It all started with them running through the desert, heading to Alubarna as fast as they could before a familiar golden hook rose from the sand and attempted to abduct Vivi.
"Vivi!" Luffy shouted as he took her off the hook and grabbed onto it as it was dragged through the desert. "Everyone, go on ahead! Escort Vivi to the palace! I'll take care of things here!"
"Oh...this isn't going to go well. I remember this fight." Jexi said. "This is the first fight he ever lost."
"Should we go and help him?" Hagakure asked.
"No. I doubt that he would even let us help even if we tried. Least for this fight." Jexi said.
"Besides, he's gonna come back from this. I mean, this is LUFFY we're talking about here." David said. "We just do our part so that he can play his."
Back with Luffy, he was dragged by Crocodile's hook deep into the desert and right to him.
"Enough messing around, Straw Hat Luffy." Crocodile said as he tossed an hourglass to Luffy's feet. "I'll give you three minutes. I don't have any more time to waste on someone like you."
"Haaaa!" Luffy shouted as he started to unleash a barrage of punches only for each one to pass through Crocodile's body as he stood there motionless.
"You have no chance here. I can't be beaten in the desert. Desert Girasole!" Crocodile shouted as the sands sank in around Luffy.
"Huh? I'm sinking in sand?" Luffy said.
"What? Never heard of quicksand? It's the perfect desert death." Crocodile said.
"There's no way I'm gonna lose to sand!" Luffy said blasting himself out of the quicksand and resumed his attack on Crocodile, but none of his attacks were able to land on Crocodile's sandy body. As Luffy tried for one final attack, Crocodile went and pierced him with his hook.
"You can go and die here. Rookies like you always shoot their mouths off. Goodbye...Straw Hat Luffy." Crocodile said as he tossed him into the quicksand.
As soon as Crocodile leaves, Cheetah comes back and starts to dig him back up.
"Phew… Good thing I chose to stay behind. But...he's dehydrated. He won't be able to last long like this. I need to find a place for him, and quickly." Cheetah said before she was held down by several hands. "What?"
"You won't be doing anything...least not now." Robin said as several hands dragged Luffy out of the sand. "Why do you fight? He who carried the Will of D?"
"D?" Luffy asked.
"It appears my question was pointless." Robin said, releasing the two as she walked off.
"What...was that about?" Cheetah wondered as she dragged Luffy off back to the group.
"Looks like you managed to get him out." Ramona said.
"Yes. Crocodile didn't even break a sweat when defeating him." Cheetah said. "Robin went and pulled him out but...we made it back."
"Yeah...this happened the first time he fought Crocodile too." Jexi said. "Course, fighting someone made of sand in the desert...that's usually a one sided fight."
"Still, we need to find a place for him to rest. He looks like he's in bad shape." David said.
"Well we can't take him to our ship, so...does anyone have any ideas?" Mark asked.
"Look, we'll rest in that hold building for now. We need a shelter to avoid the chilly desert night." Yaoyorozu said as they headed inside.
"Phew… What a long day." David said.
"Let's rest up for now. We need our strength for the next fight." Hope said. "Because when we get to Alubarna, everything is decided there."