Hello Nintendo and One Piece Fans! Eternal here with a short story of the Eternal Understudy's journey in Alabasta!

To be honest, I was debating if I should do this or not, but considering that I'm currently stump on what to properly write for the next chapter, I ended writing this.

Expect two more chapter of this journey, along with an Omake that came to mind and I said; 'Hold up! Wait minute! Let Bro cook this!'

So yeah! I hope this chapters compensate until I manage to get the real chapter finished.

Fair Warning... A WHAT IF...? is in this chapter.

As Mario and the Straw Hats leave the Sakura Kingdom and party away, we go a bit back in time to see our dear green understudy when we last saw him.

Luigi and Polterpup ran through the sand as they reached the town they had seen. But the moment they reached the gates, several guns were pointed at him, making Luigi yelp in fear as he raised his hands in surrender, while the ghost dog began to growl at the sudden aim to his master.

"Who are you?! What business do you have here?!" Someone asked from the group.

"A-Ah! I-I mean no-a harm!" Luigi stutters. "M-My name is Luigi a-and I've been walking in this desert for a day! I-I just want some shade a-and rest!"

"Tch! Suspicious!" The person said, "Nobody can survive in the desert alone for a day, not in your clothes! Either you are a spy or a bandit!"

"I-I assured you, I'm not a spy! Nor a bandit!"

"Oh yeah!? Prove it!"

"...Uhm…How?" Luigi asked.

…

…

…

"...Shit! This bastard is clever!"

*Bonk!*

"You fool! You're the one who made the suggestion!" Someone yelled after hitting the first voice. "Hey, green guy!" Luigi hummed with a gulp. "I'm sorry for this, but we currently are having trust issues on this land. Please, state your business."

"Uhm…aside from what I said? Ask around for information about where I am?"

"Where are you- Are you suffering from Amnesia?"

"N-No!" Luigi shook his head. "I…this might sound crazy to you, but one moment I was with my friends and then something big happened that blind me and appeared in the desert!"

"...Hmm, crazy but then again, we live in a world where people can get powers by eating fruits."

('Powers by eating fruits?') Luigi thought. So this place was like his world.

"Hmmm…Fine, we can't stop anyone from entering for no reason."

"But boss-"

"As long as you don't cause intentional problems in the city."

"Yes." Luigi nodded in understanding.

"Very well. Welcome to Nanohana." The guns were pulled back as the gates opened up.

Luigi sighs in relief as he and Polterpup quickly go inside, "Finally! Some shade and food! Come on, Pup!"

"Arf!"

It wasn't long before Luigi and his ghost dog walked through the streets of the town. It was busy, alright, with many people buying and walking around.

('Okay. The first thing is getting information about where we are exactly.') Luigi thought as he walked and checked the map that Stunnel had made, Polterpup right behind in the air. Ignoring the shocked expressions of the people they walk past. ('Next, it will be resources. This world will be different; I hope gold is still the currency here.')

He thought as he and his ghost pet reached a tavern, to get something to eat. Entering inside, he saw it was a bit busy, with locals eating and waitresses going around. He gulped as he carefully entered and headed to an open table, Polterpup going down below it to rest. After a few minutes, he was attended by a waitress, in which he ordered something to eat before they left.

"Excuse me, sir." Luigi perked up when he heard somebody talking to him. Looking at the side, he saw a young man looking at him, wearing a dark blue top hat over his yellow hair, a massive burn scar over his left eye, dark blue clothes that looked to be very fashionable, and he had a lot of empty plates on his table. "I couldn't help but notice that you look unfamiliar to me. Are you new to Alabasta?"

"Alabasta? Is this the name of the land?"

"Ah, no." The young man said as he explained. "It's the name of the kingdom, these are the Sand Lands, which are ruled by the Nefertari Family, one of the 20 Royal Families that are affiliated with the World Government."

Luigi hummed. He was curious about the World Government and these 'Royal Families', but he needed to focus first on his location. "W-Well…I am new here. Just reach this town today."

"Ah, I expected as much." The man said, "A traveler in search of the world, eh? Don't worry, I will fill you in on everything!" He declared as he began to speak about Alabasta; from some of his history to the current war against the royal family and the rebels.

"Huh...Interesting." Luigi said. "Now-a understand why the entrance was-a bit hostile."

"Yes. Please forgive them. This war has been ongoing for the past 4 years, and has put some of the rebels in a bad mood."

Luigi widened his eyes. "W-Wait! Those guys are rebels? Not the guards?"

"Nope. All guards are stationed back in the kingdom. We do have a few Marines here and there, but in this war? The World Government won't meddle in the country's affairs."

"But why? This country is part of their jurisdiction too!"

"Who knows."

"H-Have they at least tried to stop this?"

"Well, I cannot say if they have, but if they did, then that would explain Sir Crocodile's presence here." Luigi raised an eyebrow at that name. "...I see, so you don't know about the Warlords of the Sea."

"I…can guess-a that they are some sort of important individual?"

"Meh, something like that." The man explained to Luigi how the Warlords are Pirates who work for the government. Their bounty gets frozen, as long as they pay a fee and respond to the call of war.

"Wow…N-Not that I can't say anything, but pirates working with the government is a new one for me," Luigi said, surprised at this.

"Yeah, well, desperate times need desperate methods." The man said, "But enough about that, I realized I haven't introduced myself yet." He took his top hat off. "My name is Sabo."

"Oh, nice to meet you." Luigi greeted him. "I'm-a Luigi." Polterpup's head pops out of the table, "And this one is Polterpup."

"Bark!"

Sabo blink in surprise, "Wow. First time seeing a dog like this. Did he eat a Devil Fruit related to a ghost?"

Luigi looked at him in horror. "D-D-D-D-D-D-Devil F-F-Fruit!?"

"Uh…yeah? You know?" Sabo said with a raised eyebrow, not expecting this reaction. "The fruit that grants superpowers to humans once eaten?"

"Oh." Luigi sighs in relief. "It's just food…Uh, no." Polterpup went to him and placed his chin on his shoulder. "Polterpup is a ghost."

"...You're shitting me." Sabo was now surprised. "You mean that he is a real ghost?" Luigi nodded. "...Don't believe it."

"I-I-a don't blame you for it. But it's-a true."

"...Can I pet him?"

"Uhm…sure, if you can." Luigi looked at the dog, "Hey-a buddy. This gentleman wishes-a to pet you, can you?"

"Bark!" Polterpup eagerly jumped over the table and landed on the table in front of him.

Sabo stares at it for a second before placing his hand on the puppy's head, his hand going right through him, as he expected. He then did it again, this time with Haki…

His hand still went through it!

"Holy!" Sabo felt his jaw fall. His Haki hand couldn't touch the dog! More importantly, he felt different. He felt a warm sensation. As if the dog's soul was, well…alive. As in, that was its real body! "Is it really a ghost?"

"What…did you do?" Luigi suddenly asks.

"Huh?"

"Y-Your hand." He pointed at Sabo's Haki hand. "It…changed-a. It's-a now all black over it."

Sabo was even more surprised. ('He can see my Haki?!') That…should be impossible. Recomposing himself quickly, "Oh this? Is just an ability that helps around. We call it Haki."

Luigi blinked. "Haki?"

"Yep. A useful ability when one's in a pinch, especially the superpowers of the Devil Fruit. But seeing that I can't touch him, means that he is a real ghost." Sabo said, looking very intrigued by this development. "Where did you find him?"

"Well…I was-a helping a friend with a g-g-ghost problem…and found him in an abandoned mansion after he ate a key I needed." Luigi glared at the puppy, who in turn looked at him as if he didn't do anything wrong. "After a while, it just began to follow me…and I just took him in."

Sabo hummed, his curiosity rising, "Fascinating…So tell me, what brings you to Alabasta?" He asked.

"Uhm…Well, for one-a, I'm looking for an item-a." Luigi put his hand on his overalls and pulled out a picture of the Power Star. "M-My friend lost this and she needs it back. It's very precious to her and her children."

Sabo looked at the picture, "A…star with eyes…Okay, that's new. What is important about this star?"

"Well…I can't-a go into deep detail, just that I must find it before-a it lands on bad hands."

"Hmmm." Sabo hummed. "Well, I've only been here for three days, can't say I have seen it around."

"Oh." Luigi looked in sadness, before shaking himself with some courage. "I…kinda expected this, but that's fine! I'm just starting."

"Heh, nice bravado there." Sabo said, before his headaches entered his head a bit, showing him images of two dark silhouettes. ('Again, those two…') He shook his head and refocused. "And…what else are you looking for?"

"Oh, my brother."

…

…

…

"You're…brother." Sabo repeated in a trance.

"Yeah…I got separated from him on my way here." Luigi said, a worried expression in his face. "I-I don't know where he is or if he even is nearby. I hope he's alright."

"...So you got separated by a storm or something?" Sabo asked, recomposing himself.

"Eh…something like that." Luigi said, clearly keeping quiet on how he got here. "I…I really-a hope to find him, but I'm-a not worried." Luigi nodded in confidence. "Mario is strong, the strongest there is! If-anything, I pity anyone who faces him."

"Must be quite the brother if you are praising him this much." Sabo said before he suddenly noticed something in the corner of his eye, "...Anyways, I would love to talk more, but I have to go before a certain girl tries to beat me up for staying late."

"Ah, women." Luigi nodded, understanding his situation. "A gentleman should never-a keep a lady waiting. That's-a just plain rude."

"Heh, tell me about it." Sabo said as he stood up. "Anyways, I'm going to be in here for a bit, so if you want, I can try to see if I can find your brother and the item."

"You really would do that?" Luigi was surprised by the offer, Polterpup perking up at it as well.

"Consider it my 'Big Brother' vibe helping another Brother."

"Oh, you're-a have brother too?"

"...I can consider myself one." Sabo tip his hat at him. "See you when I see you, Luigi." He then looked at the dog, "And you too, my ghostly mutt."

"Bark!"

With that said, Sabo left. Leaving Luigi and his dog to themselves, just as the waitress came to deliver the food. ('Wow! A stroke of luck!') Luigi thought in positive feedback. ('Not sure if this was a good move, but I don't have much a choice regarding the land I'm in.') He looked down at the food, Polterpup already scarfing on his food. ('Well, better eat first before anything.')

…

…

…

"And? Where were you?" The first thing Sabo heard when he reached the hidden base was that of the angry, yet cute, partner of his. "I believe I said to stay hidden unless we have a situation."

"Jeez, calm down, Koala." Sabo shook his head at the girl, "I was collecting information, as always."

"In a tavern. The one place I can't leave alone for one minute." Koala glared at him. "So how much is it that I have to pay?"

"Tch! No trust. I have self control!" Sabo scoffs, feeling that she doesn't trust his self-control. "I went there to find information, no food. Promise."

"...You better." Koala finally let a sigh out as she took a notebook. "Anyways, I search everything up, and I think what the recon team found might be of use." Koala began to explain her findings, "It seems that Sir Crocodile has been acting strange recently. Disappearing into the desert frequently and the sudden appearance of sandstorms match everything. Not only that, but our hidden agents have started to find Baroque Works Tattoo in many soldiers, from the Rebels to the Royal Army."

"Spies?"

"Definitely. And given the sudden information from them, it seems that something big is going to happen."

"How big?"

"Big enough to 100% confirm that this civil war has a third party pulling the string." Koala declared.

"So, are you saying the accusations of King Cobra using Rain Powder are fake?"

"That's still for debate, but Hacks did confirm that he has found Ships from Baroque Works filled with Rain Powder heading to Alabasta."

Sabo hummed. ('Baroque Works…They have been under our radar for a while. They seemed to be a simple bounty hunting organization, but something felt wrong. And now, we might have a lead for the Revolutionary Army.')

For those that don't know yet, in the world of One Piece there are three types of power clashing with each other. One is the Pirates, and the other is the Government.

Then there's the one that clashes with the Government from the shadows. The Revolutionary Army, full of people that challenge the Government and its order. Led by a former Marine, Dragon.

These two are Revolutionary. High-ranking members too. Having been given a mission to recon Alabasta after their agents inform them of strange things happening in Alabasta, as well as keep an eye on the Civil War.

"...Let's continue keeping an eye on this. With how many bounty hunters are landing here, it is clear that whatever is happening is going to happen soon."

"Got it. I'll write a note to the higher-ups." Koala said.

"Additionally, I have a favor to ask-Woah!" Sabo was saying before yelping back as Koala's palm was inches away from his face. "Is not money related!" He quickly said.

"...What is it?" Koala grumbled.

Sabo sighs in relief before readjusting. "I want everyone to keep an eye on someone, as well as to look around for an item."

Koala blink in confusion. Keep an eye on someone? "Who? This better be someone worth watching over-"

"Someone that has a living ghost dog and can see Haki manifest into the body."

"...Huh?"