FicWad

'RRRRRAAAAGGHH!!' Vivi throws herself at the blighted woman before her.
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Her sword cleaves through the air, missing her foe by miles. 'So, Vivi, it's been so long since initiation. How have you been?'
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The sword-princess tenses her body backwards, pointing the tip towards the woman. 'Igaram's Loyalty!' She lets loose a barrage of thrusts.
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None get close to the infected woman. 'Did you enjoy your time at Whiskey Peak? Personally, I wanted to have you posted closer to Alabasta, but our boss said no.'
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'Ruagh!' Vivi sprints towards the woman, swinging sharpened steel towards her leg with superhuman speed.
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The woman skips over the speeding metal. 'Your sword skills are sharp and quick as well. It's a vast improvement over the toys you started off using. Really, who brings yo-yos to join an assassin’s guild?'
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'Shut up and die!' Vivi swings her blade in a decapitating strike.
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The edge stops an inch from the woman's face. 'Honestly, I was worried Mr 5 would cripple you when we ordered him to bring the princess in. But you managed to use your wits to turn the tables on him and make it back home.'
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Vivi shudders in place; her muscles strain as she tries to gut the blighted woman with her blade.

But all her strength and attempts to kill her foe are pointless.
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Dozens of blackened arms sprouting from Vivi’s body hold her firmly in place. The princess shudders at the clammy, firm hands that have sprouted from her body. She shudders at the horror of growing plague-twisted limbs, of feeling her own body rebel against her. The sensation of helplessness and violation is nearly more than she can endure.
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And the demon holding her in place smiles. Yellowed teeth hidden behind green lipstick, highlighting the boils on her brow. 'And you look so cute too, especially with those extra arms.' She leans in and, with a pale tongue, licks the princess' blade, working its way to her mechanical fingers. 'You'd look so much more beautiful if you let the plague into your-'
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click
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'... now that was just rude.' The woman turns to Nami, who is now holding her pistol to her head. She looks to the dropped hammer, the only thing keeping her brains inside her being the tumor growth of fingers she created over the flashpan of the gun. 'And here I dropped everything in my busy schedule to say "hello" to our wonderful guests.'
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Nami tries to backpedal, only for several arms growing from her body to hold her in place.
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'So, who. is. this?' The woman(creature) turns gracefully towards Nami, her yellow, crusty eyes containing a spark of madness. 'Log pose, female-presenting, orange hair. Why you must be Nami Belimere, the Navigator of the Strawhat Pirates.'
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Nami resists in vain, her infectious restraints causing her to thrash harder. The blighted woman's touch makes her instinctively pull away from the approaching plague maiden.
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'Oh, where are my manners?! Here I am welcoming you to our new country, and I haven't given you my name!' The woman chirps, cheerfully (or intentionally) oblivious to her guests’ suffering.
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'It isn't YOUR...'
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A conjured hand grows on Vivi's tongue, filling her mouth with dozens of writhing fingers.
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'My name...' The woman pulls off an elegant curtsey. 'And my title is Nico Robin, the Devil of Ohara. Daughter of the plague and part-time archaeologist. And I am very pleased to meet you!'
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Robin extends her hand in a gesture of crude respect. A pair of hands forces Nami to drop her gun and move her own arm in a grotesque mockery of a handshake.
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Nami grunts, trying to resist the demon puppeting her body. 'The feeling isn't mutual!'
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Vivi bites down on the hand inside her mouth, causing it to vanish with a burst of black flower petals. She spits them and the lingering bile out. 'You witch! Just hurry up and kill us already! That's all you plague cultists love doing!'
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Nico Robin turns towards the princess with a hurt look. 'Kill you? After you first set foot in your kingdom? On the eve of the great revolution that will change everything? That would be rude!'
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'...what!?' Outrage wars with confusion on Princess Vivi’s face.
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'You see, Vivi, death is... a passion of mine.' She smiles sincerely. 'It's a way of expressing my love and helping people make a transition to a new stage of existence. Offing such kind, noble people like you in a dark alley would be anticlimactic and disrespectful!'
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Vivi quakes with rage. 'So... murder is love to you?'
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Robin thinks to herself for a moment. 'Well, it's not murder persay. Rather, it is the act of teaching a lesson of life and death that I find particularly thrilling. I mean, if you’re going to kill someone, you should do so in a way that best fits with how they lived, like, say, ripping the genitals off a violator or forcing a marine to eat his own gun. That sort of thing.'
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Vivi looks up at the monster holding them hostage, her glare of pure hate causing a hardened pirate like Nami to shudder.
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'So you're telling me... THAT INFECTING MY PEOPLE WITH A PAINFUL HORRIBLE ILLNESS IS YOUR WAY OF SHOWING LOVE!?!'
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The princess of Alabasta's roar echoes over her kingdom, her fury momentarily stunning even the maiden of the plague.

But only for a moment. After a moment, Robin’s coy smile returns full force.
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'That's exactly right!' The blighted woman closes her eyes and claps her hands, ignorant or uncaring of the enraged woman in front of her. 'That's precisely what I was going for! Thank you, Princess Vivi! Infecting your people with the plague is my way of showing them, my love! What a succinct way to put it.'
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'RAA-' Vivi finds her mouth cupped by a pair of black hands, silencing her roar of defiance.
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'That's enough shouting for now. Listen Vivi.' The woman says after silencing her opposition. 'You might not believe me, given that I’m your “archenemy” and whatever disgusting labels you are thinking of using to address me, but I'm trying to help you...' She pinches her captive's cheek. 'You, and your precious kingdom.'
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'Life is so fragile, so painful. Death seems to be around every corner. Sometimes you wonder if it is worth enduring at all.' Robin looks deep into Vivi's eyes. 'But it is worth it, Vivi. Life is beautiful.'
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The plague maiden paces around the captive princes like a shark circling its prey. 'The purpose of death isn't to punish the living; it exists to encourage life. It is only when we feel the cold clamor of death and accept it that we can learn to live!' The woman says with ecstasy. 'And the plague brings us this revelation, Vivi. When faced with death, all the worry and fear we had in our lives before seems so small. In the face of destiny and the inevitable end, the pain we had fades; loss and suffering are replaced by joy and contentment.'
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'The Plague is simply the beginning of a new life, Vivi. Exposure to its mercies only becomes meaningful when it is embraced by those who have obtained this gift. When you recognize it as the gods' blessing rather than a punishment, you gain a new perspective that shatters the chains of fear and superstition binding you.'
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Robin takes in the Princess' mounting horror as she moves her blighted fourth arm towards her. 'Acceptance of the plague brings happiness, Princess Vivi Nefitari. Soon we will spread this happiness to everyone in Alabasta and beyond.'
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Robin moves her arm towards Vivi's mouth, the black hands covering it peeling away. 'And you can join this utopia. Drink my blood, and you can help usher in a new era for your country. One of true peace and acceptance. One where all people are accepted and accept others. One without fear or discrimination. A brighter future for your country is just one step away. All you have to do is embrace it.'
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Vivi, princess of an entire country, simply glares at her. 'I get it now...'
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The daughter of the plague turns towards the navigator. 'Oh! It looks like your friend has...'

'All of you in Baroque Works are insane.' The princess spits out.

Robin, maiden of the plague, has the wherewithal to look offended at Princess Vivi. 'Really? That’s your retort to me bearing my beating heart to you, princess? What happened to Alabasta’s vaunted civility?'

'Now, Now Vivi. The wonderful miss here is right.' Nami replies. 'You need to say it more concisely.'

'See, now there’s a good...'
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'Like, all of you in Baroque Works are but clucking insane.' Nami says coolly.
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Robin looks at Nami for a moment, then back to the princess. Social skills honed over years and the defiant faces of her captives let her know her efforts were for naught. She shrugs. 'Well, sanity is subjective and relative, but I will admit our Boss Crocodile is... a bit off compared to most.'
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'Right, so how about you-.' The navigator freezes mid-word. A look of fear crosses Nami's face. 'C-Crocodile?'
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Robin nods with a clever smile.
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She gulps. 'You mean...Warlord Crocodile? As in the famous pirate?'
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Robin nods again; her grin is much more cruel than it was a minute before.

'As in the vicious warlord with a bounty of eighty million Beli. Someone so strong the World Government is backing him? That Crocodile?

Robin simply grins, showing off her yellowed teeth.

'…cluck.'
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...so that was it. Nami thinks to herself. Her mind puts together all the pieces and consequences of that one piece of news.
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The navigator instantly recognizes why Vivi was so secretive and paranoid. She realizes why Vivi jumped through so many hoops to keep them in the dark.
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They were up against a Warlord of the sea. A pirate so powerful that the government that controlled the world gave them free rein to pillage and kill. So long as they didn't attack those aligned with the government, they could do anything they pleased.
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Like overthrowing a nation not aligned with the World Government.

Or recruiting criminals in the millions to serve as their muscle.
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Or kill anyone they wanted without the Marines batting an eye.
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Granted, as far as she knew, if it came out that he was responsible for a plague outbreak in Alabasta, a nation aligned with the World Government, he would lose his position and all privileges that came with it.
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IF.
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If anyone found out.
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Meaning anyone who knew that Baroque Works released the plague in Alabasta and Crocodile controlled Baroque Works would be hunted down and murdered before they could tell anyone. Anyone ambitious and violent enough to become a warlord would never allow their power to be chipped away by something as minor as the word of a few pirates. If Crocodile knew, he would stop at literally nothing to kill them and anyone they might have blabbed the secret to.

'...double cluck.' Nami aptly sums up their crew's sudden situation.

And there was the fact that if the World Government found out, they would also go to any lengths to silence anyone who knew. Warlords of the Sea were pirates endorsed by the World Government, an organization whose good name was already in the gutter thanks to their failure to combat the plague spreading across the seas. If one of their dogs jumped his leash and took out a kingdom allied with them, it would taint their reputation as a force of order and peace. Better to cover it up and allow a mass murder to go free than look bad in front of their subordinate nations.
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'...triple cluck.' Nami aptly sums up their crew's sudden situation.
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'But look at me talking religion and ethos with a group of strangers!' Robin ignores Nami's look of pure panic. 'I came here to ask Vivi a very important question.
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'So, Vivi,' Robin leans in, ignoring Nami’s mounting terror. The plague maiden’s Cheshire grin does not detract from the manic look in her eyes. 'Could you kindly tell me where Pluton and the ponegliph are?'
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For the first time since they met, Vivi’s rage has been superseded by her surprise. The look of confusion on her face is plain as the sun in the sky. '...what? What in the deep Abyss are you talking about? What’s a Poneglyph?'
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Suddenly the maiden finds herself joining in on the princess’ confusion. She examines the princess' face for signs of guile. '...You do know of the ancient weapon hidden here, in this land, is that correct?'
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Vivi grits her teeth. 'What the hells!? You came all this way to talk about some... fairy tale? Some mythic weapon that doesn't exist!?'
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'...'
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'...well!?' Robin’s silence further enrages the princess of Alabasta.
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Robin sighs. 'So you were ignorant too. Ignorant of why your country was chosen for our new utopia.'
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The arms binding the two captives vanish into petals of black. The two Straw Hats nearly fall on their backs from the sudden relaxation of force.
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And as casually as she entered the scene, the plague-afflicted woman walks away. 'Goodbye, Vivi. Goodbye Nami. It was a pleasure talking with you both.'
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'What?' Vivi grips her sword tightly. 'You're just leaving!? What the heck are you after, Nico Robin?! What are you looking for!?'
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Robin waves behind her. 'You're a big girl, princess. You should know by now that if you want answers...'
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A quarter dozen hands pop out of the blazing sand around her.
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'You'd best start asking the people around you questions.'
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The hands slam into the dirt, conjuring a cloud of impenetrable sand.
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As dramatically as she arrived, the woman vanishes from their sight.
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.......
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'Man, where is that Smoothie guy? Did I imagine him or something?'
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Luffy walks around, hot, tired, and cranky. He hadn't found any place that sold smoothies! Everyone he asked just looked at him like he was crazy or laughed at him.
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What was so crazy about wanting a nice cool drink in the desert? Really, with how hot it was, there should be more places that sell cool drinks! Wasn't that a business thing or something? Demand and supply?
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He sighs, patting the carton hanging from his belt.
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At least today wasn't a total waste. He was able to raid (steal) some of those White Leg cigarettes from that guy who badmouthed his dad's army. Really, he knew the Revolutionary Army wasn't very popular, what with all the lies that come out of the papers, but he didn't expect the old guy to be so mean.
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He may not have met his dad in person, save that one time; he understood he was super busy and junk. But Sabo liked him, and that was good enough for him. From what his few letters said, he was doing really well too! I mean, that jerk guy said he was already the fourth strongest!
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Luffy's thoughts turn away from the heat and towards his brothers. It was a surprise Sabo decided to join those guys rather than be a pirate, but hey, he never expected Ace would like somebody enough to join their crew!

Luffy crosses his arms. 'I guess anything can really happen in the Grand Line!'

Yeah. It had been one crazy thing after another since he arrived. Some of them were really bad…

No brain. Bad thoughts. Focus on the positive stuff. Like how he couldn't wait till he saw his brothers again and showed off his own awesome Nakama. That will show them who the weakling of the three of them was!
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Yep, he couldn’t wait to show off his awesome friends. But until then, he had to improve morale like a good captain. The last month... it had been the pits, and that was putting it mildly. But now they were on dry land and in Vivi's homeland. He needed to find...
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His eye catches something; his entire body turns towards it.
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No way.
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He looks at the sign of a big restaurant a distance down the road.
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"The Desert Strawberry: Warm food and cold drinks!"
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They sell cold drinks-> smoothies are cold drinks-> they sell smoothies!
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'All right, I knew I'd find it eventually!' He walks towards the building, ignoring the groups of marines stationed around the street.
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He walks over to the double doors leading inside, ignoring the shouting of the marines or their infected appearance. 'Yep! Things are really looking up!'
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He slams open the double doors. 'Hey, barkeep guy! I'm-'
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'Agh!' The force of pushing them open sends two white-garbed men to the ground.
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'Oops! Sorry about that!' Luffy apologizes. 'I'm just... really... thirsty.'
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Luffy looks around. Apparently he walked into something big because the whole room is swarming with marines. Freaky-looking marines. Marines with plague boils, fangs, and extra arms. Marines... you get the idea.
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All of them are armed with heavy bazookas and weird-looking guns hooked up to some white stuff.
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The Marines slowly turn towards him, and they look really angry.
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Then Luffy sees him.
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A big Marine in the center, carrying a long katana and covered in smog. A dirty black smoke surrounds him, rippling as he turns around to face the new arrival.
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Captain Smoker.
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The ex-Marine sees him, and his face contorts in anger. His teeth clench in rage as he recognizes the pirate in front of him.
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Luffy looks around at the heavily armed, freaky-looking Marines glaring at him.
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'Uh...' he raises his hand. 'Five smoothies to go?'
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.......
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A few minutes before the Strawhat pirate arrived, the Desert Strawberry served as host to another infamous pirate. A pirate that Ex-Captain Smoker came all this way to the Grand Line to meet.
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The double doors burst open, and in he walks to the Desert Strawberry. The tavern has obviously seen better days, but despite the eroded sandstone tables and rickety chairs, the room is packed. Mercenaries and merchants pressed against the wall stare, terrified at the black-cloaked figure slouched at the bar.
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Smoker is grimacing more than he usually is. Going from guardian of one of the most well-established cities in the East Blue to glorified mailman. He hated this job. He hated the Straw Hats. He #HATED# Akainu.
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Sometimes it seemed like his utter resentment was the only thing keeping him stable after Logue Town. That and Tagashi. Her being alive was the only thing keeping him sane.
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'So it's true? They really died of a super plague!'
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'But there are no boils!?'
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'Idiot! Who just stops mid-conversation and falls into their food!?'
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'Maybe it's one of those strokes the doctors are talking about?'
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'Ahem.'
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The group of civilians freezes at the sight of their new arrival and his handpicked squad. With a savage glare, the Ex-Captain silences the rabble around him. The chatter in the dusty cafe dies as Smoker eyes the chatty merchants around him.
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He sneers. 'All of you... get lost.'
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A cocky man brandishing a sword steps forward. 'Yeah? Why sho-'
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A fist of black smoke enters the man's lungs. Smoker's devil fruit transforms his body into smoke, forces it down the idiot’s throat, and shuts off his oxygen supply in under a second. The idiot falls to the ground, gripping his throat and gasping for fresh air.
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The marine stomps on his head, smashing the unfortunate soul into the ground. Any citizens who even thought of objecting stop moving, staring fearfully at the man glaring at them. 'Anyone else want to stay?'
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The civilians in the bar throw themselves out of their chairs in their haste to leave. Everyone, even the bartender, runs out the door behind Smoker, pushing each other to get away from the long arm of the law.
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The only figure in the bar, aside from the marines themselves, is a cloaked figure lying face down at the bar. Their head is covered in an orange cowboy hat with red beads and shoulder-length curly hair. The rest of their face is obscured by the darkness of their brimmed orange hat. In its bandaged hand, a fork is buried deep into a plate of fried rice in front of them.
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They refuse to react, deeming a battalion of armed marines too mild a threat to even acknowledge.
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'...that's the second division commander?' Smoker grumbles skeptically; he watches the motionless figure for any signs of a threat. 'You're sure?'
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A marine with two heads nods, the right one resembling a dried raisin more than a head.
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Smoker sighs before coughing up some blue-black fluid. 'Is... the perimeter secure?'
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Another marine salutes with six misshapen arms. 'Affirmative, sir.'
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'Then let's get this over with.' He saunters over to the countertop, putting on a strong, proud appearance that is transparently a sham.
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He stands behind the motionless figure. 'Portugas Trace.'
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'...' The figure doesn't respond.
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'Commander of the Second Division of the Whitebeard Alliance?'
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'...' No response. Not even a twitch comes from the seated figure.
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'I've got a message for you. It's important.'
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'...' nothing.
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'...I could stand here all day. But I'm not leaving until I get a response.'
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'...'
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Smoker's fingers twitch, and he slowly reaches towards the motionless figure, knowing any sudden move, any threatening gesture could be their last.
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Their head rolls around in the plate of rice beneath them, spilling food all over the table.
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'What!?' Smoker reaches for his (Tagashi's) sword. The marines aim their weapons.
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'Zzzzzzzzzzzz...' The figure in front of him snores, face covered in clumps of rice.
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The entire room looks at the sleeping figure in front of them. A division leader of an Emperor's crew. A pirate with a six hundred and eighty million bounty. And if the rumors were true, an illegitimate child of none other than Monkey D. Dragon, commander of the Revolutionary Army.
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'Zzzzzzzzzzz...'
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Who was currently asleep, face down in a bowl of food in the middle of bum-nowhere.
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Smoker snaps. The indignity of his current task grating on his already frayed nerves. 'Quit acting and wake the abyss up!'
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He draws and swings his blade at the bottom of the chair, cleaving the chair legs in two and sending his irritant crashing to the floor.
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Their eyes snap open. 'W-What? I'll pay, I swear!'
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Smoker curses at the commander below him. 'Get up, you clucking witch. I'm in too foul of a mood today to play games.' He shoulders his weapon, letting everyone in the room know the blade isn't for show.
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'...all right then.' The woman wipes the scraps from her face and leaps to her feet. With a gentle moan, she stretches out her back and takes in the surroundings.
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'Man, that was a good nap.' The woman dusts off her cloak before looking at the marine. 'But that's definitely not a face I'd want to wake up to.'
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The woman smirks, playfully straightening her hat in defiance of the authority in front of her. The sly smile she sports works together with her freckled cheeks and black hair to give her a mischievous yet earnest look. Her ebody simple boots, knee-length black shorts, and orange bra are hidden beneath her black cloak. The only pieces of jewelry she seems to sport are a silver belt with the word "ACE" in the center, a logo on her left arm with the same letters, and two smiley medallions fastened to her hat.
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'Maybe...' she cocks her head. 'If you were twenty years younger and had a bigger rack, it'd be worth waking up for. The silver hair is really hot.'
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She is obviously not taking anything seriously.
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Smoker grunts. 'Are you done snarking?'
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'That depends.' Ace, second division commander, pulls up a stool and sits down. 'Are you done being an ass? I'm guessing no.'
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'You try being dragged away from your destroyed home to a backwater kingdom on the edge of collapse and see how you like it.'

'Awwww, that's soooo sad.' The pirate snickers, rubbing her fingers together in a mimicry of the world’s smallest violin. 'That must be soooo hard for you big strong marines to have to sail somewhere. Does baby want his bottle? Does he want kisses from his mommy to make him feel better?'
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Smoker resists the urge to cut down the witch where she sits and deal with the consequences of failure later. Only the knowledge that such an action would hurt Tagashi keeps his hand. 'Are you going to listen?' He growls, sheathing his blade. 'Because the sooner I give you my message, the sooner I can leave.'
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'Relax, Smokey, I'm listening.' She holds her hand to her ear mockingly. 'But you’ll have to speak up and talk slowly; I have a lot of trouble understanding bullshit.'
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Smoker growls. It's for Tagashi; he has to remind himself.
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'Geez, lighten up a little.' Ace crosses her legs. 'Look at me, I was woken up from my nap by an angry, bar-smashing, scowling jerkhole, and I'm just peachy!'
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'...'
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'Well?' Ace cocks her eyebrow. 'Did you have a message for me, or can I get back to my nap?'
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Smoker takes in a deep breath and breathes out a cloud of soot-black smoke. His power activates unconsciously in response to hostility. 'Portugas Trace, on behalf-'
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'Ace.' The woman lets out a cutting remark. 'Trace is my official name, but all my friends call me Ace.'
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'...on behalf of the World Government and the Navy...'
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'We're friends, right, Smoky? You can call me Ace.'
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Smoker looks like he's having his teeth pulled. 'I bestow you with a great honor.'
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'Is it the ability to make a fool of you? Because I already have that.'
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The ex-marine suppresses his urge to kill. 'You have been chosen out of all the pirates in the world to obtain a valued position of great import.'
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'Does it come with a parking spot?'
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'... Portgas D. Ace,' Smoker states. 'You have been selected to join the Warlords of the Sea.'
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'...' For the first time in minutes, Ace can't think of anything to say. She stares, slack-jawed, at the marine as he reaches into his jacket for two cigars.
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Placing them in his mouth, the smoker lights them up and takes in a deep drag. The marine lets out a cloud of smoke on the stunned pirate. He finds immense happiness when the bitter smoke finds its mark. He watches Ace stare blankly ahead, eyes watering.
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'So. Since you've decided to accept the World Government's humble offer, I'm here to let you know of the benefits and requirements of your position.'
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'...ge he...'
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'First, there's the provision that you are forbidden from attacking any vehicle, person, or country affiliated with the World Government.'
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'Ge ha ha ha ha ha!!' Deep melodic laughter fills the tavern from Ace's lungs.
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'Second, you must contribute twenty percent of your haul as part of the heavenly tribute to the World Government.'
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'S-Stop! S-Stop! I'm... GeHAHAHA HA!!'
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'Third, you must come and fight the Navy's battles, whether you are summoned to fight or you receive a call for assistance from a local naval base.'
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'My sides! Oh gods Ge ha ha ha ha!'
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'These benefits will begin once you accompany me to our vessel and confirm the oath in the presence of two Naval personnel ranked Rear Admiral or higher.'
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'Ge ha ha ha ha ha HA!'
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'Other than that, you are free to claim booty from any source you see fit without your bounty being claimed. Any questions?'
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'Ge ha ha! Yeah! Whatever you're smoking... Ge ha ha ha! Can I have some!?' Ace nearly falls off her stool laughing uproariously.
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A second later it ceases. The laughter stops on a dime and Ace glares at Smoker. 'And why on the gods' blue seas would I want to become a government dog like you?'
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Smoker shrugs. 'The benefits package?'
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'You're literally a slave whose existence is denied by your so-called Word Government. Pretty sure a Warlord Position would be that on a longer leash.'
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Smoker opens his mouth only to start coughing up black smoke. He stops after a moment. 'So, that's...' he hacks up some black fluid and wipes it on his sleeve. 'That's a no?'
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Ace plants a finger on her dainty chin.
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'Let me think... not in a million years.' She savors her host's dull, tired expression. 'It's insulting; you'd think I'd betray Whitebeard for you, especially since you stabbed us in the back and lost the New World.'
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She savors the Marine's flinch of pain. 'Oh, I'm sorry, you call the second half of the Grand Line the Lost World, don't you? The three emperors took over an entire sea thanks to your mad dog betraying us for his so-called "Justice". And then he had the gall to run and leave his own men behind to die once he started losing.'
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Ace savors Smoker's seething rage. 'So no. You may have roped some half-baked pirates into your little club, but the Sons and Daughters of Whitebeard will never trust the hollow promises of the Navy.'
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'...anything else?' Smoker asks, his tone completely devoid of emotion.
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'Yeah.' Ace turns back to her meal, heating the fried rice to steaming hot with a mysterious power. 'Reimburse the bartender for breaking his chair, or I'll kick your ass.'
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'That's a shame.'
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The Marines level their guns at the woman.
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'It looks like...' Smoker draws his blade and a stick of something foul, smearing it across the edge of the blade. 'We'll have to bring you in the hard way.'
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Ace continues eating. 'So, I was gonna be your hostage all this time.' She says as flippantly as if she were discussing the weather.
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Smoker grimly scoffs. 'Whitebeard might be a filthy pirate, but he has resources the Marines can use.' He says, brandishing his gunk-covered blade. 'He might be more keen to cooperate with us once you're behind bars.'
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Ace narrows her eyes and quickly finishes her plate. She slams it down on the table. 'Who put you up to this, Smoker?'
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'You don't need to know that.'

'...so it's Akainu.' Ace turns around, glaring at Smoker and his armed soldiers. The slight twitch in the Ex-Captain's eye confirms his assertion. 'Admiral Kizaru is Sengoku's toady, and Admiral Ryukugyu is too calculating to come up with such a half-baked scheme.'
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Smoker grimaces.
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'And given Akainu is in charge of an organization tasked with killing all infected, he could easily force Plague Marines like you to do his bidding.' She cruelly smirks. 'How does it feel being a puppet to a madman, Smokey? To betray the Marines' vaulted ideals to protect the innocent and become nothing more than a tool?'
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'Portgas Trace, you are under arrest.' Smoker walks towards her, his body obscured in black smoke.
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'Ha!' Ace laughs in his face. 'Now THAT is the funniest thing I've heard all day.'
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Flames of red lick upwards from Ace's shoulders. The chair and countertop smoke and burn as her body is engulfed in flames. 'It's too bad you've signed your own death warrant.'
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'Sea Prism Rounds and Foam people!' A nearby marine shouts as they ready their specially designed weapons. 'Ready! Ai-'
​
The doors to the bar slam open, sending the plague marine and his flanking man to the ground.

'Oops! Sorry about that!'
​
The marines turn to the new arrival as a familiar voice fills the restaurant. The spoken words trigger feelings of rage in many and joy in another.
​
'I'm just... really... thirsty.'
​
Smoker turns around.
​
Ace looks around the Marine's shoulder.
​
They both see a tired young man in a red vest, wearing a straw hat. The young man looks around in confusion before his eyes settle on Ex-Captain Smoker. His eyes widen.
​
'Uh...' he raises his hand. 'Five smoothies to go?'
​
Grimy black smoke explodes out of Smoker's body, filling the room and half suffocating everyone in it. The woman behind him, stunned by the new arrival, is caught off guard as her lungs fill with smog.
Smoker doesn't care about capturing the witch. His mission is forgotten. His oaths are forgotten. His honor is forgotten.
​
The only things that fill his mind are Tagashi, Akainu, and the #STUPID WORTHLESS BOY# in front of him. #Kill him#!
​
'LUUUFFFYY!' Smoker lets out a bestial roar and charges towards the Strawhat's captain, eager for blood.
​
......
​
'And that about does it.' Chopper smacks the side of the cart as it comes to a stop in the town square. The clamor of the early morning is replaced by the quiet of the midday sun. Most people have retired for a nap in shaded homes rather than endure the oppressive heat. 'Good job, Usopp.'
​
Usopp, hitched to the full cart, collapses in the street. He pants over and over as diseased lungs attempt to fill themselves with fresh air. 'Any... reason... you... didn't... help?'
​
'And mess up my new haircut?'
​
'Chopper... you're... bald.'
​
'It still counts.'
​
'You're... an... ass... chopper.'
​
Chopper feels the warm desert wind on his smooth bare skin. 'I'm a monster, Usopp. Now keep an eye out for the others.'
​
After a few more draughts of sweet precious oxygen, Usopp manages to force his blighted body to rise. 'Well... if I know Nami, she's either found a great deal or has… pissed someone off. So look for if she's smiling or... not.'
​
Chopper scans the town, looking past the rippling air and heat mirages for a clump of orange hair.
​
He doesn't have to search long. 'There she is. Eleven o'clock.'
​
He points with a meaty finger, and Usopp follows to see their navigator and princess marching towards them. Most disturbing of all, though, is the fearful and worried expression the two women are wearing.
​
'Nami?' Usopp takes in his crewmate's frazzled appearance as she walks up to them. 'What are...'
​
'We need to leave.' Nami looks around as if expecting an attack any minute. 'Where are Zoro and Sanji?'
​
'Nami swaaaaaann!'
​
Before they can respond, they hear an unmistakable voice of their most vocal crewmate. The crew members turn to find the two troublesome individuals they were just speaking of.
​
Sanji is being pushed by Zoro, who seems to have made a game of how much he could carry on his back without dying. His comically oversized backpack seems to be bursting to the point of bursting with packs of rice, dried vegetables, and spices that are all the colors of the rainbow.
​
'Oy! Moss head! Go faster! You're making Nani swan wait!'
​
Zoro pants, pushing the wheelchair along. 'Give me a reason you pervy Chef and you'll be crawling back to the ship!'
​
The two come to a stop with the rest of the group, Zoro's lumbering gait having stopped before he could bowl them over with the massive weight on his back.

'Okay, good, we're all here.' Nami looks around. 'Except for Luffy! Cluck!'
​
'Hey... relax, Nami.' Usopp says with calming gestures. 'We'll find him. We even got all the supplies we needed.'
​
Chopper looks to the cart and the piles of metal he had stowed away in it. 'This country does not have the raw technology of Drum, but I can produce functional facsimiles from this given time.'
​
'And we got all our food, Nami Swannnnn!' Sanji cheers. 'Dinner today will be nearly as beautiful as you!'
​
Zoro thumbs behind him. 'We should hurry back to the ship then. There are infected Marines here that give me a bad feeling.'
​
'Hold on!? There are Marines here!?' Vivi chips in. 'Alabasta has been under blockade for years! Nobody, especially the Marines, should be here!'
​
Usopp scratches his head. 'Do they want to get the plague or something? I mean, we came here, but that's only cause...'
​
'That's not important!' Nami cuts off the conversation. 'We have more important things to worry about.'
​
'You're right, Nami Swan.' Sanji scratches his chin. 'So, Chopper, why are you bald?'
​
'...because I was hot.'
​
'Well, I always thought you were more cute than hot, but if you say so!'
​
'...you know I'm in charge of your medical checkups, correct?'
​
'Hey! I'm just calling it like i see it. And right now you look more like a naked mole-'
​
Two fists smack them in the head.
​
'Both of you shut up!' Nami shouts angrily. 'Usopp, you have the best eyes. You're coming with me to look for Luffy. The rest of you...'
​
She glares at Vivi. 'The rest of you will take our princess back to the ship where she'll explain exactly WHO we're fighting against.'
​
'Nami. Please, you just have to drop me...'
​
The navigator waves her hand, dismissing Vivi's concerns. 'And once we're together, we'll have to come up with a plan on how to best help her.'
​
'Nami! You can’t...'
​
Nami stomps her foot into the sand and points towards port. 'Navigator's orders! Now get to the ship!'
​
'Okay, Nami Swan!'
​
'Fine by me. I have a lot of work repurposing the scraps and herbs I acquired as medical equipment.'
​
'Fine by me. I know a fast shortcut we can use. It might upset the guards, though.'
​
'Awww, do I have to, Nami?' Usopp slouches. 'I have to get back to my Merry! That and finish up your dessert gear. And work on your new weapon. And come to think of it...'
​
'Yes, Usopp, you're coming with.' She unfastens the sniper from his harness. 'Chopper. You're in charge of guiding these idiots. We'll find our way back.'
​
'Fine.' Chopper says, transforming into his deer form.
​
His bare, naked deer form.
​
His bare, naked deer form, with a thin pair of pants being his only article of clothing.
​
Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Vivi, and Nami cringe at the sight of the doctor’s floppy skin flapping in the desert wind.
​
Vivi gags, turning away. 'Chopper, we can...urp.'
​
Usopp looks disgusted. 'I think I lost my appetite... no, it's back.'
​
Nami feels a cold shiver. 'I personally never wanted to know what anatomically accurate deer nipples looked like. And now I do.'
​
Sanji rudely points. 'See! He's like a naked rat! Put some clothes on for gods sake!'
​
Chopper rolls his eyes as he slips into the harness. 'You humans and your modesty. How long before you get back, Nami?'
​
Nami muses for a moment, using the thinking to distract herself from looking at Chopper’s nipples. 'Well, it's Luffy, so either he's taking a nap, in which case a few hours, or he's causing a massive ruckus, in which case-'
​
'There he is!' Usopp points and shouts.
​
The group turns towards a familiar young man wearing a straw hat and red vest, booking it towards them.
​
Nami sighs, partially disappointed with how easy that was. 'About time! He's always late!'
​
Zoro whistles. 'Well, he's making up for it now. Look at that dust cloud he's kicking up.'
​
'...Zoro?' Vivi says with worry, as she takes in the cloud behind her captain. 'That's not a dust cloud.'
​
'Huh? How can you tell?'
​
'It's black, for one.'
​
'...Maybe it's one of his farts?'
​
Nami smacks Zoro.
​
'Strange.' Usopp remarks. 'It looks like he's waving and shouting something...'
​
A demonic face forms in the cloud behind their captain.
​
'LLLLUUUUUFFFFFYYYY!!!'
​
The bellow from the cloud causes the crew’s bones to shake and their ears to ring. The sheer wrath in the voice causes the pirates to freeze for a moment.
​
'Everyone get to the Merry! NOW!' Nami shouts.
​
No one thinks of objecting. They grab their supplies and run as fast as they can away from the screaming cloud of death bearing down on them.
​
........
​
'Crap crap crap crap crap!' Luffy runs as fast as his legs can carry him.
​
The black cloud of suffocating death meters behind him roars. 'LLLLUUUUUFFFFFYYYY!!!'

What the heck was Smokey guy doing here? The last time he saw him, he was protecting...
​
Logue Town.
​
It was destroyed.
​
Burnt to the ground.
​
Okay, he lost his home. Now he was after him. Did Smokey blame him?
​
Luffy ducks as a smoke-shrouded blade swings where his head used to be, cutting a rotten fruit stand in half.
​
'STTTTRRRAAAWWWHHHAAATSS!!!'
​
Okay. He definitely blamed him for Logue Town.
​
He wasn't totally wrong.
​
On those hard-to-sleep nights, he'd think back to that day, wondering if he could have done something different.
​
He dodges a downward sword sweep that bisects an ancient stone pillar that has stood for dozens of eras.
​
Angst later.
​
Run now!
​
The worst part about Smokey was that none of his attacks worked on him. He was a Logie user like his brother Ace was.
​
Meaning, without knowing his weakness, using sea stone or hitting him with Haki, he couldn't do junk to him. And despite his hours of trying to use his "inner power", grunting and powering up (yelling in place), he still couldn't use it.
​
Why couldn't he have asked Shanks how to use it when he had the chance? He could have been a super Haki user by now!
​
He stumbles over a limbless beggar, flipping his body over him just as Smoker's blade bisects the poor wretch.
​
Regrets later.
​
Run now!
​
So now he was running.
​
He told his crew to run, and they seemed to get the message that fighting wasn't a good idea this time. Maybe if they got to the ship they could find a way to knock him into the ocean or somet-
​
'BLACK BLOW!'
​
A fist smashes into Luffy's back, sending him sprawling. Before he can get up, he feels a sharp pain in his hand as a blade is driven into it.
​
'Gugh!' He tries to pull Smoker's blade out, to no avail. The blade has pinned him to an ornate tile forming a large open square. Worse, he feels incredibly weak. Like he was drowning on dry land.

He has to-
​
A fist smashes him into the ground, a crack in his jaw forming when his rubber body should have protected him. Before he can try and fight back, a thick, gloved hand wraps itself around his neck. It feels nothing like the comical strangling he'd let Nami perform to relieve stress. He feels his airway close up; his head grows foggy as he looks into the livid face of Ex-Captain Smoker. The scant glance of the man he saw in Logue Town was nothing like the rabid beast pinning him to the ground. His two hands squeeze his neck with the pressure of a noose while slamming the back of his head into the ground.
​
'G-Gomu... no...'
​
He tries to stretch away, to punch him. To somehow avoid the gruesome death bearing down on him with reckless hate.
​
His sole free hand passes through the arms pinning him down. The quarter-ton man on top pushes down like a vice. He can't attack him.
​
His other hand, impaled with a smeared blade, pins his body. He can't escape.
​
He feels the life slowly leave his body as Smoker grins maniacally.
​
'This! Is! For! Tagashi!!'
​
He can't hit him...

'DIEE you mangey pirate! Die!'
​
Not without... without...
​
'DIIIIIIEEEE!'
​
He reaches out with the last of his strength, gripping his only hope.
​
'DIIIIIIEEEE!'
​
He rips out and swings it.
​
'Aggh!' Smoker backpedals, feeling a wet trickle of blood and bile from a wound in his head.
​
Luffy inhales a deep draught of air; the vice around his neck is released.
​
Smoker glares at his hated foe and the blade in his hand. The blade is smeared with a seastone paste that disabled his foe's devil fruit power, now canceling his own.
​
The marine growls with feral intent, wiping off the cream that found its way into his wound. He feels his power return.
​
'Black blow!' Before Luffy can recover, he finds himself punched in the chest. Lungs desperate for oxygen are once more denied.
​
The blade falls from Luffy's hand, and Smoker picks it up with a flourish. He raises the blade above his prone foe.
​
'This... is for Tagashi!'
​
He swings down at Luffy's head, taking sick delight in the idea of hacking the boy's treasured hat as well as claiming his life.
​
But the blade is stopped mid-swing.
​
More specifically, it flash-heated mid-swing.
​
'AGH!' Smoker feels his hands, made physical due to holding his (Tagashi's) sword, burn as he is forced to drop the blazing blade. The foul substance coating the blade burns to nothing along with the tattered cloth grip. The heat alone is light years more intense than the desert sun above him.
​
'Sorry for being late, Luffy.' A mysterious woman lands back, facing the Strawhat. Her body, despite being on fire, seems to be filled with energy. 'Old Smokey's men were pretty persistent. I had to give them some mandatory vacation time.'
​
Luffy manages to stand, clutching the hole in his left hand to stem the bleeding. 'W-Who are...'
​
The woman spares a glance behind her, her familiar eyes looking at him with concern.
​
And Luffy recognizes them instantly.
​
No one else they knew had that look in their eye. Playful and strong. Kind and fierce. And behind it all, a blazing resolve that could cow others in seconds.
​
'ACE!?'
​
The flame-shrouded woman smirks. 'Yep. Wished we met in better circumstances; I really wanted to mess with you.' She turns back to the marine. 'Fortunately, I've got someone else to mess with today, so you’re off the hook.'
​
Smoker growls. 'Trace, out of the way. This doesn't concern you.'
​
Ace stares him down; her barely restrained anger is as palpable as the flames coming from her body. 'No.'
​
Smoker's hands congeal into dark clouds of smoke. 'He needs to die! Die for Logue town! Die for Tagashi!'
​
'I don't know who this Tagashi is, but there is no way in the Abyss you're harming my little brother.' She cracks her knuckles, savoring the look of comprehension on his face at the mention of the word "brother". The sparks around her body practically dance in glee. 'So walk away while you still can, Smoke stack. I'm here on vacation and would really hate to bring down my wrath on the oh-so-powerful Marines while I'm trying to relax.'
​
Smoker grits his teeth, grinding them together in a rage. His body tenses for an all-out strike; the black smoke around him coils like a serpent.
​
Only for them to drop by his side. Pragmatism wins out over his rage. 'This isn't... over.'
​
Ace's hand catches on fire. A ball of red-hot flames forms in her fist. 'I could always make sure it's over by burning you alive.'
​
Smoker scoffs, walking over to the burning sword. 'Smoke and fire... they seem like such a pair, but the truth is it's the opposite.' He waves his hand, engulfing the blade in a black cloud that stifles the flames. 'Smoke suffocates fire, preventing it from burning. And as... competent as Whitebeard's second division commander is, I still have a few tricks I haven't tried yet.'
​
'So you're saying I should kill you now.' Ace states coolly.
​
'Can you take me out and protect your brother at the same time?' Now it's Smoker's turn to smirk while Ace grimaces. The fire woman's arm twitches reflexively at the threat, but she holds herself back.
​
'Thought so.' He sheathes his blade, conjuring a cyclone of smoke around him. 'Trace, we'll settle this next time. Remember that nobody escapes the black hunter.'
​
The cloud disappears into thin air, and Smoker, the black hunter of Logue Town, is gone, leaving behind two frustrated pirates.
​
'...Pompus bastard isn't he.' Ace sighs in disappointment before turning to her brother with a happier look. She smiles broadly. 'Now, Luffy. How about you introduce me to your crew? I've been dying to meet them.'
​
........
​
'Your brother's a Division commander in the Whitebeard Alliance!?!'
​
'Yep!' Luffy nods his head to his crew's incredulous response. The group of pirates gathers around their captain, hanging on his every word as he gestures at the woman next to him. 'Ace is really, really strong. He's been fighting with Shanks in the Lost World, and he's even fought some of the Emperors!'
​
The group looks at Ace and her very obvious "assets" attached to her chest. Assets that give Nami a run for her money.
​
'Uh, Luffy?' Zoro looks confused. 'Did your parents ever give you "the birds and the fish" talk?'
​
'Yeah? Why?' Luffy looks genuinely confused, glancing between Zoro and Ace. He suddenly looks alarmed. 'Zoro! Do you want to have sex with Ace!?'
​
'Pppffftt!' Ace holds back laughter as Zoro's face turns crimson. 'Sorry, green hair, you're not my type.'
​
'Seriously, Zoro? Have some class.' Sanji says, grinning ear to ear. 'Ace is the Captain's sibling!'
​
'I wasn't... shut up!'
​
The entire crew snickers.
​
'Seriously though, Captain.' Nami says. 'Have you noticed your "brother" has breasts? Or looks like a woman?'
​
'Well, I have breasts too. They’re kinda small, but does that make me a woman?'
​
'Luffy...'
​
'Wait? Am I a woman?'
​
The Bull girl thinks for a moment. 'Nojiko no think you woman.'
​
'Yeah, but I could be one! You never know on the Grand Line!'

'Luffy…'

'Hey, Chopper? Am I a woman?'
​
The doctor of the crew lets out an aggravated sigh. 'No, Luffy, you are not a Woman.'
​
'Phew! Dodged a bullet there!'

'Luffy…'

'Not that there’s anything wrong with that! I just happen to like…'
​
'Luffy!' Nami points to the new person patiently waiting on deck. 'Your "brother" is obviously female! Would you care to explain?'
​
'...oh that!' Luffy raises his finger. '...I have no idea!'
​
The crew nearly faceplant on the deck out of sheer surprise at Luffy's stupidity. No matter how long they had known their captain, he had always found another way to surprise them with his failure to adhere to basic logic and normal expectations.
​
'Hey, Ace? Are you a lady?'
​
'Yep, going on about two years now.' Ace asks, rubbing her chin. 'Didn't you get my letters? I'm pretty sure I wrote you, Sabo, and Mom about it as well as why I did it.'
​
Luffy blinks. Several seconds pass. '...oh yeah! You did write that!'
​
The crew actually faceplant on the deck.
​
'Shi shi shi.' Luffy laughs. 'Yeah, I thought it was one of those... mena-phors or something.'
​
'Metaphor, Luffy?' Ace smiles gently.
​
'Yeah, that.' Luffy whistles, taking in his brother's new form. 'So you're a woman now, that's cool.'
​
'So.' Nami eyes up the woman before her. 'You're Luffy's... sister?'
​
'Or brother, whatever you feel like addressing me as.' Ace says with a good-natured smile.
​
Sanji shifts uncomfortably in his chair and eyes up the woman. 'So, um... what, um... pronouns?'
​
Ace waves her hand. 'Like I said, whatever you want. I'm not picky.' She grins slyly. 'But if I don't like it, I'll deck you.'
​
Sanji gulps nervously, fiddling with his collar. 'Um, noted.'
​
'But I can still call you brother, right, Ace!?' Luffy pleads with puppy dog eyes.
​
Ace ruffles the captain's hair under his hat. 'Sure thing, shrimp! Just make sure you make sure it's big brother. I don't want you forgetting I'm better than you!'
​
Luffy brushes off Ace's hand with a pout. 'You're just three years older than me, Ace! And older doesn't mean you're better than me!'
​
Ace gives him a smug look. 'Right. My one hundred to zero win streak means I'm better than you!'
​
'Grrrr! Well, I bet now I can... wait.' Luffy thinks. 'Can I hit you?'
​
'Huh?'
​
'Well, you're a girl now, Ace!' Luffy pokes her in the boob. 'And I don't think you're a bad girl, so your mom would get mad if I hit you!'
​
'I think Mom would get mad at you for hitting me regardless, Luffy.'
​
'Yeah, but you have boobs and girl stuff now!' He grumbles. 'Now it wouldn't feel right if I beat you up!'

'If you were even able to beat me.' She points out. 'Which you can't!'
​
'Grrrr! Why'd you do it, Ace!?'
​
'Beat you in a fight?' Ace smirks. 'Because it's fun.'
​
'No, not that! You know the boobs thing!' Luffy says, curiosity overriding his scant sense of boundaries. 'Why'd you do it? Did you lose a bet? Do you really like dresses?'
​
'And you're saying girls have to like dresses, Luffy?' Ace flutters her eyes, delighting in the look of frustration and confusion forming on her brother’s face.
​
'That's not... I.... rrrgh! Stop messing with me, Ace!'
​
'Ge ha ha ha!' Ace laughs for a good half minute at Luffy's tongue-tied expression. She slowly stops laughing. 'No, Luffy, I didn't lose a bet.'
​
Ace looks off into the distance, a forlorn expression on her face. 'I got it... to help a good friend of mine.'
​
Luffy watches his brother's eyes, noticing the pain beneath them. 'Okay then! That makes sense.'
​
'What? No, it doesn't!' Nami's eyes bulge. 'You got a full sex change, operations and everything, to support your friend!?'
​
'Well, it was less an operation and more an injection from a special devil fruit power, but yeah.' Ace nods in the affirmative. 'He really needed it. Plus it really pisses off someone I hate more than words can express, so there's that too.'
​
'You got a sex change... to help... a friend.' Nami repeats in a deadpan tone. 'And there wasn't a better way to do that?'
​
Ace thinks for a moment. 'No, not really.'
​
'...really?'
​
'Really, really.'
​
'...'
​
'...hey Ace?'
​
'Yeah, Luffy?'
​
'...can you poop?'
​
WHAM
​
Luffy sails off the deck, into the water.
​
Ace dusts off her hands. 'Someone fetch my idiot brother once he's cooled off.'
​
Surprisingly, none of the crew objects to their captain being violently pummled.
​
'I'll get him.' Zoro smirks, placing his swords on the deck before diving overboard.
​
'So wait. You upended your life, changed your entire body... just because it would help out this friend?'
​
'Absolutely.' Ace gives the navigator a stern look. 'Wouldn't you do anything to help your crew?'
​
Nami opens her mouth and raises her finger, prepared to debate. The thought of Sanji in his wheelchair pops into her head. She can feel his concealed misery even without looking at him. She shuts it a moment later. 'Cluck, you're right.'
​
She slaps Nami on the back. 'I'm glad you get it. Luffy sure picked some good crewmates.' She looks around. 'You all seem like strong, reliable people who can hold their own.'
​
Zoro crawls back onto deck and throws a sopping wet Luffy down on the ground.
​
'Yes, well, Luffy probably wouldn't have lasted so long otherwise,' Nami says half to herself, watching as Chopper performs CPR. 'He's almost more trouble than the Grand Line itself.'
​
Ace smiles. 'Tell me about it. Honestly, it's a good thing our grandpa didn't make him join the Marines. He'd eat all their rations and starve them half to death without even trying!'
​
The entire crew looks at Ace with a haunted expression.
​
'Uh, he didn't leave you guys to starve to death, right?'
​
'...We'll tell you later.' Nami says as tactfully as she possibly can.
​
Luffy spews out a fountain of water before taking in several deep breaths. 'Ha ha... so is that a yes?'
​
Ace rolls his eyes. 'Yes, Luffy, I can still poop. I have a female body; nothing else about me has changed, and I'm just as strong as I was before. Just because I look different doesn’t mean I have to act a certain way. Stereotypes suck, and nobody has the right to tell you who you are and what you should be. That's the point I was trying to tell Yamato.'
​
'Yama, who?'
​
A look of shock passes over Ace's face as if struck by a cannonball. 'He's... a friend of mine, Luffy.' Ace says with a sorrowful look that underlies a deep pain. 'I'll tell you about him later.'
​
'So...' Vivi chimes in. 'Why is a commander of the Whitebeard Alliance here in Alabasta of all places rather than at Fishman Island?'
​
Ace looks to the blue-haired woman, her quick glance determining whether or not to tell a creative truth. 'Recruitment mostly.' She lounges against the railing, deciding that in this instance the truth would be most effective. 'Alabasta may be blockaded and afflicted by the plague, but it is a strong nation with a lot of proficient fighters. I was planning on getting an audience with Cobra to petition him for what forces he could spare. The alliance is always looking for individuals willing to fight off the encroachment of the three emperors since the Marines aren’t interested.'
​
'Speaking of.' She looks to the Captain of the Straw Hats. 'I also came to recruit you, Luffy.'
​
Luffy looks confused. 'Me?'
​
Ace nods with a serious expression. 'You and your crew. The seas are getting more dangerous every year, and to make it, you'll need a lot of strong people in your corner.'
​
'Thanks, but-'
​
Luffy is cut off by Ace’s raised hand. 'And it's more than just strong people, Luffy. The Alliance has friends in nearly every country, providing information, supplies, and technical expertise.' She sizes up the crew around her. 'Your crew is good, Luffy, but it never hurts to have more friends.'
​
Luffy's first instinct is to say "No" and insist he'll chart his own way. Then he remembers Sanji. He looks at his crippled Nakama out of the corner of his eye. He and Karoo, who had made the ultimate sacrifice for their friends, and all because he wasn’t a good enough captain to help them when they needed it. If he had friends like Ace's, would they be healthy? Would Karoo have lost his life and Sanji his legs if he had better friends to rely upon? The old him would have turned Ace down on the spot, regardless of his (her grrr!) good intentions. Now though?
​
'... I'll... think about it.' Luffy admitted with a great deal of trepidation.
​
Ace's eyes widen with surprise. 'Wow. You've grown a lot, Luffy.'
​
The Straw Hat beams at the praise. 'Thanks, Ace! I can't always be a spoiled little kid!'
​
'I never said you were.' Ace smiles. 'I'll just have to tell Shanks you said no.'
​
Luffy's eyes widen. 'Wait! I forgot that if I joined you, I'd have to see Shanks! He’s still acting Emperor of the alliance, right?!'
​
'Yeah?'
​
The captain crosses his arms. 'Then my answer is no! I can't see Shanks again until I'm a great pirate!'
​
'Hu he! All right then, just remember the offer if you change your mind.' Reaching into her pants pocket, she pulls out a small parcel. 'Speaking of meeting others, I ran into Sabo in Vira. When he heard I was going to meet up with you, he insisted I give you this.'
​
Luffy snatches the parcel. 'Awesome! A Sabo's letter!' He quickly opens it, scanning the passages as if it contained the secrets of the One Piece.
​
He is stopped, however, by someone clearing her throat. 'As entertaining as meeting you has been, Ace, one of us has their own story to share.'

Nami Belimere, navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates, turns towards the Princess of Alabasta. 'Vivi? Do you have something you want to tell us?'
​
'Um. Not really?' Vivi desperately hopes that playing dumb will work despite all her experience as a bounty hunter telling her, “No, it won’t”.
​
Nami's eyes narrow. She taps her foot expectantly. 'Something about who we're up against?'
​
The princess looks away with a shameful expression. 'It's who I'm up against.'
​
'Wrong, Vivi.' The navigator says. 'It is our problem now, so unless you want me to blab it out like Luffy with a secret, I suggest you start talking.'
​
The crew turns away from Ace and towards their local princess. Their expectant gazes let her know she isn't getting out of this situation with any creative verbage.
​
Princess Vivi looks around her at the faces of people she had grown to care about. People she was about to lose thanks to the truth she was about to reveal. But like it or not, the cat was out of the bag; she had no choice but to reveal the news that would drive her friends away from her forever.

She sighs, accepting her fate, content with the knowledge that at least the truth would save their lives.
​
'As you all know, aside from Ace here.' The new arrival nods. 'I am Princess Vivi Nefitari, princess of Alabasta.'
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'Yeah. You told us when you got on...' Luffy reminisces. 'Right after you jumped in a barrel for two weeks.'
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The princess's eye twitches. 'Well, if you had told me...'
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'Wait?' Ace raises her voice. 'You're the princess of this country?! Nefitari Cobra's daughter?'
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The princess gives a royal bow. 'Yes, and I would be more than happy to refer you to my father to discuss terms of your recruitment.'
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'In exchange for helping to escort you to the capital?' Ace quickly surmises.
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'That is correct.' Vivi turns towards the port side of the ship, taking in the dusty, worn town in front of her. 'Alabasta wasn't always like this. It was once a prosperous nation, a jewel of the first half of the Grand Line. It was a kingdom where all people were happy and prosperous.'
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Her mechanical fist clenched, grinding into the wood of the ship. 'Then the plague hit. It wasn't some isolated outbreak we could treat; it hit everywhere at once. Nanohana, Alubarna, Yuba, Rainbase, every city in the country was exposed to the plague.'
​
Her voice grows more and more bitter with every word. 'The people panicked and fled out to sea. Livestock and wild animals went rabid. The prosperity of our country was destroyed overnight. Then to make things worse, the World Government blockaded our country, and everything transformed from a nightmare into hell.'
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She looks down at the water below her. 'The oceans we depended on for trade, seafood, and information were denied to us. Even now, despite all the deaths, my people are on the brink of starvation. And in the greatest of ironies, it would have been much, much worse were it not for one man.'
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She turns back to her friends, her face a mask of cold fury. 'Crocodile. One of the seven Warlords of the Sea. Not only was he able to keep the peace in my country with his awesome power, but as a Warlord he was able to bypass the blockade strangling our country.'
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'Because Warlords can go where they want so long as they obey the World Government.' Sanji chimes in knowingly.
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Vivi grits her teeth. 'Yes. He even provided treatment...' She inhales through her nose. 'For those who were suffering from the plague.'
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'Wow, this Crocodile guy sounds pretty nice, Vivi.'
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'Luffy.' Nami addresses her captain. 'Read the room.'
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Vivi looks around. She takes a deep breath and does the hardest thing she has done since arriving in her country. She tells the truth.
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'Crocodile... is the one who unleashed the plague on my country.' She says coolly.
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The crew gets quiet. Very quiet.
​
But Vivi isn't done. 'His charity, his support? It was all a sham. He and that witch Nico Robin unleashed a living hell on my country to weaken it for their takeover. My friends and I risked everything to uncover this information; now... I'm the only one who remains.'
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She turns to Luffy. 'Now that Crocodile knows you're plotting against him, he'll stop at nothing to murder you all. I'd understand if you chose to leave, but... if you can just get me to the capital, I'm sure...'
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'Yeah, okay.'
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Vivi blinks. 'I'm... Luffy?'
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'No I'M Luffy!' The captain of the Straw Hats proudly states. 'And of course we'll get you to the capital and help you get back at Crock face!'
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'It won't be easy, Captain.' Nami states pragmatically. 'Crocodile has a lot of resources as a Warlord and unfortunately, thanks to our run-in with Nico Robin, he knows we're here.'
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'That's not a problem.' Luffy says optimistically. 'Who cares if he’s some super strong Warlord? We'll just beat him up if we see him!'
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'Going up against a Warlord... it's sure to be dangerous.' Zoro smirks as he handles his swords. 'Then again, that's what makes it a challenge.'
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Chopper muses for a moment. 'Fighting a Warlord is most assuredly not what I signed up for. Fortunately for you, Baroque Works kidnapped my mother, so I have no choice but to accompany you in your mad quest.'
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Nojiko's hand shoots up. 'Want help, Vivi! She good friend!'
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'Uagggh!' Sanji lets out a war cry. 'How dare that scumbag hurt my precious Vivi-chan's country!'
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'Um, I'm... I'm in if everyone else is.' Usopp says, mustering up his courage.
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'Ace?' Luffy turns to his brother. 'What about you?'
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Ace shrugs with a cocky attitude. 'Well, I didn't sign up to fight a Warlord, but if he takes over, there's no way I'll get the troops I came here for.'
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The crew looks to Vivi with hope in their eyes. Not one of them backs down in the face of a warlord’s wrath. No one even considers running to save their own hides. The fact that they alone, a group of pirates with no connection to her nation, were willing to put their lives on the line for her causes Princess Vivi’s eyes to tear up.
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Nami offers a slight smile. 'Well, there you have it, princess. None of us are leaving you high and dry. Of course there's still the issue of payment...'
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'Oh oh! I know what I want!'
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The crew turns to their captain. 'How about once we're done kicking Crocodile's but you treat us to a big feast with plenty of smoothies!' Luffy looks at Vivi with his happy expression. His eyes glimmer in the late afternoon sun. 'Would that be good?'
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'...'
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'Well? How about it, Vivi?'
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'...pft.'
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'Huh? Why are you crying, Vivi? Did I say something wrong?'
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Vivi wipes away her tears. 'No... no, Luffy. You... you said the right thing.'
​
Vivi looks at the people, no Nakama around her. Every one of the ragtag group of outlaws is absolutely dedicated to helping her.

The fear of them dying fruitlessly.

The sorrow at putting them in harm's way.

Her own paranoia at them betraying her to save themselves.

All of it seems so small compared to their unconditional support and love washing over her.
​
The future is uncertain. They could all die tomorrow. Crocadile could crush them all like gnats. But at the very least, if she were to fail, she wouldn't be alone.
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'Thank you, captain.' Vivi says with an honest expression of joy.
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'Shi shi shi! Any time, Vivi!'
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'And Ace?' Vivi turns to the new woman. 'As for meeting my father, if you help us with our reptile problem, I personally can promise a royal commendation towards your recruitment drive.'
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The Whitebeard pirate salutes. 'I'll hold you to that. Wouldn't be the first time I've tangled with a Warlord, and no way Crocodile is tougher than Hanafuda. Plus...' she slouches against the mast. 'Any excuse to spit in the face of the Marines is good in my book!'

'All right then!' Luffy turns towards the fore of the ship. 'Let's set sail for the capital! Full steam ahead!'
​
'...'
​
'...'
​
'...'
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'...'
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'...why's nobody moving?'
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Nami sighs. 'Luffy, we can't sail to Alubarna.'
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'We can't!? Usopp! I thought you fixed the Merry!'
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'Of course I did! That was like, the first thing I did when I got back on the ship.'
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'Luffy.' Nami shakes her head. 'Alubarna is Inland.'
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'It's inside the land!? How does that work!?' Luffy wonders. 'And Vivi doesn't even look like a mole-person! How could she live underground?'
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'Luffy.' Nami turns her captain's head towards the land.
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Beyond the small town crouched on the shore, Luffy's eyes take in the massive desert in front of him. Miles and miles of endless sand and oppressive heat fill his vision, comparable in size to the sea itself. Luffy stares at it for a moment before the other shoe drops.
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'...We have to walk through that!?!'
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'Yep.' She stretches her captain's neck and lets it go, snapping him to the ground. 'And it's going to be a long journey.'
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Luffy places his head back where it should be. 'And we can't sail closer?'

'Vivi?'

The princess thinks. 'We can sail upriver for around half a day. I know a hidden fishing spot we can safely store the ship at.'

'And then we’ll get there faster?'

Vivi thinks harder. 'No, but there’d be more consistent watering holes going that way, so there’d be less danger of dying of thirst.'

'Uggggg! Can’t we strap some wheels to the ship like we did in the garden place?'
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'You want to sail a ship across sand?'
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'It could happen! Usopp?'
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'No way! It would scrape and damage Merry's hull!'
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Luffy pouts but grumbles something that would be graciously interpreted as agreeing.
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'Okay, everyone!' Nami claps. 'We're headed into the desert to get to Alabasta's capital. I can keep us traveling northeast using the stars, but for everything else we'll be relying on our Native princess.'
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The crew turns towards Vivi, who unsurprisingly is well prepared with knowledge of navigating her home country. 'Thank you, Nami. The caravan trail to Alubarna requires around a week to get there. First we'll need desert clothing to protect from the sun and sand.'
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'I'm on it! For once my annoying eating power will be useful!' Usopp slithers below deck.

'I'll make sure any clothes he makes are quadruple disinfected.' Chopper joins him.
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'Make sure you make creams and medicine for dehydration and sunstroke!' Vivi calls behind him.
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The Strawhat's doctor waves an affirmative and vanishes down the hatch.
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'Second, and most importantly, we'll need water that's well insulated and fresh. Too many of the historic wells have been tainted or destroyed since the outbreak, so we have to rely mostly on our own supply to get there.'
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Sanji nods. 'Leave that to me. I'll infuse the water with sodium and vitamins to compensate for loss due to sweating.'
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Vivi nods back. 'The key point will be travel time. We'll start tomorrow at first light, stop around eleven to rest, then begin again from sunset to around twelve. That way we avoid the worst of the heat and cold.'
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'It's sure to mess with my beauty sleep.' Nami half-jokes. 'But if you say so.'
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'I know so. I might not have lived in Alabasta for two years...' She says with a twinge of sadness. 'But I learned how to travel the sands from Toto the great merchant himself. You can depend on me!'
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'So it's settled.' Ace says. 'Luckily for us, we have the princess of Alabasta herself here to guide us safely to the capital. Things are sure to be smooth sailing from here.'