"CROCODILE! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!" Luffy suddenly yelled as he ran toward somewhere, and he somehow floating across the sand mountains as he ran just then.

"He's floating just then." Zoro said as we saw the hilarious scene.

"Yep." I confirmed.

"CROCODILEEEEE!" Luffy yelled again as he ran off somewhere, away from us.

"Wait! Luffy!" I ran after him while Nami told Zoro to run after us and bring Chopper along, which he obligated to do it because Nami threaten him by raising his debt.

"Luffy!" I called as he was far away and now punching empty air.

"That idiot…" Zoro grumbled as he saw our dear Captain doing weird things, "Just what the hell is he doing again this time?" he growled.

"He's eating a cactus earlier." I said and sighed as I brushed away the sweats from my face. "Chopper, can you do something to him? Maybe tranquilize him or whatever?"

"I'll try…" he replied slowly and I nodded before I turned to Luffy and Zoro, who somehow were fighting to each other and I sweat-dropped before fell on my knees to the hot sand below me, somehow starting to feel sleepy and eventually fell asleep.

After, I dunno, an hour or so, I woke up and saw that I was half-buried on the sand, along with Chopper that only his nose that visible. I quickly pulled myself out and dig Chopper up, and then I turned to where the two idiots are and saw that those two were passed out while their fists on their cheeks, probably they passed out while the throw punches to each other. I sighed and woke Chopper up before we walked toward those two and woke Zoro up.

"So, what happened, Zoro?" I asked as he woke up.

"He accused me as the damned Crocodile." He replied as he huffed at Luffy before he pulled himself out from the sands and Luffy out too.

"Luffy, wake up." I said as I slapped him softly, which making him stirred and eventually woke up.

"What? Oh, it's just you Eri." he said, "Where are we, by the way? And why am I half-buried?" he asked.

"Because you got hallucinations and accused Zoro as Crocodile and you two started sparring until you two passed out." I answered as he pulled himself out from the sands.

"Really?" I just face-palmed and sighed in defeat.

"Now, where is everyone?" Chopper asked as he saw that there's no one around us, AKA the desert is deserted. No pun intended.

"We've been left behind, eh?" I sighed and started to walk. "Come on, we better go after them fast." I said.

We walked, and walked, and walked, and kept walking while both Chopper and Zoro were talking to each other. Both Luffy and me were pulling ourselves up as we walked until Luffy saw rocks fan infront of us.

"I SAW A SHADE!" Luffy exclaimed while both Chopper and Zoro were looking back and forth from the rocks far in front of us to Luffy right behind them as they paled slowly.

"GOMU GOMU NOOO…" then Luffy retracted his arms to the rocks, "ROCKET!" he yelled as he pulled back his arms toward the rocks, pulling us along that trapped between his legs and we eventually crashed into the rocks, hard. While Luffy just laughed his ass off as he's in the shade.

"I'LL CUT YOU UP!" Zoro yelled, shark-teethed as he took out his katanas to Luffy.

"Haha! Sorry, sorry!" Luffy apologized as he laughed, "Eh? Where's Chopper?" he asked and looked around before spotted Chopper, away from the rocks.

"There he is!" he pointed out, "Why is he there? is he trying to be funny?" he asked while both Zoro and me put our blades right beside his neck, which pales him off.

"Yes, it's my fault. I'm terribly sorry about it." he quickly said and we pulled away our blades while Zoro walked away and sat down on a stone while he muttered about something before he suddenly fell through the sand below him, along with the stone.

"Oi, I don't think I make any jokes about it." Luffy commented as he stared at the hole Zoro made with blank face.

"DO I LOOK LIKE I'M LAUGHING TO YOU!?" Zoro yelled from below as he fell down.

"Well, no, I don't think so." I replied with blank face before both Luffy and me looked at each other before we jumped into the hole as well, landed on the sand on my butt while Luffy on his feet.

"It's so dark in here…" I pointed out as I was squinting my eyes to look around.

"Yeah." Zoro agreed, ignoring the idiot brother of mine that cheered that it's so cool in here.

"Wait, what about Chopper?" Zoro asked in concern.

"Oh don't worry about him." I answered with a grin.

"He's going to join us soon." Both Luffy and me said in sync, which also continued with Chopper, who fell into the same place we're in now. "See?" we grinned at Zoro, who sweat-dropped at it.

"Sometimes, your synchronizations are creepy." He commented and turned around, "Now my eyes already accustomed by the dark, where are we now?" he asked as he looked around.

I looked around as well, "Looks like we're in some kind of dome or some sort." I said and walked around before stopped right in front of a huge cube with some kind of writings on it and I widened my eyes.

"This is…" I trailed off as I put a hand on the cube, feeling the scrapes of the writings of the cube. "It's a Poneglyph…" I muttered and looked up, finally could see the whole cube, which actually a Poneglyph.

"What's that?" Zoro asked while Chopper joins us.

"It's a Poneglyph." I answered and feeling the writings with my hands. "Wonder what does it said…" I muttered before turning to Chopper. "Chopper, help me out." I said and he nodded.

He turned into Heavy Point and I climbed on his shoulders as I looked closer to the writings. As my eyes get really accustomed by the darkness, I can see the writing really well.

'Hmm… this is not like usual Poneglyph writings like usual.' I thought as I saw closer, 'Wait, I think I've saw these kinds of writings, but where…?'

'Isn't it that weird writings from one of those symbols writings?' I heard Yami-chan said.

'I guess, Yami-chan.' I replied.

'I think you know some of them right? The memories here probably have the same symbol as the one on that weird cube.' She said.

'Maybe. I count on you, 'Maybe. I count on you, Yami-chan.' I said and then in mere seconds, I can recognize the writings, or more likely symbols, on the cube.

"It's a Hieroglyph." I stated loudly, which is taking almost everyone's attentions. "I think I can read some of them…" I said and tried reading them.

'There are three kinds of people. The Guardian, commonly called as A, and there's the ones who's protected, commonly called as D, while the other are only normal people in the world.' I read.

'The D is those which changed the world with their actions. While A has only two main eternal missions throughout their lifetime. Which is becoming the protector of the D that was been found in the journey of their lives, and helping them in their actions.' I continued.

'While the rest of the people are just watching how the world changes slowly, even some of them also helped the D. But after the D finished with their actions completely, the A will—'I stopped as the symbols stops there, as it's completely half-buried in the sands.

"Dang it." I cursed before taking out a small notebook and a pen from my bag. I started writing the meanings of the symbols on the Poneglyph and closed the book before putting it back into my bag and sling my bag on my back. I huffed and stretched out.

"Come on, we gotta get out of here or we will completely lost in the desert." I said.

"Yeah, we better be out now." Zoro agreed and turned to Luffy. "Oi Luffy! hurry up and get us out of here!" he said.

"Eeh? Why? It's cool down here." the rubber teen whined.

"We gotta go find the other or we won't be able to save Vivi's country." I said.

"Eeehh, no waaayy, I wanna stay here moreeee…" he whined as he rolled around. Both Zoro and me punched him in the head and he quickly stood up and started saying that we gotta out here, with a steaming bumps on his head.

"Alright! Gomu Gomu noo… Pistol!" he exclaimed as his arm retracted toward the hole that Zoro made earlier, but he missed and hit the other side.

"You missed." I stated.

"Gomu Gomu no… Pistol!" he yelled again as he retracted his arm. Then again, he missed.

"Grrr… Gomu Gomu no… GATLING GUN!" then he punched the top of the dome with several times until the hole is bigger, far bigger than the first one.

"Okay, the hole is bigger now!" Luffy stated and stretched his arms above, probably clinging on the rocks at the top. "Everyone! Grab on me now!" he exclaimed and we eventually clings on him in instinct before we were flew to the sky, via Luffy's 'Rocket'.

We landed on somewhere hard, but gratefully on soft sands. We groaned while Luffy laughed and said we should do it again, which of course, earning a hit on the head by Zoro.

"Chopper, can you smell Nami's perfume? Her perfume is really strong, so I think you can smell her, I hope." I said and he nodded and started sniffing.

"I smell Nami's perfume!" he exclaimed. "It's right to the West! Let's go!" he exclaimed and we ran toward west. We kept running until we finally saw the others and we cheered to them. We ran towards them and we walked together to Yuba, which eventually quite near right now.

The day changed into nighttime. The temperature is the exact opposite from daytime, stupid bipolar place. I was trembling in cold and sometimes sneezing as we kept walking.

"There! Can you see the light?" Vivi asked as she pointed at somewhere, which unfortunately unseen as the sands were blowing around us.

"Did we make it to Yuba?" I asked.

"I can't tell… there's too much sand blowing around!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Why is the earth rumbling?!" Sanji-san pointed out.

"Something's wrong with the town!" Vivi pointed out and we finally see what is wrong.

"YUBA'S BEING ATTACK BY A SANDSTORM!"

XXX

After a while, the sandstorm is finally resides and we walked into the town.

"Damn! This place isn't any different from Erumalu!" Zoro pointed out.

"Weher's the water!?" Luffy exclaimed.

"Wasn't this supposed to be an oasis, Vivi-chan?" Sanji-san asked as he looked around.

"The sand has raised the ground level… the oasis is being swallowed up…!" Vivi said in concern.

Then we heard someone shoveling the sand in distance as he said, "Travelers, eh? You must be tired from your trip through the desert."

"I'm afraid this town is a little bit dried up." he continued as he kept shoveling and turned to look at us. "But you can still rest, we have plenty of inns. That's what we're known for." he finished and started shoveling again.

"Excuse me…" Vivi started, "We heard that the rebellion was based here…"

The Dried-Up ossan glanced and glared at us, "What do you want with the rebellion…?" he asked slowly before throwing things to us. "Don't tell me you want to join those filthy rebels!" he yelled while we panicked about the incoming stuffs that thrown to us.

Then the ossan turned back to his activity earlier and said, "Those fools… are not here anymore…!"

"WHAAAAT?! NO WAY!" almost all of us yelled in shock at the information.

"That storm you just saw… wasn't the first to attack the town. The drought has been drying us up for the past 3 years. The sandstorms have come more and more frequently! The sand has been steadily eating away at the oasis and now, it is as you see it today." The ossan said as he kept shoveling.

"Without circulation of goods, the rebellion cannot continue their war of endurance… they have moved their base of operations to 'Katorea'…"

"Ah!" Vivi cried in shock.

"Where's that, Vivi? Is it close?!" Luffy asked.

"It's the oasis next to Nanohana." I said.

"NANOHANA!?"

"Oi! What did we come here for then?!" the Straw-Hats exclaimed.

"Vivi? Did you just say… Vivi?!" the old man said.

"O-oi ossan! Vivi's not a princess, okay!?" Luffy exclaimed and Zoro hit him in the head for that.

"Don't tell him!" Zoro yelled.

"Are you Vivi-chan? Are you really!?" the ossan asked as he walked to Vivi. "I'm so glad you're alive! It's me! don't you remember?! I guess not. I've lost some weight after all." He said and then that clicked Vivi up.

"Toto-san…?!" she asked in shock.

"That's right…" the old man replied as he started in tears.

"No way…!" Vivi gasped as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Listen to me, Vivi-chan! I believe in the king…! He would never betray our country!" the old man exclaimed as he's in tears, hands on Vivi's shoulders. "Isn't that right?!" he asked.

"This rebellion is absurd! Please… I beg you! Stop those fools!" he exclaimed as he bowed down to Vivi while the princess is still in shock about the fact. "You're the only one who can do it!"

"It's only been 3 years, who cares if it hasn't rained?! I believe the king! The majority of the people still do!" he exclaimed.

"We've stopped them… over and over… and over… and over again! But you can't tell them anything… the rebellion will not be stopped. Their power will soon overtake ours'…" he continued as he cried.

"They plan to end this with the next attack! They've caught up to us…! THEY'RE PREPARED TO DIE!" he exclaimed and bowed down again to Vivi. "Please Vivi-chan… stop those fools, before it's too late!" he begged.

Then Vivi crouched down as she offered him a handkerchief. "Toto-san." She called and the old man looked up. She smiled at him and said, "We can stop the rebellion!"

We all just stared at her as she said that while the old man thanked her for that. Then the old man escorted us to an inn for us to stay.

"Good work today, boys! Let's take a little rest to replenish our strength for tomorrow!" Usopp said before lay down on one of the beds, "Goodnight!" he bided, before Zoro throws a pillow to him, which hitting his head.

"You were sleeping the entire time." Zoro said.

"Of course I was, you jerk! I was exhausted, damn it!" he yelled and throws the pillows back to Zoro, hitting him straight to his face, "I'm not a monster like you guys!"

"That's it." he both growled as shadows crept over his face and preparing the pillow to throw back to the long-nosed, who was throwing a pillow to Chopper.

"And you are the King of the Exhausted, Ao-hana*!" he yelled.

"I can't stand the heat!" Chopper yelled back.

"Sanji-san, that's my bed…" Vivi said slowly as I saw that Sanji-san in on Vivi's bed.

"Yeah, I figured you didn't want to sleep alone tonight…" he said.

"And what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Usopp yelled, shark-teethed, as he throws a pillow to Sanji-san.

"Why you…! Oi! Which one of you jackasses that just threw that thing at me!?" Sanji-san yelled.

"Don't you guys understand the meaning of the work 'sleep'?!"

"You're going down, bastard!"

And then there's a pillow war in the place and one of the pillow hit Vivi straight in the face, who only could smiled in understatement at it. The war kept going until a pillow hit both of Nami's and my face, hard. Everyone stopped immediately as they stared at both of us with paled faces while the pillows landed to the bed slowly, revealing our faces that smiling sweetly before dark auras emerges out from us.

"STOP HAVING A PILLOW WAR AND GO TO SLEEP!" we both yelled to the boys with shark-teeth and dark auras around us, which making the boys quickly hopped on their bed and went to sleep.

"Boys…" Nami huffed in annoyance while I just sighed and massaged my forehead, before the girls goes to sleep also but me.

I huffed and smiled as the boys were snoring loudly and I decided to walk outside. I saw a big hole that Dried-Up ossan dug out and peeked in, only to saw that Luffy was digging up a new hole, which unknowingly filling up the Dried-Up ossan's hole.

'That's not what I mean. The sand from your hole is going into mine! That defeats the purpose of digging the hole in the first place!" the ossan said.

"Hee…" Luffy hummed with a blank face before he smiles and put a fist on his other palm, "Oh, so it's a 'mystery hole'!" he said and back on digging his hole.

"That's not it!"

I giggled silently at that statement, making me remembers the time when Ace told him about the 'mystery' things.

"Hey Ace, Eri."

"What is it, Luffy?"

"Where do you think babies came from?"

"Luffy…! Where did you learn that word!?"

"I saw it in Eri's books. So where does babies come from?"

"Errr…"

"It's where both woman and man having sex, Luffy."

"Oi! Eri! Too blunt!"

"Seeks?"

"It's sex, Luffy."

"Eri! Stop it!"

"What's that?"

"It's—"

"It's a 'mystery thing' Luffy!"

"'Mystery thing'? Really?"

"Yeah! Okay, listen to me Luffy. Everything that difficult in your brains, then it's a 'mystery', do you get it?"

"Oh, okay!"

"You just taught him about a thing that makes it more difficult, Ace."

"It's better than you! Stop being so open and blunt!"

'And that goes on…' I thought as I sweat-dropped at the memories and turned my attention back to the two. Now that I just realize that the sand rains has stopped and I jumped down next to Luffy's hole and peeked in, along with Toto ossan.

"Oh, it's you." He said. "Why aren't you sleeping? You must be tired from the journey, right?" he asked as he smiled.

"Nah, I'm worried about my brother." I replied and smiled as I saw him sleeping at the bottom of his hole, along with Toto ossan that laughed a little at Luffy's childish act. I jumped into the hole and carried Luffy up like a potato sack before jumped out from the hole that right next to Toto ossan.

"He's your brother?" he asked and I put Luffy down to the sands as I nodded. "You two doesn't look similar." He said.

"We're not blood-siblings." I replied and smiled at him. "He's two years older than me, but he's far childish than me." I said and grinned while he laughed softly at my statement and I detect the water is near in Luffy's hole with my haki.

"By the way, Luffy almost reached the water level." I said and jumped into Luffy's hole once more and started digging up fast until my hands felt that the sands are wet and I dug faster. After a while, I finally reached the water level and I grinned at the sight.

"Oi ossan! I reached the water level!" I announced.

"Really?" he exclaimed and I showed him the water in my palms with a grin, and I saw him smiled.

"Isn't it great, Toto ossan?" I asked with a grin and he smiled back before turning to Luffy and smiled at him.

XXX

"STOOOPP JOKING AROOOOUUUND!"

"How long is he going to make us wait~?!" Mr. 2 exclaimed as he twirled around in place. "At least bring out some Takopa! I'm spinning! Spinning like a beautiful swan~!" he continued.

"Please be quiet, Mr. 2." Miss Double-Finger said.

"Seriouslyyou'duh'! Yourshoutin'killsmyhip!" Miss Merry Christmas exclaimed as she pounded her hand on the table while her partner laughing slowly.

"You too, Miss Merry Christmas." Miss Double-Finger said.

"Hahaha, looks like you all can't get along." Said a woman that came into the room, along with grayish-blue hair boy on her side with childish smile, "Not that it really matters…" she continued.

"Yeah! But you guys are so noisy!" said the boy with a grin and laughed childishly.

"Miss All Sunday." Most of the agents said before their eyes landed on the boy, "And who's the brat?" they asked.

"Oh, Sunday-chan! 0, 5-chan! How are yooooouu~?!" the okama asked as he spinning around in place.

"Isaidshutup, ya'duh'!"

"I'm perfectly fine, Okama-chan!" the boy, who is revealed as Mr. 0, 5, replied enthusiastically as he raised up his arm before putting it back down, still with wide grin.

"You're that Mr. 0, 5?" Miss Double-Finger asked and smiled a bit. "I never thought that you're this young and this cute." She said.

"Shut up! I'm not cute! I'm badass!" the boy replied enthusiastically.

"Thank you for enduring the long journey to come here." Miss All-Sunday said, welcoming the agents, "Having all of us together will ensure our victory." She continued.

"Where is this, Miss All-Sunday?" Mr. 1 asked.

"Oh yeah, Ban-chin took you guys in the back door." Mr. 0, 5 said.

"But you're probably familiar with the town, where people dream of getting rich quick by gambling." Miss All-Sunday said. "The 'Dream Town', Rainbase." She continued.

"And! The building you are in right now is the towers above the oasis in the middle of Rainbase!" Mr. 0, 5 continued, replacing Miss All-Sunday. "The greatest casino in town: 'Rain Dinners'!" he exclaimed.

"If there are no questions, we'll continue." Miss All-Sunday said to the agents.

"Yeah, let'sgo! Start. Now. Now. Start." Miss Merry Christmas replied, still pounding the table.

"But before that, I must introduce… the boss you haven't seen yet!" the elegant woman said. "Until now, I have acted as his 'Private Face' in giving you orders. But there is no more need to do so… understand?" she asked.

"It's about time…" a man voice suddenly heard at the chair at the end of the table, which surprising the agents up, before the person twirled his chair to face the agents, revealing the boss of the Baroque Works is one of the infamous Shichibukai, Crocodile.

"Plan: 'Utopia'." The man said as he turned to look at his agents, along with a teen girl with green hair and antennae in a form of hair on top of her hair and dead green eyes that sat down on one of the arm rests of the chair. "That is the final plan of the Baroque Works." He finished with his usual smirk.

"C-CROCODILE?!" the agents exclaimed in shock.

"I thought you would recognize his 'public face'." Miss All-Sunday said in amusement.

"Well damn, this is unbelievable." Miss Merry Christmas said slowly.

"I would never have guessed… why one of the 'Shichibukai'?!" Miss Double-Finger exclaimed in surprise.

"You mean we've been working for a pirate?!" Mr. 2 exclaimed.

"You are our boss?" Mr. 1, surprisingly, already over from his surprise, asked.

"Any complaints?" Crocodile asked darkly and the girl's arms that beside him turns into scythes-like, which making the agents immediately shuts up.

"No complaints, just a question." Miss Double-Finger started. "But why would a pirate that work with the World Government do this?" she asked.

"What I want is not money or land." He answered. "It's military force." He continued.

"Military force…?!"

"Let's talk about this in order. First is my objective, then the details of the Baroque Works final plan." Crocodile continued as the girl jumped off from the arm rest and stood up straight beside him while he lighted on his cigar before saying his objective to his agents.

"You mean we can do that here?!" the okama asked, "We'll take over the entire country?! I'm getting excited!"

"So our last duties… are to carry out the different facets of this final plan?" Mr. 1 asked.

"That is correct." Crocodile confirmed. "All the jobs you have done since the founding of Baroque Works have been for this plan. And those are the last orders I will entrust you with." He continued, referring to the papers right in front of the agents that took the papers.

"The time to get rid of the Kingdom of Alabasta has come…" Crocodile smirked as the agents reads their missions on the papers before they burns them using the lightened up candles.

"When you have all completed those orders, the Kingdom of Alabasta will be destroyed…! The cornered rebels and civilians will tragically fall right into Baroque Works' hands…!" Crocodile said with a smirk, "In just one night… this country will become our 'Utopia'!"

"This is Baroque Works' great, final plan 'Utopia'. Failure will not be tolerated, or you'll be 'deleted' by these two." He said as he pointed at the Mr. 0, 5 pairs beside him, "The operation will begin tomorrow morning at 7 o'clock."

"Meeting adjourned." He continued and smirked evilly.

"Pray for victory."

XXX

"I am sorry for acting so disgracefully, Vivi-chan…" Toto ossan said to Vivi.

"No, don't worry… we're going now, Toto-san." Vivi said.

"Yes." Toto ossan replied before turning to Luffy with a small barrel in his hands. "Luffy-kun, please take this…" he said and gave him the small barrel.

"Wow, water!" Luffy exclaimed in happiness.

"Water?!" Usopp joined in.

"You got some?!" Luffy asked.

"Right after you fell asleep digging last night; we made it to the water level." I told him with a smile.

"I managed to squeeze out the water and distill it." Toto ossan said.

"Wow, sound difficult! Thanks, I'll drink it carefully!" Luffy said as he trembled, holding the small barrel carefully.

"Genuine Yuba water… I'm sorry that's all I can give you…" Toto ossan said with a smile. We bided him off and walked away from Yuba, while both Luffy and Usopp were fighting over the water before I punched both of them in the heads and confiscated the water by clings it around my neck, much to the teen boys' dismays.

We kept walking for a few minutes before Luffy suddenly sat down under a dried-up tree with a frown, much everyone's shock, except me, Takao, Flame and Zoro.

"What's wrong Luffy-san?" Vivi asked.

There was a silence before Luffy replied, "I quit."

"HUH?!"

A/N: HEEEEEYYAAAAA~~! NEXT UPDATE IS HEREEEE!

REVIEWING TIME!

For Narumiyu: Thank you~~ XD. The kissing scenes are hard, just so you know~

For gamelover41592: Thanks! Nah, he actually is, but not really showed. XD

For imafangirlforever: I KNOW RIGHT~~! XD KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANN! Yeah, Eri-chan! You get Ace! And ace is being a pervert, eh? Men… Always the same. Some of them, I mean.

For IsraAl'Attia-Theron: You have brothers? That's cool! I always wanted a big bro, but I got lil bro instead. XD Here's the next chapter~~!

For Guest: Thank you very much~! Their kids eh? *smirks menacingly* That's a great idea too! XD

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS/FOLLOWS/FAVORITES/READING THIS STORY!

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DISCLAIMER: I NEVER OWN ONE PIECE THAT ALWAYS BE OWNS BY THE GREAT ODACCHI-SAMA!

ThiefofStealth