Chapter XXX: Three Front Formation

1 PM, outskirts of Alubarna

The sound of innumerable hooves simultaneously hitting the desert ground could be heard as the rebel army rode towards Alubarna on horseback, led by the man known to the rebel army as Kohza, the head of the rebellion. The previous day, their decision to invade the capital had practically been made for them. When Kohza had gone on a mission to gather supplies, along with the second in command, Kebi, the rest of the rebel army had not known what to think. After all, why would he take the responsibility for such a task himself? He would be easily recognizable and ultimately prone to fall into the clutches of the hostile king. It was almost too predictable when he had disappeared that day. The rebellion's fears had been realized.

But miraculously, Kohza returned that same night...only, without Kebi. He was surprisingly calm when he explained that they had been ambushed by the royal army. In a sudden act of aggression, they assaulted both him and his second in command. According to him, he had barely escaped with his life.

Kebi had not escaped at all.

This information had quickly galvanized the rest of the rebels, to the point where, upon being led to a rather large vault in Nanohana which was filled with a myriad of weapons, they didn't even think to question it. They counted themselves lucky that Kohza's mission had at least been successful. Now, they rode into the kingdom's capital with firm resolve. Today, the royal army would fall, and the corrupt king would be dethroned.

Or so they say.

"Kohza-san, unidentified individual, 12 o'clock!"

"Is that a royal army soldier? Why would he come alone?"

"He's not in uniform. Is he even an enemy?"

"Kohza" ignored the murmuring of the rebel soldiers and squinted at the figure in the distance, frowning. The man looked familiar, but he couldn't remember whether he'd really seen him before. From this distance he was hard to make out, and it didn't help that his face was shrouded by the straw hat atop his head.

Before he could even think about what was wrong with this image, let alone figure it out, something strange happened. He suddenly felt his horse veer off course. He tried to gain control over it, but it ignored his commands as if possessed. For a split second he thought of jumping off to avoid getting trampled, but a quick look back at the rest of the troops revealed that they were having the exact same problem.

The sight of thousands of soldiers struggling and failing to regain their bearings may be comical to him at any other time. Unfortunately, right now, his mission was to lead them into Alubarna. And this complicated things. Was was happening? The horses seemed to be dispersing, spreading out thinly and coming to a stop. It was as if they were all having the same exact thought. It almost looked like a planned maneuver, however ridiculous that sounded. Of course, another explanation was that they were possessed. In seconds, they had all come to a stop and started looking in the same direction...towards Alubarna.

Mr. 2's eyes suddenly widened comically as he slowly turned around and saw the same man he had seen before standing right in front of him. His face was still obscured by that damn straw hat. Who did this guy think he was, acting all badass while wearing a straw hat of all things? He was acting like he just did something completely awesome, like…

Like stop an army.

Suddenly, he felt a wave of power wash over the area. That was the only way he could describe it. It was as if the desert air had suddenly been filled with an aura of raw strength, strength that was not to be trifled with. He felt his hair stand on end, and was slightly horrified to note that thousands of rebel soldiers behind him were falling off their halted horses, completely unconscious.

He started sweating, not just from the awe inspiring sight, but also from an unexplainable urge to get the hell away from this guy. Nevertheless, he stood his ground.

"Hey, hey! Who the hell do you think you are, you straw hat bastard!? Can't you see I'm trying to lead armies into civil wars here? Stop joking around!" he yelled at the man, pointing at him in accusation and slipping back into his normal persona. The man finally lifted his head, revealing his eyes, and Mr. 2 felt that much more intimidated, for reasons he still couldn't discern.

"You don't know who I am?" the man asked in a low tone, before grinning. "What's wrong? Is Crocodile lacking intel?" Mr. 2's eyes widened again. This guy not only knew who we was, but also who he was working for. There was a moment of silence, then…

"Stooop joooking arooouund! Who are you!?"

"You already know who I am," the man said quietly, face expressionless. "They call me…" he paused.

Mr. 2 leaned forward, full attention on the one who claimed to know him.

"...straw hat bastard," he finished.

Mr. 2 face faulted, horrified by the complete waste of buildup. He quickly got up and growled.

"I thought I told you...to stop joking around!" he shouted as he attempted a jump kick on the stranger, who moved his head out of the way with practiced ease.

"But I'm not joking! Everyone calls me that! It's soooo annoying!" he complained. Faced with the drastic change in demeanor, Mr. 2's jaw dropped. This guy just went from intimidating, to mocking, to whiny in less than 30 seconds.

Suddenly, Mr. 2 remembered where he'd seen the man's face before. It was on a bounty poster, of a wanted pirate whose head was worth almost as much as Mr. 1's. That pirate just happened to be the same guy who had thrown a wrench into Mr. 0's plans.

"You're...Strawhat Luffy," he gasped.

Luffy cocked his head to the side. "Took you long enough," he said.

Mr. 2 got into a defensive stance. "How'd you know it was me?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

"I know a lot of things," Luffy said, smirking.

Mr. 2 matched his smirk challengingly. "Oh? Then I guess I'll just have to kill you."

Luffy hummed in thought. "Or you could betray Crocodile."

Mr. 2 raised an eyebrow. "And why would I do that?" he asked suspiciously.

"...I'll be your friend," Luffy offered.

Mr. 2 froze. So that's it? A promise of friendship extended to an enemy? He found himself getting slightly emotional despite himself.

"Actually," Luffy continued, "I'm not really sure why you joined Baroque Works in the first place. But hey, I guess everyone's gotta put meat on the table."

Rather than correcting the misspoken idiom, Mr. 2 focused on the first part. Well, he had a point. Joining Baroque Works had been a spur of the moment decision for him. To be honest, he only did it because he was bored and being a secret agent sounded cool at the time.

"Interesting proposition," he said after a moment. "But I won't be swayed by a few choice words! Once an okama has chosen his allegiance, he won't defect so easily!"

Luffy hummed in thought. "Ok, then, how about this? We fight it out. If you win, you can steal my identity and use it against my crew. If I win, you have to help us fight Baroque Works. I'm going to kick Croc's ass anyway."

Mr. 2's brow furrowed. "That's a win-win the way I see it," he admitted. "I'd sure like to kick that Mr. 1's ass. But what makes you think I'll uphold my end of the deal?"

"Because we're friends."

Mr. 2's jaw dropped. Such trust in someone he just met. I would shame myself as an okama if I didn't match his resolve! "Fine, Strawhat! I accept your challenge!" he shouted as he charged at the grinning pirate.

2 PM, Rainbase

"Hey bomb guy," Kebi said, quite nonchalantly considering the situation at hand, "Haven't you learned yet that that's useless? The noise is starting to hurt my ears."

Mr. 5 ceased his continuous battering of the cage bars to glare at the one questioning him.

"Would you happen to have a better idea?" Miss Valentine asked in an annoyed tone. She was constantly keeping pressure on the wound in her abdomen, with limited success. Luckily it wasn't fatal, but that didn't mean she could brush it off.

"If I did, far be it from me to keep it to myself," Kebi retorted, rubbing his mildly concussed head. That crossdresser really kicked hard.

"He's right, Mr. 5," came the voice of Miss Goldenweek. "There's a reason why Crocodile left you and Miss Valentine without cuffs. It's because he was confident you couldn't escape from this seastone cage. The only one who could really get us out of here is Mr. 3. The only reason I'm cuffed myself is because Mr. 0 probably didn't know the full range of my abilities. Even if you were fully healed and had more room to use your power, you wouldn't make a dent. As it stands, you're just aggravating your own wound and risking blowing us all up.

Mr. 5 grunted. "So are we just supposed to stand here and wait for our deaths?" he asked.

"No, but possibly making the water flow in faster isn't the solution," she reasoned.

Miss Valentine gulped as she took note of the rising water level in the room. If it kept going on like this, they would drown within minutes. She looked toward Mr. 3. He was usually the one who calmly analyzed the situation and came up with a plan, but he looked just as hopeless as the rest of them, and ever more despondent. There wasn't much he could do with those handcuffs on him. It quite simply seemed like there was no way out of this cage. And even if they did somehow get out, the room was crawling with Bananadiles.

"There is something we could try," Mr. 3 said suddenly, though his voice was subdued. They all looked at him questioningly, even Kohza, who hadn't spoken a word since regaining consciousness. Mr. 3 gestured toward the giant crocodiles outside the cage. "Bananadiles are said to be able to chew through iron. Maybe if we can provoke one-"

"Hey! Get over here you goddamn banana!" Mr. 5 started shouting. "Make yourself useful, you stupid reptile growing out of a phallic shaped fruit!"

The others didn't bother to correct him, opting to watch in anticipation as one of the bananadiles trudged forward toward the cage, glaring at Mr. 5, opened its jaws…

And broke all its teeth trying to bite the cage. Their high hopes plummeting, the former Baroque Works agents and rebel army leaders slumped back in defeat.

"We're all going to die aren't we?" Miss Valentine bemoaned. As the water continued to flow into the room, Kohza looked down and gritted his teeth.

"I've failed our country. Vivi, I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted!"

They all looked toward the source of the sound, startled. The voice had come from outside the cage. They were shocked to see the Alabastian heir wading through the water towards them. She wore a relieved smile.

"Kohza, Kebi, you're both ok! I'm so glad," she said.

"Vivi! How did you find us?" Kebi asked in amazement as Kohza simply stared, as if doubting his own eyes. The agents all gaped at the sight of their former enemy.

"Well, I had some help," she admitted, just as another figure came around the cage and appeared next to her.

Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine stiffened. "Ro-Roronoa!?" the latter questioned, rubbing the ghost of her scar from Whiskey Peak.

"What are you doing here?" Mr. 5 growled.

Zoro shrugged in apathy. "Saving your lives, evidently."

"You should save the smartass remarks for after you've found a way to open the cage," Mr. 3 drawled.

Zoro responded by unstrapping one sheathed sword. "I'm not that good at cutting seastone at this point," he admitted. "But I think I can manage. Wax guy, I need you to come closer to the bars."

Mr. 3 blinked, but figured that he didn't have time to doubt any plan they proposed, and stepped forward. Zoro stepped back and gripped his sheathe as if he were about to draw the blade as Mr. 3 started to catch on. If he was skeptical, he didn't show it. If he was worried about getting his hands cut off, he didn't voice it. Something had changed within him since the encounter with the higher ups of Baroque Works, something that hadn't gone unnoticed by his partner and the 5 pair.

"Hey, are you crazy!?" Mr. 5 shouted. "What are you trying to do, amputate him!?" Miss Valentine and Miss Goldenweek looked a bit worried as well, but Zoro ignored them all as he committed his full focus to his target. My technique will have to evolve. Faster, harder, sharper.

"For the lion to sharpen its fangs, it must first embrace its nature...the reaping of the dead. It's roar is the prelude to carnage. To its prey, its song is a chilling death chant."

Miss Valentine groaned. "What the hell is this dumbass talking abou-"

"One sword style...Lion's Elegy!" The swordsman drew his blade and sheathed it in one fluid motion. The former agents and rebels watched in awe as the cuffs on Mr. 3's wrists split cleanly down the middle and fell to the floor with a clang. The wax man raised his wrists and stared at them in shock. He hadn't felt a thing. He looked back to Zoro, who was panting slightly.

"Make a key and open the cage," the swordsman instructed.

"R-right," Mr. 3 said dumbly, before forming a small rod with his powers and inserting it into the cage's lock. The wax morphed to fit the mechanism, and the lock clicked open. Zoro proceeded to open the door, and they all filed out of the cage just as Mr. 3's strength started to be drained once again by the rising water.

"Great, now how do we get out of here? There are four devil fruit users!" Mr. 5 lamented as he struggled to stay above the surface.

"Three sword style...Rising Whirlwind!" The bomb man's question was answered as they were all engulfed in a strong wind that blew the surrounding water away. One might have assumed their plan was to clear a path through the water, had the whirlwind not proceeded to carry them up towards the ceiling, which was quickly cut open by the talented swordsman. Soon, the four agents, the two rebels, and the two Strawhats were making their way out of Rain Diners, ignoring the gobsmacked expressions of the gamblers who had been witnesses to the event.

3 PM, outskirts of Alubarna

The Baroque Works officer agents that had not defected from the organization felt the temperature of the desert air fall drastically as their boss took in the scene before them. Thousands, thousands of rebel soldiers were unconscious on the ground, as if they had all been the victims of some type of chemical warfare. But from the looks of it, they were all alive. It was a frightening scene to behold, but not as frightening as the expression on Sir Crocodile's face.

"What could have done this?" Miss All Sunday wondered aloud, voicing the thoughts of the other four agents.

"The question is not what," Crocodile said, more to himself than to anyone else. "It's who."

Miss All Sunday's eyes widened. "You think the Strawhats…?" But Crocodile payed her question no mind, lost in his own thoughts.

It couldn't have been Strawhat. A man worth 45 million, in this part of the Grand Line, an awakened conqueror? Preposterous! But then who?

"This would mean that the rest of the rebel army has lost contact with the vanguard," Miss All Sunday analyzed. "The next logical step would be to have them send more, but Mr. 2 is nowhere to be found. Without him, a large part of our plan is compromised."

"Thanks for the status report," Crocodile growled. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

She wisely held her tongue.

"You four," he said, motioning to the 1 and 4 pairs, "Find Mr. 2 by whatever means necessary. If you see any Strawhats along the way, I want you to disembowel them." Mr. 1 smirked, satisfied with the choice of words. "Miss All Sunday, you come with me. We're going to extract the king and question him about the object of our search.

"Hey, Tashigi."

The marine swordsman looked up at the one who had addressed her in question. "What is it, Smoker-san?" She didn't want to comment on the fact that there had still been no sign of the Strawhats. It seemed to be their style to cause a ruckus, so the fact that everything seemed normal probably meant that Smoker's hunch had been incorrect.

"Do you find something weird about the state of this town?" Smoker asked. Tashigi looked around, wondering what he meant. After a moment, she turned back to him and shook her head. "Logically, there should be a large concentration of royal soldiers stationed around Alubarna," the smoke man elaborated. "Alabasta is in the midst of a civil war, so the rebels could attack anytime. But there are no troops anywhere. It's almost as if the king isn't expecting an attack or isn't planning to fight back. Either assumption demands an explanation."

Tashigi nodded slowly, catching on. "So you think there is more going on…?" she asked uncertainly.

"I think there's something that we're not seeing," Smoker confirmed. He was silent for a moment. "I think we should take a trip to the royal palace," he said finally.

Tashigi smiled lightly. "Is this another one of your hunches?"

Smoker just grunted.

"Two of them are coming," Luffy noted.

Nami looked worried. "Which ones?"

"The Mr. 0 pair," he said calmly, causing Usopp's eyes to widen.

"W-what!? Crocodile and Miss All Sunday are coming here? Why!?"

"He's after this country's throne. So I'd imagine they're coming for the king," Luffy said. "It'll be bad to fight in the palace, so I'll go meet them outside when they arrive." The others looked concerned but nodded.

"What about the other agents, Luffy?" Sanji asked.

Luffy's brow furrowed in concentration. "They've split up. They're probably looking for you," he said, turning to Mr. 2, who had introduced himself to the crew as Bentham.

Said okama hummed in thought, absently rubbing the rather large bump on his head. Did he have a concussion? Karma really was a bitch. "Those guys know they won't be able to find me if I don't want to be found, especially since they know about my ability. That means they think I'm still on their side, and that I've most likely been captured. If they don't find me soon, they'll most likely come here, even if it's just to report to Mr. 0."

"Well, we can't have that!" Luffy said jovially. "So you guys will just have to take them on," he said, turning to the rest of the crew. "Luckily, our new friend had all their faces memorized and was able to show us. Sanji, bring Bentham with you and take out the blade guy."

Sanji grinned confidently. "Sure thing, Captain."

"Nami, you take out the spiky lady," Luffy continued. Nami raised an eyebrow.

"Tall woman, blue curly hair, walks weird," Bentham supplied. "She'll be close to Mr. 1, so I can help you find her."

Nami nodded, albeit a little nervously, and twirled her new weapon in her hand.

"Usopp, Chopper, Seal, you guys take out the slow guy..."

"Big blonde dude with a giant bat."

"...and the mole lady."

"Short old woman, red hair, talks weird."

Seal let out a squeal of excitement. Usopp and Chopper were not so confident. Chopper was nervous about his first real fight as a member of the Strawhats, while Usopp legs were shaking, but he nevertheless tried to hide his conspicuous fear.

"Just leave it to the great Captain Usopp!"

Maybe I can just take the mole lady.

"Alright men! Move out!" Luffy shouted.

"Right!"

As the 4 pair continued their fruitless search for Mr. 2, Miss Merry Christmas grew increasingly annoyed. "This's ridiculous! How har' canit be to fin' a man dress' as a ballerina!?"

"Heeeeeee coooouuuuld beeeeeeee diiiiiiiis-"

"What in tarnation ar' ya tryin'a say 4? Spit i' out already, ya idiot!"

"-diiiiiiisguuiiiiised," Mr. 4 finished. Miss Merry Christmas thought for a moment.

"Disguised? Ya think he's hidin' from us?" she asked. Mr. 4 shrugged, which took a total of 5 seconds. "Stop bein' so slow at everythin' idiot!"

"Certain death! Paralysis star!"

Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas both felt a stinging sensation in their backs, and reflexively yanked out the objects that had penetrated their skin from behind, although Mr. 4 took noticeably longer to do so.

"What the hell? Needles?"

"Paralytic agents," Chopper supplied. "Those needles are coated in a drug that will weaken your muscles temporarily."

"Why the hell is this reindeer talkin' t' us?" Despite her disbelief, she could already start to feel the effects on her body, and had to morph into her hybrid zoan form to help stave them off. She noted that Mr. 4 was still able to move due to his sheer muscle mass.

"Give up now!" Usopp shouted in what he hoped was an intimidating tone of voice, despite his still shaking legs. "Or else my 8 million followers will come and kick your asses!"

"This isn't getting us anywhere Mr. 1. If he wanted to be found, we'd have found him by now," Miss Doublefinger reasoned as they walked down a deserted road.

"It's as I thought," Mr. 1 said. His partner looked at him questioningly. "He hasn't been captured. He's defected. As much as I hate to admit it, he's not pathetic enough to be captured by the enemy while in disguise. To begin with, there's no one that knows about his power other than us. We have to assume that this was his plan."

"But why would he desert the organization? What's his motive?" Miss Doublefinger asked.

"Hell if I know."

"Hey, you two!" a voice shouted from behind them. They were instantly on guard, but relaxed when they saw the man in a royal army uniform. "It's dangerous here! There are rumors that the rebel army is going to invade! You should get back to your homes," the man continued as he walked up to them." Miss Doublefinger couldn't' help but raise an amused eyebrow.

"Don't worry about us," Mr. 1 said emotionlessly. "We're not civilians."

"Oh?" the soldier asked, his mouth contorting into a familiar looking grin that instantly put Mr. 1 on guard. "Well that works out perfectly. Because neither am I!" Mr. 1 had just enough time to turn his body into steel as the "soldier's" leg impacted with the side of his face. He was sent crashing into the side of a nearby building. Miss Doublefinger jumped back in shock, but her face morphed into a scowl as she saw a familiar face covered in makeup.

"Got ya!" Bentham exclaimed as he lowered his hand from his face. Behind him, a blond haired man in a suit and tie walked out of an alleyway wordlessly.

"Mr. 2. So you did betray us," Miss Doublefinger said, eyes narrowed.

"The name's Bentham now, honey. Feel free to wear it out." Miss Doublefinger wasted no time and charged at the shapeshifter, spiked fingers ready to impale, but she was suddenly sent rocketing back by what felt like an incredibly strong wind.

"Air Pressure Tempo!" Miss Doublefinger looked around, searching for the source of the disembodied voice, to no avail. What was going on?

From the broken wall of the nearby building, Mr. 1 climbed out of the wreckage, exuding a frigid rage.

"I've been waiting for this, you scum. Now, what's your favorite internal organ?"

"That would be your heart, shithead," Bentham said mockingly.

Mr. 1 let out an enraged roar and charged at him.

"I've been waiting for you, Croc."

Crocodile narrowed his eyes. "You're...Strawhat Luffy."

"Oh, so you know me. That makes things easier. Why don't we skip the formalities and get right to the part where I kick your ass around the block?"

Crocodile let out a low growl as Miss All Sunday giggled beside him.

"You're in over your head Strawhat. I've buried hundreds of rookies like you. You're about to learn how out of your depth you are."

"Nice speech," Luffy drawled. "Is that what Whitebeard told you?"

Crocodiles vein was clearly visible over his forehead as he sent a large wave of sand in Luffy's direction. The rubber man jumped over it and landed smoothly.

"I'm going to enjoy impaling you, fool."

"Are you sure I'm the fool here?" Luffy asked with a grin, before slipping into his Sanji persona. "Hello, you've reached the shitty restaurant. What would you like to order?"

Crocodile's eyes narrowed in further outrage. Miss All Sunday, who had been present during the conversation, couldn't contain her mirth any longer and burst into a fit of laughter.

"Is something funny?" Crocodile seethed. "Perhaps I should kill you too, Nico Robin. Don't test the limits of my rationality. Right now, I'm fucking pissed."

"Do as you wish," Robin replied. "But whatever happened to your promise not to call me by that name?"

"It's really too bad. Your real name sounds a lot better than that codename you go by," Luffy commented, to her slight surprise. Crocodile was much too livid to care at the moment.

"And you," Luffy continued, turning to the warlord. "You can say that I'm a fool, that I'm a rookie with no idea what I'm getting into, that I'm in over my head. But that changes nothing," He cracked his knuckles, and his expression turned menacing before their very eyes. "You think you're pissed? You don't know what pissed is." Crocodile watched in shock as the rookie's fist darkened to obsidian.

Armaments haki?

"You make my crewmate cry, you threaten her country with war, you plan to steal a force you can't hope to control, and you kill because it's fun. You have made me very pissed. And you're gonna regret it." As quickly as it changed, his fist went back to normal.

"She's so weak, but she tries her best to save everyone. She can't bear the thought of loss, so she's always in pain. She wants this civil war to end without anyone dying."

It took Crocodile a moment to realize that he was talking about Princess Vivi. "There are many sentimental fools like that," he responded. "People like her don't know death. They don't know the truth of battle. You're a pirate, aren't you? You should agree with me, at the very least."

"Yea, I do," Luffy replied. "But…" His eyes hardened. "I'll let her keep her naivety a little longer. I'll make her desire real. I'm going to save this country, and I'm not going to let anyone get in my way."

Crocodile snarled.

"Whether it's you, the marines, or even death itself."

"Strawhat!" a voice shouted. Crocodile and Robin both looked up to see Smoker, the White Hunter, standing on a nearby rooftop, along with a blue haired woman with a sword strapped to her hip.

Crocodile's surprise grew. He knew they were coming. Observation haki too? Then...could he have been the one who…?

His train of thought was interrupted as Smoker leapt down from the roof. "So you were here, Strawhat. I had a feeling."

Luffy sighed. "You and your feelings Smokey. How are your injuries healing?"

Smoker scoffed. "Fine, thanks for asking. Now I have some questions for you."

"Can it wait 10 minutes? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"Right, that's my first question. What the hell is Crocodile doing here in Alubarna?"

Crocodile, meanwhile, was seething again. 10 minutes? Who does this damn brat think he is!?

His anger seeking an outlet, Crocodile dispersed into sand and flew at Luffy, who parried the swipe of the golden hook with his hand. It wasn't long before Smoker and Tashigi joined the fray, while Robin stood back passively and watched the battle ensue.