Inside his sanctum, Crocodile was approached by Miss All-Sunday.
"It seems all the Billions got wiped out. And our agents in the rebel forces have hit a brick wall in regards to getting the coup started."
Crocodile sighed as he lit his cigar.
"I knew there would be setbacks when making this scheme, but I didn't think so many would crop up this close to the endgame. What about the Lizard Runners?"
"We've sent them out with new orders. We should be hearing back before long."
As the Merry started to approach the shore, they were suddenly intercepted by a group of strange creatures, ones that looked half-turtle, half-dugong.
"What sort of creatures are those?" Luffy asked.
"They're kinda cute!" Bella said.
"Kung-Fu Dugongs. We've only seen them once before." Lithos explained.
Ferros nodded. "A really tough one fought Dad to a draw ten years ago."
Both Vivi and Ace went slack-jawed hearing that. A large Kung-Fu Dugong with a pair of stylish sunglasses soon approached. Judging from his size, he was the leader of the pack.
"Ahoy! If ya want to get to shore, then one of ya needs to fight us!" He said before pausing. "Hold the phone, I can talk?"
"You can thank Grahambel here for that!" Eddy said, holding up the Transponder Snail in question.
Lithos stepped forward and cracked his neck from side to side as he turned his arms into gauntlets of stone before shattering the stone with a clench of his fists.
"I am Tremor Edward D. Lithos, Quartermaster of the Straw Hat Pirates! I accept your challenge!" He boomed out. "What is your name?"
"The name's Boss Dugong, student of the legendary Sifu Dugong!" The Kung-Fu Dugong leader announced. "My master fought the legendary Whitebeard to a draw many years ago!"
"Then perhaps this challenge is fated!" Lithos replied. "For I am Whitebeard's son! The earth trembles before my might!"
Boss laughed. "Well, what are we waiting for?! Give me nothing less than your absolute best!"
"Geogeogeogeogeo!" Lithos bellowed as he and Boss lunged at each other.
The Straw Hats and other Kung-Fu Dugongs looked on in amazement as the two brawled. It was clear that these combo creatures were actually pretty strong, but Boss seemed on a whole other level.
"EMERALD SPLASH!" Lithos shouted, forming emerald crystals over his arms before firing them in a continuous barrage.
Boss skillfully swam through the sea of projectiles before spinning and smacking Lithos with his tail, sending him crashing into a nearby rockface. However, Lithos suddenly sent out a massive stone dragon head at Boss to counter.
After a half-hour of battling, the fight ended in a draw.
"You're a crazy sort but ya got guts!" Boss laughed. "I've known for years that sitting here in Alabasta wouldn't help me reach my true dream... To explore the world and learn every martial art the world offers!"
Luffy lit up. "In that case, maybe we can help each other out! I'm sure you know what's going on in Alabasta, right?"
Boss nodded. "Indeed. Sir Crocodile of the Seven Warlords has been sabotaging the people's water sources."
"We're planning on stopping Crocodile, but we also need more hands for our ship," Merone explained. "Would you like to join our crew?"
Boss grinned. "A chance to see the world and live my dream? I'd have to be a fool to decline!"
It took some time for Boss to bid farewell to his herd, appointing the strongest member after him as the new pack leader before joining the Straw Hats fully.
"So, what's our first mission?"
"We're heading off for Yuba to try and meet up with the rebels," Delphia explained.
"Unfortunately, they just recently relocated to Katorea." Boss revealed. "It's better to head straight for Alubarna."
"That's not good. If we can't reach Kohza before he starts the rebellion..." Vivi said worriedly.
"No need to worry! They've been stuck for a few weeks now due to recent developments from their Transponder Snails."
Vivi gasped in delight. "So they've been listening to SHJ! That means they know about Baroque Works and a little of Crocodile's plans!"
"Are you sure you'll be okay joining us, Boss?" Ariala asked worriedly. "Kung-Fu Dugongs can't survive in the desert."
"We can keep them here on the ship with us to guard it," Johnny offered.
"We'll be staying on the ship as well. Deserts are no place for fishmen." Romaz said.
"Yeah, no way am I gonna become a fish stir fry!" Kuishi huffed.
With that established, the crew followed Vivi and Carue as they were led through the desert, passing by a destroyed town as they did.
"What was this place?" Nami wondered.
"It used to be Erumalu, the City of Green. As you might imagine, rain is scarce in a desert kingdom, so we save up every drop that does appear." Vivi explained. "The rains have never stopped completely, so for us to go three years without rain is a serious issue."
"Couldn't you just pipe in water from the river?" Sabo asked.
"Once we could have, but not anymore. However, in all of Alabasta, there has been one place where the rain always fell more than any other place. The capital of Alubarna." Vivi said. "The rains fall there so much that the people used to call it the King's Miracle. That is, until the day when a cargo cart broke and the bag it was carrying broke open, revealing it to be full of Dance Powder. The people pulling the cart stated that the powder was to be delivered to my father, right within earshot of dozens of civilians."
"But they weren't actually couriers, were they?" Merone realized. "They were Baroque Works operatives."
"Dance Powder is outlawed by the World Government, and for once they have a very good reason for it. When burned, Dance Powder can summon rain by accelerating the creation of ice particles in clouds." Gem explained. "But you can't get something from nothing. Even Devil Fruits that can generate matter rely on the user's body as a catalyst to manifest that matter. When the Dance Powder creates rain in one region, it deprives another region of rain."
"Why would something that causes relief and misery at the same time be called Dance Powder?" Usopp asked.
"Yeah, seems kinda ironic," Hunter added.
"Because when the country that created it first used it, they danced in joy. That is until they found out the neighboring country had a drought. It caused a war to break out, with many lives lost as a result." Nami said.
"That controversy is why the World Government has banned the use of Dance Powder," Ace noted.
"Crocodile created the fake accident and the phenomenon of all that rain falling on Alubarna. Suddenly the people were under the impression that there was no miracle at all." Gem said. "Dance Powder was indeed used to create that miracle, but Cobra had nothing to do with it. He was as clueless to what had happened as anyone else."
"But that alone wouldn't frame your father for its use. After all, it's not like any Dance Powder would be found in his possession." Sanji pointed out.
"Crocodile thought of that too. He secretly had a massive amount of Dance Powder smuggled into the palace." Mikita said.
They soon came to a dried-up canal in the middle of the town.
"Good heavens...!" Double-D whispered.
"This canal here used to connect to the Sandora River, but someone destroyed it. Crocodile went to great lengths to make sure no one could secure water without outside assistance." Vivi said. "When the fighting started, the people abandoned the city out of exhaustion. And it just... Withered away."
Marianne looked around. "This is the perfect country Crocodile promised us?"
"I knew we were doing some pretty bad things but... Seeing the outcome up close just makes it hit home in the worst way possible." Mikita muttered.
The group trekked through the desert with Merone using a water dome with Ariala also making a pocket of cool air so they wouldn't suffer heatstroke and had plenty of water on standby.
"Feels weird drinking water created from another person's body..." Haruo muttered.
Katsu hummed. "I'll take whatever blessing is offered."
"If anybody wants, I could sprout some cactus plants." Delphia offered. "They tend to contain lots of water."
"What's up with these sand dunes?" Usopp wondered. "I thought a desert would be more flat."
"Hardly. The Sandora Desert is so old that the churning sands have made the dunes up to 300 meters high." Vivi said.
The heat was a problem during the day, but at night the lack of anything to block out temperature meant the nights were extremely cold. Luckily Lithos and Ace were able to work together to create a fire large enough to warm everyone up. While going through the dunes the group had to contend with Warusagi bandit birds trying to trick them to steal all their supplies, and then saved a camel from some carnivorous plants. Which had apparently attracted a pair of giant lizards called Sandora Dragons that the seven siblings promptly killed when they appeared.
"What's up with this crazy desert?!" Usopp called out.
"I feel like we should be expecting this since we're in the Grand Line!" Eddy added.
"On the bright side, we have plenty more meat to work with." Sanji said.
The camel, who Nami affectionately named Lashes and who Ed referred to as a "Lumpy Mutated Horse" was willing to help carry the group's supplies. The two giant lizards were turned into lunch and quickly consumed so thankfully he wasn't carrying more than he could handle. As the group continued to trek through the desert, they suddenly heard something.
"What is that?" Bella wondered.
Usopp took a look through his sniper goggles and his jaw dropped.
"I-It's a ship! A ship sailing across the sand!"
"Usopp, did you eat the cactus I warned you not to eat?" Chopper said.
"No, I'm seeing it too," Sabo said.
The ship pulled up, and a huge man wearing an umbrella on his head leaped down.
"Greetings, fellow desert travelers. I am Barbarossa, captain of the Barbar Sand Pirates!"
"Ah, nice to meet you! I'm Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates!" Luffy greeted back.
A young woman, with her hair tied up in an umbrella, also leaped down in front of Vivi.
"Most of these people are outsiders... But you're from here, aren't you? You're even traveling with a super spot-billed duck."
Vivi stared the woman down for a moment, and Carue looked like he was readying his wings.
"Oh, lay off them, Rasa. So what if she's from this kingdom? That just makes us neighbors and friends." Barbarossa said. "As our crew motto goes, the only thing you don't eat in the desert is friends. Speaking of which...Zaba! Bring out that meat we just caught!"
Another man with an umbrella covering his head started reeling in something large. It turned out to be a giant sand scorpion or rather the corpse of one. The beast was cooked up and the whole group sat down to enjoy the meat.
"Tastes quite a lot like lobster. I think I'll file this little culinary tidbit away for later." Sanji said.
"Yum!" Ed said as he helped himself to one of the pincers.
As everyone was chatting and enjoying themselves, Rasa sat down next to Vivi.
"Why did you not come back after all that time?"
"Melias wasn't the only oasis getting buried during that period," Vivi pointed out. "Were you really waiting all by yourself instead of traveling with your people? Rasa, staying in one place is only going to make you blind to the world outside. The Nefertari family has an entire kingdom to look after. And if too many things happening at once keep us from returning to a single spot we visited... Honestly, I spent all that time trying to figure out where you'd gone. When I heard your family vacated I tried to reconnect with you, but your parents said you'd stayed behind. I thought you'd gone and tried to look for me and Father. I never thought in a million years..."
"That I'd stay and wait hoping you'd return?" Rasa finished. "Yeah, when you put it like that I suddenly feel stupid. No person in their right mind would do that, even a child. I guess Barbarossa taking me in was the best thing for me."
The crew explained the current situation and the Barbar Sand Pirates agreed to help.
"I can take a Sand Slider out and reach Katorea in as little as a few hours. I'll speak with the rebel leader and ask him to meet with you in Yuba." Kaba said.
"Thank you," Vivi said. "And please make sure Noctis and Father are okay."
"Noctis?" Delphia asked.
"He's Vivi's younger brother," Ferros explained. "A chip off their dad's shoulder if I say so."
"Personally, we'd all be happy to help. I once thought the desert belonged to everyone equally, but that was just conceit. The desert belongs to no one, which is why we can live free within it." Barbarossa said. "We'll take you as far as the town of Ido. After dropping you off, we'll start scouring for Baroque Works' messengers. Most likely they'll be using Lizard Runners, so we can hunt them down anywhere."
As the Sand Sled sailed off upon dropping the crew at Ido, Vivi saw Rasa waving at her, a gentle smile on her face.
"We'll resupply quickly in Ido, then head on to Yuba. We can only afford to wait there for a day, so let's hope the rebel leader is willing to meet with us there." Nami said.
"We've had to call in the few Millions we still have active for this. They're not going to be as effective in the final plan." Miss All-Sunday noted.
"We have to make do. My plan is on a tight schedule, so I can't afford to waste too much time." Crocodile said. "Is everything else ready?"
"As you requested, the Officer Agents, minus Mr. 5, will be meeting at 8:00 PM tonight at the Spiders Cafe. The endgame begins at noon in two days."
The cafe in question was being attended by a blue-haired woman reading a book. The door to reveal a squat woman with a large red afro and a big man carrying a heavy bat.
"Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas reporting in!" The squat woman said. "Mr. 4, you're lateness has been giving me a bad back!"
"Sorry..." Mr. 4 apologized in a slow voice as Miss Merry Christmas sat down at the bar.
"Paula! How's business? The place looks empty today!"
"You'll be having the shop all to yourselves today," Paula replied. "Shall I make you some orange pekoe and apple tea?"
"No hot drinks! Just gimme something I can drink right away! I am parched!"
Mr. 3 then came in alongside Mr. 2.
"Well this is an unusual pairing," Paula noted.
"What happened with Miss Goldenweek?" Miss Merry Christmas asked.
"Sadly, she's been compromised, so for now I'm without a partner." Mr. 3 explained.
"One Octopus Parfait, please." Mr. 2 ordered as he sat down at the bar. "So, are we waiting on anyone else? I notice the fatty and old hag are here."
"Shut your trap!," Miss Merry Christmas retorted as Mr. 4 was doing some rudimentary massage on her back.
Mr. 2 rolled his eyes. "Sure, sure. Which reminds me, I hear even Mr. 1's team is being mobilized."
"We really only have our own crew members to rely on for the final phase. I've just been informed that the Billions have all been captured by the Marines." Mr. 3 noted.
"What, so quickly?" Mr. 2 asked in shock. "Don't tell me they made the mistake of trying to fill in one of the vacant Number Agent slots."
"Worse! They tried to take on seven bounties at once for prestige and got their asses kicked!" Miss Merry Christmas clarified.
As 8:00 PM started to roll around, a large man with dark skin entered.
"Ah, the man of the hour. Pleasure to meet you at last, Mr. 1." Mr. 3 greeted.
"This is all of us, then?" Mr. 1 said as he looked around. "Miss Doublefinger, it's time to drop the disguise."
Paula took off her bandana and glasses, revealing a large blue afro.
"So you're Miss Doublefinger. You know, I've never actually met either of you until now." Mr. 2 noted.
"We have orders from Mr. 0. We're to head for Rainbase, the City of Dreams. Our boss is waiting for us there." Miss Doublefinger said.
"It seems we'll finally be seeing our boss's face for the first time, which means his plans are finally coming to fruition." Mr. 1 noted.
Miss All-Sunday sent Banchi to escort the Officer Agents via a special carriage.
"We've promoted 200 Millions to Billions for the final phase," She reported to Crocodile, "But I'm a little concerned. They aren't as well-trained. And there's another issue. Someone's been intercepting our Lizard Runners, so they don't know what their roles are."
"Someone's doing this deliberately," Crocodile noted, "But trying to find out now would only expose us."
The Straw Hats finally reached Yuba, but it was clear why the place was abandoned. The entire oasis was destroyed, and the only living people there were Kaba and Kohza. Vivi was overjoyed to see her childhood friend as she embraced him.
"Vivi!"
"Kohza! What happened here?
"Bad luck. The city got hit by a sandstorm several months ago. Not the first either, they've been a real problem ever since the drought started three years ago." Kohza said. "When the oasis got covered, I made the decision to move the clan out to Katorea. The only other person out here is..."
Everyone suddenly heard the sound of a shovel, and Kohza sighed.
"My father. He's the only one who stayed behind, digging as hard as he could for any water there might be. Honestly, with how long he's been at it, I'm surprised he hasn't succeeded by now. He's lost a lot of weight, so you'd barely recognize him. And with all that's happened, he still hasn't lost faith in the king. Though, given the broadcasting I've heard recently... I'm starting to wonder if he has a point."
Kohza's father, Toto, then appeared, gasping when he saw Vivi.
"Vivi? It is you! Princess, you're alive!"
Vivi felt her heart aching at seeing how skinny Toto looked compared to his pudgy yet jolly old self. Kohza explained what was going on and everything he had heard from the SHJ.
"I knew it, I knew the king would never betray his country. I've been saying it to you for three years." Toto said.
"It seems I needed an outsider's perspective to get the full story," Kohza admitted.
"Well, it's a lucky thing we came around," Double-D noted. "Things could have gotten much uglier, I think."
Rainbase was essentially a gambling and resort city, centered around one of the largest oases in Alabasta. The Officer Agents had gathered at a resort called Rain Dinners. As they started to get antsy waiting, Miss All-Sunday arrived.
"Thank you all for coming all this way. The town of Rainbase is where the people dream of winning it big. And Rain Dinners is the largest casino resort in the entire city."
"Just skip the formalities, Miss All-Sunday," Mr. 1 said.
Miss All-Sunday rolled her eyes. "Leave it to you to get right to the point. I'm sure some of you have been curious about our boss. Well, allow me to formally introduce him. Up until now, I've been his proxy, giving you orders on his behalf. But now there's no more need for that. Sir Crocodile?"
The chair at the far end of the table swung around to reveal Crocodile had been there the entire time.
"Greetings, my esteemed Officer Agents. It's time for Baroque Works to begin Operation Utopia."
Needless to say, the entire group, sans Miss All-Sunday, was shocked to see a Warlord sitting there.
"I see you're all surprised, not that I can blame you. I can assure you I am the real Mr. 0, though you probably weren't expecting to be working under a pirate, let alone one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"But why would you need to be so clandestine?" Miss Doublefinger asked. "The Warlords are given permission by the World Government to plunder. You shouldn't need an entire company like this."
"First off, it's a bit more nuanced than that. Yes, we are permitted to plunder, but only the enemies of the World Government. And we do owe them a small tithe from our gross for every operation we take." Crocodile explained. "We're also required to hunt down other pirates in order to maintain our position. So you see, I can't just conquer Alabasta and not expect retaliation. Besides, it's not money or status that I'm after. What I seek is military might."
"And just how will taking over the country grant you that?" Mr. 3 asked.
"A valid question, one I will gladly answer, to give you context for the importance of this operation. Years ago, I fought the Yonko Whitebeard and lost. It put a halt to my dream to become King of the Pirates. Eventually, I learned something interesting. That somewhere in Alabasta is an ancient Poneglyph that holds a great secret."
"The heck's a Poneglyph?" Miss Merry Christmas asked.
"It's an indestructible artifact that has an ancient language written on it. They're scattered all over the Grand Line. No one knows how to decipher them." Mr. 1 explained.
"That's hardly accurate. Our own Miss All-Sunday is fully capable of deciphering the Poneglyphs." Crocodile clarified. "And the one I'm seeking is said to have the secret to an ancient superweapon called Pluton. This grand battleship would give me the military might I need to challenge Whitebeard again, and this time succeed."
"Something like that really exists in this country?" Mr. 2 asked.
"Possibly, I'll know once the relevant Poneglyph is translated. Which happens to be under the palace at Alubarna." Crocodile said.
"So that's why we're working to steal the entire country," Miss Doublefinger noted.
"You have your final orders in hand. Read them now, then have them burned. Keep in mind there are forces gathering that are aware of us, so more than ever we will need to practice discretion." Crocodile said. "We will also need to be aware of the Straw Hat Pirates. They have compromised several of our Officer Agents, so they may have vital information."
Mr. 2 nodded. "Do we know what they look like?"
"One second," Mr. 3 said before creating a few wax sculptures resembling the Straw Hats, shocking Mr. 2
"Yes, you met them before, and they were apparently broadcasting the meeting. So now the rebels know about your Clone-Clone Fruit. It will be less effective during the plan. Even worse." Crocodile then pointed to the statues of Lithos, Merone, Ferros, and Ariala. "Those ones are Whitebeard's children, and we've met before. They were only toddlers when I fought Whitebeard, but I've no doubt the four of them remember my face. Mr. 2, do you have their faces?"
"No, only their Captain. Their First Mate was able to keep me from touching the rest of them. If not for these statues we wouldn't know what they look like."
"Then trying to turn them against each other is pointless, meaning I'll have to deal with them personally. The longer we let this operation go on the easier it will be for the World Government to find out what I'm doing." Crocodile said. "Above all else, we can't allow Vivi and Kohza to make contact. They're apparently childhood friends, so Vivi reaching the rebel army would most certainly cause confusion. And there's already so much confusion among them."
Meanwhile, the Straw Hats were now heading for Rainbase to confront Crocodile directly.
"So what sort of city is Rainbase?" Nami asked.
"It's a gambling city, which has allowed to thrive even through the entire drought." Vivi explained.
"Nami, get those Berri signs out of your eyes. We've got no time for pleasure, we have a country to save." Bella remarked.
"Rainbase is only a day's walk from Yuba. I'll be heading with you. My men were given special instructions, so even if that man with the Clone-Clone Fruit arrives with my face they won't necessarily start marching immediately." Kohza said.
"Has he ever touched your face?" Delphia asked.
"During a meeting I had with Cobra demanding answers regarding the drought, that ballerina guy was there, and patted me on the cheek telling me not to worry about small details. I'm pretty sure he used his right hand." Kohza recalled before sighing. "I've been turning away children angry at the king because their friends got sick. Hopefully, they won't suddenly be accepted by a copycat just to bolster numbers."
However, the Straw Hats soon found out that they weren't the only ones in Rainbase. The Marines had arrived as well, led by Smoker and Tashigi.
"Fancy meeting you here, Smoker." Ferros chuckled.
Smoker shrugged. "Call it good timing. I figured you'd be here sooner or later since Crocodile has his base here."
"We had to take some alternate routes first," Merone said.
Tashigi stared down Zoro, then started comically hitting him.
"Ow! What the hell is your deal, woman?!"
"You damn jerk! Acting like you were just another sword enthusiast when you were really the infamous Pirate Hunter I was talking about! Acting all sensitive and awesome and hot!"
"Wait, did you just say Zoro was hot?" Bella asked with a coy smirk.
Tashigi froze for a second to process just what she had said, and her face turned so red she could hide it in Luffy's vest. She raced outside and screamed her head off, then slowly reentered and sat down.
"Feel better?" Smoker asked.
"I don't want to talk about it."
A sudden bird cry was heard outside, which got Vivi looking up and smiling.
"It's Pell!"
The group looked up to see a large falcon, which then landed before changing into Pell. And he wasn't alone either, as Noctis had been riding on him.
"Sister!"
"Noctis!" Vivi gasped as she embraced her little brother.
"So you ate a Zoan fruit too?" Chopper asked Pell.
"That's right. Mine is the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Falcon." Pell clarified. "I'm glad to see you in good health, Vivi. Igaram arrived sometime before you did."
Vivi smiled. "I'm glad. And King and Clarabelle?"
"They were with him. They told us much regarding Baroque Works." Pell assured her.
"It's nice to thee you're doing well!" Carue said, startling Pell.
"Transponder Snail. Devil Fruit." Eddy casually explained.
"We've had to take an extra step. With the rebel army currently lacking their leader somehow, we need to find a way to rile them up. That will waste valuable time. Meaning we can't move to kidnap Cobra just yet." Crocodile noted.
"Where do you think Kohza is?" Miss All-Sunday wondered.
"Good question. Without our Lizard Runners we're having a tough time getting information through. Also, I noticed we haven't found the princess yet, nor have the Straw Hats stormed Rain Dinners. They're smarter than I thought they'd be. And we've got no time to wait for them to fall into our clutches. We'll have to move to the next phase regardless. So long as I can reach that Poneglyph, it doesn't matter what setbacks hit my plans." Crocodile said with a sigh. "And after that time I spent hitting Yuba time after time with sandstorms, trying to start this rebellion. The Dance Powder scandal alone wouldn't have worked, no matter how much I snuck into the palace."
"Uh, boss..."
Crocodile looked and noticed his Transponder Snail was active. Then he remembered Grahambel.
"GODDAMMIT! WE NEED TO MOVE NOW!"
Kohza was utterly stunned but what he heard coming from Grahambel's mouth in Crocodile's voice.
"And that ain't the only thing I heard. Those banana crocs he keeps are surprisingly chatty." The Transponder Snail said. "They gave out all the information regarding what the Officer Agents are doing."
"And Father has his own Transponder Snail, so he'll also be aware of these plans." Vivi realized.
"I recognize the woman's voice. She's had a price on her head for twenty years now." Smoker said. "I believe the last bounty registered was 79 million."
Most of the crew was shocked, but not for the high bounty.
"She didn't sound any older than thirty!" Sonson cried. "Are you telling me she's had a bounty on her head when she was a child?! What sort of terrible crime could she have committed so young?!"
"The official 'crime' is prying into government secrets. I don't know the full details, but if she's joined up with Crocodile, then her back is likely to the wall." Smoker explained. "She's never really committed any serious crimes up until recently. No murders, no robberies, just moving from place to place eking out a living, being hunted the entire way. Honestly, that doesn't sound like real justice to me. That sounds like torture."
"Good lord..." Double-D whispered in horror.
"That's...that's just terrible..." Hsiao muttered.
"Well, in any case, we need to track down Crocodile. By now he should be heading straight for Alubarna." Zoro said.
"I'll head out there with my unit. But I can't be seen escorting pirates." Smoker said.
"Not a problem. Me, Grahambel, Haruo, Hunter, and Katsu already got into contact with a bigger transport." Chopper said.
Said transport turned out to be a Moving Crab, a large crustacean perfect for desert travel. As they traveled along, Ferros sensed something and quickly threw up a metal barrier. There was a large CLANG as Crocodile's hook hand impacted it, right near where Vivi was sitting.
"Looks like we need to play interception," Ace said.
"We'll deal with Crocodile! You guys get Vivi to Alubarna! Go, now!" Luffy ordered the others as he, Ace, Sabo, and the Children of Whitebeard jumped off the crab.
Crocodile appeared from the sand, not looking happy.
"You know, I've had enough of this nonsense. You've somehow been able to make a mockery of my schemes from Whiskey Peak all the way to here."
"Well, we do have a bunch of Ds on our side. You really should be canceling your plans until we move on." Sabo pointed out.
Crocodile scoffed. "That old legend, is it? Well, I have some time to play around."
He tossed an hourglass into the ground.
"Three minutes. That's all I'll give you."
"Too bad, you'd need at least an hour. That is if you wanted to get serious about killing us." Ace smirked.
"WATER CANNON!"
A powerful water blast struck Crocodile, actually impacting him, much to his shock.
"When sand comes in contact with water, it solidifies and becomes mud."
"So you're a Logia as well," Crocodile noted. "You're right about one thing, at least. I'd need more than three minutes to kill you. But I might be able to do it if I really push myself."
Suddenly, he found himself punched by Luffy and Sabo, both using a black aura covering Luffy's hands and Sabo's pipe.
"So you know how to use Haki as well. You certainly came prepared for the Grand Line, I'll give you that."
"You can thank us for that!" Ferros grinned.
Crocodile scowled and tried to launch a powerful sandstorm, only for Ariala to counter.
"CYCLONE!"
Crocodile grunted as he was forced back by the powerful winds.
"Like father, like daughter, I suppose. At this rate, they won't be weak enough for me to finish them after three minutes. I'll have to finish this now." Crocodile said before using his powers to create a large sandpit. "DESERT GIRASOLE!"
"GREAT GEYSER!" Merone shouted as she grabbed Luffy and Ferros while shooting out on jets of water from her feet.
"TORNADO WALK!" Ariala cried, holding onto Lithos as she flew up on a tornado of jade wind.
"FIERY CANNON!" Ace shouted, holding onto Sabo as he blasted out on jets of fire.
Crocodile was pissed. "Damn it! The desert is supposed to be my element! Where no one can stand against me!"
"If it was impossible to survive in the desert, then Alabasta wouldn't exist." Luffy pointed out.
That sentence seemed to completely wipe the smugness and anger right out of Crocodile.
"I have no more time for anything right now. I need to finish my plan. Consider this first round a draw. But defy me further and I will end you."
And with that, he disappeared into sand flying on the wind.
"Only one of us is being ended here, pal...and it ain't any of us!" Ferros declared.
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew had reached the Going Merry at the edge of the river.
"Had to deal with a crazy fish while waiting. Some sort of large catfish." Johnny said.
"Aye, the Sandoran Catfish. A nasty little beast that loves to snack on humans." Boss said. "Fortunately, we had a bit of help holding it off."
Vivi looked on shocked joy as a whole group of super spotted-bill ducks ran up.
"It's the Supersonic Duck Squadron!" Carue called out in joy. "Hello, brothers!"
The ducks all ran up to the Merry and saluted Carue, who saluted in return.
"Can I pet the chickens, Eddy?" Ed asked excitedly.
"Those are ducks, idiot!"
In the next chapter, we finally get around to bringing down Crocodile and Baroque Works! Personally, I'll be happy to get the Alabasta Saga done with, there's still so many crew members I want to include and I want to be able to catch up with mtnetsurfer's Ash & Rubber timeline.
-EDWARD D. FERROS-
Epithet: Metal Machine
Position: Second Mate
Age: 19
Birthday: November 20th
Favorite Food: Potatoes
Dream: To vindicate the stories of his father Whitebeard
Devil Fruit: Metal-Metal Fruit
Devil Fruit Type: Logia
Devil Fruit Description: The Metal-Metal Fruit allows Ferros to create, manipulate, and transform into metal. If a metal exists, he can use it, ranging from gold to mercury to lead, and even iron sand. He can mold the metal he creates into all kinds of constructs and also liquify then solidify his own metal body into various shapes for all sorts of purposes.
-CLISSON D. ARIALA-
Epithet: Wind Dancer
Position: Third Mate
Age: 19
Birthday: November 20th
Favorite Food: Caesar Salad
Dream: To vindicate the stories of her father Whitebeard
Devil Fruit: Gust-Gust Fruit
Devil Fruit Type: Logia
Devil Fruit Description: The Gust-Gust Fruit allows Ariala to create, manipulate, and transform into air/wind. She can create tornadoes, massive gales, and even sharpen the air for slicing attacks. She can also increase air pressure by condensing the air she creates and even drain the air from people's lungs if she so desires.