Chapter 12 - Crocodile

I have some reviews to respond to...

sara haruko takenouchi kamiya - I know it was part of the anime. It was a very important part, and it definitely belongs in this fic.

Nintendo Guru - Thank you so much! You have no idea what that compliment means to me! It makes me very happy to hear that. And is that what they call him in the dubbed version? Captain Chaser? Well, he is Smoker in the Japanese anime, and that is what I watch. I do not read the manga anymore. : P

draganviper - ...thanks. : )

Kala - Uh, thanks for trying to help me out, but it is Zoro in Japan, and since One Piece originated in Japan, I think I am gonna keep calling him Zoro, not Zolo.

Wild Gamer - Yes, it did. Well, I do not know about the dubbed anime, but it did in the Japanese anime.

Aztec Goddess - Well, uh, I am glad you like Ace so much! And I am very glad that you did not intend on making any puns. lol

"Oooh! I am sooo bored! I think I will dance...! Yes, spin, spin! Un, deux...!"

The gigantic Mr. 4 clapped and laughed stupidly at Mr. 2's antics. The Mr. 1 pair looked on in disgust.

The Mr. 1 pair, Mr. 2, and Mr. 4 pair were all at the Spider Café and were waiting to meet their boss, Mr. 0. Presently, his second-in-command, Ms. Allsunday, appeared. She was wearing her rather skimpy white cowgirl outfit.

"All of you are to go to Rainbase now. That is our true meeting spot, and that is where you will meet Mr. 0."

Miss Merrychristmas and Mr. 2 did a lot of complaining, but soon enough, the top Baroque Agents arrived at the Rainbase casino. There, they found out that their leader was none other than the Shichibukai named Crocodile, the deadly pirate who worked under the government and played hero for the people of Arabasta. He told his subordinates all about his ultimate plan, "Operation Utopia". The plan was to get the Royal Army and the Rebel Army to completely annihilate each other.

The deadly Baroque Agents were given their orders, and they were soon on their way to make Crocodile's fantasy "utopia" a reality. In the meantime, Crocodile made sure that no one got in their way. However, Miss Allsunday soon gave him potentially upsetting news.

"The Millions have reported sightings of a somewhat infamous pirate crew. Straw Hat Luffy and his crew are on their way to your little casino here as we speak."

Crocodile merely chuckled in response as he lit a cigar. "Don't be impolite. Show them to the V.I.P. room." Miss Allsunday also chuckled, nodded her head, and left to carry out her orders.

Crocodile looked down at the table he was sitting at. It was laden with a small feast. He frowned. (Princess Vivi is with Straw Hat Luffy... I cannot allow her to meet up with the Rebel leader Kohza. Everything will be ruined if that happens...)


After Luffy's and Vivi's fight, everyone seemed to relax a bit. Sanji was hitting on the girls again, Luffy and Usopp were fighting over their small water supply again, and Chopper was suddenly able to walk on his own again. Before the fight, he had been passed out on a little makeshift sled that Zoro was dragging behind him. The heat had been too much for the poor little reindeer, but now it seemed the raised spirits had given Chopper the ability to stand up to the intense desert heat.

They finally reached the city. Luffy got serious again; they were getting very close to the casino where he would finally get to meet Crocodile and, more importantly, beat the living shit out of him for making Vivi and her people so miserable.

Nami put a comforting hand on his shoulder... or at least she tried to. He immediately shrugged it off without even looking at her. She almost felt hurt by the way he had been treating her since his fight with Vivi. It was like he was trying his best to completely ignore Nami's presence. However, Nami knew what kind of mood he was in. The only thing that was on his mind was Crocodile, and that was perfectly fine with her.

They were actually making pretty good time. Until...

"Straw Hat Luffy! I've got you now! Give up!"

Usopp turned and screamed. "AAAH! It's Smokey! How the hell did he reach us!"

Luffy also turned. Sure enough, there was Captain Smoker at a dead run right towards the crew. Luffy also screamed and ran as fast as he could away from Smoker and toward the casino.

"Luffy, wait!" Nami tried to call out to him. "We can't keep up...!" It was no use. Luffy was running extremely fast and yelling his head off.

"Oh, man..." Luffy groaned to himself. "He's the only one I can't fight!"

Luffy was way ahead of his crew. Suddenly, a large group of Millions cut the crew off. Smoker ran right past them all and continued pursuing Luffy. Luffy turned his head. "Hey, you guys take care of them and meet me at the casino! I'm gonna find Crocodile!" "All right, see you there!" Zoro called back.

Smoker raised an eyebrow as he continued chasing Luffy. (What is Straw Hat's obsession here? What is his connection with Crocodile...?)


The Millions agents quickly surrounded Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Nami, Chopper, and Vivi. One of them stepped forward and pointed a gun at Vivi, smirking. "Come on, Princess, you're comin' with-"

He was rather abruptly interrupted by his gun getting kicked into his face. The man fell down and Sanji lowered his leg. "Anyone else want to threaten Vivi-chan?" he said in a very quiet and deadly voice.

The Millions charged. Sanji, Zoro, and Chopper sprung into action. Millions agents were falling dead left and right. "Zoro," Sanji grunted in the middle of the battle. "Get Vivi-chan to the casino." Zoro got out of the crowd and started running in the same direction Luffy and Smoker ran off in. Usopp, Nami, and Vivi followed close behind. Usopp turned his head as they ran. "Don't worry!" he called. "We'll get Vivi there and also make sure Luffy's all right!"

Chopper threw an agent into a group of other agents; Sanji got on his hands and spun around kicking everyone around him in the jaw. In moments, the agents were done. Chopper turned small again and looked grimly at Sanji who was lighting a fresh cigarette. "So, now what?" asked the little doctor.


Vivi knew a shortcut to the casino. When they reached it, they stopped. Usopp gasped. "The entire place is surrounded by water...!"

"Straw Hat, stop!"

Zoro and the others turn to see Luffy making a mad dash for the casino. "Everyone in!" he yelled before rushing past them. They followed right behind him and Smoker followed right behind them.

When they got into the casino, a very strange sight met their eyes. A group of casino workers were standing along the sides of the big red carpet leading to the big ornate door in the back of the building. Usopp's eyes widened. "V.I.P room...?" The workers were smiling at them and beckoning towards the door as if inviting the pirates into the V.I.P room. Luffy took no notice of how suspicious this was. He was intent on two things: finding Crocodile and keeping away from Smoker.

When they sprinted through the door, they found themselves running down a very long corridor. At the end were two signs. The sign pointing to the left said "V.I.P" while the one pointing to the right said "Pirates". Nami stopped. "Wait, Luffy! Which way-?" Luffy didn't even stop to answer; he grabbed her hand and made a hard right turn. "Wait, this might be a trap, Luffy...!" "I don't care! We are pirates, aren't we?"

Zoro, Vivi, and Usopp watched on helplessly as Luffy and Nami ran to the dead end with Smoker right behind them. "It's a trap," said Usopp. "It was the most obvious thing in the world, too!" "Yeah, well," said Zoro, "Luffy is the most oblivious person in the world." They watched as Luffy, Nami, and Smoker came to a stop... and the floor beneath their feet opened up. "A trap door!" yelled Vivi in anguish. "Probably leading straight to Crocodile," Zoro muttered. The trap door closed. "Come on, guys," said the swordsman. "Let's find another way down to Crocodile. I betcha Luffy and Nami are trapped down there now..."


When Luffy fell into the prison cell, he immediately felt weaker. When Smoker pinned him to the ground with the tip of his metal staff, however, he felt like he was on the bottom of the ocean. He had no energy whatsoever. "W-what's going on?" he said faintly.

"Sea stone," Smoker replied. "It's a strange mineral found at the bottom of the sea. We don't know much about it, but it seems to have the same properties of the sea itself. Therefore, it paralyzes Devil's Fruit punks like you. The prison cells at Marine HQ are made of the stuff so criminals who ate the Devil's Fruit cannot escape."

"Hey, that's not fair!" yelled Nami indignantly. "You let Luffy go this instant!"

A deep, sinister chuckle was suddenly heard. The three captives turned their attention upon their surroundings for the first time. They were in a steel cage. The room they were in was huge. Its walls were made of very thick glass behind which was what seemed to be a banana crocodile aquarium. Many of the deadly beasts were swimming around. The chuckle, of course, had come from Crocodile and he was seated at a very large table in the middle of the room with his back turned to his captives. Smoker retuned his staff to his back, allowing Luffy to get back up. Smoker glared at Crocodile's back. "Crocodile..." he breathed with pure hatred. No one heard him.

"My, my, little lady. Aren't we a little bossy?" Crocodile said, amused. "Yeah, what about it?" she shot back at the Shichibukai. "You know, Crocodile, you're not gonna get away with this! You're nothing but a heartless punk and Luffy here is gonna kick your ass once we-!" "No, Nami, stop!" Luffy interrupted her firmly.

Nami turned to face Luffy angrily. "Why? It's true, isn't it?" she yelled. "You're gonna beat the-" Luffy walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked her intently in the eye. "Nami," he said in a quiet, yet commanding voice, "be quiet. I don't want him mad at you. That bastard will attack you."

Nami was a little stunned that Luffy had suddenly become so concerned for her safety. She was pretty sure that Crocodile had no intention whatsoever of hurting her, but she still found Luffy's worries very touching. "Luffy, I understand your concern, but-" He silenced her with a sudden kiss. Her eyes went wide in surprise and she didn't respond at first, but she got over it and melted into his arms, kissing him back. It wasn't nearly as passionate as the one on the ship, but it still lasted a good few seconds and it made Nami temporarily forget all their troubles.

"Well, Straw Hat... now I see why you're so weak."

Luffy turned his head to look at Smoker questioningly, Nami still in his arms. "Huh?"

Smoker shook his head and sighed. "You let love get in your way. Relationships such as the one you share with that girl just make you weak. Whether you are a Marine, a pirate, or any kind of warrior, you cannot allow love to get in your way. You would be stronger without it, Straw Hat."

Luffy was about to retort when Crocodile chuckled again. They all looked at him. His back was still turned towards them. "The Marine has a point, Straw Hat Luffy," he said. "There's only one word to describe love..." He turned to look at them. "...pointless."

Luffy finally let go of Nami as he looked at the face of his enemy. That completely smug look on his large, disgusting face... Luffy charged at the bars of the cage, but as soon as he touched them, the sea stone within them made him collapse.

"I'll... kick your ass... Crocodile... You wait..."

Crocodile laughed. "I admire your spirit, Straw Hat Luffy... but what in the world makes you think you can beat me? Don't be so rash."

At that moment, Miss Allsunday walked in. She was holding a struggling Vivi by the back of her desert cloak. She threw the princess down the stairs. "VIVI!" Luffy screamed.

"Ah, there's our guest of honor!" said Crocodile cheerfully. Vivi stood up and spat at Crocodile. "Guest?" she hissed. "Since when do guests plan on killing their hosts?" "Kill?" Crocodile laughed. "My, my, so many people are very intent on killing me! Why does everyone hate me so much, Miss Allsunday?" Miss Allsunday laughed with him. "Please, Princess, sit down," Crocodile invited Vivi, gesturing toward the table. "Have some food while I explain my plans for your precious country... and the part you will play in them."

Vivi shook with rage, but she listened. She sat at the table, but refused to eat anything. She wanted to hear what Crocodile's plans were. He told her all about "Operation Utopia" while Luffy, Nami, and Smoker listened, too. Crocodile was very pleased to see how angry Vivi got when he told her exactly how the people of her country were going to end up killing each other off.

Then, Zoro and Usopp burst into the room. Or rather, Zoro burst into the room with Usopp cowering behind him. "Zoro, thank god!" said Nami in relief. "H-hey," Usopp stuttered, "w-what about m-m-me?" Luffy laughed. "Yay for Usopp, too!" he cheered.

Now Crocodile looked angry. "I didn't invite you all here. Uninvited guests are very much unwelcome." "Shut up," said Zoro, drawing two of his swords. "Let Luffy and the girls go, now!" "You are in no position to threaten me," Crocodile growled. Then, his scowl suddenly turned into a grin. "But if you want to free your friends so badly..." He opened a trapdoor and threw a key into the room beneath it. "...you should go and save them while you still can. Miss Allsunday and I have business elsewhere." And with that, he and Miss Allsunday walked out of the room.

Zoro cursed and ran over to the trapdoor. He watched as a giant banana crocodile ate it. "Oh, shit..." "What?" asked Luffy and Nami at the same time. "A damned croc just ate the key..." said Zoro. "Who cares, just slice the cage!" yelled Luffy. Zoro raised an eyebrow. "I don't think my swords are gonna be able to cut through those bars... but I'll try."

He took out his third sword, placed it in his teeth, and attempted an Oni Giri on the metal bars. It didn't work. "Nope, sorry guys, we need that key," said Zoro. "How are we gonna get it?" cried Usopp. "A croc freakin' ate it!"

"Hey, calm down," came a very calm, very familiar voice from the doorway through which Miss Allsunday and Vivi had entered earlier. Vivi gasped. "Sanji-san!"

Sanji was no longer wearing his desert clothes; he was once again dressed in his usual jacket and tie. He was also wearing sunglasses with yellow lenses. He grinned at Vivi and then looked at the cage. He walked down to it. He smiled at Zoro. "So, your shitty swords were no use, eh?"

Zoro was about to retort, but Usopp interrupted with his panicky voice. "Uh, guys... The room below the trapdoor... is filling with water... THIS ROOM IS GONNA GET FLOODED!"

Sanji started to kick the bars of the cage frantically. They wouldn't budge. "Damn, these bars are tough..." he muttered. Zoro gave him a smug smirk.

The crocodiles didn't want to wait for the water to rise to start their feeding frenzy. They started pounding on the glass walls. Eventually, they broke, and water rushed in. The room started to collapse. The cage broke as everyone struggled to stay above the water. Soon, the entire room was submerged.

Nami swam around frantically looking for Luffy amongst the underwater debris. She found him sinking. His eyes were closed. She grabbed his cold, limp hand and started swimming as fast as she could.

She and the others made it out of the debris of the sunken room. Nami could now see the light coming from the surface of the water. It was the light of the setting sun. She turned herself toward the surface and swam as hard as she could while dragging Luffy behind her. However, it was too much; she just couldn't swim for long while holding Luffy's limp body. He was completely deadweight. She struggled on...

She suddenly felt her burden being released. She turned to see Sanji taking Luffy into his arms and start kicking his way up to the surface. Sanji smiled at her as he started to swim effortlessly to the surface. She grinned back and followed.

Finally, they all broke the surface. Sanji dragged Luffy out of the water, and Zoro dragged Smoker out of the water. "W-w-what the hell, Zoro?" Usopp yelled in fright. "Smokey's the enemy! Why'd you save him?" "Under Captain's orders," Zoro replied, jerking his head toward Luffy. Luffy got up, coughed up some water, and turned to see the unconscious Smoker laying at Zoro's feet. "Thanks, Zoro," Luffy said simply. "Come on!" said Nami. "Let's get going before he wakes up!"

The crew ran into town with smiles on their faces. They were alive. Even Vivi was smiling. She had just heard Crocodile's plans. "Come on, everyone!" she called happily. "We're going to Alubarna!"


When they left the city, it was almost nighttime. Chopper was waiting for them with a giant crab he seemed to have befriended. "He'll take us to Alubarna," said Chopper. They all climbed on and the crab took off at an awkward, sideways run.

They were on the crab for quite some time. Zoro had somehow managed to fall asleep. Usopp was complaining about the uncomfortable ride. Chopper was guiding the crab and wasn't saying anything. Sanji and Vivi were also silent. Luffy walked over to Nami and sat next to her. He wrapped an arm around her.

Nami blushed slightly. "Luffy..." she whispered. "Vivi's here..." "So?" he said. "She's not lookin'." "Come on, Luffy..." He wouldn't let go. She had no choice; she pushed him off her and stood up. He looked up at her with a hurt expression on his face.

"Oh, don't give me that..." Nami said sadly. Vivi walked over. "What's the matter, Luffy-san?" she asked. He glared at Nami and was about to respond, but then a large golden hook flew out of nowhere and grabbed Vivi around the middle. She screamed as she was yanked off the crab. Luffy stood up and saw that a trail of sand was behind the hook...

"It's him," he growled.

He stretched his arms out and grabbed the hook. He launched himself toward the hook and Vivi. With one hand, he held onto the hook and he used his other hand to grab Vivi and throw her back onto the crab. Sanji caught her. She ran to the edge of the crab and yelled in despair, "Luffy-san! No!"

"Don't worry!" he yelled back as the hook took him closer to Crocodile. "I'm gonna kick his ass!" "Okay!" called Vivi back, trying to sound brave. She wiped a tear from her eye. "We'll await you in Alubarna!" She was now dangerously close to falling off the edge of the crab. Nami grabbed her and yanked her away from the edge. They all watched from very far away as Luffy fell off the hook, stood up, and faced two figures. Soon, the three figures became little black pinpricks on the horizon... and then they were gone.

Vivi buried her face in her hands as she fell onto her knees. "If he dies... it's all my fault..." Nami shook her head. "No, Vivi. We decided to help you, remember?"

"That's right," said Zoro. Sanji looked at him in surprise. "When did you wake up?" the cook asked. Zoro ignored him. "We have to get you to Alubarna to stop those rebels," he continued. "What happens to us now is of no importance!"

Vivi looked shocked at Zoro's words. She held back her tears as she smiled up at her nakama. "Thank you, guys... so much... I just hope... Luffy..."

Nami knelt down beside Vivi and hugged her. "I know," Nami whispered. "We all want Luffy to be okay, and he will. He won't die, and he won't let Crocodile get away without a serious beating."

Everyone was silent for a while. Vivi looked at Nami. She spoke quietly so no one could hear. "Listen, Nami... I know how things must have looked between Ace and me..."

Nami looked at Vivi in surprise. (Why is she bringing this up now?) she wondered.

"...but I was really lonely and... and... confused when Ace joined us," Vivi continued. "He was so comforting... I thought I had fallen in love with him..." Nami nodded, encouraging the princess to continue.

"Well, Nami, I... I just want you to know; I still love Luffy." Nami's heart sank. Vivi was quiet for a little bit before she continued. "I want you to tell me the truth, Nami... Are you and Luffy together?"

Nami didn't know what to say. (If I tell her the truth, she would be devastated. The last thing she needs now is more stress.) "N-no. No, we're not." They were quiet for a few long moments again.

Vivi smiled a tiny bit. "I really hope he'll be okay. What would I... I mean, what would we do if he died?"

"Don't even think like that," Nami said soothingly. "He'll come back, and we'll decide things when he does."

"Oi!" said Usopp suddenly. "There's a really big lake up ahead!" "The crab doesn't like water!" said Chopper. "What do we do?"

Vivi stood up, all business again. Nami was right; Luffy would be fine, and they would decide things when he returned. For now, Vivi had to push all thoughts about Luffy out of her head as she concentrated on quelling the rebellion. "Well, we have to figure out something," she said, frowning. "We have to cross that lake to get to Alubarna..."

The whole Crocodile thing should come to a close next chapter. I am not sure yet. Thanks for the reviews! And I am happy to see that a good number of people put this story on their favorite/alert list... but then how come a majority of you do not even give me any reviews? Oh, whatever. : P