Chapter 26

"Hope truly is the cockroach of human emotions. No matter how it's smacked and smashed and stomped and crushed, it never really dies. That might sound repulsive, but it's actually quite beautiful."-The Garbage Men, Travis Smith

"Yuba's being attacked by a sand storm!"

The Straw Hats watched helplessly as a tornado of sand swept through the small, broken town in front of them. "No one can live in these conditions." Nami grimaced, shielding the sand from her face with her sleeve. "It looks like this isn't the first one that has gone through today." Chopper said quietly, clinging onto Kya's leg. "There's no oasis here." She sighed as Vivi took off down the dune into the sandy ruins. "Vivi!"

"Impossible…." She whispered, staring at the buildings, halfway covered in sand. The wind had died down some, but was still fairly violent, sending debris over the buried roads. "Damn, this place isn't any different from Erumalu." Zoro noted nonchalantly, fixing Usopp on his shoulder as they walked up behind the princess. "Where's the water?!" Luffy practically screamed, scanning the area for any sign of the substance. "Wasn't this supposed to be an Oasis Vivi-chan?" Sanji scoffed at the sight, thrusting his hands into his pockets. "The sand has raised the ground level! The oasis is being swallowed up!" She was near tears until a new voice spoke among them.

"Travelers, eh? You must be tired from your trip through the desert. I'm afraid the town's a little dried up…." A man was digging up the sand a few feet away from the pirates, his frail arms shaking with every shovelful. "But you can still rest here. We have plenty of inns, that's what we're known for." He turned to them, a small smile spread under his white moustache. His wrinkles moved as his eyes scanned over the new group of people, stopping on Vivi as she hid her face from view. "Excuse me, we heard there was a rebellion based here…" Nami asked casually from atop Eyelashes, and the man glared dreadfully at her. "What do you want with the rebellion?!" Suddenly, barrels and pails were flung at them, nearly hitting them in the head. "Don't tell me you want to join those filthy rebels!" He screamed, tossing even more, now full of sand. "What the hell is your problem?!" Kya shouted, ducking before one decapitated her.

The old man calmed down, turned his back, and resumed his shoveling duties. "Those fools are not here anymore." He seethed, tossing the golden grains behind him. Everyone's jaw dropped, their angry boiling inside them at the news. "Whaaaaat?!" The old man ignored their surprise, continuing his digging. "That storm you saw wasn't the first attack on the town. The drought has been trying us up for the past three years. The sandstorms have started coming more and more frequently! The sand has been eating away the oasis, and now it is as you see today." He said solemnly, never once looking back at them. "Three years is a long time to be buried under sand." Kya whispered, a chill running up her spine. "Without circulation of goods, the rebellion cannot continue their war of endurance. Hey have moved their base of operations to Katorea." Vivi let out a loud gasp at the information. "Where's that Vivi? Is it close?" Luffy asked her dumbly. "It's the oasis next to Nanohana." She explained quietly. "Nanohana!?"

"Hey! What did we come here for then!?"

Kya watched the old man perk up and look back at them, a hopeful gleam in his eye. "Vivi…? Did you just say Vivi…?" He whispered, dropping his shovel and walking up the sandy hill. "Hey mister! Vivi's not a princess okay!?" Luffy tried to say quickly, but was only hit in the head with Usopp by Zoro. "Don't tell him!" The man ignored the commotion and quickly climbing to the top. "Are you Vivi-chan..? Are you really…?!" The old man grabbed her forcefully by the shoulders; Kya was about to intervene until she saw the tears pouring out of the man's dark eyes. "I'm so glad you're alive! It's me…! Don't you remember?!" He shouted, sniffling heavily. When she didn't answer, he let out a grim laugh. "I guess not. I've lost some weight."

"Toto-san…?" The blue haired girl's voice wavered as she said those words, and her body began to quiver when he smiled. "That's right." He smiled through his tears and her hand shot up to her mouth. "Toto-san?" Luffy repeated loudly, earning a hit in the shoulder from the assassin. "Listen to me Vivi-chan! I believe in the king! He would never betray our country! Isn't that right?!" He suddenly fell to his knees in front of her. "The rebellion is absurd! Please! I beg of you, stop these fools! You're the only one who can do it!"

It was quiet, aside from Toto's sobbing and the wind, for a long moment until he spoke again. "It's only been three years. Who cares if it hasn't rained!? I believe in the king! A majority of the people still do. We've stopped them over and over and over again but you can't tell them anything…the rebellion will not be stopped. Their power will soon take over ours! They plan to end this with the next attack! They've caught up to us! They're prepared to die! Please, Vivi-chan! Stop those fools before it's too late!" Vivi's body shook as she looked at the crying old man. Her hand shot up, pulling her hood down and she grabbed a cloth from inside her coat. "Toto-san…" She said lightly, holding the white fabric in front of his face. "Vivi-chan…." He murmured, the tears finally stopping. "We can stop the rebellion!" She said with a small laugh, though surprisingly Luffy didn't say anything afterwards. "Yes….Thank you!" Kya closed her eyes after he took the item from the princess. "Thank you. Thank you all so much. I trust you have been taking care of the princess. There's a small inn right here, the door is not blocked and you will be able to get in. Although, there is another man in there; he seems like a nice fellow so I don't think you kids will have any problems with him." He blew his nose loudly.

"Ah, come on." Luffy declared, marching over to the pale white building. "Thank you, Toto-san!" Vivi smiled brightly as she followed the captain. "It's no problem at all! Make yourselves at home!" Kya opened her eyes when she felt something holding her leg tightly. "My legs are so tired. I can't feel them." Chopper muttered, making her laugh. "It's your first adventure, I'm surprised you're not dead yet." She said, scooping him up in her arms as everyone else went inside the building. "Dead?!" He repeated in a shriek and she nodded. "Aye. Usually by now we should have had at least four near death experiences."

As they walked into the seemingly abandoned building, there was no noise coming from any direction. "This is strange, usually someone would be yelling." She set the reindeer on the floor gently, and he stuck his nose in the air. "They're down this way; I can smell them and another person." He led her to the opening of a hallway on the far side of the room, where they saw the crew standing awkwardly. Nami was the first to hear them, she looked over at Kya with a angered look. "Kya….is there something you want to tell us?" She placed her hands on her hips as the others turned to face her also. "Tell you?" She repeated, joining them quickly, her heart stopping at the sight in front of her.

"Hello, Kya-chan."

Her fists clenched tightly; the room suddenly became tense for everyone. The man standing in front of her was taller than Zoro, his long pink hair was placed in a high pony tail, revealing the burn marks across the right side of his face. His golden, hawk-like eyes gazed into her crystal blue ones, and she swallowed deeply. "What are you doing here?" She managed to choke out as he removed the white robes from his muscular body. "Mah, mah. That's no way to treat your brother is it?" He fixed his grey t-shirt that stopped just below the waistline of his black jeans. "Since when did you have a brother?" Usopp asked dumbly, scratching his long nose. "I'll ask you one more time." She seethed, ignoring the sharpshooter. "What are you doing here?"

"Everyone should go get their beds ready." Luffy declared suddenly, opening the door to the room on his left. "I'm going to go talk to that old man." He gave the newcomer one last look over before exiting the hallway. Chopper tugged at her robe lightly, giving her a worried look before Zoro pulled him into the next room. She noticed that the swordsman didn't shut the door all the way; his robes could be seen through the crack as he leaned against the wall next to it.

"Ryuko-" He cut her off quickly. "I heard you were in the area, thought I'd stop by and give my little sister a nice hello." He smiled, leaning against the wall on his shoulder. "What the hell is your problem?! You were supposed to be dead!" She tried not to be loud but the anger swelling up inside her needed to get out. "I thought you've been dead for the past nine years; where have you been?" Her lip quivered slightly, but she fought back the tears. "You've been hard to find." He admitted sheepishly, giving her a small smile. "Bullshit." She brushed past him, walking into the crowded bedroom.

"We didn't know you had a brother!" Chopper said in astonishment, jumping down from the top bunk of one of the beds. "You also didn't tell us Mihawk was your uncle." Nami said suspiciously, crossing her arms over her chest. The assassin sighed, removing the robes from her body and putting them on a bed on the other side of the room. "It doesn't concern any of you." She said tiredly, sitting down on the mattress. "Well how-" Zoro cut the navigator off. "Nami. Drop it." He said lowly, removing himself from the wall as Ryuko walked in. "I'm sorry to have disturbed your peace. I hate to be such a bother, but do you mind if I travel with you for a while? I'm trying to get to Katorea to meet a friend." He said politely, placing his hands in his pockets. "We don't mind at all!" The orange haired girl shot a look at Kya before turning to Vivi. "Isn't that right Vivi?" The princess jumped a little in surprise. "A-Ah, we should really be asking Kya-san that….."

"Good work today guys!" Usopp suddenly shouted, clapping his hands to break the awkwardness. "Let's take a little rest and replenish our strength for tomorrow! Goodnight!" He quickly clambered into his bed, pulling the covers over his face. "You were sleeping the whole time!" Zoro shouted, tossing a pillow at his head. "Of course I was, you jerk! I was exhausted dammit! I'm not a monster like you guys!" The sharpshooter shouted back, tossing the pillow back and hitting him in the face. Kya smiled lightly as they got into a pillow fight with Chopper, then with Sanji who was laying in Vivi's bed, who ultimately got caught in the cross fire. "Ah, I wouldn't have thought you'd be on a pirate crew." Ryuko murmured, standing next to her bed. She pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly. "Why are you here? Are you working for them too?" She asked, looking him in his golden eyes. "I don't know who you're talking about exactly. But like I said, I caught wind of you here, so I came to find you." He looked at her sincerely, and she sighed. "I'm exhausted, we'll talk tomorrow." He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was expecting a big tear-jerking scene, you know?" He laughed lightly but stopped when he saw the pained look on her face. "But I guess you're not the same kid you used to be, huh?" He sighed, leaving her to her thoughts to go talk to Nami and Vivi.

"Jeesh, surrounded by idiots." Zoro rubbed his face as he took the spot where Ryuko was standing. "How do you feel about this princess?" He looked down at Kya, who had her face shoved into her knees. "I don't know." She groaned loudly. "He's supposed to be dead and now suddenly, when they find me again, he shows up claiming I was 'hard to track down'. Of course he's working with them, but I just…..I don't want him to be." She lifted her head up to look at him, a frown on her lips. "Ah, that's to be expected." He laid down on her bed, putting his feet behind her body and his arms under his head. "He's got those eyes, though. I can't even look at him without wanting to slice him up." He grumbled, closing his eyes. "I'm not going to try and talk to you because you'll fall asleep." She sighed and he snorted. "I'm not that bad." She rolled her eyes, turning her head to look at him. "Zoro." She said softly, and he opened an eye lazily. "I'm worried." She admitted, sitting cross legged now. "Worried about what exactly?" He questioned, a strange tone in his voice. "Everything." He scoffed at her answer, closing his eye again. "Baka, I won't let anything happened." She smiled lightly as he began to snore, shaking her head. "You're so stupid." She whispered, climbing to the top bunk and curling under the blankets where she quickly fell asleep also.

Everyone awoke early the next morning and headed outside to meet Toto. "Oh, I see you've become friendly with the young man from yesterday." He smiled at Ryuko, who stood close to Kya. "Ah, you could say that." He replied, giving him a warm smile. "I'm so happy you've met new friends. But Vivi-chan, I am sorry for acting so disgracefully." Toto bowed his head low to the blue haired girl, who waved her hands awkwardly. "No, don't worry. We're going now Toto-san." She said quietly and he nodded, reaching into his robes for something. "Yes, and Luffy-kun, please take this." He handed the captain a small barrel of water. "Wow! Water!" He shouted, his tongue lolling from his mouth. "Water?! You got some!?" Usopp was quick to be next to the boy, just in case any extra drops fell. "Right after you fell asleep digging last night, we made it to the water level. I managed to squeeze out the water and distill it." Toto explained lightly. "Wow, sounds difficult! Thanks, I'll drink it carefully!" Luffy declared, although everyone knew that was a lie. "Genuine Yuba water…..I'm sorry that's all I can give you."

After a heartfelt goodbye, the pirates began their trek through the desert again. "You seem to make friends wherever you go." Ryuko laughed casually, walking beside Nami, who was riding Eyelashes. "And trouble." She muttered, glaring off into the distance. "By the way." She looked back at Kya. "I'm surprised you never mentioned anything about your brother before." She tried bringing up the past again, but Kya wouldn't have it. "Just drop it already, would you? It's none of your business who my family is." She growled, turning back to Luffy. "You haven't dru-Luffy?" She stopped, looking at the Straw Hat boy, who was sitting up against a lonely and dead tree, his hands behind his head. "Hey! What are you doing?!" Nami shouted angrily, but was ignored as always. "What's wrong Luffy-san?" Vivi asked softly, and the boy let out a loud huff. "I quit."

"You 'quit'?" Kya repeated as they gathered around the stubborn boy. "What do you mean Luffy-san?" Vivi gasped, grabbing the front of her robe tightly. "We don't have time for you stupid games Luffy! Now get up!" Sanji shouted, attempting to kick the boy in the head had it not been for the assassin holding him back. "We're going back." Luffy declared lazily, staring up at the sun. "Yeah, we're using the road we took yesterday to go to Katorea to stop the rebellion." Sanji tried to explain to him. "If one million citizens of this country clash it'll be all over! This is for Vivi-chan! C'mon, let's go!" Still, the boy pursed his lips. "Booooring."

"What did you say!?"

Kya grabbed the fuming cook's arm, closing her eyes. "Sanji, just listen to what he has to say." She told him and he sighed in defeat. "Vivi." Luffy said suddenly, looking at the princess with a determined look. "What?" She bit her lip nervously, anticipating what he was going to say. "I want to beat the crap out of Crocodile!" He said loudly. "If we stop the guys who are rebelling, will we stop Crocodile? We can't do anything, even if we go to this place. We're pirates, you'd be better off without us."

"Sometimes he hits the bullseye without even thinking." Sanji gapped and Usopp nodded, sighing. "That's Luffy for you." Ryuko looked over at his sister, a confused look spreading over his pale face. "Crocodile? Isn't that one of the Shichibukai?" He asked and she nodded. "I'll explain on the way."

"You just don't want anyone to die in this war!" Luffy continued. "The people of your country, or us, or anyone! You're talking about a fight against one of the Shichibukai, in which over a million people will be in battle, and all you want is for no one to die! That's naïve." Kya was genuinely surprised by how accurate Luffy was; no matter how hard Vivi tried to protect everyone, death was inevitable in these situations. "Stop Luffy! Can't you think of Vivi's feelings-" Sanji put his arm in front of the orange haired girl. "Wait, Nami-san." She tried to argue, but Vivi began to yell at Luffy. "What's wrong with that?! What's wrong with not wanting people to die?!" Her body was shaking and her hood had flown of her head as her anger rose. "People die."

Everyone froze as her fist collided with his face. "Stop talking like that! Don't you dare say that again! That's what we're trying to stop! You can't blame the Rebels or the Army for this! Why should anyone die?! This is all Crocodile's fault!" He pushed himself back up to his feet, not bothering to wipe the blood off his mouth. "Then why are you risking your life?!" He returned a punch to her cheek, sending her to the ground.

"That's going too far Luffy!"

"Dammit Luffy!"

Kya grabbed the back of Sanji's and Usopp's robes to stop them from intervening. "Bakas; let them work it out." She scolded as the princess climbed on top of Luffy, hitting him as he spoke. "Even I can tell what this country needs the most just by looking at the situation! You think risking one life is enough?!" He shouted as she gave him one last punch to the face. "Then what am I supposed to risk?! There's nothing else I have to!" He sat up, grabbing her by the collar of her robes. "Why don't you try risking our lives too!? I thought we were friends?!" He screamed in her face and she clapped a hand to her mouth. "Look at you…" He muttered, releasing her so she could pull her hood over her face as she cried. "You're crying." Nami ran over to the younger girl, holding her close as she cried helplessly into her hands. "You're the one who wants to kill him the most!" He placed his hat back on his head, blood dripping from his nose onto the sand. "Tell me….Tell me where Crocodile is!"

"You overdid it just a little bit." Kya muttered, pulling the rubber boy to his feet. "Ah, I guess I did." He held his hand up to his nose, attempting to stop the blood flow. "But, this way we can save the country faster." She smiled, shaking her head lightly. "I suppose your right. But next time, let's not beat up a princess to prove or points, okay?" He gave her a thumbs up and a large smile. "Okay!"

"He wasn't the type of person I was expecting." Ryuko scratched his face as Luffy began arguing with Usopp over the water. "Ah, he's overly headstrong, but that's what makes him so good I guess." She answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Look, Kya-chan. I know you're upset with me, and I'm really, really sorry about the past few years. I should've looked harder for you, I know. But after the fire I got pretty messed up." He pointed to the scars on his face. "It took me a long time to recuperate, and by the time I got to be well, you had disappeared. I'm lucky to have even run into here; I didn't think you'd be running around Alabasta." She let out a distressed sigh as Vivi pulled herself together. "Look, Ryuko." The assassin said softly, looking her brother in the eye. "It's just hard to explain, everything that's happened over the past few years. We'll talk about this later, I promise."

"This is the oasis called Rainbase, which is where Crocodile is. It's straight north of Yuba." Vivi pointed to the spot marked 'Rainbase' on her map as everyone sat down on the hot sand around her. "It will take a whole day to walk there." Chopper, in his Walk Point form, gasped loudly. "Will there be water there?!" He nearly cried when she nodded. "Yes, it will be safe. It's a gambling town, separate from all the fighting." She explained, and Nami's eyes lit up. "Ooh, gambling?" She asked as her eyes turned to Beli. "What are you thinking?" Zoro grumbled, backing away from the parsimonious girl. "I guess there's towns like that even in Alabasta." Sanji lit his cigarette calmly as Luffy and Usopp started bickering loudly. "Gomu Gomu no way!" Luffy yelled, holding his water barrel closely. "Are they still at it?"

"All you have to do is give me one sip! He gave us that water to use!" Usopp had tears flowing from his eyes as he spoke, until he suddenly lunged at the captain. "You guys sure do argue a lot." Ryuko chuckled, holding his head in his hand. "Yeah, but we get along most days." Sanji breathed out his cigarette smoke. "Ah, by the way. You're really Kya-chan's brother?" He asked, looking at the girl on his left and back to the boy on his right. "I mean you two look alike, it's just you don't act anything like each other."

"Ah, it was way different when we were kids too." Ryuko rubbed the back of his head and chuckled to himself. "I used to get so annoyed with her talking; even our parents would get somewhat frustrated with her." Nami snorted loudly. "Ah, Kya-san, if you don't mind me asking, why are you so angry to see your brother?" Vivi asked sheepishly, folding up her map and putting it back in her robes. Kya looked at her brother, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm not angry." She said quietly, chewing the inside of her cheek. He took this as a sign to continue with an explanation. "Ah, she's just confused, and she gets frustrated when she's confused. About nine years ago, our village caught on fire and I'm guessing a majority of the people died, including our parents. I somehow managed to survive but not without these ugly scars. It's the first time we've seen each other since that day; it seems we've both changed a great deal."

Everyone, aside from Luffy and Usopp, were quiet, looking over at the assassin. "Kya-chan…" Sanji started, but she quickly stood to her feet. "We should probably get going if it will take a day to get there." She said calmly, brushing the sand off her backside as Nami went to break up the fight between the captain and sharpshooter. "So, you can really restrain yourself when you need to." She said, surprised. "Of course I can! How rude! How rude!" Luffy gaped at her, putting his hands on his hips as Usopp cried. "All right already, let's just go." Zoro grumbled, heading off in the wrong direction. "North is this way fool." Sanji called out, snickering as the others headed on forward. "Shut up." The swordsman ticked, stomping back over like a child throwing a tantrum. "It's alright; I have the directionality of a deaf bat." Ryuko laughed lightly, only to be glared at by the green haired man. "I'm getting a sense that you don't like me very much…." Zoro opened his mouth to say something, but Kya quickly cut him off. "Ryuko, I think Nami wanted to talk to you about something." She narrowed her eyes at the two boys, trying not to shiver at the fact the navigator had taken a fascination to her brother. "Aye."

"Zoro, don't start anything." She moved to walk next to him, glaring as she did so. "I'm not going to." He huffed, placing a hand lightly on his swords. "But you want to." He couldn't help but smirk at her know-it-all tone. "Of course, and so do you." His smile faded as she frowned. "I don't trust him. I get a weird feeling every time he looks at you; it's like he knows something." He admitted, and she sighed. "I know, but we have nothing to go on. It's him for sure; he even has the necklace I gave him when we were younger." She watched as her brother flirted with Nami; casting small glances back at the assassin. "How old is your brother, Kya-san?" Chopper asked, walking up beside her, Sanji on his other side. "He's five years older than me, so he's 23 now." His eyes sparkled brightly. "It must be nice to have siblings." She snorted. "You have no idea Chopper."

"I thought I told you two to stop doing that." Nami growled at Luffy and Usopp, who had been whining for the past few hours. "Shut up, you're riding on that camel!" Luffy retorted, pulling himself along with his stick. "Yeah! Let us ride too!" Usopp added, reaching out for nothing.

"Camel-woman."

"Nami-camel."

Kya chuckled as the navigator became flustered. "Shut up!" She cried, making everyone snicker, even Ryuko. "You aren't all wiped out today Chopper." Zoro noted, smiling down at the little reindeer walking in between the assassin and cook. "Nope, I'm sticking it out today." He chirped, and Sanji gave an approving laugh as he lit another cigarette. "I think the only people we need to worry about are those two up there." She pointed at the stick holders, sighing lightly. "Luffy-san." Vivi said suddenly, gaining his attention. "Thank you. I never could have made that decision without you." She admitted, bowing her head lightly. "Rewwy?" He turned back forward, his tongue hanging out of his mouth like a dog. "Then feed me." He demanded, and she raised her head quickly. "What?" He pulled himself along, panting. "Once I whoop Crocodile's ass, you gotta feed me till I explode." She thought about it for a moment before letting out a small laugh. "Okay, I promise!"

"Is that all you think about is food?" Zoro muttered from the back, but received no answer. "You know how he is; his stomach is a bottomless pit." Kya sighed, looking up in the sky. "The sun's setting, it'll get cold here soon." She frowned at the thought, pulling her robes closer around her face. "Why can't we ever go somewhere pleasant for once?" Chopper let out a sigh in agreement. "Don't worry Kya-chwan!~ I'll take you anywhere you want!~Just the two of us!~" Sanji cooed, his eye turning into hearts again. "That's alright Sanji; I'm sure once this is all over we will land somewhere nice." Zoro scoffed at the idea. "Knowing our luck, it'll be some shit island full of cannibals or something." He muttered, putting his hands in his pockets. "You don't have to be such a killjoy." She punched him in the arm. "You're one to talk!"

"Don't speak to my Kya-chwan like that!"

"Did you say something shit cook?"

"That does it!"

She managed to dodge Sanji's kick and Zoro's swords as they clashed together. "I'll slice your legs off!" Zoro shouted, pushing the blonde away from him. "It'll be worth it if I can protect my sweet Kya-chwan!" The cook yelled back, stomping his cigarette butt out in the sand. "I didn't even do anything to her!" She sighed, walking away with Chopper by her side. "We should just leave them here." She mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself as the sun fell. "I agree; it would be a lot quieter." The reindeer said before letting out a short laugh. "Maybe they're just trying to hide that they really care for each other. She snickered at the thought, looking back at the two bickering men. "I will never understand a man's ego."

They marched on through the night and into the early morning when they finally reached Rainbase; a bustling and lively city in the middle of the glowing sand. "Yes! Crocodile your ass is grass!" Luffy cried out, his fists thrown up in the air. "What's with the mood swings lately?" Kya deadpanned, making Ryuko, who was walking next to her, laugh lightly. "Shut up already." Zoro grumbled as Usopp and Chopper jumped up in the air. "Wadddahhh!"

"Oh, Usopp. How is it coming along? Did you finish?" Nami asked, making everyone raise an eyebrow. "It?" Sanji repeated, his cigarette hanging idly out of his mouth. "Yeah…I finished it." The sharpshooter replied, digging through his bag. He pulled out six metal pipes, each a different length and size. "Look! This is your new weapon! 'Climatact'!" He said proudly, handing it to her. "Climatact?" She repeated, looking at the items strangely. "I wish I could fight like you all." Ryuko admitted embarrassingly as Usopp explained the climatact. "You don't know how to fight?" Zoro questioned, furrowing his eyebrows at the pink haired man. "Not at all."

"Hey, don't give Nami-san any dangerous weapons Usopp! Nami-san, Vivi-chan and Kya-chwan don't need to fight cause I'll protect them! Just call me Prince!" Sanji laughed to himself, not even facing the group. "Prince." Zoro said sarcastically, ticking the blonde off yet again. "Shut the hell up dammit!" The swordsman ignored him, turning to Vivi. "Hey, do you think Baroque Works knows we're in this country?" She nodded, furrowing her eyebrows in thought. "We met Mr. 2 and we know Mr. 3 is here…So I think we should assume they know we're here." She explained and Luffy frowned. "So what?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "They know our faces, so no random actions." Usopp informed him. "How come?!"

"We have no idea where the Baroque Work's fighters could be hiding. There's no way we can get to Crocodile if we're caught first." The long nosed man slapped his fist in the palm of his hand. "Assassination is their specialty…" Kya added, but of course Luffy wasn't paying attention. "Okay! Crocodile your ass is grass!" He declared yet again, only to be hit in the head by Usopp. "Were you even listening to me?!" He was about to him again when Vivi interrupted. "But Usopp-san, I-I agree with Luffy-san! Everything is about to happen now; we don't have time to think." She admitted, and his heart seemed to fall out of his mouth. "Usopp, are you scared?" Nami asked, making Ryuko snicker. "I know I'm not!" Chopper shouted, though his long legs were shaking slightly. "Shut up…."

They walked into the large town, avoided being trampled by the citizens, and gathered around a less populated area. "Now, since Luffy refuses to share his water, we need some more." Vivi started slowly, instantly regretting what she said. "Yosh! I will get the water for you!" The captain declared, thrusting his fist in the air. "I'll go with you!" Usopp threw his arm around Luffy's shoulder and Luffy did the same to him. "Going to gather the waaaater~! Going to gather the waaaater~!" The sang, dancing off into the crowd. "They'll be fine." Nami placed a reassuring hand on the princess' shoulder. "It's just getting water."

"Ah, hopefully they don't cause a riot this time." Kya muttered, pulling herself on top of the fence they were next to, Eyelashes laying down under her feet. "I wouldn't be surprised if they did. I've only known them for two days, but it seems they cause trouble wherever you go." Ryuko laughed to himself, leaning against the fence next to his sister. "Tell me about it." Nami groaned, sitting down against it along with Vivi. "You guys worry too much." Zoro yawned lazily, sitting down next to Eyelashes and hitting him with a stick. "You just worry too little, Bushido-san." Vivi deadpanned.

After ten minutes of the boys not returning, the majority of the crew was starting to get a little worried. "I'm going to go take a whiz." Chopper informed them, yawning as he walked off to who-knows-where. "Should we really have let them do that?" Sanji asked, staring off into the distance for the two. "It's only an errand, they can do it." Nami sighed helplessly; she was really itching to go and win some Beli. "I wonder…you don't think they'll come back with trouble do you?" Eyelashes snatched the stick from Zoro's hand angrily. "Maybe we should be prepared for that." He put his arms behind his head boredly. "I think you're the one who worries the most…." Kya snickered, brushing the deadly glare she was receiving off.

"Hey, I see th-Crap! The Marines are chasing them!" Sanji deadpanned at the two idiots running at full speed towards them. "Are you kidding?! Why are they running over here?!" Nami screamed as everyone stood to their feet. "Those damn idiots; always starting shit." Kya groaned, cracking her wrists. "Wait! Tony-kun isn't back yet!" Vivi cried, noticing the missing reindeer. "Leave him, he'll be fine!" Zoro said as they took off, the Marines trailing closely behind them. "Hey guys! The Marines are coming!" Luffy informed, just a tad too late. "You brought them over here!"

"Ah, it's Smoker again. He's followed us here." Kya grunted as they ran through the crowded main area of the city. "These aren't good people running around! This will help Baroque Works spot us!" Sanji cried, pushing a flamboyantly dressed man out of his way. "I think it's too late." Zoro muttered, and she noted the men sitting around, staring at them then back to the papers they were holding. "Dammit, things just got a lot more complicated."

"Let's go then!" Luffy suddenly declared, a smile spreading on his face. "To where Crocodile is Vivi!" The princess looked at him for a moment, before turning back forward and pointing at the building in front of her. "Over there! Can you see the building with the crocodile on top? That's the casino Crocodile owns; Rain Dinners!" She explained and everyone nodded. "We should scatter." Sanji said and Kya nodded, grabbing her brother by the wrist. "Don't wander off!"

She followed Zoro and Vivi through a few bustling streets before they were surrounded by Marines. "Vivi, you and Ryuko go on ahead." The swordsman said, drawing his swords and quickly clearing a pathway. "Be careful, Bushido-san, Kya-san!" The princess called, running off with Ryuko at her side. "Do you think they'll be okay?" Kya asked the green haired man beside her as she kicked a few Marines away. "I'm sure they'll make it there safely." He smirked, defeating the lone swordsman who challenged him. "He wasn't good enough, try again."

Suddenly, what seemed like out of nowhere, the dark haired girl with glasses from Loguetown appeared in the middle of the Marine soldiers. "Not her…" He froze, his eyes becoming wide. "Roronoa Zoro!" She called out angrily, her forehead crinkling in anger. "So we meet again!" Kya ignored their bickerings and instead tried to find a path out of the entrapment. 'How are we always getting caught in something like this?!' She thought desperately looking around. "Found it!" She smiled, spotting an opening from the direction they came from. "Come on Zoro!" She grabbed his robes, pulling him behind her. "Hey! Wait!"

"Why is she so annoying?!" He groaned, clenching his fist tightly. "Why do you have such a deep hatred for her?" She asked as they ran alongside each other, dodging the pedestrians. "It's nothing, forget about it." He said quickly, making her snort. "Whatever you say."

They arrived back in front of Crocodile's casino, where they spotted Nami and Usopp being gunned down. "Can't they fight back for once?" The assassin muttered as she and Zoro kicked the Baroque Works' members down and out for the count. "Zoro! Kya!" Nami cried, relieved, but soon became worried. "Weren't Vivi and Ryuko with you?" She looked around frantically for the two. "Yeah, we let them go on ahead. Are they not here yet?" He answered, panting lightly. "Maybe they went inside." Kya suggested, and the others nodded. "Then we have to hurry-" A loud cry cut the orange haired girl off, and they group turned to see Luffy running, waving his arms frantically as Smoker chased him. "Moku Moku's chasing me!" He cried loudly.

"Let's go everybody! Run inside, run!"

Thank you everyone for not hating me. 3