38. Countermeasure plans
A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!
OHMYGOD! Earlier than you expected aye? Well I wanted to put up with the earlier short chap and also with the delay. So here it is for everyone's enjoyment.
-PsychopathOnADiet: Yup, we know it now xD I won't say anything about Zoro's motives to help him, sorry~ And also, about the 'Key' thingy… It's a surprise, you'll find out on Koga' story Arc. Wow, I'm putting a lot for that huh? I planned on putting it after Thriller Bark. So, you know it ^^!
-Blue VanLocke: Yeah, I know. I simply put the beginnings because it's not the same Koga's nightmares than his dreams regarding his own memories. That's why I try to differentiate them without confusing you too much. But if it annoys you so much then I'll stop doing it.
-zerom1v: According to the Wiki there was a Mr. 6 but he never appeared in the anime/manga. Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day were the ones in charge of blowing up the bomb in the central plaza. Yeah he will! At least until he can no longer keep up with that sort of training xD I don't really know about putting a new technique yet though, but I'll think about it. You're right! He's always improvising with new hits each time he fights! Oda has a lot of imagination for Zoro's attacks xD
-Jag: Thanks! I thought that, considering Cursed people have demons inside, there could be a kind of Inquisition group dedicated to hunt them down. Exclusive, and not very known, but undoubtedly there. He looks like that right? I suppose Zoro voicing his worry wouldn't stick too much to his personality, so yeah. Here's the update, enjoy it!
-Boopadoop: Thanks so much I love it when I find people like you ^^! Don't worry, no one has actually asked it, so kudos for you for noticing: I actually flip between 'sans' and 'except' whenever I want, but I suppose 'sans' would be somehow translated as 'lacking'. I'm not really an English native speaker so I don't really know the difference between them, and I don't dare to say something incorrect. Just to say that I use both of them indistinctively.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.
"DON'T GIVE THAT ATTITUDE!"
Sprawled on the crow's nest with his back against the railing and his arms crossed over his chest, Koga looked over the railing to see Luffy and Sanji in front of each other, the former sweating profusely and avoiding the cook's scornful gaze in a very suspicious way.
"Somehow the rations I had prepared for all of us when we left Drum vanished mysteriously last night." Sanji crouched in front of his captain and tried to make him look at him in the face. "You don't know what I am talking about, right?"
"No no no, I don't have a clue…"
Koga snorted in amusement, knowing instantly that the raven-haired teen was lying, and pathetically failing to hide his guiltiness.
Sanji sighed and stood up, before noticing something. "Oh, you have something on your face!"
"AH CRAP, CRUMBS!" Luffy yelled panic-stricken as he attempted to rub off the evidence of his crime.
"SO IT WAS YOU!"
BAM!
Sanji sent Luffy across the deck with a back boot upside his head. Koga shook his head fondly, still watching the scene unfolded below him.
"I can't believe it!" Sanji groaned in frustration, before turning to Nami and Vivi who were discussing something on the upper deck. "Ah Nami-san, we really need to do something! We need a better way to keep the food safe from Luffy! We have to buy a fridge with a lock please~!"
"I'll think about that…" The navigator mused, pointedly glaring at the three suspiciously quiet fishers –meaning Usopp, Chopper and Carue– sitting on the railing, innocently holding their fishing poles. "Or else I think we'll die before even reaching Alabasta."
Quickly catching the hint, Sanji grabbed the three unsuspecting fishers and bonked their heads together forcefully, murmuring something about not being able to keep his eyes off the food, and this time Koga couldn't help but to let out a loud snort. Of course, he wasn't going to mention that he had borrowed some food from the storage room too, that would be suicide. Later, he also saw Vivi punching Usopp and Luffy because of them using Carue as bait to catch something.
Some minutes later, the chronicler saw something weird in front of the ship, a good hundred yards away from the Merry but approaching rapidly. It looked like a massive cloud of gas, lightly tinged with green and white.
"Oi Nami, there's a cloud of gas at twelve o'clock and approaching!" He informed at the navigator.
She glanced over her shoulder to see what it was as the other heard the warning and watched it warily.
"It's underwater volcano vapor, nothing serious!" She said. "But better cover your mouths when we go through!"
Heeding her advice, they passed through the steam, everyone on board coughing and wheezing due to the pungent odor of sulfur in the air. Even covering his mouth and nose with his blue scarf, Koga felt his eyes watering because of the reeking stink.
Fortunately, they got out of the cloud quickly. But the moment they did, Carue suddenly squawked in terror, hanging from Luffy and Usopp's fishing pole as bait. Alerted, Koga looked again over the railing… and saw something –or rather someone, hanging onto the giant duck for dear life.
"Eyah? Why am I grabbing a duck I had only just met?" A nasally unknown voice rang through the air.
Right on cue, Koga's intuition began tingling in faint warning. His mismatched eyes narrowed dangerously as he climbed down back to the deck as the others 'fished' the strange guy onto the ship. He was glad he always carried Sankaoken with him.
Said guy wore a pink overcoat, two swan attachments strapped to his back, a yellow headband with two strange fluffy orbs sitting on top of it, a blue jacket lying underneath his coat, and a weird near-spherical blue pin-striped garment serving as pants. He was relatively tall, with heavy make-up on his face, crossed by a wide grin.
"Oh, I thought it was all over for me…" He gasped before sitting up straight with a wide smile on his face. "My life was saved by pirates who do not even know! I am in debt to your kindness!" His gaze then shifted upwards to Vivi, who was standing on the upper deck. "OH MY~! Aren't you cute~!" he sang, blowing an air kiss to her, and Vivi couldn't help but to draw a disgusted expression on her face.
"You can't swim huh?" Luffy blurted out. By then, every male, except Sanji who was off somewhere in the kitchen, had surrounded the weird guy.
"You're right there…" The guy swerved a bit as he answered. "I ate a Devil Fruit and became a Hammer."
"Oh? Which one?" Usopp asked.
Koga narrowed his eyes as his intuition flared awake once more.
"Well…" The guy stood up and took a showman's stance. "I guess I have some time before my crew finds me… I might as well put on a show!" He then reeled back his palm as he danced towards Luffy. "Prepare to witness my ability!"
BAM!
Luffy was palm-struck square in the face, bouncing back a bit, surprising everyone –and alerting Koga even more, setting him on edge.
"What the–!" Zoro was about to unsheathe his katanas and to lunge at their 'guest'.
"Waaait, waaait, waaait!" The guy put his hands in a halting manner, but his nasal voice wasn't his, but another one much more familiar. "I said I was putting on a show!"
When he turned his head, everyone looked astonished as Luffy returned their gaze with his trademark grin. Dressed in the guy's outfit, but it was Luffy's voice, and his face too, and even his body frame. What was going on? Was this his Devil Fruit powers?
"Fooled you, fooled you, fooled you! Ahahahahahahahaha!" His left hand hovered up to his face. "And now, when I touch my left hand to my face…"
POP!
"Back to normal!" The guy's face came back. "Behold, the ability of the Mane Mane Fruit!"
"His voice…!" Nami squeaked in surprise.
"And even his physique!" Usopp finished, wide-eyed.
"C-C-COOOOOOOL!" Luffy cheered.
'That's not cool, that's dangerous.' Koga narrowed his eyes as the weird guy laughed and began touching the faces of everyone who stood upon the main deck, even Zoro and Vivi, who were too confused to defend themselves.
However, just as he tried to touch the chronicler's face, he swiftly flicked away his hand before it touched him. "No touchy." He grunted, narrowing his eyes mistrusting at him.
The guy's eyes flickered for a brief moment, before sighing dramatically. "You're no fun."
He then twirled back into the center of the small crowd. "Look at me!" He touched his face with his right hand and transformed into Usopp.
"If I touch my face," another touch, and turned into Zoro.
"With my right hand," Chopper this time.
"I can imitate everyone!" Lastly, Nami. "Just like this! Even the body…"
And then made the biggest mistake he could've made; he opened his shirt to reveal Nami's body to Chopper, Usopp and Luffy, who looked in surprise and awe.
BAM BAM!
"OUCH!" The weird guy cried reverting back to normal, with lumps on his head and Nami standing behind him, roaring "Knock it off!"
'Now I understand…' Koga folded his arms over his chest, as far away from the ballerina-guy as he could. 'He can practically impersonate anyone he wishes by just touching their faces. He could easily infiltrate in any place and fool everyone, provoke a great internal conflict in any army, its great weakness. That's a pretty dangerous ability… Even if he doesn't show it, this man…' His bicolored eyes glared at the guy as he displayed some faces he had memorized to his marveled public, 'this man, is the perfect infiltrator.'
And then, as the guy fleetingly showed yet another face before being substituted by another, both Vivi and the chronicler sucked in their breaths in shock.
'Wait, wasn't that Cobra's face?!' The blond thought, quickly flashing a look at the stunned princess, who looked too surprised to say anything. 'That can't be! How could he have Cobra's face?! And for what purpose?!' His nails dug into his arms, almost drawing blood from the pressure as his face scrunched in indecision. 'What should I do? My inner alarm hadn't stopped blaring at this guy, but… he didn't do anything…'
By 'anything' you mean what? He has your friends' faces now. He could use them to his advantage and you couldn't tell if he's a friend or not.
At Sankaoken's remark, he cursed inwardly at the implications of that phrase. What he feared would become true: no one would trust the others, unsure if they were really who they claimed to be. They would risk a dagger in the back by someone who had their friend's face on, and they wouldn't realize that until it was too late…
That would be seen as pure betrayal.
Huhuhu, that's right shitty host. You better watch your back now…
Koga shut his eyes tightly and shook his head to get rid of those unnerving words, instead forcing himself to focus in another worrying matter: Cobra.
From what he remembered, the king wasn't exactly an easy prey. He was almost always surrounded by his loyal soldiers and also by servants, and he never left the palace unprotected. The fact that the ballerina guy possessed his face led only to one possible conclusion in his mind: more than likely, the king had faced problems. Big ones.
If that ballerina guy was an enemy –and considering he had Cobra's face, of all people– then his strength shouldn't be underestimated, if he could surpass the Royal Captains Pell and Chaka to reach the king and steal his face. Should he be an enemy, the vast variety of what a king could do was terrifying, the power he would portray almost endless.
Great, brainy guy, you caught that fast… And right now, who needs that kingly power?
Koga's eyes shot open as he understood–
"… With all the pain of my heart I must say FAREWELL, MY FRIENDS!"
It seemed like while he had been caught in his thoughts, the ballerina guy's ship had arrived and he was about to get away!
"Wait, no, stop him!" Koga growled, a hand flying to his katana's hilt as he ran to the railing.
"Wha– Koga, wait!"
He tried to board the ship –that surprisingly looked almost the same as the ballerina guy, with the swan heads and all– but the gap was too great to jump over easily, and also it was insane doing it by himself. He groaned in frustration as he stood by the railing, and he swore he could see an almost undetectable smirk on the ballerina guy's face at his frustrated face.
'He knows I know who he is…' The chronicler mused as the others stood at either side of him, still confused by his actions. 'Maybe he knew who we were all along, and came here only to make fun of us…'
"Let's go, men!"
"YES MR. 2 BON KUREI-SAMA!"
Silence. Then…
"HUH?! THAT GUY WAS FROM BAROQUE WORKS?!"
He escaped…
The bicolor-eyed young man slammed his fist on the railing in anger. "Dammit, I knew it!"
"But he looked fun!" Luffy whined.
"Sorry, guys, I should've realized this sooner." The chronicler apologized between gritted teeth, not entirely comfortable with it but knowing he had made a mistake. "We're really screwed up."
"What the hell happened?"
Just at that moment, Sanji got out from the kitchen, alerted by Koga's shout. The rest of the crew related their encounter with the newly revealed Mr. 2 and his unusual Devil Fruit powers. Then, Vivi and Koga gave the unnerving news of having recognized Cobra's face among the display the ballerina guy performed.
Thinking about his suspicions, though, Koga decided not to tell Vivi about them –or at least those related to Cobra being in danger. She had enough on her mind already, and he didn't want to stress her even more with his 'what ifs'.
"How did you knew he was from Baroque Works?" Chopper suddenly asked the older boy, who snapped out of his thoughts.
"I didn't know when I saw him, only when he suddenly showed Cobra's face. I felt he was bad news from the first moment I met him, as my intuition didn't stop ringing, but then I started to think and, well…"
"What do you mean?" Zoro asked this time, raising a green eyebrow.
The blond sighed. "Cobra is the king. As such, he has great power over Alabasta. Knowing this, which is more than enough I think, who would beneficiate more about this power?"
"Crocodile." Vivi darkly answered, catching up on the implications.
"Yeah. And now he has all… or at least most, of our faces."
"You mean, now we can't trust even our own nakama…" Nami said worriedly.
"Not exactly." Unexpectedly, Zoro came forward. "I think it was rather lucky we ran into him… Now, we can take countermeasures."
Even with that optimistic message, a dark looming cloud hung over them, thinking about the dangerous enemy they had let escape with so much as a mockery as goodbye. It stung their pride, particularly the chronicler's as he had known before anyone how dangerous Mr. 2 really was but unable to understand its magnitude until he got away. He felt as if he had failed his crew to protect them.
All of a sudden, the boat started to shake and rock violently, catching everyone off guard.
"What the hell is happening now?!" Sanji bit out in anger.
"Behind us!" Usopp then pointed at the stern.
The Monster Quartet (the friendly nickname given to the group conforming Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Koga) sprinted in that direction with their weapons drawn just in time to see a giant white cat… fish (?) rise up.
"HUGE!" Luffy shouted, impressed.
"A SEA MONSTER!" Usopp and Chopper hugged each other in fear, eyes bugging out of their skulls.
"OUR FIRST MEAL IN TWO DAYS!" Not caring about the fact of being in front of a monster, Zoro pulled out his swords and glared at the cat with hunger-filled eyes.
"FOOD!" The rubber-brained idiot agreed, with the same expression.
"YOU'LL FILL OUR STOMACHS SOON!" Koga uncharacteristically shouted too, for once hunger driving his actions. Technically, now that he thought about it, he could placate his hunger with his Devil Fruit powers… But then he would suffer Alabasta's heat… Nah, sod it, he had the meal right in front of his eyes!
"YOU'RE GONNA MAKE A FINE MEAL, CAT!" Sanji had pulled up the sleeves of his black suit, ready to cook the beast.
At their menacingly dark eyes, the cat-fish's face grew blue of terror and began backing away slowly.
"HE'S GETTING AWAY!" Luffy prepared his arms to be shot at the cat's head.
"NO!"
BONK BONK BONK BONK!
The four hunters got knocked in the back of their heads by a well-struck swing of Vivi's broom, slamming their foreheads against the railing. Obviously, the cat-fish immediately took the advantage and got away from the hunters.
"Why did you do that Vivi-chan? We're starving!" Came a weak whine from the cook, getting on his knees along with the other three and grasping the lumps on either side of his head.
"You can't eat Sea Cats! They're sacred to Alabasta!" She responded with a stern glare, lowering the broom and allowing Chopper to tend their lumps. "You knew it too, Koga-san!"
"Sorry, I forgot." He hid a blush behind his scarf.
xXxSOME TIME LATERxXx
"Guys, I see Alabasta!" Koga warned everyone from the crow's nest.
Actually, the growing heat had already warned them of their destination nearing them. Never being a person who really tolerated the heat, Koga had to use his Devil Fruit powers to grow his heat tolerance. He came from an Autumn Island, from crying out loud! He absolutely hated heat!
As they neared the shore, everyone gathered in the main deck to Zoro's request. He then explained his plan of counter measuring Mr. 2's Fruit ability. A really simple one, simple but effective. They each painted a small black cross on their left forearms and then tied white bands of cloth; according to the swordsman, the cross was the real sign of them being the original Straw Hat crew, the white band serving to conceal it; if someone showed the bandage but not the cross, they'd immediately know it was an imposter.
"We're stopping at a port known as Nanohana, to hide the Merry when we land." Vivi stated while the Merry bobbed upon the tide, bringing them within sight of said port town.
"Okay!" Luffy stood up, throwing his left arm out. "Whatever happens, this left arm…" he spoke as everyone else gathered around him, their arms/wing/hoof joining his, "is proof that we are nakama! Now, let's get on land and find some food!"
Knowing they wouldn't need his specific help with docking, Koga got inside the men's quarters to change into more hot-weather-friendly clothes: a simple dark blue tanktop with a black cross emblazoned upon the chest, khaki cargo pants, and this time tying his light blue scarf on his forehead instead of around his neck, the extremes hanging both sides of his head and reaching the middle of his shoulder-blades. He then put on his trusty black combat boots and got out just in time to see the crew finishing docking on a nearby shore a good distance from Nanohana.
They all leaped off the ship –Nami and Vivi requested some help– and immediately the navigator began spreading orders:
"Listen, everyone, I expect you all to be on your best behavior while we're here." She said with a stern face.
"Yes, Nami-swaaaaaan~!"
"The guy you have to worry about the most just took off." Zoro pointed out at the dust cloud that had appeared, signaling the departure of their idiot captain.
"FOOOOOOOoooooooooood….!"
"HOLD IT!" Nami roared, but by then Luffy had already disappeared.
"Save your breath, Nami." Koga shrugged.
"He'll find us eventually." Sanji nodded, hopping off the ship.
"He'll be fine, let's just go eat." The green-haired swordsman added as he walked along.
Vivi opened her mouth, but knowing what she was about to say, the writer beat her to it: "You'd better stay out of sight, Vivi."
"What, why?" Usopp asked in confusion as the blue-haired girl nodded at the older boy.
"Too many people here will recognize me. I cannot accompany you."
"Don't worry Vivi-chwan, I'll deliver you something spectacular when I return~!"
"CAW!" Carue began freaking out, his bandaged wing pointing a nearby shore, where a small oddly-colored ship sat, a massive 3 painted on its side.
"That's Mr. 3's ship!" The princess squeaked.
The giant 3 on the side kinda gave it away, but thanks anyway for the confirmation Miss Obvious…
'Could you actually say something nice for once?'
Nah, you're doing it yourself for the both of us.
"If he's here, we'll be recognized." Zoro cursed gripping his swords.
"Not all of us." Koga glanced at Sanji and Chopper. "But the rest of us will. And it's too dangerous for Vivi and Carue to stay here so close to Mr. 3's ship."
"Do not worry!" Usopp then exclaimed, what looked like an intelligent smirk drawn on his tan face. "I… have a plan."
Twenty minutes later, a blonde clad-in-black cook and a reindeer walked into Nanohana, followed closely by a misshapen brown 'creature'. It was weird enough to see a reindeer –an animal from a Winter Island that had a pink hat and pants– but that thing was what made the strange duo bring all the attention of the astonished Nanohana people.
"I think we stand out even more…" A female voice came out from under the brown creature.
At risk of being discovered, the cook and the reindeer hid behind the ruins of a long-destroyed building and let the others come out from the brown tarp.
"Vivi-chan, you'll be safe from prying eyes here for the time being…" Sanji said, taking a drag of his cigarette and then noticing the princess spacing out. "Vivi-chan?"
"Yes! Yes yes, what is it?" Vivi jumped at the mention of her name, broken out of her mental trance.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry, I… I was just thinking…" Her face turned towards the ground, her voice a bit solemn and attracting everyone's attention. "As we went through the city, everything seemed to be fine… And though I can't really be at ease, I think it can be saved."
"You're right, it seems like a peaceful city." Nami nodded.
"Oi, Vivi." Said princess turned towards Zoro. "You said you had forces to suppress the rebellion, right? What's the next step? What do we have to do?"
"We'll have to act before it's too late." Koga added in.
"Yes, that's true… But you only promised to take me as far as Alabasta and–"
"Enough." Nami flicked the princess on the forehead as she spoke, interrupting her friend. "I can't believe you still think like that. We've sailed all the way here, you think we're just going to abandon you here?"
"Yeah, Vivi, don't get all distant on us now." Usopp protested.
"And I'm pretty interested in this Shichibukai…" Zoro chimed in with a smirk.
"That's enough out of you!" The navigator snarled at the green-haired swordsman before turning again towards Vivi. "Anyway, quit talking like that."
"And of course, everyone except me is being hunted too." Sanji stated.
"Even if we do get in trouble, we're strong. We can take out as many of those bastards as they send at us." The chronicler tied his scarf better around his head.
"And if this country is crushed I won't get my fee for escorting you here… Understand?" Nami murmured eerily getting into Vivi's face, who felt intimidated by the level of their navigator's greed.
"Y-yes…"
"You're going to Hell." Zoro bluntly stated.
"Why thank you Zoro~! And I haven't forgotten about your debt either!"
"Why you…!"
"I'll get it from you, even if I'm a ghost!"
"You witch!"
"You'll pay me precisely 400,000 Berri~!"
"You raised it!"
Koga smirked at their banter and stood by the princess' side. He then put a hand over her head and ruffled her hair slightly, taking her by surprise and making her look up at him with wide eyes.
He drew a kind smirk on his face. "Everything'll be okay, you'll see. So don't worry so much."
"Koga-san…" She murmured. Her cheeks suddenly reddened and then abruptly lowered her gaze to the ground. "Thank you…"
"HEY SHITTY BLEACHED-HEAD!" Sanji a.k.a 'The idiotic knight in shiny armor' roared engulfed by virtual flames. "KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF VIVI-CHWAN!"
BAM!
"Leave me alone swirly eyebrows!" Koga effectively blocked the kick directed to his face with the sheath of his blade, a small furious irk on his forehead. "I was just trying to cheer her up!"
"You're taking advantage of her sweet naïveté!"
"Huh?! What the heck are you talking about?!"
Their foreheads collided as Vivi very carefully stepped away from the slowly brewing fight between cook and writer. "Stay away from Vivi-chan you creepy old man."
"You're asking for a beating cancer-lung."
BONK BONK!
"You two stay quiet!" Nami roared, her two fists steaming from the force of her punches.
Vivi laughed a bit, but her expression soon sobered. "We'll have to cross the desert soon, so we'll need supplies. The oasis town of Yuba lies to the northwest. It's where the rebellion's headquarters are, but… if Mr. 3 is in this city…"
"Oh, if that's all, it'll be fine." Sanji stood up from the ground, gingerly tending his giant lump on his head. "He's never seen my face before. And of course, Chopper as well."
"Huh?" The small reindeer blinked at the mention of his name.
"There's gonna be a lot to carry. I'm counting on you!" The cook smiled down at him.
"Okay, you can depend on me to help!" He answered willfully, nodding in determination.
"Well, let's be off then."
And thus, the cook and the reindeer in his Walking Point went to the market with a list Vivi made of all the necessary things. Nami added perfume, Usopp some tabasco powder and Vivi some clothes for the desert and also so they didn't stand out so much.
Fortunately though it was boring to wait, the pair didn't waste too much time in shopping, and returned with everything they required.
"Wow, this is beautiful! I love it!" Nami smiled widely as she sported a… dancer girl dress, as well as Vivi. However contrary to the navigator, the princess was actually blushing from embarrassment.
"Uh well, I know I asked you to pick out some clothes for us, but these are meant for dancer girls Sanji-san."
"I think the only ones who're going to fit in just well with the rest of the population are us." Koga grumbled as he adjusted the green-and-white striped robe better, quietly cursing the heat. He also adjusted his scarf so it acted like a hood over his head.
"Oh Vivi-chan, you look magnificent in those clothes!" Sanji swooned over the two girls, going in lovey-dovey mode.
"But we need clothes like regular citizens–"
"Dancing girls are citizens too~!"
"But for walking in the desert–"
"Do not worry, if you get tired, I'll carry you~!"
She sighed and turned to the others in exasperation. "It's no use talking to him…"
The others silently agreed with her with silent nods of confirmation.
"But you know, compared to the girls…" Sanji then turned towards the guys, "the rest of you dorks look like a bunch of bandits."
Soon after the crew and the princess began filling up their stomachs with what Sanji and Chopper brought, grateful that the bottomless pit of their captain wasn't around to try to steal their food. Sanji had to come back to the market to buy more… appropriate clothes for the girls, fortunately for them.
"Hey, Koga, catch." The blonde cook called out, throwing something at him.
One hand on a bottle of water, he brought the other hand up and caught the thing mid-air, lowering it to see what it was.
"What is it?" Usopp, seated beside him, looked over his shoulder and frowned in confusion. "A pair of sunglasses?"
And that it was. A pair of plain, cheap-looking, dark-tainted sunglasses. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Your eyes stand out too much." Sanji coolly stated. "Even with your attire, someone might recognize you because of them. I bought them to avoid that."
The chronicler blinked, and then looked at the cook and nodded. "Good thinking. I hadn't thought about it."
"Uuuuuuuuh~"
"Huh? What's the matter Chopper?" Usopp asked to the reindeer slumped down in the ground with both hooves on his blue nose.
"It's the smell." He answered with a nasal voice.
"Oh yeah, where did you run off to earlier?" Sanji asked, leaning over to him.
"Just somewhere."
"Is he not feeling well?" Nami asked.
"Yeah, it's just the perfume, Chopper can't stand it." The blonde cook answered.
"Perfume?"
"Oh yeah, Tony-kun has an incredibly sensitive nose." Vivi added in.
"Being an animal, I can understand it." Koga said, hanging the sunglasses on the collar of his robe.
"This stuff?" The navigator showed the small bottle of perfume she had got from Sanji.
"Some of it has a really strong smell."
Curious, the red-haired witch sprayed some of the perfume on herself and Chopper jumped up and covered his nose, screaming in protest at the strong smell.
"You smell just like an angel in a field of fresh flowers!" Love-cook wiggled around with heart eyes… with Zoro and Koga looking at each other and rolling theirs.
"You're an idiot." The swordsman bluntly declared, and Sanji went to angry-Sanji mode in the blink of an eye.
"At any rate!" Usopp quickly broke with their incoming argument. "Now we managed to get all the supplies we're gonna need to get across the desert."
Vivi nodded to the sharpshooter.
"That's correct, but first we actually have to travel to the desert to reach Yuba. That trip will most likely be a lot more difficult than any of you can even begin to imagine." Her head lowered. "There's no telling what might happen out there. One wrong step at any moment in a desert land like this one, and there's no guarantee we'll all survive. I'm still reluctant about asking you to follow me to such a dangerous place." She quietly admitted. "But, more than anything, I want to bring peace back to Alabasta Kingdom, so I guess… I guess I don't really have any choice but to ask."
During her little speech, every member of the Straw Hat crew present had listened quietly, watching her closely. The blue-haired teen then gathered courage and looked up at them.
"Help me! Please help me bring peace back to my country! Please, help."
And as one, the pirates brought some kind of smile on their faces. Some small, some wide.
"You finally said it." Nami taunted her, giving her a thumbs up.
"There's no telling what might happen on the sea either. We're used to it." Sanji nodded.
"Yeah, it'll be just like any other day." Zoro added.
Koga simply gave a nod to the princess.
"Cool! I can't wait to see the desert!" Chopper cheered looking at Carue, who quaked something in reply at the reindeer.
"Okay guys!" Usopp stood up tall. "Are you guys all ready to head out for Yuba?!"
"YEAH!"
Everyone raised their left arms up, the ones that had the bandages on. At that gesture, Vivi could only but to smile in gratitude. "Thank you."
"That's good, but we're still missing someone." Koga broke the small silence after their statement.
"Luffy!"
A/N: And that's it!
Oh my hands hurt! But hey, it's all paid off: I managed to put the meeting with Bon Kurei (or Bon Clay, how do you guys spell it?) and the arrival to Alabasta in the same chapter! Yay for me, hahahaha!
Okay guys, so next chapter… You all know what's gonna happen, right? I better shut my ears to the Ace-fangirling out there xD
So, love y'all, please leave nice reviews! See ya next chap!
P.S: Sorry for the delay, but HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY! I got fooled by a friend that swore to me that a new Middle Earth film would be published in 2018! I fell for that hahahahaha! What prank did you guys made/suffer?