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Grand Line – Paradise
Alabasta – Yuba
"Well, we already have our orders! Is there anything left to do here before we leave?", after a few seconds of silence, Zoro asks, ready to go at any moment.
"You guys can't seriously be thinking of letting him go alone to face Crocodile, right?", Vivi asks indignantly.
"What's the problem? The only Shichibukai that poses a real threat to Luffy is Hawkeye. Other than him, my brother can handle the rest on his own!", Ace comments, not seeing what the problem was with Luffy going after Crocodile alone.
"Still, it wouldn't hurt if some of you went along to help him, right?", Vivi asks, not letting go of the matter for some reason.
"Vivi, you need to stop worrying so much! You can't win a war without risking lives", touching Vivi's shoulder, Nami says. She needed to open her eyes and stop daydreaming, being peaceful and diplomatic only got a person so far.
"But... my people's and my friends' lives are at stake. I... I just don't want anyone to get hurt, you understand?", closing her eyes tightly, Vivi says from the bottom of her heart. The problem was that she was carrying a huge weight on her shoulders and didn't seem willing to share it with anyone.
"Vivi, look at us! Do any of us look like we're reluctant to risk our lives for you and this kingdom?", letting out a sigh, Nami asks Vivi to open her eyes and look at everyone, to see that the whole crew was willing to give their lives for her, because that's what friends do.
"I... no, it doesn't look like it!", opening her eyes, Vivi sees everyone just waiting for her to pull herself together so they could move on. No one seemed bothered to be there, even Robin, who had just joined the crew, was calmly waiting for her to recover.
"Well then, let us risk our lives for you! Share this burden with us", Nami says with a smile, giving Vivi a pat on the shoulder.
"…Hmm, all right!", after a minute of silence, Vivi murmurs, feeling an inexplicable relief at sharing her burden.
"Great, can we go now?", Zoro says suddenly, in a hurry to carry out the orders Luffy left for them.
"Calm down, puke-head! Did you forget this city is devastated? Vivi is going to want to do the same thing she did in the last city", Sanji says, giving Zoro a slap on the head, scolding him for being too hasty.
"You've got a death wish, dickhead?", Zoro growls before going at Sanji, the two trying to kill each other, basically a normal occurrence in the crew's daily routine.
"Your friends are quite a lively group, Vivi!", standing next to Vivi, Mister Toto comments with a smile as he watches the swordsman and the cook fight.
"They sure are!", Vivi murmurs, a slight smile appearing on her face.
"Well, you all seem busy and in a hurry, so this old man won't take any more of your time! Besides, I need to get back to digging", not wanting to bother them, Mister Toto says, the weight on his back easing. They seemed to be one hundred percent focused on ending this meaningless rebellion as quickly as possible, and he didn't want to get in their way.
"Sorry to ask, but why are you digging, sir?", curious, Usopp suddenly asks.
"These sandstorms might have dried out this oasis, but I have faith there's still water down below!", Mister Toto replies, confident that Yuba was still alive and just needed a little help to return to normal.
"Don't worry, Mister Toto! I'll bring Yuba back to life!", Vivi says with conviction before kneeling down and placing her palms on the ground.
So, what Mister Toto sees over the next few minutes can only be described as something magical, Yuba not only returns to how it was before, it becomes even better; the city and its surroundings turn into a green thumb in the middle of the desert, dense forests, a gigantic lake, lush green grass, it didn't even seem like they were on a desert island.
Finishing yet another dense forest prototype, Vivi loses her strength, not to the point of nearly fainting like before, but if it weren't for Nami holding her as soon as gravity starts acting on her body, she would have eaten a mouthful of grass.
"Vivi!", seeing Vivi falling, Mister Toto runs to her, worried.
"Relax, she's fine! She just overexerted herself and now needs to rest; she's actually even better than when she did the same thing in the last city", Chopper, already examining Vivi, who had been placed on the ground by Nami, says upon seeing Mister Toto kneel down worriedly beside her.
"I ate an Akuma no Mi, now I'm basically a living forest! Pretty cool, right, Mister Toto?", completely out of breath, Vivi asks with a rare childish smile on her face.
"It's incredible!", Mister Toto says with a smile, genuinely happy for Vivi.
"Here, Vivi! Drink some water and rest!", squatting in front of Vivi, Nami says, handing her an open water canteen.
"Close your eyes too, it helps you rest faster!", Chopper says beside her, giving a tip, which Vivi promptly follows, closing her eyes and drinking from the canteen that was handed to her.
"I don't know what happened in these two years she was missing, but I see that Vivi made good friends! Please, take care of her!", letting out a relieved sigh, Mister Toto lifts his gaze to the crew and asks from the bottom of his heart.
"Don't worry, sir! Vivi's our friend", Usopp says with a confident smile.
=Scene Break=
Some time later, Vivi, fully recovered, talks for a few more minutes with Mister Toto before saying goodbye, guiding the group towards Katorea.
Using Soru, the group reaches the banks of the Sandora River an hour later, quickly crossing the body of water afterward.
After that, they continue their journey, arriving on the outskirts of Katorea an hour later, with the sun still high in the sky.
And at the same time that the city of Katorea appears on the horizon in the distance, they also spot a solitary figure waiting for them further ahead, in the middle of the desert.
"Well, well, well, look who we have here! The missing princess of Alabasta, her little pirate friends, and Nico Robin, the traitor! Didn't expect to see you here, Miss All Sunday!", the figure comments sarcastically.
"Crocodile!", Vivi says, surprised and angry.
"The one and only, in flesh, bone, and sand!", Crocodile says, delighting in their shocked expressions.
"What are you doing here?", Zoro asks, frowning, his hand resting on the hilt of one of his swords.
"What? Did you guys really think I was just going to stand still waiting for you to ruin all my plans? No, I came here to deal with the weakest link of my problems while outsourcing the rest of the work", Crocodile first asks before retorting mockingly.
"Weakest link? You knew we'd come here?", focusing on a detail that caught her attention, Robin asks, making a deduction. It seemed Crocodile knew they would split into groups and was apparently expecting this to be the weaker one.
"I deduced it, I just didn't foresee that the more famous ones would come along too! I thought they would be in the group going to Rainbase after me, but I guess separating the Straw Hat brat from the rest of you was already worth the effort", Crocodile comments, pointing at Chouchou, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp before shrugging at the end.
"Are you an idiot, or do you really think we're powerless against you? Besides, as soon as Luffy realizes you're not there, he's going to come here! Your plan doesn't make any sense", Nami asks, looking strangely at Crocodile, as if she were standing in front of a stupid person.
"Well, I have full confidence that I can handle all of you! I was just a little wary about your captain, but as I said, I took precautions, so he won't be a problem", clenching his jaw slightly upon hearing what Nami just said, Crocodile comments mockingly.
"What do you mean?", Usopp asks in doubt. This guy is up to something.
"Well, I'd say the Straw Hat is quite busy at the moment!", Crocodile says, smiling maliciously.
"What did you do, you bastard?", Vivi growls angrily.
"Let's just say I tricked an idiot into being in the right place at the right time! And as far as I know, your captain is the type to cause chaos wherever he goes! Well, I'm counting on that and on the two of them killing each other afterward", letting out a scornful laugh, Crocodile says. He hadn't expected Usopp, Chouchou, Sanji, and Zoro to be in this group that came to Katorea, but it wasn't entirely unforeseen; at least the Straw Hat was exactly where he wanted him to be.
"Enough talking! You guys go ahead and put an end to this rebellion, I'll deal with this idiot!", tired of the conversation, Zoro says while unsheathing one of his swords.
"Are you sure?", Vivi asks, worried. Behind her, the others are already starting to head toward Katorea.
"You're kidding, right? This guy's weaker than the idiot we fought back in Drum", Zoro says with a snort, pointing Wado at Crocodile as he speaks.
"And Luffy?", turning to the rest of the crew, Vivi asks, worried about him.
"My brother must have already dealt with whatever this idiot prepared for him! So, unless someone at the level of a Yonkou Commander shows up, Luffy should already be on his way here! And just so you know, people of that level don't move easily", looking back while moving, Ace responds, reassuring her.
"That's right, now go already! I want to finish this quickly so I can take a nap", Zoro says, a little hurried, wanting to drink and take a nap. Vivi, meanwhile, runs after the group so as not to be left behind.
"You all think you can just walk past me and I won't do anything to stop you? No, you die here, princess, and you, Miss All Sunday! Well, you'll live a little longer, we still have unfinished business", upon seeing Vivi and the rest pass by him as if he simply didn't exist, Crocodile says angrily before transforming into sand and charging at the group in an assault.
"You talk too loudly for someone so weak! How about focusing on me, so at least you can see who cut your head?", as soon as Crocodile appears in front of the group, attacking them with his hook, Zoro appears among them, a few meters to the side, and says, being in a lower position, with Wado coated in Haki in his hand.
Then, a second later, as soon as Zoro straightens his posture and turns to the Shichibukai, Crocodile feels his hand lighter, and upon looking, he sees that his hook has been sliced into pieces.
=Scene Break=
Meanwhile, an hour before this unexpected encounter between the crew and Crocodile takes place, Luffy arrives at Rainbase, locating and heading straight to the Casino Rain Dinners as soon as he arrives.
As soon as he reaches the bridge leading to the casino, Luffy imbues his Conqueror's Haki into his voice and shouts, "EVERYONE, OUT OF THE CASINO! NOW!"
Then, not even a minute later, a sea of people, all breaking out in a cold sweat, come running out of the casino, staying away from Luffy as if he were some contagious disease.
In the middle of this crowd of people were two Baroque Works agents, who, upon crossing the bridge, quickly separate from the civilians and hide nearby, waiting for the right moment to act.
As soon as everything calms down, Luffy uses his Observation to check if there are still people in the casino, detecting only a strong presence walking toward the exit. Then, without wasting time, he jumps, launching himself into the sky with ease.
Upon reaching above the casino, Luffy takes a punching stance and murmurs "Gomu Gomu no Air Punch!", before then swinging his arm downward like a whip.
In the last second, Luffy contracts all the muscles in his forearm, punching the air with overwhelming force.
The shockwave from his strike displaces the air downward instantly, happening so fast that, within seconds, the Rain Dinners Casino disappears from the map, leaving only a giant crater in its place.
"I hate casinos!", there was no Haki or Akuma no Mi involved in this attack; it was just Luffy, using his raw strength to destroy a building that harmed society.
As soon as the dust in the crater settles, Luffy, still in the sky, sees a tall, blonde, and tanned man rise from the rubble in the center of the crater before then leaping into the light.
When he lands on the edge of the crater, the man pats the pink feathered coat draped over his shoulders to remove the dust and debris before looking up at Luffy and asking, seething with rage, "Mind telling me why you dropped a building on top of me? Huh, worm?"
"Mingo?", Luffy asks in surprise. What the hell is Donquixote Doflamingo doing in Alabasta?
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