Chapter 26: Showdown

Ace looked over the two crewmates he had found, Zoro looked to have had better days. The swordsman assured him that he could still fight though. Nami, on the other hand had no weapon as hers had broken during her fight. It didn't matter, he could fight in her place. Once they found Luffy, Ace hoped they'd be able to leave the desert. Of course that all depended if Luffy had already fought and defeated Crocodile.

Crying was heard through the destroyed city as Sabo, Sanji, Chopper and Usopp traveled through the deserted area. "I don't believe it!" Usopp cried.

"Then stop crying!" Sanji yelled at the sniper.

Sabo eyed the two as Chopper carried Usopp on his back. The poor sniper was bandaged from head to toe. "Luffy won't fall to the likes of Crocodile." He assured them. "It's a ploy to get our spirits down."

"That's right!" Usopp yelled. "After all, Luffy's gonna be king of the Pirates!"

Sabo smiled softly at those words. "That's right." He agreed as they continued to run. "He will be."

"Where is the Pluton." Crocodile repeated.

King Cobra's eyes were wide with shock even as he hung by the nails in his shoulders on the door of the palace gate. "Tell me, where did you hear that name?" He groaned.

"The Pluton?" Vivi asked sounding confused. "What is that?"

Chaka frowned. "A secret passed down through the royal bloodline." He answered.

Crocodile smirked. "With it I can build the greatest military state ever known." He looked at Chaka over his shoulder. "One so enormous and powerful that it would surpass the world government."

Cobra shook his head, he couldn't understand how the warlord even knew of that name. "I don't know where you heard that name, Pluton," he spat out. "When not even I know of its location." Crocodile looked at him angrily. "It's not even clear in texts if it truly exists or if it's a myth from the ancient times of the gods."

"I see." Crocodile calmed himself as he took in the smoke of his cigar and blew it at the injured and captured king. A vien popped out on his forehead at the transpired events. "Incidentally, your royal army is waiting in the town square where a very powerful bomb is about to go off in a few minutes."

Those gathered gasped in horror and disbelief. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!?" King Cobra yelled in fury.

"Everything in a three mile radius will be leveled, changing the entire landscape." He grinned.

"But if you do that-" Vivi began only to be interrupted by the warlord.

"Oh please." He said looking at her as he raised his hand and hook to the sky. "I thought you'd be happy! With both armies dead, this will end the war!"

"What did they ever do to you!" She screamed, her body moving on its own but before she could attack the man Chaka physically had to stop her. "You monster! How can you be so evil!"

The conversation seemed to bore him once more as he looked away from the Princess. "Let's change the subject." He announced as he returned his attention to the king. "So tell me, you must know this. Where is the Poneglyph that's been passed down by the royal family?"

With pain filled eyes, King Cobra understood, this was his true goal. "Very well," he bowed his head in shame. "I will tell you where it is." He sighed. "Better yet, I will show you to the mortuary temple myself."

Victory! Crocodile laughed. "Hahahaha…" He looked pleasantly surprised by this. "What virtuous ruler!" He turned to the woman standing next to him. "Nico Robin, why don't you join him?"

"Why not?" She said with shrug. She suddenly pulled the nails holding the king in place out. The king fell to his knees in pain.

Vivi pushed Chaka's hands away and rushed forward. "Papa!" She screamed.

"Who said you could move?" Crocodile snarled.

"Leave her be!" Chaka yelled transforming into a human-jackle hybrid and rushed forward quickly when suddenly a yell sounded.

"Gomu Gomu Iron Fists!"

A armament haki infused fist suddenly struck Crocodile on the face sending the sand powered warlord into the stone wall as Luffy suddenly jumped out of nowhere and landed next to a fallen Vivi. "Vivi get up! Go help your people!" He turned his attention back to the warlord. "He and I still have unfinished business."

From above a hawk-like creature dove down and knocked the Princess and Chaka onto its back. "Pell!" Vivi cried out in surprise.

"You can thank that friend of yours that I'm alive." Pell to the Princess. "After his last fight with Crocodile, he and his brother found me barely alive."

"Old friend," Chaka greeted him. "It is good to see you alive." Chaka looked back towards the boy. "We must go to the mortuary temple. It's where the king has been taken."

"Shishishi." Luffy laughed lightly as Crocodile slowly stood up. His lips were split, blood oozing out of the wound. Bringing his fingers to his lips, Crocodile laughed. It had been years since somebody had landed a hit on him.

"Kuhahaha." The slow build up of a laugh sent chills down most people's spines, but not Luffy's. "Mugiwara, you are difficult one to shake off." He flicked the blood from his fingers. "Yes, we do have unfinished business." He threw his hand up, the wind around them sped up as the sands turned to a whirlwind. "You should have stayed away." He went to strike with the sand when Luffy side-stepped it. Crocodile raised a brow thinking it was just by chance but he did it again and again.

"Gomu Gomu," he pulled his fist back like he was going to give a normal punch, which Crocodile was ready for, when his fist suddenly expanded dramatically to the size of Crocodile's body. The entire fist was haki covered and as it came in contact with Crocodile, instead of going through him, it made contact with him.

How? How is doing it? Crocodile wondered when suddenly he noticed something. The kid was wet.

"My turn still." Luffy said as he cracked his knuckles. "Gomu Gomu!" He grinned as his hands went past Crocodile's head this time to the top of the palace gates where he had, had Pell drop something. "Barrel Drench!" He pulled the barrel off of the gate and pulled it on top of the warlord. The bottom of the barrel broke, the water drenched Crocodile's body as his head came out the other end.

"You-" Crocodile began only for Luffy's fist to connect with his middle through the barrel, breaking it. Crocodile stumbled backwards. How is he so much stronger than before!?

"Gomu Gomu, Storm!" Luffy's fists began hitting Crocodile at an increasingly high speed that had the warlord gasping for breath.

How can he use haki!? Crocodile thought. Who taught him to use it this way!? Each fist was coated in armament, making his firsts feel like they were made from the strongest metal there was. Crocodile felt his strength waning and he needed a quick escape. As he was about to call another whirlwind, Luffy somehow knew what he was about to do.

"Not yet!" Luffy' screamed as he blew himself up into a round ball, twisted his torso before releasing his breath, sending himself flying into the man in front of him, his fist outstretched, armament haki engaged as he slammed his fist into Crocodile's body. The force behind this strike sent Crocodile into the gates behind him, destroying the centuries old gates and the wall around the palace.

Luffy's arm snapped back to its original form. The young man stood over the unconscious form of the now defeated warlord. This gave him a new sense of accomplishment. He had defeated a warlord, which was one step under an emperor. Looking at his bloodied and bruised form, Luffy frowned. I need to get stronger. He thought as he tried to get his breathing under control. I need more training. He took a step to follow the others to the mortuary. I've got to help King Cobra, Vivi- His vision started to blur a bit. Not yet. He thought as he pushed his feet to move.

As soon as Vivi's feet touched the ground she turned towards Pell. "Pell, there is a bomb in the center of town!" Vivi told the head guardsman. "Crocodile stated he had placed it in a place where it would kill both armies!"

The man looked horrified even with his zoan falcon form. "I will find it Princess!" He assured her as he took off in flight to the battlefield.

Vivi turned to her second guardsman. "Chaka, let's go." She said before taking off in a dead run. Hold on Papa. She thought praying to every deity that her father was still alive. Running down the stairs into the tomb of her ancestors, Vivi couldn't help but feel awe struck by the designs of the temple. She'd only been here once before, after her grandfather's death, they had come here to place his ashes with the ancestors, a tradition that dated back to over two or three thousand years.

As she raced through the mortuary the statue of Nefertari came into view. In one hand was a cube, the other hand a single finger pointing down. Finding the hidden lever, Vivi pulled it and revealed steps going down. As she ran down the steps she saw her father at the base of them, tied and bleeding.

Nico Robin turned towards the Princess giving her a passing glance. "This Poneglyph isn't what Crocodile is looking for." She stated as she read the runes with ease.

"You can read it?" Vivi asked amazed.

"I can." Nico Robin confirmed. "It's the story of your nation. The secrets it has held since the time of JoyBoy. There's always an apology at the end."

"Why an apology?" Vivi inquired truly curious. "Who is apologizing?"

Robin looked at her and smiled. "That's a good question." She stated. "The fact that you are here instead of Crocodile means he has failed." She smiled. "I made a good gamble."

"Gamble?" Vivi inquired. "Luffy?"

"Before the fighting began, I helped him escape Crocodile that first time." She turned back to the stone cube. "I'm glad I helped him. In doing so I may have inadvertently given him an edge against Crocodile."

"How?" Cobra asked. "You still attacked us."

"A woman always has her options kept open." She stated as she walked towards them. "I have been hunted since I was a child because of my ability to read these things. I have to keep my options open for when those I trust turn against me." She went to leave.

"You think I'll let you leave after what you've done to my father!?" Vivi asked as Chaka helped the king stand.

"Vivi!" Luffy rushed down the steps towards her, his body bloody still as he came to a stop when he spotted Robin.

"Strawhat Luffy." She greeted. "It would seem my fate has fallen into your hands." Luffy cocked his head at her. "Will you turn me over to the government or will you let me go free?" I'm worth too much for him to free me. He's like any other. She thought not believing she could trust this boy.

"Hmm…" Luffy thought intently. "If you go free, where will you go? Will you end up working for another warlord worse than Crocodile or will you end up all alone? If I turn you over, the navy might decide to arrest me too!" He laughed lightly.

"Luffy!" Vivi cried out horrified he'd think she'd allow that to happen.

He waved Vivi's concerns away. "I know!" He smiled. "You could join my crew! You're neat anyway! Plus it'd be a way for you to repay Vivi by helping her friends out." He grinned.

"Wait!? What!?" Robin and Vivi asked unison.

Robin was shocked. Surely this is a joke. But the look on his face told her that he very serious.

"Luffy! She helped Crocodile!" Vivi screamed at him.

"Not by choice." Luffy said as he took his hat off and began playing with the rim. "He was threatening her. Am I right?" He asked looked at Robin.

Robin gave a light chuckle. "How did you know?" She inquired quite curious.

"Crocodile isn't one to have friends unless he got them through nefarious means." Luffy said as he placed his hat back on his head. "My guess, he either threatened to turn you in unless you worked for him or you owed him for saving your life or something."

"He threatened to turn me in." She admitted. "Are you sure you want someone like me with my reputation as a member of your crew?"

Vivi looked at Luffy and saw him grin. "We're all wanted in some way, shape or form." Luffy told her. "I can see you'll be slot of fun to have onboard. Shishishi." He laughed when suddenly they all heard an explosion.

Rushing to the entrance of the mortuary temple, the small group saw fire in the sky as the bomb that Crocodile had warned them about exploded. Falling to the ground was the headpiece that Pell had been wearing, scorched and covered in blood. Vivi cried out. "Pell!" Tears leaked freely from her eyes as the day's events finally caught up to her.

"I need a nap." Luffy suddenly stated as he finally succumbed to his injuries and fell onto the ground. Nico Robin caught him with her multiple hands springing from the ground.

What a strange little man you are, Monkey D. Luffy. She smiled softly at the unconscious boy. I wonder what else you'll do.

M-Angel: Woo-hoo! I got an update out! Okay. So I've been busy with work and writing another story, but now you'll have my full attention again! Also, I am getting annoyed with ads commenting. Please stop. I will not be doing any collaboration commissions. If you want to draw something, that's your decision.