Ch. 46- Enter: Crocodile
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Kovar, and Monkey D. Star © Me
Shade © Gakuto1991
Author's Note: After so long, I finally updated this. For those of you who were reading, I'm sorry I took so long. Originally, I planned to have the chapter go up to the fight against Crocodile, but I decided this was a good enough length.
But listen, I can't promise I'll update this more frequently. Life just gets in the way and I can only do so much! So please, I ask that people not nag me to update after so long. And yes, I also can't promise I'm not gonna do anymore Inuyasha stuff, either. That's been with me longer than One Piece has, actually, so odds are I'm gonna keep writing more stories for that fandom, too.
For those of you who are still reading this story even after the long and unexpected hiatus that even I didn't plan for, I say thank you and enjoy the chapter.
"...You know," Usopp began, "I could be out of line for saying this...but...Luffy kinda sounds like a hypocrite."
"What?!" Nami questioned. "What are you talking about?!"
"Yeah, Big Brother's not a hippo!" Aika added. "Even if he eats like one!"
"Not 'hippo'," said Usopp. "Hypocrite. I'm just saying...he was going on and on about how people die and all that, but it got me thinking: if he knows that, why would he ask Ace not to die?"
The Straw Hats' eyes went wide before they all glanced at each other.
"...You do have a point," said Blizzard. "I mean...even if Fire Fist did survive his execution, he'd still die, one day."
"Blizzard's right," Sanji said. "Ace would still die, one way or another...it's not like Luffy can do anything about it."
"...Perhaps Luffy always saw Ace as someone who could never die," Robin said. "I suppose that's how much he looked up to him."
"Still," Zoro began, "Luffy was right about one thing: people die, no matter what...even if he did sound a little hypocritical."
"...I just wonder," Chopper began, "how much did it hurt him when Luffy realized that even Ace could die?"
"...A whole lot, Chopper," Blizzard said, sadly. "A whole, WHOLE lot."
Before anyone could say anything more, the memory returned, this time showing the Past Straw Hats walking through the desert, again, but this time, they were headed for Rainbase, the so-called "City of Dreams", where it was that Crocodile was stationed. As Vivi was explaining the route and the casinos there, Luffy and Past Usopp were fighting over the barrel of water that Toto gave the former.
"Oh, come on, Luffy!" Past Usopp complained. "Just one little sip, okay?! What good is water if you can't drink it?!"
"I said no!" Luffy shouted. "Dried-Up Pops dug all night so that we could have this water, so we're not wasting a single drop, got it?!"
"Ha!" Past Nami laughed. "Never thought I'd see that you, of all people, would show restraint, Luffy!"
"What are you talking about?!" Luffy questioned. "Don't I always?!"
"Uh, no," Past Sanji muttered.
"That is a bit of a surprise," Brook mused. "I've never seen Luffy show any kind of restraint when it comes to food or drinks."
"I guess it's because he saw how hard Toto worked to get water," said Nami. "Luffy really can be considerate, y'know."
"All right, that's enough!" Past Zoro shouted as he began to walk away. "Let's get moving, everybody. We're in a hurry, here."
"Hey, Moss-head," Past Sanji called. "North is this way, you idiot."
The Straw Hats, both past and present, laughed at that...except for Zoro, who only grumbled.
"For god's sake..." he muttered.
"Zoro's always getting lost!" Kumi laughed.
"A few eggs short of a dozen, aren't we?!" Franky asked.
Soon, the group trekked through the vast desert, once more...and both Luffy and Past Usopp were hobbling along on sticks and groaning.
"Waaaa...teeeeer...!" Past Usopp wheezed.
"Oh, will you two stop complaining?!" asked Past Nami as she and Vivi rode on top of Eyelash.
"Shut up!" Luffy shouted. "You get to ride that stupid camel!"
"Yeah, let us ride!" Past Usopp added. "Camel hog!"
"Nami and Vivi hog..." Past Sanji grumbled.
"Oh, will you shut up, already?!" Past Nami barked.
"He really is a jerk, though, that camel," said Sanji.
"I agree," Brook added.
"Hmm?" Past Zoro hummed as he glanced over at Past Chopper, who was marching forward in his Walk Point form. "Hey, Chopper. You didn't pass out, yet."
"Yeah," Past Chopper answered with a determined expression. "I'm gonna do my best, today!"
"Not bad, little buddy," Blizzard smiled. "You're actually doing better than I do, most of the time."
"Way to go, Chopper!" Aika cheered.
"Chopper's the greatest!" Kumi added.
"Sh-shut up!" Chopper exclaimed as he happily clapped his hooves. "Saying that doesn't make me happy, you know!"
"Um...Luffy?" Vivi asked, causing Luffy to turn to face her. "...I...I just wanted to say thank you...for that little talk back there. I owe you and everyone else a great deal."
"Okay, then gimme food," Luffy said as he put his hand to his rumbling stomach.
"E...excuse me?" asked Vivi.
"After I kick Crocodile's ass," Luffy began, "I'm gonna be really hungry...so I wanna eat until I burst."
Vivi blinked at Luffy in bewilderment before she smiled.
"Sure," she said. "I promise!"
"It's always about food with Luffy, isn't it?" asked Nami.
"Well, after a big fight," Aika began, "doesn't it make sense to eat a lot to get your strength back?"
"I suppose that's true," said Sanji, "but there's a fine line between regaining your strength and wanton gluttony."
The memory shifted, showing the Past Straw Hats arriving at a large city.
"We made it!" Vivi exclaimed. "There's Rainbase, straight ahead!"
"ALL RIGHT!" Luffy yelled. "TIME TO KICK SOME CROCODILE ASS!"
"WATER~!" Past Usopp and Past Chopper shouted with their tongues hanging out.
"Not so loud, you guys," Past Zoro muttered.
"Subtlety isn't really Luffy's strongsuit, is it?" asked Brook.
"Not really, no," Usopp answered.
"You can just be as loud as Luffy, half the time, Usopp," said Nami.
"What?!" Usopp questioned. "No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are," Nami countered. "See? You're being loud, right now."
"Hey, Usopp," said Past Nami. "Is that...thing I asked for ready yet?"
"What thing?" Past Sanji asked.
"It's more than ready!" Past Usopp answered. "It's fantastic!" He then pulled out three blue metal poles from his hands. "Ta-dah! It's just what you asked for, Nami! I call it the Clima-Tact!"
"The...Clima-Tact?" Past Nami repeated as she took the poles in her hand.
"Hey," said Aika. "That looks a lot different from the Clima-Tact Big Sis Nami has, now!"
"That was the very first version of the Clima-Tact," said Nami. "Of course, I had a bit of trouble with it because a certain someone rigged it to do parlor tricks." She then side-eyed Usopp, who gulped nervously. "And I don't have to name names."
"Eheheh...!" Usopp chuckled, nervously. "Umm...sorry...? At least I improved on it, right?"
"Wait a minute," Luffy spoke up in the memory. "Usopp, you made that for Nami?"
"Yeah, it's her new weapon," Usopp answered.
"...Oh, wait!" Luffy exclaimed. "That's what were you guys were talking about, the other day?"
"Yeah, remember when you were goofing around and I had to kick you and Chopper out because you were disturbing us?" Past Nami asked.
"Oh, yeah," Luffy said. "So you got a weapon now, huh, Nami? That's pretty cool! Now you can fight with us more! Shishishi!"
"Well...more or less," Past Nami replied, sheepishly.
"You didn't sound very confident in yourself, Miss Nami," said Brook.
"I wasn't used to fighting very much," said Nami, "but that was then and this is now." She then held up her new Clima-Tact. "I'm much more capable of holding my own, now."
"That's my Big Sis Nami!" Aika exclaimed.
"So," Past Zoro began, "you think Baroque Works knows we're already here?"
"More than likely, yes," said Vivi. "We already know that Mr. 2 and Mr. 3 are here, so we can assume that Baroque Works knows that we've landed in Alabasta."
"Yeah, so what?" Luffy asked with his arms folded in front of his chest.
"Since they know our faces," Past Usopp started, "we might have to watch our step."
"Why should we?!" Luffy questioned.
"For all we know, there could be Baroque Works agents all over Rainbase!" Past Usopp answered. "If they find out we're here, who knows what kind of trouble we'll be in for?!"
"They are known for being skilled assassins," Past Zoro pointed out.
"Who cares?!" Luffy asked. "Let's just kick Crocodile's ass, already!"
"Are you even listening to me?!" Past Usopp questioned as he smacked the back of Luffy's head. "We need to make a plan, first!"
"Actually, Usopp," Vivi began, "I have to agree with Luffy on this one."
"Eh?" Past Usopp muttered.
"We don't have time to make a plan," said Vivi. "Time's running out as we speak!"
"Right!" Past Chopper exclaimed. "I'm ready to fight, then!"
"You're not scared, right, Usopp?" Past Nami asked.
"Err...no," Past Usopp answered. "Why would I be?"
"...Dude," Past Sanji began, "your legs are shaking."
Soon, the group had arrived at Rainbase's city entrance, where they saw all sorts of people, hustling and bustling about, buying all kinds of goods and wares. As they all stopped to take a rest, Luffy's stomach started to grumble, again.
"Ugh...I'm SOOOOO hungry~!" he whined as he stuck out his tongue. "And I'm thirsty, too~!"
"Me, too," Past Usopp said, his tongue also dangling.
"What else is new?" asked Past Sanji.
"Luffy, Usopp," said Past Nami as she handed them some money, "you guys go get us some barrels of water. About five should do...and maybe get yourself something to eat, while you're at it. We'll be waiting for you, okay?"
"'Kay, Nami!" Luffy answered as he and Past Usopp ran off to find a restaurant. Sure enough, they found the fanciest one in the whole town and barged right in, just whooping and hollering...and they failed to notice the two figures that were sitting at the bar.
"Uh-oh..." Franky muttered. "I got a bad feeling..."
"Wait a minute," Kumi said. "Isn't that...?"
As Luffy and Past Usopp were chugging down the barrels of water that were given to them, they finally spotted the two figures out of their peripheral vision...and saw that it was none other than Smoker and Tashigi.
"...BLRRRRRFF!" they both cried as they spat water at their faces.
"Of course, they run into Smoker," Blizzard grumbled.
"Of all the Marines you could have run into," Sanji began, "it just had to be those guys, didn't it?!"
"How were we supposed to know they were there?!" Usopp argued. "I was only following Luffy!" He paused for a moment before he face-palmed. "Of course, I followed Luffy...why do I keep forgetting that following Luffy always leads to disaster?!"
Soon, Luffy and Past Usopp bolted out of the restaurant, carrying three barrels of water with them.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE THE MARINES DOING HERE?!" Luffy asked.
"HOW THE HELL WOULD I KNOW?!" asked Past Usopp. "JUST RUN!"
Soon, the rest of the Past Straw Hats came into view...except for Past Chopper, who was gone for some reason.
"Hey, Chopper, where'd you go?" asked Aika.
"I had to pee," Chopper answered, bashfully.
"Ah, crap!" Past Sanji cursed. "The Marines are chasing them!"
"And they're leading them right to us!" Past Nami yelled.
"Wait! Tony isn't back, yet!" Vivi cried.
"Leave him!" Past Zoro answered. "He can handle himself!"
And with that, they all ran.
"GUYS! THE MARINES ARE HERE!" Luffy screamed.
"YEAH, BECAUSE YOU LED THEM RIGHT TO US, YOU IDIOT!" yelled Past Zoro.
"HALT!" shouted one of the Marines. "GET BACK HERE, STRAW HATS!"
"WE'LL GET YOU THIS TIME!" yelled another.
"You guys sure were quick to run away, weren't you?" Franky asked.
"We didn't have a choice!" Zoro answered. "Back then, we didn't know about Armaments Haki! We'd be sitting ducks!"
"Guys!" Past Sanji called. "If we keep running around town like this, Baroque Works will be sure to notice us!"
"Too late," said Past Zoro as he spotted several men holding posters.
"Great!" Past Nami shouted. "What do we do, now?!"
"Vivi!" Luffy called. "Let's go!"
"Huh?!" Vivi asked. "Go where?!"
"Where else?!" Luffy asked. "Where Crocodile's hiding!"
Vivi gasped silently before she put on a determined face and nodded.
"Right!" she said before she pointed to a large pyramid with a crocodile that had a banana-shaped growth on its head. "You see that building with the Banana-gator?! That's Rain Dinners, Crocodile's casino!"
"We should probably split up!" Past Sanji said.
"Good call," Past Zoro agreed.
"Right!" Luffy answered. "We'll meet up later! AT RAIN DINNERS!"
Soon, the group dispersed, with Luffy jumping high into the air.
"CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, SMOKEY~!" Luffy called, mockingly.
"Heh!" Smoker grinned as he began his pursuit. "You got guts kid, I'll give you that much."
On that, the memory faded to black.
"You guys sure ran into Smokey a lot, huh?" asked Aika.
"You could say that we were drawn to each other, somehow," said Zoro.
"It got a little annoying from time to time, though," said Nami. "We always ended up having to run away from him because Luffy didn't have his Armaments Haki back then."
"Things are different, now, though," said Usopp. "Although we haven't seen Smoker since Punk Hazard."
"...I wonder if he, Tashigi, and the other kids from Punk Hazard are okay," said Aika, worriedly.
"Ah, I'm sure they're fine," said Sanji. "They're pretty tough."
Soon, the memory reappeared, this time showing Luffy and the gang entering Rain Dinners with Smoker still hot on their heels. All the while, Luffy was shouting for Crocodile to show himself while Past Nami and Past Usopp were telling him to shut up.
"Did you forget that quick?!" Past Usopp shouted. "We're dealing with the country's hero, here! You want the whole damn town to turn against us?!"
"Fine! What do we do then?!" Luffy asked.
"Uh...that's a good question," said Past Usopp. "Wait! I just realized! Vivi's the only one who knows what Crocodile looks like!"
"Where is Vivi, anyway?" asked Past Nami. "I thought she'd meet us here!"
"VIVI! CROCODILE! COME OUT!" they all yelled.
"Hey..." Past Zoro muttered.
"You, uh...you guys weren't really thinking, were ya?" asked Blizzard with a chuckle.
"Not really, no," Usopp said with a grin. "I mean...what could we do? We were kinda running around like chickens with our heads cut off."
"Hey, Moss-head!" Sanji barked at Zoro. "You were supposed to be protecting Vivi!"
"Hey, I told her to go on without me while I was dealing with the Marines!" Zoro spat. "I don't know how I lost sight of her!"
"Straw Hat!" Smoker yelled as he burst through the doors. "I've got you now! You can't get away from me!"
"Oh, crap, it's Smokey!" Luffy yelled as he and the others bolted. "Run for it!"
The group ran through the crowds of people, jumping over tables and accidentally punching away staff members, one of which ended up hitting a slot machine that buried one of the casino-goers in gold coins.
"Wow," said Nami. "I wish I could get that lucky, sometimes."
"Don't we all?" Franky asked.
"Yohohoho!" Brook chortled.
As the group ran through a corridor, they noticed a group of men in tuxedos, lined up at a luxurious-looking door.
"Welcome, all!" said one of them. "Please, this way to the V.I.P. room!"
"V.I.P. room?!" Past Usopp repeated.
"Hold it!" Past Nami exclaimed. "It might be some kind of trap!"
"Is that so?" asked Past Zoro with a toothy grin. "Well, I like his style! You think they got any booze in there?"
"That's really all you ever care about, huh, Zoro?" Blizzard deadpanned.
"I can't imagine how damaged your liver must be, by now," said Chopper.
"Hey, I got a pretty high tolerance," said Zoro. "Speaking of booze, I could sure use a drink right about now."
"Of course, you would," Nami muttered while Robin chuckled.
"Oh, Zoro," she mused.
Soon, the memory shifted...and Luffy and the others soon found themselves locked up in a huge cage!
"Huh?!" Aika asked. "Wait, what happened here?!"
"Simple," Usopp answered. "We fell for the oldest trick in the book."
"As we were running, there were two signs that said 'Pirates' and 'V. '," Nami explained. "Obviously, we chose to follow the Pirates sign and...well, here we are." She then facepalmed. "I feel so embarrassed."
"Hey, we were just following Luffy," said Zoro.
"...Yeah, that makes sense," Kumi nodded.
"It does," Chopper agreed.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Franky added.
"Hmm...that was a really clever trap," Luffy surmised.
"Sure fooled us," Past Usopp concurred.
"YOU IDIOTS!" Past Nami yelled. "HOW COULD YOU NOT SEE THAT IT WAS A TRAP?!"
"Ah, calm down, will ya?" Luffy asked as he went up to the cage bars. "I'll just pull the bars apart and- UGH!" He then seized up as soon as he touched the bars, then he began to slump. "Uuuuunnh...what's going on? I feel weak...!"
"What's wrong?" Past Usopp asked. "Are you hungry?"
"No," Luffy said. "I just feel weird."
All of a sudden, Smoker leaped at Luffy and pinned him down to the floor with his seastone jutte, causing him to cry out in pain while the others gasped.
"Luffy!" Past Zoro, Past Nami, and Past Usopp cried.
"Ugh...what's going on?" asked Luffy while Smoker kept his jutte pinned against his stomach. "I feel really weak...like that time I fell in the water..."
"Seastone," Franky hissed.
"Big Brother's in trouble, now!" Aika cried.
"The tip of my jutte is made of Seastone," said Smoker. "They are mysterious stones that are found only in one place in the whole ocean. All the bars in the prison at Marine HQ are made of this stuff so that criminals with Devil Fruit powers can't escape. We still don't quite understand all of its properties, but we do know that it emits energy identical to the ocean's...think of it as the sea in solid form."
"I know how that feels," Robin said as she rubbed her arms. "It feels like someone wrapped something around you and you can just barely stand."
"Yeah, it's definitely not fun," Chopper agreed.
"I do concur," Brook added.
"So you're saying that these bars also made of seastone?!" asked Nami as she pointed at the cage bars.
"If they weren't," Smoker began, "I'd be long gone from here by now..." He then glared at the Past Straw Hats. "And you'd all be by dead at my feet."
Upon hearing that, Past Zoro grabbed his swords.
"AAH!" Past Usopp shrieked. "HOLD IT! YOU'RE GONNA FIGHT, HERE AND NOW?!"
"Wait, Zoro!" Past Nami cried. "Swords won't work in here!"
"Enough, already," a grisly voice spoke, causing the group to look up and see a man with very pale-looking skin, wearing a fur coat, a fine orange suit with black crisscrossed stripes, a scar going across his face...and a golden hook where his left hand should be.
"Since you're going to die," said Crocodile, "you might as well get comfortable with each other...am I right?"
"...Crocodile...!" Robin hissed.
"...So he's Crocodile, huh?" asked Aika as she felt her body tense. "Just like Arlong...all I can sense from him is nothing but evil."
"Ugh...you were right, Blizzard," Kumi grimaced. "He IS ugly! Inside AND out...especially out."
"Told you," Blizzard said.
"Yeah, we figured that much," said Sanji, glaring at the sandman. "I still can't forgive him for all the hell that he put Vivi through."
"Neither can I," Nami added with the same venomous tone as Robin had.
"Crocodile...!" Smoker hissed.
"Kuhahahaha!" Crocodile laughed. "You really are a mad dog, just as they say, Smoker. You don't even consider me an ally, do you? Not that you don't have the right not to trust me. Don't worry...I'll be sure to tell the Government that you died bravely while fighting that puny Straw Hat. Kuhahahahaha!"
Smoker growled as he pulled his jutte away from Luffy, who groaned as he began to feel its effects wear off.
"It's my guess you're here on your own authority," Crocodile mused. "The World Government trusts me completely. They'd never sic the Marines on me."
"Bah!" Franky scoffed. "This is the same shit that Doflamingo spouted back in Dressrosa! A Warlord runs amok and the Government does jack about it!"
"Crocodile abused his power," Nami said. "He knew that the Marines couldn't do anything against him. That's why he was allowed to take over Alabasta while the Government did nothing about it!"
"Yes," Robin agreed. "The Warlords are never truly loyal to the World Government...except for Kuma...but he..." She then sighed as her eyes cast sadly to the ground.
"Who's Kuma?" asked Aika.
"...You'll see later," Zoro replied.
"So," Past Zoro started, "that guy is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, huh?"
"Urrgh...!" Luffy grunted as he forced himself to his feet. "So...you're Crocodile...!" He then stood up and grabbed at the bars. "HEY, YOU BIG OL' WINDBAG! COME HERE...and...fight meeee..." He then slumped to the floor, again.
"Don't touch the bars, you idiot!" Past Usopp yelled.
"Ah, Straw Hat Luffy," Crocodile said. "You did well to make it this far. I never thought I'd actually meet you here...and now that I finally have, I'm going to be rid of you and your little friends, once and for all." He then smirked. "But first...we have to wait for the guest of honor...and I sent my partner to go get her. Until then...just sit back and relax. Kuhahahahaha!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within!
Luffy: Crocodile! You're not gonna get away with this! I swear!
Crocodile: Soon, Operation: Utopia will be put into action.
Vivi: I WON'T LET YOU~! *tries to attack him*
Past Sanji: Mr. Prince has arrived.
Aika: Wow! Sanji, you look so cool!
Sanji: *smirks* Don't I?
Zoro: Oh, brother...
Smoker: *glaring at Past Zoro* Why did you save my life, Roronoa?
Past Zoro: ...Just following Captain's orders.
*Meanwhile, Luffy and Crocodile stand in the desert*
Crocodile: I give you just 3 minutes, Straw Hat...
Luffy: *cracks his knuckles* Plenty of time to beat you...
Next time: Battle in the Sand
Review, please!