Wow, another chapter? Don't get used to it, I'm prone to disappearing frequently. We'll see how far I go.

Also, shout out to the guest reviewer who thinks they've cracked the case by saying my hiatus wasn't 'real', because I was updating my Fairy Tail fic. Because I didn't explain last chapter why I wasn't updating here. You got me, man! I've been exposed.

Anyway,

Enjoy!

"Absolutely not!" Pell winced as the King yelled this response. He and Chaka were standing in the throne room, trying to convince the King to action. "We will not preemptively attack the rebels! They haven't done anything!"

"And we'll wait for that?!" Chaka demanded. "That's lunacy, sir! They will attack! We must strike first!"

"No!" King Cobra replied. "We will not attack the people who haven't done anything yet! That is the real lunacy!" Chaka gritted his teeth at this, and Pell himself bit his tongue. He wasn't happy with this response, not at all. He'd hoped the King would see sense, but it seemed that wasn't in the cards for them. King Nefertari Cobra leaned back in his throne and groaned, rubbing his forehead.

"Sir-" Pell tried, but the King raised his hand in annoyance.

"No more of this," he said. "Leave me." Frowning but bowing, he and Chaka quickly left the throne room and left down the hall, before stopping near a open window. Pell surveyed Alubarna before them, sighing.

"I wish Igaram were here," he said wistfully.

"Don't do that," Chaka chastised. "You know as well as I he's acting on important orders. Most we can do is hold the line until he comes back." Ah yes, important orders. Ones that Princess Vivi had given only him, before the two disappeared. Pell had entertained the idea in the past that the Princess and Igaram had betrayed them, but he refused to believe that. Neither of them were like that, they wouldn't. They couldn't.

Captain Pell!" A voice shouted. "Captain Chaka! Come with me!" A soldier ran up to them, out of breath.

"What is it?" Pell asked, alarmed.

"It's Karoo!" The soldier shouted, "He's returned!" Pell's eyes widened at this and, with a quick glance at Chaka, the two followed the soldier back to the throne room. Once they arrived, they burst in to find other soldiers giving the duck water to drink, while the King stroked his head.

"Nice of you two to join us," the King said. "Karoo has returned, bearing a message." The King held up a folded note in his hand. Unfolding it, he lifted it up and read it. His eyes began to widen, and before long he looked up, stunned.

"No," he said. "There's no way..."

"Sir?" Chaka asked. "What is it?" Pell, not wanting to wait, rushed forth and took the note from the King's hands, beginning to read it.

Father,

I apologise for going so long without speaking to you, but it was of the utmost importance. I will speak quickly, for we don't have time to lament the time we've been apart.

For the better part of my time away, I have been undercover. Deep, deep undercover in an organisation called Baroque Works. This is an organisation of bounty hunters, but it is so much more than that under the surface. Father, I've discovered that this agency are the ones behind the Civil War. They are the ones behind the Dance Powder incident, and they have been stoking anti-Monarchy rhetoric ever since. They have been orchestrating ploys against you for years. But is so much worse than that, Father.

I swear, on my life, that the man leading Baroque Works is the Warlord, Crocodile. He's been planning this for years, and it his coming to fruition soon. Very soon. He has countless spies throughout the country, perhaps even in your court. I have returned to the country with powerful allies, and we plan to take him down ourselves. You must refocus your efforts on Rainbase and Crocodile. Secure the borders and let no one escape. This man must be stopped. He's killed innocents. He's killed Igaram.

Yes, Igaram is dead, but we may grieve later. Crocodile must be stopped. I will return to you, Father, but only after I've dealt with this menace. You have my word.

With Love,

Vivi

Pell stared at the note for what felt like forever, before lifting his head to look at Cobra. Chaka snatched the letter and read it himself, gasping in surprise. For his part, the King of Alabasta looked livid.

"Damn Warlords," he hissed, "I knew pirates were nothing but trouble! Pell, Chaka, mobilise the army! We're going after Crocodile!"

"Sir, is that wise?" Chaka asked. "If Crocodile really does have such an organisation working for him, he'll see us coming and flee!"

"I agree," Chaka said, "Following Princess Vivi's advice seems smarter. Secure the border, allow no one out."

"And we should send word to the rebels," Pell added, "if we tell them this information, we can add their forces to ours and make sure we catch him!"

"Do you think the rebels will believe us?" Cobra asked. "They won't. Crocodile is viewed like a hero. Putting the blame on him will only stoke the rebels anger!"

"And going after him ourselves will do nothing, either!" Chaka countered. Pell made a face.

"As crazy as it sounds," he said, "We may have to trust Vivi and her allies. Make Crocodile's fall look like a fight between pirates and a Warlord." This made Cobra look pained.

"Is that really all we can do?" He asked. Trust my teenage daughter and some unknown miscreants?"

"Do we have another option?" Pell asked. Silence fell on the men in the room. Cobra sighed deeply, rubbing his face.

"Vivi my girl, what are you involved in...?" He asked weakly. "Pell, Chaka, we will do as she asked. Secure the borders. every port must be monitored, and every one hundred kilometres there must be scout ships. Order them to fire on any ship trying to leave the country." Pell and Chaka bowed.

"Is that all, sire?" Chaka asked.

"No," Cobra replied. Looking up, Pell saw the King clenching his fists. "Amass a force. We will take Rainbase."

In took them a whole day to retrace their steps to Nanohana, but at the very least they got to stop at the Merry and see she was till in one piece. Afterwards, Smoker and Tashigi brought out a dozen marines to travel with them, and they were on their way. Vivi and her caravan of help set North on their way to Katorea.

"So uh," Usopp asked after a while on the road. "What exactly should we expect when we get to Katorea?"

"Lots on people angry with the King," Smoker noted from his camel, puffing on several cigars. "Probably a lot of weapons, too."

"And if they don't let us in?" Nojiko asked.

"They will," Vivi replied. "If they tell Koza I'm here."

"Koza?" Yosaku asked. "Who's that, Big Sis Vivi?" Vivi sighed, closing her eyes as memories of her childhood played before her.

"An old friend of mine," she said. "If what Toto said to me means anything, Koza has sway with the rebels. He may even be leading them."

"That's ironic," Nojiko noted as she swung one of her flintlocks around her index finger. "A friend of the monarchy leading the rebellion against them." Vivi let out a weak laugh.

"It would be funny if it wasn't revolting to consider," Vivi said. "I know Koza is passionate, but this...I must stop him."

"And if we can't?" Smoker asked.

"We will," Vivi replied. The Marine Captain didn't seem pleased with her response, but he said nothing. They continued on for quite a while, but right before the sun began to set they could see Katorea in the distance, and what she saw saddened her. The oasis town itself looked normal as possible, but the campsite covered head to toe in tents and weapons was a sad sight to see. She needed to stop this before it got any worse.

"We need to be careful," Smoker said, eyes on the city. "We already know Crocodile has eyes everywhere. They're probably on us right now."

"Hood up, Vivi," Nojiko advised. Vivi did as she was told and threw the hood up her over her head, masking her face from anyone looking. They passed through the gates to town easily enough, and Vivi noticed just how empty Katorea was. Where were all the townsfolk? Had they fled? Or had they joined up with the rebels? Looking forward, she could see the gates to the rebel camp converging with the town. No way out now.

"How should we approach this?" Tashigi asked. "Go full 'Marine authority' or get some disguises and act like we're joining up?"

"If Crocodile had eyes in Katorea he already knows we're here," Smoker replied. "I don't know if hiding will do us any good now."

"Not to mention one of the agents has our faces," Nojiko muttered. "Which means they know what Yosaku, Usopp and I look like."

"Marine Authority it is," Smoker said. Taking charge with his men, the Captain got off his camel at the gate and went straight for the guards. "This is Captain Smoker of the Marines. This the rebel headquarters?"

"Stay out of Alabastian business, Captain," one of the two gate guards said grumpily. "We can handle ourselves."

"Even when I can some information you could use?" Smoker asked. "I wonder how your leaders would react to that."

"You think we're stupid?" The other guard asked. "The World Government is propping up the Nefertari's. You aren't trying to help us! Typical government, not helping the common man! Just the royalty."

"We're getting nowhere with this," Smoker said. Before Vivi could object, Smoker had drawn his jitte and hit both men over the head with it in quick succession, knocking them to the floor. His men quickly moved them out of the way, and Tashigi opened the gate for them.

"Captain!" Vivi said. "We didn't need to do that!"

"We've got no time to exchange pleasantries with gate guards," Smoker retaliated. "Let's go and find this Koza."

"He'd make a good pirate," Nojiko muttered under her breath. Leaving their camels, the group went inside the camp and followed Smoker. The Captain commanded space as he walked, everyone getting out of his way. Before long they ended up in the center of the camp, before a group of men. Vivi said a man sitting on a bench, and her breath caught in her throat. She hadn't seen him in years, but she could recognise Koza. Same sandy blonde hair, same intense look in his eyes. He seemed to be confronting a child, who looked livid.

"How many times do I have to say it?!" Koza demanded. "I won't let a child join the rebellion!"

"Why not?!" The child demanded. "I can't fight! I'm not afraid!"

"Which means you're still a stupid kid!: Koza retaliated. "We're all scared as hell! But we have to fight. Because if we don't fight for us, who will? The King and his men won't. The World Government won't. It has to be us. We don't want to fight." The kid looked livid, and he proceeded to stomp his feet in anger before storming off.

"He sounds like an alright guy," Usopp said. "Maybe this will go well?"

"We can hope," Nojiko said. Smoker, seemingly tired of waiting, pushed his way through the crowd, which left them no choice but to follow.

"You Koza?" Smoker demanded as they were now surrounded by the rebels. Koza raised an eyebrow at him.

"You Marines?" He asked. "Who the hell let you in here?"

"We let ourselves in," Smoker replied. "You're guards will be fine, but he have our reasons."

"And are they good enough to prevent me from siccing my men on you?" Koza demanded.

"I'll let you figure that out," Smoker said, looking over his shoulder at her. Vivi took a deep breath. Now or never. She stepped forward and lifted her head, revealing her mane of blue hair. Gasps rippled through the crowd, and she saw Koza's eyes widen.

"Vivi?" He asked in surprise. She gave him a sad smile.

"Koza," she said. "I wish we were meeting again under better circumstances."

"But, the King said you disappeared..." He muttered quietly. "Where did you go? Why are you here?"

"Koza...Before I say anything, I need you to promise to hear me out, okay? Promise me." Koza made a face at this, but he nodded

"I'll hear you out," he replied. So Vivi talked. She told Koza of how she'd heard of Baroque Works, and how she'd infiltrated their ranks to learn more about them. She told him all about the secrecy and the killing, just to make a point to him. He listened attentively.

She told him how she'd learned that the agency was behind the smuggled Dance Powder, and how the leader Mr. Zero was working behind the shadows of the War to come out on top.

"It gets worse, though," she said. "Mr. Zero is Crocodile." Another round of gasps came from the crowd, accompanied with some shouting

"She's lying!" Someone shouted, "Royal lies!"

"Crocodile is a hero!" Another said. Koza looked deeply troubled.

"Vivi..." He said.

"Think about it, Koza,"she said. "Isn't it odd how everything started to go downhill once Crocodile made his base here? Isn't it odd that there was suddenly so much dissent? Lies being spread about my father? You've met my father; was he the type of man to do what he's been accused of?" Koza looked down at his feet.

"No," he answered.

"Exactly!" Vivi replied. "I swear on my life, Koza, I'm telling the truth! I sent my father the same information I just gave you. It's probably reached him by now, so he'll want to move on him. Don't make the mistake of your life. Would I lie to you about this? Me?" Koza's eyes were unreadable behind his glasses, but Vivi hoped his silence meant something good. She took a step towards him and offered him a smile. "I swear Koza, if Crocodile is taken down, we can fix this!"

"The Princess speaks the truth," Smoker offered. "I've intercepted coded messages between members of this Baroque Works, as well as captured some members. They've all confirmed her information. Well, except for Mr. Zero's identity."

"And are you here on World Government orders, Captain?" Koza asked him.

"I'm here to help Alabasta's people," Smoker said coolly. "And letting them tear themselves apart doesn't work for me." Koza seemed to consider this, rubbing his chin. All eyes were on him as he thought, clearly his words meaning a lot to the rebels.

"Big Sis Vivi, watch out!" Vivi felt a hand connect with her side, pushing her to the ground. Scrambling, she looked up to see what had happened. Yosaku had pushed her to the ground, and had intercepted a man from the group surrounding them. With a swing of his blade's flat edge, Yosaku had taken the man down. A knife clattered out of his hand. Nojiko turned into a blur, appearing with her knee in the man's back as she pressed his face into the dirt with the barrel of her revolver. The rebels started shouting at both the man in question and Nojiko for hurting him, but Koza looked livid.

"Everyone shut up!" He shouted, silencing the rebels. He approached the would-be assassin, kneeling down to glare at him. "What the hell do you think you're doing, exactly?"

"She's lying to you!" The man shouted, his eyes almost red with rage. "The Nefertari's have dried this country up! They all deserve to hang for what they've done!"

"And you think the way to do that is to assassinate her while her back is turned?" Koza demanded. A few rebels forced the man to stand and held his arms, but the man seemed to fight them at every turned. "Take him away," Koza said, "I'll deal with him later." The man was turned around, and as he did so, Vivi's eyes widened.

"Wait!" She shouted. She ran up to Koza, grabbed his arm, and whirled him back to the man. "Look at his jacket, Koza! Do you see that?" Emblazoned on the back of the man's jacket were a few words, which were "I (heart) Ms. Valentine."

"Ms. Valentine is a Baroque Works agent!" She exclaimed. "He's working for Crocodile!" The assassin gaped at this, clearly surprised to be found out.

"I can confirm that," Smoker said. "She's one of the agents I captured. Her intel was legitimate."

"You captured my sweet?!" The assassin shouted angrily. "I swear I'll kill both of you! You'll pay for this, Princess! Mr. Zero's world will come to be! Warning the rebels won't be enough to stop him now! Remember my name, Princess! Mr. Love! It's the man who'll kill you one day! I swear it!" Mr. Love was dragged away by some other rebels, which left all eyes on Vivi and Koza. Koza looked rattled by what had just happened, rubbing his forehead.

"Spies in our ranks..." He hissed, looking over at Vivi. "I doubt you'd have orchestrated an assassination attempt to prove your point."

"I definitely would not," she replied, realising now she was out of breath.

"I have to speak to our other leaders," he said. "But for now, it's safe to say our offensive is on hold. I have a lot to think about." Vivi smiled at this, glad that she'd gotten through to him.

"Thank you, Koza." She said, "I swear you won't regret this."

"I hope not," he replied. "Listen, come and see me later, okay? I want to hear your story again, and I want all the details. Okay?" Vivi nodded.

"Of course, I'll find you," she said. Nodding, Koza walked off and gestured for a few other people to follow him, who did. They all entered the tent he'd been sitting in front of before, and the flap closed behind them. Now left confused, the rest of the rebels began to mill about aimlessly. Some approached Vivi and apologised for doubting her Father, while others clearly still had doubts and kept their distance. She was fine with that. At least she' d put a hold on the offensive.

"Thank you, Yosaku," she said as she turned to the bald swordsman. You saved my life." The man blushed at this and let out a small laugh.

"It was nothing, Big Sis!" He said, "Zoro always teaches us to be aware of our surroundings, so I noticed him sneaking up. It was nothing."

"Teaches you that but can't find his way out of a wet paper bag," Nojiko noted, making Vivi laugh.

"Now what?" Usopp asked, "do we just wait for Koza and his allies to make up their mind?"

"I guess so," Vivi replied, "and we hope that the others aren't caught yet."

The city of Rainbase was pretty much the opposite of the rest of Alabasta. Where the country looked poor, Rainbase was rich. Where the country was dry Rainbase had an overabundance of water. And situated in the center of town was the most glamorous building of all; A massive, golden pyramid with a crocodile head on top sitting in the middle of a lake. It was casino known as Rain Dinners. Owned and operated by an unknown, at least to most.

To the Straw Hats, it was Crocodile's secret base.

"So how do we get in?" Nami asked, staring at the golden croc head at the top. She and the others were hiding in a nearby alleyway, spying on the entrance.

"If Crocodile doesn't know we're already here, then he will if we go in," Marianne said from beside her, sitting on a barrel. "He's probably just waiting us out."

"So we storm the front door," Zoro reasoned.

"Can we not do that?" Johnny asked weakly. "That might be bad for our health."

"Do we have another plan of attack?" Sanji asked. No one answered. "Well we'd better come up with one, or else we storm in there."