The push onward leaving the city, and Crocodile far behind them as they make for Alubarna. While everyone else seems to be trying to relax, Run sits at the back of the crabs shell, elbows resting on his knees as he watches the scenery slowly shrink into the distance. Behind him, Zoro sits cross-legged with Lashes somehow balanced upon his sword; he uses the animal as a sort of makeshift dumb-bell, which doesn't seem too bothered by it, oddly enough.
"Would you give it a rest already?" Nami asks the swordsman. "You're just wasting energy."
"Shut up," Zoro grunts back, continuing with his lifting.
"Just leave them alone," Sanji tells her, glancing over at the two of them. "If they're not doing something then they can't focus. They're not that adept. Especially that idiot swordsman...now that he's had a taste of the power that Shichibukai wield."
"Oi, if you've got something to say, then just spit it out!" Zoro growls.
"Aah, so you want me to say it, huh? It's pretty simple...you're scared. You're worried that Luffy is going to lose."
"Scared?! Me?! You don't know what you're even talking about you...fancy eyebrows!"
"Wha?! Ya damn...moss head! You wanna fight?!"
"Aah, relax," Run calls, earning their attention. "There's no use in getting wound up over a single Shichibukai. Luffy will be fine, I'm sure of it." The red head stands and then approaches, walking past them to stare in the direction they're heading.
"R-Right, let's just all calm down," Vivi adds quickly. "There's no way that Luffy would lose. We all promised, right? We all promised that we'd be waiting for him in Alubarna." Nami steps towards the princess and knocks her on the head slightly. "Ow."
"You don't need to worry about anything but stopping the rebellion. Now, let's just focus on getting to Alubarna."
"Alright, then! Let's turn our minds solely to Alubarna! Onward, Pincers!" The crab seems to double in speed, barreling across the desert towards the horizon. They're covering ground so fast that by the time the sun has set, it seems that they're not that far from the Sandora River. The closer they get, however, the more the red head begins to question their mounts ability.
"Oi, Vivi," calls Run, earning her attention. "This crab will be able to get us across the river, right?"
"E-Eehe, about that," Vivi begins nervously. "Moving Crabs are creatures of the desert so...they can't exactly swim."
"What?!" demands Usopp, having over-heard the conversation. "We can't cross the river with this crab?!"
"As I said, Moving Crabs are creatures of the desert. They never take to water."
"It's a crab! It should at least be able to swim even a little bit! Here, look!" He produces a map and lays it flat in the middle of the group. "Even if we could manage to swim across such a wide river there's no way that we'd make it in time! We've still got miles of desert to cross! If this crab can't make it to the other shore, then are we just supposed to run the distance?"
"If Pincers can't cross then we haven't got much of a choice," Nami says.
"There's no way that we'll make it in time!" Ahead of them, rapidly approaching is none other than the river in question.
"Uh-oh," Sanji grunts. "Oi, it's the river! The Sandora is dead ahead!".
"I know!" Chopper shouts quickly. "Pincers says he loves dancing girls!" Without another thought, Nami suddenly sheds the garment she's wearing, revealing the dancer girl outfit under it. Sanji, and Lashes immediately begin to drool over her...and the second Pincers notices it he seems to double their speed. "We're accelerating! Alright! Pervy power, go!"
"Great, now we've got two screwed up animals," Zoro complains, crouching low on the shell.
"Dahahaha~! I never thought I'd have something in common with a crab," Run adds, crossing his arms across his chest. "But if it works, it works!" They hit the water running, and continue skimming across it much to the amazment of everyone gathered on top. "Oi, oi, this crab is pretty incredible! Go, buddy, go!"
"Yeah, it's a miracle!" cheers Usopp. "Keep going! Don't slow down! Just stay on the water and run!" The further they get away from the shore, however, the slower they seem to be going...and the further they seem to sink into the water. "O-Oi, what's going on? Is it me or are we sinking?! We are sinking!" They finally lose all momentum and sink into the river completely. Several moments later they break the surface of the river. "Aaaah! We were almost there!"
"Aah, well, it was worth a shot. At least we got a good distance." Robin clings tightly to his back, arms circling his neck as he swims towards the opposite bank.
"Let's just get to dry land," Zoro tells them, riding Chopper on his shoulders safely out of the water. Of course, things always seem to go from bad to worse for the crew. Rising like a mountain from beneith the waves, comes absolutely the largest catfish that any of them have ever seen.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Usopp demands, staring up at the fish.
"It's a Sandoran Catfish!" Vivi explains. "They're very rarely seen! Also...!" The catfish opens it's giant mouth, and begins sucking in gallons of water...and them along with it! "Their favorite food is Humans!"
"Maybe lead with that next time!" Before they can be swallowed whole, however, they're saved by the arrival of the Kung-Fu Dugongs! The small creatures make short work of the catfish, promptly beating it into submission before it can even get close to them. The dugongs pull them up onto the catfish's body, and begin towing them to shore.
"They say, 'We won't neglect our senior pupils'," Chopper translates.
"Well...it's not like we're actually Luffy's students."
"Well, don't tell them!" Run says, sitting next to Robin who seems to be more or less alright after her dip in the river. "I don't feel like breast stroking to shore." They make it to the opposite bank in less than an hour, and say their goodbyes to the Dugongs who return to the river.
"Aside from a few things, everything seems to be going smoothly," Zoro says. "Do you think we can make it?"
"That's...a tough call," Vivi admits. "Even riding on Lashes I don't believe we could make it in time." From behind the group, a large cloud of rapidly approaching dust appears on the horizon. The closer it gets the more things clear up, until finally they recognize what's causing it. "Karoo! You came to get us?" The duck squawks in the affirmative, and they mount up before rushing off in the hurry...
----
The rushing of the wind and the sound of the ducks foot falls nearly in unison...it's nearly enough to lull one into a relaxed state. Nearly. But with their mission held firmly in mind, and the consequences of failing to succeed, all of them find it hard to relax even in the slightest. True to Vivi's words, these ducks are in fact the fastest that any of them have ever seen. Faster even then horses, strange as it seems. But that won't be enough to tip the odds in their favor. After all, they're riding head first into conflict with Baroque Work's agents.
With that in mind, Nami has the brilliant idea for each of them to don an identical white cloak to hide their identity. They've been riding all through the night, and the ducks show no sign of fatigue or slowing down in the slightest even as the sun begins to peek over the horizon.
"Alubarna! I can see it!" Vivi calls, breaking the silence that's fallen over the group.
"Everyone remember what to do?" Run asks over the rushing wind. Everyone responds quickly in the affirmative. It's not all that complicated of a plan, and the odds of the enemy not taking the bait is fairly low...but it's still better to err on the side of caution. "Alright...let's go!" Zoro, Run and Nami suddenly break off from the group, dashing towards one of the five gates in Alubarna. He isn't exactly thrilled about leaving Vivi and Robin behind on their own but it's Vivi's plan, and she had surprised them all by actually picking Robin to stay with her.
Whether this was good or bad, the red head wasn't sure but it was her choice. Out of the corner of his eye, Run can see that at least two of the gathered Baroque Work's agents have taken the bait, pursuing them up the stairs and into the city without a second thought. It makes sense. They're the only group with three people in it, after all. Naturally, they'd believe that the group with the most people would have Vivi in it.
"Looks like they took the bait!" Nami exclaims quickly. "Wait...why am I happy about this?!" They lead the two chasing further into the city, away from the gate and down several city streets before eventually coming to a screeching halt.
"This looks like a good spot, Red," Zoro says in a low voice, as they turn to face their pursers. Standing several meters away are a talls, muscular dark skinned man with a shaven head and a woman wearing a very strange strapy get up.
"Looks like we've caught up," the woman says, staring at them. "So, am I correct in assuming one of you might be the princess?" The three of them dismount from the ducks calmly, not saying a word the the two of them while she flicks her gaze between the trio.
"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Run asks, earning her attention as he reaches up towards the hood of his cloak. "But I'm afraid not." They all three sweep back their hoods in unison. "Looks like you gambled and lost."
"Huh, so you actually tricked us."
"Go~! Zoro, Run~! Take 'em down~!" Nami cheers, earning the attention of the swordsman and the red head. They immediately notice just how far she's fallen back from them without their noticing. "It's your one viture, right? Go ahead!"
"Would you just shut up and go hide somewhere," Zoro tells her, before turning back to their opponents. Regardless, Nami doesn't cease her cheering at all, in fact she continues urging them to finish the agents quickly. "I hope you'll make this fun for us."
"Dibs on the big guy," Run says with a grin, cracking his knuckles loudly as he stares at the man.
"Wha-? Who said you get first pick?!" Without warning, the agents begin walking towards them calmly. A distinct 'click!' sounds as Zoro thumbs the tsuba of one of his katana, exposing an inch of glittering silver blade to everyone. Both tense slightly in preparation for an attack...which never comes as the two simply stroll past them.
"Let's go! Hurry up and finish those...ugly...two..." Nami mutters, watching them approach her.
"Oi...mind telling me what in the hell you think you're doing?"
"First rule of assassination: eliminate the weaker target first," the man says.
"You two just wait there, we'll show you how a pro does things," the woman tells them. Nami begins sweating immediately, watching them close in on her slowly. She holds her hands up to them quickly, attempting to appear nonthreatening.
"W-Wait a second," Nami says quickly. "There's no need to get rid of me. My style may be outstanding but that's all. I've got no skills. I'm no fighter."
"We know. Taking out the weakest link first is the quickest way to go about things." Nami actually smiles at them and nods in acknowledgement.
"A-Aah, now that you mention it, I would do the same thing." Then, without another word, she turns and takes off at a sprint away from the two of them. Zoro and Run simply shake their heads in response, watching Nami disappear into the distance.
"Wow, she can really move when she wants to," Run mutters, reaching up to scratch the stubble on his jaw. Without another word the two take off, following after them quickly. Unfortunately, they quickly lose sight of them as a result of Nami's blind running, and the twisting streets of the city. After several minutes of running around blindly, the two of them come to a stop at an intersection.
"Damn that idiot!" complains Zoro. "This is why I told her just to shut up and find somewhere to hide! She just keeps getting in the way, and slowing us down!"
"Relax, relax," Run tells him. "We'll find her...we just have to find her before they manage to catch up. Come on." Picking a road at random, the red head sprints down it without a second thought. The swordsman follows behind him, both of them hoping that he's made the right decision. Fortunately, it appears that luck is on their side for a change. "There! I see 'em!" Ahead of them, they watch as the man suddenly leaps skyward, covering the distance between Nami and himself in the blink of an eye. "Oh! Zoro!"
"Yeah!" None of them sense the arrival of the swordsman or the red head as they cover the distance to Nami.
"Down!" Run shouts, grabbing Nami's shoulder and forcing her down to the ground with ease. A loud 'crash!' sounds seconds later as Zoro's blade meets the man's hand.
"Tch!" hisses the man, as a flick of Zoro's wrist causes him to recoil from the trio.
"Zoro! Run!" Nami exclaims, staring up at the two of them. Relief floods her face only seconds before surprise, when the pillar behind them is split into nothing more than chunks of rubble. "Th...The pillar, it split up into pieces!" Both Zoro and Run narrow their eyes in response. It was fairly obvious to the two of them what happened. It wasn't a punch...it had to be...
"Split? No, it was cut by a blade," Zoro says calmly.
"You cut it, didn't you," Run asserts, staring pointedly at the man. Zoro doesn't wait for his response, instead slashing at the man half heartedly with his drawn sword...which the man blocks with his forearm which has gained a rather sharp edge to it. "That's a nifty Devil Fruit you've got there!"
"Indeed it is," the man agrees, transforming both arms. "I ate the Dice-Dice Fruit, and now I can turn any part of my body into a blade." He flicks his calm gaze between the two of them very slowly, taking in their appearance, apparently. "You're them, correct? The two that took down all the bounty-hunters at Whiskey Peak. You-" Without waiting for the man to finish, Zoro rushes forward quickly, blades clashing against the man's own bladed arms loudly.
"Sorry, but we haven't exactly got time to waste here," Zoro tells him. "You two go on ahead."
"Miss Doublefinger," the man says firmly, interrupting the red head.
"Aah, I assume you want to take this man on yourself," Doublefinger says, staring at him. "Well, then, I'll take care of these...hm?" She stares past her partner and the swordsman and nothing but empty space. No red head, and no woman in sight. "They ran away? My, my...at least things won't be boring..."
----
Her lungs are burning, and her legs feel like lead...she can't help it! She isn't exactly as monstrous as the other members of her crew! Nami leans heavily against the side of the building, the sounds of swords clashing and gun shots filling her ears. It's clear to them that Vivi's plan hadn't been successful. If that's the case, then what should they do? Should they try to find her? What exactly is the plan now?
"Slow deep breaths," Run tells her, earning her attention. "You should try to time your breathing with your stride. It'll help you to keep a rhythm while running." Aside from a bit of sweat, he doesn't seem to be any worse for wear after their mad dash. She makes a mental note to add monstrous stamina to his already monstrous strength.
"How are you so calm?" Nami questions him. "Didn't you hear that woman?! She's coming after us!"
"I heard. And?"
"And?! You know, some of us don't exactly have such freakish strength to rely on!"
"So...leave it to me, then!" He flashes her a grin. "I'll take care of it, Nami."
"No! I...I can't just rely on everyone else all the time. I need to be able to fight-" Across from them, a number of boards suddenly shift, falling from their place and startling the Navigator who presses herself against the wall quickly. "...Why am I getting scared by something like that? I prepared for this." She suddenly produces a strange weapon, holding it out in front of herself. "I went through all the trouble of asking Usopp to do this for me! Because I want to fight for Vivi, too! Because-" Before she can finish Run suddenly reaches out and grasps her arm, pulling her towards him just as a spike pierces the wall she'd been leaning against. "What the hell?!"
Numerous spikes pierce the wall as Run quickly positions himself between her and the wall as it begins to collapse. Doublefinger slowly strolls through the newly created hole, her hips swaying this way and that as she stops in front of him.
"It's no use running, you know," Doublefinger tells them.
"Guess your partner isn't the only one who's eaten a Devil Fruit. I'll make sure to bear that in mind from here on out. Nami, you go find Vivi and find out what's going on. I'll take care of things here." But rather than hearing retreating foot-steps as he had expected, he suddenly finds Nami standing in front of him. "Nami?"
"You go, Run," Nami tells him. "Go help Vivi."
"You serious?"
"Yes! I begged Usopp to make this weapon for me so I would be able to fight with my own strength. I didn't want to rely on everyone else all the time." The feeling of wanting to stand on your own two feet, of wanting to struggle, and fight using only your own strength...it brings a smile to the red head's face. After several long moments of silence Nami feels someone's hand on her shoulder and a chuckle follows.
"Aah, alright, I'll leave this to you, then. Don't underestimate her Devil Fruit ability, huh?" Saying that, he turns on his heel and runs in the opposite direction. He has to find Vivi, and figure out just what went wrong, and what it is she's planning to do now. He isn't sure where he is gonna find her...but in the center of the city, clear for all to see is what appears to his eyes as some sort of palace. If that's the case, then more than likely that's where he might find her...or her father. Either way, it's his best shot.
Navigating the streets with that thought in mind, Run does his best to make his way towards the city center. It's a twist maze of back streets, and alleys as he forced to avoid the battle choking the main streets. The last thing he wants to do is get swept in the fighting taking place between the loyal soldiers and the rebels when he has far more important things to do. Fortunately, luck still seems to be on his side, as he comes spilling out of a back alley right where he needs to be. Across from him is a set of large stairs leading straight up to the palace, and he wastes no time in crossing and taking the stairs two sometimes three at a time.
There's no guarantee that Vivi will actually be here but it's a better chance than any...
----
How had things gone so bad so fast? The plan was supposed to be simple! Head off the rebel army and talk some sense into them! Explain that all of this, ALL OF THIS, was Crocodile's doing not her father's! And now...now things had gone as bad as they could! Standing across from them is none other then the man responsible for all, and nailed firmly to the wall, her father, his hostage! How had they managed to capture him? Were there truly traitors in the ranks of the royal guard? A plume of smoke is exhaled from Crocodile as the man focuses his attention on them, paying little mind to Cobra.
"I'll admit, you had me completely fooled, Robin," Crocodile says, focusing on the woman in question who appears not the slightest bit phased by his intense glare. "I never placed much trust in you to begin with...but to be so effortlessly manipulated...you should know how I handle betrayal." Robin offers only a fearless smile in return. "Still...as a tool, you have some use to me, yet. I'll need your services after YOU, Cobra, tell me where to find Pluton."
"Pluton?" Vivi echos softly. "What is he talking about? What's Pluton?"
"It's an ancient weapon," Robin tells her. "The legend says that a single shot from this weapon is enough to sink an entire island into the sea."
"It should be sleeping somewhere in this country," Crocodile adds. "Ready to be awakened at any moment. That's been my goal this entire time! With that weapon at my disposal, I'll be able to awaken a military state in this country that has no equal and no weakness! I'll have more power and more influence then the World Government! It'll be a paradise-like country!"
"Do you really believe the World Government would allow this?!" Cobra screams, attracting his attention finally.
"Of course not. That's why I need Pluton."
"I don't know where you got the idea of such a thing existing here, but I can tell you for sure that it doesn't! It's just a myth, nothing more!" Crocodile exhales another plume of smoke from his cigar, a devious smile actually appearing on his face.
"I can assure you that it's no myth. The survival of such a weapon after such a long time is obviously in question. But even so...it doesn't matter to me in the slightest. I have both the means, and the knowledge to revive such a devastating weapon..." He slowly turns back to Robin. "...isn't that right, Robin?"
"My, you're still holding onto that? Wasn't it you who said, it was nothing but a business arrangement?" She slowly crosses her arms, still offering that fearless smile. "You can consider it dissolved, Crocodile."
"Oi!" calls a familiar voice, all heads turning to the person in question. "Whew...who built this place?! I mean...why are there so many stairs?!" Run stands several meters away, sweating a bit and appearing a little winded but otherwise unharmed.
"Run!" exclaims Vivi, relief washing over her like a flood...and then replaced with a sinking feeling of despair. How to break the news to him? How will he react? What will he say? He was only involved with this because it was his Captain's orders, after all. But now...without Luffy...will he still come to their aide? A confident smirk appears on his face as he approaches them...which doesn't fade in the slightest even when he notices Vivi's grief filled stare. Her throat feels tight, eyes stinging...there's no way she's gonna be able to hold it back...she's gonna start crying. She looks down immediately to avoid the red head's grey eyes, to hide herself from him.
"Dahahahaha~! What's wrong? Don't tell me you're that relieved to see me?"
"I...it's...Luffy," Vivi manages around a lump in her throat.
"Luffy? What about him?" He glances around for a moment, eyes settling for a moment on Robin. She shies away from his gaze, and his brow creases in confusion. Why did she look away? What happened that he didn't know about? Run turns his attention back to Vivi, the situation being to rapidly dawn on him and he reaches out and grasps her shoulder. "Where's Luffy?"
"Oh, might you be a member of that worthless man's crew?" Crocodile suddenly asks. Laughter follows moments later, Crocodile apparently delighting in a joke that only he's privy to. The man moves, tossing something in his direction quickly. The red head snatches it from the air with ease, quickly positioning himself between Vivi and Crocodile as looks down at...a straw hat? "If that's the case, when I'm afraid you won't be seeing him again. I buried that fool before I came here."
"Run," whispers Vivi. "I'm...I..." He slowly lowers his hand, head turning down to stare at the familiar straw hat in his hand. "Run, I am so-"
"You killed him?" Run asks, his voice barely a whisper above the sounds of fighting below.
"That fool should have known his limits," Crocodile says calmly. "It's the difference in the type of pirate-"
"Shut up," Run tells him firmly, head turning to face him now. "I don't need a lecture from a dog of the World Government." A very real chill crawls it's way down Crocodiles spine as he meets the red head's fierce gaze. There's a sudden crisp 'snap!' and Vivi glances down, finding a myriad of thin cracks have spiraled out from the red head's feet.
"Hnn, this feeling. So you can use Haoshoku Haki, red hair," Crocodile says, exhaling a heavy cloud of smoke. "Even so, I wonder if the son of Red Haired Shanks is just as worthless as his Captain."
"You're well informed." Run raises the straw hat, placing it firmly on his head. "I guess parasites really do burrow deep." A soft 'click!' sounds as Crocodile's teeth snap together, biting his cigar clean in half.
"I'm gonna kill you!" Rather than be intimidated, he simply cracks his knuckles loudly.
"Hah. Not very original for someone's final words..."