All The King's Men And All Dried Up 3...

Chapter 23.75 - All The King's Men And All Dried Up 3...

"He did hit him!" Chopper cried out.

"But how? He doesn't have any water!" Usopp yelled, not understanding at all.

"That's because he has something that works just as well as water," Robin answered as some of the crew slowly realized what she was saying.

Just then, Crocodile slowly sat up and glared at Luffy, his expression holding nothing but shock before his eyes widen. Luffy looked ready for the next round as he cracked his knuckles. Then he gave a loud yell as he threw his arm back and slammed his fist so hard into Crocodile's face that he was sent flying black into the wall once again, bleeding heavily.

But before some of the slower members could ask the question, Crocodile did it for them. Slowly sitting back up, he asked with his voice shaking with anger, "I see! You're using… your blood?"

"His… his blood?!" Usopp cried out, staring at Luffy to see that his fists were, indeed, covered with blood.

"Wicked…" Franky whispered. "Now that's… I mean… wow!"

"Took the words out of my mouth," Sanji answered.

"That's idiot…" Nami whispered, "What's he thinking?"

"Clever," Crocodile admitted.

"Blood can harden sand too can't it?" Luffy said neutrally, holding up a bloody fist.

"They say you gotta put your sweat, blood, and tears into anything," Zoro stated and Chopper looked close to freaking out again.

"HE'S DONE SOME STUPID, CRAZY THINGS BEFORE," Chopper cried out, "BUT THIS HAS TO BE ONE OF THE CRAZIEST! IF HE'S NOT CAREFUL…?"

"Too late now," Brook called as Crocodile forced himself back to his feet.

"First Rainbase, and then the Royal Palace," he laughed madly, "and now… this underground temple!"

Luffy just looked on at him, wondering just what he was trying to say here.

"You should be rewarded for your insistence on challenging me," Crocodile went on. "Even though I put you through hell twice now, you keep coming back."

"He never did know when to admit defeat," Sanji stated as Luffy went for another attack, forcing Crocodile to jump out of the way so that Luffy went slamming through the wall this time. As they watched, Crocodile reached for his hook and pulled off the golden part to reveal that there was another hook just underneath it. Only this one seemed to be made of iron and was embedded with large holes with a slight pink haze drifting from it.

"What's that?" Usopp asked nervously.

"His poison hook," Robin answered softly.

"POISON!?" Usopp cried.

"You're a pirate, Straw Hat!" Crocodile declared and Luffy's eyes widen a little in confusion when he saw that. "You certainly proven that with your determination to defeat me no matter the cost." He stood back up. "And I'll admit that you've become an annoying persistent opponent during our three encounters!"

"And it's here that Crocodile finally loses whatever's left of his temper," Robin said. She had seen Crocodile angry over the four years that she worked with him, but this was the first time even she had seen him pushed to his limit.

Luffy stared at the hook before he asked, "Alright. What's that?"

"A poisonous hook," Crocodile stated as he held up his weapon and let the golden hook covering fall.

"I see," Luffy said simply, and clearly not caring.

"You seem to be a confident pirate I suppose, so surely you must understand…" Crocodile said, frowning heavily. "That a duel between pirates is always about two people fighting for survival. And when that's the case, there's no such thing as playing dirty!"

"As much as I hate to agree with him, he's right about that much," Sanji growled, growing more worried by the second. Luffy turned into a battle position just as a giant boulder blocked their way out behind them. There was no chance of escaping now.

"When the explosion happens in the square, this place will most likely crumble to dust!" Crocodile informed him. "This will be our final battle! Let's settle this once and for all!"

"Well it was," Robin agreed.

"Yeah! And Luffy kicked his ass here!" Usopp called out as Chopper agreed firmly. "He may have almost died twice doing it, but he got there in the end!"

And so it began… the two were at each other's throats, no longer caring what happened to themselves, focusing only on beating the other. Luffy was able to keep up with Crocodile at first despite his injuries. But over time he slowed down greatly… and they watched as the poison hook was able to pierce his skin several times. For some of them, they didn't think that it was that serious since Luffy was able to keep going, but they soon realized that the poison that was so powerful that when Crocodile slapped it into the rock, missing Luffy by inches, the rock begun to melt and bubble as if someone spilled acid all over it.

Chopper, Nami, Usopp, and Brook all screamed at that as the others stared.

"And this was before Luffy was immune to poison too," Sanji whispered, his cigarette dropping from his mouth.

"This is bad! That kind of poison can kill in minutes!" Chopper cried in fear. As he spoke, the memory around them turned hazy and unclear… clearly it was already working as a slight ringing sound could be heard. However Luffy kept going, even with the tomb collapsing around them, the two dealing each other powerful blows, but neither one would stay down.

"They don't have much time!" Franky yelled, staring up at the room, the beams holding them up were cracking and starting to crumble. "In just a few minutes this whole place will cave in on them!"

"Luffy! Hurry up!" Usopp called, sounding close to losing his mind here.

"You were skewered, buried alive and dried up," Crocodile cried out, "You many have made it through all that, but you won't escape this time Straw Hat!" He then smirked as he held up his hook which hissed poison. "There's no hope for survival! The game is up! This poison will spread through you soon!"

"Why don't you fight on your own without resorting to such a dirty trick?!" Zoro called, shaking his head at the idea of using poison on an enemy. It was a coward's tactic if you asked him.

"You know Crocodile," Luffy said, holding up his fists. "You just don't understand!"

Crocodile blinked at that before his expression was contorted with anger. "What is it that you're saying?" he demanded, sounding angrier than ever, "What is it that you think I do not understand, Straw Hat?"

"Everything," Nami whispered softly. He spent so much time with his schemes and plans of war he forgot all about what being human was about.

Luffy didn't answer as he charged once again. But even as he threw a punch, again Crocodile dodged it; but he wasn't stopping. Again and again, he attacked, but Crocodile was too quick and they were all feeling like they were going to lose their minds from just watching. Luffy then tried to use his Gatling Gun technique, however his moves had become so sluggish that it was easy for Crocodile to avoid each one.

"This isn't good!" Chopper cried out in fear as the memory around grew even foggier. "All this jumping around is making his blood pump faster and it's spreading up the spread of the poison!"

"I don't think you understand," Crocodile declared. "You're going to die here very soon. The poison from my hook has entered your wound!"

"Would he stop going on about that stupid poison?!" Franky yelled out furiously, Luffy stumbling around, looking barely able to stand up.

"Your body is probably becoming numb right now," Crocodile asked almost like a taunt. "It doesn't matter whether you win or lose this fight, your body will still be buried underneath the rubble when this tomb collapses!"

"Luffy-san! You have to get up!" Brook called fearfully as Luffy fell to his knees, struggling to breathe and unable to get back to his feet.

"Whatever it is you really want can't be in this country," Crocodile said as he stared down at Luffy, looking completely deranged. "Aren't I right? You're fighting for somebody else's goal now! And how can there be in point in dying for that?! If only you would just get rid of a friend or two, you could easily avoid so many of these inconvenient problems! Loyalty is only for idiots and weaklings!"

"I'll show you idiot and weak!" Sanji roared, looking ready to attach himself, but Franky and Usopp were forced to restrain him.

"And this is why you don't understand anything!" Brook called out venomously.

"Like I said, you really don't understand anything do you?" Luffy growled as his glared at Crocodile through sick and bloodshot eyes as he still struggled to get back to his feet. "Vivi… Vivi is always telling people not to risk their lives, but she's the first to lay down her life to save others. If we don't help her, she'll die! You'll kill her!"

"He's right about that!" Usopp said, "She needs someone there to keep her out of trouble."

"You still don't get it!" Crocodile yelled in frustration, "That's what makes her such a burden! So why not ditch the princess and save yourself?"

"How could we live with ourselves for abandoning a beautiful lady in trouble?!" Sanji cried out in outrage.

Luffy looked up, his face now full of rage as he cried out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "BECAUSE NONE OF US WANT VIVI TO DIE! HELPING EACH OTHER IS WHAT FRIENDS DO!"

Behind him, Cobra was staring at him in amazement as Luffy was finally able to push himself back up to his feet. "And that's why none of us will leave her behind or quit fighting you! As long as she doesn't give up on her country, neither will we!"

"You tell him Luffy!" Usopp cheered.

"We're all behind you!" Chopper called loudly as Franky posed once again and added, "We wouldn't be SUPER if we ran away now would we?!"

Crocodile just looked at him, his face not showing any emotion as he asked, "Even if that means all of rest of you end up dead?"

"Well, we all gotta go someday!" Brook said causally. "And what better way to go than by going out helping a friend?"

"Well said," Franky added.

"If we die then we die," Luffy told him fiercely. "That's all there is too it!"

Just then, Luffy's legs gave out again, and he fell back to the floor. There was a slight pause before Crocodile began to chuckle to himself, as if he couldn't remember ever hearing anything so stupid in his life.

"You can talk as tough all that you want and keep blubbering on about friendship if you like but your body is still freezing up on you!" Crocodile said, suddenly confident once again. "You look pathetic Straw Hat Luffy."

"Oh, shut up!" Usopp yelled, hating hearing this guy insult his captain in such a way. As Luffy tried in vain to push himself back up, the memory around them so foggy that it was getting impossible to make out anything, Crocodile then taunted Cobra about the bomb.

"A time bomb?!" Cobra cried in panic. "NO!"

"I've been very well prepared Cobra," he said silkily. "You have to be willing to admit that much surely?" He then bragged about how he had it all planned out. Even if the others had been able to find the bomb and took out the two agents who were going to fire it, he had it set up so that it would still go off after a certain length of time.

"This guy is hopelessly evil," Brook whispered. What had these people done to him to deserve such treatment? But before he could go on, the ground was shaking worse than ever, as if there were a crowd of giants walking around above them which could only mean one thing…

"The bomb went off?!" Franky yelled as Cobra leaned back, gritting his teeth and seemed to be fighting the urge to cry here—the building was falling apart faster than ever.

"It was Pell," Nami whispered, her eyes overshadowed as she thought of the brave solider. "We were able to find the bomb and cut the fuse, but that was when we found out that it was set to go off on it's own anyway. But at the last few seconds, Pell took the bomb and took it high in the air where it went off."

"You mean he…?!" Brook called in shock as they all nodded sadly as he felt his own heart sink—if he still had one.

"Not quite," Robin answered and they looked to her as she answered, "He survived."

"WHAT?!" they yelled as they looked to her.

"How do you know?!" Usopp yelled, "Do you know how big that explosion was?! No one could have survived it!"

"Over the last two years I decided to look into Alabasta to see how it was doing since the war," she went on. "And I discovered that though he was severely injured, he did live."

They all gapped at her, unable to think of anything to say to that as Crocodile laughed out triumphantly. "At last, my time has finally arrived. The day my grand ambition is realized! Alabasta now belongs to me!"

"He should've saved the victory speech," Zoro said, coming out of the shocking news.

"I guess he was so happy at the thought of the bomb going off that he didn't even realize that this whole place should've caved in as well," Robin answered as Luffy finally stood up again. His body was shaking, but he glared fiercely as a fire seemed to be burning inside him. The memory around them seemed to clear as he faced Crocodile once again—and this they knew was going to be it.

"He better do it here because I don't think he can get back up again!" Sanji said.

"GET HIM LUFFY!" Usopp screamed as Crocodile glanced behind him and seemed to be completely stunned at seeing him up when he thought he was down for the count. Cobra was also staring at him in shock as the ceiling above them was now cracking apart and falling in large chunks.

"You… can't…" Luffy gasped out and Crocodile's eyes widen, "defeat me!" Luffy finished as he stood tall.

Crocodile glared at him before he gave a wild grin. "You finally managed to speak and that's all you can come up with?" He headed back to him as he said, "I suppose it's an acceptable bluff from a loser who's about to die. Of course, like any bluff… its empty air!"

But Luffy was far from bluffing as he declared loudly without a shred of hesitation, "Except… I'm the man… who'll be King of the Pirates!"

"You tell him, Luffy-san!" Brook cheered as Crocodile grinned even wider.

"Listen up, you damn brat, if you really knew anything about this sea, you wouldn't make such an idiotic statement!" he said held up his hook, "I told you before! There are thousands of rookies just like you! Every one of them chasing their naïve little dreams!" And suddenly, it was as if he snapped as he ran ahead, his hook held high as he screamed out wildly, "The sooner you understand the true level of the Grand Line, the sooner you'll give up on your foolish dreams!"

But Luffy not only dodged the hook, he brought his foot down onto his arm and slammed the hook down so hard that it snapped right off as if it was glass.

"He broke it!" Nami called happily.

"But he's still poisoned!" Usopp reminded her fretfully as Crocodile gasped at what just happened.

"I'm the one… who's gonna beat you!" Luffy hissed so dangerously that they were all taken aback by such a tone. But Crocodile didn't have time to register that for Luffy stretched his arm back and slammed it so hard into Crocodile's stomach that blood erupted from his mouth. But Luffy didn't let up as he used his foot to kick him hard in the head, sending him flying once again before he pummeled him right into the cracking floor.

It had suddenly turned into a beatdown and they were all cheering him on as Robin watched with a smile, glad to see this once again. Luffy then grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him around, swinging him like a lasso and slamming him into the wall behind him. Now it was Crocodile who was finding it impossible to stand up. Through the rubble, he stared back at Luffy, looking completely lost to what was going on.

"Even with all that poison he's taking him out!" Chopper called in complete awe.

"You said it!" Franky cheered, "He's like a freaking machine!"

"It's because he knows that he has to win here," Robin said, "Because if he loses… there's no coming back. So he's putting it all on the line; including his life."

"Why doesn't Crocodile start using his powers though?" Brook asked, "Dry him up or something again?!"

"Because he's getting tired too," Robin answered softly. "There is also a chance that he's so angry that he's not thinking straight. Right now they are both on pure offense, they gave up strategy long ago… now it's simply a matter of who is the strongest… who can endure the most pain before there is a victory. If he had been thinking straight, then maybe he would've tried drying him up again… but…?"

But they didn't need her to finish. Because they all knew that when Luffy got back up to fight, he just seemed to frighten his opponents. And it's because of that, that they seemed to let their guard down…

Luffy was looking back, his face now deadly… there was no trace of the captain that they knew in those cold eyes. Robin could see that Crocodile was now getting desperate as he caused the blade of a dagger to come up from where the hook was broken off. It was as if he snapped and he was back up, refusing to let his plan of three years be ruined by a single pirate.

"You're just a two-bit nobody who comes from who knows where!" Crocodile screamed in rage as he charged now trying to lob off his head, "You can't beat me! Do you have any idea who I am?!"

"Oh he knows, he just doesn't care!" Sanji grinned as Luffy ducked and the blade swinging over his head.

"I don't care who you are cause it doesn't matter!" Luffy declared as Crocodile's eyes widen when he realized that he left himself wide open. Luffy looked up and then he screamed at the top of his lungs, "WHOEVER YOU ARE I WILL BEAT YOU!"

And with those words, he finally kicked him so hard that he was sent flying up into the air, but before he hit the ceiling, Crocodile pulled himself back together as he hovered there, seemingly effortlessly as he stated that he was going to destroy him along with the tomb. He raised his hand and gathered a swirling mass of extremely dense sand in his hand, before he hurled it at Luffy, causing a massive shockwave when it hit the ground.

Everything near them was reduce to dust, but Luffy was able to move out of the path of destruction as the tomb was crumbling.

"ROBIN!" Sanji screamed as memory Robin still lay there, blood seeping around her, but was now in danger of falling debris. Luffy seemed to realize this as well, for he jumped over and grabbed her roughly just as a boulder came falling down, narrowly missing them both. He set her aside against some random wall and turned to look back up at Crocodile as they sighed in relief.

Opening his mouth, Luffy inhaled so much air that he blew himself up like a great balloon. They had no idea what he was planning, but he then began twisting himself around tightly. After twisting several times he lowered his face to the floor and let out all the air inside him so that he was sent flying right up towards Crocodile, like how a balloon would when you let the end go, while untwisting himself as he was sent spinning upwards.

Like a rocket he shot towards Crocodile, pulling his fist back he began, "Gum Guuuuuummmmmmm…!"

Just as Crocodile held up his own fist, "DESERT…"

"STORM!" Luffy screamed, throwing a punch.

"LA SPADA!" Crocodile screamed as he formed several solid blades with fan-shaped edges from sand, flying down towards them.

"LUFFY!" Usopp screamed in fear. It was all or nothing here. Luffy's fist collided with Crocodile's attack, and the force behind him was so great, that he shattered the axes right back into sand, and like his Gatling Gun move, he began to pummel Crocodile with what looked like hundreds of punches at once. Luffy didn't seem to care where they hit or even if they hit at all, but he was going to keep going no matter what happened.

Crashing right into the ceiling, Crocodile was held there as Luffy kept going, hitting every part of Crocodile that he could. It was merciless… and the force from his attacks was breaking right through, sending Crocodile up and through the stone. Though it was only a matter of seconds, the attack seemed to go on forever as the roof above them cracked. But finally, he broke through, like a volcano erupting, Crocodile was forced right up through the rock, and into the air, leaving a trail of sand behind him as bright sunlight came pouring through the hole…

"HE DID IT!" Chopper screamed out, his eyes bright as Luffy punched the air in victory.

"Amazing…" croaked a voice and they had almost forgotten about Cobra, who was now gapping up at the hole, looking like how they all felt. "He punched him straight up through the bedrock beneath the city!"

"Right up through the bedrock?" Brook cried, "Unbelievable!"

"I can't even see him anymore!" Sanji yelled, beaming as he stared through the hole.

"He really did it," Nami whispered. "I mean… I knew that he did but… to see it first hand? Especially after those injuries…?"

"It's like the saying goes," Robin smiled. "They can break your skin so long as you break their bones."

Now completely out of energy, Luffy fell back to the ground, landing so hard that he cracked the floor underneath him and Chopper cried out in worry as he tried to make his way over to him to see if he was alright. He was barely breathing and his body seemed to be going back into shock.

"This is bad!" Chopper called as they gathered around him. "He needs an antidote to this poison!"

"Hey!?" Cobra cried, pushing himself up and slowly crawling over to Luffy's wounded body and knelt beside him. "Are you alright?"

"Does he look alright to you?!" Franky yelled.

But as he looked to the bright light above him he whispered, "I thank you." He no longer looked afraid or sad… his face oddly peaceful, and they realized that here he no longer cared what happened to him. Even if he died here, he could die happily knowing that the real threat was gone.

Despite how badly hurt he was, Luffy was grinning at him. "No sweat."

"He doesn't even realize that he's talking to the king here does he?" Brook asked.

"I doubt it," Nami laughed a little as the memory now became fuzzy and shifted out of focus. But then they heard a light clack on the floor and they looked to see that memory Robin had pulled out a small red bottle from her coat and rolled it over to Cobra.

"Use that, immediately," she told him as he looked down at it. When he didn't take it at once she clarified, "It can neutralize the poison from Crocodile's hook." Cobra gave her a suspicious look as she went on, "Even if he was buried underneath all this rubble, there's a chance he might survive since he's actually rubber."

Still looking like he wasn't sure he could trust her, he took the bottle and uncorked it.

"So you had the antidote?" Chopper asked, "That's good to know."

"I knew about the poison in that hook, and I decided to keep a bottle with me should he try to kill me with it," Robin answered. Besides, he took Crocodile down and saved her back here, she figured that it was the least she could do. She had already given up on her life by that point and she no longer needed it. She wanted nothing more than to die than in this place.

But Cobra was looking back at Robin, and said, "You looked me straight in the eye and told me the only thing written here was history. Why did you lie to me?"

"You lied…? About what?" Nami asked her. Robin didn't answer as she watched on.

Blood was dripping from both sides of her mouth as her past self looked away, looking sad. "You knew?" she asked grimly. "How cruel."

"The truth is… this country's history isn't written anywhere in there," Cobra explained, though it was clear from his tone that he already knew that she knew that. "Instead, it has everything about the weapon you wanted to get your hands on. The description… location… it doesn't make any sense."

"So you know where this ancient weapon is and how to use it?" Usopp gulped.

"That's right," Robin answered, "It's why the government has hunted me all this time. And also why they wanted me captured alive. They wanted me to help them awaken those weapons and put an end to the age of pirates."

"Please don't tell me!" Brook begged. "I rather not know!"

Cobra lifted Luffy's head and gently poured the cure into his open mouth, at once the memory around them seemed to clear and his breathing let up—though his face was now red from a growing fever. "If you had told Crocodile this information this country would now be his for the taking. Isn't that right?"

Memory Robin looked exhausted as she leaned back against the wall. "I'm not interested," she confessed and shut her eyes. "Whether people in this country live or die. It really makes no difference to me. I had already decided from the start not to give Crocodile the weapon."

"That's cold, Robin," Usopp whispered.

"Maybe," Sanji said, "But everything you did, you did to survive. And in the end, you chose not to give something so dangerous to a power-hungry maniac like Crocodile and that's all that matters!"

"Thanks Sanji," she smiled a little and he swooned in happiness.

"My dear…" he cried, "I meant every word! I'll do anything to see that smile of yours!"

"I don't understand," Cobra said as he placed Luffy back on the stone floor and kept looking at her with curiosity. "Then why did you come here?"

There was a tense pause as the walls buckled around them. "I don't even know anymore," she confessed as she opened her eyes. "Chasing a dream I suppose… and empty dream. The last remaining Poneglyph in the world that still carries… the True History. The Rio Poneglyph."

"What do you mean by the True History?" Cobra questioned, not understanding it.

"Nothing," memory Robin sighed, looking as if she no longer cared. "It doesn't matter now. For twenty years I've searched and I've never had a better lead than this. This is my last hope… and it didn't work out." The final beams that were holding the ceiling up buckled, they had perhaps less than a minute left before it finally crumbled. "So if I'm going to die here, it's the perfect time. I'm tired of this fool's crusade. It's… over."

"Robin-san…?" Brook whispered, "You mean… you wanted to…?"

"At this point in my life I was tired of fighting," she answered sadly. "I wanted nothing more than to die here."

"Robin?" Chopper sniffled a little and she smiled at him. "But that was back then," she answered.

A large boulder fell and smoke filled the room—but when it cleared, they could see a smile on memory Robin's face, but it wasn't a happy smile. "All I wanted… was to learn our true history." Tears appeared and slowly began to fall from her face, "And to share it… with the whole world."

The Straw Hats were unable to believe how broken that she sounded here. She had gone through so much all on her own for years, suffered because of the World Government, and was ready to give up everything here. It almost didn't sound like the Robin they knew.

"I thought that Luffy was out cold here," current Robin sighed. "I guess I was wrong if he remembered this…?" but as she thought about it, could it be because he heard it all that he saved her?

"So then… you're saying… that it's possible that our lost history can be recovered?" Cobra said, his eyes wide. "And the Poneglyph are the key to unlocking these records?"

Robin said nothing, but kept that same grim smile and Cobra stared at her. "You mean… all this time…?"

But neither one said anything else on the matter because Luffy had gotten back to his feet. Though he was covered in blood, sweat, and dirt, his face now showing clear signs of a high fever—he was standing upright. He picked up Cobra under his arm like how he carried Sanji back at Drum, before he went to Robin and threw her over his shoulder.

"'Kay, let's go," Luffy declared, looking up to the hole he made in the ceiling, knowing that it was now their only way out.

"So he saved you here?" Chopper asked in relief, though he heard about it, he was nice to see it confirmed. Memory Robin however, didn't seem to agree.

"Hold on!" she cried, now sounding angry, looking like she wanted to fight, but no longer had the energy to do so, "I no longer have a reason to live, just leave me here!"

"You've got rocks in your head if you honestly thought he was going to leave you down there," Nami said.

"Normally, I'm on the lady's side," Sanji said firmly, "But this time I have to agree with Luffy here. I'd never forgive him if he left a beautiful woman to die in a place like this."

Luffy hardly glanced at her before he looked back to the hole. "You're coming with me, do what you want once we're out of here."

Memory Robin just stared at him, unable to believe what he was doing. He didn't owe her anything, was second-in-command to Crocodile, but here he was, saving her. She seemed to lose all will to move as she allowed him to do what he wanted.

Current Robin smiled. "I'm glad that he didn't listen to me."

Using up whatever strength he had left, he was able to jump up the falling stones just as it caved in, burying everything below them. He managed to get up and through the exit, but instead of the bright sunlight they expected, there were thick storm clouds and heavy rain.

"Rain?!" Franky called in surprise.

"You mean after Crocodile lost the rain came back?" Brook called out in amazement. "How…?"

"I've wondered that as well," Robin answered as Luffy landed safely on the ground and dropped Cobra and Robin, he skidded a little and fell, landing on his face and no longer able to move.

"The… rain…?" Cobra gasped as he looked up at the sky. "It's come back…?"

"And thank goodness to," Nami sighed in relief. "Even after the bomb went off, the rebels and the royals were still going at it. I think that it would've gone on until they all killed each other, but when it began to rain, they were all so stunned that they stopped and gave Vivi enough time to be able to scream at them to stop."

"It truly is over now," Zoro said as Cobra was actually began to cry as he held his shaking hands out to catch the cold rain. It was clear that he truly thought that he was going to die in that tomb, but not only was he alive, but the war was over now.

Luffy smiled a little before the memory faded at once, leaving the Straw Hats back in the dark field. But they didn't care, they were all talking about what they saw. Usopp wasn't holding back his admiration, "He really came through here! It was a long time in coming, but he actually did it! Knocked him right through that rock like that?! That was beyond awesome!"

"But still, Crocodile was far from weak," Nami said, "Luffy was in really bad shape by the time we found him. And his fever was almost as bad as mine was! Vivi and Chopper spent the next three days taking care of him and we were all worried sick."

"I'm going to have a word with Luffy about that," Chopper whispered angrily. "If I didn't know better, I'd think he was trying to kill himself."

The next memory came up after that. They were in a large room that was filled with several beds with most of the Straw Hats and Vivi. Luffy was sitting up in a large and was laughing out loud.

"Oh man! I slept good!" he cried out, clearly feeling good. Brook was truly glad to see that he had recovered so well after his ordeal. But when Luffy put his hand on his head he realized that his hat was missing and began looking around for it and his breakfast.

"You just woke up and you're already causing a racket," memory Sanji said, leaning back in a chair as he watched. "And it won't be breakfast, it'll be dinner. It's evening."

Standing next to him was Usopp, who then pointed to a table, letting Luffy know that a solider found it in front of the palace. Luffy stretched out to grab it and looked happily at it before he put it on his head.

"We never would've heard the end of that if we never found the hat," Zoro stated.

"I'm so relieved you finally got well Luffy," Vivi said in relief.

He looked at her in surprise. "Got well? What do you mean? I was never not well."

"Well, he wouldn't know since he was sleeping the whole time," Nami whispered as her past self spoke up from one of the other beds as she stacked some books up. Telling him how bad a shape he was in and how he could thank Vivi and Chopper for taking care of him.

"Really?" Luffy said looking from Chopper to Vivi. "Thanks you guys."

Just then, the door opened and Zoro came in, also looking almost completely healed from his fight with Mr. One. "Oh, Luffy," he said pleasantly surprised. "You woke up."

Luffy held up a hand in greeting. "Zoro! Long time no see!" but then he blinked at his words. "Wait a minute…?"

As he thought his words over, memory Zoro was getting a drink of water as Chopper yelled at him about him going out to train. And soon it was the same old fight… Chopper yelled at him about taking his bandages off and Zoro complained how impossible it was to move with them on, and Chopper would scream that was the whole point.

"Would you lighten up?" current Zoro asked as Chopper glared at him.

"That is a bad habit of yours, Zoro!" he yelled, "Even if you felt alright, do you know how easy it would be for your wounds to reopen?!"

"Long time no see?" Luffy's voice said, moving his head side to side, "Why'd I say that?"

"Probably because it has been long," memory Usopp said from the couch near the door. "You've been asleep for three entire days."

"Three days?! Three whole days?!" Luffy cried out, he thought it over for a moment. "I missed fifteen meals."

"And I didn't think that he could do math till now," Sanji said sarcastically as memory Nami snapped that he sure could calculate when it came to food.

"By his count that's like five meals a day!" past Usopp laughed as a door opened and a familiar figure came in, bearing a whole cart of food.

"Oh!" Brook said happily. "That Mr. 8 character really did survive! That's good to see!"

"Actually," Nami laughed, "That's Terracotta… Igaram's wife."

"Wait, his wife?!" Franky yelled as Luffy was able to swallow all the food in the cart faster than blinking and Zoro and Sanji began yelling at him for that.

"There is only so much that couples should look alike," current Usopp nodded, remember the shock when he first saw this lady.

"Boy, if you blinked, you missed it," Franky said, staring at the food that disappeared like magic.

"Well, we'll let that go now that we saw what he went through here," Nami said and the memory faded quickly around them. "We all slept for at least a full day before most of us got up. Zoro I think slept for two days…?"

"Give or take," Zoro admitted.

"After that we had this great feast," Usopp sighed patting his belly at the thought of it all fondly. "Took long, hot baths… and said farewell to this kingdom of the sand!"

His words were proven when they were back in the same room, only now there was darkness behind the windows, revealing night. Vivi and all the Straw Hats were there and seemed to be discussing what they were supposed to do now.

"Tonight?" past Usopp asked in surprise.

"Yep," memory Nami nodded firmly.

"We have to leave?" Chopper asked, sounding disappointed.

"The Marines know we're here," past Zoro said. "More will be coming. I agree with Nami. We need to get out."

"You all better leave while the going was good," Franky agreed as he thought it out, with everyone in the past slowly agreeing as well, with Luffy saying that they should stay for a little more food.

"Isn't he full yet?" Nami sighed, remembering the trays of food that he inhaled back in the dinning hall. Their past selves gave him a quick bonk on the head and he nodded at once just as there was a knock on the door and a guard came in. He was holding a transponder snail on a tray and telling them all that they had a call.

"From who?" memory Nami asked in surprise.

"It could've been dangerous," Robin told them. "The Marines could've used this as a chance to figure out your location and gotten the entire royal family in danger.

"Didn't think about that till it was too late," Sanji said in embarrassment.

"Who was it anyway?" Brook asked as the guard answered that he called himself Bon.

"Bon? As in Bon Clay?" Franky asked in surprise.

"Turns out that guy was able to escape being caught by the marines," Sanji answered.

"Really not surprising given his abilities," Robin reminded him. "It wouldn't have been difficult at all for him to slip out disguised as an Alabasta citizen, or guard."

"When you put it like that, I guess we should've know," Zoro said as their past selves didn't seem to know who he was talking about.

"That's strange," the guard said, "He insists that you're all good friends."

Sanji got up. "Friends with us?" he repeated before he picked up the receiver and heard that familiar voice on the other end. "Hello? Hey old friends?! It's me!" he cackled, "Bet you never thought you'd hear from me again!"

With a frozen look on his face, past Sanji hung up. But the phone just rang, loudly again.

"That's one way to send a greeting," Usopp whispered.

"YOU FREAK!" memory Sanji yelled at the snail phone, "SHUT UP!"

But Luffy stretched out to grab it so that he could talk to him. "So you escaped Mr. 2. What do you want?" he asked.

"Straw Hat!" Bon Clay's voice said. "I'd recognize that voice anywhere! You're right, I escaped… and I intend to keep it that way! So don't call me Mr. 2! If the Marines intercept this call they'll be able to ascertain the locations of both me and you!"

"Thanks a lot you jerk!" past Chopper yelled.

"What an idiot," Sanji hissed, rubbing his head at that.

"Tell us what you want!" past Zoro yelled.

"Oh, it's not what I want, it's what I have!" Bon Clay answered. "Your ship!"

"He's kidding right?" Franky asked, knowing that he was in for an ass-kicking just for saying that. And he was right…

"STOP JOKING!" everyone but Vivi screamed out.

"I'm going to kick your butt for saying that!" memory Usopp yelled threateningly. "Where are you?"

"On your ship the Going Merry!" he answered a little mockingly.

"I should've kicked him harder!" memory Sanji yelled, holding up a fist.

"For someone who claims to be a friend, he sure isn't making friends here," Brook whispered.

"Maybe but it's actually a good thing that he took the ship," Nami answered. "After all, if it was left where it was, the Marines would've taken it and then we'd be stuck here."

"Hey! Calm down!" Bon Clay said. "Please… I mean… we are friends right? Right!" and he hung up not long after that after he told them where they could find him and left with a long laugh.

The memory versions of them were all looking at each other, wondering what to do.

"He's at the upper part of the Sandora River," Luffy finished speaking as Sanji asked if they could trust him. "We did become friends that one time," Luffy answered back, "But…?"

"But that was before we knew that he was part of Baroque Works!" past Zoro said loudly.

"I guess…" Chopper said slowly, "We have no choice."

"There really wasn't anything else that could be done," Usopp sighed, "He had our ship so we had to go and get it back."

"You're right," memory Sanji agreed with him, "He has our ship. If he tries to trick us, I'll be more than happy to kick the crap out of him again."

Once that was decided, they were all got up and began packing up their things, getting ready to sneak away into the night. They were so busy with thoughts about getting their ship back, they didn't even realize that Vivi hadn't said a word as she watched them. "Hey… you guys?" she asked softly and they all looked to her. She looked to be shaking as she confessed that she didn't know what to do now.

"What does she mean?" Brook asked.

"She wanted to come with us, but was torn between that and her desire to stay here," Nami said.

"What?" Franky gasped. "You mean she was willing to leave behind being a princess to run out to see with a bunch of pirates?!"

"We all became really good friends but…?" Nami said softly as their past selves all glanced at each other for a moment before they sighed.

No one said a word again until they finished packing and were heading to the window to leave. "Vivi," past Nami said to her, looking over a map. "We can give you twelve hours to make a decision. We'll travel down the Sandora… after teaching ballerina boy why he shouldn't steal from us, and by noon tomorrow we'll draw near the eastern harbor." She looked back up to her with a smile, "I doubt we'll be able to drop anchor though… if you do decide to join us, that's going to be your only time to come aboard. Twelve o'clock… on the dot." Everyone was smiling at her, letting her know that no matter what she chose, it was alright by them. "It's your choice. You can stay a princess… or you can become a pirate!"

"I'm sure that being a pirate doesn't compare to being a princess," past Sanji added, leaning on the windowsill as they began slipping out, "But we'd sure love to have you."

Luffy was all for the idea and telling her that she should come with them right now, and Usopp was telling him off as he shoved him to their exit.

"Why?" Luffy asked confused as Zoro practically threw him out, "Don't you guys want her to join us?!"

"We do!" past Usopp said firmly, "But that's something she has to decide herself!"

"As much as I would've loved to have seen her go with you, I don't think she's cut out for this sort of life," Brook said softly as the memory faded.

"I suppose," Nami decided. "But we really would've loved for her to come. However, I agree that it was for the best. She shouldn't have had to give up everything for us. Alabasta needed her more than we did. And she had to stay to keep the country from falling apart."

"Wait," Chopper suddenly asked her, "Where were you, Robin? After Luffy got you out of that creepy tomb? You disappeared?"

Robin didn't answer for a moment but she confessed, "I was stuck wandering the desert on my own. I knew that I'd be sent to prison if I hung around. In all the confusion, it wasn't too difficult. After a couple days and my wound healed enough I ended up stumbling across Bon Clay and the Merry." She remembered that dark night when she was lost and alone. It was the second time she had been saved by a man with the name of D. She didn't know how she was able to get as far as she did in her condition, but she eventually found her way to the ship. As soon as she saw it, she could almost hear Saul's laughing voice in her head, encouraging her to live… she didn't have anything else to lose and nowhere to go at this point. So she stumbled on board and went to rest below deck.

"Wait, you were with Bon Clay?" Chopper chirped in surprise.

"I always did like him," Robin admitted, "He made me laugh. He took pity on me and let me on board once I told him that I no longer had any reason to want to hurt you. He was in the same position as I was, and we were only thinking about leaving Alabasta. But we couldn't do it on our own. I stayed below deck until I was sure that we were far away from land, and the Marines had stopped chasing us before I felt it was safe to come up top."

"Because you knew that we'd have no choice but let you stay?" Nami asked knowingly.

Robin chuckled a little. "Something like that I suppose."

"And I'm so glad that you did, Robin-chan!" Sanji sighed happily. "You helped to complete an empty void inside me the day we met and when you joined, it was as if an angel was sent from heaven itself!"

"Idiot," Zoro stated.

"Care to repeat that?!" Sanji threatened as the memory returned and they were standing on the edge of the river with the Merry in front of them, and a familiar face standing on the crow's nest. The Straw Hats had been riding a flock of ducks that were just as big, if not bigger than even Carue.

"Carue's friends?" Brook asked happily.

"The Super Sonic Duck Squad," Nami laughed. "They gave us all a ride."

"Boy were those ducks fast," Usopp said.

"FINALLY! LONG TIME NO SEE MY FRIENDS!" Bon Clay cried happily from his place up there. "DID YOU GUYS MISS LITTLE 'OLD ME?"

"Not a bit!" past Zoro called back as they all turned back to wave to the ducks, bidding them farewell. Even Bon Clay waved them off but then it turned to a fight between him and Sanji, with him arguing about learning some manners on how to greet his friends.

"Quit saying that you weirdo," Luffy said as they began loading the ship, "We're not friends, we're enemies! You lied to us!"

"No, I didn't!" Bon Clay yelled, "I just didn't admit that I was a member of Baroque Works!"

"You gotta admit, he's got a good point," Franky pointed out. "He didn't know that you were the enemy."

Bon Clay sat on the railing with a sigh and went on, "Besides, none of that really matters anymore does it? Baroque Works is done for now and that means we're no longer enemies!"

"Well, if we're not enemy's ballerina guy then why the heck did you steal our ship?!" Luffy demanded as Zoro snapped for Bon Clay to move out of the way so that he could get on the ship.

"Oh how dumb are you?" Bon Clay yelled.

"Very dumb, but that is a good question in retrospect," Sanji admitted as Bon Clay asked that if he hadn't taken the ship from where it was moored, what did they think would've happened to it.

"The Marines probably would've seized it?" Nami answered as she knelt over one of the bags and Luffy gapped at her.

"Chance that probably to a definitely, honey!" Bon Clay yelled. "The Marines have been looking all over for you guys and your ship! Every port in the country has been blockaded! Lockdown!"

"Wait!" Luffy yelled, "Are you tell me that you took the Going Merry so that the Marines wouldn't?"

Usopp and Chopper were with him and both demanded the same thing, and when Bon Clay answered, he merely gave them the thumbs up and said, "Cause you guys are my friends!"

"So touching! Even after all this, he sees you as friends!" Brook laughed happily, liking Bon Clay more with every second.

"You know, I just noticed that we do have a tendency for former enemies to become allies in the end," Nami said in an impressed tone.

"Luffy's really good at that," Zoro said folding his arms, "And he doesn't even realize it."

"He may be weird, but he's loyal," Robin admitted as Bon Clay, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were dancing and singing together once again.

"Oh my friends!" Bon Clay yelled. "We might've had to fight on opposites sides of a war but our friendship will survive for an eternity!"

"Friends?" Zoro asked in annoyance as they finished loading the ship. "Yeah right. Tell the truth twinkle toes! You and your crew don't have a chance of breaking through that blockade, but you might if you had us as allies."

"Blunt, but hey, we all need help once in a while," Usopp admitted as Bon Clay stopped in mid-dance and the three looked to him in shock. "That's right," Bon Clay said dramatically, crying, "You got me, but in trying times such as these we have to band together under the flag of friendship! IF YOU BELIEVE IN TRUE FRIENDSHIP SAY I!"

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" the three yelled with him.

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" other voices cried out and Bon Clay's crew and ship seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Franky was laughing out loud at that as Zoro screamed at the other ship where they came from. "I love these guys! They sure know how to lighten up the mood."

The next memory came soon after that and they were all standing on the Merry's deck, the ship was being shot at by giant black harpoons, at least eight ships giving chase.

"Man, they sure pulled out the stops here didn't they?" Zoro asked.

"Looks like they're finally seeing the crew as a threat," Nami said, shaking her head. "You and Luffy both got bounties here. Your bounty was sixty million, and Luffy's had gone up more than three times. One hundred million…"

"Incredible!" Brook said in awe. Such bounties were rare in his day, but to receive them on your first or second time was truly impressive.

"Dammit, shoot cannonballs!" Luffy yelled at them in frustration. "I can't deflect pointy things!"

"I think that's the point here, Luffy!" Sanji called as the harpoons pierced through the hull of the ship and they could hear Usopp and Chopper below, trying to repair the holes.

"Damn, no wonder your ship was falling apart by the time you got to Water 7," Franky said in a deadpanned voice. After taking damaged like this, it would take a lot more than a patch to fix her up. It's a miracle she lasted as long as she did.

Memory Sanji called up, "If we keep taking iron spears to the bottom of the ship it's only going to be a matter of time before it sinks!"

"Crap, here they come!" past Nami cried out as more spears hit their sides.

"Hey, I can't keep plugging these holes you guys!" past Chopper screamed as he came up from the bottom of the ship with a mallet and several boards of wood.

"Your hammer skills suck," Franky stated.

"We're not shipwrights!" Usopp snapped as past Nami started yelling at the others to do something.

"What more can we do?! It take all our effort to protect one side!" memory Sanji demanded, "One ship vs. eight isn't a fair fight!"

"Nice to see how far we've come," Zoro smirked. "After all, I think that most of the crew can take out those battle ships on our own."

His past self was growling out that they'd have a better chance of hand-to-hand combat than this. Even if they ran or stayed to fight, they weren't going to break their formation.

"And a ship like the Merry wasn't made for battle," Franky said. "She was built for sailing! Though she's smaller and quicker than any battleship, that's not going to help when you're surrounded and being fired at."

"Yeah, thanks we know that now," Usopp said in annoyance, watching in sadness as the ship was being impaled like a pincushion.

"You know, you should prepare the Sunny should we ever come into something like this in the future," Nami said worriedly.

"Aye, aye!" Franky saluted, making a mental note of this. "Once we get our rubber brain captain back, I'll make sure that's the first thing I do!"

The battle went on, and things seemed to be getting worse every second. But the strangest part was when they ran across two familiar faces on one of the Navy ships. Jango… and Fullbody…

"I forgot about these two losers," Sanji sighed.

"The Black Spear Squadron!" Jango exclaimed proudly. "It's a work of art!"

On the ship next to him, Fullbody was laughing confidently and stuck his tongue out at the Straw Hats. "It's the Black Cage Corp specialty! Idiots!"

"He's the last person to be calling anyone an idiot," Nami said in deep annoyance.

"I wish I kicked his ass harder," Sanji whispered to himself. "Then he wouldn't be able to come after us and we wouldn't have to put up with him."

"Hey Hypnotist, I thought you were a pirate!" Luffy screamed at Jango.

"I am! Now shut up!" Jango yelled back quickly. "My reasons are my own!"

"Don't the Marines do decent background checks anymore?" Usopp asked, still angry that this jerk tried to kill Kaya. "What did he do that they let him join?"

"Well, it's easy to think like a pirate if you were one," Robin answered, "So he could be more useful than we thought."

"Where do I know that guy from?" memory Sanji was asking thoughtfully, looking at Fullbody.

"He wasn't worth remembering," Sanji agreed as Fullbody declared loudly, "It took a long time but I finally found him! That annoying crazy cook and his gang of wild cutthroats! Here, today, I vow to sink them!"

"I guess he's still angry at you, Sanji-san," Brook stated.

"Damn, some people really know how to hold a grudge," Sanji said as Jango took out his familiar charm, about to use his abilities. But before he did, past Usopp ran around to the cannon and shot a cannonball. It hit it in such a way that it fell apart and, not only sank, but crashed into Fullbody's ship as well.

"Brother!" Fullbody yelled in distress as Jango's ship slammed into his and they both sunk into the ocean.

"Now that was amazing bro!" Franky laughed as Luffy looked towards Usopp, who was staring completely dumbfounded the whole time.

"Usopp, did you do that!?" Luffy exclaimed in surprise. "Amazing!"

"I'll give you that," Nami agreed calmly as past Usopp looked to him, his face registering nothing but shock before he snapped out of it. "Yes… just as I calculated!" he called confidently, "It was me! That's what happens to enemy ships when I'm on the job!"

"Then why do you seem so surprised?" Zoro asked in amusement as Chopper jumped up to Usopp's shoulder, telling him how cool that was.

"Rest easy, Chopper!" he exclaimed, joyously. "Captain Usopp will have everything under control!"

"Really, Usopp?" Chopper asked happily. "Will you? That's so reassuring, Usopp!"

"That's very responsible of you, Usopp," complimented Robin, and the poor liar couldn't felt prouder. "So from now on, we should leave the entire ship's defense just to you. In case we run across even more Marines or sea kings…"

"Gyaaah, t-that's ok! I wouldn't want to take all the fun from you guys!" Usopp stuttered quickly.

"That was amazing Nose-chan!" Bon Clay also cheered. "The ships in the south are all sunk! Nothing can stop us from breaking through!"

"Bon Clay, we've got trouble!" one of his men suddenly called from his ship. When Bon Clay turned to ask what the problem was, they yelled out that it was the 'Black Cage'.

"Black Cage Hina?" Robin asked mildly as Bon Clay's face was turned to terror.

"Who's that?" Brook asked just as Luffy asked that same thing.

"Black Cage Hina! She's a Marine Captain and we're in her jurisdiction!" Bon Clay exclaimed in fear. "She's a real pain! We have to hurry up and fly the coop!"

"She is merciless," Robin answered. "She patrols these waters and she has the powers of the Cage Cage Fruit. I guess it's appropriate for a Marine."

"Cage… Cage?" Nami repeated in confusion as Robin went on.

"This ability allows her to bind her enemies in iron shackles that she can create," Robin explained. "She is dangerous."

"And if she's a Captain, she's at least as strong as Smoker," Chopper added nervously as Bon Clay's men all cheered on the idea of escaping. But the Straw Hats didn't move at all, even with Bon Clay yelling at them to do so as Hina's ship was drawing nearer.

"If you want to go, go," Luffy said to him. "We can't go that way!"

"AND EXACTLY WHY NOT!?" Bon Clay screamed in frustration as his own crew screamed that they should just go.

"Noon at the eastern harbor!" past Nami answered. "We have an appointment! There's no time to go around, we'll go straight through!"

"Wow, you were willing to risk it all just for a chance to get to Vivi?" Franky said impressed.

"Thinking back, it was probably better for us to leave here, but we at least wanted to go and see if she was there… even if that chance was slim," Usopp answered and Chopper nodded.

"WHAT? SUICIDE!" Bon Clay yelled angrily, looking ready to leave anyway. "IT'S LUDICROUS! IS THERE SOME TREASURE YOU'RE NOT TELL ME OFF THAT'S WORTH THROWING AWAY YOUR LIVES!?" He turned his back on them as he jumped to his ship, "Fine! Run off and die!"

"We have to go get one of our friends," Luffy answered and Bon Clay's face was filled with nothing but shock—whatever answer he was expecting, it wasn't that.

"So… it's for your pal that you risk it all?" he asked softly as silence sunk in around them. He then turned to his crew and declared, "We're going to fight the marines!"

His entire crew screamed in surprise as Brook and Franky gapped at him.

"You mean he was willing to stay and fight for that?!" Brook called in wonder.

"Though he's eccentric, Bon Clay has always valued friendship," Robin said softly. "When I asked him why one time he told me that it's the 'okama way'."

"You gotta admire him for that," Usopp sniffled. "I take back anything bad I ever said about him."

"Running now would go against everything Bon Clay stand for!" the drag queen yelled to his crew. "If we abandon allies who are risking their lives to pick up a friend, could we live with ourselves tomorrow?!"

The crew all stared at him before they all cried out the same thing, ready to fight as Bon Clay yelled to the Straw Hats, tears in his eyes, "Listen guys! Straw Hats too! What I must say is of great importance!"

He took on Luffy's face and his crew took disguises of the rest of the crew before they left to distract the crew, giving time to the Straw Hats to escape. It worked perfectly though, the Marines were completely distracted as they went after them, but the battle didn't last long, and only ended with the ship going down in a blaze of glory from Hina's ship.

"Bon… BON CLAY!" Luffy cried, all of them watching the scene with horror as the ship went down.

"What a brave soul!" Brook called tearfully. "Such courage I will dedicate a song to!"

"I'm gonna miss you, Bon Clay!" Luffy cried. Usopp, Chopper, and even Sanji were all crying next to him as they sailed away, "We will never forget you!"

They then heard Bon Clay's voice calling out almost like an echo, "If we are to fall… let it be in the sea! The flower of friendship is rejoicing!"

Franky was beating the ground with his fists, sobbing his heart out. "That damn pervert! How could he do something so selfless?! How could someone like that have ever been an enemy?!"

"I'm almost sorry that I beat him up," Sanji sniffled a little.

"You don't think that he's dead do you?!" Chopper asked tearfully.

"I doubt it," Robin said bracingly. "It's going to take a lot more than that to finish him off. He's strong enough to get himself out of any situation."

The Merry went on east, fighting their way through the two Marine ships that were blocking their way. But they managed to force their way passed them and finally reached the eastern harbor like they were supposed to meet—however, Vivi wasn't anywhere to be seen. They waited for a few minutes before they heard her voice, apparently though a loudspeaker, addressing her country on what happened during her two years away from home.

"Vivi…" memory Chopper said sadly as he and Luffy leaned on the rails.

"She's not coming is she?" Brook said sadly. Though he knew it must've been what happened, he had hoped that she would've come to say goodbye at least.

"Forget about it, you heard the speech," memory Zoro snapped at the two, "That was Vivi's voice without a doubt."

Past Sanji was looking deeply disappointed as well as he added that they were broadcasting the ceremony from Alubarna. Vivi clearly made up her mind not to come here.

"No, I don't buy it! I say she's here!" Luffy said stubbornly, "This is the place we promised right?"

"Yes, it is," memory Zoro added, trying to sound patient, but also with a firm look that reminded them all of the danger they were in. Past Sanji looked around, letting them know that it was past noon.

"There's no way she wouldn't have come!" Luffy said, sounding hurt, "She's definitely here! Let's get out and look for her!"

"There was no time," current Nami sighed as the others felt really bad at this whole thing. Memory Usopp brought them back to the matter at hand by screaming that the ships had reappeared and were coming up fast. When Zoro called how many there were, they knew that it was time to go with all six ships still after them.

Looking like he also wanted to get out and look, Sanji told Luffy to give it up. "Viv's course is on a road far different from ours!"

Luffy pouted, but seemed to accept it as he turned from the railing. But as he did, Vivi's voice called out behind them, but this time it wasn't from the amplifier. "Everyone!"

They all looked and there she was, dressed just like how a princess would look, and Carue by her side.

"She really came!" Franky yelled in surprise, "So she did come with you guys?!"

"No," Nami smiled a little, "Just to say goodbye."

"Vivi!" Luffy screamed happily and everyone turned at once with smiles on their faces.

"Carue!" Usopp yelled joyfully and the two both waved back merrily at them. Excited, the whole crew was getting ready to turn around and go back. But they had to hurry since the Marines were right behind them. But they didn't have to bother.

"I'm came to say goodbye!" Vivi yelled, and the smiles were wiped off their faces in confusion.

"What, she say…?" Luffy began to ask, not understanding what was going on.

"Sorry… but I can't go with you!" Vivi said as she spoke through the speaker once again. "Thank you so much for everything. I'd like to go on more adventures, but I can't ignore the needs of my country! Which I love more than anything! I have to stay! I hope you understand!"

"We got it," Zoro said softly. "And I have to agree."

"Doesn't mean that we have to like it," Chopper sniffled a little.

Luffy still seemed stunned, but got over it as he smiled an accepting smile. "I see!" he said brightly.

"Glad to see that he's taking it well," Sanji said. "I was worried about that."

"Because she came to say goodbye," Nami laughed a little. "And he knows that she would've liked to go on more adventures with us, and I guess the thought alone is enough. Though I think it would've been nice to have her come, at least we don't have to worry about her being in danger all the time. Besides, Alabasta still has a long way to go before it's fully recovered from the war. Someone has to make sure that things stay that way."

"Thank you," Vivi cried out, now starting to sob and tears were forming in her eyes. When she spoke again, she was trying to hold back the cries so hard that she was starting to stutter. "I will… I… I will remain here and fulfill my duty! If we ever meet again… no matter how much time's pass, will you still call me your friend!?"

Luffy didn't even have to think that over as he started shouting back to her, but Nami cut him off by covering his mouth and telling him not to answer. "The marines now know about Vivi and us!" she told him, "If they can prove she has a connection to us it's all over! She'll be considered a criminal!"

"Sad to say it, but it's for her own good," Robin answered as Luffy frowned at her, but unable to think of a way to counter that argument.

"So… you just left without a goodbye?!" Franky asked quickly. "That's cold! Not cool, bro!"

They all turned their backs on her and Carue. "Turn away," past Nami said firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Not another word."

They did as she told them, but they didn't leave without giving Vivi an answer. The Straw Hats here, all wordlessly took off the wrappings that they still had on their arms and held them up so that Vivi could see the X's still on their arms.

The current Straw Hats smiled at the scene, even the ones who hadn't been there. Though no words were said, the message was clear. Vivi also held up her own arm with Carue, both wearing the same X mark.

Whether they liked it or not, they would always be honorary Straw Hats… and no matter how much time had passed, they look forward to the day they met again.

The memory faded around them at that… the scene still playing itself in their eyes.

"That was so sweet!" Brook sobbed, "I don't know how much more of this I can take! I don't see how it can get any more touching than that!"

But as some of the others began talking, wondering how Vivi was doing, Zoro's and Sanji's eyes widen and they turned with such speed and force that the wind knocked them all back a few feet.

"What's wrong?!" Usopp cried out at once, startled at their serious expressions.

"It's here!" Sanji cried out as Zoro flicked out his blades.

"What's here?!" Nami cried, going for her own weapon

"You mean that…?" Usopp cried out, his eyes wide, but there wasn't time to explain. There it was, hanging over the fields was that giant ball of black slime, shining almost metallically in the feeble light.

"About time you finally showed up!" Zoro yelled in irritation. "Now get over here so that we can deal with you!"

The black blob hung in the air for another moment before it slammed back into the ground, much like how it did before, flattening out to that pool of gunk. Everyone was ready to fight, not sure of how they were going to do so here, or even what form it was about to take on… at least until the figure began to rise out of it.

The long coat over his shoulders, the stitched up face, the large hook on his arm…?

"You've got to be kidding me!" Usopp cried out as Chopper screamed.

"Crocodile," Robin answered, her arms held up, ready to fight.

Unlike when it looked like Arlong, this seemed to be much more stable and didn't melt when it stood before them. However, it wasn't completely solid either… "Want to become a mummy?" the slime Crocodile asked, his slimy voice bringing back all the bad memories that they were forced to face.

But as they prepared for an attack, this Crocodile was looking over in another direction, his eyes landing on something else—his intention only all too clear.

His one good eye widening a little Zoro yelled out, "You get away from there!" and the whole crew charged forward to stand between Crocodile slime and the two graves...