Hm, well, this is awkward, huh? Just disappearing like that. I'll be surprised if anyone from before is reading this! Hi all. I didn't mean to be on such a hiatus, but as any writer does I encountered trouble.

I think most of it came from being too scared to deviate too much from canon in some respects, in fear if driving off readers. Now, though, I've come to the conclusion I don't really care. I'll write the story I want to write and let you guys stay if you want!

...

Where the hell were we?

Ah! Alabasta! Of Course!

Enjoy!

"What the hell do you mean, captured?!"

Nico Robin had to admit, this meeting had taken a turn for the worst.

After gathering the elite of Baroque Works and Crocodile revealing himself, it should have been a simple explanation of the plan and go from there. But something had gone wrong, judging from how livid Crocodile looked. He was on the phone with someone, who was speaking in a hushed, panicked tone. After a few seconds of silence, Crocodile slammed the the phone down, making the Den Den Mushi jump.

"Mr. Three, Mr. Five and Ms. Valentine were captured my Marines," Crocodile hissed angrily.

"What?!" Mr. Two shouted.

"Some agents spotted them tied up to the mast of a Marine ship in Nanohana's harbour. They may have been compromised, and for all we know Mr. Three lied about taking the Princess down!"

Silence fell upon the meeting as the agents struggled to understand what that meant.

"So the fuck up did as expected," Mr. One, a mountain of a man, said. "What's our next move?" Crocodile was gritted his teeth, but still managed to speak.

"We find the Princess and her pirate buddies," he said, "And we kill them all. Ms. All Sunday! Show them the Princess." Robin did as she was told and grabbed the photo of the Princess that was taken before she disappeared several years before. It took all of a few seconds after the photo hit the table for Mr. Two to gasp in surprise.

"I saw her!" He exclaimed.

"Where?!" Crocodile demanded.

"She was on a pirate ship outside Alabasta! I thought nothing of it at the time!" Crocodile grimaced at this.

"Which means she's already here," he hissed, "Great. Mr. Two, did you get the faces of the pirates?"

"I did!" Robin watched as the man switched his face to a number of different men and women, all of them she recognised from her visit to their ship after Whiskey Peak. Seems they added a cute little reindeer, too.

"Get these faces circulated around to our agents," Crocodile commanded. "We must stop her before she reaches the rebel leader. That will surely be her next move!"

"Why's that again?" Robin asked.

"Because she and the rebel leader used to be quite close," he replied, "if she comes to him with definite proof that I am behind this, and not her father, he will believe her. This will all fall to ruin."

Silence fell over the room, then,

"What the hell are you all waiting for?! We have work to do!"

"I quit,"

The entire crew watched, stunned, as Luffy threw himself down on the sand and didn't get up. No one really asked what he meant at first, thinking this must have been some dramatic ploy because he was tired.

"Get up, Luffy." Nojiko said as she wiped sweat from her brow. "We have places to be."

"Nah," Luffy replied. "I'm not going to Katorea."

"And where are you going?" Nami asked.

"Wherever Crocodile is," Luffy replied, "Enough wandering around."

"We need to stop the rebels first," Vivi said, "after we calm them down, we can go after Crocodile."

"Nah, no point." Luffy replied. Vivi frowned at him, not sure what he meant.

"What are you talking about?" She demanded.

"Whatever Croc's going to do, he's going to do it soon," Luffy replied. "We need to make sure we get him before then."

"And if we wait, then the rebels might attack!" Vivi countered, "It's got to be our first step! Making sure people don't die!"

"People die all the time," Luffy replied offhandedly, like it didn't matter to him. "We should just go and kill Crocodile." Vivi gritted her teeth at the Captain's sudden attitude. Where was this coming from?

"Luffy, stop being difficult," Nami ordered, the rest of the crew watching uneasily.

"I'm not being difficult, I'm being realistic," Luffy replied. "Why're we going with Vivi to Katorea? We'd be better off getting to wherever Croc is! We should all be working as hard as he can, and instead Vivi's doing everything!"

"L-Luffy..." Vivi started.

"As much as it pains me to admit, Straw Hat makes a good point," Smoker said. "We're focusing all in one direction. I agree the rebellion needs to be stopped, but Crocodile needs to be taken down as well. A two pronged assault."

"We can't!" Vivi shouted, fear flowing through her. "Splitting up would be bad! Someone could die!"

"So what?" Luffy demanded. "Besides, if we don't stop Crocodile first he might catch wind that we warned the rebellion. Then he'd escape us. That what you want?"

"If we go to him first, then we risk people seeing it as a move to take down a hero!" Vivi replied, "Did you forget he's a symbol of hope around here?" Taking him down without warning the rebels first would cause chaos. Then ever more people would die."

"People die, it happens," he replied. Vivi had enough of this. Turning, she drove her foot into Luffy's side as he sat on the ground.

Luffy did not take that well.

Jumping to his feet, Luffy grabbed Vivi's cloak and punched her in the face.

"Luffy you bastard!" Sanji shouted somewhere, but Vivi's head was spinning.

"Stop being naive!" Luffy shouted, glaring deep into Vivi's soul. "People die! They die all the time! Rebels have died, soldiers have died! Igaram died! We might too, but that's a risk we're all willing to take!"

"Well, I wouldn't say everyone..." Usopp mumbled somewhere to her left.

"Shut up, Usopp," Zoro said. Vivi focused intently on Luffy's wide eyes, eyes that led her to believe he was painfully aware of what he was talking about.

"Crocodile needs to pay for what he's done to you, to Alabasta," Luffy said steadily. "And you want him dead more than anyone, don't you? You're dying to see him suffer." Vivi bit her lip at this. "So why not play all our cards, huh? Why not play every front instead of one or two?"

The group was silent for a bit, everyone watching as Luffy released Vivi. She quickly realised the punch had barely hurt, one only intended to stun her. She stared at Luffy, his owl-like eyes boring into her. God, why did he have to be right?"

"...Crocodile is in Rainbase," she finally said, "It's an oasis North of Yuba. He has a casino up there that he runs, so it's the perfect cover. It'll take a while to get there, but not more than a day. Who is going to go where?"

"I'm obviously going to Rainbase" Luffy said, "And you're going to Katorea."

"I am?" Vivi asked. "But-"

"Tashigi, my men and I will go with the Princess," Smoker said, having just watched that whole debacle from his camel. "I can have reinforcements from Nanohana meet us there."

"Wait a second!" Vivi said, "I want to go and stop Crocodile!"

"Vivi, that's a bad idea," Nami said with a frown. "You're presence would work wonders with the rebels. After all, people still think you're missing."

"But-" Vivi started.

"Not to mention you're a good diplomat," Nojiko continued. "You've got a silver tongue in that head on yours." Vivi made a face at this. She wanted to take down Crocodile, not go and talk to the rebels. Still, if Koza was involved...

"...Fine," she said. "I'll go to Katorea."

"I'll take Sanji and Zoro with me," Luffy said, pointing the two men out. "I'll need their help."

"I suppose I have to go too," Nami said as she walked to stand with Luffy. "Without me these morons won't know which way is North."

"I-I should go with Vivi!" Usopp said. "It sounds less dangerous..."

"Where is more likely to have water?" Chopper asked quite seriously.

"Probably Rainbase," Vivi answered. The reindeer sprinted to stand with Luffy and the others.

"I'll stay with Vivi,"Nojiko said with crossed arms. "Make sure Usopp doesn't run off. And Marianne might be better off coming with us too."

"No, I need to go with Luffy" Marianne replied, "Rainbase will be full of enemy agents, I can help them avoid being seen." This left just Johnny and Yosaku unsure of where to go. Both of them looked at each other, shrugged, and started playing rock paper scissors.

"Best of three?" Johnny asked.

"Yep," Yosaku nodded.

One the first round, Johnny picked paper and Yosaku picked scissors.

Second round, Johnny picked rock and Yosaku picked scissors again.

Both men stared at each other intently as they went into the final around, both of them not backing down as they played the final round.

And the outcome was 3-2 for Yosaku. Johnny looked despondent, but he apparently got stuck with Rainbase as he trudged towards Luffy.

"Should we even ask why that required no communication?" Nojiko wondered aloud.

"Probably not," Nami said, "Those morons are probably linked mentally."

In the end, the Rainbase team consisted of Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Marianne, Chopper and Johnny, while the Katorea team was Vivi, Usopp, Nojiko, Yosaku, Smoker and Tashigi. As everyone grabbed their things and swapped to the right sides, they started to say their goodbyes.

"Remember, head to Alurbarna once you've dealt with Crocodile," Vivi said. "We can all meet up there after this is over."

"Don't worry about a thing, Vivi!" Luffy replied heartily. "We'll smack Crocodile around a bit then come find you guys. Then, we can have a massive banquet in the palace!"

"I'd worry a little bit," Nami said with a wink, "It's healthy for you." Vivi just chuckled.

"Don't worry Luffy," she said, "Once this is over I'll make sure we stuff you until you can't move anymore."

Yosaku had to admit, he felt relieved he'd been able to win his bet with Johnny and go with Vivi to Katorea. He'd been terrified at the idea of going to Rainbase, so the two had, without speaking, agreed that the winner of their game was going with Vivi. And unluckily for Johnny, he'd lost.

The only problem he had now was he had no camel. Due to the uneven amount of camels Smoker had bought, they only got two to take with them. Smoker and Tashigi got one, while Vivi and Nojiko got the other. This left him and Usopp on their feet.

"I'm going to die," Usopp hissed in between laboured breaths. "Yosaku, carry me!" While it normally would have been no issue to carry the sniper, Jishin was heating up in the sunlight and burning his back. Swinging the blade over his shoulder, Yosaku carried it in his hands as he scoffed.

"Walk, Usopp," he replied, "Just like Zoro says, spaghetti legs make for shitty swordplay."

"I am neither a swordsman or spaghetti, so carry me!" Yosaku buckled a bit as Usopp leaned into him.

"Get off me!" Yosaku shouted back, pushing the sniper into the sand. Usopp pretended to choke on sand, but it really just made him look dumb.

"Would the two of you quit it?!" Nojiko shouted, echoing through the dunes. Yosaku always felt bad whenever her piercing gaze silenced him. "Usopp, get on the camel. I'll walk." Usopp was way to happy to switch, which left Nojiko with him.

"You didn't need to do that, Big Sis," Yosaku told her as they walked.

"Yes I did, otherwise he'd never shut up," Nojiko replied as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Besides, I train with Sanji. I'm fine walking for now." Yosaku supposed that was true. After all, after Chopper, Usopp was the least physically prepared for this trudge through the desert.

"So Princess," Smoker said from his own camel, "What's the plan if we can convince the rebels to stop?"

"When, Captain," Vivi corrected. "When we stop the rebels, I plan on asking them to either work with my father to make peace, or have them spread out to stop Crocodile. If Luffy and the others fail, he can't be allowed to escape the country."

"Do you think they'll fail?" Tashigi asked curiously.

"I don't plan on making that assumption," Vivi replied carefully. As dumb as he might have been, Yosaku was no fool. She'd answered safely. Naturally Vivi wanted to believe in the others, but against a Warlord? The odds weren't good for them. "If they fail, we'll need the rebels numbers and loyalty to Alabasta to catch him."

"They'll be fine," Nojiko said. It sounded more like she was trying to reassure herself than stating a fact. "They always are, right Yosaku?"

"Yeah," Yosaku replied, ignoring the memories of Luffy nearly getting killed by Arlong, A number of them nearly getting turned into wax, Nami and himself getting deathly ill, and Luffy nearly freezing to death. "They're always fine."

"Luffy, swap with Zoro!"

"Why?! I don't wanna walk!"

"If that moron walks he's going to wander back to the East Blue! Switch with him!"

"I'll happily hold your waist from behind, Nami-swan!"

"Shut up, all of you!"

The crew descended into irritated silence as Luffy got off his camel for Zoro, who climbed up behind Nami. The Navigator looked positively pissed, having already stopped Zoro from getting lost a few times. Meanwhile Chopper and Johnny just watched from the other camel they shared with Sanji quietly. The quiet was lasting unbearably long, so Johnny cleared his throat.

"So, how long do you think we'll be on the road Big Sis Nami?" He asked curiously.

"Assuming no other distractions happen, we'll get there by nightfall," Nami grumbled. "Here that, Zoro?"

"Ay ay, Commandant." Zoro said sarcastically.

"I hope there's a lot of water there," Chopper said from Johnny's lap. "I'm so freaking hot."

"We can always shave you, Little Bro," Johnny offered.

"I'd look like an idiot then!" Chopper shouted.

"But you'd be comfortable!" Johnny countered.

"No is no!" Johnny didn't see what the problem was. Chopper didn't really need his fur, did he? Oh well, maybe it was a reindeer thing. The group travelled uninterrupted for what felt like hours, but it was probably only a few minutes. Johnny had to admit, he was nervous. He hadn't wanted to go with the Rainbase team, but he'd been given no other option. He'd lost to Yosaku, fair and square.

"So, uh," he started, "What's the plan exactly?"

"We kick Crocodile's ass," Luffy answered.

"But, like, the actual plan?" he clarified.

"Vivi said that he owns a casino," Nami answered from the front, "If you ask me, we should don luxurious disguises and see if we can gleam any information about him from others. And, you know, play some games."

"Shark," Zoro said flatly. "She smells rich people a mile away."

"Am I really such a bad guy if I gleam a few thousand Berries off of patrons of Crocodile?" Nami asked him, but Zoro just scoffed.

"Doesn't stop you from doing it to us," he answered.

"Doing ship finances is not the same as robbing you."

"Is for you."

"So we get disguises and look for information," Johnny said to break the two up. "And then?"

"Kick his ass," Luffy insisted.

No one else spoke.

"So we just sneak in and kick his ass," Johnny replied, swallowing hard. "Got it."

"Relax Johnny," Luffy said as he flashed him a grin. "How hard could it possibly be?"

"We have people all across Rainbase, Crocodile," Robin said. Her partner didn't seem soothed by these words.

"I'll kill those four if I ever find them," he hissed. "How dare they make a mockery of me! If this ruins the plan they will never see the light of day again!"

"That's a bit extreme for people who are probably going to jail for life, no?" She asked.

"Don't start with me, Nico Robin," he grumbled as he flashed her an angry glare. She'd seen worse. "Have we heard from our people in the rebels ranks yet?"

"No, they've reported that things are the same as before," she replied casually. "I've given them orders to report to us if anyone resembling the Princess is seen there." Crocodile didn't seem pleased even after this. Robin could understand why. The Straw Hats had thrown a massive wrench into his plans. Well, that and some particular agents who had been captured by the Marines. She spared a thought to wonder how exactly they'd been done in. Had the Straw Hats defeated them? Had the Marines stumbled on them breaking the law? How exactly do three people with Devil Fruits get captured?

So many questions, not enough care to answer them.

"Achoo!" Mr. Three sneezed. His two friends strapped to the barrels groaned.

"Please stop," Ms. Valentine moaned. "I just want to sleep."

"I can't help it if this ship is dusty!" Mr. Three replied.

"Just shut up," Mr. Five hissed.

"All of you, be quiet!" The three looked up at the Marines that had been stationed to watch them, rifles pointed squarely at them. With the seastone cuffs blocking their powers, it would take just a single shot to silence them forever.

"At least we aren't dead," Mr. Three offered hopefully. "If we'd returned to Mr. Zero without the Princess dead, well, we would be."

"And the alternative of being locked away forever is better?" Ms. Valentine asked.

"Not just anywhere either," One of the Marines offered mockingly. "Impel Down, the inescapable prison. If what we heard about your organisation is true, that's where you're all headed."

"Still better than being dead," Mr. Three offered. Another Marine laughed at this.

"You say that now."

Bit of a weirdly paced chapter but we all get those sometimes. I hope you all enjoyed, leave a review!