A new chapter! What will happen? (I want ice cream...) And why are all the people talking in capital letters? Last chapter was just like that too.
Thanks, people, for all the reviews you've given! It's always like on Christmas eve when I see that there's a new one! ^-^
She didn't remember whose voice it was, but it held urgency. It snapped her out of her state to see a pair of huge jaws opening at her and she did the first that came to mind: jumped out of the way...
...on the bananadile.
Rubble flew every way from the trashed stairs.
"IT'S SO FAST!"
"It crushed the stone staircase in one bite! Those jaws must be insanely powerful!"
"Kyaa!" Vivi yelped when the tail end of the beast tackled her. The crocodile couldn't see Gen, who was sitting on the banana, holding on to it so she wouldn't fall.
"Gen! Good, stay there and don't move!"
"DAMMIT! That thing's unbeatable!"
"Vivi, RUN! GET UP! It's going to eat you!"
Rrrrriiingg...
Rrrrriiinnnggg...
A small, ringing noise bounced from the walls. It was coming from Robin.
"Hm, a phone call."
"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?" a familiar voice said.
"Yes, I can. You're millions, aren't you?" Ms. All Sunday answered.
"Hey, is this getting through? I've never used one of these baby snails before... hello?"
"What is it?"
"Oh, okay, I'll just talk like this."
If Gen hadn't been so freaked out by Crocodile and hadn't been trying to be as unnoticeable as possible on the bananadile she would've facepalmed.
"Spit it out already!" Crocodile ordered. "What happened?"
"Oh... that voice... I've heard that voice before..."
"Huh?"
You could practically hear the smoky coolness that oozed through the line. "Welcome sir, this is the shitty restaurant."
"'Shitty restaurant'?"
"Niiice, you remembered. I'm touched."
There was a moment of blankness on his face and then he gritted his teeth in recognision.
"Hey, did you hear that?" Usopp asked.
'No, we're all deaf! SARCASM!'
"'Shitty restaurant', sounds like...!" Nami smiled in relief.
"SANJ-!"
"Wait Luffy!" there was ferocious whispering as Usopp gagged Luffy.
"Who the hell are you?" Crocodile asked. He was not amused, unlike Robin, who was smiling a bit wider.
"Me...? I am Mr. Prince."
"I see, Mr. Prince. And where are you?"
"Can't tell ya. If I do, you'll come an' kill me, wont ya?"
'Oh nice, he's talking like me...'
"Well, wether you can or not remains to be seen. I give out lots of 'info' easily... and I'm not an idiot, like you, Mr. 0."
There was a bulging vein on Crocodile's cheek.
"PRINCE! SAVE US! WE'VE BEEN CAPTURED! WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT!"
"Hahaha..." the snail chuckled and imitated puffing a cigarette. "Know who that sounds like? My crew. Very well, I'll just be-"
BLAM
"GWAH!" someone fell.
'Nice, 'Prince'. Hurry up and save the princess.'
"HUH?!" the pirates in the cage looked horrified.
"*click* haah, haah... pesky bastard..." a new voice said. "Hello? Hahh... what should we do to this weirdo?"
"No... Sanji?" Vivi looked broken.
"Where are you? Spit it out..."
"Yes sir! At the front gate of the casino called 'Rain Dinners' in Rainbase."
Zoro, Luffy, Usopp and Nami went bonkers. It was kinda cute, to see how they react when something like this happened.
"That useless idiot! He better still be alive!" 'Aww, you don't hate him. Uh, bad thoughts, bad thoughts!'
"SANJIII!" Luffy's eyes bugged out. Usopp was just yelling and Nami was crying for their only hope to get out. Smoker, the evergrumpy marine... just sat there. 'Oh. Well boo you.'
Crocodile laughed merrily, and that was something no one wanted to see: a happy Crocodile. He and Robin started chatting to each other.
Vivi ran towards the broken stairs and hopped over the rubble. The action caught the bananadile's eye and it lurched at her, and the sudden movement made Gen hug the ridiculous banana tightly so she wouldn't fall. The banana... well, imagine a leathery banana on a crocodile's head, and it's green.
There. It sounds wrong.
"VIVI!" She had managed to get a grip from the upper half of the stairs and was now hanging on it. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"We still have some time before this room sinks! I'm going to call for help!"
"That's right! Maybe that didn't really kill Sanji!" Usopp said. "If Vivi can free him somehow...!"
"And Chopper's still outside, he might be able to do something!" Nami realized.
"HEY LOOK OUT!" Luffy cried out when Crocodile's hand turned into sand and the hook soared at the princess, pulling her down with a scream. She went unconcious when she hit the floor.
"VIVI!"
"CUT THAT BULLSHIT OUT!" Crocodile yelled.
"VIVI! OPEN YOUR EYES! THE CROC IS COMING!"
'...was I... forgotten...?' Gen thought hopefully.
Little more gloating from the Crocodile, and he left with Robin the Cowgirl in his tow.
Luffy grit his teeth.
"DAMMIIIIIITT!"
She felt the bananadile move and open his jaws. She shut her eyes, this was going to get wild.
The bananadile didn't get her, but she jumped out of the way and slashed at the beast's tounge, jumping away to the stairs.
The croc was pissed and expressed it by a growl.
"Yes! She got away!" Nami cheered.
Vivi didn't wait. She started running, and the crocodile crushed the wall under the stairs, making them fall down completely. The girl ran and reached safe ground just in time. Unfortunately the impact shattered a window.
"OH NOOO! MORE WATER IS POURING IN! NOW WE DON'T HAVE MORE THAN 20 MINUTES!" Usopp yelled.
"Is Vivi okay?"
"Listen everyone! Hang on a little longer! I'm going to find help! I WON'T LET YOU ALL DIE!"
"GO, VIVI, GO!" Luffy and Usopp horraayed as she ran away.
'Okaaay, what the netherworld am I going to do now?'
FLaSHBaCK
"What the netherworld? It can't be that easy!" Gen huffed at Greg's teaching.
"To you it should be, no matter the amount of water you use."
"So I'm a special case?"
"Gloria-sama, you are the daughter of the ocean herself. The ocean commands even the smallest little currents out there, from droplets and foam to the waves and whirlpools." He sighed. "Go on, give it at least a try."
END
She pointed her hand at the steadily increasing water and like Greg had instructed pictured what she wanted it to do in her mind.
"Gen, whatever you do," Usopp said, "don't draw it's attention to us!"
"DUMBASS!" Nami hit him. The animal was looking patiently at the cage, it's tail moving slowly up and down in wait.
"The moment the bananadile notices her she's goner," Smoker stated.
"Hey, there's a tentacle in the water!" Luffy pointed out.
"A-A-ANOTHER MONSTER?" Usopp cried.
"No, she's doing something," Nami said.
The tentacle rised like a snake from the surface of the water and slowly rised over the animal's back. When it's end touched the water at the other side, she grinned evilly.
Five other vines crawled out and locked around the animal. They were faster and more confident than the first one and soon the bananadile was writhing angrily under the restraints. She fell down with a splash because she wasn't holding on anything. It also broke her concentration...
...the bananadile got free.
"HYAAAAA!" Gen screamed as she tried to get away from the crocodile in the knee-high water.
"HEY, YOU STUPID PEABRAIN!" Nami yelled. "YEAH YOU! I BET YOU CAN'T BITE THROUGH THIS CAGE!"
Usopp looked like he could die right there. "AAAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, NAMI?"
"We can get out if it chomps through the cage! And that'll draw it's attention away from her!"
"I see! Good idea!"
"BRING IT, DUMBASS BANANA!" Luffy joined the insulting. In the crocodile's small reptilian brain it couldn't focus on one thing for too long. Usopp tried once again to explain it right to Luffy, but he just brushed it off saying that they both were food.
Gen fell in the waves the thing created as it bit the cage. The residents screamed, but the prison held against the jaws. Poor bananadile, it's teeth broke. Gen got spluttering up and while the animal was nursing it's injured mouth and pride, she took the risk and ran to the cage.
"Hey y'all."
"So, you didn't die."
"That's a louzy greeting, Marimo-chan. You almost sound like you're disappointed."
He looked uneasy and shifted his weight from foot to foot.
"Aww, you were worried for me! So cute."
"Hey," Smoker's gruff voice cut their moment.
"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM?"
"THINK OF SOMETHING TO DO!"
"How much do you know of Crocodile's plans? That woman with him... is an outlaw whose been on the run from the World government for 20 years. The price on her head is more than 70 million berries!"
'Why do you say 'more than 70' when you could just say 80? I really don't get it.'
"SE-SE-70 million? S-SO WHAT?"
"Almost as much as Crocodile's..."
"With the two of them joining forces, this is no longer just the takeover of a nation anymore. If we don't do something now, this will develop into a disaster that will envelop the entire world."
"The entire world? What do you mean?" Nami gasped.
"H-hey, that's a little too much to swallow..." Usopp's eyes were wide.
"What are you guys talking about?" Luffy had crossed his arms in annoyance. "Since when do we need a reason to kick his worthless ass?"
Gen leaned into the cage bars. The kairouseki was grey like iron and cool to the touch. She blinked at the energizing feeling that it brought. "Hmm... I know what he's after..." she muttered.
They all looked at her again, waiting for more.
"You know his objectives?" the marine stared at her like a hawk from his perch on the ledge.
"Why should she tell you anything?" Usopp asked harshly. "W-W-We're enemies," and he hid behind Zoro.
"Oi, wakey-wakey," Nami snapped her fingers in her face when she was staring somewhere really far.
"Hm? You said something?"
"He wants to know about Crocodile's plans."
She looked at Mr. Lungcancer. "He's evil. There's a story carved in stone, and that stone is what he seeks."
"Don't speak in riddles, if you know something I want to hear it," he sighed.
"Yeah! Didn't you hear, the whole world is in danger!"
"Indeed it is, if he succeeds," she grinned. She knew this was annoying everyone.
"You're not helpful."
"I don't care what he wants, but he's a big asshole who's going to get his ass kicked!" Luffy said.
Smoker sighed, puffing out smoke. "...fine." Then he looked down to the water. "So, how're you going to get out of here?"
"AAAH! IT'S UP TO MY THIGHS!" Luffy's eyes bugged out.
"GYAAAAAAAAAG! I'M GONNA DIIIE!" Usopp yelled.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Nami wailed.
"Ugggh, I feel faint," Luffy went slack and Usopp had to hold him up.
"NO! NOOO! HANG IN THERE! THAT'S WHAT VIVI SAID, RIGHT?"
"Vivi! It must be hard for her, she doesn't have any time!" Nami worried for the princess.
"I wouldn't be so overly worried," Gen said while floating in the water while she held onto the cage.
"Make sure never to make noise when eating your meal..." a voice said. "ANTI MANNER KICK COURSE!"
The bananadile coughed up a chunk of stonestairs. Sanji drew on his cigarette and pointed at the cage with it.
"Hey. Were you waiting?"
"Hi Sanji-kun, ya've got cool classes," Gen waved.
"PRIIIINCE~!"
"STOP SCREWING AROUND AND FIND THE KEY!" Zoro grit his teeth.
"Oh, thank you..." Nami had tears in her eyes.
"Come on, Marimo, you can't say you weren't relieved when you saw him still breathing?" she strolled by, swimming on her back. She earned the all too familiar death glare.
"Nami-swaaaan! Do you love me?"
"...there goes the coolnes out of the window. Figuratively, 'cos it's spoutn' out water at the moment."
Nami and Zoro sweatdropped. "Yes, yes, I love you. Open the door!"
"OKAAAAY!"
"His eternal stupidity knows no bounds..."
"VIVI! GOOD JOB!" Luffy gave her thumbs up.
The room was starting to fill with other things beside the water. Three more bananadiles crawled in. She knew how Smoker had determined which one of the crocodiles was the one who ate the key and kept an ear on how the animals growled.
'Oh wow... I can hear it!'
Sanji raised his leg high in the air. 'Who am I kidding, he's supercool~!' she squeeled inside. The scene went on and she kept on swimming around lazily. Sanji killed the crocodile that came into the room and found Mr. 3. He was beaten into submission and when he was no more of use Sanji kicked him in the face and he let out a weird 'heblooey' sound.
"Hurry, we don't have much time!"
"I think the tunnel they went down should lead to Alubarna, but there are still too many bananadiles in the tunnel!" Vivi said.
"Nothing to worry about..." Nami sweatdropped when Zoro resheathed his katana.
"WHAT, IS THAT ALL?" Luffy yelled while standing next to his first mate.
"I couldn't do anything against only one..." Vivi cried.
"No, Vivi! It's not you! Those guys are just freakishly strong!" Usopp consoled her.
"Yeah, and uber-suber-cool-badass!" Gen's head popped between the two.
"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK, TENTACLE-WOMAN!" Usopp's eyes bugged out.
KRRRRAKKK...
"Sounds bad."
"TRY TO SOUND MORE CONCERNED!"
"AAAH! THE WALL'S CRACKING!"
"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU FOUGHT TOO WILDLY, IDIOT!"
"The tunnel's collapsing! Escape! We have to escape!"
Water flooded all their senses and Usopp hit his head. Lucky for him, he was saved by Nami and Vivi. Gen heard Luffy's last order to Zoro to drag Smoker up too before he was swallowed by the waves. Sanji was the one to save him.
Gen wanted to take the opportunity to try breathing underwater again, but this wasn't salt water. Was there a difference between that and fresh water?
The decicion was made for her when something big and heavy slammed into her and knocked the air out of her. The cold water rushed into her lungs and she almost waited for the death's grim grip take a hold of her.
One.
Two.
Three.
''M still alive, so it must mean something,' she opened her eyes.
The others had made their way to the surface, but she didn't feel like following them right away. She inhaled and exhaled just to get the feeling only to cough when sand went into her windpipe.
"So not cool, must look out for that later on."
She looked around in the water and enjoyed the thousands of different shades of blue it displayed. 'Only to be able to capture all those colors...' she sighed.
Gen heard a splash above her and saw a black suited figure sink her way.
"Ooooi! Sanji-kun! You didn't need to come and save me~!" she waved.
He stared at her a moment and his jaw dropped comically, before his face flushed red and his overall precense started regenerating bubbles the shape of hearts.
In the end, she had to rescue him.
"What took you so long?" Zoro asked annoiedly while he distangled from Smoker's jutte. 'Oh, we're here.'
"Ahh, y'know, water is kinda like my element," she winked. There was a strong scent of parfume that almost slapped her in the face. It made her cough.
Sanji jumped on his feet and started wiggling. "I thought I had died, such a beautiful image appeared before my eyes! An angel! A siren! I saw heaven!"
"Die."
"What?"
"I assume that you don't have any complaints if I have to do my duties as a professional here?" Smoker interrupted their blossoming bicker.
"Look, this is what we get for saving a marine!" Sanji lit a cigarette, the fight completely forgotten.
"HAAAAAA! FULL SPEED TO ALUBARNA!" Usopp yelled.
"Oh, you two woke up," Nami said.
"SHOW YOURSELF, CROCODILE!" Luffy growled. Then he noticed the marine captain. "Whoa! Smokey! You wanna fight?"
"..."
"GWAAAAH! SMOKER! LET'S GET OUTTA HERE, LUFFY!"
Smoker had a 'are you serious' face, and Gen had for the first time a good look at him. He had white hair and an aura of a little rebel.
"How's your cigar still burning?"
"..."
"..."
"You... are an interesting young lady..."
"Well duh," she rolled her eyes. "Now answer."
"I don't know."
"Oh. What a disappointment."
The man locked eyes with Luffy who had his guard up (=fists) and sighed. "Go."
"Huh?"
"This will be the only time when I let you get away. The next time we meet, you're a dead man, remember that, strawhat Luffy!"
They stared at the old marine disbelievingly and Zoro broke into laughter. He'd have to explain it to her later, she decided.
"There they are!" someone yelled. That was their cue to get going.
"Hurry, they're coming! Which way is Alubarna?" Sanji asked.
"That way! Straight to the east!"
"Luffy, what are you doing? Come on!"
"Oh, right," he seemed to snap out of the staring contest with Smoker. "You know, I don't hate you after all~! Heeheeheehee!"
"GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!" Smoker had an angry tickmark in his words as he swiped at Luffy with the jutte.
"Yeep!"
It was a crab.
It was a crab the size of a building.
It was a crab the size of a building, and the way it looked at her... Gen felt like screaming 'rape'.
"A CRAB?"
"Chopper!"
"That's a 'moving crab'!" Vivi smiled in awe.
"DAMN that looks tasty!" Luffy said what Luffy would only say. The thing seemed to hit the brakes and slide to a stop. To Gen's relief August was up on the crab's hairy back.
"Let's ride!"
"We can ride that thing too? Yahoo!" Luffy cheered.
"I don't believe it," Sanji shook his head and laughed.
"Wait, doesn't it look a little... shady?" Nami frowned. Gen hit her lightly in the back of her head.
"You sure didn't have problems when you rode that camel..."
"He's one of Eyelash's friends! Eyelash was born in this town, so he has lots of friends here! ...that are perverts," Chopper said. "And August just appeared out of nowhere."
"Wow! Moving crabs are always under the sand, so some people don't believe they even exist!" Vivi told them.
"It's pretty fast, right?" Zoro made sure.
They climbed up to the crab's bigger claw and onwards to the back.
"Everyone on?" Chopper looked around. They answered him with nods, and he flicked the reins. "Okay! Let's goooo! DEPART!"
The crab started running sideways, but she saw threat approach them in the form of a golden hook. It grabbed Vivi, who screamed once she realized her situation.
"Vivi!"
"CHOPPER, STOP!" Zoro said to the doctor.
"It's him!"
"VIVI!" Luffy yelled, and without slightest of hesitation took a hold of the hook and flinged the princess back to safety.
"HEY, LUFFY!"
"That idiot!"
"LUFFY!"
"Go on ahead! I'll be fine by myself!" he assured them as he soared through the air twards the two figures standing in the desert. "Be sure you get there! Get Vivi to the palace!"
"Luffy! There's two of them!"
Vivi was worried for her new friend who grinned at them with certainty. Zoro had a nervous grin on his face. All he could do was put his trust on him. "Head straight to Alubarna, Chopper!" he gave the order.
"Okay! Got it!"
"WHAT? We're just going to leave him, Zoro?" Usopp freaked out.
"LUFFY!"
"It's okay, Vivi! He'll be fine!" Nami held the princess down just in case so she wouldn't go after him. "I feel sorry for them! There isn't one single person who's tried to fight him and gotten away safely!"
'Yet your face spells worry,' Gen sighed to herself.
"Understand, Vivi? He will stop Crocodile," Zoro said. "The moment the rebellion moved to attack, this country's 'limit' was defined. If the army and the rebels collide, this kingdom is done for! If you are our only hope for stopping this, then you must stay alive, no matter what! And it doesn't matter what happens to any of us!"
"But..."
Far away, Luffy finally thudded to the ground.
"Vivi-chwan, you helped set this fight up," Sanji said calmly. "You left your country years ago, and you began fighting an organization you knew nothing about. However... you're not fighting by yourself anymore."
"It's like chess," Gen saw an opening to put in her two words of wisdom. "Sacrifice one for the sake of what's more important."
"V-V-VIVI! DON'T W-W-WORRY! I'LL- I'LL PROTECT YOU!" Usopp shook badly.
The princess looked at the distant figure of Luffy and called his name. "WE'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU IN ALUBARNA!"
"OKAY!"
Gen layed down and called August by her side. She hugged the dragon against herself and let her eyes slid shut. It felt like eternity when she had last time had the opportunity to sleep, and the wonderful feeling of water surrounding her was waning from her.
"Agg, guard my sleep," she mumbled before sinking into the dreamland, using her bag as a pillow.
"Mmmh... gnnmmm..."
"What is she dreaming about?" Nami sweatdropped. Vivi had told her of her and Gen's ordeal from when they split from Zoro to where they were escorted to Crocodile.
Nami remembered when the girl had first appeared to them and how she'd been a mystery. That had been somehow forgotten, but now it plagued her mind again. She refused time after time from joining them and yet stayed with them, either from her own will or of Luffy's. 'Or because of Zoro,' she giggled.
Gloria knew things, and she was random as all hell, but there was always something she seemed to consiously avoid. Was she a spy of some organization? What was it that she wanted?
The more she thought about it, the more questions popped out, craving to be answered.
The girl muttered again, with her brow furrowed and mouth slightly open. Was she seeing nightmares? August rised his head and pressed tighter against his master. It was as long as the girl was tall.
"How much do you think he's going to keep growing?" she asked out loud.
"Who? August?" Chopper tilted his head. "He was really small when he hatched."
"You saw him hatch?" Vivi was surprised. Chopper told them his side of the story how they'd found her half frozen in the snow.
She woke up sweaty and panting. The dream had been a nightmare about things before she had come to this world combined to Crocodile's menacing face floating right in her sight, coming at her and swallowing the world.
"Agg, I need a hug," she whispered and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hey, when'd you grow so much?"
"That's what we were thinking too," Nami said. Usopp was talking with Chopper, filling his mind with meaningless stories. Zoro was lifting weights... excuse me, camel.
'It's now or never.' "I can't keep him," she started.
"Really?" Sanji said. His respect to the dragon had increased at the desert with the stupid birds.
"Yeah. He's a volcano dragon and will be the size of the Merry in a year."
"WHAAAAT?"
"And he'll grow for five years."
"That's... huge...!" Vivi and Nami looked at the animal. It was scratching itself, not paying attention to them.
"He can't sail with us, and... I was thinking... Vivi," Gen turned to her, "Could you take him for me?"
"Me?" she blinked in surprise.
"Yes, you."
"Oh, hmm, okay, if you're sure about it."
"I am. Thank you," she hugged her. "Honestly, I didn't have many options. I can't just strand him somewhere, or leave him to some random person, but I trust you and I know that you're a great gal! Ya'll take good care o' 'im!"
"Mh," the princess nodded.
"Zoro, you're only wasting energy," Nami said after a moment of staring him. He grunted her to keep her mouth shut.
"Let them be, Nami-swan, they need something to occupy their minds. Everyone's so tense, especially the musclemoron. He knows the power of a shichibukai."
"What are you saying? Out with it," Zoro glared darkly at the cook.
"All right, I'll tell you. You're afraid that Luffy might have lost."
"ME? AFRAID?!" he snapped. "You magic-brow!"
"Gaaah, you're really pissing me off now, dish brush brain!"
"WHAT?"
Nami hit them both before they had time to start a bigger fight. Vivi tried to tell them not to worry too much, even when she was the one who worried the most. Nami told her to just keep thinking about the essential, which was now the rebellion.
"Sorry, Vivi-chwan," Sanji scratched his head in embarassement.
"Yeah, we'll just shut up now..."
"Okay, then... head straight to Alubarna! Onwards, Scissors!"
"Eh, what...?"
"I named the crab."
"Oi, come on now, Scissors?"
"Nami, we didn't come here to name things!"
They calmed down and Marimo continued on with the lifts. Sanji layed down and... Greg woke up.
"I was starting to wonder your silence," Gen said.
"Hm? Oh, did something big happen then? I had to do other duties."
"What other duties? And weren't you with me all the time?" she frowned.
"M'Lady, I'm a demon of high rank. I have to check on things on the sub-realm every once in the while," he said.
"Sub-realm? Like, the underworld?"
"Something like that. I was also given information to give to you," he shook himself, which looked weird. "Did you sleep on me? The cactus spikes are digging in my insides."
That made Zoro stop in his reps. "Cactus? Now why does that ring a- GEN!"
"What? I just took two!"
"After what happened at Little Garden we can't entrust you with things that makes you see the color of air!" he pointed at her. "Throw them away!"
"No wayyy!" she hugged the bag to herself. "I want plants! The last time I had a cactus I accidently killed it."
"How?"
"I neglected it's water."
"You killed it in drought? How is that even possible?"
"Will you two now SHUT THE FUDGE UP!" Nami yelled.
"..."
"..."
"Oh my god I'm starting to sound like you," she groaned and hid her face in her palms. Gen made a victory sign.
Zoro put the camel down and walked to the girl. He crouched next to her and looked her in the eye. "Give me the cacti," he said gently, like talking to a child. She gave a pouty frown.
"But it's mine."
"I'll put it this way: the cacti is evil. Give it here, I'll get you another flower later, but you can't keep that."
"But..."
"Gloria. Give me the cacti," he reached his hand palm side up.
"...o-okay," she muttered and dug through the bag for the two plants. She handed them over and without hesitation Zoro whisked them far away.
Gen sulked like a kid and scooted as far as she could from the swordsman with Greg.
"Wait, what just happened?" Usopp asked confused.
"Marimo used his charm," Nami grinned slyly.
"So Greg, what did you want to talk about?" Gen asked.
"First, I want to know what happened while I was gone."
She told him the things that happened roughly, leaving unnecesseary stuff away. He 'hmm'ed and nodded during the story.
"Some animals like me and some don't. It'd be more helpful if I knew which ones," she frowned. The bag chuckled good-naturedly.
"The fish, the whales and the sea kings are on the sea's sides."
"What about bananadiles?"
"They're 'rogues', beings that despite their origins choose to live on land rather than the sea. They live in the lakes of Alabasta and the great Sandora river. Sir Crocodile brought them in his lake."
"Ah, I get it. They still need water to live around, so they stay in fresh water. I take it that they're not friends with me?" she rised an eyebrow.
"The fish, being completely creatures of water, will always know automatically who you are, but for example the dugongs didn't recognize you except for that one."
"Difficult."
Greg sighed. "Some of the fishmen can sense that you're different from a normal human, but can't really tell what you are. You should be careful with them."
"WHAAAAT? THE CRAB CAN'T CROSS WATER?" Usopp's yell broke their conversation. 'Already? This thing's fast!'
"Gloria-sama, it seems as the story is about to continue."
"It seems so."
Vivi had a map open and they were hunched over it. "The moving crab is a desert animal. They can't stand water."
"It's a crab! I mean, come on! It takes all day to swim across the river!" Usopp exclaimed. Gen crawled to them and layed on her stomach. Zoro was lifting Eyelash again.
"And still there are kilometers of desert left to go! What are we supposed to do, run?"
"There's no way we can make it in time!"
"Oh shit! The Sandora is right up ahead!" Sanji pointed to the distant blue stripe. "Scissors, do something!"
"Oh yeah! Scissors loves dancers!" Chopper remembered.
"Like this?" Nami took her cloak off, the crab's eyes turning to look. The shellfish wasn't the only one with hearts in it's eyes.
"It speeded up!"
"Nami-swaaaan~!" Sanji and Eyelash swooned.
"You broke the other two, as well..." Usopp sweatdropped. Gen threw her arms up like in a roller coaster and whooped.
"ERO POWER!" Chopper cheered.
"How is this supposed to help?"
They realized then that the crab was running blindly at the river, continuing from the sand to the water and actually running across it.
"Holy crab, this thing's amazing!" Sanji turned slightly blue. They started having worried expressions when it started slowing down. Zoro lifted Chopper on his shoulders so the little guy wouldn't sink. They waved goodbye to Scissors.
"No time for complainin', keep swimming!" the swordsman said. August didn't look like he appreciated the sudden bath, he was paddling around like a dog.
"Hey wait a second here! How long is it to the other side?" Usopp asked.
"About 50 km."
"THE HELL WE ARE SWIMMING THAT!"
"Hey, did anyone see where Gen went?"
"YEEEEEEHAAAAAAAA!"
"KYAAAAH!" Nami screamed when the fish rose to the surface with their snow-haired friend on top.
"A SANDORA RARECAT FISH! Named because it's extremely rare!"
"WHO CARES ABOUT THAT?"
"And how did she end up there?" Chopper wondered.
Gloria was holding on to the fish's whiskers like reins and waving her hat like a rodeo-rider. "Now, now, Tickles. Let's not eat your Lady-sama's friends, ay?"
The thing, apparently named Tickles, let out a bubbly noise.
"Get on!" the fish lowered itself and let the others climb on it. The dugongs were swimming their way, 'ghuoo'ing happily. 'Normally the thing would've tried to eat us, but now that I'm 'the queen of the fish' he's like a loyal servant!'
"Tickles...?"
"How did you tame it? They love the taste of human flesh!" Vivi asked. Usopp went bonkers hearing this and started stuttering.
"I rule," she smirked. "Hi dugongs~!"
"Ghuoo!"
"He says it's always pleasure to see you," Chopper translated.
The dugongs escorted them to the shore with Tickles and Vivi waved them thanks as they started walking.
"We're doing good. Can we make it?" Zoro asked.
"I don't know, even with Eyelash here, it'll be tough," Vivi said.
"He can only carry two - and the enemy awaits!" Usopp fretted. "Isn't there any way we can travel as an entire group?"
"WAIT! Over there!" Nami suddenly shouted. There was a small dust-cloud approaching them.
"W-what? They already found us?" Usopp's eyes bugged out. Gen squinted her eyes, but it wasn't needed, because the ducks were fast and came to view.
"No! It's-! Karoo! And the Super Spot-Billed Duck Squad! You came for us?" Vivi asked and the the duck nodded.
One thing was bothering Gen. She was sure that the Squad had only seven ducks originally, but now there were eight. One was clearly a female, and it didn't have a hat like the rest of the ducks. Instead, she had a pink scarf around her neck and lovely ponytails on both sides of her head. She also had a pair of goggles on her forehead and a black spot the shape of a heart on her beak. She chose to ride it.
One of the ducks had a saddlebag full of simple cloaks, and once they agreed to a plan, they set off.
Aaaaaaand here ye go.
Everyone who hates Crocodile say 'AY'.
Gloria: *lifts hand* AY.