To Alubarna

Hello grand readers! We're passing the halfway mark of 2024, am I the only one who feels like their resolutions are mocking them right now? Well let's escape all that, pull up some chapters and get comfy.

There is also new version of one of my olders stories I had lost touch with once upon a time, but I've been inspired once again to bring this back. So if you like Avatar the Last Airbender, you're in luck, it's now officially started public posting.

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As Sakura surveyed the dire situation unfolding before her. There was water breaking through the floors, and rising rapidly, threatening to inundate the room. The banana gators were gathering at the entrance, blocking any chance of escape, waiting for the potential meal that was them. Their only hope of escape lay in the belly of one of these massive creatures, but with no way of knowing which banana gator had swallowed the key, their chances seemed slim at best.

And all the while Crocodile was enjoying their plight as live entertainment.

Sakura racked her brain for a plan, her eyes scanning the room for any possible means of escape. But with each passing moment, the situation grew more desperate. They needed a miracle, and they needed it fast.

Crocodile and Miss All Sunday began to make their way out when the den den mushi went off and the room went silent.

"Hello again, this is the shitty restaurant," That voice ignited some hope for the straw hats as they recognized it as Sanji's voice. Of course, he and Chopper were still out there, and it seemed like he managed to get a hold of one of Baroque works transponder snails. 

"Who the hell are you?" asked Crocodile. The warlord recognized this voice as the one who had answered the snail back in Little Garden. He concluded that more straw hats weren't accounted for. Crocodile figured that much out when Mr.3 came back from Little Garden and confessed to never using the transponder snail.

That had set Crocodile in a bad way, and his former subordinate paid for it, by being fed to his bananagator.

"Call me Mr Prince,"

"Well, Mr Prince where are you right now?"

"I can't tell you that if I did you'd kill me. Unlike you Mr. 0 I'm not stupid enough to give away valuable information,"

For a moment it looked like the tables were turned until they heard a screaming coming from Sanji's end.

"Help, Help!" The snail continued to transmit distress, and a new voice, unfamiliar and unsettling, took over. "Hello? We've apprehended a weird male attacker."

The crew's collective worry skyrocketed.

"Did Sanji just get caught?"

"No way," Sakura breathed, her eyes trembling.

"Where are you right now?" Crocodile demanded.

"Right outside of Rain Diners."

Panic ensued. "That idiot, if he's dead, I'm going to kill him!" Zoro exclaimed.

"Sanji!"

"Panic, Panic!"

"Our last hope…." Nami held her hands together.

Crocodile laughed heavily before he strutted away, Vivi took this chance to try and escape to the broken staircase. But he wasn't having it, pulling her back down with his hook and sending her crashing.

"VIVI!"

 "If you love your friends that much, you can all die here together," Crocodile laughed, turning his back away from the mess made and the agonizing situation that brought him such delight.

Vivi's heart pounded with a beat that reached her ears, in her chest as she struggled to remain conscious, her head spinning from the impact. The chaos around her amplified, the rising water levels and the menacing presence of the bananagator waiting for their meal.

"Vivi move!" The urgency in Luffy's voice snapped the princess to attention, as a bananagator descended his jaws. Vivi pushed herself up, narrowly dodging the deadly jaws. She scrambled to her feet, her mind racing as she assessed the dire situation. The water continued to rise, ready to welcome them all to a watery grave.

Summoning every ounce of strength she had left, Vivi managed to climb onto the back of the bananagator, using its thrashing movements to propel herself towards the broken staircase leading outside.

"Please just hang on, I'm going to get help!" Vivi rushed out with their last ray of hope.

Although Sakura wanted to be an optimist, their situation was dire enough for to see the cracks in their idea of escaping. This would be a last-straw effort to turn their situation around. And it was ticking away with the water that trickled to her knees.

Already feeling faint, she wondered if she would ever be able to enjoy a bath again with the effects of this devil fruit power.

"At this rate, we're going to be sunk in before she gets help," Zoro remarked grimly, his voice tinged with frustration. His hand was on one of his sword hilts.

"Dammit, if only my swordsmanship was better, I could cut us out of here."

Sakura's voice was strained with disappointment. "This sea prism stone is too strong. I can't even break through,"

Nami's brows furrowed in worry. "And we don't know what's going on with Sanji and Chopper either."

If Vivi was going to get help, they were her best bet, no one else could be trusted, even though Vivi was the princess of this country was now a dangerous title to hold with the weight of the citizen's opinion and faith shifting from its monarch. And in susiquence, Vivi's.

Smoker, who had remained silent throughout the chaos, finally spoke up, his voice cutting through the tension. "Strawhat, what exactly is Crocodile after?"

Sakura balked at the question, "How is that relevant right now?"

"The woman that Crocodile was with," Smoker continued, "the World Government put a price on her head 20 years ago. About 70 million berries."

"70 Million!" Nami and Usopp exclaimed. That was nearly as much as Crocodile.

Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion. "What does his partner have to do with anything?"

"With both of them involved, this is more than just a coup," Smoker explained, his voice grave. "If they aren't stopped, this could turn into something the whole world gets dragged into."

"I don't care! I'm still going to kick Crocodile's ass!" Luffy declared, his resolve unyielding despite the peril they faced, and the news of having something much longer at stake. Instead of stressing the details, Luffy's mind was on one track, and his friends could see that. Hence, it was pointless to press the marine captain for more information.

"How are you going to do that when the water's already at your waist?" Smoker retorted. He was still dry, from sitting on the bench but soon, he was going to be touching what he considered to be his only weakness as a devil fruit user.

Soon Luffy was slouching, as the water weakened him, while Sakura went to the bench to stand, as she felt her body becoming lax and uncooperative. It didn't matter if she could stand on the water, eventually, the entire room was going to fill, engulfing the cage, and she like everyone else trapped, would have no option but to drown.

A few minutes passed, and finally, their calls were answered. A commotion erupted in the room, as the Bananagator guarding the cage was sent flying into the air. Relief washed over the captive group as they realized it was Sanji standing beneath the beast he had kicked into the air.

Vivi's silhouette appeared atop the broken staircase. "Don't worry guys, we're here!"

"Nice! Get us out of here, Sanji!" Luffy cheered.

The room began to fill with more Bananagators, their primal growls reverberating off the walls. Yet, Sanji remained undeterred, as he prepared to face the approaching threats. He would be able to take down these gators with no problem, but there was another obstacle to their escape.

"We don't know which one swallowed the key,"

"Tell your friend to go after the third one to enter the room," said Smoker.

Luffy asked, how Smoker could even tell that Gator was the one who swallowed it. They all looked the same, with yellow scales and banana placed in the same position on their heads. There were no real distinctions.

"The third one has the exact same growl as the one who swallowed the key,"

Following Smoker's instructions, Sanji targeted the designated Bananagator and launched a swift attack. The creature spat out the key, accompanied by an unexpected surprise—a round, egg-like item that cracked open to reveal none other than Mr. 3.

"I'm alive!" Mr. 3 exclaimed, his voice tinged with relief and disbelief. His body looked crumpled paper, with his skin like dried-out wood. He immediately went to take in gulps of the water around him, in an instant returning his skin to its former state. The bones that were protruding against his skin, vanished into his flesh that puffed up to its healthy form.

"What was he doing in there?" Sakura wondered aloud, her brows furrowing in confusion.

Unbeknownst to them, Crocodile had been the one to sentence Mr. 3 to his apparent demise after discovering his failure at Little Garden.

Finally, Mr. 3 noticed the pirates in the cage, "Strawhat! What are you doing here!?"

"Give us the key!" the pirates demanded in unison, their voices reverberating with urgency.

With a sly grin, Mr. 3 held up the key, fully aware of the precarious situation. "Oh, you want this?" he taunted, teasingly dangling the key before them.

Sanji's warning was clear as he approached. "I'm warning you, hand over the key."

But Mr. 3 had other plans. With a mischievous gleam in his eyes, he threw the key high into the air, where it landed with a splash in the rising waters below. Panic surged through the group as they realized their chance of escape was slipping away with each passing moment.

"Fetch,"

"You bastard!" Sanji's anger boiled over, and his fists clenched in frustration. He was ready to kick in some teeth when one of his friends called on him.

"Sanji, wait!" Ussop exclaimed. "I think it might be possible for Mr. 3 to duplicate the key using his devil fruit!"

All eyes turned to Usopp, then to Mr. 3, who stood stunned by the revelation. It took little effort on Sanji's part to force Mr. 3 to create a duplicate key which finally opened the sea prism stone cage.

In a gesture of mercy, Sanji refrained from delivering a final blow to Mr. 3, opting instead to render him unconscious.

But their troubles were far from over, as no one was able to make it to the exit to escape the water. The pressure had built, cracking all of the windows and causing an instant flood.

..

..

..

As Sakura's consciousness gradually returned, she was met with a cacophony of voices and blurred figures hovering over her. "She's not waking up!" someone exclaimed, their words muffled and distorted.

"I'll give her mouth to mouth—" another voice began, but Sakura's senses jolted back to life before they could proceed.

"Oi, wake up, idiot!" someone else chimed in.

Right, Sakura reminded herself that she was now cursed by the sea and could no longer function underwater. The sensation wasn't something she thought she could ever become used to, it was far from comfortable. It felt as if the water was trying to smother and choke her, a being filled with malice towards her existence.

With a groan, Sakura's eyes fluttered open, and she found herself lying on solid ground at the edge of a ravine. Despite the soaking wet clothes and the disorientation, she felt a surge of relief having escaped the water, somehow.

Sakura spotted her friends and Smoker, all drenched but thankfully safe. Smoker's displeasure was palpable as he glared at Zoro, who stood defiantly before him. When Smoker demanded an explanation for their rescue, Zoro simply shrugged, attributing their actions to Luffy's orders.

"It's not like I wanted to save you, I was just following my captain's orders,"

Before Luffy could be taken by the water, he instructed Zoro to save Smoker and bring him back to the surface. Sanji had taken hold of Luffy and Sakura, and Nami and Vivi had to get Usopp who was knocked out by the rubble that flooded in with the water.

"So you have no complaints if I arrest you right now?" Smoker said, taking hold of his weapon.

"I knew we should have saved him!" exclaimed Sanji.

Luffy tensed, ready to defend his crewmate, but Smoker's sigh cut through the tension. "Go. Just this once I'll look the other way. The next time we meet, consider your life forfeit, Straw Hat Luffy," he warned his words carrying a weighty threat.

With the looming presence of approaching marines, the group wasted no time in heeding Smoker's implicit warning. They turned and fled, their footsteps echoing against the rocky terrain as they vanished into the distance.

..

..

..

"What about Chopper?" Sakura asked. They haven't seen the reindeer since he lured Crocodile out of Raindinners. Sanji had devised a clever plan to distract Crocodile, utilizing Chopper's ability to transform and evade the warlord's pursuit. Chopper had taken on his larger form and led Crocodile on a wild goose chase, allowing the rest of the crew to escape. But now, they needed to regroup.

"He should be able to smell my perfume," Nami said.

"Guys, we're not gonna run all the way to Alubarna are we?" Usopp asked. They weren't exactly prepared for this altercation, and there was no way they could make it across the desert on foot in time.

"Could we find some horses?"

"The marines are swarming!"

As they made a hasty retreat heading towards the outskirts of Rainbase and back towards the desert, their eyes fell upon a heartening sight. There, waiting for them, was Chopper, accompanied by Eyelash. But what caught their attention even more was the sight of the duo sitting atop the back of a giant crab.

..

..

..

"Chopper, you're a lifesaver," Sakura exclaimed. They were all settled on the back of the crab, which was a friend of Lashes. Because of Chopper, they were now able to travel through the desert at a brisk pace without wearing themselves out.

The little reindeer, danced in response, his bashful demeanor shining through as he soaked in the praise in his unique manner. "Ah shut up! You're not gonna fool me!"

Sakura poked at Chopper's cheeks in response, grinning.

They were already far enough to see the silhouette of Rainbase in the distance, as it grew smaller, it was like a blanket of calm was placed over them. And perhaps due to all the tumultuous events pilled into that single day, their senses finally began to dull, and their guards lowered. Wanting to allow them to take their brief journey to relax before the next upcoming turmoil. Their attention was momentarily diverted by the promising turn of events. Little did they know, danger lurked just beyond the horizon.

Suddenly, without warning, a golden hook emerged from the swirling sands, snaking its way towards them with alarming speed. Before anyone could react, it struck, wrapping around Vivi and yanking her away from the safety of their ride.

"VIVI!"

"Chopper stop!"

 Chopper pulled in the crab's reigns and bring to a halt, as Vivi was pulled away from them.

As the sands settled, revealing the sinister figure behind the attack, they realized their hope of a peaceful journey was not happening.

Crocodile was not pleased when he returned to the remains of the underground base, only to find all of his bananagators floating on their backs, Mr. 3 out of the gator's belly, and the sea prism stone cage wide open. Their destination was set, however, and it didn't take long for him to catch up, after hearing the commotion of the marines.

As the princess grew closer to the warlord, Luffy's instincts kicked in to act. He lunged forward stretching his rubber arms out to snatch Vivi from Crocodile's clutches. When he reached her, Luffy took Vivi and tossed her back to his crew. But Luffy didn't let go of Crocodile's hook. Instead, he held firm.

Meanwhile, Sakura sensed the imminent clash and knew she couldn't stand idly by. Ignoring her friend's calls, she leaped from the back of the giant sand crab, propelling herself through the air until she reached Luffy.

"Sakura, what are you doing!?" Luffy exclaimed.

"I'm not letting you face them alone!"

"But I wanna kick his ass!"

"He turns into sand, it's not going to be that easy!" Sakura knew enough of Luffy's fighting to understand it was very direct, much like him. She didn't know how Luffy's thought process worked in combat, but they needed to find Crocodile's weakness if they had any hope of defeating a man made of sand.

'And we're in the dessert on top of this,'

The rest of the crew wanted to jump in and assist as well, but Luffy ordered them to keep going.

"You guys go on ahead!" Luffy told them, with a smile, "Make sure you get Vivi to Alubarna,"

"We can't just leave Sakura Chan to fight that guy!" exclaimed Sanji.

 Usopp bulked, "How about our captain?"

Zoro gritted his teeth, turning to Chopper, "Get this crab moving Chopper!"

"R-Right!"

"What! Zoro!" Nami exclaimed.

"Luffy gave us the order!" Zoro stated. "Those two can handle themselves,"

They were going to have to trust in them, is what he was really trying to say. Vivi wasn't convinced about leaving behind her friends though.

"But what if they,"

 "The moment the rebel army started moving, there was a time limit set on this country. Once the royal army and rebel army meet, everything will be over." Zoro stated, "If you want to prevent that, then you have to survive. No matter what happens to any of us here from now on,"

Vivi looked out in the distance as Sakura and Luffy's silhouettes became smaller. "We'll be waiting for you in Alurbana!"

"Yeah!"

Crocodile didn't bother going after the rest of the straw hats, and neither did 'Miss All Sunday'. It didn't matter since there would be agents in Alubarna as well, all they had to do was contact them to be on the lookout for the pirates and the princess.

Nevertheless, it didn't help quell the irritation Crocodile felt. When he tied up loose ends, he never expected anyone to cut the knot.

"You've taken your nonsense a little too far Straw Hat,"

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!

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