here's a new chapter enjoy:)
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The small band of Marines made their way through the crowded streets of the city of Alubarna. The Marines had surrounded Vivi defensively, each of them looking out for any signs of Baroque Works agents.
They had managed to land the ship at the river bed closest to the capital before heading there on foot.
All of them had a traveling cloak thrown over their shoulders with the hoods up to cover their faces.
"Why are we hiding ourselves again?" Usopp whispered, pushing himself through the crowd.
"Crocodile's men would definitely know how Vivi looks like... If they know we've brought Vivi back, there's no telling what will happen." Nami whispered back, pulling her hood further down her face.
Zoro tugged at the cloak uncomfortably, "Don't you think we look even more suspicious with these cloaks on?"
"Not at all," Vivi glanced back at him. "Plenty of travelers from distant towns would wear these kinds of cloaks to protect them from the sun and sand. We'll look more like traveling merchants if nothing else."
"Vivi-chwan is so smart!" Sanji swooned.
"What an idiotic buffoon," Zoro sighed.
Sanji gritted his teeth at Zoro, "Shut up you insensitive brute! This is why you'll never get a girl!"
"And you doing that will actually get you one? Perhaps in a million years or so," Zoro smirked.
"You wanna go?!" Sanji rolled up his sleeves.
"You don't stand a chance!" Zoro reached for his blades under his cloak.
"Knock it off!" Nami chopped Sanji on the head.
"Is this how a Marine officer acts?!" Hina slapped Zoro at the back of his head.
Sanji pirouetted around Nami, "Yes Nami-swaaan!"
Zoro rubbed his head to ease the pain, "He started it…"
"That's enough! Can we just move towards the castle without any more fuss?" Smoker frowned at them.
They quieted down and moved back to their original positions around Vivi, passing through the streets of the city into a side street for a short cut.
"So hot…" Chopper whined, clinging on to Luffy's back.
"I guess you really are a reindeer huh, Chopper?" Usopp poked him.
Chopper frowned, "Of course I'm a reindeer, what are you talking about?"
"A tanuki," Zoro said offhandedly.
"I'm a reindeer!" Chopper yelled.
"Alright, alright, Chopper, just let it rest, you're no good in the heat anyway," Luffy grinned at him.
"It's so hot…" Chopper whined again.
Vivi glanced back at the doctor apologetically, "Sorry, we're almost there already, just bear with it for a while longer."
The nine of them continued to wade through the streets towards the palace, finally reaching the stairs that lead up towards its gates.
The palace guards by the sides crossed their weapons, barring their path.
"Halt! State your business here!" One of the guards commanded.
Vivi lifted a hand to pull back her hood but Smoker reached out a hand to stop her, "Stick to the ruse, we don't know if Crocodile has agents among the Royal army either."
Vivi nodded, allowing the hood to fall back down to further hide her face. She stepped forward to address the guards, "We're traveling merchants, we have wares we wish to show the king."
"What kind of wares?" The other guard raised his eyebrow.
Vivi faltered a bit at the question but Sanji managed to step up, "They're of a rather sensitive nature, the king ordered it from us himself. I'm sure gentlemen like yourselves understand this, right?"
The guards looked at one another before turning to the group, "You can enter, but we'll have our eyes on you."
"Much appreciated," Sanji nodded towards the guards as thanks while they pushed the large gates open.
A group of four guards stood on the other side of the gate, ready to receive them.
"Lead these merchants to the king," The guard at the gate nodded to the escorts.
The four guards took their positions with two at the back and two at the front, silently leading the way to the audience chamber.
"What's with all the security?" Usopp frowned.
Zoro snorted, "If you happened to forget, this country's still in the midst of a civil war. Do you think they'll let anyone near the king?"
"No, Usopp's right… My father's not the kind of person who would do this… Something must have happened…" Vivi whispered soft enough to not be overheard by the guards.
They stopped in front of a large double door, two more guards flanking by the sides of the door.
"Your majesty! A group of merchants request audience!"
"Send them in," A muffled reply sounded from behind the door.
The doors were pushed open to reveal a grand chamber within. A large red carpet led from the door to an elevated platform that the throne sat, a large group of Royal guards flanked both sides of the hall.
The king himself sat on the throne, his posture upright and proud like a king but his eyes showed the weariness of sleepless nights. No doubt the war in his own country has taken a rather large toll on his health. Even with that, he still managed to greet the group with a smile. On the other hand, the two men that flanked the throne had their arms crossed, glaring down pointedly at the group.
The one on the left was a tall man with a purple line under each eye that ran down along his face. He wore pure white robes that were dotted with brown star-like motifs and a similarly decorated cloth hat sat on his head. A long scimitar was secured prominently on his right waist.
The other man stood even taller with broad shoulders and dark skin. A purple sash was secured over a larger red one over the light green tunic he wore that revealed a part of his muscular chest. A dark green coat was also draped over his shoulders that half hid the massive blade he had secured on his right waist.
The group walked quickly down the hall, stopping a few feet away from the throne. The guards murmured among themselves about their suspicious appearances with their hands gripping their weapons tightly, though they made no move against them.
"Welcome merchants, I'm afraid we don't have much to spare in terms of coin, but you're welcome to show your wares to us. We won't begrudge you business if you offer something we need," the king nodded towards them.
"We do have something highly valuable to offer, but it's for your eyes and ears only," Sanji bowed to him.
The king lifted an eyebrow at them, "May I at least inquire about the nature of such an item?"
"Information on the perpetrator of the civil war," Hina said confidently.
The guards around the room gasped collectively while the king narrowed his eyes at them with renewed interests.
"Guards, leave us," The king commanded.
The guards on either side of the hall hesitated at first but immediately filtered out of the room when the king sent them a look, closing the door shut behind them.
"Pell, Chaka, you guys too," The king glanced towards the two men beside him.
"Your Majesty, I object to leaving you alone with these suspicious group of people," The dark skinned man, Chaka, protested.
"Let us stay, your Majesty, this is as much of a problem for us as well," the robed Pell bowed his head.
"It's alright, they can stay," Vivi stepped forward, throwing back her hood confidently.
"VIVI?!" The king widened his eyes.
"PRINCESS VIVI!" Pell and Chaka gasped.
The rest of the Marines shed their cloaks, stepping in behind Vivi.
"Marines… So you've brought my daughter back? Where did you find her?" The king descended from his throne towards them, Pell and Chaka following closely behind.
"King Cobra," Smoker nodded towards him. "Your daughter bears grave news for you."
"Vivi?" Cobra glanced back at his daughter again, still unsure if the girl standing before him was not just a figment of his imagination. "Where have you been?"
"Father," Vivi hugged her father, "I'm really sorry for making you and everyone else worry, I didn't have a choice if I wanted to find out who was behind this."
"Princess Vivi, what do you mean?" Chaka frowned.
Vivi smiled at him, "I found out who was responsible for starting this civil war."
"Who is it? We'll definitely bring him to justice! He dared to frame the king with the Dance Powder and throw our own people against each other!" Pell gritted his teeth.
"It's the Shichibukai, Crocodile himself. I believe he's residing in your country?" Smoker grunted.
The three men furrowed their brows when they heard that name.
"Are you sure, Vivi? Could it have been an imposter?" Cobra frowned.
Vivi shook her head fiercely, "I saw it with my own eyes."
"The hero of Alabasta… how naive I've been…" Cobra clutched his forehead.
"So all the things he has done… They were nothing more than a ruse… It was all to gain our trust, isn't it?" Chaka gripped his sword.
"To think we have all been fooled by him… We were complete utter fools..." Pell sighed.
"Where's Igaram?" Cobra finally noticed the missing Royal Guard Captain. Chaka and Pell visibly stiffened when they realized it too.
Vivi hesitated, "He was with me, but…" Vivi glanced at Luffy.
"He's fine, I'm just not sure how he'll get here after his boat was destroyed," Luffy waved his hand at her nonchalantly.
Both Chaka and Pell breathed a sigh of relief.
"If that's the case, we now know our enemy," Cobra furrowed his brows.
Everyone turned to look at the king, anger was clear in his eyes.
"Chaka, have the army ready to move out immediately, we'll attack Crocodile at Rainbase with everything we've got left!" Cobra commanded.
"Your Majesty! Please reconsider! Crocodile will no doubt know we're coming for him and might even just escape from the country!" Pell protested.
"In the meantime, the rebel army will definitely move in to capture the palace! There must be another way!" Chaka supplemented.
"Wait, isn't the rebel army still at Yuba? They shouldn't be able to come here in such a short time," Vivi frowned.
"Princess Vivi, the rebel army moved out from Yuba quite some time ago… They're now stationed at Katorea…" Pell frowned.
"Katorea?! That's beside Nanohana!" Vivi gasped.
The Marines frowned at this revelation.
"I guess I'm just glad we decided not to go to Yuba after all…" Nami sighed.
"The others should have made their way here as well, I guess we'll just have to stick with our current plan," Smoker scratched his chin.
Cobra turned towards the Marines, "Marines, I am forever in your debt for ensuring the safety of my daughter. I, however, advise you to leave this country before this civil war escalates any further, this is our own problem to deal with."
"Father! You can't fight Crocodile!" Vivi protested.
"Indeed, your Majesty! At least listen to the princess! We'll be handing the country over to the rebels if we go after him!" Chaka stood in front of the king.
Cobra frowned, "Enough! Haven't I already said so many times before? The country is its people! Even if we lose the country to the rebels, it will still be rebuilt by the people themselves! Our only concern should be to not allow Crocodile to destroy it! If he wins, this country will be destroyed!"
"Your Majesty…" Pell gasped. Neither of the two Royal Guards had thought of that.
"No father, you still cannot fight him! I've seen his power, all of you will only be going to your deaths! This will only accelerate his plans of taking over this country!" Vivi gripped Cobra's arm.
"If I may intrude, your Majesty," Hina stepped forward.
"What is it, miss Marine?" Cobra raised an eyebrow at her.
Hina crossed her arms, "I suggest you leave Crocodile to us, no matter how you see it, he definitely is our problem since he holds the status of a Shichibukai."
"Besides, we met one of his agents earlier and he had the power to transform himself into you," Sanji crossed his arms.
"Transform into… me?" Cobra frowned.
"Indeed, he was a devil fruit user with the power to transform himself into anyone he touches," Zoro frowned from the memory, mentally kicking himself for allowing to be touched.
"So that means he has touched me before…" Cobra narrowed his eyes.
Nami nodded, "We suspect Crocodile has infiltrated agents among the Royal Army to allow that to happen. In that case, if you made a move against him, his agents will contact him immediately."
"He thought of everything…" Chaka clenched his fists.
"What do you propose then?" Cobra stretched his arms out questioningly, palms facing upwards.
"We'll assign a guard to you and the princess for your safety, another group of us will deal with Crocodile. In the meantime, I suggest you reveal the truth to your people." Luffy grinned.
Pell sighed, "Easier said than done… Right now people regard Crocodile as the hero of Alabasta, they will not accept this truth easily…"
"Even if it's not easy, we'll still have to do it! It's the only way we can avoid unnecessary bloodshed!" Vivi furrowed her brows.
Cobra grasped his daughter's shoulders, watching her carefully, "What do you plan to do, Vivi?"
"I'll talk to Kohza, he'll definitely listen to me! Please, father! We can stop this war before it escalates any further!" Vivi pleaded with tears in her eyes.
Cobra glanced up at the Marines before looking at Vivi again. He sighed, "I'll leave Crocodile to you Marines then… Please help me protect my country."
"You bet!" Luffy gave a thumbs up.
"You have my gratitude," Cobra nodded towards them. "Vivi, I'll go with you to Kantorea tomorrow morning, we can talk to Kohza then."
"I'd also suggest you watch your back, we don't know what Crocodile is planning to do next," Smoker crossed his arms.
"We will tend to his Majesty's safety personally," Pell gripped his sword.
"In the meantime, please make yourselves at home, I thank you once again for taking care of my daughter," Cobra smiled, the weariness in his eyes seemed to fade away just by a bit.
As the sun was touching the horizon, the Strawhats and Vivi stood by the gates of the city, watching the disappearing figures of Luffy, Smoker and Hina. The king had granted them permission to the use of the kingdom's Super Spot Billed Duck Squad to take them to Rainbase.
"They should reach Rainbase by tomorrow from here… I hope nothing goes wrong…" Vivi sighed.
"Relax Vivi, those guys can handle anything," Nami placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Vivi-chwan, shall I give you a massage to ease your worries?!" Sanji leaned towards her with heart-shaped eyes.
Nami chopped him on the head, "We don't need any from you!"
"What a useless cook," Zoro sighed.
"Shut up you moss head! I don't see you trying to cheer her up!" Sanji shook his fist at him.
"Can't you see you're just making it worse? Is there anything that's actually working in that empty head of yours?" Zoro glared at him.
"I don't want to hear that from someone who has absolutely no sense of direction!"
"Why you damn ero-cook!"
"You wanna go, brute?!"
"Shut up! Both of you!" Nami whacked them both on the head again.
Vivi couldn't help but smile at the Marines, they had full confidence in their comrades, not even doubting for a moment they might fail to take down a Shichibukai.
"The war should end tomorrow too, if everything goes well," Usopp grinned confidently.
"I'll… I'll do my best too!" Chopper pumped himself.
"Let's go back to the palace, we have to make sure you and your father are safe after all," Nami grinned.
Vivi nodded and turned to follow them back into the city, the three Marine Officers already a shadow on the horizon.
The Strawhats stood in the palace courtyard, the moon was already out, beaming down at the assembled Marines.
Zoro stood in front of them, arms crossed, "Alright, since our Commodore isn't here, I shall be giving out your duties."
"Who the hell put you in charge you damn moss head?" Sanji pointed an accusing finger at him.
"Shut it! That Captain Hina said so didn't she?" Zoro growled at him.
"No, she only said you were incompetent as a leader," Sanji smirked.
"Not like you're any better you damn lousy cook!"
"You wanna say something about my cooking you uncivilized neanderthal?" Sanji stepped up to Zoro
"Not like you would be able to understand me you pervert!" Zoro gritted his teeth.
"Shut up! Both of you!" Nami smacked them on the head again. "Is this what you'll stoop to once Luffy's not here?! Aren't you ashamed?!"
"Tch…" Zoro and Sanji looked away from each other.
Nami huffed at the two men, "Now, I agree with Captain Hina that we hold officer positions among the Marines but none of us are experienced in leading anything."
"I still don't have a rank though…" Chopper twiddled his hooves.
Usopp petted his head, "You'll get one soon, I'm sure Luffy already did something about it."
"What are you getting at anyway, Nami?" Zoro frowned.
Nami smirked at him, "I'm saying we go with Hina's idea, we'll learn it on the field. We'll take our direct orders from Luffy but each day we'll have a different squad leader to facilitate our actions. We'll be more effective as a whole unit than separate entities."
"I don't quite understand," Usopp raised a hand.
"I get it," Sanji grinned proudly. "What our beautiful Nami has suggested is that one of us will be appointed as a squad leader to take direct command of each of our individual actions. The squad leader will have to be commanding everyone else on where to go, who to attack and what actions to take when Luffy is otherwise occupied."
"Huh, do you think we have the luxury of such a thing?" Zoro frowned. "A single mistake the leader makes can get all of us killed."
"The leader is so scary!" Chopper hugged Usopp's legs.
"That's the whole point of us doing it now, if we can do it here, we'll definitely be a much efficient unit in the future!" Nami puffed her cheeks.
"What if everyone has different opinions on a matter?" Zoro crossed his arms.
Nami faltered, she hadn't thought of that. If everyone has held the leader position before, everyone might think of different approaches to a single problem and cause chaos among the unit.
Usopp raised his hand again, "Why not just make it so that the leader of that day holds the final say? I mean, even commanders have advisors but it's still up to the commander himself to decide ultimately…"
Nami clapped her hands, "That's right! That should work! We just have to agree on never going against the leader's commands, we must have absolute faith in our companions after all!"
Zoro and Sanji glanced at each other. They frowned at each other but nodded at the end.
"What about Luffy though?" Chopper raised a hoof.
"We can talk to him after this, I guess we can just see this as a trial period for this plan," Usopp scratched his chin.
"Good," Nami grinned, "Now we'll start with Zoro tonight, since he was the one who brought it up. Decide on our next course of action."
Zoro nodded as Sanji re-joined the ranks, this time there was no protest as Zoro gave out his commands.
"Our primary duties right now are to protect the Royal family, we'll do a shift rotation with the king while Nami can stay with Vivi for tonight." Zoro crossed his arms.
Nami nodded in understanding.
"As for the king, we'll do it in groups of two. Usopp will pair with Sanji, and I will go with Chopper. That Pell and Chaka guy can join our rotation as well."
Sanji, Chopper and Usopp nodded quickly.
"If the king is under attack, one of us will go wake the rest with the king while the last one will remain behind to hold them off. If Vivi is targeted instead, Nami will take her to us, don't attempt to fight back."
"Heh, you're not too shabby, we'll go with this," Sanji smirked.
"Alright, let's start our mission!" Usopp punched his fists in the air.
"Yeah! I'll do my best too!" Chopper thumped his chest.
"Let's make our Commodore proud!" Nami grinned.
Usopp stifled a yawn as he stretched himself among the pillows laid down in the corner of the room. Sanji stood a few feet away, leaning by the edge of the balcony of the king's room, puffing on a cigarette.
The king had readily accepted Zoro's plan but had opposed the idea of having them standing guard outside the door. Instead, he had invited them to stay in the room with him, telling them to make themselves comfortable.
The Royal Guards Pell and Chaka however had vehemently refused, stating it was their duty as Royal Guards to be the one protecting the king and it would shame them if they needed help from others.
Cobra had just waved their concerns off, stating that they already owed these Marines a huge favor when they brought Vivi safely back to them. They needed all the help they could get after all. That had then finally managed too calm the two down.
Pell and Chaka had taken the first watch while Sanji and Usopp were the second group for the night.
Usopp leaned back on the wall, watching the king size bed that the king was sleeping in. Sanji soon returned from the balcony after discarding his cigarette, closing the door behind him softly to rejoin Usopp.
"You don't think anyone would come tonight, right?" Usopp whispered.
Sanji shrugged his shoulders, "Hard to say, we don't know the details of Crocodile's plans after all."
Usopp nodded in understanding as Sanji stood beside him, leaning against the wall.
"Nothing's gonna happen, right?" Usopp twiddled his fingers nervously.
Sanji huffed, "You don't have to fight, just run with the king to the others, I'll hold them off for you."
"Ri… Right…" Usopp sighed.
It wasn't that he was afraid to fight, he was just afraid that his cowardly nature might put his friends in danger. They were all Marines now, it was their duty to protect those who don't have the power to protect themselves. But for Usopp who had always cowered whenever there was a problem, it was rather taxing of him to adapt to such an ideal..
Sure, it was obvious he had changed somewhat ever since he joined up as a Marine, but it still took great effort from him to stand up to adversaries he knows he can't beat.
"Just get stronger then!"
His Commodore had said that simply when Usopp had voiced his concerns to him. His answer was so calm and confident that Usopp couldn't help but rebut him. He said that he wouldn't understand since he was a monster, that it was easy to say something like that when he was already this strong.
Luffy had silenced him with a look, not one of anger but with a look of pain and regret.
"I wasn't this strong in the past and I had to watch people die because of that. I forced myself to become stronger and promised myself I would protect everything that I could. Perhaps if i had been a monster earlier, I could've have saved more people."
Usopp had felt ashamed at his own excuses then. It was easy to make up excuses for your own shortcomings, but it would always stick with you no matter how hard you deny its existence. Luffy had, instead, faced his own powerlessness head on and made himself stronger because of it. That was why even the giants had acknowledged his power as a warrior.
'I shall become stronger!'
Usopp clenched his fists in determination. He decided then he would train himself to become stronger than he ever was before, he wanted to be the one protecting his friends instead of constantly being protected.
Of course fate had decided just then to test his determination. The door of the balcony swung inwards suddenly, two figures stepping in silently into the room. One of the figure seemed to have long frizzled hair while being short and pudgy while the other was notably bigger in height and size.
Usopp was on his feet immediately, rushing to the King's side while Sanji leapt towards the figures, leg kicking out at the bigger figure.
Sanji felt his foot impact on something hard before being thrown aside. He frowned up at the man who seemed to have drawn a weapon from his back, still unable to make out any features in the darkness.
"Hmmm? Guards? That was unexpected, I thought the king never liked having guards around, much less in his own room?" The shorter figure spoke really quickly.
By now, Cobra was shaken awake by Usopp who was pulling him towards the door with Sanji standing in between them and the intruders.
"Step aside runt, if you know what's good for you," the shorter figure, clearly a middle age woman, demanded.
"No can do, I was given this mission by my squad leader," Sanji smirked, tapping his foot on the ground.
"Sanji! Shut your eyes!" Usopp shouted.
The two figures looked towards Usopp in confusion while Sanji immediately covered his eyes with his arm, placing full trust in his comrade. Cobra had his sleeves up to cover his face while Usopp had donned his extra dark lensed goggles.
"Flash Star!" Usopp released a ball of spark towards the intruders that immediately exploded into a flash of searing white light.
"ARRGHHMYEYES!" The woman screamed.
"OOOOOUUUUUUUUCCCCCHHHHH….." The man was slower to react.
Sanji immediately leapt towards the two while Usopp escaped the room with the king in tow.
"Collier!" Sanji kicked towards the neck of the man. He was still adamant about not hurting a lady, even if she might be an old hag who is an enemy.
The large man took the full brunt of the blow with only taking a step back.
"Tch, so troublesome," Sanji frowned, landing on his feet in front of the man.
He spun on a foot to gain momentum before kicking his right leg towards the man's midsection with all his might.
"Mouton Shot!"
The big sized man groaned as he fell back on his hunches.
"Damn it, how heavy is this guy?!" Sanji cursed under his breath.
"You… You're a Marine…" The old lady finally got her sights back, frowning when she spotted Sanji's clothes in the moonlight.
"Good evening, I assume you guys are agents from Baroque Works then?" Zoro strutted in, swords already drawn. Usopp, Chopper and Cobra stood behind the door apprehensively. Zoro and Chopper had already been on the way to the room to relieve them, meeting a panicked Usopp accompanied by the king behind. That prompted them to immediately make a dash back to the room to aid Sanji.
The agent narrowed her eyes, "I see now, you're the Marines that escorted the princess back home. How fortunate, we'll take you all out with the king as well."
"Heh, I think it should be unfortunate for you," Zoro smirked, tying his bandana over his head.
"You guys won't be leaving here in one piece tonight," Sanji grinned.
"Don't look down on us! Mr. 4! Let's get them!"
The large man got up unsteadily, "Miiisss Meeerrry Chriiisstmass…."
"Shut up! You're too slow! Get rid of them now!" The old lady, Miss Merry Christmas smacked him on the head.
"Chopper! Protect the king! Usopp, sniper backup! Sanji you get the big guy, I'll take the old hag!" Zoro rattled out commands quickly.
"Roger!" The three yelled out simultaneously.
Sanji leapt towards Mr. 4 once more, aiming for another kick at his head.
"There's two of us here!" Miss Merry Christmas leapt at Sanji to intercept him.
"Well, there's way more of us then, you old hag!" Zoro slashed his sword at her, cutting her side.
Miss Merry Christmas hissed as she was flung to the far end of the room while Sanji kicked at the side of Mr. 4's head, avoiding the metal bat that Mr. 4 had tried to swing at him.
Miss Merry Christmas furrowed her brows and lunged towards Zoro, her fingers turning into sharp claws.
"Cheh, another Devil Fruit user?" Zoro side stepped her lunge while slashing out his swords again, cutting Miss Merry Christmas in her other side.
"Zoro!" Sanji yelled out a warning as Mr. 4 barreled past the cook, swinging his metal bat at the swordsman.
"Lead Star!" Usopp released his slingshot, hitting Mr. 4 right between his eyes.
Mr. 4 yelled out in pain but the metal bat in his hands continued its course towards Zoro.
Zoro barely had time to cross his swords to defend against the strike. The four ton metal bat impacted against his swords, flinging the unfortunate swordsman away to the other side of the room.
Mr. 4 charged towards the groaning figure of Miss Merry Christmas, picking her up to sling her over his shoulder.
"Confounded Marines! You'll all regret this! We'll retreat for today!" Miss Merry Christmas yelled.
"No you won't!" Sanji kicked towards the pair again.
This time Mr. 4 managed to catch his kick with his bat, swinging the bat away from him in an arc to send the cook crashing towards Zoro as well.
Mr. 4 crashed through the doors leading to the balcony and leapt off without hesitation, carrying the cursing Miss Merry Christmas with him.
"They're getting away!" Sanji cursed, pushing himself up from the shattered wall.
"Let them go," Zoro groaned, rubbing his head. "We don't know if there are other agents around, we can't let our guard down right now… Someone go check on Vivi too..."
"I'll go!" Chopper transformed into his full reindeer form and galloped away down the corridor.
"So Crocodile's planning to do something with me after all…" Cobra frowned, stepping back into the room.
"Yeah… Sorry about your room," Sanji glanced at the shattered walls and broken furniture.
Cobra shook his head, "All of you have protected me from harm, it's more than what I could wish for. If I was alone tonight, no doubt I would have already fallen to Crocodile."
"Unfortunately, it's not good news for us," Zoro sighed, taking off his bandana from his head.
Everyone turned to look at him, wondering what he could mean.
Zoro looked at each man in the room carefully, "From this, we can conclude that Crocodile has already begun to move. We don't have the luxury of time anymore."
Sanji gritted his teeth, "Damn, is he going to rouse the rebel army?"
"That's… That's not very likely… He doesn't have a good enough motivation for them to launch a full scale assault…" Cobra scratched his chin.
"Another unlikely fact," Zoro grunted, pushing himself up from the floor. "I doubt those agents were here to kill you, it wouldn't be beneficial to Crocodile in any way."
"If they're not here to kill me, then what were they trying to do?" Cobra frowned.
"Kidnapping, of course," Sanji gritted his teeth. "They'll make you disappear, then replace you with the fake guy. With that agent acting as you, Crocodile would be able to use your name to instigate the rebels to launch a full scale attack in retaliation."
"This… Damn that man!" Cobra clutched his forehead.
"I guess we will have to prepare ourselves for the worst…" Usopp crossed his arms. "His plans should already be set in motion…"
"Wait, if those two are here to kidnap the king, then where's the agent that's supposed to replace him?" Sanji frowned.
Chopper burst into the room then, a look of panic on his face.
"Guys! Vivi and Nami, they're gone!"
"WHAT?!" All four yelled out at once.
"They left a note though…" Chopper handed a folded piece of paper to Cobra. "It was left on their bed."
As the king unfolded the note to read, he became increasingly agitated as time passed.
"What is it? What happened?" Zoro frowned, not liking where it was going.
Cobra clutched the paper tightly, crumpling it in his hands, "Why do I have such a selfless daughter…"
Tears began to leak out from the corners of his eyes as he turned towards the Marines, "She said that she will be going ahead to Kantorea with your navigator. She didn't want to put anyone else in danger anymore…"
"Vivi-chwan is so brave!" Sanji yelled, hearts appearing all over him.
"What do you want to do then?" Usopp tilted his head at the king.
Cobra hesitated for a moment, glancing down at the paper, "I won't allow her to face this war alone anymore, will you Marines accompany me to Kantorea as well?"
"You have our support," Zoro nodded firmly.
"Thank you, please help me wake Pell and Chaka up, tell them to be ready to leave in a few minutes," Cobra walked towards his wardrobe, throwing his cloak around his pajamas.
The four Marines raised an eyebrow at his choice of attire but said nothing, Usopp and Chopper already running out of the room to get the two Royal Guards captains.
On the sands a distance away from Alubarna, two cloaked figures rode on two Super Spot Billed Ducks.
"I'm sorry for dragging you along, Nami…" Vivi glanced at the navigator apologetically.
Nami flashed her a grin, "It's nothing, that's what friends do right? Besides, I had orders to keep you safe too."
Vivi couldn't help but smile back at her, "Thank you, I'm glad to have met you guys."
"Hehe, tell that to the rest after you finally stop this war, yeah?"
Vivi glanced back at the city that was now barely a speck on the horizon, "Sorry papa, I promise I'll stop this civil war once and for all."
Nami smiled at the princess's determination.
"Let's go, Carue!" Vivi hunched over the back of Carue, spurring him to run faster.
The two girls disappeared into the night.
On the other side of the island, three more cloaked figures rode on their own Super Spot Billed Ducks. Luffy rode in the middle while Hina flanked his right and Smoker his left.
They had reached the river in the evening just as the other two Marine ships docked, giving them a ride to the other side of the river before crossing back again.
The Captains had instructed their own crew to make haste towards the capital to lend their aid. No doubt if the war escalates, the king would need all the help he can get to evacuate the civilians.
"Luffy, what are you planning to do with Crocodile?" Smoker asked suddenly.
Luffy turned towards Smoker, giving him the look as though he had just asked something stupid, "Kick his ass of course."
Smoker sighed, "I meant really, you can't expect everything to be taken cared of just by kicking his ass right? I know how you're like during the officer training, you always had a plan no matter how simple it might be."
Luffy's face became serious, the earlier grin disappearing. Smoker leaned to him in an anticipation to catch his words.
"Kick his ass, stop the war," Luffy said simply.
Hina laughed while Smoker wrung his hands in the air.
"Alright, alright." Luffy chuckled, his serious face fading away. "Try to get Crocodile to cough up his plans in any way possible, we need to know what else he has planned."
"How, Luffy?" Hina tilted her head at him.
"Either by force, or to get him confident enough to do it," Luffy turned to focus on the road.
"What about the rebels? They might launch an attack while we're gone," Smoker narrowed his eyes.
Luffy grinned, "The king said so himself didn't he? They would head to Kantorea to pacify the rebels with the truth. If we play our hands right, we'll have Crocodile in custody and the end of the civil war by tomorrow."
"Hina impressed, to think back when you started out you could not even give any commands properly. You've grown, Luffy," Hina reached out to pull him into another hug.
"Hina! I'll fall!" Luffy wrung his hands as he made a frantic grab for the reins, pulling himself back into the saddle.
Smoker sighed, "We'll reach Rainbase by dawn, what shall be our approach?"
"The casino he owns does not allow Government agents to enter," Hina noted, looking down at their uniforms.
"We'll change our clothes and sneak in then," Smoker suggested helpfully, glancing at the Commodore for his opinions.
Luffy shook his head, "We don't have time, Crocodile might already be heading to Alubarna right now. We'll charge straight in and find out if he's still there, wring out the answers from him if he is or find any clues to his plans if he isn't."
"Understood," Both Marine Captains answered simultaneously.
All three Marines dug their heels into the Super Spot Billed Ducks' sides, urging them to run faster.
Meanwhile underneath Rainbase itself, Miss All Sunday sat on a plush leather couch, idly reading her book.
Crocodile sat a few feet away from her on another leather chair, sipping on his glass of wine as he watched his pet Bananawanis swimming around outside the room. A den den mushi sat on the table and a bunch of papers spread out in front of him, detailing of the Marines' departure to Rainbase.
"Miss All Sunday," Crocodile said suddenly.
The female looked up at him from her book, slight displeasure in her eyes.
"Those Marines will reach here by dawn, what do you propose we do?" Crocodile turned to look at her with cold eyes.
Miss All Sunday shrugged, "We could just leave now, they would reach here to find us already gone. Then with the destruction of this room, they would have no lead on our activities either."
"No, it's not time for us to move just yet. We have to leave in the afternoon to catch the show. Any earlier or later would throw our plans away," Crocodile frowned, sipping on his wine.
"What do you have in mind then?" Miss All Sunday raised an eyebrow at him.
Crocodile smiled wickedly, "I think I have just the thing planned for them, it would be so much more entertaining than just killing them."
"As you wish," Miss All Sunday shrugged, looking back to her book with disinterest. If he had already decided on what to do, why the hell was he bothering her about it?
Miss All Sunday sighed, he could be so narcissistic at times.
She looked up at the Shichibukai once more before glancing at the cage in the middle of the room, frowning slightly. She knew the Marines had already managed to take the princess back to her father, placing an efficient stopper on their plans.
With the information that the princess provides, the country will no doubt turn against their 'hero' Crocodile and clear the king's name. The civil war will be grounded to a halt and Crocodile will be chased out of the country with his status as a Warlord revoked. Miss All Sunday would definitely be on the run again.
She hoped she could at least take a glimpse of the poneglyph of this country before she runs again, but with the current situation, she finds it highly unlikely.
Perhaps if she asked nicely, that Marine with the straw hat might let her go. She wondered about that possibility, he didn't seem like other typical Marines. Though it seemed impossible at first, the more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed.
She shrugged her shoulders, deciding she would deal with it when the time comes, she had already prepared herself to be on the run again, after all.
All that's left is to wait for the main actors to take center stage.
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And cut. so that is it for this chapter hope you guys enjoyed and see you in the next chapter.bye
chapter 19: To Stop A War