Chapter 24: Alabasta, they're there!
"Set sail to Alabasta!" Luffy said. Raven reached in her pocket and pulled out a pair of glasses.
"No wonder I didn't recognize you!" Luna said. "You didn't have glasses!"
Zolo came walking passed us. He threw a glance and Raven, then continued.
"OMG!" Raven squeeled. "H-he looked at me! My favorite character looked at me!"
"Whatever."
Both girls were fishing until fog rolled in. Then rolled out. Bon Clay was in the water, Raven gave him an odd look as she tossed the line over to him and reeled him in.
"Ew,"Luna said, she turned around and saw a pink ship with a duck for a figurehead sail close by. "Isn't that the Swanda or something?"
"Oh, man I hate Bon Clay," Raven whispered, the Swanda anchored right next to us. "I'm going below deck."
"Hello, strangers!" said a very, odd high pitched voice of the ship's captain as he got on deck. "Thank those girls that saved me."
"I think Sanji needs me right now," Luna said, creeped out, she left the crew and went to the kitchen. She found Sanji sleeping on a chair.
"Now, for the Friendship Dance!" Bon Clay said.
"Can't they change his name to Bon Gay?" Luna muttered, Sanji suddenly woke up from the laughter from outside. "A guy from Baroque Works is out there entertaining our friends."
"I can hear their enthusiansim," Sanji said, sarcastically, he got up and looked out the window. "Either I'm seeing things, or this guy ate a devil fruit."
"He's Bon Clay, other words, Mr. 2. Wait for him to leave."
"Well, guys, it was nice meeting all of you!" Bon Clay said. "G'bye!"
"Aw, he's cool!" Loki said.
"That was the best show ever!" Luffy said, the Swanda left, Sanji, Raven and I got on deck to hear Vivi talk about Mr. 2.
"...so he can be any one of us."
(Later)
"Land! Alabasta, dead ahead!" Raven said from her perch in the Crow's Nest. "C'mon!"
"Okay, guys, before anyone goes to shore, I came up with a way to keep track of who's who if Bon Clay shows up and takes our place," Zolo explained. "If one of us is acting strange or something, force us to take off the strip of cloth wrapped around our arm to see an X. If there's no X, it's not us."
They wrapped the clothes around their arms (or wings in Loki and Carue's case).
"That's pretty smart." Luffy said.
"Yeah, but are we sure he's not Bon Clay?" Raven asked, the minute they hit port, Luffy jumped off the ship and ran into town.
"FOOD!" the captain yelled.
"Bet you he'll get lost in the desert and find boogie powder." Raven said.
"Bet you he'll meet Ace." Luna said, we all got off the ship. Usopp covered them in a large blanket and they fallowed him around town.
"Okay, guys," Usopp said eventually as he removed the blanket. The rest of the crew romoved it already and found themselves in a broken down home. "We could stay here, just take ff the covers."
"Been there, done that." Zolo said, leaning against the stone wall.
"Well, if you don't mimd, Vivi and I need to go shopping," Nami said, she and the princess left.
"Yeah, Loki needs some horseshoes if he's going to carry me and Raven across the desert. And then I need to get him those sadle like blankets," Luna said. "Who has the money?"
"I'll gladly give you some berries!" Sanji said with a heart for his eye, he handed both girls half of his savings(over 5,000 berries). "Chopper, you're going to help me shop, all right?"
"What? But I-" Chopper was grabbed by his hoof and was forced to switcch to walking point. "Ew, what's that smell?"
"Perfume, Chopper."
"C'mon, Loki, we need you to be in horse point," Raven said, the bird did as he was told and she got on him, Luna held the reins. "Look, a blacksmith, maybe they sell horseshoes."
"Good thinking." Luna said while she tied Loki, Raven got off and both girls went into a shop. A young man who was wearing an arpon banged his hammer on hot metal. "Sir?"
"What can I do for you?"
"We need horseshoes for my horse." Luna said.
"Leave him here, I'll fix it on to him." the man said.
"Yes," Raven said, they both went out of the shop and walked around the street. "Look! Robes! We have to get these, we are going out to the desert, right?"
"Sure," Luna said, they saw a stall with thin, traveling robes. She eyed a black robe with blue flames (similar to Ace's) and a headset. "How much for that?"
"500 berries," a lady said, she took it down as Luna gave her the money.
"How about that?" Raven said, pointing at a dark blue robe.
"550 berries." she said, Luna gave the money to her.
"Do you people carry saddles?" Luna said.
"No, we use blankets, you need that too?" the girls nodded. "Here." She gave them a large, woven blanket with a leather belt conecting from one long end to the other. (just look at what the horses wear in Alabasta). "1,000 berries."
"Here. Raven, can you-?"
"Got it!" Raven said, carrying the heavy saddle, the went back to the blacksmith.
"There you go, that'd be 200 berries," the man said, Luna paid him while Raven managed to place the saddle on Loki. "Have a nice day, ladies."
"Sure!" Luna said, leading her horse back to where the crew was. Everyone was dressed in their desert gear. Sanji and Chopper arrived later.
"Nami-swan! Vivi-kun, you look-"
"Sick!" Chopper said.
"I forgot, reindeer noses are extremely sensitive," Vivi said.
"Hey! You guys!" Luffy said running towards them.
"Luffy!" Nami said. "Shut up, or you'll blow our cover!"
"Ain't that Straw Hat's crew?" yelled a Marine.
"Yeah, it is!"
"This ain't groovy," Luna said.
"You guys go on, I'll handle this!" said a voice, Raven and Luna looked around. Ace!
"C'mon!" Luffy said, they fallowed him as they watched Ace beat up some bad guys.
"How do you know him, Luffy?" Nami asked.
"He's Ace, my brother!"
"Your what?!" everyone, besides Raven and Luna, said as they ran to the Merry.