and raised," Rowan spat back.
"Stop it you guys!" Usopp yelled, clearly having a moment of panic. "You can't fight in here!"
"Who said we had to fight?" Rowan snarled bitterly, anger surging hotly in her heart as she felt the fabric of Smoker's marine jacket pressed against her bare stomach. She kept having to blink the sight of strawberry blond hair out of her eyes. The sharp burn of a bullet biting at her forehead kept replaying throughout her mind. "With this against his neck, all Zolo has to do is cut open his stomach."
"Stop it, Rowan!" Luffy shouted, causing Rowan to jerk. The woman glowered at her Captain, green eyes blazing. "Let him go."
Rowan's fists tightened for a second more before she did as ordered and released the man from her grip. Smoker turned around in order to glare into Rowan's stoic face, her expressions back behind a mask but hate still simmered in her eyes.
"He's right. Since you're going to die together you might as well be friends."
Rowan and the rest of the crew all turned to the barred side of the cage. The room they were currently in was highly decorated and a man sat in one of the well-crafted chair, a cigar burning between his lips.
"Crocodile!" Smoker snarled around his two cigars. The man in the chair smirked widely, showing straight white teeth.
"You're a mad dog, just like they say, Smoker. You don't even consider me an ally. And you're right not to." Crocodile stood from his chair giving Rowan her first good look at the bane of Vivi's existence. The man was extremely tall, easily towering over Rowan and the others. His chest and neck were thick with muscle while his long legs stretched for miles. His outfit was of obvious class and wealth. Deep set eyes sparked from his refined features. Shoulder length black-purple hair was slicked back to reveal his proud forehead. The most distinguished part of the man though was the heavy fur coat and the scar that stretched from ear to ear and went across the bridge of his nose. The giant golden hook where his left hand should be was another notable feature.
"Don't worry. I'll tell the Government that you died bravely fighting the puny Straw Hats," the crocodile laughed. "It's my guess you're here on your own authority. The World Government trusts me completely. They'd never sick the marines on me."
Rowan barely paid attention to Usopp and Nami who had plastered themselves against the back wall away from the man, quaking with fear.
"So he's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, eh?" Zolo mused from Rowan's side. Luffy pushed himself up into a full standing position, his face twisted into a snarl.
"You're Crocodile?" Rowan's eye twitched when Luffy launched himself at the bars and instantly fell back to the group. "Fight me," he gasped out, obviously in no position to follow through with his shout.
"You did well to make it this fair, Strawhat," Crocodile brought the attention back to himself. "I never thought I'd get to meet you in person. And now that I have, I'm going to kill you. But the guest of honor hasn't arrived yet. I've sent my partner to fetch her." Crocodile turned his back to the group and resumed his seat at the table. Rowan's stomach burned with anger as she watched him begin to eat what she assumed was his breakfast.
"Guess that was our dismissal," Zolo snorted, sitting down against the bench that Rowan now noticed surrounded the walls. Smoker walked past Rowan and sat down on the bench as well. Despite the calm aura he expressed, the way he clenched his cigars between his teeth told Rowan something different. Rowan continued to stand and crossed her arms across her chest, eyes still trying to will Crocodile to burst into flames.
Time seemed to drag on far too long for Rowan's liking. It began to get to the point where she couldn't stay still and began to crack her fingers and tap her toe on the floor.
"Hey, who ate all the meat?" Luffy mocked from behind Rowan, pretending to pull a cigarette out from his mouth. The idea of that had Rowan reaching into the waistband of her pants and pulling out her pack. The pack was stiff with dried sweat and the cigarettes tasted oddly, but Rowan light one up anyways, quickly sucking on the burning tobacco. Sitting in a cage was far too stressful for the woman.
"By the Kings—"
Rowan lashed out with a mule kick, sending Usopp barreling into the wall behind her. Rowan sucked harder on her cigarette. She knew she couldn't just kill the idiot sniper, but it was an idea and one she kept picturing. Luckily, she didn't have time to lose her cool for Nami was quickly on the two boys.
"Stop fooling around! We're in big trouble! What's wrong with you?"
"We can't get out, so we have a lot of time to kill," Luffy explained.
"You should be working on a way out, not killing time! We could get killed in here!...and you! Stop napping!" Rowan blew out a thick column of smoke and watched it rise to the ceiling and out the bars. She didn't pay any attention to Nami as the woman lashed out at the sleeping Zolo.
"Morning already?" he groaned.
"It's still the same day!"
"You're a spirited young lady," Crocodile chuckled, cutting up a piece of his breakfast into a neat little piece and eating it. The man's voice grated on Rowan's nerve to the point where her sight was beginning to bleed red.
"You rat!" Nami snipped sharply. "Enjoy that sense of control while you can! When these guys get out of this cage they'll kick your butt higher than the clouds! Right, Luffy?" Rowan blew out another ring of smoke when Luffy let out a battle cry.
"She has a great deal of trust in you, Strawhat." Crocodile chuckled lightly before sending the most condescending look any human could master. "But trust is the most overrated thing in the world."
"That rat! Making fun of us!" Nami fumed. Usopp was quick to jump at the girl.
"Stop it! You'll make him mad."
"Good," Rowan ground out around her cigarette.
"Crocodile!" Vivi's high voice cut through the room and Rowan's rage with a wave of terror. Rowan threw herself against the bars and all but forced herself through them in order to see the girl.
"Vivi!" she and a few others hollered.
"Why, Princess Vivi of Alabasta! Welcome! Or should I call you Ms. Wednesday? You did well to get past my assassins and make it this far." Rowan could just make out Vivi on what appeared to be a mighty incline of stairs.
"I'd go to the ends of the earth to get you! That's how badly I want you dead Mr. Zero!" Vivi screamed. Rowan's fists gripped the bars till her knuckles turned white; her anger came back tenfold when Crocodile only chuckled.
"Oh, I won't die, Ms. Wednesday, but your miserable little kingdom soon will."
"If it weren't for you, Alabasta would still be at peace!" Rowan's teeth clenched tight when Vivi rushed down the stairs, her weapons of small, rounded blades attached with wires twirling loudly on her fingers. Rowan had almost forgotten about the girl's weapon due to her having not needed it since joining the crew. But that thought was quickly buried in fear when Vivi actually went at Crocodile with her weapons.
"Vivi!" Rowan bellowed, muscles pulling against the bars. "Run you idget!"
"Open the cage! Let us out!" Luffy screamed from her side. Vivi either chose to ignore them or didn't hear them.
"PEACOCK STRING SLASHER!" Rowan's body slammed into the bars. Vivi's weapon cut straight through Crocodile's head, cutting the head of the seat behind him. Rowan's stomach clenched tightly when instead of Crocodile's head rolling, it burst into sand. Rowan's ears echoed with silence until the head of the chair smashed against the floor. Air was impossible to find, causing the woman to become light headed. The man was a logia Devil Fruit user.
"It's no use," Smoker grumbled. Rowan choked on her need to help Vivi. Crocodile's body disappeared in a wave of sand.
"Happy now Ms. Wednesday?" Rowan's entire body backed up quickly until she was pressed up against the far wall. "As Princess of this Kingdom, you must know about my powers of the Sand-Sand fruit." Red bleed bright into Rowan's sight as the man appeared behind Vivi and pressed a large hand against her face, holding her hostage. "How would you like to become a mummy?"
Rowan saw that the others mouths were moving but Rowan heard nothing but the roar of her own blood in her ears. The feeling of uselessness was coming up her throat, choking with its restriction. She didn't want to be useless. She didn't want any part of Crocodile touching her Vivi. Vivi was under her protection and Rowan would be damned if she simply stayed there.
The bars screamed and a bolt went whizzing out of place. Rowan's entire left side was throbbing with pain but Rowan shoved it into the deepest depths of her mind. All eyes were now on Rowan, the others yelling at her; however, Rowan only had eyes for Crocodile.
"Get yer filthy 'ands off 'er ya yellow-lilied, blunder of a pirate!" Rowan backed up a second time, her anger actually getting strong enough to smother out the rest of the world completely. "Ya think just cause yer some frill wearin', marine suckin', arse—" Rowan's body shot her forward again and barreled into the bars. The bars once again groaned and another few bolts shot off. Rowan backed up, her face still twisted into one of blazing rage and fury. It was with sick satisfaction that Rowan saw she had made a light dent into the bars. Crocodile released Vivi, calming the boatswain slightly, until he threw her into the remaining chair in the room.
"Clodagh Rowan," Crocodile sneered while getting off from the table. "Imagine my surprise when I heard that a Clodagh had actually joined a rookie crew."
"Imagine my surprise when I 'eard that Crocodile actually managed ta stir a rebellion," Rowan spat right back. A rather large vein began to pulse in Crocodile's forehead as he stared hard down at Rowan's much shorter form. She didn't like that. She was used to being as tall as most men if not taller in some cases. Short people were simply unheard of in her family. Rowan's grudgingly controlled her features from the murderous expression and set a mask of ice on her face. Now that she had Crocodile's attention and he was no longer making her very blood boil; or at least, the world was coming back in to focus.
"I should just kill you now." Rowan let out an undignified snort, her nose tilting towards the ceiling as she graced Crocodile with a condescending look.
"Why don't ya come a bit closer to these bars then?" Rowan jeered hauntingly. The sneer that crossed Crocodile's face didn't bond well with the redhead.
"Now why would I do a thing like that when I can simply watch you suffer?" Crocodile turned away from Rowan in order to look at the other woman in the room. Rowan's stomach tightened when she saw that it was Ms. All Sunday. The woman's revealing purple outfit was covered by a long white fur coat. "It's almost time for the party to begin. Ms. All Sunday?"
Why people were wearing fur coats in a desert island was beyond Rowan.
"It's seven o'clock." Crocodile sneered before waving his arms wide in what could only be described as victory. Rowan tried to burn holes into Ms. All Sunday when she tied Vivi's hands behind the chair she sat in.
"The rebels are on their way to Alubarna; the King is missing, leaving the Royal Army without a head to lead them; and the one person who could stop either side is here! And of course, why wouldn't the Rebels attack? Their King ordered the demise of Nanohana after all."
Rowan's choked a moment at that news. It was impossible for her mind to wrap around idea that Vivi's father would order the destruction of Nanohana; however, the idea that Mr. 2, a man of many faces, wasn't hard to grasp.
"The Civil War is well underway!" Crocodile's head was thrown back as he began maniacal laughter. "Well, what do you think, Ms. Wednesday? The master plan that you were once part of is finally coming to fruition! Listen carefully and you can hear the death rattle of Alabasta! And all of them believing that they are the ones defending Alabasta! Defend Alabasta! Defend Alabasta!"
"Stop it! How could you do such a thing? It's inhuman!" Vivi screamed in such pain that Rowan was beginning to back up again. Zolo's hands around her elbows had the woman stopping from charging the bars.
"Your love for your country moves me to tears, Princess. But that love will destroy Alabasta."
"This guy gives scoundrels a bad name," Zolo grumbled in Rowan's ear.
"You lousy rat! If it weren't for this cage, I'd—" Luffy huffed.
"I had to overcome a great many obstacles to get to this point. I had to find the right people. I had to raise enough money to buy the silver needed to manufacture the Dance Powder. I had to orchestrate acts of sabotage in order to destroy crumbling towns. I had to have my people spread rumors that they had been wronged by the King's army. I had to undermine the people's trust in their King at every turn until all their frustrations were overflowing!" Crocodile turned to Vivi. "Do you know why I want Alabasta this bad, Ms. Wednesday?"
"How should I know what goes on in that rotten mind of yours?"
"Such a sharp tongue for a Princess." Vivi snarled bitterly. With a loud shout, the girl tossed herself backwards, forcing the chair and herself to the ground. Vivi hit the ground with a grunt before she tried to wiggle away from Crocodile back towards the entrance. "Come now. What are you trying to do, Ms. Wednesday?"
"I'm going to stop it!" Vivi shouted, face in the floor. Rowan fought against Zolo's hands but the man pulled her short.
"Don't. You'll only hurt yourself." As if to prove his point, Zolo dug a thumb into her shoulder. Rowan bit back a yelp of pain. She had taken more damage than original thought in order to bust the bars.
"There's still time! I just have to get to Alubarna! If I can get there before the Rebel Army does, I might still be able to prevent the slaughter!"
"What a coincidence. We were just about to leave for Alubarna ourselves. I need to ask your father a certain question." Vivi spun around, her own glare mimicking Rowan's.
"Haven't you done enough to my father?"
"Who do you value more? Your father or your people?" Crocodile mocked. Reaching into his thick coat, Crocodile pulled a golden key from a vest pocket. "But you're welcome to come with us, if you wish."
"A key? That's—"
"Is that the key to this cage?" Luffy howled. "Hand it over, you jerk!" Crocodile snorted and tossed the key forward. Rowan broke out of Zolo's grip in order to watch the key fall down a hole that suddenly appeared.
"A trapdoor!"
"The choice is yours Ms. Wednesday. Yes, there's still time to prevent the Rebels, and the King's soldiers from butchering each other. You have about eight hours before the slaughter begins. But I don't think you're going to make it. It would take you longer than that to reach Alubarna from here." Crocodile laughed once more, brandishing his golden hook. "If you want to stop the rebellion, you'll have to leave right now, Ms. Wednesday. Otherwise hundreds of thousands will perish! Of course, you could stay here and save your friends. You just have to open the cage for them. Unfortunately, I accidentally dropped the key. And I just so happened to have dropped it in the Bananagators' pen. Well, there are your choices."
"Bananagators? Hey! Look!" Rowan followed Luffy's pointed finger and saw that the room they were in was surrounded by windows. Windows that were underneath the water and giant golden crocodiles swam past. "There are gators growing out of those bananas!" Rowan could just make out the shape of a banana on top of the crocodile's head. Had the situation been any different Rowan would have wondered if Luffy's brain was made out of actual rubber.
"They're enormous!"
"We're in an underwater chamber!" Nami screamed.
"What weird bananas."
"Look again, stupid. The bananas are growing out of the gators. It's the gators that are weird." Vivi's scream causing Rowan to look back at her. The girl was looking horrified into the trapdoor.
"The gator ate the key…" Vivi whispered in dismay.
"What? Go after it and make it spit it out!" Luffy ordered.
"I can't!" Vivi screeched. "Bananagators are ferocious! They even prey on Sea Monsters! If I go near them, they'll eat me up!"
"Oh, sorry about that," Crocodile mocked sympathy. "They think that anything that falls in there is food. And how would you figure out which one swallowed the key anyways?" Crocodile motioned to the windows behind him and the many Bananagators that were beginning to gather outside.
"You beast!" Nami seethed.
"If we could open this cage, I'd teach those lizards a lesson," Zolo huffed in aggravation, his hand on a blade.
"Duh, Zolo! We can't get out of this cage because one of them swallowed the key!" Luffy ranted in a disbelief tone. Rowan couldn't help but shoot the boy a look.
"I know that!"
"Well, then we'll be going now," Crocodile chuckled, turning his back to Vivi and to the opening doors. Rowan was beginning to wonder how many entrances and exits the room had. "By the way," Crocodile pondered over his shoulder. "In one hour, this room will be one big fish tank. I used this secret room as President of Baroque Works, but I won't be needing it anymore. Soon the water will start pouring in as it sinks into Rainbase Lake." Crocodile's arms stretched wide to Vivi, his sneer never leaving his face. "A multitude of innocent citizens or five no account pirates; make your choice, but you'll be lucky to save anyone. You have to decide whom to bet on, Ms. Wednesday. Do you like to gamle?" Crocodile's laughter obliterated Rowan's last nerve.
"Vivi," she called out to the stunned girl. She didn't so much as look over at Rowan. "Vivi, I need you to pay attention," she called.
"In a situation like this, even a Princess is powerless. This country made my work easy. Since it's populated by idiots, like the young rebels and that hole-digging old man in Yuba."
Rowan actually felt sick. Like her stomach had dropped into her foot and bounced back up to her throat.
"What? That dried-up old man?"
"Oh? You know him?" Crocodile jeered. "That oasis died a long time ago. But that stupid old man just keeps doggedly digging away. Doesn't that make you laugh? Oh he digs, heedless of those recurring sand storms."
"Why you—!" Luffy thundered but was cut short by Crocodile turning his attention back to the group in the cage.
"Let me ask you, Strawhat, do you really think it's natural that sandstorms hit the same town over and over like that?" Rowan's stomach succeeded in making its way into her throat. It was able to force its way up with the look of pain on Vivi's face.
"What do you mean?" Vivi choked out.
"Could he have…?" Nami whispered in her ear. Rowan's chest tightened and warmed substantially with an anger she knew would be hard to control. Crocodile stretched out a hand and a little sand storm began to brew within his palm.
"That was your doing?" Luffy gritted with barely contained wrath. The agony on Vivi's face had Rowan's knuckles turning white as she gripped the bars between her hands. Blood trickled down Vivi's lip form her teeth digging into her flesh.
"Vivi," Rowan tried to gain the girl's attention again. "Vivi, you need to get moving," she ordered, unable to hold the iron she usually held when giving out instructions. A loud rumble echoed through the room and pieces of the floor exploded upward, quickly followed by gushing water. "Vivi!"
"The water's coming in!" Usopp squealed. "It's gonna flood the whole place! Vivi, save us! Do something! I won't want to die in an hour!"
"This is no time to panic," Zolo declared.
"When was there ever a better time? If somebody doesn't do something fast, we're doomed!"
Rowan ignored the water and the others and kept her eyes on Vivi.
"Baby girl, you need to move," Rowan told her, hoping her words would reach her. Anger was beginning to fill brown eyes and shoulders were tensing up. "Vivi, don't pay attention to him! There's nothing you can do now about him. Focus on us!" Vivi still didn't seem to hear Rowan for she began to spin her weapon on her pinkie. "Vivi! Don't attack him!" Rowan ordered louder. "You can't stop him by yourself!" The hiccup that broke through Vivi's mouth seemed to be the beginning of Rowan reaching her, but instead of turning to the cage, Vivi fell in on herself, with another choked sob.
"Vivi!" Luffy suddenly screamed right next to Rowan. "Do something! Get us out of here!" Vivi turned teary eyes upon the cage, her face extremely pale. Crocodile's voice echoed from somewhere before his words came towards them.
"Begging for your life, eh Strawhat? But of course you are. Everyone fears death."
"If we die here who's gonna kick his butt?" A thick silence followed Luffy's declaration. It was a moment before Crocodile rumbled,
"Don't be so full of yourself. Fish bait." The look on Luffy's face, had Rowan taking a step back. The boy was finally getting serious.
"Oh, yeah? You're the one who's a minnow!"
"He's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!" Nami and Usopp squealed.
"Vivi, get out of here!" Rowan shouted, finding her barring again. "Find—"
"If you're going to abandon your friends, this would be a good time to do it, Ms. Wednesday. You want to stop the rebellion, don't you?" Vivi's face went as white as a sheet when the ground began to shake lightly. Rowan struggled with the bars in front of her but was eventually able to see what it was that terrified Vivi so. A bananagator had made it up into their level of the room.
"Run Vivi!" Rowan screamed the loudest she had screamed in a long time. The boatswain banged against the bars of her cage, her own terror spurring her on.
"Take 'em on, Vivi!" Luffy shouted only to have Rowan beat him back.
"You're asking the impossible! It's too big!" Usopp shouted, clearly on Rowan's side. "Vivi, run! You can't win! But save us too!" Usopp stuttered at the end.
"You're the one asking the impossible!" Nami shouted. Rowan turned back to Vivi, her hands gripping the bars.
"Forget about us, Vivi!" Rowan shouted. "Just forget about us and get out!"
"Look out the window! They're waiting their turn!"
"We're just lunch to them!"
"Looks like you've made your choice," Crocodile's voice came to the cage. Rowan had assumed he had left already. "Very well. You just have to kill them all. The key's inside one of them." The bananagator was in clear view now, and Rowan felt her own throat catch. The thing was easily bigger than the Sea Cat they had seen before docking at Alabasta. The beast's hide was the same gold as a regular banana. One of its claws was easily the same size as Rowan.
Vivi brought up her weapons as if she meant to defend herself but she stood no chance. The gator's teeth easily demolished the area Vivi had been standing. Rowan could just see Vivi make it out of the way in time.
"Just like a real croc," Rowan snarled, feeling her old wound on her arm twinge with remembrance. It had been able to lunge just like a normal crocodile but with the strength and weight of a sea king. The bananagator pulled back, looking for its prey, allowing Rowan to see the damage it had caused with one bit.
"It shattered those stone stairs with one bite!" Usopp screeched.
"Watch out for its tail!" Rowan screamed, seeing the strike coming before Vivi. The girl wasn't able to move out of the way quick enough. Rowan heard the girl's yelp and watched the tail launch her across the room.
"Go for the tail!" Luffy shouted unhelpfully. Usopp's hands were digging into his curly locks, in helplessness.
"What can she do against a monster like that?" Rowan barreled her way past the two and to a better spot where she could see the girl. Vivi wasn't moving.
"Get up, Vivi!" Rowan shouted. The bananagator was moving its way closer to the knocked out girl. "Vivi, you need to get up now!" Rowan pushed herself closer to the bars when she saw the girl begin to move. However, she was moving much to slow for Rowan's liking. "Get up, get up, get up!"
Ring! Ring!
Rowan's head shot up, turning towards the direction that the sound was coming from.
Ring! Ring!
The bananagator pulled back from the still incapacitated girl and its thick head turned towards the sound as well.
"Yes?" Ms. All Sunday's voice floated towards Rowan.
"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?" Rowan frowned lightly, her body tightening as she stretched up in hopes of hearing the voice better. It sounded…oddly familiar.
"Yes, I can hear you. Is that you, Millions?"
"Hey, are we connected? I've never used a Baby Transponder Snail before. Hello?"
"Hurry up and state your business! What's going on?"
"That voice. I've heard it before. This is Restaurant le Crap."