Woah another one! I'll be honest I wrote these in advance. Just preparing if I inevitably disappear again.
Also, a question for you guys; how is the pacing so far? I know we might be going a bit slow or fast depending on how you guys feels, but I'm curious. Do I speed up after this arc, or is this speed okay? Let me know!
Enjoy!
Another ten minutes of staring at Rain Dinners did not provide the crew with an answer to their problem, and Nami was sure Luffy was about to lose it. He'd been looking rather annoyed for the last five of those minutes, and now he looked ready to burst.
"I'm going in," The Captain finally said, Nami grabbing his hat to stop him. Had it been anyone else she was sure they'd have been punched, but Luffy just looked annoyed at her. "Give it back, Nami!" He said.
"Not until you promise to not rush in there," she said calmly. Luffy looked even more annoyed now, but he swore under his breath and nodded. Nami tossed it back to him and he slammed it over his head, grumbling to himself.
"So no ideas?" Zoro asked. "Glad we left all the thinkers to the rebels."
"I'm here!" Chopper shouted in indignation. "I"m a thinker!"
"Got a plan then?" Zoro asked. Chopper said nothing. "Hm, thought so. I'm with Luffy. We get in there and raise hell."
"I keep telling you, that's stupid," Marianne replied, pulling on her hat as a group of men wandered past the alley. "Crocodile has got to know we're here. And none of us would stand a chance."
"Is he that strong?" Sanji asked.
"Do you lot know nothing about him?" Marianne asked. No one replied, making her sigh. "Yes, Crocodile is that strong. His Devil Fruit is a Logia-type."
"Logic type?" Luffy asked. "What does that mean?"
"Logia," Marianne corrected. "It's the type of Devil Fruit that gives them elemental powers."
"Like Captain Smoker," Johnny reasoned.
"Crocodile has Sand powers," Marianne said. "The average fighter can't hurt him. All our attacks will just pass through him."
"Like Smokey?!" Luffy demanded. "That's annoying. What do we do about that?"
"Well they're weak to water, but-" Marianne stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening. "Oh...Well, we could do that, but with those of us here, I'm not sure..."
"Speak up," Zoro said. "What're you thinking?" Marianne made a face.
"It's a long-shot," she said, "but Rain Dinners is situated on an lake. What would happen if we, theoretically, sank it?" The crew around her slowly realised what she was talking about.
"Sank it?" Johnny asked. "But, how would we even do that?"
"That's the only issue," Marianne replied. "But if we send it to the bottom of the lake, we could force Crocodile out, and then, we'd be on a more even playing field. We wouldn't be walking into his trap."
"And how do we do that?" Sanji asked as he puffed his cigarette, "we don't have any explosives on us."
"We don't need them," Nami said as she jabbed her thumb at Luffy. "Remember Arlong Park? Luffy took that building down. Combine his strength with all of yours, and we should be able to topple the building."
"What about the people inside?" Johnny asked quickly. "How do we get them out?"
"I've got an idea for that," Sanji said.
Johnny hated the plan.
"Do you forgive me Johnny?" Luffy asked preemptively. Johnny nodded, gulping.
"Of course, Big Bro!" He exclaimed, "you can do whatever you need to-!"
Luffy slammed his fist into Johnny's face, leaving him dazed. He could already feel blood rushing out of his nose.
"Ow," he mumbled weakly as Luffy released him.
"Remember what to do, Johnny?" Nami asked. Johnny nodded numbly.
"Run inside and say the rebels are planning on attacking the casino," he said. "You guys barge in and start raising hell to prove my point. Everyone clears out, then we take the building down."
"Exactly," Nami said. "Now, it seems obvious to say, but a pyramids structural integrity is all at the base. You deal enough damage to the supports, and the rest comes crashing down on top. And seeing as Rain Dinners isn't built on a small island..."
"It all crashes into the lake," Sanji finished. "Smoking Crocodile out."
"Exactly," Nami said. She then peered out of the alley at the pyramid. "Judging from the look of that croc head on top of it, the weight up top is already quite a lot. You hear some rumbling, get out quick."
"Got it," Luffy said with a big smile. "And you be ready, okay Nami?" Nami gripped her new tool tightly, nodding at the Captain. "Ready to go, Johnny?"
"No," Johnny admitted, "But I have to go anyway!"
"Good man!" Luffy shouted, "for taking that punch, I name you our number one cabin boy!"
"It's an honour, Big Bro!"
"It really isn't," Sanji noted.
"One more thing!" Nami said. "While you guys are in there, could you maybe rob them? Casino's are always loaded!" Everyone stared at Nami in disbelief, who fidgeted under their scrutiny. "What?! We're already committing an act of terror, we may as well rob them too!"
"You're all insane," Marianne said.
"This was your plan," Zoro said pointedly.
"Fair," she replied.
"Get going!" Nami shouted. Jumping, Johnny sprinted out of the alley and towards the front door of the casino, where some guards were waiting.
"Stop!" One of them shouted, "no entry without paying a fee! Stop!"
"Help!" Johnny shouted as he wiped blood from his face and got it all over himself. "Help! The rebels are going to attack the casino!" The guards eyes widened at this, and Johnny used their surprise to slip past them and get inside. Once he was in, he spared a moment to marvel at all the fancily dressed people inside. Vivi had been right, Rainbase was being spared the worst of the conflict.
"Everyone!" He shouted as loud as he could, "The rebels are going to attack! You're all in danger! Get out!" His words caused some confusion, but soon the chaos to back him up arrive. Luffy's fist stretched past him and hit a row of slot machines, crushing and toppling them. He heard his Captain laugh manically.
"Destroy the casino!" Luffy shouted, "Destroy this symbol of the elite's privilege!" Had someone else given Luffy that line? It was a good one. Together with Zoro and Sanji, Luffy jumped inside and began tearing everything up. Machines went flying, pillars were destroyed, and walls were caved in. The people inside seemed to finally take the hint, screaming and running for the door. Johnny quickly got out of the wall, and watched as the crowd nearly trampled the guards trying to get in. Seems like the plan had worked.
"Good work Johnny!" Zoro shouted. "Now help us tear this place up!"
"Of course, Big Bro!" Johnny said, drawing Sutomukora. He went to work quickly, hacking and slashing at the pillars around the ground floor as Luffy and Sanji went to work on the walls. After a while, he'd managed to work his way to the main counter. Looking over it, he saw a safe sitting there. Hm, he thought to himself, Big Sis Nami would appreciate it at a lot if I did some robbing...
Deciding it was worth the effort, he jumped over the counter and prepared his blade, ramming in straight into the lock of the safe. Sutomukora cleaved right through, making Johnny pleased with himself. He ripped open the door, which revealed wads of Berries secured with rubber bands. He quickly grabbed some and worked them into his pockets, before going back to work on the pillars. He could see Zoro doing the stairs, and Luffy was working on support beams in the walls.
It didn't take long until Rain Dinners began to shudder.
"We're doing good!" Luffy shouted, "Just a little more!"
"Didn't Big Sis Nami say to run at the shuddering?!" Johnny asked.
"What does she know?!" Luffy demanded.
"A lot!"
"Huh...well, screw it! Just a little more!" Johnny wasn't a fan of that order, but he complied all the same. Still, he positioned himself closer to the door just in case. Before long, Rain Dinners shuddered harder, and large bits of debris came falling from the roof.
"Let's get out of here!" Sanji shouted, "It's all coming down!"
"Everyone out!" Luffy ordered. Johnny happily complied, sprinting out the door and across the bridge to safety near the crowd. He turned just in time to see the others leave through the front door, and they all looked up at the casino. The entire building was shuddering and, before long, the ground around them began to shake.
And the bottom floor collapsed.
Johnny watched as the ground floor was crushed by the second floor, the resulting shock destroyed the supports the building had below it and, in once swift motion, Rain Dinners crashed into the waves below. The water heaved from the crash, throwing up a massive wave on top of everyone who'd remained nearby. Most fled, but Johnny and the others were too close to get away. All he could do was hold hid breathe as the waves assaulted them. Soon enough, it died down, and he opened his eyes to see nothing but the disturbed surface of the lake. Well, that and Bananawani angrily breaching the surface.
"Good job boys!" Luffy said. "Mission destroy a casino is complete!"
"I'm surprised no guards have come for us," Sanji noted as he irritably tossed his damp cigarette away. "Well, what's done is done. Now, where's our friend? Did he just drown?"
"I'm surprised you went for that route, Straw Hat." A voice said. Johnny and the others turned to see Ms. All Sunday standing nearby, smiling innocently at them. She was still wearing her stylish cowgirl outfit.
"What are you doing here?!" Luffy demanded. "Where the hell is Crocodile?!"
"Oh, he's over there," Ms. All Sunday said, pointing. Looking in the direction she pointed, Johnny saw a dust devil spawning there. No, it wasn't a dust devil, it was an absurd amount of sand. The sand slowly began to form itself into the shape of a man, taller and imposing. It formed a claw in the place a left hand should've been. Before long the sand solidified, and a man was standing there.
It was Crocodile, and he looked so livid he nearly bit through his cigar.
"How is it at every turn my plans have been foiled by a bunch of teenagers gallivanting as pirates?" He demanded. "Has my help been this useless? No matter. I will crush all of you, right here, right now."
"Funny," Luffy said as he stretched his arms, "I was about to say the same to you. We won't let you have this country!" Crocodile let out a laugh. An odd sound, but it sent a chill down Johnny's spine nonetheless.
"Your ignorance precedes you," he said. "Look around, Straw Hat. You're the villain here." Johnny spared a moment to look around them, only to find that Crocodile was right. The crowd of people from the casino was watching from the sidelines, and they didn't look happy.
"Crush those rebels, Crocodile!" Someone shouted.
"Show them why you're the hero of Alabasta!"
"Take the fight to their leaders!"
"You see?" Crocodile asked, "no one sees you as liberators. They see you as the enemy. One I will crush to further my own agenda. Couple that with the rest of my plan, and taking this country for myself might be easier than I thought."
Crocodile raised his real hand and gestured towards them.
"So come, Straw Hats. Let us see what this new blood is worth."
"What the hell do you mean, gone?!" Chaka demanded angrily. The soldiers reporting to him faltered a bit at his rage, but still managed to say it again.
"Exactly that, sir!" The soldier shouted, "the King wasn't anywhere in his chambers, or the castle! We're searching Alubarna, but we've haven't seen him yet! With Pell on his way to Rainbase, command falls to you!" Chaka growled at this and slammed his hand into the wall nearby. What the hell was happening around here these days?!
"Fortify the city!" He instructed. "Keep a small squad searching, but otherwise lock the city down! Something is afoot!"
Sir!" The soldiers he ordered scampered off, leaving him alone in the throne room. Growling, Chaka turned and looked at the empty throne angrily.
What the hell was happening?!
It had been an hour or so since Koza had disappeared with his advisers, and in that time Vivi had been waiting impatiently. She knew decisions like this took time, but it was just making her more and more anxious.
And then, it had all vanished when a soldier came to her and said Koza had called for her. She followed the soldier through the camp, all her anxiety washing away. The decision had been made, one way or the other. She could only hope it was in her favour. She reached the tent she had seen him disappear into earlier, and was given the permission to enter. As she did so, she saw it was just her and Koza inside. Any trace of his advisers was gone. He looked up as she entered, giving her a tired smile.
"Vivi," he said as he turned to her. "Thank you for coming so quick."
"Of course," she said. "What have you and your advisers come too?" Koza made a face at this and ran a hand through his sandy hair.
"It's not easy to convince a bunch of rebels that a royal is telling the truth," he said. "But I did my best."
"Does that mean you believe me?" Vivi asked, "that I didn't come here peddling lies to save my father?"
"Yes," he replied, "I do. I know you, Vivi. You wouldn't lie about this."
"Did your allies believe you?" She asked. Koza sighed.
"It varies," he replied. "Some are sceptical, some don't at all, and some do. The only thing we've agreed on is pausing our campaign." Vivi let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Koza," she said. "You don't know how much that means to me."
"I know it means a lot," he said. "You're the Princess. This country means the world to you." There was a stretch of silence before Koza chuckled. "Never thought we'd end up in this situation back in the old days, huh?" Vivi, too, laughed.
"Never," she agreed. "But then again, we never could have imagined this before" Koza nodded.
"Yeah," he agreed. "I certainly couldn't." He paused, then said, "Vivi, that stuff you said about Baroque Works, was it all true?"
"Every word," she replied.
"...Igaram is dead?" Vivi fought back her tears.
"Yes," she answered. "I have no clue how someone could survive that explosion." Koza frowned at the ground.
"Damn it all," he hissed before looking back at her. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. All to find out who our enemy really is."
"At least I'm not dead yet," she said. "That's a bonus, right?"
"It is," he agreed. "Thanks to those pirates you're palling around with, I guess. Are they good people? Can we trust them?" Vivi nodded with a smile.
"We can," she said as she thought back to the chaos on board the Going Merry. "They may be pirates, but to call them that overshadows their good hearts. They're more heroes than pirates."
"Lucky you happened upon such a group," he replied, making her nod. Vivi hoped no one on the crew died doing this for her. She'd never be able to forgive herself if they did.
"I'm very lucky," she agreed with a small smile. "So...What do we do now?" Koza crossed his arms.
"I suppose we come up with a plan to toss Crocodile into the sea," he said, "but first, did anyone your allies with go to Rainbase?" Vivi nodded.
"They did," she replied, "The Captain of the crew and his strongest fighters went to confront Crocodile, why?" Koza made a face.
"That explains it," he muttered. "I received a report from our agents there during our meeting," Koza gestured to a Transponders Snail sitting on the desk nearby. "Apparently some lugs calling themselves the rebels burst into Rain Dinners."
"They did?" Vivi asked. Koza nodded.
"And then they crashed it into the lake it sits on," Koza said. Vivi stared at him in surprise.
"...They did?" She asked. He nodded.
"I'd have called you out on that if they weren't fighting Crocodile in the middle of the town," Koza said. "He appeared out of the wreckage and is fighting them."
"How is it going?" Vivi asked worriedly. Koza shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know, I haven't gotten an update on that yet," he said. "We can only hope it goes well." Vivi made a face and looked at the ground. She was sure Luffy and the others would be fine.
"I see," she murmured.
"They'll be fine," Koza tried to reassure her. "Once we gather our forces, we can send reinforcements that way up the river. Then, we can take Crocodile down and stop this plot once and for-"
"Koza! Koza!" Vivi and Koza turned as a soldier burst into the tent, nearly tripping on his own feet.
"What?" Koza asked, sounding irritated.
"It's the King!" The man shouted, "He's appeared in Nanohana!" Both Koza and Vivi gasped at this.
"What is he doing?" Vivi asked. The soldier gave her a somewhat dirty look before turning back to Koza.
"He's...He and his soldiers are destroying everything! He took responsibility for the drought, and ordered his soldiers to attack!" Vivi stared at the soldier in shock before she cast a glance at Koza. The man looked livid, glaring at the ground with his fists clenched.
"Koza..." She tried weakly.
"Say nothing," he replied to her. "You and your crew will come with me to Nanohana, and we'll stop your mad father in his tracks."
"Koza, I swear!" Vivi shouted, "this has to be a mistake! My father would never-!"
"Get your crew and follow me!" He shouted at her. "I'll see for myself what's happening." Koza stormed from the tent, leaving Vivi by herself. Growling, she clenched her fists and followed after him.
What have you done now, Crocodile?!
Another one down! Things are obviously going different than canon, but isn't that the point of a story like this? I hope you all enjoyed!