Chapter 12: Alabasta At Last
"You seem to be in a good mood today." Robin said to Crocodile as she approached his desk. Ever since that call with Doflamingo, Crocodile has been on edge. Understandably so when considering who his fellow Shichibukai is. Doflamingo is one of the most well-known and connected people in the underworld. Any deal that involves him, likely, involves any number of the big players in the world. For Doflamingo to call Crocodile and 'ask' for a favor, that would alarm any reasonable person.
"And why shouldn't I be. We're on the verge of acquiring Pluton. The World Government is none the wiser. Those annoying rookies were taken care of. And once we acquire Pluton, we won't have to worry about whatever scheme Doflamingo is trying to wrap us up in." Lighting another cigar, Crocodile leaned back into his chair. Years of careful planning and operations are coming to a head. Everyone he needs is exactly where they need to be. This final stretch, all the preparations have been made and now he needs to let events take their course.
Smirking to herself, Robin is almost curious to learn how Crocodile would react to learn that the Straw Hats are still alive. Would it be enough to take away the Shichibukai's confidence? 'No, he's too confident that they are insignificant pest.' Robin almost pitied the poor fool that reports the news to him. "Out of curiosity, when will Doflamingo's package be arriving?"
A flicker of annoyance flashed across Crocodile's face at the reminder. "Today, take some men and head to Nanohana to pick up the package. Might as well see what this package is." If there's one 'nice' thing he could say about Doflamingo, it's that he doesn't involve outside parties unless he has a good reason to. "Joker's subordinates were instructed to head to one of our private ports."
"Letting someone else use the private port, this must be serious." Robin teased. It would have been more surprising if Crocodile had instructed the Donquixote Pirates to use one of the public docks, especially with all the marines that are loitering around in Nanohana.
"Make sure those idiots are gone as soon as they arrive." Despite his situation being ideal, any officer agent underneath Doflamingo is competent enough to complicate things. Silencing them would only serve to instigate some kind of retaliation from their captain.
Making her way towards the exit to acquire some transport, Robin ran some numbers through her head. If the Straw Hats made it off Little Garden, assuming they're alive to begin with, it shouldn't be long before they arrive in Alabasta.
The entirety of Crocodile's plans rests on her being able to translate the Poneglyph and tell him everything that's in it. There was one glaring problem that Robin recognized immediately, once she transcribed everything, she lost her usefulness. With her history and Crocodile's handling of those he sees as useless, there are only two possible outcomes.
If the Straw Hats are as tenacious as she thinks they are, they could prove useful. Thinking of their captain, he's an enigma if the archaeologist has ever seen one. If he's committed to helping Princess Vivi, there's no doubt that he'll confront Crocodile sooner or later. Whether he lives through that encounter or not, Robin will at least have a good distraction to escape.
Despite her willingness to work with Crocodile, she had no interest in helping him realize his goals. Robin knows his type; he'll discard her as soon as possible. They always do. The only reason she continues to work with him is because his goals at least helped her learn more about Poneglyphs and the Void Century. She must learn about that forgotten era in time. What was so terrifying that the World Government would condemn those who attempt to learn about it to death? What was the justification that caused them to eliminate Ohara?
Time Skip
Vivi didn't know how to describe what she was feeling. On one hand, the sight of the busy port of Nanohana made her feel nostalgic and relieved whatever sense of homesickness she felt after she left to infiltrate Baroque Works. On the other hand, her being back here means that Crocodile is close to achieving his goal of taking over Alabasta. He hasn't one yet, but she still didn't like their odds.
"Excited to be back?" Nami asked as she approached the princess. As soon as Alabasta came into view, Vivi had been lost in thought. It wasn't a mystery to anyone what the princess was thinking about. And with them being so close to port, Vivi is practically a walking ball of nerves.
"Of course, it's been so long… it would have been nice if Igaram was with us." Vivi clutched the railing hard as she struggled to hold back the tears. She cried enough for her fallen friend. All she can do now is make his sacrifice worth it. His passing will be another one of the crimes Crocodile will pay for.
"It's going to be ok." Nami knew firsthand how little reassuring words mean in the face of an impossible task. Prior to meeting Luffy, the idea of taking down Arlong was nothing more than a dream. Her boyfriend shattered those previous notions both figuratively and literally. "If there's anything Luffy is good at, it's doing the impossible."
"I know, I'm just worried…" In the port, Vivi spotted at least seven ships with the Baroque Works logo on their sails. Those ships easily carried the bulk of their foot soldiers, the Billions and Millions. Knowing that Mr. 2 was heading towards Alabasta almost guaranteed the rest of the Officer and Frontier Agents would be in here to if they haven't already arrived.
"Let me go! I just want to get some food!" Luffy yelled as Gin and Zoro were doing everything in their power to keep their captain on the ship.
"Would you stop thinking with your stomach!" Zoro yelled through gritted teeth.
"Can someone help us!" Gin, like everyone else on the ship, is aware of how strong Luffy is. Or at least, they have a good idea of how strong he is. But in moments like this where Luffy's stomach is doing his thinking, the gap in strength is made even more apparent.
Right now, they have the benefit of Baroque Works thinking they're dead. So long as they can be discreet, they should be able to get the drop on Crocodile and foil his plans with little to no issue. Unfortunately, there's one thing that hinders them. Luffy is as subtle as a sledgehammer to face. And that's before he starts thinking with his stomach.
Despite being so close to their first major island in the Grand Line, most of the crew were more interested in the scuffle with Luffy, Gin and Zoro. Johnny and Yosaku were cheering on Zoro. Bartolomeo, Desire, Reiju, and Usopp were taking bets. Nojiko was somewhere between amused and disappointed at her boyfriend's antics. Sanji was handing out popcorn to the rest of the crew.
"But food!" There are not many things that both Garp and Rayleigh would agree on. But one thing there was never an argument about was that the best way to experience a new culture is by eating their food.
Nami let out a sigh of annoyance. In times like this, it's hard to believe that Luffy is the powerhouse that he is. "You know what, you may have a reason to be concerned." The redhead said sarcastically to Vivi. They both knew that when the time came, Luffy would do whatever he needed to do to help the princess and ensure that his crew survives this fiasco. "Ok everyone, we need to be in and out of here quick. The longer we stay, the more likely we are to get spotted." Nami stated to the crew, even getting Luffy to stop struggling, much to Gin and Zoro's relief.
"We need to prepare to trek through the desert to Yuba. From there, we should hopefully be able to talk down Koza and the rebels." Vivi chimed in. Crocodile's plan relies heavily on inciting a civil war between the kingdom and its people. In the chaos, he'll be able to swoop in and accomplish his real goal. If they can calm down the rebels, that'll stop Crocodile's plans dead in their tracks, and give them time to take him down.
"What makes you think the rebels will stand down?" Gin asked. From what Vivi has told them, the people have been struggling just to get water while it looks like her father was using Dance Powder to hoard it for himself and Alubarna. Sure; it was the result of Crocodile's machinations, but the people don't know that.
"Well, if I can sit down and talk to Koza…"
"Then the people will still have little to no water. Crocodile is relying on them being desperate enough where fighting is their only choice." Reiju understands that the princess is hopeful that she can get through to her friend and get him to see reason. But a person like Crocodile isn't going to rely on a single method to get what he wants. If he's spent years arranging things in the background while building up his credibility, he'll have back up plans for every scenario.
"Vivi; I'm sorry to say this, but if you try to stop this Koza, all you're going to do is get him killed." Mikita had no way of knowing for sure. Everyone is kept on a need-to-know basis. But Crocodile won't think twice about killing Koza if he thinks he won't lead the rebels to war. It's a guarantee that Crocodile has planted more than enough of his own agents on either sides to guarantee a war breaks out at some point.
Whatever color Vivi had, it drained from her face. She had no effective way to take down Crocodile. He's a warlord and has the backing of the World Government. Unless they can prove what he's doing, the World Government won't touch him. With Vivi disappearing for the last few years and Crocodile cementing himself as a hero to the people of Alabasta, no one would believe her. If she goes to Koza, she'll be risking his life in the hope that he'll listen to her.
"Then let's just go straight for Crocodile and take care of him." Luffy stated simply as he moved to lean against the railing. From the sounds of it, there's no avoiding a fight with the Shichibukai. Might as well take him out while they still have the element of surprise.
"What?! I can't ask you to fight Crocodile?"
"Why not?" Luffy asked rhetorically. "Do think we're going to bail on you because things will be dangerous."
"But Crocodile is a Shichibukai…" Vivi hoped that would be a deterrent. Any sane person would think twice about picking a fight with a very dangerous pirate that has the backing of the World Government. Unfortunately for the princess, she knows that Luffy is that rare kind of crazy. Not only that; but the crew, while maybe a bit reluctant, have total faith in their captain.
"So what?" If Luffy cared about Vivi's weak defense, it didn't show if the serious look on his face is anything to go by. "If I'm going to be King of the Pirates, then I'm going to have to surpass Crocodile eventually. Might as well do it now." Besides, it's safe to say that Vivi is a friend. She's willing to put her own life in danger for the sake of her country. There's no way he could leave her now after everything they've been through.
Vivi looked out to the rest of the crew, hoping someone would side with her and try to reason with Luffy. Unfortunately for her, they all shared the same determined look. Out of all the people she could have come across, she just happened to find a decent group of people that were willing to help her despite the dangers.
"Now that that's decided…" Using a combination of Geppo and Soru, Luffy disappeared.
The crew stared blankly at the spot that he was standing in. Many of them were still trying to process what they were seeing. While none of them could be sure, most, if not all, could have sworn they could hear their captain screaming 'FOOD!' as he rushed towards the port town.
"Did Luffy… just play us?" Luffy isn't an idiot. He's not the sharpest bulb in the ted (AN: I know what the saying is, I said it this way on purpose because I think it's funnier.), but he's not an idiot.
"I'm going to kill that idiot." A few of the crewmates
"Um, how much trouble do you think Luffy will get into?" Silk asked nervously.
"Ok, so we need to make this fast and hope for the best." Zoro said.
Elsewhere
"Captain Smoker, are you sure about this lead?" Tashigi asked as she followed her CO around Nanohana. It wasn't long ago that they had managed to intercept a message. While neither of them recognized the name Mr. 0, Smoker heard two key phrases that caught his attention. Princess Vivi and the Straw Hats.
With a little bit of digging, Smoker was able to learn that this Vivi is a princess of Alabasta, one of the early island in the Grand Line. What is the connection between the missing princess and the Straw Hats, he had no idea. According to Straw Hat Luffy's bounty poster, he probably hold great disdain towards royal families if his attack on Goa is anything to go by.
What had left Smoker confused the most is the Straw Hats involvement with Baroque Works. They had intercepted and captured someone going by Mr. 11. They were able to learn that he works for Baroque Works and the similarity in names means that that Mr. 11 and 0 are probably part of the same organization.
"Do you have any better ideas?" For the life of him, Smoker couldn't put the pieces together. Straw Hat doesn't seem like the type to work for someone else. Not willingly at least. Plus, how is some missing princess tied to the Straw Hats? Are they planning to take her hostage? Unlikely, but Navy Captain didn't have enough pieces of the puzzle to understand.
"No, Sir…" Tashigi wanted to be more helpful, but she is just as stumped as her captain.
"Sir!" One of Smoker's men shouted as he ran up to the captain.
"What is it?"
"I have report that you need to hear."
"Well, hurry up and out with it." Sometimes, Smoker really hated how formal the Navy is. In the time his men waste on formalities, they could have already delivered whatever news is so important.
Elsewhere
"Wow, I can't believe how lively this place is." Silk said as she, Zoro, Johnny, and Yosaku were walking through the markets. They had already gathered what water and alcohol they could get and were taking some time to take in the sights.
Sanji and Chopper were gathering food and clothes that are better suited for traversing the desert. Usopp and Nojiko were looking for any miscellaneous items that could be useful. Desire and Miki were staying with the Ikaros, the latter of which was so she wouldn't be recognized. Gin and Bartolomeo were out looking for Luffy. And Nami, Reiju, and Vivi were also taking in the sights while hoping they would come across Luffy.
"No kidding, we should come back here before we leave. Who knows what we're going to find." Yosaku was trying to resist the urge to check out every stand they came across. It helped that they were on a strict schedule and didn't have too many bellis left.
"What do you think the craziest thing we could find here is?"
Zoro didn't contribute much to the awe as he led the swordsman group through the markets. He's seen plenty of markets like this while travelling across the East Blue. He saw some weapon stands that seemed interesting, but he already had three amazing katanas. He doubted he could find anything that would be an improvement.
"Excuse me, have you seen this man?" Someone asked further down the street.
Zoro didn't know why, but for some reason that caught his attention. Looking at whoever was speaking, Zoro stopped dead in his tracks as he felt his blood run cold.
"Ugh, you ok Big Bro?" Johnny asked, having never seen the green haired man freeze up like that.
"Zoro, what's going on." Silk asked, concern laced her voice as she's never seen Zoro of all people this concerned.
"Did you three not see that guy down the street?"
Curiosity getting the better of them, the three swordsman look down the street and see a tall muscular man wearing an orange cowboy hat, black knee length shorts with a orange belt, black boots and had a dagger resting in a green scabbard on the back of his belt. On his left arm were the letters ASCE tattooed vertically with the S crossed out.
"Do you know that guy?" Yosaku asked, not seeing any clear reason why Zoro would be so scared.
"Did you not see the tattoo on his back?" Zoro asked as he glared at the pirate.
Looking again, the three swordsman see the purple skull with a white mustache on the man's back. "I don't think I've seen that jolly roger. What about you, Yosaku?"
"Can't say that I have." The former bounty hunters memorized every jolly roger that belonged to active pirates in the East Blue. It was a normal part of the job. Until they joined up with Luffy, they never even entertained the idea of venturing out into other seas. They knew their skill level and were content with where they were. After becoming pirates, they didn't bother memorizing other jolly rogers. They didn't see much point.
Zoro had to resist the urge to bash his head against a wall. Silk at least has a good excuse not to recognize that jolly roger. But Johnny and Yosaku were bounty hunters! "That guy is part of the Whitebeard Pirates."
With that information, Johnny and Yosaku turned deathly pale. Even if they weren't familiar with their flag, every pirate, marine, and bounty hunter has heard of the Whitebeard Pirates and knew to stay as far away from them as possible.
"Who are the Whitebeard Pirates?" Silk was now becoming scared. Obviously, they are pirates. But how bad are they? Even when facing Hawkeye Mihawk, Zoro wasn't this scared.
"It's said their captain was able to fight on par with Gold Roger. They're one of the largest pirate groups in the world. Whitebeard's bounty is so high that the Navy won't pass it out to bounty hunters." Judging by the look on Silk's face, the blonde now understands why they are so concerned. Looking back at the Whitebeard Pirate again, Zoro came to another unfortunate realization. "Great, that guy is looking for Luffy." He said, spotting Luffy's bounty poster in the pirate's hand.
"Why is he looking for Luffy?" Johnny asked.
"No idea and I don't plan to find out." Zoro could think of two possibilities. The first one is that Luffy did something to piss off the Whitebeard Pirates and they're actively looking for him. The other is that they have heard of him and are looking for him to ask him to join their crew. Zoro didn't know which one was worse. Knowing Luffy and how good he is at getting himself in trouble, both options were terrible. "We need to find Luffy and get the hell out here."
With Nami, Reiju, and Vivi
"Man, I can't get over how hot it?" Traveling all over the East Blue, Nami thought that she would be used to any kind of climate. But the desert heat of Alabasta was so much more than she was expecting.
"If it makes you feel better, you're handling the heat surprisingly well." The extreme heat of the desert was nothing new to Vivi. She grew up with this heat. She was molded by it. She had wanted to warn the Straw Hats that the desert is so much worse, but its one of those things that's better to experience it than be told. Most people tend to underestimate it. "Here, let me get us some drinks." The bluenette said before running off towards the nearest vendor.
"Think it's a good idea to let Vivi just run off?" Reiju asked as she took a seat next to Nami. There's no telling how many Baroque Works agents there are in town. The regular people might comment that she looks like the princess, but the odds of them figuring out that it's her is unlikely.
"Don't worry, Vivi knows what she's doing." The princess has spent years infiltrating a secret organization. Sneaking around markets she's familiar with should be a cake walk.
"Fair point." Reiju was appreciative of the dancer outfit she was wearing. It was better suited for the desert heat than her dress shirt and skirt. Sending Sanji of all people ahead to get clothes for the crew so they can blend in easier was a bad idea in hindsight. All the guys got clothes that were passible, but they were a step above rags. All the girls received sexy belly dancer outfits that fit to their curves perfectly contoured to their bodies.
What annoyed the pinkette the most was that her brother got her clothes that were like what the guys received. Thankfully that problem was easy enough to fix after giving Sanji a few well deserved lumps to his head. Besides, she didn't want to be the only one not wearing a cute outfit.
"So, how are things going with you and Luffy?"
"Really good." It was no secret about the relationship between the captain and the navigator. "It's kind of annoying how stubborn he is, but I couldn't be happier."
"And what about now that Nojiko is involved?" Reiju couldn't help but smirk at the redhead's shocked look.
"What…" Nami hated how much she was stammering. Judging from the amused look on the pinkette's face, the navigator is relieved that Reiju didn't seem to be judging them. "How did you know?" It has only been two days since this relationship changed.
"Well, for starters, you slept in the girl's room in Nojiko's bed the other day. And there was that limp Nojiko was walking with yesterday. Do I need to go on?" The Ikaros may not be the smallest ship out there, but it's very easy to pick up on certain things, especially when those involved aren't being discreet. "So, how's it going?" Reiju loved the look on Nami's face when she blushed. It was so out of character and cute that the pinkette took any chance she could get to tease her.
"It's… going better than I thought it would." Ignoring the teasing look that is on the pinkette's face, Nami at least tried to answer her. "I don't why, but I don't feel jealous or angry at all that my boyfriend is sleeping with another woman. In a weird way, I even feel closer to Nojiko."
"At least you three are happy. It would be terrible otherwise." Relationships on any kind of ship are difficult. For the most part, most crews wouldn't allow relationships to exist on the crew. They are usually seen as the quickest means to instigate infighting and if left unchecked can spiral out of control. "So, is it just going to be you three together? Or are you interested in letting other girls joining this relationship?"
Nami had to do a double take just to make sure she heard her crew mate right. "Wait, are you saying that you want…?" She didn't know how to finish that question. Nami thought this might happened again, but not so fast.
"What, you thought you and Nojiko are the only ones that has feelings for Luffy. If you hadn't made your move when you had, our positions might have switched." Luffy had a lot of good qualities about him. He's confidant without being arrogant. He's ambitious but doesn't let his goals blind him to what's happening in the moment. Despite how strong he is, he doesn't treat his crew, his girlfriends in particular, like they're fragile dolls. Instead, he puts in a lot of effort to make sure everyone can protect themselves.
Nami couldn't fault the pinkette there. For all Luffy's faults, of which none of them were a deal breaker, he's genuinely a good guy. "Before I say yes, let's talk to Luffy and Nojiko and see how they feel about it." As much as Nami would like to give Reiju an answer right now, it wouldn't be fair to the others.
"That's fair…" A loud crash caught both girls' attention. Jumping to their feet, both girls saw Vivi running towards them.
"Did you hear that?" Despite the tension of whatever that crash was, both girls were relieved when they realized that whatever it was it didn't involve Vivi.
"Of course, we heard that. What was that?" The three of them stared at each other for a moment. Slowly, they came to same conclusion.
"LUFFY!"
A few minutes prior
"Is he dead?"
"What happened to that guy?"
Various patrons were crowding around a man sitting at a counter how had suddenly passed out while in the middle of his meal. Has hand hadn't moved yet he had face planted into his food.
"He's clearly not from around here, do you think he ate a desert strawberry?"
"If he did, he's definitely dead."
"Excuse me sir, are you ok?" A woman hesitantly walked towards the passed-out man, hoping that she's not the one to discover whether he's alive or not.
Suddenly, the man's head shot up. Looking left and right with food still on his face, he turns to the woman that was checking on him.
"AHHHH!" The woman screamed as the man reached for her skirt, wiping his face on the fabric, before running out the door.
"What are you guys looking at?" The man asked as he continued to eat.
"You, you idiot, we thought you were!" The patrons shouted in unison. They would have continued to yell if not for the man face planting in his food again. They were silent for another moment until they heard him snoring into his food. "He fell asleep again!"
"Man, what a weird place." He said before turning to the man behind the counter. "Is this place always this lively?"
"Well, if it isn't the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Portgas D. Ace." Smoker said coolly as he walked into the restaurant. Upon hearing who the man is, the patrons grew scared and started rushing out the door.
"Leave it to the Navy to come in and ruin everyone's good time." Ace said as he spun around in his chair and leaned back against the counter.
"You're lucky you're not the pirate I'm looking for." Smoker glared at the cocky pirate. He's seen more than his fair share of pirates that wore the same look right before he arrests them.
"How lucky for me, guess we can go our separate ways then."
"Unfortunately, I can't let that happen." Smoker said as his hand reached back for his Jitte. "As a self-respecting Marine, there's no way I can let a criminal like you just walk out of here."
Smirking, Ace enjoyed moments like this when marines learn just how in over their head they are. From what he can tell, Smoker is nothing for Ace to be concerned about. At best, he might be a little annoying.
Ace's eyes widened momentarily as his Haki screamed at him to get out of the way. Whatever the threat was, it wasn't coming from the navy captain. Before he could react, Smoker's body crashed into his, sending them flying through multiple buildings.
"Food!" Luffy shouted as he sat at the counter. "Hey, I'll take a plate of everything." He said excitedly to the man behind the counter.
From how suddenly the situation changed, the chef had no idea how to react. Placing a few plates down in front of Luffy, he watched in shock as he ate like a starving man that has nearly died of hunger. "Um, excuse me, sir. You may need to run." He tried to warn the boy.
If Luffy had heard him, it didn't show. Instead, he continued scarfing down plate after plate.
"What the hell was that." Ace said as he rubbed his head, getting out of the rubble. Walking through the various building he had crashed through; it was rare that his Haki wasn't able to warn him fast enough. Probably because he was more focused on that marine.
Stopping dead in his tracks, Ace was shocked and excited to see the reason. "Lu…" He began to shout but was silenced as Smoker slammed his face into the rubble and rushed past him.
"Straw Hat!" Smoker had no reason to care about the Whitebeard Pirate anymore. After dealing with Straw Hat, he'll capture Ace later.
Rushing through the rubble, the Navy Captain stopped as he passed through the last hole in the wall, now standing back in the restaurant. "Straw Hat, you led me on a hell of a chase."
Luffy stared blankly at Smoker as kept eating. Between Smoker and food, food is much higher on his priorities list.
"Would you stop eating!" Smoker said as he pulled out Jitte.
Luffy, to his credit, scooped up the last of his food and swallowed it in one big bite. "Thanks for the food." He said to the chef before bolting out the door. Say what you want Luffy, but he'll never let food go to waste.
"Come back here, Straw Hat!" Smoker shouted as he gave chase.
"Luffy, wait!" Ace said as he finally got out of the rubble.
"Shishishishi, missed you to, Smokey!" Luffy laughed as he dodged out of one plume of smoke after another. Running down the street, more marines came out of the woodworks, each taking swings at him. Most of them were too slow to do anything.
Running down the street, Luffy spots at least half of his crew rushing towards him. "Goddammit Luffy, what did you do?!" Nami shouted. All of them knew that they had to be discreet and not draw attention. And of course it would be Luffy of all people to cause a commotion.
"Nothing! I was just sitting in a restaurant, minding my own business."
"Bullshit!" His crew yelled out in unison.
"I was."
"We need to get out of here now!" Vivi shouted.
"Don't have to tell us twice, Vivi!" Gin shouted as the Straw Hats spun around and began running away.
"Straw Hat! Moku Moku no Howaito Sunēku!" he shouted as a large plume of smoke shot towards the pirate. As it closed in on the pirates, its shape changed to resemble a snake.
Luffy stopped to smack away the attack. Before he could do so, a pillar of flames shot down, stopping Smoker's attack before it disappeared.
"Good to see that you're still a trouble make Luffy." Ace joked as he landed in between his brother and the pursuing marine, causing everyone to stop in their tracks.
"Ace!" Luffy shouted, excited to see his brother for the first time in years.
"Let's catch up later. You guys get going, I got this chump."
The Straw Hats weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth and kept running back towards the docks.
"Shishishi, have fun." Luffy said as he ran backwards, watching as Ace easily held off the marines.
"Luffy, who was that guy?" Zoro was the first ask the burning question, glad that the Whitebeard Pirate and Luffy seemed to be on good terms.
"That's my brother Ace."
"WHAT!" His crew shouted in surprise/horror. They don't know how it's possible, but their captain is still finding ways to surprise them.
"That's your brother?!" Looking back over her shoulder, Nami could see all of the marines stand down as Smoker desperately tried to hold his own against Ace. From what she could see, Ace looked like he was playing with his food.
"Why are you helping Straw Hat?" Smoker glared daggers at Ace. He didn't like how outclassed he is but he's not surprised by it. Not just anyone can become the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Personal reasons don't worry about it. Want to keep going or can we go our separate ways."
Gritting his teeth, Smoker didn't like his options. It's clear to him that he won't be able to capture or get through Ace. If the fight keeps going, himself or his men will get hurt or killed. Or, in the worst-case scenario, the civilians in the immediate area will also be victim of a fight between two Logia users. "Everyone, stand down." He ordered begrudgingly.
"Good choice." Ace said before he disappeared.
"Sir, is it wise to just let him go?" Tashigi had never seen her Commanding Officer willingly let a pirate go. She didn't have to ask to know how mad he is at that.
"Wise, no. But we don't have many options." Right now, Ace is the least of his concerns. Thinking back to the fleeing Straw Hats, he spotted Princess Vivi running with them. Anyone with eyes could tell that she wasn't being used as a hostage or anything else of the sorts. She's clearly collaborating with the Straw Hats. He may have gotten more pieces to the puzzle but he's still no closer to putting them together.
Running through the streets, Luffy, still running backwards, turned down the wrong street. "Where did everyone go?" Luffy said as he stood in the middle of a deserted alley.
"You lost there?" Ace teased from the rooftop he was sitting on.
"Shishishi, me? Nah, I'm just taking the scenic route." Luffy said, earning a laugh from his brother.
"Yeah, scenic route. What a wonderful alley you found." Jumping down, Ace grabbed a nearby barrel and placed it in between the two. The two of them started arm wrestling.
Around the corners, various Baroque Works agents were gathering around with their weapons ready. Today was their lucky day. Both pirates have high bounties. If they capture them, they have an easy pay day ahead of them. if they turn them over to their superiors, the whoever their secretive boss is, they will surely reward them. Plus, they clearly have the drop on these idiots.
Getting into position all around them, the agents jumped out of their cover, ready to open fire.
Below them, Ace and Luffy were still arm wrestling. Their combined strength was causing the barrel to crack from the pressure. Locking eyes, the two of them felt their Haoshoku Haki growing in intensity. The barrel shattered underneath the pressure, the ground beneath them shattered and cracks threatened to spit open the buildings around them.
The Baroque Works agents passed out from the pressure and collapsed to the ground all around the brothers.
"Huh, where did they come from?" Luffy and Ace were so focused on each other that they didn't even realize that these guys were around them.
"What a weird place." Ace shrugged. By the looks of them, they looked like some no name bounty hunters. "By the way, where's your ship?"
Looking to either side of him, Luffy was able to spot most of his crew on the Ikaros. "It's this way. Come on, I can't wait to introduce you to my crew."
The brothers ran down the alley. After a few more blocks more bounty hunters appeared out of nowhere and started shooting at them.
"Where did these guys come from?" Luffy could tell that multiple bullets had hit him and Ace but wasn't concerned since none of those bounty hunters had Haki.
"I'll take care of these guys. You go ahead and I'll catch up." By the time Ace turned around, Luffy was already long gone. "Wow, you're already gone."
Running down the docks, Luffy spotted most of his crew sailing out of the port. As he ran, he spotted the one person on the crew that wasn't on the ship. "Zoro, what are you doing here? Why aren't you on the ship."
"I thought the Ikaros was around here. Then the rest of the crew got lost."
"Shishishi, man, you suck with directions."
"Shut it, I don't want to hear that from you! Now where's the damn ship."
"It's right there." Luffy pointed out to the harbor.
"They're leaving?!" Zoro yelled out. Would have continued his tirade but a sense of dread came over him. Standing next to him, Zoro saw Luffy stretching. "Luffy, what are you doing?"
"Getting us back to the ship." Walking a few feet away, Luffy tried to line up Zoro with the main mast of the Ikaros.
"WAIT! LUFFY NO" Zoro shouted before Luffy dashed forward, grabbed the swordsman, and flew them towards the ship. Crashing into the side of the ship, the Ikaros nearly tipped over from the force of the impact.
"Luffy! What are you thinking!" Various crew members shouted as the Ikaros leveled out and they regained their footing.
"Whoops, I missed. Shishishishi."
"Idiot!"
"I swear, I'm going to kill him one of these days." Zoro didn't know what was worse. The force and whiplash of flying over the harbor with Luffy or the sudden crash into the side of the ship. Either way, he never wants to experience either with Luffy again.
"Hey Luffy, what happened with your brother?" Silk asked.
"He's dealing with some bounty hunters that jumped us."
"Will he be fine?"
"Yeah, he's stronger than he looks. Hell, he used to beat me up all the time when we were kids."
"Are you saying your brother is a bigger monster than you?" Usopp asked. With what he's seen Luffy do, he doesn't want to imagine what his older brother can do.
"Yeah, but I'm older now. I'm sure I can kick his ass."
"Whose ass are you going to kick Luffy?" Ace jokingly asked as he jumped on the railing behind his younger brother.
"Shishishi, hey guys, this is my older brother Ace." Luffy was excited to finally introduce his brother. He's told everyone so many stories that he's excited to have someone around to validate them.
"Hey guys, it's good to meet all of you. Thank you for looking after my little brother." Ace thanked his brother's crew as he bowed respectfully towards.
"It's no problem." The crew say in the same, even monotone voice.
"You guys aren't fooling anyone, I know he can be a handful."
"No, really, he's great." The crew said in the same dead even tone.
"Your crew are good people Luffy." Ace said proudly as he patted his brother on the back.
"Shishishi, told you they were great." Luffy said, before appearing behind the sisters. "Also, meet my girlfriends, Nami and Nojiko." He said as he wrapped his arms around his blushing girlfriends. If the crew had any reaction outside of a few eyes going wide at the news, they didn't show. They've already had enough surprises for one day.
"Wait! Girlfriends?!" Ace almost had to do a double take just to make sure he had heard his brother right. "You're saying you have more than one girlfriend?"
"Hi, I'm Nami and this is my sister, Nojiko." The redhead tried to ignore her boyfriend's lack of tact and tried to at least make a good first impression.
"It's good to meet you two." Ace said politely as he shook the sister's hands before turning back to Luffy. "Gramps might give you pass for being pirate if you introduce these two first."
"I need to remember that next time I see him." Luffy said as he slammed his fist into his palm.
"Why do you need to that?" Nojiko asked, almost scared what the answer would be.
Both Ace and Luffy gained a thousand-yard stare as they looked off into the distance. Garp may have gotten 'better' after Shakky put her foot, or fist, down; but they still had to endure his training. "Don't worry about it." They said in unison.
The sound of cannonballs exploding in the waters on either side of the Ikaros caught everyone's attention.
"It's the Millions and the Billions." Vivi shouted, recognizing those ships right away. The seven ships that were in the harbor were mobilizing.
"Don't worry about those guys. I'll take care of them." Ace said before walking over to the railing and jumping over the side. The Straw Hats ran over to the side to see him landing on a skiff that he had tied to the side of their ship. Using his flames to propel the skiff, Ace dodged cannonballs left and right as he moved into position. As soon as every one of the Baroque Works ships were in position, Ace smirked as he cocked his fist back. "Mera Mera no Hiken!" He shouted as he threw his fist forward sending a dense collum of flame that was equal to the size of the ships themselves towards the ships. The column of flames tore through one ship after another. By the time the flames had ripped through the last one, all of the ships were nothing more than burning wreckages.
The Straw Hats, minus Luffy, didn't know how to react. The ease at which Ace was able should have been concerning. It was at least consistent with what they know Luffy is capable of. Whether that made them feel better or not, they didn't know.
"Well, that was easy." Ace said, as he jumped back on board the Ikaros.
"Hey Ace, why don't you travel with us for a bit." Luffy said excitedly.
"Sure, I've got some time to spare." With how hard Ace as been pushing himself these last few weeks, he could use a break.
And that's it for this chapter. Sorry about the awkward ending, I didn't know how to end this chapter. Then again, I'm just happy that I finished a chapter by a deadline I set for once. Especially since I wrote 90% of this chapter in the last two days. Also, let me know what you all think about the length of this chapter, I'm so used to fitting arcs into a single chapter that I spent way too long trying to figure out where to end it. Overall, I'm looking at probably 4 or 5 chapters for the Alabasta Arc.
The Straw Hats are finally in Alabasta. We finally got to the first part of the brother's reuniting, there will be more moments in the next chapter. Reiju is trying to join the harem. And once again, Luffy is proving himself to be a master of stealth.
Oh, and before I forget, again, the results are in for the poll. Out of 42 votes with 33 of which being in favor, it looks like Luffy will be getting a second Devil Fruit. In terms of timeline, at least as of this moment, Luffy won't be getting it until just before the time skip and it won't be a more prominent thing until after the 2-year skip. With everything that I have planned, it won't make sense or seem out of place if I do it any sooner. Plus, I still need to give the plasma fruit more time. Right now, there are two or three possibilities of what the second fruit will be. Thankfully, I have plenty of time to decide which one it will be.
BTW, I have a question that I would like to ask all of you. I've throwing around ideas for a couple of stories and I'm curious if any of you would be interested in some original stories. I've been writing fanfics for little over six years and I kind of what to try my hand at some original stories. Let me know if any of you would be interested.
Now for the reviews
DarkPirateKing69: Like I said above, Luffy is a long ways away from getting a second DF. With the three ideas I have right now for his second fruit, it seems unlikely that it will be gimmicky. Also my greatest concern is that either fruit will become redundant, that alone is having me wonder if I'll change my mind. Also, glad you like the story. Good luck on rereading it, I can't bring myself to do that.
BioHazard82: Glad you like it
NinjaFang1331: Can't go wrong with a hot girl with tattoos.
InsaneMakaioshin: 1. I'll check it out if I get some time. 2. Not really, I'm not a big fan of any of Big Mom's daughters. None of them stand out or seem interesting enough. 3. Thanks a lot the Monkey Fruit is now one I'm taking into consideration for Luffy's second DF.
EliteShadow: Thank you for taking the time to write a review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Lissensjoeri: I absolutely did. I would go back and fix them, but this site doesn't have an easy way to do it without taking down the chapters.
Uvuvwevwevwe Onyetenyevwe Ugwe: Thanks a lot, your version of the mind fruit is one I've been thinking a lot about. I think Vegapunk has the main one, but I don't feel like checking at the moment. It would be cool to see Luffy create a super nova then use the 'force' to collapse it and turn it into a black hole.
Zzkaizer: Hope this chapter lives up to the hype. Also, you're giving me way to much credit. I know who I want to join the crew, but I'm mostly bullshitting and improvising how I'm going to use them. I've been lucky so far. I might cut that number down later.
Mighty ranger 1: I already have some plans for another Dragon Fruit so it is very unlikely that Luffy will get it. I do plan on giving Luffy 'gears', I don't know if I will use that name or not, but no Luffy will not have Gear 5. For as much as I love it, I have no idea how I would transcribe that ability. Just thinking about it is giving me a headache. I also have a DF planned for Vivi. I don't want to kill off Crocodile yet because I want to see what he's doing at the moment and want some options for later.
Pauldleast: No, I don't have a beta. I try to catch as many errors as I can, but I usually do that as soon as I'm done writing it which you could imagine is a horrible time to do it. I thought about getting a beta, but I have no idea how that process works and haven't checked it out yet. Glad you like the chapter despite that. Also, yes, Nami is a redhead. I looked it up just to be sure. Just like how people with brown or black hair both are considered brunette, a person with orange or red hair are both considered to be redheads.
mothefcking oak: Thank you, I put in a lot of work to include everyone. Also, I'm surprised by how many people enjoy what I'm doing with Gin.
MDM11: While I don't want to spoil anything, a few of the characters you want to join will be a part of the crew. I'll leave you guessing till they join. I haven't seen Secret Island or Cursed Holy Sword, I'll check them out as soon as I get the chance and see if there's anything I can do there.
A10riddick: Thank you, glad you liked it.
Kingred1994: 1. Thank you, those small character moments are some of my favorite moments to write. 2. All of those additions to the crew will be given time to shine, some more than others. That's part of the reason I want to include the movies so there are more opportunities for them. 3. I have no idea what to do with Bonney. Keep in mind, I only watch the anime so I have no idea what's happening. 4. If you want answers to that, then feel free to message me. But be warned, it will contain spoilers. 5. The Straw Hats will make it to Dressrosa. Doubt Charlos will live long enough to make it that far.
myrs94: Honestly that sounds like a great compromise. I'm still having some second thoughts on a second DF so your input is much appreciated. By the way, I think you and most other readers misinterpreted that scene where Luffy 'healed' himself. He wasn't healing himself so much but rather using his DF to cauterize the wound. There's a nasty scar there because Luffy didn't know when he would be able to get properly healed. Oh, and there will be some different colors shown for Luffy's plasma. It's just that red is the main color.
erasenpai946: I've thought about giving Nojiko a DF, I just don't know which one yet. This is me thinking out loud so don't put to much stock into it, but I think Luffy's plasma fruit and Moria's DF would be to incompatible for it to be used effectively. I can't elaborate more because that would spoil some future plot lines, but it might not work out. Yamato is in the harem. I'm not saying no to Desire, the only thing that's keeping me from adding her is that I don't know how big I want the harem to be.
Xerzo LotCN: After finding out Bonney is 12, don't get your hopes up. The only reason Sanji came was because I felt like I was neglecting his character and I tried to rectify that. The crew in general need a lot more trolling moments. It helps bring their characters out so much.
Nami4life: Like I said in another response, I love writing little moments of the crew interacting. Those were some of my favorite moments in the anime and I want to capture those moments of camaraderie. Nojiko definitely had some choice words for Nami after her fun time LOL.
Xerzo LotCN: Yeah, I wasn't really happy with the Bon Clay stuff. Looking back at it, I wished I had some better way for that scenario to play out. The original plan for the flashing was Bon Clay was going to flash everyone than Luffy grabbed his boobs, yelling that those are his. If I wasn't so tired at the moment, the lemon would have gone on longer. For their first time together, I thought it would be better to keep Nami on the sidelines. Won't necessarily be that way going forward.
TheRetiredGodOfWar: Congrats, you're literally the only person that has ever complained about Gin being involved in this story.
Guest (11/17): That's the plan, I don't want to have the same vanilla sex scenes for every lemon.
mastercheif1229: Going forward I'm going to get Roger's name right. I'm still not sure how I got it wrong to begin with.
Guest (12/13): That's why I'm second guessing the choice to include the second DF. Your 100% list of girls in the harem are all a part of it. Won't saying about the 50% list because that would include spoilers.
TheGreatBubbaJ: Right you are. Crocodile has no idea what kind of mess he's getting into.
bastidaswilliam2005: Will do, glad you like this story and the fact that is story is one of your favorites is especially great to hear. It genuinely validates my writing ability. Surprisingly, I haven't gotten that much hate. But don't worry, I have no problem telling people to fuck off. This story isn't going anywhere because some dipshits want to try and harass me.
And that's it for reviews. Holy shit, there were a lot of them this time. Like always let me know what you think about this chapter or the story in general. If you have any question than feel free to ask it in a review and I'll reply in the next update or just message me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
I don't know when or the what the next update is going to be. It could be this or Infernal Dragon. I've also thought about retrying my Fate story but changing it's name.
Anyways, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Merry Go Fuck Yourself, or whatever festive holiday greeting you prefer. Hopefully this chapter was worth the relatively short wait.
Till next time
Mreh