This is the 54th chapter. I don't own the series of One Piece.
A Hero Descends!
Alabasta, Alubarna
As Koza tried to stop the rebel army when he and the royal army raises the white flags, the Baroque Works intervened by firing at him four times. Vivi, the rebels, and the royal army couldn't help but hopelessly watch Koza fell off the top of the structure and about to land down to the ground.
"KOZAAAAAA!?" Vivi yelled with horror.
'You just wait until it's finished. This town will bring good fortune and joy to so many people. It's going to be the best town ever! When it's up and running, I personally give a grand tour!'
These words have echoed on Vivi's mind when Koza promised a tour to Yuba when they're children. However, after everything happened years ago, things have taken a turn when Crocodile caused a drought for having Cobra uses the Dance Powder in Alubarna and leaving the cities of Alabasta high and dry, which the King didn't know about this until now, and using his Devil fruit power to conjure a sandstorm to cover Yuba in sand.
"Don't fight...rebel army..." Koza weakly groans. "Don't...fight...them..."
The rebel army is growing shocked and enraged when one of the Baroque Works fired Koza, which they thought one of the royal guards shot him.
"How could they shoot Koza?!"
"Get them!"
The rebel army shouts with anger while Vivi noticed one of the royal guards who shot Koza has a Baroque Works tattoo, which that was a Baroque Works agent disguising as the royal guard.
'It's Baroque Works! Ventus, Anna, Shanise, and Ivan weren't even able to find them here in the palace!' Vivi mentally shouts with dread when one of the royal guards approaches the Baroque Works agent while Koza crashes down to the ground with the white flag covering body.
"What did you do?! Why did you shoot?!"
Koza wheezing in pain while tried to stay alive, looking at his men as he spoke.
"Listen to me, rebel army, do not fight..." Koza warned them weakly.
Suddenly, Crocodile used the Devil fruit power to conjure a sandstorm, covering the entire city plaza of Alubarna. Both the rebels and the royal guards were confused, wondering what was going on and where the sandstorm coming from.
"Listen, rebel army..." Koza tried to warn them, but the sandstorm covered him, and no one could even see nor hear him.
Then, the stray bullet just shot one of the rebels right into the shoulder, leading the other rebels into disarray and they believe that it's the royal guard who shot one of them.
"They're shooting at us! How dare they?!"
Vivi was watching with her eyes widen in horror, noticing the sandstorm covers the plaza and preventing them for seeing one another and themselves. The rebel armies were too busy getting enraged, thinking the royal guards shot one of their men while the royal guards were confused of the sandstorm.
"Where did all those sands come from so suddenly?!"
"We can't see anything!"
Then, the sound of a gunfire was heard and the bullet straight towards one of the royal army, sent him down to the ground.
"Damn it!? Bastards!"
Then, they heard more sounds of gunfire, firing at either the rebels or the royal army.
"Don't shoot carelessly!"
"What's going on?!"
Little did they know, the Baroque Works agents were hiding next to the walls after Crocodile uses the Devil fruit to cover the plaza with the sandstorm.
"Heh, they still don't know what's happening. What's going on you idiots is that the Baroque Works are posing as soldiers and both your armies."
And just when the Baroque Works agent was about to fire at either the rebels or the royal army, Ivan knocked him out with his baseball bat. However, that won't stop the Baroque Works agents for shooting both the rebels and the royal army. Vivi just helpless watch both of the soldiers getting riled up and about to begin the fight.
"STOP! NO!" Vivi yelled.
While down at the plaza, many of the rebels and the royal army were losing numbers because of the Baroque Works firing at them from both sides.
"Come on! Just hang in there!"
And with that, the rebels charged after the royal army while the clock counts down.
"They aren't surrendering! Thought they'd ambush us by raising a phony white flag, huh?! So, this is how the royal army plans to win! By using dirty tricks like that?!"
The rebels and the royal army continued clashing blades while Vivi just watched them fight.
"STOP IT! NO DON'T DO THIS!?" Vivi yelled. "PLEASE STOP FIGHTING! SOLDIERS! LOOK UP HERE!"
Koza continued to wheeze weakly, tried to stay alive while his men and the royal army ran past him.
"Stop...rebel. army...Stop this...this battle is..."
However, both Vivi and Koza's words were fallen deaf on the rebels and the royal army since the clash continued and the sandstorm covered the plaza. Vivi tried to get them to stop the fight, the Baroque Works agents were shooting between both sides while Shanise, Anna, and Ivan continued to hunt down the agents and either knocking them out or kill them.
"Hey! Are you okay?! Damn! Now, royal army, launch counterattack!?"
And with that, the royal army complied with that order when they fired a cannon at the rebels.
Vivi kept trying to get them to stop, but the rebels and the royal army were continuing to fight, the cannons fired, and the sandstorm kept covering the plaza while the Baroque Works agents fired at the soldiers from both sides. The words from Vivi fell deaf in the ears to both the rebels and the royal army, causing her watch in horror.
"Stop it! Stop fighting!" Vivi pleads, lowers her head down. "Please don't fight! Stop now! Please just stop!"
"You fought long and hard, princess, and did well, but now...give up." Ms. All-Sunday suggests with a smirk, crossed her arms. "Your voice will no longer reach them."
Cobra couldn't help but gasp in shock, hearing cannon fires from the battlefield. Crocodile was sent flying and crashed against the wall with a grunt when Ace and Ventus worked together on beating him. Crocodile was all a bloody mess and had burnt marks.
"I had a feeling he'll pull off something like that." Ventus said with a sigh. "And by the sound of the cannons and the gunfire from the Baroque Works, this battle is turning into a bloodbath."
"Yeah, Crocodile must've pulled a dust devil to cover the main plaza for the Baroque Works to fire the soldiers from both sides." Ace agrees with a nod. "Still, it's ingenious for having the Baroque Works disguising as soldiers from both sides. He's just buying himself time until the clock strikes at the right time and the bomb will set off."
Crocodile was impressed that both Ventus and Ace were able to figure out on their own, but underestimated their strength. Even though, they're able to figure out his weakness. It's true that a sea prism stone can weaken the Devil fruit users along with water that Luffy just pulled the last minute at Rainbase, but Ventus' a dragon half-breed which it does make sense because he can shoot fire out of his mouth while Ace ate the Flame-Flame fruit to use fire since it's his other weakness when the sand got super-hot, it'll turn into glass.
Cobra and Chaka were shocked that Crocodile is being beaten by Ace and Ventus. Even though, they know the name of 'Fire Fist' Ace of Whitebeard pirates and the young dragoon and a lost prince of Dravania 'Raging Dragon' Ventus Starwind.
"I see, so they can beat him..." Cobra muttered, hoping Ace and Ventus beat Crocodile as he turns to Vivi. "You have to run away, Vivi! Get away before it's too late!?"
However, Vivi won't away from the fight as she stood up and turn to Crocodile with anger in her eyes.
"I won't!?" Vivi growled when Crocodile chuckled with an evil smirk. "Like Ace said, you made this dust devil! It's your doing! But still...there's time. If I stop the explosion that scheduled in 15 minutes, I can still reduce the number of casualties."
Crocodile have heard enough as he uses the Devil fruit power to past through both Ace and Ventus, approaches Vivi.
"'If I try this, the rebellion will stop. If I try that, the rebellion will stop.'" Crocodile mocks, grabs Vivi in the neck and lift her up. "It's time to wake up, princess. I'm tired of your useless idealism, it's gotten pathetic."
Vivi tries to grab hold of his arm, but his grip is too strong.
"What good are your happy ideals if you can't do anything to make them a reality? They're nothing but dreams." Crocodile mocks with a smirk. "And your dreams don't stand a chance."
Vivi weakly kicks the air while wheezing for air, tried to struggle.
"And compare to what you think of my ideals?!" Vivi shouts with a wheeze. "I'm never going to give up on that! You would never understand! I'm this countries princess, I won't give up! I won't give in no matter what!"
Crocodile is now getting annoyed of Vivi's resolve of saving her people and her country before the bomb sets off. Ace and Ventus couldn't get to Crocodile because of him choking Vivi and they won't be able to use their flames to burn him, which it'll get to her.
"You're really are a sad little girl." Crocodile remarked.
"I refuse...to give up!" Vivi retorted while grabbing his wrist. "I will save...Alabasta!?"
While the battle between the rebels and the royal army continues, Cobra, Ace, and Ventus watched Vivi helplessly.
"Vivi!?" Corba muttered her name with a scowl.
'Dammit! If only Vivi was able to either pull off a slasher or run, she won't be in this situation!' Ventus mentally cursed with a growl in frustration as the clock tower continues to countdown before the bomb sets off.
"You have only 15 minutes until the square is blown up." Crocodile told her with a chuckle, smirking. "More of the rebel forces are gathering as reinforcements arrived. One after another, without even realizing they're marching to their death."
He then walked up to the top of the stone wall, holding Vivi in the air and about to drop her 10 stories down to the square, making Ace and Ventus scowled at the Seven Warlord of the Sea while Cobra widen his eyes with horror.
"You know, you could've let the royal army know about the coming explosion earlier." Crocodile told her. "If so, maybe there would have been a panic, but then you could've saved tens of thousands of innocent lives."
"STOP IT! PLEASE CROCODILE, JUST LET HER GO!?" Cobra yelled with a plea.
Crocodile was planning to let Vivi go, but only to drop her off. Ventus then heard something coming thanks to his dragon hearing while sniffing the air, recognize that scent. He then whispered Ace in his ear which it got Fire Fist smirked.
'Luffy, you bumbling idiot. I was wondering when are you gonna show up.' Ace mentally thought.
"In the end, your plans for saving this country have done more harm than good. Your wretched failures have only ended up hurting the prescious citizens who you love so dearly." Crocodile taunts with a mockery. "From the beginning of my operations here, the sheer stupidity of your country has amused me. So pathetic! So easy to manipulate!"
Vivi then remembered of what happened to Igaram back in Whiskey Peak.
"You did a decent job of spying on our country for the past 2 years, I will grant you that much." Crocodile praised her.
'It's me, Vivi...Don't you recognize me? I don't different, I've lost some weight I suppose...'
Those Toto's words have echoed on Vivi's mind when she remembered her journey to Yuba few days ago before moving up to Rainbase to fight against Crocodile.
"Heh, but when this was all said and done, you really had no hope of changing anything." Crocodile continued. "Stopping the rebellion, saving the kingdom. All those worthless ideas you've come to for so long. In the end, they just created more victims for me. Let me tell you something, you'll never going to save this country. Goodbye, princess!"
And just like that, Crocodile lets go of Vivi with a laugh when he uses the Devil fruit power to turn his hand into sand, causing her to fall down in peril with a gasp in horror and in teary eyes. Cobra could only gasp while helplessly watch his daughter fall. However, it got Crocodile to stop laughing when he noticed a shadowy figure from the sun and soaring towards the palace. Ventus and Ace knew these two which was none other than Pell and Luffy.
"It can't be!?" Crocodile exclaims in shock.
"It's about time." Ventus groaned in annoyance.
"CROCODIIIIIIIIILE!?" Luffy yelled his name which it got Vivi widen her eyes in shock.
"Luffy!" Vivi said with a smile.
"It can't be!?" Crocodile growled in disbelief.
Luffy and Pell then flew down after Vivi, who's about to fall down towards the battlefield as they caught her just in time. Crocodile was shocked that Luffy somehow managed to survive from that fatal blow, but he's also angry that Vivi was saved and Luffy didn't die.
"Just in time." Luffy grunts, but Vivi sniffled in tears.
"Luffy...Pell..." Vivi called them. "There isn't much time left until the square is blown up! Everyone...is already down there! My voice can't...it can't be heard, no matter how hard I yell! At this rate, the country will fall apart."
Luffy and Pell can tell that Vivi did everything she can to stop the fight since Crocodile managed to cover the square in sand while having the Baroque Works agents killing the soldiers from both sides.
"Don't worry, Vivi." Luffy assures him, causing Vivi to look at him. "As long as we're here, your voice will always be heard."
Vivi was shocked of his words, but smiled for a few seconds and started to cry a little.
Meanwhile, the Straw Hat pirates are meeting up at the square which Zoro was still hurting from his fight against Mr. 1 while Anna is carrying Nami and following the swordsman to the square.
"I'm sure you did everything you can, Anna. But killing those Baroque Works won't be enough to stop Crocodile." Zoro points out.
"I know, but Ivan and Shanise are meeting up at the square." Anna informed him while Zoro sliced off the Baroque Works agent. "Ventus and Ace are doing what they can to stop Crocodile."
"Yeah, and knowing Luffy, he probably won't let these two have all the fun." Zoro states.
"That's our idiot captain for you. He always want all of the action." Nami agrees.
While at the square, Luffy is winding up his arm since he's about to get ready for a fight against Crocodile while help both Ventus and Ace along the way.
"Best of luck, Luffy." Pell said. "Be careful."
"I ate tons of meat, bird guy. I'll be just fine." Luffy told him as he stops winding up his arm and look at the palace with determined look on his face, noticed Crocodile at the top of the palace wall. "I won't lose to you!"
"How did he make it out of the quicksand with his injuries?" Crocodile muttered with a question.
"That's for us to know and for you to figure it out." Ace told him, earned his attention. "This is Luffy we're talking about, he doesn't give up that easily."
"Is that so?" Crocodile asks with a smirk.
"It'll take more than that to kill Luffy, he doesn't give up and he isn't afraid, not even by you." Ventus told him. "And besides, we're just buying him time to get his ass over at the palace so he can kick your ass."
Crocodile can tell these two are serious about Luffy beating him, but he's not going to get beaten by a rubber captain because he already beaten him since Rainbase few days ago. And it got him wondering, how did Luffy managed to survive from the quicksand. Ms. All-Sunday however, can only smirked because she was the one who got Luffy out of the quicksand with her Devil fruit power.
Just as Luffy was about to launch himself at the palace, a scream of Chopper can be heard as the reindeer spoke.
"IT'S LUFFY! HE'S ALIVE!" Chopper yelled with his jaws dropped and budging eyes, earned their attention.
"Tony's here, too." Vivi muttered when Usopp approaches and noticed Luffy is here.
"What?! Luffy! Luffy!" Usopp shouts happily.
"And Vivi's here, too!" Chopper adds happily when Luffy stretched his arms.
"See? See? He's still alive! What did I tell you?! I knew it all along!" Usopp exclaims, but he was lying.
"Really?!" Chopper said shockingly.
"For someone who knew it all along, you're sure looked surprised." Sanji points out in annoyance which the camel agreed.
"Thus, we already know that you're just lying and believe that he's dead." Shanise adds, holding her axe next to her shoulder.
"Usopp, Sanji, Shanise! You're alright!" Vivi exclaims.
"The Baroque Works are still around here at the square." Anna told them when she and Ivan approaches. "Either way, it won't stop them for continuing the rebellion."
"That and Crocodile made it harder for us to hunt down the Baroque Works." Ivan adds with a nod.
"Anna, Ivan!" Vivi said.
"Ah~Vivi! What happened~?" Sanji asks, gone goo-goo eyes. "Are you okay~? You look like you've been hurt!"
Suddenly, Nami came rushing towards Usopp as she raise her Clima-Tact and whacked him in the face, knocking him against the ground.
"Nami too? And Mr. Bushido?" Vivi muttered. "Everyone...is alive!"
"Usopp! Who asked you to create some useless prop for parties?!" Nami complains. "You better be lucky that I've extended my training with Ventus and Anna!"
"Oh come on! You're standing up just fine!?" Zoro yelled with white eyes and shark-like teeth.
"Nami~! My love~!" Sanji called her, again in goo-goo eyes.
"Well, it did have a powerful attack! Right, Nami?" Usopp whines, turns to her with a big bump on his head.
"Just shut up! I'm going to deal with you later!" Nami growled, then turns to Vivi. "Vivi, what's going on? What's up with all this dust flying everywhere?"
"Crocodile, happened." Anna cuts in. "He used his Devil fruit to cover the square with sand in order to prevent everyone to surrender and learning the truth. Also, the Baroque Works are killing numbers of soldiers from both sides to continue the bloodshed."
Nami then understands why the sand is flying everywhere along with the ongoing fight. Sanji then noticed her injuries as he turns to Zoro.
"Explain yourself, idiot! How could you let Nami get injured like that?! What happened?!" Sanji demands when Shanise knocked him in the head with the flat side of an axe.
"Sanji, you need to realize the Baroque Works won't go easy on any of us, especially Nami." Shanise points out. "She had a fight with Mrs. Double-Finger. Nami was able to hold against her on her own and won, but only by a hair."
Sanji can only give her a nod with an understanding, but always hate it when she was right about that. Zoro can only gave her a thankful nod since she was able to vouch for him.
"Listen, Chopper! Do me a favor...bury my body out in the wastelands when I'm dead and gone..." Usopp groans, faking his dead when Anna and Ivan just bonked him in the head.
"KNOCK IT OFF, USOPP!?" Anna and Ivan yelled with white eyes and shark-like teeth.
While the battle between the rebels and the royal army continues, Luffy looked at Crocodile.
"I'm sorry, you guys." Luffy apologizes. "I know I lost him once already. This time...This time, I'm gonna win! The rest is up to you!"
"So, get going already." Zoro suggests with a smirk while Sanji chuckled.
"If you can't beat this guy, then I don't know if anybody who can!?" Usopp exclaims.
"You better go help Ventus and Ace, they're going to need it." Anna suggests with a smirk.
"I'm gonna put an end to this! For good!" Luffy said, turns to his crew as they cheered for the rubber captain.
"Thank you." Vivi thanked him in teary eyes. "After all this time...why are you still with me?"
Luffy then launched himself up in the sky towards the palace.
"CROCODIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLEEEEEE!?" Luffy yelled his name while flying after him.
"Try all you want, but no matter how many times you swing, you'll never hit me." Crocodile told him, unamused. "I guess you didn't get enough the first time, huh?!"
Luffy then lets go of the wall as he let out a war cry while strengthen his arm, ready to deliver a punch against Crocodile. Crocodile is still unamused of Luffy wanted to fight him again since he can use his Devil fruit power to turn himself into sand and kill him. Which he then turns himself into sand, but little did he know that the drops of water came flying and Luffy just punched him in the face, sent him flying with a grunt and his mouth was bleeding. Luffy then lands on the ground while Crocodile crashed against the ground, leaving Corbra, except Ventus, Ms. All-Sunday, and Ace, stunned.
"Gum-Gum"
"What the?! Who's that?" Cobra muttered when Luffy grabs hold of Crocodile while winds himself up like a bow gun.
'I get it, Luffy's using water to make Crocodile wet along with the sand. Meaning Crocodile won't be able to turn into sand.' Ventus mentally thought, impressed that Luffy was able to figure it out.
"How can he...hit me?!" Crocodile growled.
"Buzzsaw"
Luffy then kicks himself off the ground and delivers a headbutt, causing Crocodile to grunt as he was crashed against the wall. Luffy chuckled with a smirk on his face while lands on the ground.
"He hit Crocodile!?" Cobra exclaims shockingly.
Ace, Ventus, and Ms. All-Sunday chuckled with a smirk on their faces.
Just as the battle between the rebels and the royal army continues, the clock tower continues to count down and the battle between Luffy, Ace, and Ventus against Crocodile is just the beginning.
"Get up!" Luffy said, pants while Crocodile groans in pain. "I figured something out when some of my Yuba water dropped on your hand. Once you touch water, then you can't turn into sand anymore. You took away all of the rain because you're afraid of water, didn't you? I know how to defeat you, Crocodile! A real fight is starting now!"
That's for the 54th chapter. Sorry about the delay.