As they drew nearer to Alabasta, Vivi grew more and more anxious.
Which was why she was somewhat relieved Luffy called a 'war meeting' to discuss how they were going to handle Crocodile.
Vivi's plan was simple. They would go after Crocodile directly and if that failed head to the rebel's base in Yuuba. Or if possible to the capital to try and keep the royal army from attacking.
Which was why she was not happy when Luffy vetoed the idea outright.
"Nami, what the odds that Baroque Works has infiltrated not only the Royal Army, but the Rebels as well?"
"Crocodile would be an idiot not to, especially once he knows Vivi is in the country," said Nami. "And from what I've seen, he's not an idiot...unfortunately."
"Which means any attempts to stop the rebellion or the royal army directly are almost certain to fail. I would bet anything he's already sent orders to keep you from reaching the leaders of the rebels and would likely make the king disappear in order to create enough chaos that the army won't listen to you quickly enough," said Luffy flatly.
Vivi winced, because it did sound exactly like something Crocodile would do.
"And at this point he doesn't even need the rebel leader to live. The people are stirred up enough that it would be simple to spark the bloodshed just by killing either of the leaders. Blame would naturally fall to the opposing side and then no one would give a damn who was in the wrong," said Luffy.
Vivi clutched her hands so tightly that they almost started to bleed. It seemed completely hopeless and she was very unhappy because she had to admit Luffy was right.
"Which is why we're not going to attack Crocodile directly. He's almost certainly going to be expecting it. Instead we're going to be sneaky bastards and throw him off his game long enough to throw a decent pot shot at him," said Luffy, grinning evilly.
"What do you have planned?" asked Zoro, already amused and interested.
"Vivi, where is Crocodile's official main base in Alabasta?"
"It's a casino called Rain Dinners in the near center of the island. It's a legitimate business, so the Marines don't bother with it much," said Vivi promptly.
"They wouldn't anyway. Crocodile is technically one of theirs, even if he is a pirate," said Luffy. She looked to Nami. "Nami, you've been in casinos before, haven't you?"
Nami smirked.
"What do you think?"
"What's the standard protocol for major winners, and I don't mean the tiny amounts like a couple million berri. I mean the big winners who make the owners nervous because if their luck holds they could bankrupt the place when they cash out? You know, the kind of people they immediately comp a room in the hopes that their luck will run out a little and they can reclaim some of the lost revenue?"
Nami blinked.
"Generally speaking, standard protocol is that the owner comes out in...person..." said Nami, before staring at Luffy. "You can't be serious! How are you planning to win enough that Crocodile has to come out?!"
At that, Takeshi and Lambo shared a look before they started howling. Luffy was already smirking wickedly.
"Nami, if Luffy's luck holds the same as it did before then there's no way in hell Crocodile would not come out," said Takeshi laughing.
"Yeah, nee-san has really weird luck that hates her during training and adventures that should be boring, but absolutely loves her when it comes to gambling for money or favors," agreed Lambo.
Tsunami had been so put out when she was banned for life by every mafia-owned casino or gambling establishment the moment word spread about her luck. It wasn't her fault she accidentally bankrupted places, or that her luck was so weird!
Her friends and family found it hilarious, naturally. And they ribbed her about it every time the subject came up.
Seeing Nami perk up, Luffy grinned at her.
"Once I lure Crocodile out, I want Chopper and Lambo to start cashing out the chips. Even if we don't succeed at kicking his ass I want to make sure we bankrupt him good," said Luffy. "And yes, I am splitting the winnings with the crew once we get the money."
Luffy moved on.
"While we're distracting Crocodile, I want Vivi, Nojiko and Gin to find the rebels. Here's where things might get tricky, because I don't want you to act like a princess of the country at all, Vivi. There's a time and place for acting like royalty and right now I think you might be more effective if you acted less like a princess and more like...well, Nami when we do something stupid," said Luffy.
"What do you mean?" asked Vivi confused.
"You would try to appeal to them as the princess and agree to act as hostage in exchange for them standing down if you did this your way, right? Because that's what a princess would do."
Vivi nodded slowly. Luffy grinned wickedly.
"Then it's time you started acting like a pirate. If this guy won't listen to reason, then you should act like Nami does when we're doing something stupid and she wants to knock some sense into us. Punch him in the face, tell them off using all the pent up fury of a woman pushed past her patience, and basically bring down the devestation that can only be found in women's wrath everywhere ready to kick some ass if the boys aren't going to be reasonable."
Nami wasn't the only one grinning. Nojiko looked ready to cackle at the horrified faces of the boys. Vivi looked torn.
"But..."
"How long have you been undercover, trying to find the source of the problems within your kingdom?"
"Several years at least," she said.
"Then don't you think it's about time you had a chance to let loose some of the frustration, headaches and general anger over the sitatuation in a way that it might actually do some good and get something productive done?" asked Luffy. "If behaving like a female pirate and slapping some sense into idiots not willing to listen gets their undivided attention, then where's the harm? At least you can say you tried and it'll make them a little more... respectful...of you as a woman after."
It might take some nudging to get her comfortable with the idea, but considering Luffy had yet to let her down she was willing to give it a try.
Kohza wouldn't know what hit him...literally. Neither would anyone else stupid enough to get in Vivi's way. She had a lot of pent up anger and frustration over what was happening in her country and to have a chance to let it out wasn't something she expected to happen.
"Now, we're going to have a few allies, at least for a little bit once we enter Alabasta. One of my brothers is going to be there with a few friends of his. And Vivi, Belphegor is going to be with them. If nothing else ask Ace to get him to tone down his behavior," said Luffy.
Vivi nodded slowly.
"Is there anything we could use to get the Marines to turn against Crocodile?" asked Nami.
"Dance Powder. There's been a lot of rumors that the royal family has a stockpile of it and I heard another that my father had been seen at the port where a suspicious shipment was, shortly before a nasty drought started," said Vivi immediately. "The World Government has a ban on it and it takes a very special permit to even own a small bit of it...something I know for a fact our family does not have. Alabasta is dry enough without adding that onto it as it draws the rain from surrounding areas and causes them to dry up. If we can prove Crocodile is the one with the stockpile then not even the World Government would support him which means he would be fair game to the Marines."
Luffy shook her head in disbelief.
"I never thought I would see the day the World Government did something that wasn't due to corruption or the rot that it was built upon and actually agree with it," said Luffy. "A first for everything I suppose."
That got a collective snort from everyone else.
"So we need to find the stockpile," said Nojiko.
"Vivi, does this powder have a specific scent associated with it?" asked Luffy.
"Not that I know of. I've never seen it before in my life."
"What about the chemicals that go into it. Do you know anything about them?"
Vivi thought hard.
"I might know of a few. The full recipe is kept locked tight by the World Government obviously, but I did look into it after I heard the rumors of it being used in my country and one book mentioned a specific type of mold used to make it. It was one only available to nobility so I can only assume it was approved and legitimate."
Luffy grinned. Now they had a solid lead.
"You want Chopper to see if he can smell where it is," guessed Nami.
"Animals have better senses than us, and I plan to send Nami, Takeshi and Lambo with him," agreed Luffy. "Your job will be to find the Dance Powder and make enough of a hole that the Marines see it. Just make sure they don't see you in the process, so they have no reason to blame it's presence on us. I really don't care if you rob the place blind in the process...just make it back in time so Lambo and Chopper can cash out most of the money."
"What about me?" asked Gin.
"You, Sanji and Usopp are going on supply runs. I want us geared up in case we have to treck across the desert and some new clothes would not go amiss. Don't think I haven't noticed that all of us could use a few new things in our closets. Patch jobs only last so long," said Luffy. "Usopp, I want you to focus primarily on things that would help make the Merry to last until we reach Shabaody. You're the closest thing we have to a shipwright at the moment and you have a strong motivation to insure our home survives despite what the Grand Line will throw at us."
Usopp nodded with pride. He could get behind that idea easily, and would make sure to ask around properly.
"Chopper, before you come into the casino with Lambo and the others I want you to go into town and make sure our infirmary is stocked to your standards. You have full reign over the list and what's inside, okay?"
Chopper nodded happily.
"Nojiko, you're in charge of the women's clothes. I wouldn't put it past Sanji to put all of us into dancing girl outfits if I allowed him anywhere near that particular task. Nami and Vivi might be comfortable wearing that sort of thing, but I would rather avoid it," said Luffy deadpan.
Nojiko nodded in full agreement to that. She wouldn't put it past Sanji to pull something like that either.
"I'll make sure to get everyone's full measurements and ask around about what we might encounter while heading to Alubarna. No offense Vivi, but you've been away a while and you might forget things you've learned to take for granted that we could avoid with a proper warning," said Nojiko.
Vivi winced, but didn't really argue. It was obvious they would head out once Gin and Nojiko got done with the shopping.
"So we have a good general plan to start with, and if nothing else I can cause one hell of a scene once Crocodile shows up. Knowing him he's likely to have trapped the hell out of his base so I really don't want to give him the satisfaction of falling into any of it," said Luffy. "I want to ruin his reputation so thoroughly to the point that even if we fail, he loses his standing as a Warlord and becomes fair game to everyone else."
Vivi was very surprised at how good Luffy was at this. It was almost like she had prior experience planning this sort of thing.
"So does this mean we get to see you in a dress?" asked Zoro, joking.
Luffy turned to look at him oddly.
"If you guys want to see what I'll be wearing before we actually get there, I can put it on in an hour or so."
That had the intense interest of the crew. Mostly because Luffy generally didn't dress up around them and they all wanted to know what she would look like as a girl.
Luffy grinned and headed to her room.
One hour later...
Dead silence. That was the only way to describe the sound on the Merry, outside the natural symphony of the sea.
Where the tomboyish and rather brash Luffy had been was a girl who was completely unrecognizeable as the infamous Straw Hat captain.
She had neck legnth black hair that went down her head in slight waves and brushed the very edge of her shoulderblades and flowed freely from her iconic straw hat. She wore a light sun dress with straps holding it up on her shoulders, and her bust was clearly visible with a discreet hint of a properly fitted bra that was white enough to be mistaken for part of the dress. Her tan skin made her look like a vibrant, happy teenager who lived life to the fullest and didn't shy away from the outdoors.
Her familiar scar was gone, hidden by carefully applied make-up and she wore a light dusting of eye-shadow under her eyes that made the color simply pop and catch your attention completely. She didn't wear any lipstick or blush, but she didn't need any. Her nails were painted with a clear varnish and neatly trimmed.
She was missing her usual straw sandals, and in their place was a pair of flat-footed shoes that matched the dress. The dress itself only went to her knees and was very simple in design, but it suited the girl perfectly.
The crew was stunned silent by the massive change in their captain. No one could believe this beautiful, vibrant girl was the same captain they had followed for months.
Luffy quite literally looked like an innocent angel that one would happily spoil just to see her smile at them and them alone.
"Suddenly I completely get why Shanks calls her the 'Bunny Princess'," said Vivi, breaking the shocked silence.
Everyone save for Zoro nodded. He was having trouble keeping his eyes off his captain, and if one were to look closely they might notice he was blushing a little.
It was one thing to know Luffy was a girl, when she acted nothing like the other females on board. He respected her as an equal from the beginning and was rather happy she didn't complain about the fact her 'gender' held her back all the time.
But this? This was not something he was prepared to handle. He was having a hard time curbing feelings he never thought he would have towards Luffy in a million years, and he wasn't sure how to deal with it at all.
This was a side of Luffy he never thought existed, and now that he knew he did...there was no way the image would get out of his head.
(On an unrelated note, when Shanks got a picture of Luffy dressed like that he made sure to alter the 'image' of the Bunny Princess accordingly. The sales went through the roof almost immediately.)
Luffy snickered, and the spell was broken... at least enough that they could move again.
"You know if you're this shocked by the fact I know how to dress like a girl, I almost want to see how you would react to the fact I know how to dance," said Luffy, laughing.
"You can dance?" said Nami.
"Yeah. My brothers and I learned how to improve our flexibility, and we got really good at it because it was so much fun. I just don't use it much since we split apart," said Luffy. "Besides, Gramps made sure to encourage anything that was remotely feminine because he despaired at the fact I was turning into such a tomboy."
"How long are you going to hide your gender anyway?" asked Nojiko.
"If we beat Crocodile, I'll start easing off most of the tricks I pull to hide it. After all, I only did it so people would take me seriously," said Luffy. "I have been hiding it for ten years after all."