THE CHILDREN Set Sail!

Disclaimer: I still cannot get ownership for either One Piece or Zettai Karen Children. But to be honest, I doubt I'll ever-!

Aoi: Hey, Normama…

Normama: Huh? What is it?

Aoi: Why aren't you updating this story as much as one would expect?

Normama: Well, your manga has been updating some pretty interesting information. I was hoping to hear more so I can somehow use them…

Aoi: But that is way into the future!

Normama: Well, all I can say is that I like to plan ahead. There is a meaning to almost everything I do…most of the time. Anyway, onward!

"This is the oasis where Crocodile is at, Rainbase," Vivi explained as she showed everyone the map of Arabasta, "straight to the north of Yuba. It will take us a whole day to reach there…"

"A-A whole day?" Aoi and Shiho sweat dropped nervously.

"Will there at least be water there?" Chopper wondered, his tongue sticking out in an attempt to cool down.

"Yes, plenty for that matter," Vivi giggled, "It's a gambling town, separated from all the fighting…"

"Oh~!" Nami squeaked as her eyes turn to Belis and sparkled, "Gambling~?"

"What the heck?" Shiho sweat dropped at Nami's current state.

"Oh no," Zoro frowned, seeing where this was going, "what are you thinking?"

"But seriously, gambling?" Aoi frowned at the idea that even on a desert island there was a place for money getting.

"I guess there are towns like that even in Arabasta," Sanji huffed in reply.

It has been several minutes since Luffy and Vivi's fight. After Vivi finally manages to calm down from the excitement that had recently taken place, she began to explain to everyone about the new designation. Scratch that…I meant almost everyone.

"Gum-Gum No Way!" Luffy declared as stretched his arms out of the way of Usopp's reach.

"Huh?" Zoro blinked as he watches Usopp struggle with Luffy.

"Are they still at it?" Sanji asked, with a not a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Come on, Luffy," Usopp comically tear up, "Just one sip! He gave us that water to drink you know!"

"No way!" Luffy stubbornly replied as he used his stretching arm to keep the barrel out of reach of the long-nose sniper.

"Give it here~!" Usopp wailed as he tries to snatch the barrel.

"No way!"

"Give it~!"

"No way!"

"Give~!"

"Gum-Gum No Way!"

"He turned that into a move as well?" Shiho sweat dropped.

"Come on, Luffy," Aoi sighed in exasperation, "to let him have one sip, it's not going to hurt…"

"No way!" Luffy huffed as he pointed at the barrel, "Old Mr. Sandy-Guy gave us this water after spending a whole night digging for it! We can't drink it as soon as we are off!"

"So you really can restrain yourself when you need to!" Nami noted in surprise.

"I really didn't expect that from you," Kaoru added in the same manner.

"Hey!" Luffy grumbled, offended, as Usopp cries to himself, "Of course I can! How rude!"

"Alright already," Zoro huffed, tired of just standing, and began to wander off, "let's just go!"

"Uh, Zoro-han," Aoi halted, "where are you going?"

"Where I'm going?" Zoro murmured back, "North of course!"

"North is this way, you fool," Nami sighed…heading in the opposite direction of Zoro's course.

"Yeah," Aoi sweat dropped, "YOU are heading back to Yuba…"

"…" Zoro frowned as he began to jog to catch up.

A few minutes later, we find Luffy, Usopp, and Kaoru trudging along, once again exaggerating the hardship of their journey.

"I thought I told you three to stop doing that!" Nami lectured, getting fed up with all the exaggerating panting.

"Yeah," Shiho rolled her eyes in the same manner, "all those huge panting is adding the unnecessary extra heat to our situation…"

"Shut up~!" Luffy panted with a frown, "You two are riding the camel!"

It was true, Nami and, currently, Shiho were ridding quite pleasantly on the back of natural desert traveler.

"Yeah~!" Usopp panted in agreement, "Let us ride it too~!"

"Camel-Woman," Luffy murmured.

"Shiho-Camel," Kaoru murmured in the same manner.

"SHUT UP!" Nami yelled, offended.

"You already had your turn, Kaoru," Shiho yelled in defiant, "so I don't want to hear that coming from you!"

"They're such babies," Aoi quietly commented.

"They sure are," Zoro, who was the only one able to hear it, agreed before he turn his attention to Chopper in his true beast form, "I'm surprise Chopper, you're not wiped out today…"

"Yeah," Aoi complimented, "yesterday, you practically collapse from the heat…"

"Nope," Chopper puffed in determination, "I'm going to hang in there today…"

Aoi, Sanji, and Zoro smile, glad that the crewmember least fit for this type of weather was doing his best.

"Uh," Vivi suddenly called out after a few minutes of silence, "Luffy-san…"

"Huh?" Luffy panted in question.

"…Thank you," Vivi finally managed, "I never could have made that decision on my own, without you…"

"You mean about not going into danger on your own?" Shiho wondered.

"Yes," Vivi replied before turning back to Luffy, "for that, again, I thank you…"

"Really~?" Luffy panted in response, "then feed me…"

"…Huh?" the Children sweat dropped.

"What?" Vivi blinked at the surprise, or rather unusual, request.

"Once I kick Crocodile's ass," Luffy illuminated, "you got to feed me until I explode…"

"…Okay," Vivi smiled brightly, "I promise!"

"Uh, but Luffy," Kaoru sweat dropped nervously, "if you're fed until you explode, you won't be able to eat your next meal!"

"Eh?" Luffy quoted before the remark click into his mind, "Oh crap! You're right!"

Everyone laughed at Luffy reaction.

Eventually after some more miscellaneous adventure that allowed Shiho and Aoi to test out their newly taught skills, they finally had Rainbase in their sight.

"Yes!" Luffy shouted in comical frustration, "Crocodile, your ass is GRASS!"

"Yeah!" Kaoru shouted in the same manner, "Croc, prepare to eat my FOOT!"

"Give it a rest, you two," Aoi sweat dropped.

"WATER~~~~!" Chopper and Usopp panted madly, "WATER~~~~!"

"SHUT UP!" Zoro comically snapped at the two.

"Crocodile…" Vivi stared determinately at the upcoming town.

Shiho gave Vivi a glance before smiling. "You waited for this moment for a long time already, haven't you?"

Vivi nodded at Shiho's question. "I have…"

"Oh, that reminds me," Nami suddenly sounded before turning to Usopp, "Usopp how is it coming along? Did you finish it?"

"It?" Sanji and Shiho wondered in unison as they turn to Usopp, wondering what Nami possibly ask their long-nose friend to do.

"Huh? OH~!" Usopp began dumbly before quickly giving a satisfied smirk, "Yeah, I finished it…"

Nami, Sanji, and Shiho watch as Usopp pulled out six equally long hollow rods and presenting them to the crew navigator.

"Behold~," Usopp dramatized, "I give you your newly-made, customize, and best-suited personal weapon: the Climate Tact!"

"C-Climate Tact?" Shiho repeated unsurely as Nami inspect the rods.

"Yeah, Nami used to fight with just a Bo Staff. But I manage to upgrade them now. At first, it looks just like her old ones, but these are totally different because depending on how you put them together you can get different attack results…"

"… … …Seriously?"

"Seriously!"

"… … …Are you some kind of inventor?"

"You can say that?"

"… … …Then can you make a weapon too?"

"Huh, where did this come from?"

"I use to have one, a gun actually…until a certain someone shred it to pieces…" Shiho glared ahead at Zoro as the mention sneezed.

"You use a gun?"

"I can use any weapon actually, thanks to my psychometry powers. To perfection if necessary…"

"…Hmm~…"

"Well?"

"I see what I can on my free time…"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I like to see your power in action on one of my invention…"

"Thanks," Shiho breathed a sigh of relief. She was worry that she would have to spend her entire time in this world relying only on her legs to fight. If Usopp keep his words, then she could at least have an alternative way of fighting.

"Good for you, Shiho," Nami smiled before turning once again to Usopp, "So Usopp, how DO I use this?"

"Well, first-…"

"Oi~," Sanji intervened, "Don't give Nami-san any dangerous weapon, Usopp. Neither Nami-san nor Vivi-chan will need to fight…because I will PROTECT them~! Just call your Prince whenever you need me~!"

"…Oi, Prince," Zoro sarcastically called, "Stop daydreaming…"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, DAMN IT! I WASN'T TALIKING TO YOU!"

"Hey," Zoro continued, ignoring Sanji's outburst, "You think Baroque Works knows we're here in this country?"

"Probably," Vivi nodded, "We met Mr. 2 and we know Mr. 3 is here, so I think we should assume that they know we're here?"

"Mr. 3?" Kaoru wondered, "Who's that?"

"He's one of the Officer Agents we face a long way back," Usopp informed, "Though he ate the Devil Fruit, the Wax-Wax Fruit, thanks to my leadership…"

"Ahem," Shiho coughed.

"… …My contribution, we managed to beat the pulp out of him. But at the port where we met Luffy's brother, Vivi identify one of the ship docked at port as Mr. 3's personal boats…"

"I see," Aoi nodded, now understanding.

"So what if they know?" Luffy wondered.

"They know our face, Luffy," Usopp rolled his eyes, "That means no more random action!"

"How come?"

"We have no idea where the Baroque Work members could be hiding. There's no way we can't get to Crocodile if we're caught first…"

"True," Zoro mumbled, "their specialty is assassination…"

"In other words," Aoi pondered, "Once we're spotted, we get delay in facing Crocodile…"

"OKAY," Luffy suddenly declared, "CROCODILE, YOUR ASS IS GRASS!"

"YEAH," Kaoru declared in the same manner, "CROC, PREPARE TO EAT MY FOOT!"

"WERE ANY OF YOU LISTENING?" Aoi and Usopp comically tripped.

"But Usopp, Aoi," Vivi noted, "I agree with Kaoru and Luffy's way of thinking… or lack of thinking. Everything is about to happen now. We don't have time to think…"

"Uh, well," Aoi frowned, "There may be some truth in that but…"

"Are you two scared?" Nami asked sarcastic surprise.

"I know I'm not," Chopper panted.

"… … …Shut up!" Aoi and Usopp grumbled as everyone made their way into Rainbase.

"Smoker-san," Tashigi voiced to her superior who sat next to her, "Why have we come to Rainbase?"

Smoker continued to stare absently at his cup of water. "I just… got a gut feeling…"

At that moment, the door to the bar they were in open as some noisy people enter, shouting about "water" and "drinking".

"Something smells funny in this country," Smoker confessed as the noisy newcomer sat next to him and began to bang wildly on the counter, asking for water, "I feel a huge shadow behind all of this…"

"But are you sure it's Crocodile," Tashigi wondered, "and that strange Organization…are they truly connected?"

"I can't say that for sure," Smoker huffed in frustration as he and Tashigi absentmindedly glance over to the noisy newcomers as they chug down gallons of water from the barrels they were given, "We can't find any connection between the Straw Hat Crew and the Arabasta Princess either. All we can do now is wait, until something happens-…"

Smoker paused as his mind slowly began to registered the faces of the people that sat next to him.

"MMM~!" the one with the straw hat glee as he continue to drink away, "Damn, this is GREAT WATER~!"

"MMM~!" the one with a long nose agreed as he continue to drink away, "Damn, Yeah~!"

"Okay," the little girl with red hair declared as she turned to her companions, still drinking, "Let's bring the rest to the others-…"

The redhead stop in her tracks as her mind slowly registered the faces of the people that sat not so far from her friends. Her two friends turn, wondering what had caused their friend to pause mid-sentence.

Smoker and Tashigi continue to stare blankly as Kaoru, Usopp, and Luffy finally reacted… …By spitting out the water in their mouth into the Marine Officers' faces.

Back with the rest of the Straw Hats, everyone was taking a breather. Chopper had wander off to relieve himself, Zoro annoyed Eyelash by poking it with a stick, and Aoi was practicing her fencing with a wooden stick.

"…Now thinking about it," Sanji suddenly voiced, "Do you think it was wise to let those three do it?"

"It's only an errand," Nami sighed from her resting spot.

"An easy one for that matter," Shiho added with a huff, "They'll be fine… … …I think…"

"I wonder," Zoro frowned, "You don't think they'll come back with trouble, do you?"

"… …It's possible…"

"Maybe we should be prepared for that…"

"Hmm," Aoi hummed as she paused her swing, "In that case, Nami can I borrow some money…"

Everyone aside from Shiho and Eyelash hiccupped as Nami simply smiled.

"Sure~," Nami simply stated, "I'll lend you some…for three hundred percent interest…"

Aoi sweat dropped. "T-Three-? Uh, fine; then can I have 10,000 Belis?"

"Oi," Zoro frowned uncomfortably, "Are you sure? That means you'll owe her 30,000 Belis! Do you really need that much?"

"Well," Aoi pondered as she stared at the stick in her hand, "I don't think I can be much use if I just use sticks and stuff instead of actual weapons. If being in debt can save my life, I don't really have the right to complain…"

"…True," Zoro sighed.

"Hmm," Nami hummed, "Aright, since you're already knee deep with trouble, I'll only need two hundred percent interest…"

"Huh?" Aoi blinked, "Uh, you don't-…"

"But only this once," Nami stated as she handed 10,000 Beli to the Teleporter, "You won't get a second chance, got it?"

"… … … …Got it," Aoi nodded with a sweat dropped.

"Look like you got off lucky this time," Zoro huffed.

Just then, several familiar screams caught their attention as they turn to find Kaoru, Luffy, and Usopp…running with a flock of Marines on their heels.

"What the-!" Sanji nervously frowned, "Crap! The Marines are chasing them!"

"Are you kidding!?" Shiho gasped.

"Why are those idiots leading them here!?" Nami screeched.

"Who cares!?" Aoi managed as she began to take off, "We got to go!"

"Wait," Vivi exclaimed, "Chopper-kun isn't back yet!"

"Leave him," Zoro rushed, "He'll be fine!"

"Hey guys!" Kaoru, Luffy, and Usopp called, "The Marines are COMING~!"

"YOU THREE BROUGHT THEM OVER HERE!" Aoi and Zoro comically yelled back.

Somehow or another, the Straw Hats ended up being chased through the town. Sanji peered around trying to figure out how they can ditch the Marines when he suddenly realized something.

"This isn't good, people," Sanji called, "running around like this will get us notice by Baroque Works even sooner…"

"I think it's too late," Zoro managed as he spotted a group of shady characters looking between them and a piece of paper in their hands.

"Terrific~," Aoi sighed sarcastically.

"Let's go then," Luffy decided before calling to Vivi, "Where's Crocodile, Vivi?"

Vivi scanned around before pointing out a pyramid-like building with a crocodile-shape head on top.

"You see that building over there?" Vivi rhetorically asked, "That's the casino that Crocodile owns, 'Rain Dinners'…"

"First let's ditch the Marines," Shiho glanced back at their pursuers.

"Yeah," Aoi nodded, "They'll just be in the way…"

"We should scatter," Sanji suggested.

"Good idea," Zoro muttered.

"Okay!" Kaoru smirked.

"Everyone," Luffy called to everyone, "we'll meet back up…at the CROC'S HOUSE!"

With that, everyone scattered in all direction.

Kaoru: "Finally~~~! You updated~~~!"

Aoi (grumbling): "That was well over a year! Are you doing this on purpose!?"

Normama: "Of course not! I just had a huge writer's block for this story...as well as many other stories..."

Kaoru (Using her Psychic power to slam Normama into the wall): "LIAR~~~!"

Normama (passing out): "Gah-!"

Kaoru: "Serve you right~!"

Shiho (Scanning Normama before sweat dropping): "... ...Uh, Kaoru...he was telling the truth..."

Kaoru (sweat dropping): "... ... ... ... ... ... ...Uh, sorry?"