Alabasta

Cade shook her head as she watched Luffy attempt to lie. Luffy had always been a lousy lying. He wouldn't be able to look anyone in the eye and always puckered his lips, as he was doing now. She would never understand why he tried to do it, especially when food was involved.

"Nope. No way. I don't know a thing about it." Luffy waved his hand. "Not at all. Not me."

"Then why do you keep looking away from me? Look me in the eyes." Sanji pointed his cigarette at the captain. "Now let me ask you. How is it that the rations for nine that I had saved up to take us to Alabasta suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night?" He grabbed Luffy's cheeks between his fingers. "Resistance is futile, you'd be a terrible poker player."

Luffy still refused to admit it.

Sanji shoved his hands in his pockets. "Hey, there's something around your mouth."

"What?! Crumbs?!" Luffy covered his mouth.

"Luffy." Cade huffed.

"I know it was you!" Sanji kicked Luffy across the deck.

The wall groaned as Luffy slammed into it. His body slid down to the deck next to Cade.

"Really, Luffy." Cade leaned down to him. "You should have just admitted the truth. And learn some self control. You're old enough to know better."

"But I was hungry." Luffy straightened himself up.

"Uh huh. And I see you're not the only ones." Cade looked to three others sitting on the railing with fishing poles in the water. Usopp, Chopper, and Karoo tensed up. "You all need to learn some self control too."

"Nami-swan! Can you believe that idiot?! You got to buy me a fridge with a lock," Sanji said.

"Yeah, I'll think about it. Our lives probably depend on it," Nami said.

"There's no need to be so dramatic. Want me to go fishing?" Cade said.

"No, let those idiots over there do all the work, my angel fish!" Sanji gushed. "You take it easy!"

Usopp gulped. "Yeah. Let us catch some fish for Sanji."

"Don't think I don't know what you three did!" Nami slammed her fist down on the three's heads fishing. "Now what were you saying about a hero? Crocodile is the hero of Alabasta?"

"Basically, the warlords of the sea are pirates working for the world government. Whether the warlords crush pirates for treasure, or the marines crush pirates in the name of justice the people's gratitude doesn't change. After all, their town's attackers are driven away."

Cade gritted her teeth at the mention of a warlord. Her dad was a warlord. But it had been some time since he was mentioned in the newspapers. For a slip second she wondered why that was before shoving it away and picking up her sewing. She was almost finished with a dress and hoped to sell it and seven others while in Alabasta.

"I get it." Sanji nodded. "So the people would never even dream that the hero of Alabasta is actually trying to take control of their country."

"So look out, Crocodile!" Luffy punched the air. "I just need to kick his butt, right?!"

"Yes, first we'll stop the rebellion," Vivi said. "If we can drive the Baroque Works out of Alabasta, my country will be saved."

"Wait, hold on?" Usopp held up his hands. "How the heck does this Baroque Works system work, anyways?"

"The system is simple," Vivi explained. "At the top is Crocodile, Mr. Zero. There are thirteen agents who take orders directly from the boss, twelve men and one animal. All their names are mister plus a number. They are paired with female agents who compliment their particular powers. Mr. Thirteen and Miss Friday are special in that they punish other agents for failure. All of the agents from Mr. Five up are called officer agents. Most of them have devil fruit powers. They don't act unless the business is extremely important. Below them are the frontier agents. They command the basic units. Their job is to raise funds for the company around the entrance to the Grand Line. That is the secret criminal organization Baroque Works in a nutshell."

"I get it now! Look out, Crocodile!" Luffy punched the air again. "I just need to kick his butt, right?!"

"You don't understand a word she said, did you?" Sanji puffed his cigarette.

"Didn't understand? He didn't even really listen." Cade shoved her needle through the fabric.

"Then that means if this takeover of Alabasta is the Baroque Works' final plan..." Nami touched her chin. "Then the officer agents should all..."

"Yes." Vivi nodded. "They'll be together."

"Well, that's going to be a lot of fun," Cade said. "Do you at least know what their devil fruit powers are?"

"Afraid not." Vivi shook her head. "I wish I did. At least we'd know what we'd be getting into." She paused then added, "What are you working on?"
"A dress." Cade held it up.

"It's beautiful." Vivi stepped over and ran her hand over the fabric. It was a simple dress. Off white with an over skirt that split open in the from and spread out like flower petals. "You're amazing."

Cade shrugged. "Thanks. It's really no big deal. I had to sew up Luffy's clothes all the time growing up. It gives me something to do while sailing."

"You're really good. Do you sell them?" Vivi asked.

Cade nodded. "When I can."

"It's a shame you're a pirate."

Cade cocked an eyebrow at the princess.

"I mean if you weren't you could charge a lot of money for your dresses."

"I'm not that good."

"You are." Vivi smiled. "Trust me."

...

"Five days. I hope we're getting there soon." Cade stirred up spices for their coming meal.

"I'm sure we are. It's been long enough." Sanji pressed his knife through the fish. "Thanks for catching these fish. It'll help get us to Alabasta."

"Any time. Though I whole hardheartedly agree with needing a fridge that locks. Nami shouldn't be so stingy with the money. It's something that we need."

"I'm sure we'll get one eventually."

A thump came from outside.

"What are those idiots doing now?" Sanji looked towards the door.

"Goofing off again no doubt. Ignore them."

"Yeah. You're right." Sanji turned back to his fish. "So what do you think about Vivi?"

"I dunno. She's okay. I guess." Cade paused with a thoughtful hum. "Though she's not what I expect when I think of royalty."

"How so?"
"Going by the royals I know about, they're pampered little spoiled brats. Selfish. Uncaring. Never would they leave their home and dive right into a secret organization that's trying to over take their country. I have to give her respect for that. But all in all, I don't believe she's suited for the pirate life."

"You think?"

Cade nodded. "Yeah."

"You might be right. She really loves her kingdom." Sanji smiled. "That's good enough for now. Thanks for helping."

"Anytime."

Sanji took the spice bowl from her and drizzled it over the fish then sat them in the fridge. "Let's go back outside now."

Cade followed him. Looking down on the desk she noticed everyone was tense, their faces contorted with concern. "What's wrong?"
"You're not going to believe this!" Usopp said. "One of Barque Works was on the ship!"

"What?!" Sanji and Cade gasped.

"It's true." Vivi, on her knees, tightened her fists. "He was Mr. Two." She placed a hand on her face. "This is bad. This is very bad. My father..."

"What is?" Cade asked.

"Mr. Two's devil fruit allows him to copy people's faces and bodies," Nami said. "One of them he showed us was Vivi's dad."

"He can do what?!" Sanji's eyes widened.

"He changed into all of us!" Luffy said. "It was cool!"

"It was scary!" Chopper cried.

"So he can turn into any one of us?" Cade asked.

"No. He has to touch you first," Vivi said.

"Well, that's going to be a problem." Cade crossed her arms.

Waves rocked the ship. Cade looked around, spotting a large cat creature sticking out of the ocean. "What the heck is that?"

"It's a sea cat!" Vivi said.

Usopp and Chopper shriek.

"Who cares what it is?! It's food!" Zoro pulled out his swords.

"Yeah! Food!" Luffy prepared to punch.

"No, it's retreating!" Sanji said.

"Put the ship in reverse!" Luffy said.

"You can't do that!" Vivi said.

"Don't let it get away! Make sure you kill it!" Sanji said.

"I said no!" Vivi hit the boys.

"What was that for?" Cade asked.

"Sorry. In Alabasta sea cats are sacred animals," Vivi said.

"There are sure a lot of things in the ocean," Chopper said.

"More than you'll ever know." Cade smiled.

Usopp laughed, uneasy, while lying curled in ball on the deck. "You're still a k-kid if that kind of stuff s-scares you."

"Says the one trembling." Cade tapped Usopp with her toe.

"Okay, time for me to tell you about the time I bravely-" Usopp stood.

Cade tuned him out. Sometimes his lies were fun to listen to. Other times they were just annoying.

"My food got away!" Luffy bit the railing.

"Don't worry. You'll be able to eat all you want soon," Vivi said.

"Really?! What kind of cat will it be this time?!" Luffy asked.

"Vivi, the wind and temperature seem to be stabilized," Nami said.

"Yes, we've entered the Alabasta climate zone," Vivi said. "The sea cat is more proof."

"I bet those things behind it are even more proof that we're close to Alabasta," Zoro said.

Everyone turned to see ships sitting several yards a head of them.

"Look at all those ships! When did they get there?!"

"Hey, they all have the Baroque Works signs on them!"

"All the members are coming together."

"All right! L-let's shoot them with the cannon now!" Usopp said.

"No, it would be faster to go over there and kick their butts! No wait I need to eat first!" Luffy said.

Cade watched the ship closely. If they were aware of the pirate ship sailing close by they showed no sights of it.

"Stop getting worried. They're nothing," Zoro said.

"Those are probably the billions," Vivi said. "Servants of the officer agents. They are different from the two hundred bounty hunters Baroque Works hired for Whiskey Peak."

"Yeah. All is lost if we lose sigh of our true objective." Sanji sat on the railing. There's only nine of us."

"Anyway, we need to deal with the problem of Mr. Two," Zoro said. "And I think I have an idea."

"You? Have an idea?" Sanji asked.

"Shut up and listen." Zoro looked at Cade. "If you don't mind we're going to need some fabric from you."

"Sure. What are you thinking?" Cade asked.

"We'll mark our arms with a symbol then wrap a cloth around it," Zoro explained. "If anyone thinks we're being tricked all we have to do is remove the wrap and reveal the symbol."

"Good idea. Why didn't I think of that?" Usopp said.

"I know what the symbol can be!" Luffy said. "An X!"

"An X?" Nami asked.

"Because it's like the X on a pirate flag." Luffy grinned.

"I'll get the fabric." Cade went into her room. Picking through her scraps she found enough white fabric that would work. Stepping back out on the deck everyone was passing around a black marker. She took it and marked and X on her left arm.

They wrapped the fabric around their arms and stood ready to enter Alabasta.