As dawn rose on the shores of Sandy Island, activity all across the kingdom of Alabasta began. Merchants prepared to open their stands, the streets slowly filled as people awoke from a long night's rest, and a gentle wind blew across the dunes.
In the capital city of Alubarna, however, the atmosphere was tense. The citizens knew of the escalating unrest of the Rebel Army, especially after a large chunk of the Royal Army changed sides. The people remaining held fast in their trust that King Nefertari Cobra would never horde the rain for himself.
And nowhere was that tension worse than the Royal Palace itself, a grand structure in the center of the capital patrolled by the king's most lauded soldiers and the Guardians of Alabasta. It was on this morning when a man stumbled to the gates.
"Halt! Who goes there?!" One of the patrolmen yelled to a very tall man in a cloak.
"At ease, boys, it's only me." He removed his shroud to reveal a familiar set of curls.
"Sir Igaram?! Thank goodness you're here! Please, King Cobra is in his chambers."
"Thank you kindly," the head of security nodded. The man was grateful that his Log Pose led him to several peaceful islands with only a few weeks at most to wait for a reset. In the meantime, he was pleased to see the Straw Hats were tearing their way across the Grand Line to fulfill their mission. He would be sure to put an excellent word in for Luffy and company, only for the guard leading him to suddenly stop.
"Hm? What's-GAH!" Igaram panicked as a pair of hands wrapped around his neck, threatening to crush his esophagus. The guard in front of him was already on the floor, slightly blue in the face, as were the few standing post in the large corridor.
"Mr. 8, you and I have some unfinished business…"
The man turned his eyes to see Miss All-Sunday, looking as confident as ever with her arms crossed as over chest. "Damn you, wench… How did you get in here?!"
"I walked in, of course. After all, I am the protector of Alabasta's trusted second-in-command. Now then, would you be so kind to lead me to your king? I have an appointment with him this morning…"
"Go… To…" He stammered only for her grip to tighten, made worse as he felt two more arms appear to hold his own limbs in place so he couldn't go for his weapon."
"Go to the chamber? I'll assume that's what you meant. Please, lead on." Robin casually strolled behind Igaram, only releasing the rest of her copies after they were down the hall. As she walked through, all a part of Crocodile's carefully laid plan, she did something she hadn't done in far too long: hope.
"By this time tomorrow, either Alabasta stays under the Nefertari family or Crocodile has a nation at his beck and call. Chaos… I hope you're as exceptional as the World Government thinks you are."
Crossing the dunes of Alabasta was always a tricky task. Unless you knew a seasoned guide or had an accurate map, the risk of getting lost and perishing from the desert dangers was a high possibility.
Fortunately for a certain Marine captain, she had a different means of transportation. Smoker had brought his custom Billower Bike, a strange vehicle that was powered by his Plume-Plume Fruit granted as a reward for capturing an eight-figure bounty during his time in Loguetown.
As it roared across the sands, long since leaving Nanohana behind, Hina was trailing behind on a pair of makeshift skis connected via rope to one of the bike's exhaust pipes. The woman was still reeling from the message she received yesterday, apparently from the second-in-command of this Baroque Works. She'd be an idiot to come alone for this.
Tashigi, riding on the other set of skis, wasn't nearly as composed as she struggled to keep her legs steady over the shifting levels of sand. The swordswoman insisted she come along, either to apprehend the Baroque Works operative or to see if anything Luffy said about Crocodile had any merit.
"ETA, one hour!" Smoker shouted over the roaring exhaust of his ride, his legs still smoke as they propelled the crew forward. Then, much to his shock, the ground began to tremble and both ladies following had to let go or be sent sprawling by the tremors.
"What the hell…?" Smoker grumbled, rolling up the nearest dune before seeing a sight that made him drop the cigars from his mouth.
"Captain, what's wrong?"
"It's the entire Rebel Army! They're heading in the same direction!"
"WHAAAAT?!"
"Goddamn it, we're too late! Tashigi, get the Transponder Snail and alert HQ! We need to have emergency protocols ready to go!" Hina ordered as they waited for the hundreds of thousands of rebels on horseback to stampede past them before they could safely resume their trek. As the petty officer furiously called the nearest base to inform them that the civil war in Alabasta was imminent, Hina and Smoker seriously couldn't tell what was worse:
That either Luffy was right and a Warlord under the government's employ was responsible for this mess, or that he was full of it and countless people were going to die thanks to a corrupt king.
As the Sand Sled crested another dune, the crew onboard was many kinds of tense. The Barbar Pirates were only about thirty in number, so the Straw Hats' presence meant that space was a precious commodity. The constant gliding and flying sand meant a few of the ladies had to shield their eyes and cope with nausea from the breakneck speeds. And Rasa's eyes were lined with bags as she worked overnight to keep them on course, others short on sleep from the situation.
On the crow's nest of the sand-skidding vessel was Vivi and Desire, acting as the princess's security in this case. They had no doubt Crocodile could have a sniper somewhere who'd love to get a reward for putting the princess down. However, with the rumor mill turning her two-year absence into her being sold off into an arranged marriage, being kidnapped or just dead, she needed to prove any skeptics wrong with irrefutable proof. That she was alive, and that she knew exactly who is responsible.
At the front of the ship was Luffy, the only one tense from anticipation. He couldn't imagine someone so selfish and hungry for power that they would threaten the safety of a million people. As much as he hated Arlong, at least his little racketeering operation never got farther than a few hundred people.
"Captain?"
He turned to see Kuina, sweat dripping down her brow. "What are your orders once we reach the capital?"
"We stick together. If Baroque Works tries anything, we flatten them. The only exception is Crocodile. Leave him to me."
The swordsman nodded, returning to her meditation. Their focus was broken when the ship came across the Sandora River, carving through the island and forcing the Straw Hats to brace for impact. Of course, the Barbar Pirates had a plan. Rasa perched herself on the bow of a ship with a giant slingshot and a huge seed loaded into the cup. She fired it into the sand just before the riverbank, and in seconds the moist sand gave way to a massive, green incline.
"A Ramp Cactus!" Vivi realized, "That's how you cross the river?!"
"The bottom of the ship is too flat to sail in water, it'd be stuck in the river's current and then we'd never make it in time!" Rasa warned before the ship flew ahead, sailing up the ramp and then over the Sandora. The Straw Hats all screamed that the ship would crash and splinter on the other side but the Barbar navigator fired a second round that made a large return ramp that let them glide down and resume sailing the dunes.
"Hahahaha! You sea-types really would be lost without us!" Barbarossa cackled, "This is why we're getting a cut of the reward, right?"
The princess had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Of course, he would be rewarded for assisting with their mission but now was NOT the time to bring this up!
The rest of the voyage passed in silence until they finally saw the walls of Alubarna… Followed by the cannons resting at various parapets tracking their movements.
"Uh, guys?!" Honey Queen yelped, "What's the plan?!"
"Don't let the ship get blown up!" Reiju called, morphing into her half-lion form just in case. Thankfully, someone must have spotted Princess Vivi because no actual shots were fired. The Sand-Sled curled around the city's perimeter, still about one hundred yards from any of the giant staircases that led into the capital.
The ship eventually docked right outside the northern stairs, which would put them smack in the middle between Alubarna and Katorea. And the crew didn't have to wait long as Desire, looking through a telescope, spotted a massive horde of people on horseback.
"The rebels are coming!"
"Carina, get down on the desert and head out!" Luffy ordered, "Alvida, Clarisse, get her a good ways in front of us and make sure she's safe!"
The three nodded, Clarisse shifting into full-rhino mode on the way down before the former thief and once-vain pirate hopped on her back before rushing out. The trio could see the rebel's clearly now, all dressed in cloth masks that kept the sand out of their faces and weapons of all kinds touted on their backs. At the very front of the crew was a man in glasses glaring right at them.
Before any of them could fire, however, Carina leapt off her makeshift steed and braced herself. She planted her legs as best as she could before cranking her volume powers to their highest for the first time.
"Volume Set: Fortississimo!"
Alvida and Clarisse could hear her joints move as her arms lowered to her sides, the sweat rolling down her forehead before silently dripping onto the ground. A soft thud confused the other two, only to realize it was the sound of Carina blinking.
They both ran back to the ship as they heard the bluenette take in a deep breath, hearing every creak from her ribs and muscles, until she raised her hands to her mouth and yelled at the top of her lungs.
"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"
A shockwave equal to megatons of TNT rushed out, forcing a few thousand of the closest rebels off their horses as they were blasted back. A plume of sand rose for dozens of feet, obscuring the ship which was slowly being pushed away by Nami's clouds. Those on the Sand Sled, once their ears stopped ringing, could just about make out lines of people along the city walls watching them.
"PEOPLE OF ALABASTA! YOUR PRINCESS, NEFERTARI VIVI, IS ALIVE!" she shouted, "SHE'S RIGHT HERE, ON THIS SHIP!"
Vivi waved her hands back and forth, making herself as visible as possible.
"I-It can't be!" the frontmost rebel cried, "It's true! The princess is alive!"
"Koza, what do we do?!"
But the blonde man in glasses was speechless. His eyes were glued through his binoculars at the blue-haired girl he recognized all too well.
"Vivi… It's you! But if that's the case, then who lied to me?!"
Up on the wall, several of the guards were rushing to Transponder Snails to alert the rest of the guard. One tall man in in green fabrics and a sharp nose was agape at the sight.
"Men, stand down! Someone get Pell to collect the princess!"
"But Lord Chaka, what about those strange people she's being escorted by?"
"We secure her safety first, then question them! Hurry! Before one of those rebels gets an itchy finger!"
But alas, Chaka didn't realize that several of the men under his command was smirking far too much given the situation. Koza was just as blind as several of the rebels behind him were smiling with a cruel gleam in their eyes.
As Carina continued her explanation, detailing how Vivi discovered the true culprit behind the Dance Powder scandal and how she left to personally expose the truth for the sake of her people, Desire kept scanning the horizon on both sides of the ship. All it took was a gleam of light, the echo of a gunshot, any little thing that would tip her off.
What she didn't expect were two shots, fired from both the desert and Alubarna. Thankfully, she had a plan.
"Barrier Bubble!" A translucent dome appeared around the crow's nest, stopping both bullets. Vivi barely flinched although now she was searching for who exactly just tried to assassinate her.
On the ground, both the Royal Army and Rebel Army balked in shock. Koza found the literal smoking gun several men to his left and wasted no time marching over.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! That's Princess Vivi!"
"S-Sir, it-it could be a trick!"
"Bullshit! You're damn lucky I don't kill you myself!"
Up on the city wall, Chaka already had his hands around the throat of the guard who tried on his end.
"W-Wait! I… Was Aiming… At…"
"SILENCE! You just fired in the direction of your princess, traitor! I'll have you executed for that!"
"EVERYONE! BAROQUE WORKS HAVE SPIES IN BOTH ARMIES! CHECK THEIR ARMS FOR A TATTOO!" Carina helpfully pointed out, relaying what Vivi had shouted down from her perch. At once, everyone on both sides began ripping off their sleeves to prove their loyalty… Except for a scant few dozen on each side who were immediately accosted by everyone surrounding them.
"Phew, that ought to get everyone to calm down…" Nojiko sighed, "Now, all we need to do is-!"
"EVERYONE OFF THE SHIP, NOW!" Luffy screamed, stretching up to grab Desire and Vivi before jumping to safety. Everyone, Straw Hat or Barbar Pirate, took his word and ran way just as a series of baseballs pelted the side of the Sand Sled right before the entire boat went up in a wave of fiery explosions.
And, coincidentally, one of the cannons along the watchtowers was visibly smoking. Koza's knuckles turned white as his hands clenched in fury.
"What the fuck is going on?!"
"Sir, what are your orders?!"
"I'm finding out who just tried to blow up our princess! Who's with me?!" The Rebel Army roared in support of their leader and charged ahead, albeit now right into the wreck of the Sand Sled instead of into Alubarna.
"Sir Chaka! We've lost sight of the Princess! Pell is en route to recover her!"
"Men, the Rebel Army is advancing! We don't know who is friend or foe but we shall protect the Princess! ADVANCE!"
And now, instead of the rebels storming the gates, both armies were marching into the dunes to reclaim Vivi and attack anyone who looked suspicious. It was only the Straw Hats that noticed what looked to be a large man lowering a giant bazooka and running away from the oncoming battle.
"Damn it, that was Mr. 4! He has a gun that ate a Dog Zoan Fruit!"
"Wait, what?! How does a gun-?!" Makino blurted before refocusing. They could ask questions like that later.
"The only ones besides him and his partner are Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger, but they're both melee fighters! They're probably hanging back in the city, but who knows what they'll be up to!"
"Alright, we're splitting up! Kuina, head into Alubarna and find that last pair! Reiju, you lead another group to follow that guy who blew up the ship! The rest are staying with me to protect Vivi and keep this fight from getting worse!"
The two ladies nodded and quickly the teams started getting divided. Luffy kept Vivi with her alongside Nami, Moodie, Honey Queen, Desire and a very angry Rasa who would all keep the armies apart and stop any spies they ran across.
Kuina head up the staircase followed by Kaya, Sally, Nojiko, Alvida, Mikita and Custard, fully expecting Baroque Works interference. With two ex-agents on their side, they'd easily be able to recognize the Mr. 1 pair and everyone was ready to tackle the highest-ranked duo beneath Crocodile and Robin.
That left Reiju's group running alongside the city's perimeter and into an old set of ruins alongside Makino, Carina, Carmen, Clarisse, Ban and Kinderella. All of them knew they were going after the Mr. 4 pair and were looking for payback after almost getting blown up.
And up on the wall, Chaka was watching the chaos unfold and trying to keep track of the princess when someone dropped out of the sky and landed next to him. The equally tall man was dressed in white robes that covered him down to his feet, a patterned black scar around his neck and a matching white headwrap covering his forehead.
"Pell, anything unusual to report?"
"Unfortunately, yes. King Cobra is nowhere in the palace. Several of the guards report they were strangled by a woman with stranfe powers… And others were dried out like mummies."
"WHAT?!" Chaka's head whipped around, "That means… Those pirates were telling the truth!"
"Indeed, I heard everything. Crocodile has taken the king, I'm afraid. I'll recover the princess when the time is right, you follow after the king."
With that, the two Guardians of Alabasta split up. Pell kept a close eye on the central battle but he could tell the crew had split up.
"Pirates, let us see just how you deal with these insurrectionists…"
As the groups chased Mr. 4 and his partner into the ruins, crumbling stonework and fountains resting on the now desolate dunes, they could see the large man in green riding on something plowing through the dunes. Something squat, brown and leaving a massive crest in its wake for easy following. Reiju, Carmen and Clarisse were all in their full Zoan forms with the rest of their team on their backs.
As they stomped ahead, Mr. 4 slowly turned around with his dog cannon still raised on his shoulders. With a series of booms, half a dozen baseballs raced ahead. Thankfully, the Straw Hats dodged the onslaught thanks to Observation Haki. It was only when they reached the center of the ruins that the brown tunneling creature stopped, revealing her frizzy red hair and a pointed nose ending in a black tip along with brown fur covering her body.
"Miss Merry Christmas, oh goodie…" Clarisse sighed, "I should've been able to hear your rambling from here."
"I don't got a damn thing to say to you, traitor! What happened to supporting Baroque Works, huh?! Crocodile's gonna give us a huge piece of pie when he takes over Alabasta!"
"Psh, don't bother trying to convince her," Carina sighed, "Let's just flatten these two as payback for hurting Vivi's home!"
Ban raised her pistols and opened fire, arcing the bullets to make them specifically curve on Miss Merry Christmas. Unfortunately, the mole-woman just burrowed her way underground and the bullets sparked off each other.
Mr. 4, however, dropped his cannon and slung off the massive black bat strapped to his back. At his feet, the cannon transformed into a hybrid of a small mortar and a large, pale blonde dachshund with a glob of mucus dangling from its nose.
"Lassoooooo…"
With a loud sneeze, the cannon-dog fired more baseballs forcing the Straw Hats to split up or get blasted. Reiju grabbed Carina and Ban, the two riding on her back as they circled around. Lassoo suddenly ran while Mr. 4 stood still. The Straw Hats tried firing sound blasts and bullets but the man barely budged, barely raising his bat to block the projectiles.
"That bat weighs four tons!" Clarisse warned them, "Don't even try to take it from him!"
"Well, what should we do? Ask him for it nicely?!" Carmen asked, hurriedly jumping over more shots. As the peahen-woman ran with Makino on her back, she felt the ground rumble beneath her talons. She only just jumped in time to avoid the ground exploding underneath her, Makino needing to burst apart several chunks of debris before they crashed into them.
"Aw, damn it!" Kinderella griped, the masked woman trying to sneak up on Mr. 4 only for Lassoo to bark and fire a baseball at her. "Somebody shut this mutt up!"
"Wait a minute…" Reiju muttered, "That dog… Damn it, why didn't I bring my pepper shaker?!"
"Into battle?!" Ban blurted out.
"Just hear me out…" Reiju tried to keep her plan hidden from the others, while Clarisse moved alongside her in rhino form to spread the word. If this worked, they could hopefully avoid being blown up and letting these two wreak havoc with the feuding armies.
The streets of Alubarna were usually filled with people, merchants shilling their wares, guards patrolling the allies and visitors taking in the ancient architecture and vibrant culture. But as soon as the Rebel Army was spotted stampeding towards the capital, people locked themselves in their houses or shops with nothing shy of King Cobra being able to bring them back out.
This made it easier for the Straw Hats to rush through the streets and use Observation Haki to find the pair of Officer Agents slowly making their way to the Royal Palace. Kuina led her team into one of the largest plazas in the city when several doors burst open to reveal more Baroque Works agents.
"Oh, damn it…" Custard sighed, "Should have figured they kept their Billions in reserve."
"Alright, out of the way!" Nojiko ordered, "We've got better things to do than deal with you!"
"Oooh, big words, bitch!" one of the Billions cackled, several of them forming a firing line, "Let's see if you can back it up!"
Kuina and Custard jumped forward to block the bullets with their blades, along with Kaya launching a rain of gems while the rest of the crew scattered. Mikita floated into the air, Alvida skated along the road and Sally and Nojiko ran behind nearby buildings. Then, all at once, they sprang upon the Billions but Mikita spotted something coming down one of the alleys.
"Nine o'clock, incoming!"
Everyone turned left to see Miss Doublefinger sashaying towards them, the overexaggerated sway of her hips trying to distract them. Unfortunately, they turned their backs on her which was enough time for the assassin to rush ahead and only the Wado Ichimonji saved Kaya from being skewered.
"Hmm, not bad," the Officer Agent chuckled, "No wonder the boss wants you all dead."
"And no wonder you're such a pain," Nojiko sighed before Miss Doublefinger Alvida swung at the frizzy-haired assassin with her club. Makino, however, had to send a spray of buckshot only to find Mr. 1's glinting arms stopping her attack cold.
"Nice try," he groused, "Your lucky streak ends right now."
"Go ahead and call it that if you must," Sally said, a swarm gradually growing out behind her, "But I imagine you'll be far less confident when you're sitting in Vivi's dungeons."
The Straw Hats then split up, tackling the Baroque Works crowd as the plaza devolved into chaos. The Billions were quickly occupied by a combination of Kaya's gem shards, Nojiko's plants and Sally's bees. With all the projectiles flying, the gun-toting mooks found themselves at a stalemate.
As for the Officer Agents, the Mr. 1 duo split up and led the remaining pirates on a chase through the alleys. Kuina and Custard, the swordswomen of the party, raced after Mr. 1. The two knew all about his Dice-Dice Fruit, allowing him to use any part of his body as a steel blade that he used with deadly accuracy. As such, they felt it was only appropriate to cut him down.
Thanks to Observation Haki, the ladies kept track of the Dice-Man until they reached a dead-end. Mr. 1 turned and simply said, "So, you actually came. Didn't think you'd be that stupid."
Custard just raised her sword. "You think we're scared of you? You're the idiot if you think Crocodile is gonna bring you along."
"Of course you'd say that. You're the traitor here. Now, either stand down or they'll never be able to identify your remains once I'm done."
The Wado Ichimonji met his arm, a gleam of silver catching Kuina's eye. "You think you intimidate us? We're swordsmen, and we'll never retreat even a single step!"
Mr. 1 only raised an eyebrow, arms sharp and ready to slice them down. In a different alley, Alvida skated and Mikita ran after Miss Doublefinger who proved alarmingly quick given her platform shoes.
"Gotta say, I get why the smooth lady is here," she said once they stopped, "But you, Miss Valentine's Day? You oughta know when you're outclassed."
"One, that codename is stupid, but still not as bad as yours. And two, I've gotten some practice at how to better use my Kilo-Kilo Fruit."
"Ain't going to mean much when I have you stuck like the pig you are."
"Oh, if only you knew what we do with our captain at night…" Alvida chuckled to herself before readying her mace.
Back out in the desert, the dunes had devolved into a complete mess. The Rebel and Royal Armies had come to blows at long last, even though large chunks of both sides now knew the truth. One side felt obligated to stand with their leader Kohza, the man who organized them and pushed them to fight against the corruption. One had been trained specifically to protect Alubarna, the city these hooligans were still planning on rampaging through.
And in the middle of it all was Luffy's section of the Straw Hat Pirates trying their damnedest to break everyone up. Luffy let loose huge elastic kicks to trip up the rebels' horses while Nami was stopping charges with walls of clouds and Moodie pushed her Chill-Chill Fruit to the limit to pacify as many people as possible.
Everyone else was on protection duty for Princess Vivi, who had already been shot at and attacked numerous times either by more Baroque Work plants or very misguided soldiers and rebels. Desire had to make barriers from all sorts of angles to stop the sniper shots, and Rasa's expertise with throwing weapons made her a perfect companion to Honey Queen launching geysers of syrup to stop anyone who got close.
The princess herself had to repeatedly wipe her eyes dry. This was the exact nightmare she had been trying to stop this whole time! And thanks to that bastard Crocodile stacking both sides of the war in his favor, it was pointless the whole time…
"PRINCESS!"
She scanned the sky above for the voice only to light up at the sight of a massive falcon. "PELL! DOWN HERE!"
The Guardian of Alabasta swooped down, expertly dodging the few rebels stupid enough to fire on him. He shifted back to normal just in time for Vivi to glomp him.
"Oh, Princess, it does my heart good to see you alive after all this time!"
"Pell, where's Chaka and Father? We need to reorganize everybody and go after-!"
"DIE, ROYAL SCUM!"
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
Luffy's fist slammed the idiot into a dozen of his friends, drawing the falcon-man's attention.
"You must be the pirate who's escorted Vivi here."
"Yep! Where's the king, by the way?"
"Alas, King Cobra is… being held hostage."
"WHAT?!" Luffy and Vivi shouted.
"Indeed, Miss All-Sunday strolled into the palace and walked right to him! According to one eyewitness, she forced him to reveal a secret passage known only to the royal family!"
"Then let's go! We need to stop her!" Pell nodded, changing back to his full-falcon form and both Vivi and her pirate protector hopped on.
"Nami! I'm gonna find Crocodile and kick his ass! You keep everyone safe and try to knock out as many as you can!"
"Got it! Steal that bastard's wallet for me!"
With that, the falcon took off in a hurry. From above, they quickly soared above Alubarna where Luffy could see the Mr. 1 duo skulking around. As much as he wanted to jump in and help, he needed to stop all of this at the source.
But just as they flew past the clock tower that stood over the very center of the capital, a bullet whizzed past and nicked Pell's right wing.
"Damn it, a sniper?! This bastard really thought of everything!" Luffy wasted no time, grabbing Vivi in his arms and leaping off Pell's back. More shots rang out but thanks to Moonwalk he darted around them. The duo landed at the base of the tower, Vivi looking up to see the clock face itself just barely creak open as Pell managed to swerve to safety.
"Any idea who those were?"
"Nope, only the Frontier Agents are left by this point. Luffy, the palace!"
"Got it Hang on!" The pirate ran full-tilt, ducking and weaving between the complex alleyways and side streets with Vivi giving him precise instructions. Several times, more of the dregs of Baroque Works tried to get in his way. One burst of Conqueror's Haki later and they would promptly collapse to the ground, drooling and immobile.
The palace was impossible to miss, a gargantuan structure with sandstone columns lining the massive exterior with a giant set of steps leading up to the entrance. As Luffy ran up, his feet suddenly began to sink!
"What the?!" He looked down and saw the stairs themselves disintegrating into grains of sand, the jolt making him fall backwards and slide down the new ramp with Vivi still in his arms.
At the top, of course, was the man himself. Scowling from atop the palace yard, his only hand just leaving the ground, was Sir Crocodile of the Desert.
"So, you made it," he said around his usual cigar, "You really are a persistent little gnat."
"Yeah, and you're a total asshole, so what?" Luffy set Vivi on her feet next to him before curling his fists, "Where's Vivi's dad?"
"Occupied. That's of no concern to you. Now then, Princess…"
"Take whatever tripe you're about to say and shove it up your ass you disgusting, corrupt, degenerate piece of dogshit." Vivi growled with enough malice to make Luffy gulp.
Crocodile just raised an eyebrow. "A royal dame cursing like a sailor. Now I've seen everything. No matter. I'll allow you a foul mouth. It'll be the last indulgence you'll get in this life…" He raised his golden hook, a stream of sand surrounding his body before it whipped up into a sandstorm. Luffy grabbed ahold of Vivi once again and leapt out of the way just in time before a disembodied hook could skewer her.
"You want a fight?! Then that'll be me, jerk! I'm gonna make you pay for everything you've done to Vivi and her home!"
So, that means we have Reiju and co. vs. the Mr. 4 duo, Kuina and Custard vs. Mr. 1, Alvida and Mikita vs. Miss Doublefinger, The Straw Hats versus Baroque Works vs. The Rebel Army vs. The Royal Army, and of course Luffy vs. Crocodile. Oh, and the Marines are here! That ALWAYS helps! Tune in next for the climactic conclusion!