A/N: This story contains a ZoLuSan pairing, a FemLuffy and a bit of OOC.

Layout Story:

* Normal text - "Drakarys", Drakarys

* Attacks - "Drakarys"

* Thoughts - 'Drakarys'

* YELLING FORCEFULLY - "DRAKARYS"

* Written text, Flashbacks - Drakarys

* Chopper's Animal Translations - "Drakarys" (NEW)

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. It belongs to its creator, Eiichiro Oda. The story's plot belongs to Pen-Woman.

Warning: There are no Lemons detected in this chapter. The things that are detected in this chapter are some foul language, name-calling, some violence and possibly some animal cruelty by some.

Please enjoy the story.

War is the devils work. War is what makes us hurt. War is what ended his life. War is what makes me cry. War is the quickest way to die. War has become a way of life. War is what makes us hate. War is taking our ability to think. War is between a race. War is between a country. War is always coming. War is always coming. War is hunting. War is what we're always chasing. War is what many are hating. War is the drug we are taking. War is everywhere. War is what makes us swear. War is the clothes we wear. War is what makes us aware. War is what makes us scared. War will always be here. War is what I always fear.

War is here by jackrabbit krjs

Chapter 8: The War that Made My Kingdom Cry

~On the Going Merry~

As they sailed on the calm waves, Princess Vivi of Alabasta decided that they should find the Rebellion Leader to convince him to stop him from fighting against the Capital, by telling him that everything was all a setup done by Barque Works. Their supposed hideout was in Yuba. That would be their destination in order to end everything.

Things were going great for this Straw Hat Pirates. The Going Merry was sailing smoothly on a calm sea without a hint of trouble whatsoever.

Except for Zoro and Snaji, who were getting roasted by Luffy's sweet and kind bother, Ace. It has been this ever since their talk in the Galley. Whenever Lufffy was happily compimenting Sanji's wonderful meal, he did his dancing and showering her with praises of her sweet comment and her beauty. Ace went up to him and let fire to the Cook's butt. He made sure Luffy didn't see it. Zoro wasn't doing any better than Sanji. He once flared Zoro while he was training on the deck shirtless. Luffy had been watching in admiration with only a short glance. She then changed her attention in playing with Usopp and Chopper. Thinking he tried to woo her over by showing off his strong muscles.

It had been like this for two days. To say Zoro and Sanji were not sure if they could take much more of Ace's overprotective side.

"EEHHHOOOOOWWWWW?!" Sounded through the ship.

That was Sanji, who got fried by Ace again.

Sanji walked back inside the galley with an expressionless face as he lit his new smoke. He inhaled and blew. He went back to cooking dinner for his crew. As he reached the counter, his burned pants – that had been scorched by Ace – showed his boxers with hearts on it. As he was about to cut his vegetables, all of a sudden he heard a similar shout as his with a very familiar yell. It was from the moss-head. He got fried too. Again. He waited for a minute for Zoro to get in here. Just like he predicted, Zoro got in the galley with a scowl on his face. A trail of smoke coming from his ass, but not completely burned. Just enough to burn to his pants and boxers, with swords printed on, was showing off to the world to see, just like Sanji.

"He got you again, moss-head." Sanji said.

"I think he was aiming at my head." Zoro replied as he opened the fridge to get his booze.

Sanji blew his smoke and said: "This is getting insane. His overprotectiveness is going to be our downfall one of these days."

He was cutting while commenting on this.

Zoro took a swing from his booze. He sighed in contentment as he enjoyed the bitter taste of his booze.

"We're not the only ones who get cooked, Curly brow." He replied.

Sanji made a sound in confusion.

"He even tried to fry Usopp." Zoro explained.

"What? Usopp? Why in the world would he want to kill Usopp? He is not interested in Luffy. They're just friends." Sanji stated shocked.

"That's just it." Zoro said.

Sanji made another sound in confusion while raising his eyebrow. He didn't get it what he meant. So Zoro answered it for him.

"He threatens and I quote: 'If I ever see you yelling at my sister again, I'll fry you till you nothing but cinders.' end quote." He said with a blank face, but deep down he felt really bad for Usopp.

He remembered how scared he looked, ready to run for the hills.

As for Sanji, he looked both surprised and angry.

"Wait! Usopp yelled at Luffy? THAT BASTARD! I'LL SKIN HIM ALIVE FOR YELLING AT MY LUFFY-CHWAN!" Sanji shouted with a fierce eye.

Zoro then bashed his head, causing a big bump on his blonde head.

"Would you knock it off? The only reason why Ace yelled at Usopp, was because Luffy was stealing his food." Zoro responded with a look that could kill.

He had always thought Luffy was crawy. But Ace... was a real piece of work.

"A lady deserves to have as much nutrients as their body needs." Sanji said entwining his hands.

He got a dreamy look in his eye.

"And my angel from above deserves so much more. She rewarded me with her sweet praises." He said as he was in his own world.

Zoro's eye twitched in irritation.

"Why do I even bother of telling you anyway, shitty cook?" Zoro mumbled and sighed. He was silently wondering if the Cook had been corrupted since he was a baby.

~The Way to Erumalu, the Green City~

To the men's relief, they've found a land that would lead them to Erumalu. It was called the Green City. It was inhabited with beautiful greenery, palm trees, and gorgeous lake canals that provided water for everyone.

After they anchored their ship, Princess Vivi gave her faithful friend Carue an important mission. She wrote a letter revealing the secret identity of the leader of Baroque Works and stating that she had brought her Nakama to help her and her Kingdom stop this meaningless war.

Carue left with a quack. He would deliver this message without fail, and then he took off at lightning speed.

After that, the Crew was all dressed in attire that would protect them from the heated sun, much to Sanji's displeasure. So they began their journey to Yuba, where the rebels were hidden.

As they journeyed into the sandy desert, they arrived at the Green City known as Erumalu. It didn't take them long to reach the city. But they never thought to see such devastation. They gasped at the state of the once-called city, the Green City. It was buried under the sand. Buildinges, who stood tall and proud, were now nothing but rubles. The greens were dead. The canals were buried in heaps of sand. Ermalu had become a graveyard wasteland.

"Now do you see. No, you understand what the Baroque Works Organization has done to this country. Just how much Alabasta's people are suffering." Vivi exclaimed as she watched the city.

The rest of the crew grimaced.

They walked through Erumalu. Vivi explained to her friends that the city never got much rain in this region, but collected water on the rare occasions it did rain. The city was prospering on its own. She then also said in a sad tone that her Kingdom hadn't rained in the past three years.

The Straw Hats were shocked to hear that the Kingdom had suffered this long without a single drop of rain. That didn't explain why the people were edgy. They could still get water from the river that they sailed upstream on they can draw it out from there. Vivi answered that all would be explained.

Vivi told the story that Alubarna, the Capital City of Alalbasta, got the most rain all because of her father, King Nefertari Cobra. The people referred to it as the King's Miracle. That was how everyone got their water from till one faithful day. They discovered that their King had been deceiving them. That the King was using illegal Dance Powder to make rain fall for Alabasta. Thus accusing the King as a fraud and a lair, but Vivi knew the real truth. It was Baroque Works' entire fault. They've framed the King for a crime he never committed, causing the people to question the King's loyalty to his people. To make matters worse, Vivi discovered that a mountain of bags filled with Dance powder had been discovered within the Palace. She assumed that someone put it there was also the same one who brought the Dance Powder in Alubarna. Thus the people have grown suspicious of the King every day. People fought, and people left the city to avoid a fight. Cities were abandoned and everything turned to ruin.

All turned silent for a moment, when suddenly a gust of wind blew through the destroyed Green City. Then a howling wind was heard. The Straw Hats thought there might be enemies nearby.

"It's alright. It's just the wind." Ace assured them.

"What!? That was the wind? But it sounded like its crying." Luffy said surprised that the wind could make such noise.

"The winds are passing through the city, reverberating among the building ruins." Ace explained calmly.

The wind continued to blow. The cry lingered louder and louder.

Vivi listened to the howl of the wind seep through the ruins, as if it was crying in anguish and despair.

"Luffy's right. The city of Erumalu is crying. It's suffering just like my people." She said sadly.

Luffy's face hardened. Her glare was fierce like no other. This man, Crocodile, will pay for what he had done to the city, to the city and her friend, Vivi. She vowed she would defeat Crocodile so that he would never make the Kingdom of Alabasta suffer again. She would make sure he'd pay dearly for all he had done for. That was her solemn now.

~Further in the Alabasta Desert~

As they traveled the scorching desert, along the way they encountered many strange, funny and extraordinary people.

They've met a group of pirates, the Barbar Pirates. Odd-looking pirates with an umbrella on their heads as their signature symbol like their flag led by Captain Barbarossa and First Mate Rasa. They were famous as the Sand Sailors of Alabasta, searching for food to survive.

Vivi discovered Rasa's past. Rasa scowled and shouted angrily because in the past her father- King Cobra – promised to save her village from decaying. But as years went by, her village was gone. Her people left the village to find a better place except her who stayed, waiting for the King to return to fulfill his promise but he didn't.

Vivi was crushed and heartbroken by her sad promise to make things right again if she gave her another chance to undo everything that had happened.

Rasa eventually forgave the Princess and felt the weight on her shoulders being lifted by her kindness. She helped her and her band of pirates by showing a short and safe way to get to Yuba. They thanked her and left with a goodbye off to their destination.

The next thing that happened was that Ace got separated from Luffy and the crew for who knows how. They then found him with a cart full of food and water, that would last them a whole month. He then explained that he was in Ido Village and overheard a couple of con artists call themselves Camus' Band. They tricked those into believing they were real Rebel army to help the villagers from their dire need of help. Ace was disgusted by their resolve. Thus he came up with a plan to teach them a lesson they would never forget.

The plan was successful. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp and Chopper pretended to be the Sand Bandits to trash the Ido Village. The fake Rebel Army had to fight them. At first, the fakers didn't want to fight or were not supposed to be here in the first place. Somehow the cheers from the villagers and the children who looked up to them, cheered them as well. It reminded them of when they were kids. They wanted to be heroes, just like their idols and feel so brave and confident. Camus fought against Luffy. Zoro and Sanji held themselves together for not killing the man right now for hitting Luffy. Then to Camus and his friends' shock, Luffy surrendered. She and her crew ran away like cowards. the villagers celebrated their heroic efforts and named them heroes.

Then on their way, Luffy and her crew were mugged by Warusagi Birds, who pretended to be on the brink of death and then stole every last bit of their food and water that Ace brought. They flew off laughing.

Luffy got pissed and chased after them. Then a minute later, she came back riding on a camel. She was being chased by an abnormally oversized Sandora Dragon. It was about to make Luffy its lunch. Thankfully, the Monster Trio launched their attacks at the reptile.

Sanji cooked the lizard and they started to eat it instead. Talk about irony.

"So, now we have a moment. What's the deal with the camal?" Zoro was the first to ask.

"I saved him from being eaten by the mystery desert plant when I was chasing those birds." Luffy replied, taking a bite of her meat of the Sandora Dragon.

"Well, it doesn't appear to be a wild camel." Nami said.

"No, not with the saddle on it." Vivi added.

Chopper tottered to the camel, checking him. He couldn't help but think that he looked very familiar.

The camel looked at the small reindeer strangely till both the camel and Chopper had realization written on their faces.

"Hey, I know you." Chopper said.

The camal said something in his own language that only Chopper could understand.

"Oh really? Good for you." Chopper replied.

Luffy walked up to them with a cute questionable expression on her face and a piece of meat in her hand.

"Wait, you two know each other." She said, looking down at Chopper.

"Yeah, he saved me when I escaped from Katorea." Chopper said.

Everyone brightened up the thought of having a moving camel to travel on the desert would ease their trip. Even it only carried two people.

"All right then, I'll be taking the first shift. Usopp said as he was about to climb up the camel.

The said camel knocked Usopp off of him and started to talk.

"I'm a freedom-loving, hard-boiled, yet compassionate son of the desert. I'm really grateful that you saved my life back there. I'll be glad to give you some of you a ride but I'm afraid I do not accept male passengers." Chopper translated the camel's words.

"WHAT!? WHY THE HELL NOT, YOU STUPID CAMEL!?" Ussopp yelled angrily at the camel.

The camel replied with a smug smile, which was translated by Chopper: "I'm too macho."

His teeth sparkled.

"Great, just what we need. Another pervert like shitty cook." Zoro said sarcastically.

Sanji started to seethe at the Swordsman.

"Hey moss-head, I'm not a pervert. I happen to be a gentleman." Sanji said, placing his hand on his chest and striking a pose.

Zoro snorted and said: "More like a perverted creeper."

Then they started their mini-fight between them again.

The camel averted his eyes from the fight of those idiot humans. He turned to stare at the beauty before him, Luffy who was happily eating her meat. His eyes had turned heart-shaped as he eyed the black-haired girl. The girl was the most beautiful with those big roung plumbs – that was very big for her age, but suited her well. Her body, even though she wore those robes to protect her from the sizzling sun, he could tell she had a perfect womanly physique. The camel groaned, liking the girl as he approached her.

Luffy was munching her meat when she felt something furry touch her shoulder. She looked to see it was the camel that she had saved from the mystery plant. Now he was cuddling her in affection. She smiled at it and scratched his chin softly, thinking that the camel came to thank her for saving him. Too bad she didn't notice the nosebleed, as he moaned in her touch. He brought himself closer to her. But before he could enjoy her blissful touch when he was harshly pulled by the neck. He got ganged by Zoro, Sanji and Ace. They bashed the camel till he was completely blooedied. Then Zoro lifted the camel up by the scarf of the neck.

"Who wants camel meat for dinner?" He said to Sanji and Ace.

That woke the camel up from his coma. He struggled to get away, but Zoro's grip was too strong to escape from.

"Sure, I always wanted to cook a camel." Sanji exclaimed.

"I'll start the fire." Ace said lighting his hand with his Devil Fruit powers.

The camel screamed in high-pitched bleats. He was saved yet again by Luffy by bashing their heads. The guys grunted in searing pain. Luffy hugged the camel, glaring daggers at her brother and her two crewmates.

"Don't eat Eyelashes!" Luffy stated.

"Eyelashes?!" Ace, Zoro and Snaji exclaimed all sweat dropping, while caressing the large bump – that sprouted on their head courtesy by Luffy's punch.

"That's right. That's gonna be his name from now on. You three should be ashamed of yourselves for trying to eat mine and Chopper's friend." Luffy scolded them.

"But... but..." They yelled simultaneously.

"I don't want to hear it." she said turning her attention to poor Eyelashes. She petted him here and there, whispering to him that he was going to be okay. The three men glared deadly daggers at Eyelashes.

After they got the much-needed rest the Straw Hat Pirates were now back to walking in the desert with Eyelashes as their temporary ride. They proceed to get to Rain Base City as fast as possible.

~After the adventure with Scorpion's Family~

After Ace had saved the Scorpion and his two sons, Dip and Chip from being crushed by giant rocks. Scorpion thanked him and confirmed that he made up the lie about Blackbeard. Thus Ace had no choice but to move on to his next destination. However, it broke his heart that he was going to leave his baby sister again. Who knows when he will see her again?

"I must go." Ace said hiding his sadness.

"I'm gonna miss you, Ace." Luffy replied.

"Don't worry, Lu. We'll meet again someday." He said, ignoring the twinging pain in his heart.

He rummaged in his pocket till he pulled out a piece of paper and gave it to Luffy.

"Make sure you keep it well, Lu." Ace said.

"Huh? But it's just a scrap of paper." Luffy said confused as to why Ace had given this to her.

Even her Nakama and Eyelashes were confused.

"This scrap of paper will let us meet again." Ace explained, making Luffy's crew more confused.

Luffy's simple thinking didn't need to ask Ace for more explanation.

She just simply said: "Alright, I'll keep it safe."

Ace just chuckled at her. Always straightforward, she would never change.

"Well, take care of yourself, Lu, and... be careful." He said, giving Zoro and Sanji a warning glance.

It was almost telepathically saying: 'If I see a teardrop on my sister's face, I'll hunt you down and burn your special part that you'll never ever produce babies.'

Zoro and Sanji remained still as they stared back at him.

They telepathically replied: 'We would never hurt Luffy.'

Ace silently grunted. Soon he put on his smile to everyone.

"Lu could be a handful, so watch over her for me, please." He bowed politely.

The others nodded.

As they said their goodbyes, the Straw Hat Pirates and Fire-Fist Ace parted their ways. Not knowing they would meet again. Only time would tell when that time would come. But what the Straw Hats didn't know was that Ace took one final glance over his shoulder again. He was worried about his sister's safety. Call it a bother complex, but he couldn't help but fear for his sister's life. Just thinking of losing her felt like he couldn't move on with his life without Luffy. Luffy was his treasure. His most precious treasure. He loved her dearly.

~In Yuba~

After a long walk in a hot desert, our pirate heroes finally reached their destination, Yuba. Vivi had told them about Yuba. It was a small oasis village and a rest stop for travelers to rest in the in. Since it was been built between many cities in this area. It was also a place where you could find fresh and clean water dug out under the desert floor. But to their shocking horror, Yuba had fallen victim to the treacherous sandstorm. It reached ground level. It was far worse than Erumalu. Vivi grieved even more to see the state of her beloved country being buried under the sand. Her people have no place to go to and turn against each other. Her heart sank just the thought of it.

"Vivi. Vivi-chan, is that really you?" A voice said, alarming Vivi and her friends.

They turned their heads to see an elderly-looking man with a thick fuzzy mustache. The elderly man looked at Vivi almost on the verge of crying. He put both shriveled hands on her shoulders in a tight grip as if he were assuring himself that she wasn't a mirage.

"It is you. You're alive. It's me, don't you remember me? I can understand you don't recognize me, since I lost some weight." He said.

Vivi gasped as she remembered who this man was.

"Toto-ojisan!" She said.

"That's right. I knew you'd remember me." The man, Tot, said letting his tears of happiness flow down on his face.

He smiled so happily to see Princess Vivi was safe and sound.

Vivi also cried with joy at seeing one of her dear old friends for so long.

Luffy and the others let them enjoy their tearful reunion.

After they had released their tears, Toto told Vivi that he still believed in his King. he never doubted him one bit. He even said that the Rebellions were nothing but a bunch of fools who mistrusted their King's loyalty to his Kingdom. He tried to stop them, but it was in vain. They left Yuba, leaving Vivi and the Straw Hat Pirates dumbstruck. Toto said that they left after the sandstorm had struck and never saw them again.

Toto bowed down to his knees and begged his Princess to stop them before they died in a meaningless war for nothing.

Vivi replied with a sincere smile as she gave him a handkerchief to wipe his tears.

"Don't worry, Toto-ojisan. I'll stop the Rebellions." Vivi promised the elderly man.

Toto couldn't be more thankful than ever as new tears were streaming down his wrinkled face.

"Thank you, Vivi-chan." He thanked her.

~The next day~

After morning had come and before the Straw Hats were leaving for Nanohana to stop the rebels, Toto gave Luffy a canteen filled with water. It was the water that she dug up last night. He said it was one of pure water in the country and to use it wisely for her journey.

Luffy thanked him and promised him to use this water as if it were a valuable jewel and not to waste it. Then they were off to Nanohana.

Along the way, Luffy suddenly blurted out that she quit, causing the others to make a shocked noise.

'Is she for real?' They thought shocked.

Luffy went on, saying that she wanted to beat Crocodile's ass and make him pay for what he had done. She then asked Vivi if they went to the rebels' base to stop them, would it stop Crocodile? That left Vivi and the others dumbfounded. It proved that Luffy had a point. They knew that Crocodile would have some kind of plan and would still take Alabasta one way or another. He was an underhanded man. And to mention if they went to the rebels' base and persuaded them not to engage in battle, Vivi should better do it without them as they were pirates. Nobody believed in a pirate's word.

"Y-yes, but..." Vivi started, but was cut off by Luffy.

"All you're trying to do, is for no one to die in this battle. Not the people of your country. Not any of us." She said while the others listened to what was being said.

"You're taking on one of the Warlords in battle over a million people are preparing to fight in. All you want, is for no one to get hurt. Aren't you fooling yourself, Vivi?" She exclaimed, staring at Vivi with glinting eyes that she was serious about what she was saying.

It made Vivi shake with fury.

"Now wait a minute, Luffy. Don't you understand what Vivi has been through and..." Nami began, but Sanji stopped her by putting out his arm in front of her.

Nami wanted to protest, but Sanji didn't let her.

Vivi was silent for a moment, before she bellowed at Luffy: "What's wrong with that? What's wrong with not wanting anyone to die!?"

Luffy didn't the answer right away. She just stared blankly at her, unfazed by her screech.

"People die." Luffy replied.

Those two simple words had sent Vivi's anger into overdrive. She grabbed Luffy by the scarf of her robe into a firm grip. It caused Luffy's hat to fall off of her head, as Vivi brought her close to her face.

"Shut up! Shut up! I won't let you talk like that again! That's exactly what we are trying to prevent. Not the Rebel Army, not the Royal Army. No one in this country is at fault! So why does anyone have to die!? It's all Crocodile's fault." Vivi shouted in fury.

Her eyes flashed in a murderous rage as she wanted to spit out his name.

"You just don't get it, Vivi. WHY ARE YOU RISKING YOUR LIFE FOR THIS COUNTRY?!" Luffy in turn yelled at Vivi with eyes blazing like the fire raging within her.

"THEN WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO RISK!?" Vivi screamed.

Her anger had suddenly drained out of her body. She released Luffy from her hold, looking defeated.

"I've nothing else to risk. Nothing." She said, sounding weak and slumped her shoulders.

Luffy gritted her teeth. Her fury never left from her eyes. She grabbed Vivi's robe with a good grip and brought it close to her face.

"Then try to risk our lives along with yours! We're your Nakama!" Luffy cried thunderous and vulgar.

It also held the truth, causing Vivi to understand that.

Vivi understood what Luffy was trying to tell her that she wasn't alone anymore. Her friends, her Nakama, were here to fight her battle for Alabasta. She didn't realize it until now. Then tears began to gather in her eyes and fell freely.

"We're your Nakama, Vivi." Luffy said softly this time.

Vivi sobbed some more. She wasn't ashamed that she shed tears in front of her.

Luffy picked up her fallen hat. She brushed the sand off of her hat and placed it on her head. She looked to see that Vivi was still crying. The red marks were starting to show under her eyes from the saltiness of her tears. She smiled sadly as her features softened. She brought her hand to wipe the tears from Vivi's face. She pulled her face to face.

"Look at you, you're crying." She said, while she kept wiping the tears away.

Her face turned solemn with a glint in her eyes with a promise of beating Crocodile for making Vivi cry.

"I can understand how you feel. You want to beat Crocodile the most." She said, hugging Vivi to comfort her.

She promised her that everything would turn out fine in the end.

"So, how about we go beat Crocodile's ass and then – after we beat him, rain will fall on Alabasta once more. I promise." She solemnly promised.

"Th-thank you." Vivi sobbed with each word, clinging onto Luffy as if she was afraid to let go.

Luffy's crew watched as their She-Captain comforted the sobbing princess. Luffy's insight and her statement of trust and friendship had moved them too. With that, they were more determined than they were ever before. They would personally demonstrate it to Crocodile.

~With the sinister Crocodile~

Meanwhile, in a dark large room at an unknown location which was dim-litted. It made that you could barely see. However, there was a man sitting on his comfortable chair. He was watching his pets, the Bananwani. They were gainormous crocodiles. They were ten times larger than the Sea King with a banana shape on their heads. From which they got their name.

The man watched his pets swimming around in peaceful silence. Suddenly, the sound of high-heels disturbed his peace. The man didn't need to turn around to see the person. He already knew who was here, waiting to hear the report.

The person with high-heeled shoes stopped. The person was none other than Miss All-Sunday. She wore a cowboy outfit with a white cowboy hat and a white fur-lined coat. Her expression was cold and emotionless. Even her cool and mysterious blue eyes were as cold as ice.

"The Straw Hat Pirates and Princess Vivi are been spotted. They are marching their way to Rain Base City." Miss All-Sunday said emotionless, causing the man to chuckle.

"So, they want to settle the score. Hehe!" The man chuckled, bringing his golden hook up to his face.

He watched his reflection. Hen then turned to glance at his partner, revealing a long stitched scar above his nose. It stretched across his face. His eyes were colder and deadly, like a real crocodile.

"I think it's time to exterminate those pests once and for all." The man exclaimed.

Miss All-Sunday nodded once and said: "Of course, Mr Zero."

I hope you enjoyed it.

Please review.

Next: The Straw Hats and Princess Vivi arrive at Rainbase City to face Crocodile and stop him from destroying the Kingdom with the war. What's Operation Utopia?