Chimera Luffy

by mellra

What if Luffy ate a different Devil's Fruit as a child? Not just any fruit, but the most powerful of the Zoan fruits, the Chimera-Chimera Fruit. It is a legendary Zoan fruit that allows the user to take on the forms of any Zoan fruit users, as well a true form as the mythical chimera. How will this change the course of the One Piece world? Pairing most likely Luffy/Boa Hancock, but

15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Original content owned by RoseDragonWitch and the creators of One Piece, everything else belongs to me.

AN: Due to the violence in this and future chapters, I've decided to move the rating up to T. Please don't hate me for it!

Chapter 15

The Straw Hats were fleeing fast, still running through the mostly deserted streets of Rainbase.

Suddenly Usopp was yelling at the others. "Hey!" he yelled. "Please tell me you guys aren't thinking of running all the way to Alubarna?!"

"We've got Luffy and Chopper!" Nami reminded him before she seemed to realize that Luffy was still in his human form. "Why aren't you a camel yet? For that matter, where do we find Chopper?!"

"Are you crazy?!" Luffy yelled back to Nami. "I can't fight Crocodile while carrying you! Anyway, I don't have a form that's big enough and fast enough to carry us all to Alubarna in time! Hey, doesn't this town have stables? Let's get some horses!"

"But the whole town is crawling with marines!" Vivi reminded him.

"Not to worry!" Sanji yelled with a smile, "Look up ahead!"

And they saw it. Chopper was on the back of the largest crab any of them had ever seen, big enough for all of them to ride. His face was grinning happily, with rope attached to either side of its mouth as it moved sideways, heading straight towards them.

"Hey you guys!" Chopper yelled, waving when he saw them. "HOP ON!"

Usopp screamed, his eyes bugging out so that he looked like the crab. "A CRAB?!"

"Chopper!" Nami yelled in shock as Vivi gasped in amazement at the 'Moving Crab' she called it. But Luffy was actually drooling when he saw it—obviously thinking one thing until Chopper called out that he was going to give them a ride.

"We get to ride it!?" Luffy cried happily as Chopper explained that he'd found the crab, named Scissors, and he was willing to give them a ride. Though he neglected to mention that he'd promised the desert crustacean the chance to meet two female 'incentives' to get him to help.

"I can't believe you found one!" Vivi said as Scissors used his claw to raise them off the ground and onto his back, "Moving crabs are always submerged under the sand so it's nearly impossible to spot one!"

"Judging by its size, I'm guessing that this guy can move pretty fast," Zoro said as he looked at it in interest, his sword over his shoulder.

"Alright!" Chopper declared, Luffy hanging onto the crab's eye as he shook out the reins and they started moving off at an incredible speed.

But just as they were gaining speed, really starting to enjoy the ride they heard Vivi screaming in terror behind them. Startled, they all turned around to see, to their horror, that Crocodile's hook had hooked her around the waist and was pulling her backwards, away from them.

The Straw Hats were as freaked out as they were and Zoro screamed at Chopper to stop the crab, which he did so suddenly that they were almost flung off.

But as Luffy steadied himself he glared out into the distance. "It's him!" he yelled as he sprinted over to the hook on the legs of a cheetah.

Luffy had grabbed hold of Vivi in the meantime, and he then switched places with her. Holding onto the hook, he freed her and threw her back towards the rest of the group. But there wasn't enough time for him to let go as he was dragged back.

"Hey! Luffy!" Zoro yelled after he caught Vivi.

"That idiot!" Sanji added furiously.

"Luffy, no!" Vivi screamed in terror as they watched Luffy being pulled back.

But Luffy was grinning back, as if he had this all planned out. Hanging upside down, staring back at them with his arm still hooked, he called, "You guys go on ahead! Don't worry about me!"

He landed rather anti-climactically near Crocodile's feet. Luffy was still upside down, on his head with his feet dangling out as he called back to the others, "Make sure you deliver Vivi home safe and sound! You have to promise me!"

None of the past Straw Hats looked the least bit happy as they stared at him. He knew that each of them was struggling within themselves to do it. Follow their captain's orders and to leave without him, or to take him with them and risk all getting killed by Crocodile.

"Good luck you guys," Luffy stated softly, but somehow knew that they could hear him. Zoro had a rather rough smile plastered on his face… as if he was fighting hard not to be sick with himself. But he nodded in understanding and acceptance as he ordered Chopper to just keep going to Alubarna. Chopper ordered Scissors to keep going, but looked ready to cry.

The Moving Crab was almost out of their sights, and he could vaguely hear some of the Straw Hats arguing with each other. Some of them wanted to go back for Luffy, while others insisted that they should just keep going.

But then, just before they were out of earshot, Vivi's voice called out: "LUFFY! LISTEN! WE'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU! WE'LL BE IN ALUBARNA!"

Luffy still lay on his head as both Crocodile and Miss All-Sunday stood behind him, watching them leave with unreadable expressions on their faces.

All-Sunday spoke up. "You could say that Princess Vivi slip through our fingers."

But Crocodile didn't seem too upset by it. "No matter," he said causally. "The agents are still scheduled to gather in Alubarna. Contact them at once."

Crocodile looked down his nose at Luffy. "Straw Hat, I'd say you've taken this nonsense a little too far."

Luffy, whose face had turned hard and serious, finally flipped himself upright and began to pull off the blue scarf that was wrapped around his head and hat.

"Nonsense?" he repeated softly, "Vivi doesn't see it that way. You see unlike most people, she generally cares about others."

Crocodile kept looking at Luffy in a bored way as he finished dusting off all the sand from his clothes. "I guess deep down she's an optimist," Luffy went on, "even if it's not too realistic. Take this revolt for example, she believes that nobody needs to die."

"Nobody needs to die?" Crocodile repeated with a smirk, highly amused at that. "The problem with idealist fools like Princess Vivi is they take a stand without any comprehension of what is truly involved in a real fight. Wouldn't you agree?"

Luffy seemed to agree with him. "Yep," he answered as he stood up. "But that doesn't change the fact that as long as you're around, Vivi's gonna fight until she either wins or dies trying! So I figure…" his eyes turned dangerous as he stared him down, "I'LL TAKE YOU DOWN RIGHT HERE!"

But Crocodile merely chuckled at that. "Such a foolish boy," he said casually. "Despite what the idealists cry about, there's one constant truth. On the rough battlegrounds of life, you either kill or die. That's why I'm more than happy to shoot a bullet through every bleeding heart I meet."

Luffy finished dusting himself off as he cracked his knuckles together. "Yeah," he said, "which proves you're the bigger fool."

Crocodile's eyes turned dangerous and he bit down on his cigar so hard that it broke apart. All-Sunday however was chuckling to herself at Luffy's words, holding her fingers up to her mouth as she tried to fight the urge to laugh out loud.

Crocodile glared at All-Sunday out of the corner of his eyes, seeing her laughing. "You think something's funny?" he growled at her, as if daring her to answer. "Perhaps you'll like to die as well… Nico Robin?"

"If you wanna try, go right ahead," Robin said calmly, as if she couldn't care less with what he said. She turned away, still smiling before she asked as she walked away, "And didn't you promise that you'd never call me by that name?"

"Where are you going?" Crocodile demanded as they watched her retreating back.

"I headed to Alubarna," she called back without stopping or even looking back at them, "See you there!"

"Cursed woman I'll never figure her out," he heard Crocodile mutter to himself as he reached into his coat and pulled out a small hourglass. He threw it to Luffy's feet and the sand inside it began to fall. "I got three minutes to spare," he informed him as they looked to the hourglass. "After that, I'm certain you'll time will have run out as well."

The two faced off, the wind blowing around them so that their clothes rustled a little from the breeze. The air was so tense between the two they could almost feel it in the air around them. At long last, Crocodile spoke.

"Your three minutes are counting down," he informed Luffy. "I don't have any more time to waste on you." After another brief pause, Crocodile seemed to grow bored as he held up his hook and taunted him by saying, "It's your move kid."

"With pleasure," Luffy said as he cracked his fingers. He then disappeared from view and reappeared behind Crocodile in his cheetah hybrid form with his claws on display. "Rapid Cheetah Swipe!"

And with his claws moving in a blur of motion he went out to hit him—but even though he hit him full on, it went right through the Warlord when he turned into sand. This caught Luffy off guard as he stumbled a bit from the lack of resistance. This nearly cost him.

Luffy just barely dodge as Crocodile flew at him and tried to stick his hook into his head. Luffy was forced to bend back and do a handstand as he used his clawed foot to try and kick him there. But once again, his attack did no damage as he dissolved into sand.

In frustration, Luffy brought his foot back, and the impact knocking him to the ground and his robe was discarded as he caught his breath.

"By now it should be quite obvious," Crocodile stated just then and his body was pulling back together as Luffy got back up from the ground, "But I'll warn you. You cannot beat me!" Luffy was grinding his fangs together as he glared at him and Crocodile finished, "This is a lesson in futility!"

Naturally, Luffy didn't seem to care as he turned to face him. Thinking that if speed didn't work he'd go for power. Turning large, grey, and with tusks coming out of his mouth, the nearly 20 foot tall elephant hybrid brought both his boulder sized fists together and brought them down on Crocodile's head with a trumpet of "Elephant Double Hammer!"

This attack that could easily smash through solid steel, it went right through Crocodile as if he were made of air as the ground underneath him formed a large crater.

Luffy kept throwing punches that sent shockwaves through the desert until he had run out of breath and struggled for air as Crocodile reformed once again, smiling smugly at him as if he had just proven a point.

"Listen to my warning and take heed," Crocodile said, eyes closed, still smiling, "If you continue with this senseless attack… you will have accomplish nothing."

Luffy, quickly turning into his Minotaur form, charged off once again, positioning his horns to pierce the Warlord. Even as he hit him with such a powerful attack, and sand came bursting from Crocodile's back—still unaffected as he merely looked on with a rather blank expression—as if this wasn't worth his time.

Now getting desperate, Luffy suddenly leapt up and when he came back down again, a blue whale wearing a straw hat crashed down on the desert sand. The dust was so thick after the attack that there was zero visibility for a moment. When it cleared, there was no signs of Crocodile and Luffy was breathing hard back in human form—stomping furiously in the sand as he screamed out, "Darn you, you lousy, old, stupid sand gator!"

Crocodile reformed behind Luffy this time.

"You're wasting your time, boy," he said in that same bored tone and Luffy was becoming more angry with every passing second.

"You jerk!" he cried out, spinning around to face him.

"No matter how hard you fight against the truth, there's no way that a zoo reject like you could even hope to rival me," Crocodile said just as Luffy lost it and punched his mouth, getting rid of part of his face before he yelled out, taking several breaths, "I'm sorry! My fist interrupted you! Now what was that!?"

Crocodile's calm expression faded at that. He had been unruffled and collected the whole time they had fought up till now, but now he seemed to be close to losing his patience completely as he held up his gold hook.

"I've had my fill of your pathetic fun and games!" he yelled, no longer playing around, "Let's end this now!"

"Fun and games?" Luffy repeated angrily as he wiped some of the sweat from his face, "Trust me I'm dead serious, jerk!" but then he then added to himself, "Dang he's right though. He's got an answer for all my attacks. What do I do now?"

"We may both be pirates!" Crocodile yelled as his right hand began to turn into a blade of sand. "But you fall grossly short on skill!" he then brought his hand down and cried out his attack: "Desert SPADA!"

And with from his hand came of fast-moving sand and then stabs it into the ground, extending it along the ground like a torpedo, splitting anything in its path, including the very ground itself. This wave of sand headed right for him, Luffy didn't think of moving until the wave hit a rock that was directly in its pathway and it was split right in half.

Luffy to move for he stepped out of the way just in time. But when the dust cleared he gasped at the deep ravine that had been formed from that attack.

Crocodile then surprised him by giving Luffy a compliment as he turned his hand back to normal. "Nice reflexes, boy. A full on hit from that attack would've killed you."

Luffy looked down the chasm that Crocodile created with a shocked expression.

"What the…? That's one deep hole!" he.

"You may have Devil Fruit powers," Crocodile went on as he held up his hand, his fingertips halfway to sand, and was being blown in the wind. "But you lack discipline and training. With that your skills could be as formidable as any! But you're not there yet! Like so many fools you waste time obsessing over your abilities! Gimmicks get only you so far in a fight, without the skillset to back it up!"

Crocodile cried out, "Desert GIRASOLE!"

And here, Crocodile created another lose sand blade from his hand. But this time, when he stabbed it into the ground this time, the area in front of him started to collapse. In its place was a giant pit where the sand was being sucked down like it was going down the drain. Luffy stared at him in confusion before he realized that he was being pulled right into the hole as well.

Luffy was already running as hard and as fast as he could to get himself out of the pit, turning his legs into multiple animal ones, but so far it wasn't doing him any good, he wasn't even going anywhere. He was yelling in panic, not getting what was going on as Crocodile watched in pleasure.

"What's wrong? Never heard of quicksand?" Crocodile called as Luffy kept running. Every few steps that he took he was being dragged back, at this rate he'd never get out. "It makes for a convenient desert burial when you need to get rid of someone in a hurry. The sand is drawn down into underground waterways and I have the good fortune of being able to detect exactly where they are! That advantage alone is enough to make me unbeatable when fighting in the desert!"

"If you think I'm going to let myself be buried alive in this sand trap you've got another thing coming!" Luffy yelled as his eyes widen with inspiration and he turned his arms into a hawk's wings to fly himself right out of the trap.

Luffy shot up into the air and made a beeline straight for the Warlord. With some quick maneuvering, his arms went back into their human form before they became insect like and multiplied by three, giving himself eight spider legs. "If I can't slug you," he cried as spider webs began to lace through is arms, "then maybe I can catch you instead!"

And as he threw the makeshift net to trap him, it was the same as before—Crocodile used a wave of sand to block the net. "Haven't you learned anything, moron?" he demanded, now sounding deeply annoyed, "Predictable…"

"SHUT UP!" Luffy yelled, trying to use his Chimera form to try and rip him in half, but it was now getting desperate.

Crocodile said that this was now getting old as he pulled his two halves back together. Suddenly, his powers worked like quicksand once again, and pulled Luffy in towards him.

"Let me go!" Luffy cried as he tried to pull his reptilian arm free, "I'm warning you!"

Crocodile swung his right arm forward while leaving a crescent shaped trail of sand behind it.

"Crescent CUTLASS!" he cried and slashed at Luffy's arm. Luffy then screamed in pain as he grabbed his arm and jumped away so that he landed hard on his back.

His entire right arm to his elbow had been dried up… mummified.

Luffy was staring at his shriveled up arm, unable to believe what he was seeing. "What did you do?" he demanded from where he lay, "It's all shriveled up! Like a mummy! You turned my arm into a mummy!"

"Stop whining," Crocodile called to him dully, "This is the price you pay! The sand has absorbed all the moisture from your arm. You're lucky all I decided to attack was your arm. I can do this all day long until you're a pile of dust."

Luffy was slowly sitting up as he gasped for more air. "You've got to be kidding me," he said before his eyes lit up as if he had a sudden idea. Before you could blink, he suddenly ran towards the robe that he threw off when he started fighting Crocodile. Throwing it aside, he found what he was looking for… the little water barrel that Toto gave him from Yuba.

And like that, once Luffy drank from it, the much needed water flowed into his arm and it was returned to normal. Crocodile still looked bored and let him know that he thought it was all in vain.

"You're wrong, sandy!" Luffy yelled and raised the water up for him to see. "You see that old guy in Yuba gave me this barrel of water, he spent all night digging it up just for me! He's not scared and neither am I!" he got back to his goat like feet, having found his second wind. "I'm not about to give in to the sand… without a fight!" and he charged towards Crocodile again. "Chimera…"

"This is getting ridiculous," Crocodile asked, slightly annoyed, standing still for another punch or kick… but Luffy did something different.

"Fire Blitz!" Luffy cried as he stretched out his mouth wide enough and sent a stream of white-hot flame that incinerated half of Crocodile's body.

When the flames ended, half of Crocodile looked smooth and transparent, having become glass. Just as Luffy was about to celebrate, however, he noticed that the sand under him was starting to be drawn towards the seemingly dead pirate. The glass portion of him suddenly shattered, and a sandy outline suddenly formed out of his waist until it formed into an unhurt Crocodile, but he looked mad (1).

"Enough! This ends now!" Crocodile screamed in rage and Luffy was thrown back onto the ground, coughing up the sand that he swallowed from the impact.

Crocodile was glaring at him, the redness in his eyes standing out—truly looking put out at being humiliated here. "Vermin," he snarled, "It is time to die. Both you and the accuse land of Yuba!"

Luffy was still spitting out sand as Crocodile looked to the hourglass to see that the sand had run its course.

"Your three minutes are up," he said, "Like I said at the start. I don't have time to fool around with you any longer." And then, it was here that he created another sandstorm with his right hand—one so big that Luffy was forced to cover his face as he tried to force himself to stand tall.

Crocodile was standing there with his eyes closed for a moment, as if he was merely enjoying a soft breeze from the ocean. "Ah… the sand's so soothing and dry," he said to himself before he looked to Luffy and asked, "Listen carefully. Can you hear it move? In this land the prevailing wind always blow from north to south! And so, if this infantile sandstorm of mine were to say catch one of these winds, it would grow until it became a monster. And following its path south, were do you think it would strike?"

Luffy demanded to know where.

Crocodile grinned. "In Yuba," he answered.

Luffy's eyes were wide with realization and anger. "NO! NOT THERE!" he screamed over the sandstorm and grabbed him by his coat. "DARN IT WHY THE HECK ARE YOU DOING THIS? STOP IT!"

But Crocodile ignored Luffy's demands as he looked to the storm with a fondness, as if he were a proud parent. "Look," he said smugly, "it's started. It's headed south."

"THAT NICE OLD MAN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS YOU HEAR ME!" Luffy yelled as he let go of him and actually went running to try and stop the storm. "STOP IT OR I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU, YOU CREEP!"

Luffy was thrown backwards, practically spinning through the air and landing back in the sand as the wind picked up speed.

"You cannot alter fate," Crocodile advised as he looked back to the storm. "That sandstorm is gonna pick up strength. And eventually it'll become strong enough, that even I can't stop it."

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! LIAR!" Luffy screamed at the Warlord.

"Yuba is finished," Crocodile said with a serene smile as he shut his eyes, as if he was enjoying the moment.

In a fit of rage, Luffy charged up to him and grabbed him by the coat again. "IF YOU DON'T END IT, I WILL!" he screamed as flames licked his fanged maw but then he stopped dead, his threat dying on his mouth as his eyes widen, staring ahead of him as if in shock.

Luffy still didn't speak as his hands slowly fell to his side as his form slowly shrunk down to his human form… and looking down you could see why. Luffy was so distracted that he didn't notice that he had gotten too close… Crocodile's hook had struck him in the stomach; the entire hook had gone through his body as if he was made of butter, and was now sticking out of his back.

A single trail of blood dripped from Luffy's mouth as he fell forward on Crocodile's arm, limp as a rag doll.

Crocodile was holding Luffy off the ground so that his full weight was on the hook. He was hanging there limply, blood now flooding from his body and dripping into a pool on the ground. Blood poured from his mouth and nose, dripping all over.

"Did you really think you were my equal?" Crocodile asked him softly as the steady dripping of the blood from his hook was Luffy's only response. "There have been many number of rookies like you who challenged me. And you've all shared a common trait… fatal ineptitude. In the end, the only thing you are truly qualified for… is death.

"This sandstorm will deal Yuba a final destructive blow," Crocodile told Luffy as he held him up a little higher, Luffy's eyes were now completely empty, his mouth wide open and he was no longer breathing. "Adding the flames of anger within the rebel army until an inferno ignites. But in the end, the bleeding hearts which infest this land will be what kills it."

He smiled fondly at his plan as he shook his arm out so that Luffy's limp body was forced to move back so that they could all see his face more clearly. "If only you had purged yourself of such weakness you may have lived a little longer," Crocodile said almost sympathetically. But despite all the bragging, he almost failed to notice the destroyed water barrel that his hook also pierced when he rammed his hook into Luffy's body.

"Water?" Crocodile questioned absent-mindedly before he smirked. "I assume that you don't feel so indebted to this water now?"

But then Crocodile received the shock of his life as Luffy's hand suddenly flew up and grabbed hold of his arm. Crocodile took a step backwards at that and suddenly he yelled out. The water from Luffy's wet hand was allowing him to touch his arm…

Perhaps Luffy realized this as well, for suddenly he was starting to move again, struggling for air as he tried to breathe—choking and coughing up even more blood.

Crocodile was staring at him in complete shock, maybe even a little fear. "What's this? You're still alive!?" he cried out before he angrily threw him from his hook into the quicksand so that he rolled down to near the bottom.

Luffy suddenly turned over and was now screaming in anguish as he held onto the bleeding hole and blood was bubbling up, seeping everywhere. Luffy was struggling for breath as he writhed around in pain, the sand now starting to cause him to sink—and with no way to pull himself out of it this time.

"That looks like it hurts," Crocodile observed smugly. "But you'll be out of your misery soon enough."

Luffy must've comprehended that he was sinking and was trying to thrash around to get out. His vision was fading in and out, sometimes blurry and others clearer… but it was steadily growing darker by the second and Luffy just couldn't seem to will himself to move.

As he looked up he could still make out Crocodile's form standing there—Luffy raised his hand, as if he was trying to reach for one last attack on Crocodile as he turned and disappeared as the rays of sun stared going down.

"Goodbye," the dying boy heard his slimy voice say as Luffy tried one last time to give chase, but it was no use. The sand was drawing him in very slowly…

The sound of the sandstorm slowly faded away as it headed south, and the sunlight disappeared as the darkness set in. Luffy's breathing was now a deep rasping gasp and his vision was so bad that they could only just make out shapes and shadows around them as he continued sinking deeper.

Only Luffy's head was still above the sand and he was still struggling to pull himself out.

Just then, Luffy spoke… with his last breath, he called out at the top of his lungs just before his head disappeared beneath the sand…

"MMMMMMMEEEEEEEAAAAAAATTTTTTT!"

But then the sand piled on top of him and he could see nothing but darkness.

Suddenly, he could hear the sounds of crunching sand… someone was here. And then the next second, he was back in the open air, Luffy was being lifted out of the sand by arms. Standing above him, Nico Robin looked down at Luffy's bleeding form with curiosity. Luffy was a real mess… he was still breathing hard and he was now drenched in his own blood.

Luffy opened his bloodshot eyes and turned his head painfully towards Robin and croaked out, "Th… thank… you…"

Robin didn't say anything for a moment before she finally asked, "Why do you fight?"

Luffy was surprised by this as he gave her a look of confusion. She must've understood the unasked question because she added, "Those of you with the name of D?"

"D?" Luffy repeated with a choke, clearly not understanding what she was talking about. She didn't seem surprised at that as she continued looking at him… merely dissatisfied as she sighed.

"Apparently you don't have a clue what I'm talking about," she said, the disappointment in her voice clear as she looked away were another of her hands had appeared, pulling out the straw hat and threw it towards her like a Frisbee, which she caught.

But as she looked at it, an angry voice called out behind them, "I've found you!"

With the little strength he had, Luffy turned in time to see a pale-looking man using a sword as a crutch for him to walk. He was a rather tall man with purple lines under each eye that ran down the sides of his face, making him look a little like a falcon. He was dressed in a long, white robe with star-like motifs. He looked to be almost a big a mess as Luffy was… like he just fought for his life out of a heavy battle… he barely seemed able to walk.

"Where is Vivi!?" the man, named Pell the Falcon and one of the king's royal guards, demanded, glaring at Robin.

She politely fanned herself with the straw hat and asked, "My, awake already?"

Pell called out, "Now that I've studied your ability, this won't turn out like last time!" he looked ready to draw his sword and fight her right then and there. But she didn't seem concerned as she causally tossed Luffy's hat so that it fluttered on top of his chest.

"Be careful Pell," she warned, "You don't want to push yourself."

Pell still tried to make his way towards her, wanting to fight but he was in bad shape and shouldn't even had been walking, let alone fighting. Robin turned away and they were startled to see a strange alligator in the sand waiting for her. They were all suddenly reminded of when she left the Merry the first time on the back of that giant turtle.

As she headed to it, she called back causally, "Perfect timing. Why don't you can save the boy before he dies?"

Pell looked over to spot Luffy laying there, his blood now soaking the sand around him.

"After all, he is the brave knight who brought your precious princess back alive," Robin informed him.

Pell was looking at Luffy in surprise as Robin went on, "It must please you to know Vivi's safe. That even as we speak she's on her way towards Alubarna." She stepped onto the ladder to the desert croc as she finished, "Though it's a long trip and anything could happen. Guess the situation is what it is."

Pell was growling furiously as she took her seat and the gator let at an amazing speed, just as fast as the Moving Crab had moved as Pell fell to his knees, unable to stand up any longer. They could all tell that even a short walk was painful for him in the shape he was in. But Luffy suddenly dragged himself over to him, with Luffy ignored his own injury as he grabbed Pell's sleeve, who looked back in surprise.

As he tried to pull his arm free, Luffy looked up and gasped out, "Meat!"

Luffy kept coughing up blood, and Pell realizing the full extent of his injuries.

"Hey, kid," he asked in concern, "Are you alright?"

"Need meat," was all he answered him, "Meat…"

"Meat?" Pell repeated in bafflement. "You don't need food now!" Pell went on, "That's the least of your worries!" he got back up and staggered a few feet away in the direction of the city, "Hang on… I'll get a doctor for you."

But Luffy hadn't let go of his sleeve and it wasn't until Pell was a good ten feet away before he realized it. He looked back and seemed startled at his stretched out arm, as Luffy spoke into the sand, "I'm gonna make sure that Crocodile pays for this!"

Pell stared at him, his eyes widening at Crocodile's name as Luffy croaked out, "He insulted… Vivi… and that old man with the shovel who gave me water!" he gave a shuddering gasp, "He's definitely gonna pay!"

Pell seemed at a loss for words before he slowly limped back to him as Luffy still muttered about meat.

Later, Luffy was in the air…

Luffy looked ten times better than before as he flew in his hawk form. Though still a mess and had a thick bandage wrapped around the wound, he was looking like he was ready to go another round with anybody.

He had tied a large barrel and hose around him so that he was able to carry it on his back and apparently having a long talk with Pell who flew alongside him. The man himself had eaten a Zoan Devil Fruit that allowed him to take the form of a falcon.

"So what is your connection to that woman?" Pell asked.

"What woman? You mean the one who dug me out of the sand?" Luffy asked him.

"Yes," Pell said, his eyes looking back at him. "She is in Baroque Works isn't she? But she helped you didn't she? So how do you know her?"

"I don't," Luffy answered truthfully. "Well, after we met Vivi she was on our ship and tried to tell us where to go but I wouldn't listen! But Vivi said that she was Crocodile's partner," Luffy finished.

"I see," Pell said softly. "I suppose then that I should've be surprised that she dealt with me so easily, though it is hard to accept."

"I hear ya," Luffy nodded, taloned foot over the spot where Crocodile's hook impaled him and his eyes hardened. "But I'm going to take that croc out the next time I see him! We have to hurry to Alubarna!"

"And you truly are the one who brought Vivi back here to this country?" Pell went on, asking with a deep worry in his eyes.

"Yeah, of course!" Luffy called.

"In that case I owe you a deep thank you for protecting her for us while we were unable to," Pell said, and he could hear the gratitude in his tone. "Where is she now?"

"My crew took her to Alubarna while I stayed back to fight Crocodile," Luffy said. "They should be there already!"

"You sure about that?" Pell asked worriedly.

"Don't worry!" Luffy said brightly, thumping his chest with a wing before wincing in pain as he went on without any doubt in his mind, "My crew'll get her there no problem! They can handle anything! Besides," Luffy went on as they continued on and could make out a city in the distance. "I figured out Crocodile's weakness this time!"

"Beware of Crocodile," Pell suddenly warned Luffy. "For the last three years he had gotten rid of the pirates who had come here. It is how he had earned the trust of the people here. Each and every pirate was taken care of. Even if you're right about his weakness, that won't be enough to guarantee a victory. However, there is a saying here in the Grand Line… Logia Devil Fruit Users who think they're invincible often die young. Even if that's true, Crocodile surely didn't become a Warlord because of his powers alone."

"Don't worry," Luffy said firmly. "I'm going to kick Crocodile to the curb this time for sure!"

Pell must've understood the determination in his voice for he nodded his head. "Alright then. We're almost to Alubarna now."

Onwards they flew over the great city… though at the moment it was almost impossible to see anything. There was a thick fog of sand and dust clouding their vision so it was almost impossible to see anything on the ground.

There were screams of pain and they could make out the sounds of thousands of people fighting. As they flew a little lower, they were finally able to get a good look at what was going on. Rebels and Royals were battling out in the square and streets, attacking anyone they thought was the enemy…

It was complete and utter chaos as gunfire, cannonballs, and explosions filled the air—blood was splattered all over the place and people were dropping like flies—neither side gaining or losing ground.

"Dang!" Luffy's voice suddenly yelled, "I can't see anything here! I don't know where everyone is?!"

"This storm isn't natural!" Pell answered as they flew just a little bit higher so that they could look around farther. "And if what you said was true about Crocodile being the one responsible for the constant sandstorms, then it doesn't surprise me that he would use that here."

"Where do you think Vivi is?!" Luffy asked again.

Pell thought it over for a moment. "The only place I can think of is with Chaka at the palace! She must be there! Let's go!"

And suddenly he turned sharply in the air, heading for the largest building, towering higher than all the others. Luffy hurriedly flew after him.

They then noticed that there was someone standing up on the wall, overlooking the square. "What's that?"

"VIVI AND CROCODILE!"

They were right, Crocodile was holding Vivi by the throat, dangling her over the wall and had just let go of her so that she fell like a stone to the fighting below.

"MY PRINCESS!" Pell cried in horror as Luffy screamed out in shock.

"COME ON! WE HAVE TO GET HER!" Luffy shrieked and Pell didn't need to be told that as the two Zoans went into a steep dive and like a meteor, they fell towards the earth.

They were close enough that they could hear that horrible, power-dripping laugh of the Warlord's—but that didn't last long for he was looking up and spotted them coming at them.

"CCCCRRRROOOOCCCCOOOOODDDDDIIIILLLLLEEEEE!" Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs.

The falling Vivi heard his voice as well. "LUFFY!" she screamed joyously, a hopeful smile back on her face as Crocodile let out a cry of disbelief.

Leaning low over Pell, the two were able to swoop down and caught Vivi just above where all the fighting was happening—catching the ones below them off-guard as they went soaring up high again, Vivi safe in Luffy's talons.

"Just in time," Luffy sighed in relief as Vivi clung tightly to him.

Vivi continued to hang onto to Luffy and buried her face into his feathered chest as she cried out, "Luffy, Pell… there isn't much time left before the square is blow up. Everyone is already down there! My voice…" she choked out, "it can't… it can't be heard no matter how much I yell! At this rate, the country will… fall apart."

And she broke down completely here, sobbing her heart out on his shoulder. It was hard to watch, seeing how hopeless that Vivi saw everything.

Luffy then spoke, and she was surprised by his sudden change in tone, like how one would speak to a small child who had a terrible nightmare. Despite all the noise from the fighting and explosions, she could hear his words as he smiled at her. "Don't worry, Vivi," he reassured her, "As long as we're here your voice will always be heard."

She stared at him before she gave him a watery smile, tears falling faster than every as she hung on tightly.

They headed to the foot of the palace, Pell landing and Luffy setting Vivi on her feet. Shifting the barrel on his back, Luffy stepped forward while going to human form, spinning his arms around and limbering up—getting ready for a real fight.

"Best of luck, Luffy," Pell said, "Be careful."

"I ate tons of meat, bird-guy. I'll be just fine!" Luffy cried out, stretching his arms out as he glared up at Crocodile, who glared back down with a deep annoyance. They could all tell that though Crocodile still thought that he wasn't worth his time, his patience was running out and Luffy had made himself into a real pest.

"I won't… lose to you!" Luffy declared, looking ready to rocket himself up there but then a familiar voice screamed behind him. "IT'S LUFFY! HE'S ALIVE!"

Spinning around to look, they saw that the Staw Hats were there. Chopper, Usopp, and Sanji were all there. The scream had come from Chopper, looking burnt and bruised, but still alive as he looked like he was out of his mind in happiness.

"Tony's here too?!" Vivi cried out as they saw him.

"What? Luffy? Luffy!" Usopp yelled, his entire body wrapped up like a mummy's.

Chopper spotted Vivi and cried out happily that she was alright to.

"See, see? He's still alive! What'd I tell you?! I knew it all along!" Usopp yelled, as if hoping that the whole world knew that he had been right, though he looked ready to cry here.

"Really?" Chopper asked him eagerly.

However, Sanji reminded him, "For someone who knew it all along you sure look surprised." Sanji was full of thick bruises, and he looked a great deal like how he looked when he got hurt in that avalanche on Drum.

"Usopp! Sanji! You're alright?!" Vivi exclaimed in shock as Sanji looked at her and gasped in concern.

"Oh, Vivi what happened!?" he cried out. "Are you alright? You look like you've been hurt!"

Zoro came running up, carrying Nami on his back. Both of them were a mess as well. Zoro looked like he had a bad fight with a cheese grater, his entire front was slashed and his shirt was soaked with dried blood. Nami was covered with cuts and puncture holes with her clothes ripped and torn—her leg probably in the worst shape as blood dripped from a large hole in her foot. As soon as she saw Usopp she jumped down and hit him over the head with her weapon.

"Nami too? And Mr. Bushido…?" Vivi muttered, gasping with her eyes wide, as if not really believing what she was seeing, "Everyone… is alive!"

"I asked you to make a weapon for me but instead it did magic tricks! Like flowers and doves?!" Nami cried out as Usopp rubbed his abused head. "You turned me into a clown!"

"Oh come on you're standing up just fine!" Zoro screamed angrily.

Usopp asked about the powerful attack and she told him to be quiet as she turned back to Vivi, asking about the dust flying everywhere.

Sanji was now yelling at Zoro, "Explain yourself idiot! How could you let Nami get injured like that?"

"She's fine, let it go!" Zoro snapped back as he tried to catch his breath.

"L-listen Chopper?" Usopp gasped, "Do me a favor… bury my body out in the wastelands when I'm dead and gone." And it was hard to tell here, but he seemed to go into an actor's faint.

"No! Usopp! Don't die!" Chopper cried in worry.

"I'm sorry… you guys," Luffy said, whose face was once again hidden by shadow, and everyone looked to him, his arms stretched out, and looking ready to launch himself up to the palace. But he hung back long enough to talk to them. There was shame and embarrassment in his voice as he finished, "I know I lost to him once already. This time… this time… I'm gonna win! The rest is up to you!"

The others didn't seem to be upset with the fact that he lost; they were all smiling confidently at him.

"So get going already," Zoro said with a smirk with Nami and Sanji smiling just as widely as he was.

"If you can't beat this guy," Usopp said loudly, "Then I don't know anybody who can!"

Luffy reassured them all, "I'm gonna put an end to this. For good!"

"YEAH!" they all cheered him on, looking ready to take on the world despite all their injuries as Vivi started crying again. "Thank you," she gasped, rubbing at her eyes, "After all that's happened, all of you are still with me!"

Even Pell was looking at them all with a gentle look in his eyes, as if he couldn't agree more. Even he was looking like he believed that Luffy could take him out. Finally, with one last grin at them all, Luffy rocketed himself up on an eagle's wings, hurtling himself through the air at him, screaming the whole way.

"Try all you want," Crocodile called, now that the shock of seeing him alive was over, he was back to confident. Luffy landed and became a jackrabbit who sprinted towards the man with a fist cocked back. He continued, "But no matter how many times you swing, you'll never hit me. I guess you didn't get enough the first time huh?"

Crocodile stood still, waiting for the attack. But this time, when he was starting to cause his head to dissolve into sand, Luffy threw a punch, and to his amazement, he was able to strike him this time. Luffy had hit him so hard that he was knocked right off the wall.

Blood was dripping from the side of Crocodile's mouth and his eyes were wide with shock as he was sent flying back, landing painfully in the dirt just as Luffy skidded on his own landing. Once Luffy came to a stop, he realized that they weren't alone. There were several guards, either dead or out cold on the ground. Robin was also there, but was standing next to a man who was actually nailed to the wall. Two long spikes were shoved right through his arms and his blood was dripping down around them as he stared ahead at the fight. He had a wrinkled face, a tied-off beard with long, curly hair… and he was dressed in a simple yet regal robe, and there was something about his large kind eyes that reminded them all of Vivi…?

Crocodile started getting up, but Luffy was far from done. His back was coated in an armor like hide while his face elongated into a snout. He then curled himself into a ball and started spinning in place. Meanwhile, the croc had staggered to his feet.
"How can he… hit me?" Crocodile gasped as Luffy came spinning towards him. "Armadillo…BUZZSAW!"

With a great head-butt that would've cracked a normal person's skull right in two, Crocodile's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he went flying back fell to the ground.

Cobra was also gapping at what he saw, his eyes wide as coins. Robin was smiling slightly. Once again, amazed at this kid's tenacity. Luffy was gasping for breath again—though he had only started, he was already starting to get tired thanks to that wound. Though he had recovered enough that it seemed to have closed over, the repair was only temporary, and if he wasn't careful, he knew that it was going to open up again. He had to be careful, as changing his forms was undoubtedly going to put pressure on the wound.

The sounds of the battle below them seemed to fade, for here, only this battle seemed to matter.

"Get up!" Luffy yelled at Crocodile as he shrunk back to human form. "I figured something out when some of my Yuba water dropped on your hand. Once you touch water… you can't turn into sand anymore!"

Luffy then took the hose connected to the water barrel on his back and splashed some onto his arm as he spoke, "You took away all the rain because you're afraid of water didn't you?" He grinned as he held up his soaked hand. "I know how to defeat you… Crocodile. Our real fight is starting now!"

Luffy's body became covered in a black armor-like exoskeleton while his now wet hands became claws and a large stinger tipped tail burst from his spine. With his claws he grabbed hold of Crocodile's arm and the sandman cried out in pain.

"Get up!" Luffy yelled again more fiercely. "It's time to fight! Now Crocodile!"

Finally, Crocodile chuckled to himself as he slowly sat up, by the time he was in a sitting position, it had turned into a full laugh as Robin and Cobra watched on.

Luffy pulled off his hat and threw it out of harm's way so that he wouldn't have to worry about it getting harmed in the battle. Crocodile asked in great amusement, "Come on. You think you can defeat me?"

"Sure do," Luffy answered bluntly. "Now that I've figured out how to stop you from turning into sand."

"I'll admit I'm impressed you figured it out," Crocodile said, holding up his hand casually, as if discussing the matter at the dinner table, "Especially since you were about to die. But I hope you realize that something like that isn't enough to make this an even fight. I am one of the seven Warlords of the Sea."

"So what if you're one of the Seven dumb Warlords!" Luffy exclaimed. "Guess that makes me… the Eighth Warlord!"

"Really… who is that guy?" Cobra asked Robin as they moved back closer to the palace walls so that they could get a better look at the whole thing.

"He's a pirate," Robin answered coolly as he looked to her. "I'm surprised you haven't heard of him yet. He's helped your darling princess Vivi escape from death a few times now."

"So then he…?" he asked looking back at him with new interest, "Is the one responsible for bringing Vivi back?"

Robin didn't answer him as she watched, her thumb brought up to her smile as if she was really enjoying seeing Luffy pound Crocodile.

"Scorpion's…JAB!" Luffy yelled at he attempted to puncture Crocodile with his stinger, but Crocodile easily moved his head just a little so that Luffy missed him completely.

"If I dodge it, then it's no use," he said as he grabbed hold of the tail that rocketed by his head, "My hand can still absorb any fluid on you."

Luffy gritted his teeth in anger as Crocodile attempted to dry up the appendage, but it soon turned to a triumphant smirk as a look of confusion appeared on Crocodile's face. Luffy sent a vicious backhand with his claw that sent Crocodile sprawling away. The Warlord got up with an enraged, but also confused, look on his face. "What?! Why can't I drain you?!" he cried.

Luffy grinned. "Remember how you told me how Devil Fruit powers get stronger?"

He threw another jab with his tail at him, however, when he pulled at his tail, he let it vibrate like how one would when they placed a guitar string. So then it snapped like a rubber band, making it look like there were dozens of stingers flying at him, impossible to know where it would land. Crocodile was taken by complete surprise as Luffy finished, "Scorpion…SHOTGUN!"

Crocodile was forced to jump out of the way at the last second, sending another Desert Spada right at him. Luffy realized this and moved, missing it by just a hair… like before, there was now a deep ravine in the palace yawn, smashing right into the wall and blew it away in an explosion.

Luffy was breathing deeply as he looked to the damage, but was still going for it. He turned and looked ready to throw another attack right at him.

"You didn't answer my question," Crocodile growled, but then his eyes lit up in realization. "Of course," he drawled, "It's that form you're in, isn't it? That scorpion is native to the desert, so it isn't affected by my sand as badly!"

Luffy gave a cheeky smile as he said, "Yep! I figured that in order to beat a desert, I needed to be animals that do so on a daily basis! As long as I'm in forms that can't be hurt as bad by sand," he continued as he quickly shifted his forms until he was in the form of a man-sized thorny devil, the lizard boy coating his body in multiple protective spikes. He then jumped up into the air to avoid another attack from Crocodile.

"That's been my plan from the beginning!" Luffy declared as he still hung in the air, ripping the barrel right off his back and threw it, trying to get him wet.

"Of course your plan was obvious!" Crocodile shouted out, his hand calling the wind. "Sables!"

Both Luffy and the barrel were knocked right in the air, spinning around in the twister so that he was all turned around and dizzy by the time that he was able to get his senses together to figure out where he was. Luffy was dangerously close to being knocked right over the ledge, but managed, not only to land safely on the wall, but to also recover the barrel.

Crocodile laughed mockingly. "You're struggling so hard, Straw Hat Luffy! Even with desert animal abilities, you can't do anything at all without that barrel of yours, can you?" he demanded smugly, "This isn't any different from my first fight against you after all!"

Luffy was standing up, holding the barrel as he nodded. "Yeah, you're right Crocodile," he said as he seemed to get a strange look in his eyes.

"It isn't any different like this," Luffy went on and suddenly, he ripped off the very top of the barrel and began pouring the entire thing over himself. Crocodile could only stare as the ridged scales along Luffy's body soaked up the water like a sponge. The water then traveled into his mouth and he swallowed the entire thing. Luffy's stomach was now full of water so that he looked like a melon.

"How about this!?" Luffy yelled confidently as he slammed the barrel onto the ground so that the almost empty barrel shattered. "Now I'm not the same as I was huh?"

"You gotta be kidding me!?" Crocodile yelled at him.

"Water Luffy!" declared, patting his belly. But then, the wound that Crocodile gave Luffy before, opened enough so that water came out of his front and back. "OH NO!" he screamed out in panic, "A LEAK!"

Though the leak was stopped, he seemed to be fighting back a burp, and the water spilling from his mouth. With a great swallow he said, "Guess I shouldn't have drunk that much water…"

Robin lost it completely and burst out laughing here. But Crocodile seemed to lose all tolerance as he turned and bellowed at Luffy, "STOP YOUR MESSING AROUND, YOU BRAT!"

Crocodile was now attacking in blind anger. He formed a kind of dust storm where his legs had been and began flying at him, but Luffy pumped up water from his throat and into his mouth before he spit out a giant water bubble at the charging pirate, who had skidded to a stop at once. But it was too late, he was completely soaked through by the time the water hit him.

Luffy charged with his spiky scaled fists pulled back. "WHO SAID I WAS MESSING AROUND?!" he demanded with a scream, Crocodile suddenly frozen as Luffy brought his arms directly behind him, "I'm always serious! Now let me show you! Now Devil's…DEVESTATION!" And here he slammed his fists right in Crocodile's stomach and sent him back so hard that he was spitting up blood, the spikes ripping through the man's coat like paper. With force so great, Crocodile was sent flying back right into a large stone structure, reducing it to rubble.

"How was that?" Luffy asked as he wiped his mouth. "Sand croc!?"

Cobra gapped at him, but Robin's face showed no emotion.

"That's… that's amazing," Cobra gasped, "He beat Crocodile? That kid is weird, but incredible."

"There's no time now for all this admiration," Robin said, the laughter now completely gone and now all business, "We have other things to do." She then used her powers to grow arms on the wall and bluntly pull out the spokes that held him there. He screamed in pain as he fell to his knees, blood dripping from his arms as she told him to get up and that he was going to show her the way to the poneglyph.

"What are you planning to do?" Cobra demanded back as he struggled to get up. "How could looking at possibly help you?"

Rather than answer his question, she had another arm grown from his back and hold him down as he gasped in pain.

"Just stop asking questions," she said in a dull tone, restraining him. "All you have to do is show me where it is."

Robin must've felt Luffy's eyes on her as she turned and looked back up to see that he was staring at her with a blank face. The two shared a long hard look at the other—as if reaching some sort of understanding. "You're luck's beginning to run out," she finally said to Luffy, "You certainly did try. But there's not much time left."

There was a bang from the rubble and Crocodile was up on his feet.

He glared at Robin and ordered, "You should get going now, Nico Robin! Unless you want to be dried up along with this brat. Go now… I'm done with playing games."

Cobra's eyes widen at Robin's name. Robin, however, didn't seem concerned at the threat. After a few seconds of silence, she nodded her head once, and did what he said as she took Cobra with her and left. Which left only Luffy and Crocodile in a stare down.

Crocodile put his hand to the ground. "Listen up, Straw Hat. I'm gonna destroy every last rock on this ground," Crocodile stated, his face looking dangerously sinister, "And you along with them! Not even the sturdiest of desert animals can stand up to this!"

Luffy gave a sharp intact of breath at what he saw. Crocodile was sucking the very life out of the ground. Luffy yelled in shock as the palm trees crumbled away to dust.

"Ground SEKKO!" Crocodile shouted as everything collapsed and die, turning to sand and cracking apart as Luffy jumped back away, but there was a large ravine that opened up beneath his feet and he fell, just barely holding on.

Luffy was hanging upside down, his feet stretched across the gorge, like doing a crazy version of the splits. Luffy pumped more water into his throat and shot several more bubbles of water at him, but Crocodile stopped his progress of drying the ground long enough to dry the bubbles instantly as soon as they touched.

"His hand sucked it up!" Luffy cried out, his eyes wide.

"You actually thought you could kill my powers didn't you, Water Luffy?" Crocodile asked almost in a mocking, sarcastic way as Luffy was able to pull himself back up. "That was a very foolish mistake to make. The true power of sand… is drying things out," he finished as he put his hand back to the ground. "My right hand can suck out the life out of anything by turning it to dust!"

And once again the ground's once green lawn had turned to sand, the stone around them was crumbling away to dust. "Its power is limitless!"

"He wasn't exaggerating!" Luffy exclaimed in shock as the statue of the jackal, next to the front doors fell, "Even the statues are crumbling!"

The statue fell and crumbled away to nothing as he stepped back, staring around in horror. "Everything is just… dying…"

He suddenly cried out in pain as he held up a foot to see that even some of his scales had disintegrated to powder. Crocodile was smiling, his face overshadowed with insanity. "Everything connected to the ground is done for! INCLUDING YOU!"

Luffy's eyes widen and he was actually shaking.

"GROUND DEATH!" Crocodile yelled in a dark voice that seemed to echo around them. Everything exploded around them and turned to sand, the ground shaking as if in an earthquake. Luffy grabbed his hat and went running for the doors of the palace.

There wasn't anything left of the place… that was now no different than the desert they had spent days marching across. Luffy, going into the form of a desert toad, had jumped up to hang onto the palace wall above them, hanging there out of harm's way and overlooking everything. Luffy was now trying to pull himself back up, struggling a little with his still budging, water-filled belly.

But then he gave a cry of shock as he looked up to see that Crocodile was now on top of the building, grinning evilly, as he grabbed Luffy by his neck. Struggling to get free, Luffy fought to pull Crocodile's hand off him.

"I'm quite tired of wasting my time with you," Crocodile said, looking a great deal like how he was dangling Vivi over the edge before.

With one last ditch effort to escape, Luffy shot several more water bubbles up at him, but all Crocodile had to do was move his head so that the water shot past him, hovering in the air far above their heads… it's far too late.

"Missed me," Crocodile said softly as he slowly dried Luffy. Luffy was gasping in pain as his body, not nearly as adaptable as his scorpion's form, slowly began to dry up and mummify. Luffy turned back to his human form in an attempt to access one of his more adaptable forms, but the process only sped up more before he could (2). The straw hat fell from Luffy's withered hand… blowing away on the wind like a kite down towards the fighting below them as his body dried and withered so that he looked as if he was made of paper.

"You have lost to me, two times now, Straw Hat Luffy," Crocodile laughed, his face full of sick humor as he held him up by his neck, standing over the edge as Luffy's feeble body gasped there weakly. "This is a good way to die!"

His vision was slipping in and out of focus once again as Crocodile's voice went on.

"Within six minutes, this yard will be blown up along with the square. I'd stay, but I'm in a hurry." He then let go of Luffy's body, which was fluttering to the ground like an old newspaper would in the wind before he landing on the sand below, not moving. "You just wait right there ok? And then you can celebrate the new king of the sand country."

And with one final grin, Crocodile left the palace in a stream of sand and headed west.

A shadow passed above him and he looked up. The water bubbles that he shot before were falling hard and fast like giant water fell right on top of him, and his dried body soaked it up like a sponge. With a shuddering gasp, Luffy sat upright, gasping that he thought for sure that he was going to die.

"That creep, he took off," Luffy growled, getting viciously to his feet and glaring in the direction that Crocodile took off in. "I think he flew off in the direction," he growled to himself, gritting his teeth together and declaring, "He won't get away with this!"

Luffy forced his wounded body to get up and gave chase, not stopping as he kept running as fast as he could. He ran through the chaos in the streets, Luffy ignoring them all as he just kept going straight west. Luffy ducked underneath a rebel who spotted him and just kept going, dodging a few swords that were aimed for him as the royals attacked on the other side. Luffy tried to sniff the man out, but there was so much smoke and the smell of blood in the air that Luffy couldn't pinpoint Crocodile's scent.

On the ground ahead was a familiar young woman, looking as though she was in the wrong end of a fight. She wasn't the only one, but there was also about three dozen unconscious Marines behind her, each one looking as if they had been choked out.

Grasping her sword, Tashigi looked up when she sensed that she wasn't alone anymore.

"Crocodile," Luffy snapped at her.

Startled, she held up the sword and pointed it at him, "Straw Hat!"

It was rather tense as Luffy demanded to know where Crocodile went. She stared at him long and hard, as if trying to figure out any trace of betrayal here. The war around them was getting louder and the battle was becoming more blood-thirsty as Luffy lost his patience and yelled out, "Tell me right now! Which way did he go?!"

Tashigi seemed to be struggling within herself for a moment, wondering what she should do… finally, she let the sword fall from her hand and slowly pointed down a pathway. "Towards the temple," she said softly. "That way."

"That direction?!" he repeated, looking down the road, "Thank you!"

And he ran off without a glance back.

He headed even farther west. The farther that they ran, the sounds of the fighting seemed to become less and soon they came to a large temple on the far side of the city. It truly was a grand thing, looking hundreds of years old and full of decorative writings and elaborate statues.

He was staggering as he ran, his hand over the wound that Crocodile gave him, and they saw that it had opened up again. Luffy finally fell and went running right against a wall of a building, sliding down it and leaving blood splattered where he fell. Luffy was still struggling to get back to running, but the area around him was blacking out and blurry so that he couldn't see straight anymore. Luffy was losing the fight to stay awake, muttering to himself that he should lie down for a moment, but his body answered that for him and he collapsed on the grass just outside the temple and he blacked out.

The battle was still waging on in the distance, Luffy was awake and had pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Ah, I slept good," he said to himself, a hand on his head as if to touch his hat. "Wait," he said as if trying to remember what was going on. "That's right… I couldn't move all of a sudden. So I decided to risk it and take a nap right here since there was really no other choice. Yeah, and I feel better now… so…" Luffy finished as he punched his fist into his hand and he got right back up to his feet as if nothing interrupted him and charged ahead. "ALRIGHT NOW IT'S TIME FOR ME TO BEAT UP CROCODILE!"

He turned and went running once again, running through the place, and looking ready to head right into the temple when he noticed something. Just outside the temple there was a set of stairs heading deep into the earth.

Muttering to himself quietly as he made a one eighty and bolted straight for the darkness. It was a long set of stairs that seemed to head into the bowels of the earth, yet still he ran… but as he did the entire place seemed to be falling apart. Small bits of rock was falling on top of them and the entrance behind them seemed to have caved in.

He finally reached the bottom of the stairs and saw that the room was in shambles… and only continuing to collapse around him. Pillars and pieces of the ceiling were in front of him, blocking the way.

Using his powers, Luffy was able to jump and swing through it all, still searching for Crocodile. But just as Luffy was looking ready to scream out in frustration, he heard it… Crocodile's insane laughter was coming from behind one of the stone walls.

Grinning, Luffy yelled out, "Found you!"

And then went punching right though the wall.

He was in the large room, looking just as messed up as the rest of the tomb. He could see the poneglyph—a large stone tablet with strange writing on it—standing tall. Through the smoke of the destroyed wall, Luffy stepped through—looking more tired than ever and covered in blood. But there was a fierce determination set on his face as he stepped through the hole in the wall, glaring at Crocodile.

Crocodile was staring at him in shock, not believing what he was seeing. There was no longer any smugness, boredom, disappointment, or even confidence on his face. For the first time since Rainbase when he discovered that Luffy was still alive… there was real fear here.

But his stunned expression was quickly replace however by anger. "So it's you!" he yelled, and now he truly sounded infuriated here.

"You can't get away!" Luffy yelled fiercely, "You're mine!"

"How are you still alive!?" Crocodile demanded loudly, his voice echoing off the stone walls, "No matter how many times I kill you, you just keep coming back for more! Well?! Answer me brat!"

"How'd he do it? How'd he live and come here?" croaked a voice and they finally looked around to see that Cobra was there as well, leaning up against the wall and staring at Luffy like he was a ghost. "Who is… this boy?"

Robin was lying face-forward on the floor, a deep wound in her own chest, much like the one that Luffy had before, though maybe not as serious as his had been. Groaning a little she looked up, her glassy eyes spotting Luffy. "It's Straw Hat…"

"Tell me, just how many times do you have to die!?" Crocodile demanded, holding up his hook threateningly.

"There's something you still need to return, Crocodile," Luffy declared at once, surprising them by how calm he sounded here. "And I came here to get it back!"

Crocodile looked just as confused and asked, with a rather hysterical laugh, "What is this thing I took?" He held up his hand, "Is it money?" he held up his hook, "Is it fame? Or people's trust? Their lives? Is it rain!?" He laughed louder than ever, truly sounding insane, but loving every moment of it as he admitted for them all to hear. "I have taken all those things! So which is it you want me to give back Straw Hat?!"

Stepping forward, Luffy answered only two words. "This country."

"The country? Really, you should know better than that right now! I have no intention of giving up this country!" Crocodile laughed. "Why would I when I'm gonna become its next king before long?!" Crocodile finished.

Luffy's eyes narrowed dangerously, they could all feel the hatred in his tone despite the fact that he was still calm. "We came here to this island to save Vivi's country. But then… when we got here it was gone," he answered slowly, as if remembering something painful before he finally yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him, "You stole her country!"

Crocodile only scowled at him as Luffy shouted out, "This is her country and I'm here to get it back from you! I will defeat you and take this country out of your evil hands." His eyes became enraged once again as he screamed out loudly, "And then… VIVI WILL SMLIE AGAIN!"

Once the shock had worn off, Crocodile seemed to realize this fact as well. "Threaten me as much as you like!" he smirked as he held up his hook, "But without any water… you're nothing!"

Ignoring his words, Luffy charged once again not even bothering to take on a different form, but to their amazement, when he kicked Crocodile right in the face, he didn't turn to sand and was sent back so hard that his head went smashing right into the wall.

Just then, Crocodile slowly sat up and glared at Luffy, his expression holding nothing but shock before his eyes widen. Luffy looked ready for the next round as he cracked his knuckles. Then he gave a loud yell as he threw his arm back and slammed his fist so hard into Crocodile's face that he was sent flying black into the wall once again, bleeding heavily.

Slowly sitting back up, he asked with his voice shaking with anger, "I see! You're using… your blood?"

Luffy's fists were, indeed, covered with blood.

"Clever," Crocodile admitted.

"Blood can harden sand too can't it?" Luffy said neutrally, holding up a bloody fist.

Crocodile forced himself back to his feet.

"First Rainbase, and then the Royal Palace," he laughed madly, "and now… this underground temple!"

Luffy just looked on at him, wondering just what he was trying to say here.

"You should be rewarded for your insistence on challenging me," Crocodile went on. "Even though I put you through the wringer twice now, you keep coming back."

Luffy went for another attack while taking on his Chimera form, forcing Crocodile to jump out of the way so that Luffy went slamming through the wall this time. Crocodile reached for his hook and pulled off the golden part to reveal that there was another hook just underneath it. Only this one seemed to be made of iron and was embedded with large holes with a slight pink haze drifting from it.

"You're a pirate, Straw Hat!" Crocodile declared and Luffy's eyes widen a little in confusion when he saw that. "You certainly proven that with your determination to defeat me no matter the cost." He stood back up. "And I'll admit that you've become an annoying persistent opponent during our three encounters!"

Luffy stared at the hook before he asked, "Alright. What's that?"

"A poisonous hook," Crocodile stated as he held up his weapon and let the golden hook covering fall.

"I see," Luffy said simply, and clearly not caring.

"You seem to be a confident pirate I suppose, so surely you must understand…" Crocodile said, frowning heavily. "That a duel between pirates is always about two people fighting for survival. And when that's the case, there's no such thing as playing dirty!"

Luffy turned into a battle position just as a giant boulder blocked their way out behind them. There was no chance of escaping now.

"When the explosion happens in the square, this place will most likely crumble to dust!" Crocodile informed him. "This will be our final battle! Let's settle this once and for all!"

And so it began… the two were at each other's throats, no longer caring what happened to themselves, focusing only on beating the other. Luffy was able to keep up with Crocodile at first despite his injuries. Luffy took several blows from the hook but didn't even slow down. You wouldn't think the poison was so powerful that when Crocodile slapped it into the rock, missing Luffy by inches, the rock begun to melt and bubble as if someone spilled acid all over it. It was fortunate for Luffy that his Chimera body, which produced the venom of several different animals at once, allowed him to ignore the effects of the poison for now. Crocodile was showing incredible vitality too. Even though his ability to turn to sand was pretty much rendered useless by Luffy's blood, and the blows the Chimera was raining on him could easily break the bones of weaker men, still he fought on.

Unfortunately for Luffy, the damage he took from the previous two battles were starting to take their toll as he began to start breathing heavily and slowing down, taking more blows in the process. However Luffy kept going, even with the tomb collapsing around them, the two dealing each other powerful blows, but neither one would stay down.

"You were skewered, buried alive and dried up," Crocodile cried out, "You many have made it through all that, but you won't escape this time Straw Hat!" He then smirked as he held up his hook which hissed poison. "There's no hope for survival! The game is up! This poison will spread through you soon!"

"You know Crocodile," Luffy said, holding up his fists. "You just don't understand!"

Crocodile blinked at that before his expression was contorted with anger. "What is it that you're saying?" he demanded, sounding angrier than ever, "What is it that you think I do not understand, Straw Hat?"

Luffy didn't answer as he charged once again. But even as he threw a punch, again Crocodile dodged it; but he wasn't stopping. Again and again, he attacked, but Crocodile was too quick. Luffy then tried to use his flame breath, however his moves had become so sluggish that it was easy for Crocodile to avoid the searing flames.

"I don't think you understand," Crocodile declared. "You're going to die here very soon. The poison from my hook has entered your wound!"

Luffy stumbling around, looking barely able to stand up, but silently smirked to himself.

"Your body is probably becoming numb right now," Crocodile asked almost like a taunt. "It doesn't matter whether you win or lose this fight, your body will still be buried underneath the rubble when this tomb collapses!

"Whatever it is you really want can't be in this country," Crocodile said as he stared down at Luffy, looking completely deranged. "Aren't I right? You're fighting for somebody else's goal now! And how can there be in point in dying for that?! If only you would just get rid of a friend or two, you could easily avoid so many of these inconvenient problems! Loyalty is only for idiots and weaklings!"

"Like I said, you really don't understand anything do you?" Luffy growled as his glared at Crocodile through slit and bloodshot eyes as he still struggled to get back to his feet. "Vivi… Vivi is always telling people not to risk their lives, but she's the first to lay down her life to save others. If we don't help her, she'll die! You'll kill her!"

"You still don't get it!" Crocodile yelled in frustration, "That's what makes her such a burden! So why not ditch the princess and save yourself?"

Luffy looked up, his face now full of rage as he cried out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "BECAUSE NONE OF US WANT VIVI TO DIE! HELPING EACH OTHER IS WHAT FRIENDS DO!"

Behind him, Cobra was staring at him in amazement as Luffy was finally able to push himself back up to his feet. "And that's why none of us will leave her behind or quit fighting you! As long as she doesn't give up on her country, neither will we!"

Crocodile just looked at him, his face not showing any emotion as he asked, "Even if that means all of rest of you end up dead?"

"If we die then we die," Luffy told him fiercely. "That's all there is too it!"

Just then, Luffy's legs gave out again, and he fell back to the floor. There was a slight pause before Crocodile began to chuckle to himself, as if he couldn't remember ever hearing anything so stupid in his life.

"You can talk as tough all that you want and keep blubbering on about friendship if you like but your body is still freezing up on you!" Crocodile said, suddenly confident once again. "You look pathetic Straw Hat Luffy."

As Luffy tried in vain to push himself back up, his vision was so foggy that it was getting impossible to make out anything, Crocodile then taunted Cobra about the bomb.

"A time bomb?!" Cobra cried in panic. "NO!"

"I've been very well prepared Cobra," he said silkily. "You have to be willing to admit that much surely?" He then bragged about how he had it all planned out. Even if the others had been able to find the bomb and took out the two agents who were going to fire it, he had it set up so that it would still go off after a certain length of time.

But before he could go on, the ground was shaking worse than ever, as if there were a crowd of giants walking around above them which could only mean one thing…

Cobra leaned back, gritting his teeth and seemed to be fighting the urge to cry here—the building was falling apart faster than ever. The bomb had gone off.

Crocodile laughed out triumphantly. "At last, my time has finally arrived. The day my grand ambition is realized! Alabasta now belongs to me!"

Luffy finally stood up again. His body was shaking, but he glared fiercely as a fire seemed to be burning inside him. His vision seemed to clear as he faced Crocodile once again—and this they knew was going to be it.

Crocodile glanced behind him and seemed to be completely stunned at seeing him up when he thought he was down for the count. Cobra was also staring at him in shock as the ceiling above them was now cracking apart and falling in large chunks.

"You… can't…" Luffy gasped out and Crocodile's eyes widen, "defeat me!" Luffy finished as he stood tall, looking every bit as the king of beasts that he was.

Crocodile glared at him before he gave a wild grin. "You finally managed to speak and that's all you can come up with?" He headed back to him as he said, "I suppose it's an acceptable bluff from a loser who's about to die. Of course, like any bluff… its empty air!"

But Luffy was far from bluffing as he declared loudly without a shred of hesitation, "Except… I'm the man… who'll be King of the Pirates!"

"Listen up, you stupid brat, if you really knew anything about this sea, you wouldn't make such an idiotic statement!" he said held up his hook, "I told you before! There are thousands of rookies just like you! Every one of them chasing their naïve little dreams!" And suddenly, it was as if he snapped as he ran ahead, his hook held high as he screamed out wildly, "The sooner you understand the true level of the Grand Line, the sooner you'll give up on your foolish dreams!"

But Luffy not only dodged the hook, he brought his hooved foot down onto his arm and slammed the hook down so hard that it snapped right off as if it was glass.

Crocodile gasped at what just happened.

"I'm the one… who's gonna beat you!" Luffy hissed so dangerously that they were all taken aback by such a tone. But Crocodile didn't have time to register that for Luffy stretched his arm back and slammed it so hard into Crocodile's stomach that blood erupted from his mouth. But Luffy didn't let up as he used his foot to kick him hard in the head, sending him flying once again before he pummeled him right into the cracking floor.

It had suddenly turned into a beat-down. Luffy then grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him around, swinging him like a lasso and slamming him into the wall behind him. Now it was Crocodile who was finding it impossible to stand up. Through the rubble, he stared back at Luffy, looking completely lost to what was going on.

Luffy was looking back, his face now deadly… there was no trace of the captain that the Straw Hats knew in those cold eyes. Crocodile was now getting desperate as he caused the blade of a dagger to come up from where the hook was broken off. It was as if he snapped and he was back up, refusing to let his plan of three years be ruined by a single pirate.

"You're just a two-bit nobody who comes from who knows where!" Crocodile screamed in rage as he charged now trying to lob off his head, "You can't beat me! Do you have any idea who I am?!"

"I don't care who you are cause it doesn't matter!" Luffy declared as Crocodile's eyes widen when he realized that he left himself wide open. Luffy looked up and then he screamed at the top of his lungs, "WHOEVER YOU ARE I WILL BEAT YOU!"

And with those words, he finally kicked him so hard that he was sent flying up into the air, but before he hit the ceiling, Crocodile pulled himself back together as he hovered there, seemingly effortlessly as he stated that he was going to destroy him along with the tomb. He raised his hand and gathered a swirling mass of extremely dense sand in his hand, before he hurled it at Luffy, causing a massive shockwave when it hit the ground.

Everything near them was reduce to dust, but Luffy was able to move out of the path of destruction as the tomb was crumbling.

Robin still lay there, blood seeping around her, but was now in danger of falling debris. Luffy seemed to realize this, for he jumped over and grabbed her roughly just as a boulder came falling down, narrowly missing them both. He set her aside against some random wall and turned to look back up at Crocodile as they sighed in relief.

Stretching out his bat like wings, Luffy shot up to the ceiling with such force that there was a small crater left where he stood. He flew right towards the Warlord, both reptilian fists pulled back and his face set in a bestial snarl.

Like a rocket he shot towards Crocodile, pulling his fist back he began, "Chimeraaaaa's…!"

Just as Crocodile held up his own fist, "DESERT…"

"RAMPAGE!" Luffy screamed, throwing a punch.

"LA SPADA!" Crocodile screamed as he formed several solid blades with fan-shaped edges from sand, flying down towards them.

It was all or nothing here. Luffy's fist collided with Crocodile's attack, and the force behind him was so great, that he shattered the axes right back into sand, and like a wild animal, he began to pummel Crocodile with what looked like hundreds of punches at once. Luffy didn't seem to care where they hit or even if they hit at all, but he was going to keep going no matter what happened.

Crashing right into the ceiling, Crocodile was held there as Luffy kept going, hitting every part of Crocodile that he could. It was merciless… and the force from his attacks was breaking right through, sending Crocodile up and through the stone. Though it was only a matter of seconds, the attack seemed to go on forever as the roof above them cracked. But finally, he broke through, like a volcano erupting, Crocodile was forced right up through the rock, and into the air, leaving a trail of sand behind him as bright sunlight came pouring through the hole…

Luffy punched the air in victory.

"Amazing…" croaked Cobra, who was now gapping up at the hole, "He punched him straight up through the bedrock beneath the city!"

Now completely out of energy, Luffy fell back to the ground, landing so hard that he cracked the floor underneath him. He was barely breathing and his body seemed to be going back into shock as it once more shrank back into his human form.

"Hey!?" Cobra cried, pushing himself up and slowly crawling over to Luffy's wounded body and knelt beside him. "Are you alright?"

But as he looked to the bright light above him he whispered, "I thank you." He no longer looked afraid or sad… his face oddly peaceful, and they realized that here he no longer cared what happened to him. Even if he died here, he could die happily knowing that the real threat was gone.

Despite how badly hurt he was, Luffy was grinning at him. "No sweat."

But then they heard a light clack on the floor and they looked to see that Robin had pulled out a small red bottle from her coat and rolled it over to Cobra.

"Use that, immediately," she told him as he looked down at it. When he didn't take it at once she clarified, "It can neutralize the poison from Crocodile's hook." Cobra gave her a suspicious look as she went on, "Even if he was buried underneath all this rubble, there's a chance he might survive since he has the strength of the entire animal kingdom at his disposal."

Still looking like he wasn't sure he could trust her, he took the bottle and uncorked it.

But Cobra was looking back at Robin, and said, "You looked me straight in the eye and told me the only thing written here was history. Why did you lie to me?"

Blood was dripping from both sides of her mouth as she looked away, looking sad. "You knew?" she asked grimly. "How cruel."

"The truth is… this country's history isn't written anywhere in there," Cobra explained, though it was clear from his tone that he already knew that she knew that. "Instead, it has everything about the weapon you wanted to get your hands on. The description… location… it doesn't make any sense."

Cobra lifted Luffy's head and gently poured the cure into his open mouth, at once his vision seemed to clear and his breathing let up—though his face was now red from a growing fever. "If you had told Crocodile this information this country would now be his for the taking. Isn't that right?"

Robin looked exhausted as she leaned back against the wall. "I'm not interested," she confessed and shut her eyes. "Whether people in this country live or die. It really makes no difference to me. I had already decided from the start not to give Crocodile the weapon."

"I don't understand," Cobra said as he placed Luffy back on the stone floor and kept looking at her with curiosity. "Then why did you come here?"

There was a tense pause as the walls buckled around them. "I don't even know anymore," she confessed as she opened her eyes. "Chasing a dream I suppose… and empty dream. The last remaining Poneglyph in the world that still carries… the True History. The Rio Poneglyph."

"What do you mean by the True History?" Cobra questioned, not understanding it.

"Nothing," Robin sighed, looking as if she no longer cared. "It doesn't matter now. For twenty years I've searched and I've never had a better lead than this. This is my last hope… and it didn't work out." The final beams that were holding the ceiling up buckled, they had perhaps less than a minute left before it finally crumbled. "So if I'm going to die here, it's the perfect time. I'm tired of this fool's crusade. It's… over."

A large boulder fell and smoke filled the room—but when it cleared, they could see a smile on Robin's face, but it wasn't a happy smile. "All I wanted… was to learn our true history." Tears appeared and slowly began to fall from her face, "And to share it… with the whole world."

"So then… you're saying… that it's possible that our lost history can be recovered?" Cobra said, his eyes wide. "And the Poneglyph are the key to unlocking these records?"

Robin said nothing, but kept that same grim smile and Cobra stared at her. "You mean… all this time…?"

But neither one said anything else on the matter because Luffy had gotten back to his feet. Though he was covered in blood, sweat, and dirt, his face now showing clear signs of a high fever—he was standing upright. He picked up Cobra under his arm like how he carried Sanji back at Drum, before he went to Robin and threw her over his shoulder.

"'Kay, let's go," Luffy declared, looking up to the hole he made in the ceiling, knowing that it was now their only way out.

"Hold on!" she cried, now sounding angry, looking like she wanted to fight, but no longer had the energy to do so, "I no longer have a reason to live, just leave me here!"

Luffy hardly glanced at her before he looked back to the hole. "You're coming with me, do what you want once we're out of here."

Robin just stared at him, unable to believe what he was doing. He didn't owe her anything, was second-in-command to Crocodile, but here he was, saving her. She seemed to lose all will to move as she allowed him to do what he wanted.

Using up whatever strength he had left, he was able to jump up the falling stones just as it caved in, burying everything below them. He managed to get up and through the exit, but instead of the bright sunlight they expected, there were thick storm clouds and heavy rain.

Luffy landed safely on the ground and dropped Cobra and Robin, he skidded a little and fell, landing on his face and no longer able to move.

"The… rain…?" Cobra gasped as he looked up at the sky. "It's come back…?"

Cobra was actually began to cry as he held his shaking hands out to catch the cold rain. It was clear that he truly thought that he was going to die in that tomb, but not only was he alive, but the war was over now.

Luffy smiled a little before the blacked out at once. When he awoke, he was in a large room that was filled with several beds with most of the Straw Hats and Vivi. Luffy was sitting up in a large yawn and was laughing out loud.

"Oh man! I slept good!" he cried out, clearly feeling good. But when Luffy put his hand on his head he realized that his hat was missing and began looking around for it and his breakfast.

"You just woke up and you're already causing a racket," Sanji said, leaning back in a chair as he watched. "And it won't be breakfast, it'll be dinner. It's evening."

Standing next to him was Usopp, who then pointed to a table, letting Luffy know that a solider found it in front of the palace. Luffy stretched out to grab it and looked happily at it before he put it on his head.

"We never would've heard the end of that if we never found the hat," Zoro stated.

"I'm so relieved you finally got well Luffy," Vivi said in relief.

He looked at her in surprise. "Got well? What do you mean? I was never not well."

Nami spoke up from one of the other beds as she stacked some books up. Telling him how bad a shape he was in and how he could thank Vivi and Chopper for taking care of him.

"Really?" Luffy said looking from Chopper to Vivi. "Thanks you guys."

Just then, the door opened and Zoro came in, also looking almost completely healed from his fight with Mr. One. "Oh, Luffy," he said pleasantly surprised. "You woke up."

Luffy held up a hand in greeting. "Zoro! Long time no see!" but then he blinked at his words. "Wait a minute…?"

As he thought his words over, Zoro was getting a drink of water as Chopper yelled at him about him going out to train. And soon it was the same old fight… Chopper yelled at him about taking his bandages off and Zoro complained how impossible it was to move with them on, and Chopper would scream that was the whole point.

"Long time no see?" Luffy's voice said, moving his head side to side, "Why'd I say that?"

"Probably because it has been long," Usopp said from the couch near the door. "You've been asleep for three entire days."

"Three days?! Three whole days?!" Luffy cried out, he thought it over for a moment. "I missed fifteen meals."

Nami snapped that he sure could calculate when it came to food.

"By his count that's like five meals a day!" Usopp laughed as a door opened and a woman who looked suspiciously like Igaram came in, bearing a whole cart of food.

Luffy was able to swallow all the food in the cart faster than blinking and Zoro and Sanji began yelling at him for that.

After that they had this great feast that included everyone, even the miraculously alive Igaram and his wife, and took long, hot baths… and said farewell to this kingdom of the sand.

There was darkness behind the windows, revealing night. Vivi and all the Straw Hats were there and seemed to be discussing what they were supposed to do now.

"Tonight?" Usopp asked in surprise.

"Yep," Nami nodded firmly.

"We have to leave?" Chopper asked, sounding disappointed.

"The Marines know we're here," Zoro said. "More will be coming. I agree with Nami. We need to get out."

Everyone in the crew slowly agreeing as well, with Luffy saying that they should stay for a little more food.

The Straw Hats gave him a quick bonk on the head and he nodded at once just as there was a knock on the door and a guard came in. He was holding a transponder snail on a tray and telling them all that they had a call.

"From who?" Nami asked in surprise.

The guard answered that he called himself Bon.

The Straw Hats didn't seem to know who he was talking about.

"That's strange," the guard said, "He insists that you're all good friends."

Sanji got up. "Friends with us?" he repeated before he picked up the receiver and heard that familiar voice on the other end. "Hello? Hey old friends?! It's me!" the voice of Bon Clay cackled, "Bet you never thought you'd hear from me again!"

With a frozen look on his face, Sanji hung up. But the phone just rang, loudly again.

"YOU FREAK!" Sanji yelled at the snail phone, "SHUT UP!"

But Luffy reached out to grab it so that he could talk to him. "So you escaped Mr. 2. What do you want?" he asked.

"Straw Hat!" Bon Clay's voice said. "I'd recognize that voice anywhere! You're right, I escaped… and I intend to keep it that way! So don't call me Mr. 2! If the Marines intercept this call they'll be able to ascertain the locations of both me and you!"

"Thanks a lot you jerk!" Chopper yelled.

"Tell us what you want!" Zoro yelled.

"Oh, it's not what I want, it's what I have!" Bon Clay answered. "Your ship!"

"STOP JOKING!" everyone but Vivi screamed out.

"I'm going to kick your butt for saying that!" Usopp yelled threateningly. "Where are you?"

"On your ship the Going Merry!" he answered a little mockingly.

"I should've kicked him harder!" Sanji yelled, holding up a fist.

"Hey! Calm down!" Bon Clay said. "Please… I mean… we are friends right? Right!" and he hung up not long after that after he told them where they could find him and left with a long laugh.

The Straw Hats were all looking at each other, wondering what to do.

"He's at the upper part of the Sandora River," Luffy finished speaking as Sanji asked if they could trust him. "We did become friends that one time," Luffy answered back, "But…?"

"But that was before we knew that he was part of Baroque Works!" Zoro said loudly.

"I guess…" Chopper said slowly, "We have no choice."

"You're right," Sanji agreed with him, "He has our ship. If he tries to trick us, I'll be more than happy to kick the crap out of him again."

Once that was decided, they were all got up and began packing up their things, getting ready to sneak away into the night. They were so busy with thoughts about getting their ship back, they didn't even realize that Vivi hadn't said a word as she watched them. "Hey… you guys?" she asked softly and they all looked to her. She looked to be shaking as she confessed that she didn't know what to do now.

The Straw Hats all glanced at each other for a moment before they sighed.

No one said a word again until they finished packing and were heading to the window to leave. "Vivi," Nami said to her, looking over a map. "We can give you twelve hours to make a decision. We'll travel down the Sandora… after teaching ballerina boy why he shouldn't steal from us, and by noon tomorrow we'll draw near the eastern harbor." She looked back up to her with a smile, "I doubt we'll be able to drop anchor though… if you do decide to join us, that's going to be your only time to come aboard. Twelve o'clock… on the dot." Everyone was smiling at her, letting her know that no matter what she chose, it was alright by them. "It's your choice. You can stay a princess… or you can become a pirate!"

"I'm sure that being a pirate doesn't compare to being a princess," Sanji added, leaning on the windowsill as they began slipping out, "But we'd sure love to have you."

Luffy was all for the idea and telling her that she should come with them right now, and Usopp was telling him off as he shoved him to their exit.

"Why?" Luffy asked confused as Zoro practically threw him out, "Don't you guys want her to join us?!"

"We do!" Usopp said firmly, "But that's something she has to decide herself!"

Soon, they were standing on the edge of the river with the Merry in front of them, and a familiar face standing on the crow's nest. The Straw Hats had been riding a flock of ducks that were just as big, if not bigger than even Carue, the Super Sonic Duck Squad.

"FINALLY! LONG TIME NO SEE MY FRIENDS!" Bon Clay cried happily from his place up there. "DID YOU GUYS MISS LITTLE 'OLD ME?"

"Not a bit!" Zoro called back as they all turned back to wave to the ducks, bidding them farewell. Even Bon Clay waved them off but then it turned to a fight between him and Sanji, with him arguing about learning some manners on how to greet his friends.

"Quit saying that you weirdo," Luffy said as they began loading the ship, "We're not friends, we're enemies! You lied to us!"

"No, I didn't!" Bon Clay yelled, "I just didn't admit that I was a member of Baroque Works!"

Bon Clay sat on the railing with a sigh and went on, "Besides, none of that really matters anymore does it? Baroque Works is done for now and that means we're no longer enemies!"

"Well, if we're not enemy's ballerina guy then why the heck did you steal our ship?!" Luffy demanded as Zoro snapped for Bon Clay to move out of the way so that he could get on the ship.

"Oh how dumb are you?" Bon Clay yelled.

Bon Clay asked that if he hadn't taken the ship from where it was moored, what did they think would've happened to it.

"The Marines probably would've seized it?" Nami answered as she knelt over one of the bags and Luffy gapped at her.

"Chance that probably to a definitely, honey!" Bon Clay yelled. "The Marines have been looking all over for you guys and your ship! Every port in the country has been blockaded! Lockdown!"

"Wait!" Luffy yelled, "Are you tell me that you took the Going Merry so that the Marines wouldn't?"

Usopp and Chopper were with him and both demanded the same thing, and when Bon Clay answered, he merely gave them the thumbs up and said, "Cause you guys are my friends!"

Soon Bon Clay, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were dancing and singing together once again.

"Oh my friends!" Bon Clay yelled. "We might've had to fight on opposites sides of a war but our friendship will survive for an eternity!"

"Friends?" Zoro asked in annoyance as they finished loading the ship. "Yeah right. Tell the truth twinkle toes! You and your crew don't have a chance of breaking through that blockade, but you might if you had us as allies."

Bon Clay stopped in mid-dance and the three looked to him in shock. "That's right," Bon Clay said dramatically, crying, "You got me, but in trying times such as these we have to band together under the flag of friendship! IF YOU BELIEVE IN TRUE FRIENDSHIP SAY I!"

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" the three yelled with him.

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" other voices cried out and Bon Clay's crew and ship seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Zoro screamed at the other ship where they came from.

Soon after that and they were all standing on the Merry's deck, the ship was being shot at by giant black harpoons, at least eight ships giving chase.

"You jerks, shoot cannonballs!" Luffy yelled at them in frustration. "I can't deflect pointy things that good!"

"I think that's the point here, Luffy!" Sanji called as the harpoons pierced through the hull of the ship and they could hear Usopp and Chopper below, trying to repair the holes.

Sanji called up, "If we keep taking iron spears to the bottom of the ship it's only going to be a matter of time before it sinks!"

"Crap, here they come!" Nami cried out as more spears hit their sides.

"Hey, I can't keep plugging these holes you guys!" Chopper screamed as he came up from the bottom of the ship with a mallet and several boards of wood.

Nami started yelling at the others to do something.

"What more can we do?! It take all our effort to protect one side!" Sanji demanded, "One ship vs. eight isn't a fair fight!"

Zoro was growling out that they'd have a better chance of hand-to-hand combat than this. Even if they ran or stayed to fight, they weren't going to break their formation.

The battle went on, and things seemed to be getting worse every second. But the strangest part was when they ran across two familiar faces on one of the Navy ships. Jango… and Fullbody…

"The Black Spear Squadron!" Jango exclaimed proudly. "It's a work of art!"

On the ship next to him, Fullbody was laughing confidently and stuck his tongue out at the Straw Hats. "It's the Black Cage Corp specialty! Idiots!"

"Hey Hypnotist, I thought you were a pirate!" Luffy screamed at Jango.

"I am! Now shut up!" Jango yelled back quickly. "My reasons are my own!"

"Where do I know that guy from?" Sanji was asking thoughtfully, looking at Fullbody.

Fullbody declared loudly, "It took a long time but I finally found him! That annoying crazy cook and his gang of wild cutthroats! Here, today, I vow to sink them!"

Jango took out his familiar charm, about to use his abilities. But before he did, Usopp ran around to the cannon and shot a cannonball. It hit it in such a way that it fell apart and, not only sank, but crashed into Fullbody's ship as well.

"Brother!" Fullbody yelled in distress as Jango's ship slammed into his and they both sunk into the ocean.

Luffy looked towards Usopp, who was staring completely dumbfounded the whole time.

"Usopp, did you do that!?" Luffy exclaimed in surprise. "Amazing!"

Usopp looked to him, his face registering nothing but shock before he snapped out of it. "Yes… just as I calculated!" he called confidently, "It was me! That's what happens to enemy ships when I'm on the job!"

"Then why do you seem so surprised?" Zoro asked in amusement as Chopper jumped up to Usopp's shoulder, telling him how cool that was.

"Rest easy, Chopper!" he exclaimed, joyously. "Captain Usopp will have everything under control!"

"Really, Usopp?" Chopper asked happily. "Will you? That's so reassuring, Usopp!"

"That was amazing Nose-chan!" Bon Clay also cheered. "The ships in the south are all sunk! Nothing can stop us from breaking through!"

"Bon Clay, we've got trouble!" one of his men suddenly called from his ship. When Bon Clay turned to ask what the problem was, they yelled out that it was the 'Black Cage'.

Bon Clay's face was turned to terror.

"Who's that?" Luffy asked.

"Black Cage Hina! She's a Marine Captain and we're in her jurisdiction!" Bon Clay exclaimed in fear. "She's a real pain! We have to hurry up and fly the coop!"

Bon Clay's men all cheered on the idea of escaping. But the Straw Hats didn't move at all, even with Bon Clay yelling at them to do so as Hina's ship was drawing nearer.

"If you want to go, go," Luffy said to him. "We can't go that way!"

"AND EXACTLY WHY NOT!?" Bon Clay screamed in frustration as his own crew screamed that they should just go.

"Noon at the eastern harbor!" Nami answered. "We have an appointment! There's no time to go around, we'll go straight through!"

"WHAT? SUICIDE!" Bon Clay yelled angrily, looking ready to leave anyway. "IT'S LUDICROUS! IS THERE SOME TREASURE YOU'RE NOT TELL ME OFF THAT'S WORTH THROWING AWAY YOUR LIVES!?" He turned his back on them as he jumped to his ship, "Fine! Run off and die!"

"We have to go get one of our friends," Luffy answered and Bon Clay's face was filled with nothing but shock—whatever answer he was expecting, it wasn't that.

"So… it's for your pal that you risk it all?" he asked softly as silence sunk in around them. He then turned to his crew and declared, "We're going to fight the marines!"

His entire crew screamed in surprise as the Straw Hats stared in shock.

"Running now would go against everything Bon Clay stand for!" the drag queen yelled to his crew. "If we abandon allies who are risking their lives to pick up a friend, could we live with ourselves tomorrow?!"

The crew all stared at him before they all cried out the same thing, ready to fight as Bon Clay yelled to the Straw Hats, tears in his eyes, "Listen guys! Straw Hats too! What I must say is of great importance!"

He took on Luffy's face and his crew took disguises of the rest of the crew before they left to distract the crew, giving time to the Straw Hats to escape. It worked perfectly though, the Marines were completely distracted as they went after them, but the battle didn't last long, and only ended with the ship going down in a blaze of glory from Hina's ship.

"Bon… BON CLAY!" Luffy cried, all of them watching the scene with horror as the ship went down.

"I'm gonna miss you, Bon Clay!" Luffy cried. Usopp, Chopper, and even Sanji were all crying next to him as they sailed away, "We will never forget you!"

They then heard Bon Clay's voice calling out almost like an echo, "If we are to fall… let it be in the sea! The flower of friendship is rejoicing!"

The Merry went on east, fighting their way through the two Marine ships that were blocking their way. But they managed to force their way passed them and finally reached the eastern harbor like they were supposed to meet—however, Vivi wasn't anywhere to be seen. They waited for a few minutes before they heard her voice, apparently though a loudspeaker, addressing her country on what happened during her two years away from home.

"Vivi…" Chopper said sadly as he and Luffy leaned on the rails.

"Forget about it, you heard the speech," Zoro snapped at the two, "That was Vivi's voice without a doubt."

Sanji was looking deeply disappointed as well as he added that they were broadcasting the ceremony from Alubarna. Vivi clearly made up her mind not to come here.

"No, I don't buy it! I say she's here!" Luffy said stubbornly, "This is the place we promised right?"

"Yes, it is," Zoro added, trying to sound patient, but also with a firm look that reminded them all of the danger they were in. Sanji looked around, letting them know that it was past noon.

"There's no way she wouldn't have come!" Luffy said, sounding hurt, "She's definitely here! Let's get out and look for her!"

Usopp brought them back to the matter at hand by screaming that the ships had reappeared and were coming up fast. When Zoro called how many there were, they knew that it was time to go with all six ships still after them.

Looking like he also wanted to get out and look, Sanji told Luffy to give it up. "Viv's course is on a road far different from ours!"

Luffy pouted, but seemed to accept it as he turned from the railing. But as he did, Vivi's voice called out behind them, but this time it wasn't from the amplifier. "Everyone!"

They all looked and there she was, dressed just like how a princess would look, and Carue by her side.

"Vivi!" Luffy screamed happily and everyone turned at once with smiles on their faces.

"Carue!" Usopp yelled joyfully and the two both waved back merrily at them. Excited, the whole crew was getting ready to turn around and go back. But they had to hurry since the Marines were right behind them. But they didn't have to bother.

"I'm came to say goodbye!" Vivi yelled, and the smiles were wiped off their faces in confusion.

"What, she say…?" Luffy began to ask, not understanding what was going on.

"Sorry… but I can't go with you!" Vivi said as she spoke through the speaker once again. "Thank you so much for everything. I'd like to go on more adventures, but I can't ignore the needs of my country! Which I love more than anything! I have to stay! I hope you understand!"

Luffy still seemed stunned, but got over it as he smiled an accepting smile. "I see!" he said brightly.

"Thank you," Vivi cried out, now starting to sob and tears were forming in her eyes. When she spoke again, she was trying to hold back the cries so hard that she was starting to stutter. "I will… I… I will remain here and fulfill my duty! If we ever meet again… no matter how much time's pass, will you still call me your friend!?"

Luffy didn't even have to think that over as he started shouting back to her, but Nami cut him off by covering his mouth and telling him not to answer. "The marines now know about Vivi and us!" she told him, "If they can prove she has a connection to us it's all over! She'll be considered a criminal!"

Luffy frowned at her, but unable to think of a way to counter that argument.

They all turned their backs on her and Carue. "Turn away," Nami said firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Not another word."

They did as she told them, but they didn't leave without giving Vivi an answer. The Straw Hats here, all wordlessly took off the wrappings that they still had on their arms and held them up so that Vivi could see the X's still on their arms.

Though no words were said, the message was clear. Vivi also held up her own arm with Carue, both wearing the same X mark.

Whether they liked it or not, they would always be honorary Straw Hats… and no matter how much time had passed, they look forward to the day they met again!

1. Several people have asked me if Luffy could use fire or other elemental attacks while in his Chimera form, well this hopefully answered your question. While he normally saves it for a last resort, Crocodile definitely deserved bringing out the heavy fire power (bada-bing!), not that it did any good as since they were in a desert, Crocodile could simply replenish any sand that was lost.

2. I mentioned this during the fight against Kuro, didn't I? Luffy needs to go back to his human form before he can go to another animal form, which is one of his few weaknesses. Normally this wouldn't hinder Luffy so much as he has so much practice with his forms he can go back and forth too fast for it to really affect him, but in a situation like he was in with Crocodile, that few second interval could be deadly.