Traversing The Desert

After hightailing it out of the town; Ace and Morgan managed to reunite with the rest of Morgan's crew and Vivi. The older sibling explained about his relations to Morgan as his oldest adopted brother and thanking them for taking care of what he called "His stubborn bonehead of a little brother"

"It looks like you've got yourself a pretty strong crew…I gotta admit, I'm impressed." Ace admitted as the two were still awake after the celebrations of getting to Alabasta. "Still, I wasn't expecting to run into Luffy all the way out here…I thought he was still at the Marine headquarters with the old man."

"You're not the only one." Morgan mentioned as he gazed out at the sandy expanse; "He might be a jerk now on the other side of the field but…He is still my brother and it honestly makes me a little happy that he's doing what he what he wants to do." 

Ace chuckled as he ruffled Morgan's hair and sat with him; "We took that bond over the sake cups…We're brothers through and through but that doesn't mean we all have to do the same thing together. You've got your crew, I've got mine and Luffy's got his."

"So why DID you come out here, anyway? A literal desert island was probably the last place I expected you to show up…And what was with that fire you used? And why did the Marines get all tensed up when they recognised you?" Morgan asked curiously as he found the time now to ask his rapid fire questions.

"One at a time, Morgan!" He would flick Morgan's forehead to quiet him; "Alright, for your first question; I was actually looking for two people: You and a former member of my own crew." Ace explained as he started to look serious; "He attacked and killed a crewmate then ran off somewhere so as his captain, it's my job to ensure that he comes back and accepts the responsibility for what he did."

Morgan nodded; though he was disgusted by the notion of what this pirate did. "So what is his name? If I can find him then I'll beat the crap out of him for you." He suggested with a punch into his palm.

"As grateful as I am for the offer, Morgan…This is something I have to do by my own hands, but in case you run into him…His name is Blackbeard." Ace then decided to carry on; "As for the fire in my new name…I got stuck on an abandoned island and I had to eat it or starve….The name of the fruit is the Mera-Mera no Mi and much like your friend back there; I can control Fire and turn into it…It comes in real handy."

Morgan grinned; "So cool…"

"That's also what confused me, I half expected you to call me out for eating one like you do with Luffy, what gives? I thought you were all about doing things without relying on a weird fruit." Ace took his turn to ask as he made a flame in his palm and watched it flicker back and forth.

"Back then…Yeah, I did find it bad to see someone with a Devil Fruit but now that I've actually been out there and see what people can do with them, I realised something…My whole argument with Luffy was that he thought he could get to the top with just his new powers, I said it takes the hard work along with it and not just rely on the Fruit Powers as a shortcut."

Ace smirked; "Sounds like you really matured, who knows? Next time I see you…You might have decided to start looking for one to eat." He remarked as a joke but earned him a light punch in the arm.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I might be okay if people want to eat one but it's what people do with them that's the make or break for me." Morgan pointed out; "I still intend on being the first Martial Artist to become the Pirate King…No Fruit Powers, No Weapons…Just me and my own two fists!"

Ace then reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "And this is the reason why I came to see you; I want you to take this piece of paper and keep it with you no matter what." He explained but then smiled a little; "But now that I'm actually thinking on it…Why not join up with my crew? You can take your friends with you and we can make Pops's dream work out." He would suggest and explained about his link to Whitebeard and his own plan to become a Pirate King.

——The Next Morning——

The group sans Ace set out into the desert for the next Oasis called "Yuba" and with some help from Chopper; were able to enlist the help of a camel to carry some of their things and to give Nami and Vivi a ride on his back, the first part being a part of his supposed cool guy face and the latter part for what Morgan suggested was that he was a pervy camel since he only let women ride on his back.

"So Yuba's our next stop?" Morgan asked as he had now dressed up in desert appropriate attire; a long brown and white robe that covered his body and his Straw hat atop his head. He had a pouch of water tied to his belt along with a few more bags too containing food and such. "You said it was an Oasis, right?" He would ask Vivi while she was riding the camel.

"Mhm, It's closer to our stop at the Kingdom so we can rest there for the night." Vivi mentioned as Nami kept reading the map; "If we can make it there then we should be able to get into the Kingdom before noon."

"Wait…If we're working against the clock then why don't we just travel through the night as well?" Morgan asked curiously as he took a sip of water.

"Deserts are more dangerous then anything, Morgan…With nothing to shade people or to protect from the wilderness, it becomes this hot during the daytime and when night falls. The temperature plummets below freezing." 

"So either way, we have to pace ourselves…No running without thinking, Morgan…" Chopper panted as the heat still hit them harder with their fur coat.

"Still, it's a shame that Ace couldn't join us…I figured he'd be a great help against Crocodile." Usopp mentioned as they navigated the dunes; "Those fire skills could come in handy or at the very least, we could turn this sand to glass and make ourselves a road to make it easier to walk without slipping."

Nami and Chopper both looked at him with confusion; "Glass wouldn't make this better, Usopp…" She admitted as she adjusted the map. "You turn the desert sand into glass and it makes things even hotter."

The only ones not complaining as much were Zoro, Sanji and Morgan as they kept watch; "Still, WHY didn't Ace come with us? Usopp did have a point that he could help us." Sanji admitted as he took another drag of his cigarette.

"Ace said he had his own thing to do so I'm not gonna stop him from doing what he wants to." Morgan pointed out; "Something that's more important than tagging along with me." 

——Meanwhile in Rain Dinners, Rainbase——

"I've called you all here because we are in the final stage of our plans for Project Utopia." Crocodile mentioned as he turned in his chair with cigar in hand; "Now that Mr 2 has what we need to sell the idea that the Kingdom is stealing water thanks to Dance Powder, the Rebel Army can easily put all their focus in one place."

The other member's of Crocodile's main forces nodded as they were given their orders; "What about the Princess?" Miss All Sunday would ask, explaining how her intelligence found out that the leader of the Rebel Army and Vivi were childhood friends. "So we should put focus on ensuring that the two do not meet under any circumstance."

Crocodile narrowed his gaze as he looked at the photos that were taken of the Straw Hats' faces thanks to Mr 2's copy abilities and a camera; "If they make it to the Army, then that could confuse them and turn their gaze away from the palace and to us…Hunt them down, disregard that pet of their's.."

The group would leave as they each had their orders with Miss All Sunday watching the giant alligators chasing Mr 3 after he came back with failure. "Escaping Mr 3…You're more interesting than I initially thought you would be, Straw Hat~" Miss All Sunday thought as she remembered her first interaction with him.

Miss Double Finger sighed as she ventured out along with the others; "Hunting duty? Dealing with Mr 1 is one thing but searching for a crew of four in a place like Alabasta's almost sadistic…Still, I'd rather see if I can bag that captain of their's or the redhead, they're both actually kinda cute~" She smirked and licked her lips a little as they left.

——Yuba Village, Nightfall——

It had turned to night by the time that Vivi and the others arrived at Yuba; thankfully they were able to convince the old man to let them rest there but the fact that the oasis lacked any water thanks to the desert storms was disheartening.

"You know, you should take a break Mister…it's gonna be hard on you to keep digging all night…." Morgan remarked as he was sat outside the hole that an old man was trying to dig for water in.

"Nonsense, Yuba's an oasis…Sandstorms may come and go but this village has water in here." The old man grizzled as he dug the shovel in deeper; "This village was one that our king had faith in thriving so I'll ensure that we hold up on that!"

Morgan smirked a little; "That right?" He would then climb in and started to use his bare hands to dig into the sand and help the old man with digging deeper.

Meanwhile inside one of the buildings that the group rested in, Nami and Vivi took residence in the inn while Zoro and the boys took up rest in the house nearby; "It's nice that we could get separate places to stay at for the night…once we rest up then we can head straight for Alubarna." Nami mentioned with a smile as she sat on one of the beds.

Vivi nodded as she peered out of the window into the night sky; "As soon as the sun rises then we can head on out…" She agreed as she undid her hair from the ponytail to be ready for rest. 

"That…reminds me, what exactly was it that you were going to tell me back on the ship? You know, before all the sickness and Drum Island stuff happened?" Nami asked curiously since they now had the privacy and the threat of pirates or anything similar was now gone.

"About…What exactly?" Vivi asked curiously as she turned to face Nami who oddly enough seemed to have a knowing yet equally playful smirk on her face.

"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about~" She would crawl over to Vivi's side and chuckled; "About Morgan…And you~" She teasingly whispered and let her smirk grow when she saw Vivi's previously pink face quickly turn various darkening shades.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Vivi squeaked out as she covered her face out of embarrassment and trying to forget.

"Oh, come on, Vivi…There's no one else here, no Morgan, no Sanji…No one else here to judge~" Nami assured her supportively as she lightly pat Vivi's back.

Vivi hesitated for a moment but the gentleness from Nami had her feeling a little more relaxed; "It…It all started with that level of respect for him on the ship." She would start to go into details about her feelings; "Then when I saw how far he was willing to go in order to get you feeling better back on Drum Island, I kind of felt…Jealous, in a way."

Nami would then laugh a little; "Isn't that just the cutest thing? A princess getting all flustered for a man of the common people~" She teased a little and caused Vivi to lightly throw a pillow at her face.

"B-Be silent…." She would remark shyly, though it seemed like it was more of embarrassment then actively being her demand. "Though…Would he really like someone like me? It's like you said, I'm a princess for the Alabasta kingdom and he is a pirate…aside from a rare suitor…Nearly everyone who I've met has been afraid to act as anything more than a subject or an acquaintance."

"Vivi, in the time that I've known Morgan; He has never been one to get swayed by someone's looks or by their status…When I first met him; I tried the charm approach and the only thing he did in return was snark…Now we look out for each other in more ways then one…Just be honest with him." Nami explained for her with a soft smile.

"You…really think I have a chance…" Vivi would feel her mood cheer up a little as her face died down to a faint shade of pink.

"Then how about a little something for motivation~" Nami remarked wit ha playful smirk; leaning in softly and placing a gentle kiss on Vivi's lips and hold it.

Vivi's eyes widened as her face practically went from pink to tomato red; "N-N-N-Nami?!" She stammered and tried to process everything as Nami pulled back.

"Heh, see? If I can muster up the courage to do something like that for you, then you can certainly come clean with Morgan~" Nami elaborated; her playful smile still remaining however the tint of pink in her cheeks made it aware that there was something genuine in that moment.


Vivi would nod as she then got up to tie up her hair and quickly headed out towards the well where they had just seen Morgan digging in the well to help the old man.

"Go get 'em Vivi~" Nami would smirk and lay back on her bed; "I'm pretty sure if Sanji or the guys had seen that, everyone but Zoro and Chopper would have their heads explode~"

Vivi would wander out towards the hole and noticed that she couldn't hear the sounds of digging as loudly anymore. When she got close enough; she could see Morgan was still digging while the old man was sleeping or "resting his eyes" as he kept telling Morgan. "You know that we have to leave by sunrise, don't you?" She mentioned with her hands on her hips.

Morgan laughed a little in embarrassment; "I know…But he was out here on his own and I couldn't exactly ignore him…" He admitted as he dug into the sand more, though it was clear that he was feeling the fatigue from both the trip there and from helping.

"Honestly, I can see why Nami spends most of her time worrying about him if he pushes like this…" Vivi thought as she then walked over to sit by the hole; "You're really weird for a pirate." She joked as she watched him put the shovel down; "Most pirates would rob places like this dry and then move on as soon as they're done yet here you are."

"I'm a pirate but I'm not gonna be a deliberate monster." He admitted and looked to the old guy; "I know we COULD but he's one of your nation's people…Plus I'm not gonna just randomly pillage a guy while he's barely scraping by." Morgan mentioned as he then climbed out of the hole to join her.

"That's part of what makes you a good person…" Vivi would whisper softly as she then looked to Morgan sitting next to her; "Nami is lucky that she has a captain that is so willing to help her with whatever she needs."

"Of course I would…She helped me where I needed it so I helped her, she may be ambitious and more then a little money focused…But she's also kinder, more genuine and she's willing to call me out if I screw up…which she does a lot." Morgan admitted with a nervous laugh at the last part; earning him a light giggle from Vivi as she recounted all the times that he did something to make Nami yell or correct him on.

"Hehe…That's true, but you can't forget that even though she does; it's because she has a captain that's amazing, someone to look up to for his drive, his loyalty AND his own compassion." Vivi hinted as she then rested her head on his arm with that same pink flush on her cheeks. "Not just his physical strength."

Morgan himself blushed as he felt Vivi do this and was about to mention something when this interaction made him remember what she said before; "That thing you were going to tell me…Before those pirates attacked us, you were gonna say something…So before the others wake up or more pirates attack, or with the way our luck's been going; a meteor falls out of the sky. What was it?" He asked her with a small amount of curiosity.

Vivi realised that this was it, now was her chance to ask him and on top of that: She had Nami's A-Okay to go with it. "Well, I better say it now otherwise something else might happen…Morgan…This is hard for me to say, though I know that I'll regret it if I don't ." Vivi confessed finally as the words finally left her lips; the dam burst and she began letting it all out.

"Ever since you accepted me on your ship as Nefertari Vivi and not Miss Wednesday, I came to respect you as a pirate captain…But when I saw how you fought for the others and how much you were willing to sacrifice yourself to help Nami, that was when I realised that I didn't JUST respect you…There were times that I worried about you and times that I wanted to be there for you when Nami was sick…Morgan, I like you…Not just as an ally or a friend, I admire you as a Captain, a Fighter and more importantly, I admire you as a man."

Morgan blinked as he wasn't sure if he was actually hearing this or whether he had somehow fallen asleep while digging, though if he was dreaming then he didn't want it to stop; "Y-Yeah?"

Vivi exhaled to breathe before going into her other half of the talk; "As part of the Alabasta Royal Family or more specifically as daughter of the King, I am duty bound and expected to find myself…" She gulped as the entire topic seemed to get her more worked up with the more she focused on it; "A Husband…My father has done his best to find suitors for me for when I eventually become the next Queen." She would explain to him, though the hesitance had her taking it slow.

Morgan wasn't sure where it was headed but it sat somewhere between feeling happy by being optimistic about it but also that small lingering sense of negativity if it went in the other direction. "I…I'm not exactly sure what you're saying…Can you elaborate?"

Vivi braced herself as this last part hinged on Morgan's response; "The men that my father had suggested to me were good men, but they weren't the kind of person that I felt that way about. That's why I wanted to say that I. Like. You, Morgan D. Ford…Ever since I first ventured out to save my kingdom from Crocodile and Baroque Works, aside from…from Igaram, you've been there along with everyone else…I know it's a lot to take in but, I just wanted you to know." Vivi finished as she felt infinitely better now that she got it all off of her chest.

"H-Hold on…You're a princess yet you'd want a guy like me? What about people who've known you longer or people back in Alabasta?" Morgan asked, suddenly nerve wracked by the idea that a princess of all people had suddenly confessed their feelings to him.

"Well, there was one person…he's a childhood friend but I don't think he sees me like that…We're a lot closer to brother and sister more then actual partners…I'll admit it's a lot to process and it was hard for me to admit all of this but I just feel…even you knowing this is a lot better then just keeping it to myself." Vivi admitted as she kept her gaze on him, her emotions were now an open book for him.

"I uh…I already have something going on with Nami…You're a nice person Vivi but I-" Morgan started but the bluenette stopped him when she realised where he was going.

"Nami was actually the person to tell me to come clean with you about all of this…She even said that it wouldn't be a problem if we became a…a thing." Vivi blushed more as she remembered Nami's gentle kiss.

"She did? I'd have thought she'd pop a blood vessel if someone tried to make a move like this." Morgan chuckled a little, more of his worries were lifted off once he heard that Nami was alright with this.

"She actually did say that she was worried I'd do something as Miss Wednesday when we first met but she was glad that I didn't…And I'm glad that I hadn't because otherwise I wouldn't have known the man you are like this." Vivi would smile softly as she returned her head onto his shoulder; "I don't even need to look at him to know that…But even something like this would be enough to let the worry fade for a moment…"

"But what about your father? Or your kingdom, wouldn't they get concerned if they find out you love someone who isn't a royal or a member of high society?" Morgan pointed out with a valid question as he let Vivi relax on him.

"All that my father wants is for me to marry someone that I could be proud of and not regret…The same thing that he said about him and my mother." Vivi answered and then had an almost playful grin; "Plus while I was learning how to govern the country when I discovered an old but still viable law in Alabasta; If a King or Queen has multiple suitors and they are unable to choose between any of them, then a royal decree can allow them to choose to have a multiple person relationship…If you catch my meaning." Vivi winked at him, causing Morgan to go red though it made Vivi blush too with the more she thought about the mental image of her, Morgan and Vivi all together in the same bed.

"That…That's something allowed? I never would've thought something like that would be an option…Honestly I don't even think that I would've made that kind of choice." Morgan confessed as he too had that same mental image.

"Well, originally it was going to be outlawed since previous monarchs had used it as a means to turn respected nobles into concubines and maintain a hold on certain decisions with other kingdoms and countries…But I know that if I talk to my father and explain to him that what I feel for you and for Nami is genuine, he'll be able to allow it." Vivi smiled from this and then pat his hand to reassure him.

"Wait, you said "Me and Nami"…Are you…saying what I think you're saying?" Morgan asked as her sudden slip of the tongue had added more questions onto the pile.

Vivi squeaked a little as she felt embarrassed that she let it out before explaining about the full conversation that she had with Nami prior to this and the fact that she had kissed her to help encourage her.

Morgan was speechless to say the least and honestly a little jealous of Nami. "So…You like me…"

"Yes."

"But you also like Nami too."

"Ye-Well, I think so…She did it out of the blue but…I have had some thoughts about her like that…" Vivi mentioned with a blush.

Morgan was similarly blushing as he looked to Vivi; "Well…I'm not sure how we can make it work but…If Nami says it's alright, then let's see if the three of us can try."

Nami smiled a little as she saw Vivi gesture excitedly but then put her arms around Morgan's neck as the two began to welcome the newly made relationship; "You're welcome Vivi, just remember that we're sharing him. You might be a princess but I saw him first~"

——The Next Morning——

The Straw Hats were making their way through the desert with a container of water strapped around Morgan's neck to tide them over until they reached the Capital. "We're almost there, all we need is just one more stop and we can meet with the Rebel Army to help stop them from going to war against the Palace."

There was a faint glimmer in the distance as the group could see a giant golden crocodile that shimmered in the light to signal their arrival at the gambling town Rainbase; Since Morgan had been holding on to the small container of water, he and Usopp's first stop was to go get water water from where they could.

"It still makes no sense at all…" 

"Captain?" A Woman would ask as her and her superior officer were sat at a bar with drinks, they had finally managed to make it to Rainbase themselves after figuring that the Straw Hat who was supposedly colluding with either the Princess of Alabasta or with Baroque Works would show up next.

"Every pirate that we've gone after has always been tasked to come back dead or alive…Yet this one we have to take in Alive…Why exactly?" Smoker grumbled as he swigged his drink. "Is it the fact that he's linked with Baroque Works? His undetermined rise in status following his escape to the Grand Line?"

"I don't think we can really guess, sir…But maybe we should focus on trying to find out if Baroque Works are really here and if so…What are they planning."

"Excuse me…Can we get some water?" A third and fourth voice asked from next to them, one of them sounding familiar.

Smoker would turn to look at the new voices that had gotten close but froze in a mix of stunned silence and annoyance when he saw Morgan sucking down water from a bottle while Usopp was drinking out of two separate glasses.

Needless to say; both Morgan and Usopp emptied the aqueous contents of their mouths out of shock as they accidentally let their jaws drop but with that realisation, the two grabbed the bottles and ran out of the door; "SHIT!"

"GET BACK HERE, STRAW HAT!" Smoker yelled and ran after them. "Tashigi! Round up the men, if they run into the city then we'll lose them!"

Tashigi nodded and ran off in the opposite direction.

——Meanwhile——

"How long is it going to take for those two to get water?" Sanji grumbled as he along with the others sat under the shade of the lush palm trees; "You'd think that getting water in a place like this would be easy."

"They ran off before we could get off the camel…I don't doubt they'll come empty handed." Nami admitted as she noticed that Vivi was in higher spirits then before and smiled that little extra.

Though this wasn't about to last long as the roar of voices began to grow, then shades of blue and white began pouring out in all sorts of directions.

"MARINES?!" Their collective thought was before they ran off towards the center of the city.

"Please tell me this wasn't because Morgan did something!" Sanji yelled out as he kicked away a Marine that was getting closer.

"Even for Morgan, this wouldn't happen that fast! Split up, we'll meet at Rain Dinners...That big casino in the middle of town!" Nami yelled back as she and Usopp dipped into an alleyway, Zoro and Vivi went through a bazaar while Sanji and Chopper both kept going forward.

"The hell is Smoker and that Sword Woman doing here?!" Morgan ducked under another swing from Smoker's jitte. "He can't just be here for me, can he?"

"I know you're not that narcissistic to think that so beats me!" Usopp admitted as he then fired his slingshot towards a hanging crate of fruit; "Lead Star!" He cried out as the crate fell; stopping the Marines but Smoker used his Fruit powers to float over it.

"You forgot he could do th-"

"A LOT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, OF COURSE I DID!" Usopp yelled as they skidded around the corner and ended up bumping into everyone else bar Sanji and Chopper.

"EVERYONE IN NOW!" Morgan yelled as they headed in; practically deafened by the jingles, coins falling and the collective yells of victory and defeat that came with a casino.

"This is Crocodile's base?" Nami thought as she looked around; besides the tempting idea of getting her money flow going, she couldn't see anything that would seem out of place...Except for one person.

"HEY! CROCODILE! Get your scaly ass out here so I can kick it!" Morgan yelled out boisterously as he had no filter in regards to this kind of setting.

Though the yelling and searching was interrupted as Smoker jumped in after them; "GET BACK HERE, STRAW HAT! YOUR ASS IS MINE!" He yelled out as he chased the quartet through the winding halls of the casino.

"Straw Hat! Come this way, please!" One snooty looking suit would hold the door open for the group with the words "VIP" over the archway; "Owner's request: He wants to see you all."

Morgan was the first to run through seeing as Crocodile wanted to meet, his brain didn't quite match his logic, followed by Zoro and Nami who tried to grab him with Vivi and Usopp taking up the rear into what looked like an empty room.

The empty room then started to fill with gas and slowly knock out each one with Smoker and Morgan being the last ones to drop, "Kick...Your...Ass..." Was Morgan's last word before he fell unconscious.