Kia was shaken awake the next morning, though it felt as if she had only just closed her eyes. Chopper was much too happy for how early it was, but that was due to it not being unbearably hot yet. Kia thought she must have looked pretty terrible, because Chopper changed into his heavy point and offered his back to her.

"Chopper? What are you doing?" she asked.

"Just jump on Kia, I know you didn't get much sleep." It was true, ever since arriving, she would often wake herself up in the middle of the night, due to nightmares, and was unable to get back to sleep. On the ship, she told the others she just couldn't sleep and would simply take a nap if needed, but out here, she didn't have the chance.

"Okay Chopper, but I'm awake," she said as she jumped up on his back, with her arms around his neck and snuggled in. "but… I'm not quite warm enough yet." Chopper giggled as he took them both outside.

"Thanks old man, we're leaving now."

Kia looked up to see Vivi and Luffy in front of Toto, with Toto giving a bow to Vivi and asking her forgiveness for the state of the oasis.

"It isn't much, but here Luffy," Toto said, handing him a small barrel with a rope attached. "After your help yesterday, I hit damp sand, and was able to extract some water."

"Wow! It's water?!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Genuine Yuba water, so it's the best!" Toto puffed up slightly in pride, before deflating again. "I'm just sorry there isn't more."

"Thank you." Luffy gave Toto a bow. "I'll drink it real slow." Luffy turned and began to walk, Usopp following after him, asking for a drink.

The crew all followed after him, but Vivi turned back, giving Toto a wave and a hope filled smile, which was returned in spades.

As they left Yuba, and headed back the way they came, no one said anything. Kia was waiting for Luffy to decide to change the course they were walking, but that hadn't happened yet either. The story she knew wasn't clear as to how long they walked before deciding to go after Crocodile instead, but she knew the longer they walked now, the worse shape they would be in once they reached Rainbase. If she could prevent that…

They walked for about a half hour more, before Kia finally made up her mind to say something. She had gone back and forth in her mind, not wanting to steal the moment from Luffy, but finally decided that she didn't have to say what he did, just bring up the possibilities.

However, she also decided that stopping the way he did was too perfect to not imitate.

Kia saw a tree coming into view in front of them, and made up her mind. No turning back now. As they walked by the tree, she hopped down from Chopper, went over to it, and sat down.

"Kia?" Chopper asked in question to her actions.

THUMP!

Her shoulder moved, as another body crashed down beside her, jostling her. She looked over at Luffy, seeing the determination on his face, and gave him a small smile. "You quitting too?" she asked him quietly.

"Hmm," he replied thinking about it. "Yep!"

"Luffy? Kia? What's going on?" Usopp called back loudly. He had assumed the two would be walking again since the others didn't stop. Kia watched as they all looked back in confusion.

Vivi, being concerned, came back and asked "Luffy? Kia? Are you okay?" When they both nodded she added, "What's going on?"

Luffy glanced at Kia and said, "We quit."

"What?" Vivi asked, the disappointment and desperation written all over her face.

By this time, the others had all walked back, but were not saying anything. If it had just been Luffy, Kia was sure they would have plenty to say, but with her sitting there also, they were trying to see what they were missing.

"Kia?" Chopper asked.

"Yes?" she replied with a small smile.

"You're… you're quitting? Here?" he asked tentatively.

"Yep!" she said, and rested her head on Luffy's shoulder. It was surprisingly soft, though he was so slender. He was made of rubber after all. He had no clue- that after Chopper- he just became her second choice for a cuddle buddy.

"Kia, my dear…" Sanji began, and she could see how he would scowl whenever he looked at Luffy, but would switch to a smile when he looked back at her. "We can't just quit, we're doing this for Vivi! We have to stop the rebels, or the whole country's going to explode into bloodshed!"

Kia waited a moment for Luffy to reply, but he didn't say anything, so she did. "So is that the plan then? Go all the way back to Katorea?" She looked around at each of her companions, trying to keep her voice gentle. "After everything, how can we know they are still there?"

"We can't," Zoro answered. "But it's the best lead we have. We know they were there, because Chopper and Eyelash saw them there." Kia raised a brow skeptically at his response and he bristled slightly.

"That's true, but we came here, because that was our best lead. I'm tired of being three steps behind." She looked directly at Vivi. "So say we go all the way back, and we actually do see the rebels. Then what?"

"Then, I talk to Koza and tell him the truth, and he'll stop the rebels from fighting."

Kia could admit that at that point, she was getting angry. Vivi hadn't thought of any sort of back up, she just assumed as soon as she turned it over to Koza, he'd fix everything. "And? You're a princess, and you can't get them to stop, so how can he? Sure he leads them, but they want to fight to protect their country! They're not just going to stop because he says, "Now we know it was all a misunderstanding"."

Vivi's face flashed with hurt before it hardened, and her eyes narrowed at Kia. "If you have a better idea, you could have said something long ago when we were planning everything!"

"Going to Katorea is a mistake. If by some miracle we stop the rebels, which I don't think will happen," she paused, as Nami and Chopper both said her name on a gasp. "that won't stop the war in Alabasta." Kia said, crossing her arms, and silently wishing Luffy would butt in, but he just sat there, his hands behind his head and his eyes closed.

"So what?! We just give up?! What a brilliant idea!" Vivi shouted at her, and Kia felt horrible. She stayed quiet, though she gave Luffy a small nudge to let him know it was his turn.

Nami must have had the same idea, because she asked, "Luffy? What do you say to all this?"

Luffy opened his eyes, looking at Vivi and nodding. "If we stop the rebels, that won't stop Crocodile." Vivi looked stricken as she realized the implications of that. "There's nothing we can do in that Katorea place. Besides, we're pirates. We'll probably make things worse there."

Everyone was quiet enough that Kia heard Sanji mutter, "I hate it when the idiot makes the most sense of all of us."

"So what is the answer then?" Vivi asked through gritted teeth. "I don't see any other solution, no matter how I look at it!"

"Because you're looking at it wrong," Kia said firmly.

They all looked at her, and she wanted to shut her mouth, but she pushed through the feeling. "With a million people just itching to fight, and a warlord who is viewed as a hero doing everything he can to incite war, you are looking for a solution where nobody dies, and there isn't one."

Vivi was getting very upset now. "What's so wrong about not wanting anyone to die?!" she yelled at them.

"That's naive." Luffy said bluntly. "People die."

Though Kia expected it, it was still a shock when Vivi reared back and punched Luffy in the face. She took all her anger out on him, screaming as he stood up.

"SHUT UP! I'M TRYING TO SAVE THEM! THE PEOPLE ARE INNOCENT, AND IT'S ALL CROCODILE'S FAULT, SO WHY SHOULD ANY OF MY PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE?!"

"SO THEY CAN'T DIE, BUT YOU CAN RISK YOUR LIFE?" Luffy roared back, hitting Vivi on the side of her head, hard enough that she fell over, but she rose again in fury, jumping and tackling him to the ground, and pounding her frustrations into his face. "EVEN I CAN SEE THAT YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL BY YOURSELF!

"I HAVE TO!" Vivi shouted back, as Luffy grabbed her hands to stop her assault. "I DON'T CARE WHAT IT COSTS ME!"

"THEN RISK OUR LIVES ALONG WITH YOURS! AREN'T WE FRIENDS?"

Though a few of the others had been held back from interfering, now they all stood quietly, watching Vivi as she burst into tears.

"Let us help you, Vivi." Luffy said more quietly. "I know you want to kick Crocodile's butt more than anyone, don't you?" He stood up, wiping off his face. "So let's stop him, together."

No one was mad at Kia… exactly. But she could feel there was definite tension. She thought back, and couldn't see where she had said anything unforgivable, or even worse than what Luffy said, but she apologized to Vivi anyway. She said she forgave her, but there was still an awkwardness between the two now, that Kia wasn't sure how to repair.

Vivi had shown the others on the map where Rainbase was and while Usopp tried his hardest to get a drink from Luffy's barrel of Yuba water, Zoro had started walking, yelling at them all to hurry up. Several glanced back at him, and kept walking in the right direction. Sanji finally gave in and yelled back that he was going the opposite way, and though he grumbled, he turned to hurry and catch the others.

"Luffy…"

They all looked to Vivi, who had spoken.

"Thank you, I don't know how I can repay you for this," she said.

"Shi shi, that's easy! Feed me!"

"What?"

"Once I kick Crocodile's butt, feed me till I explode, okay?"

Vivi grinned. "It's a deal."

"We should go left! VIPs go left!"

"But we're pirates, and pirates go right!"

"AAH!"

Though she knew what was coming… falling down a hole will still make someone scream, and Kia had no idea how big of a fall they were in for. So she did what she thought was a smart move, and grabbed onto the side to stop herself from falling in. Little did she know, that Usopp would be holding onto her.

"Don't let go, Kia please… hang on!"

"Usopp, there's no way I can pull us both up," she grunted out, her fingers barely holding on as it was.

"But… uh," there was no good answer to that, and he just gave her a whimper.

"Just make sure you break my fall, okay?" she asked with a grin, turning her head to look at him. He wasn't able to say more then "Huh?" before she let go. She noticed the trap door slammed shut as soon as the weight was off it, and they both screamed as they fell after the others.

"Ooof!" she grunted. It wasn't the worst landing, though it took her breath away for a moment. Two things hit her at once- she wasn't on the ground, and she was in someone's arms. She could see Usopp on the ground with Luffy helping him up, Nami and Zoro both standing beside them, and all four of them were looking at her. So who?

Kia looked up, and saw Smoker's double cigars. Part of her may have wanted to scream and flail, but she didn't. She smiled instead. I actually really liked Smoker in the anime, one of my favorite parts being when a little girl ran into him, and he said his silly pants ate her ice cream.

Kia cleared her throat, and he looked down, focusing on her. "Uh, thanks for that, but can you put me down now, please?"

He didn't say anything, but tilted and leaned forward to place her feet on the ground, keeping a hand on her back as he straightened to ensure she was steady. She gave him a smile, because, hey… he was being a gentleman.

"Thank you."

She got a grunt in reply, as Smoker sat down on a bench at the back of the cell they were occupying. Kia looked around, noting that they were all looking at her in shock, so she shrugged, as if to say it was no big deal. Luffy turned and went back to the bars, grabbing on and sagging against them.

"Luffy?" Usopp asked. "What's wrong?"

"Ugh… I feel so… weak."

Kia stepped out of the way as Smoker stood again, pulling out his jutte. He wasn't going to actually hurt Luffy, and sometimes experience was a much better teacher than words. He lunged forward and smacked Luffy with the end, toppling him over. Smoker stood over Luffy's prone form, the tip of his jutte resting on Luffy's chest, with Usopp yelling in the background about fighting Smoker.

"Why can't I move?" Luffy panted out. "It's like when I fall in the ocean."

Kia thought enough was enough, and stepped over, pushing the jutte off of Luffy, and helping him up.

"It's sea prism stone," Smoker said, re-sheathing his jutte. "It emits an energy identical to the ocean. Think of it as the ocean in solid form."

"So that's why Luffy's so weak," Zoro commented as he re-sheathed his sword as well, no longer worried about fighting the marine.

"It's how the Marines deal with criminals with devil fruit powers," Kia added. "They make the bars of the cells out of it, and devil fruit users can't escape." She turned to the bars in front of them. "Looks like Crocodile did the same." She reached over and fixed Luffy's crooked hat. "So don't touch the bars anymore, okay?" Luffy nodded.

"If they weren't, I'd be long gone," Smoker said as he went to sit back down. "and you pirates would all be dead."

Kia turned to reply, and heard a lighter flick on, her eyebrow lifting as she took in Crocodile for the first time, as he turned his chair around to face them.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Crocodile made a noise, like a parent catching children doing something bad. "You really should try to get along, since you are all going to die together."

"Crocodile," Smoker growled out.

"Aah!" Nami and Usopp looked stricken, as they raised their hands up in surrender. Zoro looked less than impressed, and Luffy's hand became fists as he marched forward to the bars.

He grabbed on and shouted, "You're Crocodile! Fight….me…" The sea prism stones affecting him halfway through and he fell down, weak again.

"Ha ha ha! I never thought you would make it this far, Straw hat Luffy," Crocodile looked the group over, then stood and began walking away. "And now that you have, I'm going to kill you... once the guest of honor gets here." Luffy continued to shout after him, though Crocodile left the room.

"Guest of honor?" Usopp asked Nami, once Crocodile was gone. Nami shrugged, and walked up to the bars, looking around the room for something… anything to get them out.

"Vivi," Kia answered Usopp, as she settled herself on the floor, Zoro already sitting against the wall, snoring softly. Usopp, Luffy and Nami looked at her in question, and she clarified her statement. "He's waiting for Vivi."

The others looked upset, and Nami started pacing through the cell, looking intently around. "Nami, we'll get out of here, so you should rest while you can," Kia suggested.

"How can you be so calm?" she shouted, and the group all jolted. "We're locked in a cell by one of the seven warlords, who said he was going to kill us! And you want me to rest?" Kia tried not to smile, knowing that Nami was seriously freaking out. "And you!" She turned her wrath on Zoro. "How can you be sleeping!?" she accented her last word with a punch to Zoro's head.

"Huh? Is it morning already?" Zoro opened one eye, but noting they were still in the same situation, immediately went back to sleep.

Kia stood, walking over to Nami and putting her arm around her shoulders, pulled her down to sit on the bench. "I'm calm because we're not alone- we still have friends out there, friends who will stop at nothing to get us out."

Nami let out a shuttering breath, calming slowly as Kia's words sank in. "That's… that's true…" she said quietly.

"So for now, just take it easy, okay? Getting stressed out isn't going to help us, we need to think clearly."

"You're right Kia, I'm sorry." Kia smiled, as Nami rested her head on her shoulder momentarily.

"You seem to know a good deal about it all," Smoker commented, and turning, Kia saw him appraising her.

"Well, I'm pretty good at observing the big picture," she said nonchalantly, not wanting to draw the marine's attention. Though… a small part of her was excited at the thought of being a pirate with a bounty. She shook her head slightly, pushing the thought away for another time.

"And the big picture here?" he asked her.

It was her turn to study Smoker, wondering if he really wanted to know, or if he was simply trying to decide how dangerous of a pirate she was. After a moment, she decided to humor him. After all, he was one of the good marines out there.

"From what I can tell? Crocodile is inciting rebellion in Alabasta. He's pitting the country against itself, everyone fighting while trying to save their country, and no one seeing the strings being pulled behind them. I can only guess at why, though I imagine if Vivi isn't successful, he'll swoop in to pick up the pieces, and become the new ruler of Alabasta- and the people will probably be happy about it."

Smoker hardly moved, but Kia could see one of his eyebrows wing up as she spoke. He nodded, and she assumed that was that. After a minute or so, he replied. "The world government assumes their warlords to be on their side, but underneath, they are all pirates- "

"Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!" Those in the cage all turned as Crocodile's laughter interrupted Smoker's comment. "You're as much a mad-dog as I've heard, Smoker," Crocodile said as he walked in, back to his chair at the head of a large table. "You never considered me an ally, did you? And, you were right not to, ha ha ha!"

Kia glanced back at Smoker, seeing the disgust on his face.

"CROCODILE!"

"Vivi…" It seemed the crew all breathed out her name together, as they watched her stalk down the stairs towards the warlord.