Well, the year is almost over dear readers, so we'll end it on the latest chapter of my story. I'd like to thank all those who have enjoyed my story with PEW up to this point, I appreciate your reviews and constructive things you say. All those of you who HAVEN'T but chose to follow and favorite my story that's just as good. You are all wondering just WHO PEW is and what is his abilities are, trust me the answers WILL come as the story progresses. Some of you have made some very good guesses already, keep trying!
Also, I'd like to apologize in advance if anyone in this story is out of character…I never claimed to be INFALABLE now did I? But then again neither did anyone else here. Also, I'm going to try and be fair and use the Japanese/English names for things like Devil Fruits etc.
(By the way…all flames and flamers will be ignored thank-you. I'll make an exception for CONSTRUCTIVE reviews on what needs an adjustment or suggestions for other chapters/stories, for they are most welcome. Remember if you don't like my work then don't read or review it! NO-ONE is forcing you to! Harsh words be they verbal OR written, can be more hurtful than physical violence ever will. THAT is mean…and everything on this website is just FICTION for people of ALL sorts to enjoy…because THEY enjoy it as much as I do.)
Disclaimer: I sadly DON'T own anything from One Piece, not the people OR the places (except my OWN characters, places and so on) they all belong to Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga and that genius Odo Eiichiro.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
PART TEN:
"You know," Crocodile said thoughtfully to his prisoners, as he suddenly paused in the tunnel doorway with Miss All Sunday and PEW. "With so many fools in this country to manipulate, this was all so easy. People like those juvenile 'rebels' and that old man digging in Yuba."
"W-What?!" Luffy shouted suddenly as a look of horror appeared on his face along with Vivi and the other Straw Hats. "You don't mean that dried up old guy we met on the way here, do you?!"
"Of course," Crocodile replied in confirmation. "Even though everyone as abandoned Yuba, that old fool keeps pecking away at an oasis that's long dead. Even though he's plagued by constant sand storms he still digs away," he added chuckling at some private joke.
"Shut up!" Luffy yelled angrily infuriated by Crocodile's arrogant taunting.
"Luffy," PEW spoke up suddenly. "You really don't know too much about sandstorms, do you? Didn't you even wonder how one can hit a town like Yuba perfectly every time for the last four years? That's pretty good for a random desert phenomenon, don't you think?"
Hearing PEW's words a horrified realization came across Luffy and everyone else's face, causing Crocodile to give them a hooded smirk as he let the realization sink in.
"No…wait…" Vivi said slowly. "You mean?"
"It was you!" Luffy snarled furiously to Crocodile. "YOU did those sandstorms to that old guy in Yuba!"
"He catches on fast," Miss All Sunday mused quietly to PEW.
As this was happening Crocodile's hooded smirk became a smile as he held out his hand, opened his fingers to reveal a small whirlwind in the palm of his hand. His smile got larger as his fingers slowly dissolved into sand turning the whirlwind into a miniature sandstorm.
"I will kill you for this Crocodile!" Vivi snapped trembling in furious anger as the Warlord reformed his hand and then walked off down the tunnel followed by Miss All Sunday and PEW.
As the trio left, a pair of hidden trapdoors suddenly opened up, causing a great torrent of water to start flowing into the basement.
"Oh no! The room is starting to flood like Crocodile said it would!" Usopp exclaimed in terror. "We're all going to drown if we don't do something really quick! Vivi help! Get us out of here! I want to live a lot longer than just an hour!"
"Hey will you stop freaking out?" Zoro said in calm annoyance to his panicking crew mate. "That's doesn't help anyone."
"Are you crazy Zoro?!" the long-nosed sniper exclaimed. "How can I NOT freak out at a time like this?! We're all going to drown like rats if we don't get out of here! Don't you get it?!"
"So, its either my kingdom or my friends," Vivi said to the departing Crocodile ignoring all that was going around her.
"All you've done is take Crocodile so I know you wouldn't give me either choice! Even if I did leave for Alubarna you'd kill me before I ever reached it! The only real choice, the only real way to endthis nightmare is it to take out the one who started it!"
If Crocodile was listening to what Vivi was saying he made no indication of it, he didn't even stop walking away or reply.
"You monster," Vivi went on. "You don't know a thing! Not anything about this country's people, its history, our way of life!"
The lack of response from the departing Crocodile, Miss All Sunday and PEW really infuriated Vivi to no end. She grabbed her peacock slashers only to drop them again in tears.
"Vivi!" Luffy yelled out to the crying Princess. "Get us out of this cage! You can do it! I know you can!"
"How Luffy?" Vivi sobbed to the rubber boy brokenly.
"Ah!" Crocodile said suddenly stopping to turn around and face Luffy along with his associates. "So, you're finally starting to beg for your life hey Straw Hat Luffy? There's no shame in that you know," he reassured him mockingly. "Its only natural, everyone is afraid of dying."
"I'm not begging!" Luffy corrected the Warlord angrily as he started walking off again. "Its just if I die…who else is going to be able to kick your ass?!"
This statement caused Crocodile to pause in his walking while everyone else gasped in amazement at Luffy's bold statement.
"Don't flatter yourself you small fry," Crocodile called carelessly over his shoulder.
"You're a small fry who thinks he's a big shot!" Luffy corrected him furiously.
Hearing this Crocodile suddenly snapped his fingers. Almost immediately another hidden trapdoor opened up just behind where he, Miss All Sunday and PEW were standing to reveal another Bananwani towering over them all.
"You're right Miss Wednesday," Crocodile said smugly to Vivi. "I would have had you killed if you had left for the capital and of course I have planned on doing the same here."
As Crocodile spoke, the Bananwani crawled forward totally ignoring him, Miss All Sunday and PEW. Its attention was totally focused on Vivi, all the still trapped Straw Hats and Smoker.
000000000000
Despite his calm appearance while being imprisoned with the Straw Hats, Smoker had been appalled and horrified at Crocodile's planned activities in Alabasta. Like Luffy he was determined to escape and stop this insane evil before it was too late! If it weren't for this stupid Sea Stone cage he could have escaped, beaten that Bananwani with ease, gotten hold of Tashigi and his Marines to deal with this madness once and for all! But Crocodile was no fool, he'd thought of everything and with PEW's help too!
But the Marine Captain really couldn't blame PEW entirely, the guy was an information broker who offered his services to everyone equally. It suddenly dawned on Smoker that PEW wasn't just hanging around to help Crocodile, he had something up his sleeve Crocodile didn't know about. Why else would he be around to see Crocodile's plan finished? Smoker's thoughts were interrupted as the Bananwani thudded heavily towards the helpless Vivi.
"That thing is so gigantic!" he heard the Princess say shakily to herself.
"Vivi!" Luffy yelled determinedly to his friend. "You show that thing!"
"Are you CRAZY?!" Usopp exclaimed to his Captain voicing Smoker's own thoughts out loud. "Its too big! Vivi! Don't listen to this nut, get out of there! But," he added quickly. "Get us out too!"
"But she only has to beat one of them!" Luffy protested.
"No, you fool!" Nami snapped to her Captain. "Look out the windows!"
"Ahhh!" Usopp cried as he, Zoro and Smoker followed Nami's pointing finger. "The rest of the Bananwani are all lining up to eat us!"
"Well at least we won't drown like rats," Zoro said matter of factly.
"Being eaten by these fierce beasts isn't the way I want to go either!" Usopp yelled to the green haired swordsman.
As they were speaking Vivi prepared to defend herself and her friends as the Bananwani facing her gave a fierce roar. But before the blue haired Princess could do anything the Bananwani struck first. It bit down HARD on Vivi who only just managed to dodged out of the way causing the Bananwani jaws to shatter the stone stairs to rubble.
"Man, that think is fast!" Usopp said in disbelief at what they all just saw. "Its strong too! It chomped through those stone stairs as if they were cardboard!"
Smoker watched on helplessly with the Straw Hats as the Bananwani used its tail to knock Vivi off her feet.
"Vivi no!" Luffy cried out in horror.
"Those dammed monsters are just unstoppable!" Usopp yelled in dismay
"Vivi!" Luffy shouted to the injured Princess. "Get up! Run!"
"You have to get up!" Nami screamed. "The horrible thing will eat you!"
But before the Bananwani could do anything more to the weakened Princess, the sudden ringing of a Den-Den Mushi made it stop in its tracks and turn to see where it was coming from.
From their cell Smoker and the Straw Hats could see the ringing was coming from the tunnel Crocodile, Mis All Sunday and PEW were walking down.
"Someone's calling," Miss All Sunday said in puzzlement to her two companions as the all stopped to listen to the ringing.
"If that's one of your clients PEW," Crocodile said calmly to the Information Broker. "Tell them you'll call them back as you're busy at the moment."
"That's not my Den-Den ringing," PEW said patting his pockets. "It's yours I believe Miss All Sunday."
Reaching into her coat pocket Miss All Sunday produced a pink Baby Den-Den with a white shell and purple spots.
"Yes?" she said answering the call.
'Hello? Hello?' the Den-Den spoke in a voice unfamiliar to Crocodile, Miss All Sunday and Smoker. 'Can you hear me?'
"Yes, we can hear you," Miss All Sunday replied. "You're a Millions, right?"
'Hey pal is this thing on?' the Den-Den said mirroring the user's irritation at someone they were talking to on the other end. 'I've only used a Den-Den Mushi once before.'
'It's working fine,' another voice told the first voice. 'They can hear you, just talk into it.'
"What do you want?" Miss All Sunday asked the mysterious caller suspiciously
"Hurry up and state your business!" Crocodile said impatiently. "What is it?"
'Oh, now I know I've heard that voice before,' the caller said thoughtfully at hearing Crocodile's voice speak to him.
'Yeah, hello there,' the voice said in a more casual manor. 'You've reached the Crap Café. Hello there,' the voice repeated itself in a slower tone. 'You've reached the Crap Café.'
"The Crap Café?" Crocodile said to himself in puzzlement.
It was obvious to Smoker, that the Warlord was familiar with the strange caller, but couldn't recall just where he'd heard him before.
'Does that ring a bell?' the caller asked Crocodile. 'It should, but in case it doesn't maybe this will jog your memory. 'Little Garden.''
The way Smoker saw Crocodile's eyes widen after hearing the name of the prehistoric island, made him realize that the Warlord did know his caller.
"PEW," Crocodile said quietly to the hooded Information Broker so his caller couldn't hear him. "We have four of the five Straw Hats inside that cell based on what Mr 2 showed us. The only one that's left is that 'pet' of theirs. Thanks to you PEW we now know everything about four of them, but does this mean there are other Straw Hats we don't know about?"
"Did you hear who that was?" Smoker heard Usopp hiss excitedly to his friends.
"That voice was unmistakable!" Nami said in quiet hope.
"It's San-!" Luffy started to shout before a hand slapped a hand over the rubber boy's mouth at lightning speed.
"Luffy, will you shut up?!" Usopp hissed furiously to his Captain. "They don't know about him, so let's keep it that way! He was in the cabin when Mr 2 showed up on the 'Merry' so they never met. He's our one ace in the hole so ZIP it!"
"That's right," Vivi said in realization. "Sanji and Chopper didn't get captured so they're still outside!"
"There's just one little problem," Smoker heard Zoro say. "PEW there does know about Sanji as they've met before so he might just tell Crocodile everything he wants to know."
"Ah yes," the Straw Hats and Smoker all heard PEW say thoughtfully into the Den-Den totally ignoring them. "Would you mind telling us just who you are?"
"Indeed," Crocodile said in agreement. "You seem to know my name mystery caller but I don't know yours."
'Me?' came the modest reply. 'Well…just call me 'Mr Prince.''
"Do you know who that is?" Crocodile asked PEW.
The Straw Hats, Vivi and Smoker all silently held their breath as they waited for PEW's reply.
"Nope," the hooded Information Broker said shaking his head surprising everyone. "Never heard of him."
"Are you sure?" Miss All Sunday asked in disbelief.
"Positive," PEW said calmly. "Remember when I first got here, you told me that you recently replaced some of the Millions, that were taken out by the Straw Hats activities against Baroque Works? Obviously, your prisoners placed 'Mr Prince' in their numbers before coming here, knowing I haven't met or seen him. Sadly, I can't identify a total stranger now, can I? All I've got, unlike you, is a voice I've only heard for the first time."
"That's true," Crocodile said slowly.
'How about that PEW?' Smoker thought to himself. He's deliberately lying to Crocodile and his partner about that caller so we actually have a chance to escape.'
"Well, 'Mr Prince,'" Crocodile said into the Den-Den. "Would you mind telling me something else? Like where you are?"
'I'm afraid I can't say,' the Den-Den said regretfully. 'If I did, you would just come around and get rid of me. Even though I highly doubt you could get rid of me,' the Den-Den went on. 'I'm not about to do so I'm not stupid, I never give away information easily. Unlike you just did… 'Mr 0.''
"Mr Prince!" Usopp shouted at the top of his voice from the cage causing PEW to wince in pain from the noise. "Hurry! Come on! If you don't hurry up, we're all gonna to die!"
"Yeah, get the lead out Mr Prince!" Luffy added to Usopp's shouts. "Come rescue us!"
"I really wish I had some aspirins right about now…" PEW said quietly to himself rubbing his head. "All this shouting is agony."
'That's my loudmouth crew alright,' the Den-Den said in confirmation after hearing the yells. 'Thanks for letting me know they're with you. All I have to do is-' the speaker was suddenly cut off by the sound of a gunshot from the other end.
"OH-NO!" Luffy and Usopp said together in horror.
"That ain't good," Smoker said in quiet agreement. "He was found out."
'Not so tough now, are you?' a new voice spoke on the Den-Den, presumably the one who fired the shot. 'We got him sir, don't worry. He won't be going anywhere in the condition we've put him in.'
"Oh no!" Vivi exclaimed in dismay. "Not Sanji too!"
"So where are you?" Crocodile spoke into the Den-Den. "Speak up!"
'I'm at the front of a casino with a gator on top in Rainbase named Rain Dinners sir.'
"Right outside huh?" PEW said thoughtfully. "How very convenient!"
"Fu, fu, fu," Miss All Sunday laughed softly. "You certainly said it."
"If he's not dead," Smoker heard Zoro say angrily, obviously infuriated at how his crew mate managed to mess up their ONLY way of helping them escape. "He's going to wish he was! Because I'm going to kill him next time, that I see him!"
"They got Sanji!" Luffy cried in dismay.
"We're doomed, doomed, doomed!" Usopp yelled spinning in a panicked circle while clutching his hair at the same time.
"That poor guy," Nami said in despair.
'He may indeed have been found out,' Smoker thought quietly to himself. 'Or this is all just a ruse, possibly organized by PEW. He's already lied to Crocodile about that extra Straw Hat, I just wish I knew what he was up to in all this.'
"Stay right there," Crocodile chuckled to the Den-Den relieved that the situation was now in hand. "Well," he said to Miss All Sunday as she hung up the Den-Den. "We shouldn't leave the man waiting."
"Is that wise?" Miss All Sunday asked her boss. "The Millions still don't know the actual identity of their boss."
"Aside from the remaining Officer Agents and PEW here," Crocodile said calmly to his partner. "No one knows who you and I truly are. Everyone here thinks I'm a local hero who also owns this casino. There's nothing suspicious about a proprietor going to see what happened in front of his building, now is there?"
"Yeah," PEW nodded in confirmation. "I think you'll both be safe."
From the corner of his eye Smoker saw Vivi made a sudden dash towards the half-destroyed staircase, but unfortunately so did the waiting Bananwani. It spun around and snapped its jaws at the fleeing princess who, once again, only just missed being eaten by jumping up in the air and onto the remaining stairs.
'Just what is she trying to do?' Smoker wondered to himself in disbelief, as he heard Luffy ask the same thing out loud.
"We still have time before this room fills up with water!" she called back to her friends. "I'm going outside to help 'Mr Prince!'
"Yeah!" Usopp said with renewed hope. "There's no way he kicked the bucket, not that guy! If Vivi can get him free, he can get us free!"
"Also, Chopper's out there too," Nami added. "So, we might actually have a chance of getting out of here!"
"I think not!" PEW called out suddenly. With a cry of "Soru!" he vanished from where he was standing and then reappeared on the stairs in front of the now astonished Vivi.
'How the hell did he do that?' Smoker wondered to himself.
"Vivi!" Luffy shouted. "Look out!"
It was too late. Using his Sand-Sand Fruit abilities Crocodile launched his hooked hand at the distracted Vivi with a blast of sandy wind. The hook grabbed Vivi by the back of her collar and she fell off the stairs back onto the stone floor with a 'thud'
"VIVI!"
"I've had enough of your nonsense," Crocodile said to the now stunned Vivi. Ignoring the cries of the Straw Hats that were calling to the Princess, the Warlord used his powers to transport himself and Miss All Sunday to the stairs PEW was standing on.
"Since you care that much for your friends," Crocodile said mockingly from his new vantage point. "You can just die here with them. Which thanks to the rising waters," the Warlord added indicating the still open trapdoors flooding the room. "For my hungry pets outside to enjoy themselves, should occur very, VERY soon! Now if you will excuse me," he said turning away with a cocky smile. "I'm going to drag 'Mr Prince' back here to join you," he said starting to go up the stairs. "I hope you don't mind corpses!" he finished giving his prisoners a mocking laugh and wave before leaving altogether.
"Time to be off," Miss All Sunday said to PEW as she started to follow her boss.
"Indeed," PEW nodded in agreement.
"Grrrrrrrr…CROCODILE!" Luffy screamed furiously at the retreating Warlord.
"You should worry more about yourself first Luffy," PEW called to the still trapped Straw Hats. "You heard what Crocodile said 'Mr Prince' will be here shortly believe me."
"PEW I am going to kick your ass as well as Crocodile's for doing all this to Vivi!" Luffy shouted to the hooded information broker.
"Well good luck with that Luffy," PEW said turning away to go up the stairs. "I'm sure you Straw Hats are full of surprises, just like me."
"Huh?" Luffy called after him. "What do you mean by that?"
"What PEW means Straw Hat," Smoker spoke up. "Is that he's actually helping us in his own small way."
"Helping us?" Usopp said in puzzlement. "In what way?"
"I know PEW, I've worked with him before. He obviously knew you had some members of your crew were still free and as Zoro stated, he knows PEW and PEW him. But PEW deliberately lied to Crocodile about 'Mr Prince'...why? To give us an actual chance to escape."
"Then why didn't he try and stop Crocodile and help us escape?!" Nami demanded to know.
"Because his job with Crocodile is not over," Smoker told them. "When PEW does a job he always follows it to the end regardless. By lying about 'Mr Prince' he's giving us an edge to escape without breaking his own rules."
"Well, I don't care," Luffy said stubbornly. "He's helped Crocodile hurt Vivi and her kingdom, when I see PEW again, I will kick his ass!"
"If we survive this," Usopp said nervously as the water continued to fill the basement and the Bananwani, was still standing over the stunned Vivi.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
ANOTHER cliff-hanger dear readers! What a heck of a way to end 2021 huh? PEW DELIBERATLY lied to Crocodile about Sanji, giving the Straw Hats and Smoker a hope.
HOWEVER, PEW still stopped Vivi and now he's earnt Luffy's wrath! WILL Luffy be able to keep his promise to 'kick his ass?' Will PEW actually LET Luffy do that? What is up his sleeves? We'll find out next update in 2022, in the meantime read and review like always! Good Health, Clear Body, Strong Mind!
Also please remember once again, if you don't like my work then don't read or review it! NO-ONE, is forcing you to!