Another Nakama

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any of the related characters, just the original characters that appear in this story.

Showdown in Alubarna:

-x-

In the dead of night Pell knelt next to the wounded form of Luffy, his skin and clothes were caked with blood and sand and the hole going through his chest was still bleeding profusely.

"KOFF! KOFF! KOFF!" Luffy wheezed.

"Hey kid… are you alright?" Pell asked with concern.

"Neeed meeaat…" Luffy groaned. "Ugghh… meeeaaat…"

"Meat?" Pell repeated, "You don't need food now. That's the least of your worries. Hang on, I'll get a doctor for you." Pell got up and started headed back towards Rain Base but was stopped when a hand grabbed his ankle. WHAP! Pell flinched in surprise when he looked down and saw that Luffy's arm had stretched to allow him to grab him.

"I'm going to make sure Crocodile pays for this…" Luffy growled, "He insulted Vivi… and that old man with the shovel… he gave me water… HE'S DEFINITELY GONNA PAY!"

Pell blinked in surprise, "Who is this person?" he wondered.

"Meeaat…" Luffy gasped.

Pell walked back over to the strange boy and knelt down next to him. He'd learned from Princess Vivi's letter to King Cobra that Crocodile was behind the whole rebellion and now this boy seemed determined to defeat Crocodile. And despite his incredible injuries all the boy was asking for was 'meat'? Ms. All Sunday had even admitted that this boy was the reason Princess Vivi had made it home safely. If 'meat' was all the boy was asking for in return Pell couldn't think of any reason not to give him some.

"Alright," Pell agreed, "I'll get you something to eat."

-x-

The sun was barely starting to rise as Ms. All Sunday's Accelagator sped through the badlands of the Sandora Desert. ZZZZOOOOOOM! The large yellow reptile finally came to a stop outside the Spider's Café.

Mana was inside leaning over the counter humming to herself as she spread chocolate icing on a small personal-sized cake. The blonde was still wearing Nami's yellow skirt with the white circles on the side as well as a tight black t-shirt with yellow sleeves and over that she wore a yellow apron that read 'Kiss the Cook' on the chest. Her usual yellow hat had been replaced by a small yellow chef's hat that the blonde stylishly wore on an angle.

Kreeek! Mana looked up and her blue eyes widened in surprise as the tall form of Ms. All Sunday walked through the swinging double doors into the café. "M-M-Ms. All Sunday…" Mana stammered in shock.

"Ms. Valentine," Ms. All Sunday greeted her as she crossed the empty café until she was standing in front of the counter.

"Wh-what do you want?" Mana asked.

"Hmm… that looks and smells delicious," the Vice President commented as she eyed Mana's chocolate cake before looked up at the blonde. "But I'm afraid I'm here for business. Mr. 5 came to us up in Rain Base and told Mr. 0 that you, he, and Ms. Goldenweek got here on the Straw Hats' ship. Despite Mr. 5's information the First Mate 'One Eye' Ricky managed to free his crewmates when we had them captured. Something about him intrigues me. Mr. 5 knew a little about him but since he convinced you to defect I assume that you know even more. I'm here for information. What can you tell me about 'One Eye' Ricky?"

"Nothing," Mana answered firmly.

"Can't or won't?" Ms. All Sunday inquired.

"Won't," Mana insisted. "Ricky's done more for me than any of you Baroque Works jerks ever could. I won't betray him."

"I see," Ms. All Sunday commented. "I was afraid you'd say that. Now you've left me no other choice but use force. Ocho Fleur…" Two arms sprouted out from the back of Mana's shoulders and reached around to grab her chin, another two bloomed out of her legs and pressed against the small of her back, four arms grew out of the floor with two wrenching her arms to the side and the other two gripping her ankles to keep her rooted in place. "This is your last chance. Tell me what I want to know and I won't have to hurt you."

"Bite me!" Mana snapped the look on her face screamed pure defiance.

"If you insist," Ms. All Sunday agreed, "CLUTCH!" The two arms clutching Mana's chin wrenched backward looking to break her back like Ms. All Sunday had done to Pell but Mana remained standing stiff as a board causing Ms. All Sunday's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Kyahahahaha!" Mana laughed mockingly. "I weigh ten thousand kilograms! You're gonna need more than four measly arms for that to work on me! YOU WON'T BREAK ME!" WHAP! Mana bent forward and wrenched her heavy body free from Ms. All Sunday's extra arms then vaulted clear over the counter and slammed her fist into Ms. All Sunday's chest, "10,000 KILO PUNCH!" KA-POW! Ms. All Sunday was sent flying backwards towards the door, "GET OUT! AND STAY OUT!"

WHAP! Ten arms sprouted out from around the door frame and another ten arms bloomed out of the palms of those arms creating a web of arms that caught Ms. All Sunday and placed her back on her feet.

"I'm afraid we're not done here," Ms. All Sunday stated.

"WE'LL I'M DONE WITH BAROQUE WORKS!" Mana hollered as she charged across the room. "SO STAY OUT OF MY LIFE!"

"Dos Fleur!" Two arms sprouted out of the ground and grabbed Mana's ankles. The blonde tripped and went crashing to the ground, KA-BOOOM! The impact of the ten thousand kilogram woman hitting the floor caused the whole café to shake. The wooden panels cracked under Mana's immense weight and left her imbedded in floor.

Ms. All Sunday stepped forward and pressed her foot down into Mana's back, "You may be done with Baroque Works but Baroque Works isn't done with you. You have information I want and I'm going to get it one way or another."

"EEP!" a loud squeak broke out drawing Ms. All Sunday's attention to an open doorway that led to further back into the Spider's Café.

"Seis Fleur… toss!" WHUMP! Ms. Goldenweek was unceremoniously tossed out of the doorway and into the main room. Her pallet of paints went skidding across the floor and ended up next to Ms. All Sunday. The younger agent appeared to have been woken up by all the noise and had come to investigate. Her hair hung loose and she wore a sleep shirt that was clearly too big for her and had sleeves that hung down over her hands. "Ms. Goldenweek, how nice of you to join us. I was just asking Ms. Valentine to share with me some of her knowledge on 'One Eye' Ricky. Do you have anything you might be able to add?"

"DON'T TELL HER ANYTHING!" Mana shouted from where she was imbedded in the floor.

"Unfortunately, I'm short on time," Ms. All Sunday admitted, "I have somewhere else to be so I can't stay here and wait for you to make up your mind. I'll have to force the issue. Seis Fleur!" Two arms pulled Ms. Goldenweek out of the floor while another four bloomed out of her back and shoulders and threatened to snap her spine. "If you don't wish to die, I must insist that you tell me what I want to know. Unlike Ms. Valentine, I can break your back."

"H-he's very c-clever," Ms. Goldenweek stammered in sheer terror. "And h-his crew h-has an i-incredible amount of f-faith in h-him."

"I am already aware of this," Ms. All Sunday told her. "He outmaneuvered Mr. 0 and freed his friends while they cheered him on the entire time. We also discovered that he has ties with the Whitebeard Pirates and was even a member at one time."

"Ricky's a Whitebeard Pirate?" Mana whispered in genuine surprise.

Ms. All Sunday stared down at Ms. Goldenweek, "Do you have anything useful to tell me?"

"STOP!" Mana shrieked, "DON'T TELL HER—MFFFFMFFF!" Two hands sprouted out of the floor and clamped over the blonde's mouth to silence her.

"H-he doesn't like to h-hurt w-women," Ms. Goldenweek revealed. "D-during the f-fight on Little G-Garden no matter what Ms. V-Valentine did to him he w-wouldn't actually h-hit her. H-he especially l-likes the orange girl… h-he dove in front of b-bombs and a h-harpoon for h-her."

"Anything else you wish to share?" Ms. All Sunday inquired.

"H-he's a dreamer of unspeakable l-loyalty," Ms. Goldenweek confessed. "H-he wants to f-find the One Piece T-treasure but f-for his C-captain. H-he believes in and s-supports other people's d-dreams too… e-even Mana's chocolate dream."

A small smile appeared on Ms. All Sunday's face. "Your cooperation is appreciated," she said. "You've told me everything I need to know." The six arms holding Ms. Goldenweek dispersed in a shower of flower petals. "Now I'm off to join Mr. 0 and the other Officer Agents in the capital city of Alubarna. The civil war that Mr. 0 has been orchestrating for the past three years should be starting in a matter of hours. Farwell." Ms. All Sunday stepped off of Mana and headed out the door, it was only once she was gone that the arms on Mana disappeared.

Mana pushed herself out of the floor and glared at Ms. Goldenweek, "How could you?" she demanded. "After everything they've done for us… after everything he's done for us! How could you betray him like that?"

Sniffle… "I didn't want to…" Ms. Goldenweek whispered as tears welled up in her eyes. "B-but she was going to k-kill me. I don't wanna die."

"For some reason she told you where she's heading," Mana resolved. "To hell with staying out o the war! That went out the window when you and Mr. 5 blabbed. I'm gonna go after her and see if I can prevent some of the damage you've just caused." Mana undid her apron and tossed it and her yellow chef's hat onto the counter then stomped out of the room to get her umbrella.

Ms. Goldenweek slowly stood up and crossed the room and picked up her paint pallet. The girl stood there and stared silently down at the paints before turning to the door Mana had just disappeared through. "Wait! I'm coming too!"

-x-

Dawn. The sun was beginning to rise as the Rebel Army charged towards Alubarna. They'd ridden through the night to get the capital.

"There it is!" one of the rebels exclaimed as he stared through a telescope at the distant city ahead of them. "It's still in a distance but its Alubarna! Koza! We're less than thirty minutes away!" The rebels were closing in on the capital.

"WE'RE NEARING ALUBARNA NOW!" Koza announced to his army. "THE TIME HAS COME MEN!"

"YEEEEAAAHH!" the rebels cheered as they charged onward after their leader. The final battle was finally upon them. It was finally time to take back their country.

-x-

Ahead of them at Alubarna, the Royal Army was undergoing last-minute preparations as they waited for the enemy to reach them.

"Chaka, we've sighted the Rebel Army!" a soldier reported. "They're about ten miles to the south. Their forces are bearing down on the southern gate as we speak!"

"EAST! WEST! SOUTH! SOUTH-EAST! SOUTH-WEST!" Chaka barked as the Royal Army stood assembled behind him. "GUARD EACH GATE WITH YOUR LIFE! DO NOT LET EVEN ONE OF THEM SET FOOT WITHIN OUR WALLS!"

"RIGHT!" the royal soldiers chorused.

The capital was placed strategically. The entire city was situated on top of a large cliff and the only way into the city was up long flight of steps and through one of the five gates. The five gates were all spread across the southern half of the city. There was the West Gate, the South-West Gate, the South Gate, the South-East Gate, and the East Gate. The majority of the northern half of the city was taken up by the Royal Palace and in the middle was a wide opened plaza.

-x-

The Super Sonic Duck Squadron charged towards the capital. Carue was notably absent but the six remaining Straw Hats were all wearing identical white cloaks.

"Big Brother!" Chopper's voice piped up from the back of the group. "Where did you find all of these cloaks?"

"Convenience," Ricky's voice answered from the front.

"What?" the other five all asked in sync.

"Let's just say the ducks had them in their saddle bags and leave it at that," Ricky suggested, "Everyone remember the plan … this is it! See you when it's over!"

"Right," the other five chorused.

-x-

At the bottom of the cliffs on the west side part of Alubarna Mr. 1, Ms. Double Finger, Mr. 2, Mr. 3.5, Mr. 4, and Ms. Merry Chirstmas were all lying in wait for Princess Vivi and the Straw Hats. The Officer Agents were waiting on a cluster of rocks beside the west gate and were looking off in the direction that the Straw Hats should be coming from.

"Hey! Look over there!" Mr. 2 called out as he stood apart from the others and farced south-east with his hand over his eyes so he could see off in a distance. "The Rebel Army's approaching! There are so many of them! The Princess is such a little idiot to think she could stop them. But then… is the little idiot even coming? Now will she show up? Or will she not? Or will she? Or will she not? THE OUTCOME IS VAGUE!" The Okama was happy to once again shout his favorite word.

"WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?" Ms. Merry Christmas demanded while stamping her foot like an impatient child. "Are we sure about this? Shouldn't we be sure about this? The Princess and the pirates are really coming right? At this rate the Rebel Army's gonna beat them here! I thought those idiots wanted to stop the fighting! Shouldn't they at least try to be on time?"

"I think it's entirely possible that they won't make it soon enough," Ms. Double Finger reasoned as she stood in front of a rock casually smoking a long pipe. Mr. 1 was silently sitting on top of the rock behind her. "After all, they did lose precious time when they were at Rain Base."

"WHAT? THEY DID?" Ms. Merry Christmas snapped.

"We had them trapped there for a good hour," Mr. 3.5 supplied as he leaned against a rock with his arms folded across his chest. "I only managed to make it here on time because I was riding one of Mr. 0's Accelagators."

"Suppose the rebellion does get started first," Mr. 2 suggested. "What are we supposed to deux if that does happen?"

"We wouldn't have to deux anything," Ms. Double Finger replied somewhat mockingly. "Think about it, once the rebellion gets underway nothing, not even the Princess, will be able to stop it."

"All we need to do is eliminate whoever we're told to," Mr. 1 stated. "Can't you even manage to figure that much out on your own?"

"IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE JUST DYING TO SEE SOME MORE OF MY DANCE MOVES!" Mr. 2 growled as he got in a fighting stance.

"Just calm down and let it go you two," Ms. Double Finger interrupted, once again playing peacemaker between her partner and the irrational Mr. 2 Bon Kurei.

"AAHHH!" Ms. Merry Christmas groaned. "MY BACK! IT HURTS! GET OVER HERE AND MASSAGE IT MR. 4!"

Mr. 4, who had gone mostly ignored, stood on a rock staring through a pair of binoculars. He turned to the others and called out, "Tthhhheeeeeyyyyy'rrrrrreeee ccooooommmmiiiiinnnnggg nnnoooooowwwwwww…"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THAT EARLIER YOU IDIOT?" Ms. Merry Christmas shouted as she raced over and claimed the binoculars, knocking her partner off his rock in the process. FWUMP! Ms. Merry Christmas peered through the binoculars and let out a startled gasp at what she saw, "AHHH! DUCKS! THEY'RE ON DUCKS!"

"They're on ducks?" Ms. Double Finger repeated. "Are you sure? Do you see anything else?"

"Seems like their number's gone up too," Ms. Merry Christmas commented. "There are six of them. With Straw Hat out of the way I thought there was only supposed to be fore left."

"Their number's gone down," Mr. 5 corrected, "There's the Princess, the First Mate, the swordsman, the girl, the long nose, the cook, and the pet. And back in Rain Base they had three Whitebeard Pirates: Ace, King, and Queen. If there are only six of them where are the others?"

"I doesn't matter," Mr. 1 said, "Vivi is our only target. What are you so worried about?"

"Well Mr. 1…" Ms. Merry Christmas replied, "You say Princess Vivi is the only one we need to eliminate? Okay! THEN HOW ABOUT YOU TAKE A STAB AT GUESSING WHICH ONE SHE IS!"

"GAAAAHH!" Mr. 2 shrieked. "THEY'RE ALL WEARING IDENTICAL OUTFITS!"

"Grrr…" Mr. 1 growled. Things had just gotten a lot more complicated.

"At this rate I won't even be able to identify my target," Mr. 3.5 realized remembering his specific orders to eliminate Ricky.

"Even worse," Ms. Double Finger added, "Those birds are the fastest animals in the whole kingdom… Super Sonic Ducks!"

"THOSE SNEAKY RATS!" Mr. 2 exclaimed. "HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO TELL WHICH ONE IS VIVI LIKE THIS? IT'S JUST NOT A FAIR THING TA DO, YA KNOW?" Suddenly, 'vague' didn't seem like such a fun word.

"DO IT NOW MR. 4!" Ms. Merry Christmas ordered when her slow partner finally managed to pull himself up off of the ground.

Mr. 4 removed a huge cannon from his back and fired it, BOOM! A baseball flew out and landed in front of the charging clamor of ducks.

"DODGE IT!" Zoro warned the others.

SWISH! The ducks and their riders split up to avoid the baseball as it exploded, KA-BOOOM!

"MISSED THEM!" Mr. 2 snapped. "Those damn birds! They're too fast!"

"Team three… go!" Ricky ordered. On cue, Stomp and Hikoichi split off from the group.

"THEY'RE SPLITTING UP!" Ms. Merry Christmas exclaimed as she stared after the two ducks. "THEY'RE HEADING FOR THE SOUTH GATE!" "Those two are heading straight towards the Rebel Army! That means one of them must be Vivi!" "WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DEAL WITH THOSE TWO! MOVE IT MR. 4!" Ms. Merry Christmas jumped off of her rock and ran off after the ducks with Mr. 4 dutifully following behind her.

One of the four remaining cloaked riders pulled out a familiar revolver and fired, BANG! A red bullet impacted with Mr. 3.5's chest and caused to Bomb Man to explode. KA-BOOOOOM! The mushroom cloud that resulted from Mr. 3.5's full body explosion blew Mr. 1, Ms. Double Finger, and Mr. 2 backwards and left a dark ring on the ground in Mr. 3.5's place.

"Team two… go!" Ricky ordered prompting Kentauros and Bourbon Jr. to break off.

"They're trying to go in through the west gate!" Ms. Double Finger realized as she sat up and watched the two ducks run passed them and up the steps to the west gate.

"Bastards…" Mr. 1 growled, "Let's go, Ms. Double Finger!" Mr. 1 got up and charged up the steps after the two ducks.

"So they're going to approach three of Alubarna's five gates from the west," Ms. Double Finger realized as she ran after Mr. 1. "If they're gonna split up and enter that way, then we'll do the same thing! We can wipe them out inside the city."

This left Mr. 2 Bon Kurei alone as he slowly got back up to his feet. WHAM! Only to be bowled over by Cowboy while Ivan X ran in his wake.

"C'mon Princess!" Ricky called out to the smaller cloaked figure that was following him on the bigger duck, "We'll go through the south-west gate and convince the Royal Army to stand down."

Mr. 3.5's body reformed on the black ring he'd left in the sand as he glared after the two ducks. "One Eye…" the Bomb Man snarled. "Come on Mr. 2!"

"HEY! I'M YOUR SUPERIOR!" Mr. 2 exclaimed. "WHERE DO YOU GET OFF ORDERING ME AROUND?"

"Because…" Mr. 3.5 answered as he ran off after the ducks, "if we go after them I can complete my objective and eliminate One Eye while you deal with the Princess."

"Works for me!" Mr. 2 agreed as he bounded after Mr. 3.5.

-South-West Gate-

"Hey someone's coming!" the soldiers at the gate realized as they saw two cloaked figures running up the steps towards them.

"Is it the rebels?" another soldier asked.

"No," the first soldier answered. "It's the Super Sonic Duck Squadron. Let them in!"

-South Gate-

Hikoichi and Stamp raced straight passed the South Gate without even pausing to look at it. Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas kept chasing them as the two duck riders were now headed towards the South-East Gate.

-West Gate-

Kentauros and Bourbon Jr. raced passed the royal soldiers and through the streets of Alubarna's West Block with Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger cutting through alleyways in an attempt to cut the two off.

-South-West Gate-

"I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY!" Mr. 2 screamed as he bounded passed Mr. 3.5 and closed in on their two targets only for Cowboy and Ivan X to skid to a stop in the middle of a wide street.

"Tee-hee-hee," the cloaked figure on Ivan X laughed. "Thank you for following us all the way here!"

"Say whaaat?" Mr. 2 questioned in surprise.

"Don't… let them..." Mr. 3.5 panted as he ran up to Mr. 2 but stared at the two ducks in surprise. "…escape?"

-West Gate-

"Now stop!" the cloaked girl on Bourbon Jr. ordered prompting the two ducks to skid to a stop under a stone beam that was connecting two buildings. Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger ran out of an alley and stood in front of them. "Wow, you guys are really good, ya know! That's right, I'm the real Princess Vivi."

"Uh… what are you talking about I am the real Princess Vivi," the figure on Kentauros said in what was clearly a man's voice.

"Stupid!" the cloaked girl scolded him, "You don't have to be Vivi if I'm Vivi!"

Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger could only stare at them in surprise.

-South-East Gate-

"This is far enough now," the figure on Hikoichi announced in a smooth falsetto. Hikoichi and Stamp had run straight passed the South Gate and the approaching Rebel Army and were now positioned amidst the ruins outside the South-East Gate.

Ms. Merry Christmas stopped running and stared at the two cloaked figures on their ducks while Mr. 4 kept running to catch up.

"I have to say," Hikoichi's cloaked rider continued in the same smooth falsetto, "It's really entertaining how easily you fell for this. Now we can go ahead and take these silly cloaks off."

-x-

SWISH! As one the six duck riders threw off their cloaks to reveal Ricky and Usopp at the South-West Gate, Zoro and Nami at the West Gate, and Sanji and Chopper at the South-East Gate.

"Sorry, looks like you guessed wrong!" the Straw Hats taunted their pursuers.

"WHAAAATT?" all six Baroque Works Agents shrieked.

-x-

Off in a distance, Vivi and Carue watched as the six Straw Hats lured the Baroque Works Agents into the city.

"Thank you so much everyone," Vivi said as she clasped her hands and bowed her head. The Princess looked up and addressed Carue, "We have to hurry now. The Rebel Army is almost to the city. Let's go Carue!"

"QUACK!" Carue agreed.

-x-

Rebel Army versus Royal Army:

-x-

"I've dealt with Straw Hat," Crocodile informed the Baroque Works Officer Agents the night before via Transponder Snail. "If my plan is to succeed the rest is up to you. Whatever the cost: Vivi and her friends must be prevented from making contact with the Rebel Army."

-x-

"Looks like I made the right choice," Mr. 3.5 commented as he glared at Ricky and Usopp.

"Did you?" Ricky asked. "You and the Okama chased me into the city. Vivi's still out there and with you all in here dealing with us nothing's going to stop her from making contact with the rebels. What's taking me out going to accomplish if Crocodile's little war never gets started?"

"YOU!" Mr. 2 shouted at Usopp who was hiding behind Ricky, "I RECOGNIZE YOU FROM THE SHIP! YOU'RE NOT A PRINCESS! HOW DARE YOU DECEIVE ME!"

"Uh… sorry," Usopp apologized.

"I'm not gonna let them do whatever they want," Ricky told Usopp, "I'll take the freaky ballerina and you deal with the nose-picker."

"Wait… why do I have to fight the bomb guy?" Usopp asked.

"You know more about him than the Okama," Ricky pointed out. "Would you rather face the enemy you know or the enemy you don't?"

"Good point," Usopp agreed.

SKISH! Ricky darted forward and in a flash appeared in front of Mr. 2 and swung his legs around at the Okama. WHAP! Mr. 2 raised his leg and blocked Ricky's kick with one of his own.

"For an amateur… that wasn't so bad," Mr. 2 remarked, "Just who are you anyway?"

"I'm One Eye Ricky Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire and First Mate of the Straw Hat Pirates," Ricky introduced himself. "And I'll be kicking your ass today."

"OH NO YOU WON'T!" Mr. 3.5 snapped as he turned and glared after Ricky. "YOUR FIGHT IS WITH ME, ONE EYE!"

"SPECIAL ATTACK: LEAD STAR!" WHAK-WHAK-WHAK! Mr. 3.5 was knocked off his feet and sent rolling down the street. "DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME, BASTARD!"

"Long Nose…" Mr. 3.5 growled as he glared at Usopp who was standing by the two ducks with his slingshot drawn, "Now you're really starting to piss me off…"

-West Gate-

"YEAH C'MON ZORO!" Nami cheered as she stood between the two ducks while Zoro stood in between them and the two agents, "LET 'EM HAVE IT!"

"WOULD YOU KEEP QUIET OVER THERE?" Zoro snapped.

"Hey, Ricky told you to look after me!" Nami reminded him, "So you'd better do it!"

"QUIT TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!" Zoro shouted.

"They fooled us," Mr. 1 dead-panned as he and his partner watched the two pirates bicker.

"Quite a farce," Ms. Double Finger added.

-South-East Gate-

"Wahaha," Sanji chuckled while Chopper stood beside him in his Heavy Point form, "Looks like there won't be any rebellion now."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Ms. Merry Christmas demanded.

"Chopper, stay on your toes," Sanji instructed, "The big guy launched some kind of explosive before. And there's no telling what the old lady can do."

"Right," Chopper agreed, "I'm gonna do whatever I can!"

-x-

"I have to stop them at any cost," Vivi thought to herself as she and Carue raced to head off the Rebel Army. "if I don't then all this struggling will have been for nothing." Vivi thought of all the people they'd lost, and all the people that were suffering, all because of Crocodile's manipulations that led to this point. Her resolve strengthened she needed to stop the rebels before Crocodile's plans had a chance to come to fruition.

-x-

At the Royal Palace everything was shaking due to the approach of the Rebel Army.

"SECURE THOSE CANNONBALLS!" one of the soldiers ordered, "I DON'T WANT THEM ROLLING AWAY!"

"YOU HEARD HIM MEN!" another soldier shouted. "MAN YOUR POSTS! KEEP THE ARTILERY UNDER CONTROL!"

"The ground is really moving, huh?" a soldier commented as he stood next to Chaka.

"The Rebel Army is made up of two million angry men," Chaka replied, "Even the ground shakes a little before them. Stay strong."

-x-

Vivi lowered her hood and shook out her long blue hair. At this point she needed the rebels to recognize her. She and Carue were situated just south of Alubarna ready to intercept the Rebel Army as they made their final approach on the South Gate.

"Quuaaaa…" Carue mumbled, the shaking ground had the duck shaking with terror.

"It's okay Carue," Vivi reassured him. "You don't have to be here."

"QUA!" Carue said as he shook his head frantically. He wasn't going to leave Vivi's side now, even he knew this was an important confrontation.

"You could get trampled," Vivi told her duck, "So just be careful."

Vivi stared ahead of them at the large sand cloud that was approaching. In front of it was the Rebel Army. Two million men on horse and camel back were charging towards the capital.

"Please Leader," Vivi pleaded internally, "Please listen to what I have to say. You must hear it."

"RRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" the rebels roared as they charged at the capital.

Koza drew his sword and raised it high overhead, "EVERYONE LISTEN!" Koza shouted. "CLOSE YOUR RANKS AND STAY TOGETHER! WE'LL KNOCK THROUGH THE GUARDS AT THE SOUTHERN GATE! THE REST WILL FALL FROM THERE! DO NOT LOSE HOPE!"

"YEEEAAAHH!" the rebels cheered.

As the Rebel Army drew near Vivi threw out her arms and yelled at the top of her lungs, "REBEL ARMY! YOU MUST STOP! THIS FIGHT IS POINTLESS! ITS ALL A SETUP!"

"RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" the rebels kept going. Vivi's voice was drowned out by their charging steeds and their own loud shouts.

"PLEASE LOOK DOWN!" Vivi hollered, "YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME!"

At the head of the army Koza squinted through his purple-tinted glasses and saw a blue-haired girl and a duck standing out in front of them. BOOOOOOM! A cannonball hit the ground in front of her and exploded, hiding the girl and the duck in a cloud of smoke and sand.

Koza and the rebels charged forward into the smoke, "HEY!" Koza called out to the rebel next to him, "DID YOU SEE A PERSON STANDING IN FRONT OF US JUST NOW?"

"PERSON?" the rebel repeated. "THAT ISN'T IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW! THE ENEMY IS ALREADY SHOOTING AT US!"

Vivi raised her arms to shield her eyes from the sand, "AAAHHH!" the Princess gasped as she stared at the cloud of sand and smoke in front of her. The Rebel Army wouldn't be able to see her through it. "Why did they do that? Neither side can see anything now!"

"QUAACK! QUAACK!" Carue quacked in a panic.

Vivi turned to look back at Alubarna and spotted the smoking cannon that had fired the cannonball, "What is the Royal Army thinking?"

-x-

"WHAT THE HELL!" Chaka roared. "I HAVEN'T GIVEN ANYONE THE ORDER TO OPEN FIRE! DO NOT ACT WITHOUT MY SAY SO!"

"Yeah, sir, I'm terribly sorry about that," the soldier standing by the smoking cannon apologized while giving a dubious salute. "I guess my hand just slipped. Sorry." The soldier let out a low chuckle. Tattooed on his right arm was the symbol of Baroque Works.

-x-

"Kuahahahahaha!" Crocodile laughed as he stood by a window somewhere on the south side of Alubarna and surveyed the battlefield. Thanks to some quick orders to one of his men infiltrating the Royal Army, Princess Vivi's plans to confront Koza and the Rebel Army had, literally, gone up in smoke. "KUAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! KUUUUAAAHAAHAAHAAHAAAA!"

-x-

"QUUUAAACK!" Carue shrieked in alarm as the Rebel Army bore down on them. With the smokescreen in between them they couldn't see them.

"CHARGE THROUGH!" the voice of one of the rebels cut through the floating smoke and sand. "IT'S JUST A CLOUD OF SAND!"

"NOOO!" Vivi shouted into the smoke and sand. "YOU HAVE TO STOP NOOOW!"

"FIGHT FOR THE COUNTRY!" another rebel shouted. From the sound of his voice he was right in front of Vivi. "WE'LL MAKE THE KING PAY!"

"LEEEAAAADEEEERRR!" Vivi screamed in desperation. "LEEEEEEAAAADEEEERRR!" The loud shouts from the rebels and the pounding foot-falls of their camels and horses made it so Vivi's voice was barely heard.

Despite this, Koza's sharp ears twitched at hearing a vaguely familiar voice and frantically searched through the smoke and sand as he continued forward. But he couldn't see anything let alone anyone.

"Koza, what is it?" the rebel next to him asked.

"Nothing," Koza answered. "It's nothing!" "Was I imagining it?"

"LEEEEEEEEAAAAADEEEEEERRRR!" Vivi continued to scream. But her voice was completely drowned out. And out of the corner of her eye she saw a man on a black stallion race passed her. "Leader…" Vivi could only stare after him in shock. He hadn't heard her. They'd gone right passed her.

"REMEMBER MEN!" Koza shouted to the rebels. "THIS WILL BE OUR FINAL BATTLE!"

"WAIT! LISTEN TO ME!" Vivi yelled after them, "LEEEAAD—" WHAM! The Princess was knocked to the ground by one of the blindly charging rebels. "AAAAHHH!" Vivi let out a terrified shriek, she was now on the ground hidden by a cloud of sand as over a million rebels on camel and horseback charged towards her.

"QUUUAAAAACK!" Carue dove forward and tackled Vivi to the ground. WHUMP!

-x-

"THEY'RE HERE!" one of the royal soldiers shouted as he spotted the rebels charging out of the cloud of smoke and sand. The soldier waved a flag to signal the men manning the cannons. "CANNONS READY! FIIIIIRREEEEE!"

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! A volley of cannonballs fired off at the charging rebels. Despite Vivi's best efforts the war poised to destroy her kingdom had begun.

-x-

KA-BOOOM-BOOOM-BOOOM-BOOOM! The rebels struggled to dodge as the cannonballs exploded within their ranks. Some of the men were blown off their camels but the Rebel Army charged forward.

"SAVE THE COUNTRY!" Koza yelled as he and the rebels closest to them abandoned their mounts and charged up the steps at the Royal Soldiers guarding the south gate. "TEAR DOWN ALUBARNA!"

KLANG! SLISH! Swords clashed and blood was spilled as Koza and his men charged passed the soldiers. The south gate dissolved into chaos as the fighting between the Rebel Army and the Royal Army officially broke out.

-x-

Out in the dessert amidst the sea of hoof-prints laid Carue. The sounds of the two armies fighting echoed in a distance as the duck laid in the sand covered in hoofmarks, sand, and blood. The poor duck had been trampled by who knows how many camels and horses belonging to the Rebel Army.

Carue's wing twitched and Vivi pushed herself out from under him and rolled her faithful duck onto his back. "No Carue…" Vivi gasped as she stared at her duck and his severe wounds.

"Quuuuaaa…" the duck quacked weakly.

"Carue…" Vivi whimpered as tears welled up in her eyes. "You shielded me from them… I'm sorry… we've come so far… we've done so much." Sniff! "But the rebellion has started… I'm so sorry… but I will stop it. No matter how many times they refuse to listen! No matter how loudly I have to yell! I will not let mindless fighting destroy what we've worked so hard for! That's something I learned while I was onboard the ship. DO NOT EVER GIVE UP! "

-South-West Block-

"RICKY WAIT!" Luffy called out as he frantically waved his arms. "IT'S ME!"

"JAVELIN KICK!" CRUNCH! Ricky drove his foot into his brother's jaw and sent his swan-costumed Captain flying backwards.

"AAAHH!" Luffy shrieked as he pushed himself off of the ground, "RICKY! WHY WOULD YOU HIT ME? I'M YOUR CAPTAIN! STOP IT!"

"Low… ARROW KICK!" THWHAM! Both of Ricky's feet slammed into Luffy side and sent him tumbling into a building. WHAM!

SWISH Luffy touched his face and became Zoro and the green haired swordsman gasped in pain as he pushed himself up onto his knees. "Uggghhh… Ricky… stop it!" Zoro pleaded.

"Jumping... AX KICK!" Ricky launched himself up overhead and swung his leg down at Zoro but the swordsman let out a shriek and rolled away. TMP! Ricky landed on his feet while Zoro scrambled back to his.

"YOU COLD-HEARTED BASTARD!" SWISH! Zoro touched his face and reverted to Mr. 2. "How could you ruthlessly attack your friends like that?"

"You may be able to wear their faces," Ricky admitted, "but you don't know a thing about my Nakama! Luffy and Zoro would never back down from a fight! And they'd never beg for mercy! Maybe you should do some research before you try to imitate someone."

"Oh yeah… let's see if you can still fight me if I do this!" SWISH! Mr. 2 touched his face and became Nami."Ricky… you wouldn't hit me…would you?"

Ricky frowned and stared down at his feet, "You're right… I wouldn't hit Nami," he confessed. Nami grinned and drew back her leg to kick Ricky while his guard was down. "But on the other hand…" POW! Ricky's fist slammed into Nami's face and knocked her on her back. "I would hit you!" WHUMP! Ricky drove the bottom of his Sea Stone boot down onto Nami's stomach and the orange-haired navigator turned back into Mr. 2.

"Ugghhhh… Sea Stone…" Mr. 2 groaned.

"Nami would never wear a ridiculous outfit like yours," Ricky stated. "And if she were here she'd probably hit you herself for daring to wear her body again. Try your tricks on someone stupid because they won't work on me."

-x-

"Allow me to introduce you to my new gun, Long Nose," Mr. 3.5 stated as he pulled a triple-barreled shotgun out of his coat. Ptooi! The Bomb Man spat into the three bullet chambers and trained his gun on Usopp.

"Oh yeah!" Usopp retorted, "Let me introduce you to this! CALTROP HELL!" WHING! Usopp threw to handfuls to caltrops at Mr. 3.5 and watched with a grin as the sharp pieces of metal landed all around the Bomb Man. "NOW TAKE THIS! SPECIAL ATTACK: SMOKE STAR!" FWOOSH! Usopp fired a round from his slingshot and it created a thick cloud of smoke as it hit the ground. "AHAHAHAHA! It'd tell you to watch your step… but it looks like you can't now!"

SKISH! Mr. 3.5 leapt straight up out of the cloud of smoke and floated in the air as he aimed his shotgun and fired. BANG!

WHUMP! Usopp dove to the ground and the spit-bullet flew over his head and exploded somewhere behind him. KA-BOOOM! Usopp looked up and grinned, "AHA! YOU MISSED!"

"Wasn't aiming for you," Mr. 3.5 replied.

Usopp whirled around and gasped in horror when he saw that Ricky had been blasted off of Mr. 2 and was now lying prone on his back. "AAAH! RICKY!"

BANG! KA-BOOOOM! A wad of spit impacted with Usopp's back and exploded. FWUMP! The charred sniper fell to the ground and laid motionless.

Mr. 3.5 walked passed Usopp and over to Mr. 2 who was getting back up, "One Eye's too clever to fall for your tricks," Mr. 3.5 lectured Mr. 2, "I'll deal with him and the Long Nose."

"Then I'll go find the Princess," Mr. 2 decided but then his eyes fell on Usopp, "But first… I'll need a disguise."

-x-

Carue's Resolve:

-x-

"I'm getting really tired of you blind-siding me," Ricky complained as he pulled himself up off of the ground and glared at Mr. 3.5.

"Then I hope I've got your full attention now," the Bomb Man replied as he pointed his new triple-barreled shotgun at Ricky.

"Not quite," Ricky replied. "Usopp!"

Ricky kept his eye locked on Mr. 3.5 as the sniper groaned in response. "Ugghh!" Mr. 2 had stolen Usopp's green desert cloak and his goggles and left him in his usual brown overalls, white sash, and green bandana.

"Get on your duck and go find Sanji at the South-East Gate," Ricky instructed. "Tell him Vivi's in trouble and to go find her near the South Gate. Once he goes off, stay and back up Chopper against Mr. 4 and his partner."

When Usopp didn't respond immediately Ivan X ran over and scooped Usopp up onto his back and carried him off towards the South-East Gate. Cowboy ran off with after them leaving Ricky alone with Mr. 3.5.

"There," Ricky resolved as he stared straight at Mr. 3.5, "Now it's just you and me."

-x-

Vivi stood up and stared at Alubarna with tears in her eyes. The sounds of fighting could be heard from a distance. The thought of all those misguided soldiers killing each other because of Crocodile's twisted scheme was like a knife to the Princess' heart.

"If I can't stop the Rebel Army then I'll find Chaka and stop the Royal Army," Vivi decided. "At this point it doesn't matter if the Royal Army surrenders. I have to do whatever it takes to stop the fighting." With a new plan now in mind Vivi started towards the city up ahead of her.

"Quuuuaack!" Carue wearily called out as he slowly got back up to his feet.

"Carue!" Vivi exclaimed as she turned back around and looked at her faithful companion. "You're injured. You shouldn't be standing right now." It was only a few minutes ago that the duck had been trampled while shielding her from the charging Rebel Army.

"QUACK!" Carue quacked and shook his head. He darted forward and scooped Vivi up onto his back and started running towards the South Gate. He'd been with Vivi through everything. He'd been her pet as a child. He'd infiltrated Baroque Works with her. We joined her on board the Straw Hats' ship and he fought to save her on Little Garden. He was completely devoted and loyal to Vivi and would die before he left her side.

"For a duck, you're really brave," Ricky praised Carue after the battle on Little Garden. "You risked your life to save your Princess. Many grown men would've turned tail and run if faced with what you were faced with today. Even more would've failed trying to do what you did. But you did it, you saved her."

Luffy, Ricky, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Vivi, and Carue all stood in a circle on board the Going Merry proudly displaying the bandage on their arm. "No matter what happens on that island, remember, this thing on all our arms is a sign of our friendship," Luffy announced.

Like Vivi, if Carue learned one thing from his time with the Straw Hats it was: never give up. Carue was proud to fight beside such brave warriors and honored that they considered him brave enough to be one of them.

Even if he had been trampled by an army of camels, Carue refused to give up on Vivi. Not now, not ever. But especially not now when it was so important.

"QUUUUAAACK!" Carue cried out as he raced towards the city with Vivi on his back.

-South Block-

A platoon of Royal Soldiers armed with bows and arrows stood along a street still awaiting contact from the invading rebels.

TMP!TMP!TMP!TMP! Two large figures suddenly raced out of an alley and into the street drawing the attention of all the soldiers.

"WAIT!" one of the soldiers exclaimed, "DON'T SHOOT! IT'S THE SUPER SONIC DUCK SQUADRON!"

The soldiers watched as Ivan X and Cowboy ran across the street and darted into another east-bound alley with Usopp clinging to Ivan X's back.

"Who was they were carrying?" another soldier wondered, "A rebel soldier?"

"NO!" the first soldier shouted as a bunch of rebels came running up the street. "There they are! FIRE MEN! PROTECT ALABASTA!"

SHOO! SHOO! SHOO! The Royal Army fired a volley of arrows at the rebels and the rebels returned fire with their guns. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Fighting had now broken out in the city streets.

-South-East Gate-

"Where'd they go?" Chopper wondered as he and Sanji stared at the empty expanse of sand outside the South-East Gate of Alubarna. All they could see was scattered stone ruins.

"They gave up way too quick," Sanji stated. "I don't trust it. Stay on your toes."

SKUSSSHHH! A wave of sand suddenly shot up into the air behind them and raced towards them. SKISH! SHUNK! The cook and the doctor jumped away as the sand they'd been standing on was sucked underground and left a hole where they'd been standing.

SHUNK! Another hole was created. SHUNK! And then another.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Chopper shrieked.

"Something's burrowing underground," Sanji realized as he watched the wave of sand travel around them leaving holes in its wake.

"Hahahahaha!" Ms. Merry Christmas's laugher rang out from underground in one of the holes. "Let me introduce you to our Number 4 Batter!"

Shooooo… Before their eyes Mr. 4 slowly rose half-way up out of one of the holes. The large man was now holding a large metal baseball bat in both hands. The cannon he'd shot earlier was noticeably absent. WOOOSH! Mr. 4 started swinging his bat. The huge gust of wind the swing generated spoke wonders for the strength behind it. WOOOOSH!

"I have to do whatever I can," Chopper thought to himself, "I have to remember: I am a pirate!"

CHOO! A baseball came flying up out of the hole in front of Mr. 4 in time for him to slam his bat into it, KRACK!

"DODGE IT!" Sanji shouted as the baseball came flying towards them. The two pirates jumped out of the way only for the baseball to explode in midair in the exact spot they'd just been standing, KA-BOOOOOM!

"AAAAHH! IT EXPLODED!"Chopper screamed.

SHOOOM! A wave of sand shot towards Chopper but suddenly stopped short leaving the human-reindeer staring at the sand in front of him in confusion.

WHAP! Two clawed hands shot out of the sand and grabbed Chopper by the legs, "TI'S TIME TO DIE!" Ms. Merry Christmas shouted from underneath him.

"CHOPPER! GET OUTTA THERE!" Sanji hollered.

"Foooouuuurrrrr…" Mr. 4 said as he rose up out of another hole and started winding up again. With Chopper rooted in place by Ms. Merry Christmas there was no way for him to dodge the next exploding attack.

-West Block-

"GO GET 'EM ZORO!" Nami continued to cheer along with the two ducks while Zoro stood in between her and the Mr. 1 pair. "WHAT'RE YOU WAITING FOR? PUNCH 'EM OUT! YOU CAN DO IT!"

"I DON'T NEED A CHEERING SQUAD!" Zoro snapped. "GO HIDE SOMEWHERE!"

The swordsman turned back to Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger and smirked. "Alright you guys, you think you could make this a little challenging?"

Zoro gripped his sword as Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger began to silently advance on him.

"COME ON ZORO!" Nami called out. "THIS IS WHY WE KEEP YOU AROUND! IT'S THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO WELL, RIGHT?"

Zoro tensed as the two Baroque Works Agents walked up to him but then blinked in surprise when they walked right passed him.

"HURRY UP AND FINISH OFF THOSE… ugly looking… reallybadevilpeople…" Nami trailed off when she realized that the two Officer Agents were coming for her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Zoro demanded as he looked back at the agents. "Hold up!"

"Primary rule to assassination: all weaker targets are to be eliminated first," Mr. 1 stated as he and Ms. Double Finger advanced on Nami.

"We'll show you how professionals handle these sorts of things," Ms. Double Finger added.

Nami glanced around her and suddenly realized that she was all alone in front of the two agents without even the ducks for cover.

"What? You mean me?" Nami asked. "Hold on a minute! Getting rid of me won't accomplish anything at all! Sure I'm pretty and know how to dress but I don't have any fighting skills!"

"Yes, we know, it's fairly obvious," Ms. Double Finger replied, "As we said, picking off the weaker ones is the fastest way to work."

"Damn it that's exactly why I told her to shut up and hide somewhere," Zoro muttered.

"Hold on!" Nami exclaimed as she quickly reached into her cloak and pulled out the three blue poles that made up her Clima-Tact. "I may not have fighting skills but I do have something to fight with! Stay back or I'll use this!"

"You think that little toy of your scares us?" Ms. Double Finger asked as she and Mr. 1 walked right up to Nami. Both agents arrogantly dismissed the Clima-Tact as a mere toy.

"It should!" Nami retorted as she stuck two of the blue poles into the third one creating a Y-shape then held the two slanted pipes and pointed third at the agents, "THUNDER TEMPO!" BANG! A boxing glove shot out of the pipe and slugged Ms. Double Finger in the chest. WHOMP! The close-proximity of the unexpected attack caused the glove to slam into Ms. Double Finger's left breast for a surprisingly high-impact punch.

"Owwwww…" Ms. Double Finger let out a low moan of pain as Nami twisted one of the pipes she was holding and drew the boxing glove back in. SHUNK!

"Hah, I bet that hurt!" Nami taunted. "I have it on good authority that it does!"

-Nami and Ollie's Training Flashback-

"So what's that weapon of yours do?" Ollie inquired as she and Nami separated from the others so she could learn to use her new weapon.

Nami unfolded the instructions that Usopp had given her and read the top, "It says 'It summons the clouds! Its causes rain to fall! It even makes winds blow! When combined the right ways the miraculous Tacts call forth natural disasters!'"

"Sounds impressive," Ollie commented. "Let's see then…"

Nami stared at the diagram on the instruction sheet and fitted the blue pipes together in a Y-shape and pointed it at Ollie. "THUNDER TEMPO!" BANG! WHOMP! A boxing glove sprang out and punched Ollie in the chest.

"OOOWW!" Ollie howled. "YOU PUNCHED ME IN THE FREAKING TIT!"

"I'M SORRY!" Nami quickly apologized. "I didn't know what it was going to do! It just shows the shape to put it in and the attack name!"

"Damn it that freaking hurts!" Ollie complained as she massaged the area Nami's boxing glove had punched. "Why the hell did I volunteer to do this?"

"Come on, it couldn't have hurt that much," Nami defended herself.

"Then let's see how you like being punched in the tit, ya damn dairy cow!" Ollie snapped as she glared at Nami. "Sheeshh… at least now you know what to do if you really wanna piss some poor girl off. No one'll see that coming."

-Flashback End-

"She just crossed the line," Ms. Double Finger growled as she rubbed where Nami's glove had punched. "I'll take care of the girl, Mr. 1. You can have the swordsman."

"Very well," Mr. 1 agreed.

Ms. Double Finger looked up only to find that Nami was already halfway down the street screaming at the top of her lungs. "WWWAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"GET BACK HERE!" Ms. Double Finger yelled as she ran after her.

Mr. 1 turned and addressed Zoro. "It's only fair to warn you… no swordsman can defeat me."

"We'll see about that," Zoro retorted as he slowly drew Wado Ichimonji.

-South-East Gate-

"CHOPPER TURN SMALL!" Sanji shouted.

CHOO! A baseball was launched up into the air in front of Mr. 4 and the batter smashed his big bat into it, KRACK! WHING! The baseball bomb went flying towards Chopper who was rooted in place by Ms. Merry Christmas as she held onto his legs from underground.

SKISH! Chopper shrunk down into his tiny Brain Point form and leapt away from Ms. Merry Christmas' sunken claws just as the baseball exploded where his head had been, KA-BOOOM!

CHOO! Another baseball popped up into the air and Mr. 4 smashed it with his bat, KRACK!

SWISH! Sanji ran over and cut the baseball off before it could even partway reach Chopper. "Bastard!" Sanji growled, "You shouldn't dish out what you can't handle!" THWAK! The cook jumped up into the air and kicked the baseball with all his strength it was sent flying back towards Mr. 4 but fell short and landed harmlessly on the sand before exploding, KA-BOOOM!

"They disappeared again!" Chopper exclaimed as he glanced around the battlefield. Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas were nowhere in sight. All that was left were the holes they'd left behind.

"That guy's a brute," Sanji told Chopper. "That baseball I kicked weighed a ton. The fact that he can hit them as fast as he can and time exactly where they're going to explode speaks volumes for his skills with that bat of his.

"SAAAAAAANNNNNJIIIIIIIIII!" a loud scream rang out as Ivan X and Cowboy came running out from the South-East Gate and down the steps. "HEEEEEEEELLLLLP!" Usopp and the two ducks skidded to a stop in front of the cook.

"Quack!" Hikoichi and Stamp popped up from wherever they'd been hiding and stood with the other two ducks.

"Usopp, what're you doing here?" Sanji demanded as he glared at the sniper. "You're supposed to be with Ricky!"

"I WAS!" Usopp protested as he slipped off of Ivan X. "Things were going great! He was beating up Mr. 2 while I had Mr. 3.5 on the ropes. But then he fired an explosive spitball at me! I dodged it with my usual grace of course but it ended up blind-siding Ricky. I was caught off guard and he blew me up too! Mr. 2 recovered and ran off with my robe and goggles! Ricky sent me—"

"DAMN IT!" Sanji interrupted, "NOW MISS. VIVI'S IN DANGER!" Swish! Sanji threw off his blue desert cloak leaving him in his usual suit then he raced off. "I'LL SAVE YOU VIVI MY LOVE!"

"LOOK FOR HER AND CARUE NEAR THE SOUTH GATE!" Usopp shouted after him.

"QUACK!" the four Super Sonic ducks ran off after the cook.

KA-BOOOOM! Usopp's attention was drawn back to the hole-filled battlefield by the sound of an explosion. He spotted Chopper lying prone and scorched on the ground in Heavy Point form.

"CHOOPPEEEER!" Usopp screamed. "Just what I need… more bombs!"

-South Gate-

"Carue… you saved my life…" Vivi thought to herself as her duck began running up the stairs to the South Gate, "You're in no condition to be exerting yourself life this…"

KA-BOOOOM! "QUUUAAACK!" Carue shrieked and leapt backwards as a cannonball blasted the stairs in front of them. Vivi looked up and spotted a grinning soldier with a cannon pointed at her. The Baroque Works tattoo was on his arm. It was the same infiltrator that had fired the first cannonball that had kept her from making contact with the Rebel Army.

Rather than chance running up the steps again where the Baroque Works Agent could blast them Carue instead found his own way. "QUUUUAACK!" The duck promptly began running straight up the sheer side of the cliff. The incredible speed he was running at kept gravity from pulling Carue down immediately.

"CARUE!" Vivi exclaimed, "INCREDIBLE! HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS?"

"QUUUUAAA!" Carue crowed as he charged up the rocky cliff. But he encountered a problem when he reached the top. The cliff tapered off and Carue was left with nothing to run on.

FWAP! FWAP! FWAP! FWAP! FWAP! Carue frantically pumped his wings and managed to stay airborne long enough to launch himself forward and grab onto the top of the cliff.

SKISH! Vivi jumped off of Carue as he dangled off the edge of the cliff and launched herself at the Baroque Works gunman, "PEACOCK… STRING… SLASHER!" SLA-SLISH! Vivi slashed the agent cross the chest with the bladed jewels. FWUMP! The infiltrator fell to the ground while Vivi turned around and helped the still dangling Carue up onto the top of the cliff. "CARUE! THAT WAS AMAZING! YOU FLEW!"

Vivi and Carue made it over the wall and immediately encountered their next obstacle: the street in front of them was now a battlefield between the rebels and the royal soldiers.

Vivi closed her eyes to avoid seeing the citizens of her country cut each other down. "Carue… do you think you can make it through the battlefield?" Vivi asked.

"QUACK!" Carue agreed with a salute.

Vivi got back on Carue's saddle, "We need to find Chaka at the Royal Palace," the Princess explained. "At this point it'll be impossible to find Koza."

"QUUACK!" Carue cried out before he took off running through the field of fighting rebels and soldiers.

BANG! A bullet rang out and Carue sagged to the side and dropped to the ground right in the middle of the battlefield.

"OH NO! A STRAY BULLET!" Vivi gasped. "CAARUUEE!"

"For a duck, you're pretty brave."

"QUUUUAAAAACK!" Carue surged back up off of the ground and ignored his newest wound as he charged passed the fighting soldiers. Some of them actually stopped and stared at the sight of the Princess riding passed on the back of her duck.

FWUMP! It was only when they were completely through the crowd that Carue's strength gave out and the determined duck dropped to the ground.

Vivi fell off of Carue's saddle and stared at her duck companion in horror, "Carue… CAARUUUEE!" the Princess cried.

Carue had been with Vivi through everything and had carried her as far as he could. But now he could go no further. Tears welled up in the wounded duck's eyes as he began waving the Princess on. "QUAAA! QUAAA! QUAAA!"

"Okay… I'll go…" Vivi agreed as she stared down at her frantically waving companion. They'd been through so much together and had come so far. But now it looked like she was going to have to press on alone.

"VIVI! IT'S YOU!" Vivi looked up in time to see Usopp come running out of an alley wearing his green desert cloak and goggles. "HE'S AFTER ME! WE'VE GOTTA RUN!"

"Usopp!" Vivi exclaimed.

"C'MON VIVI!" Usopp insisted as he rushed over to her. "Leave the duck, we've gotta go!"

Vivi's heart stopped as she dared down at Carue. "The… duck?" she repeated in her mind as she remembered how Usopp and Carue had fought side-by-side on Little Garden. Vivi stood up and turned to face the Sniper. "Usopp! Prove yourself!"

"Huh? Really? You don't believe that it's me?" Usopp asked. The Sniper smiled and raised his left arm up into the air and proudly displayed the bandage wrapped around his forearm. "See?"

But rather than belay her concerns it confirmed them. "It's not him!" Vivi realized as she stared at the sniper in horror.

-Bandage Flashback-

"Listen up," Zoro addressed the Straw Hats on board the Going Merry before they landed on Sanddy Island. "That creepy ballerina's transformations are perfect. There's no telling when he might pose as one of us and make an attempt on Vivi's life. Does everyone understand? If you ever feel like one of us is acting suspicious…" Zoro held up his bandaged forearm and then pulled off the wrappings to reveal a blue 'X' that was tattooed underneath, "…ask them to take off this wrapping to reveal their mark. If they can't do that… they're an imposter."

"Clever," Ricky commented, "Looks like we're all getting a tattoo."

"Whoa, having such a well-thought-out plan seems uncharacteristically smart for you," Sanji remarked. "So how can we be sure that you aren't already an imposter?"

"I'LL STAB YOU!" Zoro snapped.

"Yup, that's him," Luffy realized recognized the swordsman's natural hostility for the cook.

"Phew," Usopp sighed in relief, "Definitely Zoro."

-End Flashback-

"You're lying!" Vivi told Usopp. "You're not really Usopp!"

"Well… that's too bad," Usopp commented before he touched his face with his left hand and revealed the gaudy make-up-covered face of Mr. 2. "Now really! You knew? How? I thought my imitation was perfect!" Vivi could only stare at Mr. 2 with mounting horror. "We even had a helpful tip from the boss that you all had the same bandages wrapped around your arm like this. So smart of you!"

Vivi backed away from the Officer Agent but bumped into Carue who was still prone on the ground behind her.

"I suppose there's no need to continue this ruse then," Mr. 2 decided as he took off Usopp's robe and shemagh leaving him in his normal swan-themed ballet outfit with Usopp's goggles still strapped to his head on top of his puff-ball headband. "Sorry Princess… but orders are orders. I'm afraid I must eliminate you now."

"QUUUUAAACK!" Carue shrieked in a panic, he made to defend Vivi as Mr. 2 advanced on her but couldn't move off of the ground.

"SAUTÉ!" ZZZOOOM! In a flash Sanjisuddenly appeared in between Mr. 2 and the Princess.

"SANJI!" Vivi exclaimed.

"YOU!" Mr. 2 gasped then stared in confusion, "Wait… who are you?"

"Sorry Miss. Vivi," Sanji apologized, "I would've gotten here faster but I brought company."

THWAK! WHAM! Mr. 2 was caught off guard when Cowboy suddenly appeared and delivered a flying kick to the Okama's face while Ivan X ran in and drove his horned helmet into Mr. 2 stomach for a vicious headbutt.

"WAAAAH!" Mr. 2 cried out as he was sent flying.

SWASH! Hikoichi ran in and knocked Mr. 2 up into the air. WHOMP! Stamp appeared from above and drove both of his webbed feet down into the airborne Okama and slammed him down into the ground. WHAM! The Officer Agent was not having a good day when it involved ducks.

"Good job ducks, you can stand down," Sanji addressed the four spot-billed ducks.

"QUACK!" Cowboy, Hikoichi, Stamp, and Ivan X all quacked and saluted then grabbed Carue and carted him away from the impending battle.

"Now Miss. Vivi, don't you have a rebellion to stop?" Sanji inquired as he took a moment to adjust his tie. "Go on. I'll take care of this creep."

"Right, thank you Sanji!" Vivi replied as she got up and ran passed the cook towards the palace.

"AAAAAAH! NOOO!" Mr. 2 shrieked, "SHE'S GETTING AWAY!"

Sanji's one visible eye narrowed as he watched Mr. 2 pull himself up off of ground. "So I take it you're that ridiculous face-changing freak," Sanji commented.

"YOU REALLY SHOULD STAY OUT OF MY WAY!" Mr. 2 exclaimed. "But first… just who are you? No matter! NOW YOU'RE GONNA DIE!" Mr. 2 did a pirouette and spun towards Sanji and lashed out his leg.

"I think I'll start by having you return our sharpshooters goggles," Sanji announced as he swung his own leg around and intercepted the ballerina's kick with one of his own. THWHAM! All the weight training in the desert had given Sanji's already powerful kicks and additional boost of power. Where before their legs would have been locked in a stalemate, instead Sanji overpowered Mr. 2 and sent him spinning off balance. THWAK! Sanji spun around and sent Mr. 2 flying with a follow-up kick. "And that's just the beginning."

SKIISSSHH! Mr. 2 skidded to a stop and managed to prevent himself from being smashed into a building. "So you're with the Straw Hats, huh?" he inquired. "Well then! That must make you the mysterious Mr. Prince!"

"My name is Sanji," Sanji introduced himself to his opponent. "And I'm the best cook in the entire ocean."

"Well then, this should be quite interesting," Mr. 2 commented with a grin.

"I'll make this clear," Sanji announced. "Keep your hands off this country!"

And so as Vivi raced onward towards the palace the stage was set for the battles ahead.

Zoro was going up against Mr. 1

Nami was ducking and hiding from Ms. Double Finger

Sanji was facing down Mr. 2 Bon Kurei

Ricky was alone against Mr. 3.5

And Usopp and Chopper were taking on the team of Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas

-x-

I know the fights are the same as canon but as you can hopefully tell from this chapter, they're not going to go exactly the same way. The Straw Hats have all had special training leading into their respective fights so hopefully that'll keep things interesting. Each of these battles is specifically important to the Straw Hats' growth so I didn't want to completely rearrange everything.

Next chapter, Usopp and Chopper take on the team of Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas in a Battle on the Molehill.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!