I drop to my knees in shock. The world is spinning, and I can't blame it in massive blood loss this time. Everything we've done up until this point... was absolutely worthless.

"Well, the shit has officially hit the fan," I mutter, raking my fingers through my hair. "Actually, the shit hit the fan hours ago. This is us getting a whole load of shit in the face."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, Zoro, I'm just... This entire time, I've been ranting about how the Straw Hats never give up. And we don't. But what exactly are we supposed to do when something like this happens? Crocodile outsmarted us... again, and again, and again..."

Zoro gives me a sidelong glance, looking as though he wants to say something but can't find the words. I know how he feels. 

The others are also freaking out, though I'll admit I'm not as... spastic as the rest of them.

"Damn!" Sanji grits his teeth, glaring up at the open clockface. "How could this.... We stopped the cannon.... But the bomb is...."

"Is it a time bomb?!" Chopper squeaks, his face a strange mix of shock, anger and fear that I've yet to see from the reindeer doctor.

"If it's a five kilometer blast area, this whole town will...." Zoro's voice drops off. It seems the news has stolen even our Swordsman's voice, the calm and collected unnofficial leader, who I've come to look to in a crisis. I wish Luffy were here. He wouldn't let us sulk in the probable outcomes... he'd lift our spirits by being the vibrant child he always is. 

"What the hell is going on?!" Usopp demands. It's easy to see why he'd be so confused. None of us expected this. We thought that if we stopped the bomb, Alubarna would be saved. But we were naive in thinking so... Crocodile wouldn't leave anything up to chance. He's not a run-of-the-mill pirate. He's a Warlord, same as Mihawk. You don't become a Warlord by allowing "Fate" to rule your life. At least, not a successful Warlord.

"You mean stopping the bomb... was it impossible from the beginning?!" 

"It seems that way, Usopp," I say, pulling at my bandana. It comes loose in my hands, and I play with the fabric while I think. If this is it... I've had a good run. I loved my parents, and even though I lost them, those feelings never went away. I met my biological father, and rejoiced when I discovered he was none other than Red-Haired Shanks. I got a bounty on my head, though I still hate the name. And I joined the crew of the Next Pirate King. Yes, even on Death's Door, I still believe in Luffy. He's instilled that much faith in me since I met him all those months ago. 

Yeah, I have had a good life. And I'm going out with my nakama. I... I can accept that.

The only thing I regret? I never fell in love. It's stupid,, it's cheesy, but it's also true. I never fell in love with someone, and that will forever be my one regret.

I slowly stand and start towards the clock tower. Everyone is so wrapped up in their panic, they don't notice as I walk past them, my head lowered, my hair hiding my face. But someone grabs onto my wrist just as I reach the door.

"Where are you going?" 

"Zoro?" I turn around and find myself face to face with the Swordsman. I stuff my white bandana into my back pocket, then reconsider and shift its location to the inside of my boot. I think it has a better chance of surviving in there. "I'm just... going to see Vivi one last time. She's alone up there. And she shouldn't be."

"You don't think we're going to get out of this," he states, arching a brow with his arms across his chest. I look him up and down, a little incredulous myself. "You do?" I ask. "Look, I know I said it's true that we don't give up, but this is entirely different from other situations you guys have been in. This was designed to be the end of Alubarna."

"Your point?" he asks.

Biting back a scowl, I turn away, letting my eyes focus on Usopp and Chopper. They're holding each other tightly, anime tears sliding down their cheeks, sobbing quite loudly. Sanji is still glaring up at the clockface, Nami is pacing worriedly, seemingly deep in thought. "You're still cocky, Swordsman," I say quietly, recalling the time we first met. He's a different person than I thought he was back then, though it seems I at least got that part of his personality right. 

"I'm not cocky if I can back up my words," he replies easily, flashing me a smirk. I involuntarily smile. The fact that he can make me smile, even now.... It's comforting. But then his expression turns serious, and I blink in surprise. He hasn't looked like this since just before he went to challange Mihawk.

"Look," he says, hand unconsciously reaching for Wado, his white-hilted katana. "There's something I want to say to you, in the off-chance this really is goodbye." I hear Honoo hum in anticipation, though I can't make out any words in the buzz. Zoro turns his head, eyes locking onto the ground. I can faintly here the sound of his teeth grinding against one another; whatever he wants to say must be important, to incite such a reaction from him. I reach out and grab his arm in a hopefully-comforting gesture, and smile when his head snaps around to face me.

"Whatever it is, Zoro, you can tell me," I say gently, encouragingly. "What is it?"

His grip on Wado tightens, and he opens his mouth to speak. What comes out is not what I was expecting. "It's that damn bird."

I blink, before following his gaze upwards. I spot a pale figure, or the barest edge of a pale figure, anyway. I step back from the tower so I can see the clockface easier, and swallow the gasp that rises in my throat. "Pell," I mutter, and Zoro raises an eyebrow. "That's his name?" he asks, shading his eyes to get a better look at the falcon man. "He's one of the Guardians of Alabasta," I say, hooding my eyes. I have a bad feeling about whatever's going on. "I'm going to go see what he's doing."

I start for the tower, only to once again be stopped by Zoro. "What?" I ask, looking at him over my shoulder. "You don't trust him? Because even if that's the case, Vivi's up there!"

"That's not it," he says, shifting his gaze from the tower to me. I'm shocked by the fierceness of his gaze, the hard glint in his eyes. It isn't menacing, only determined and unyielding. "But whatever he's planning to do is his choice. And right now, he and Vivi shouldn't be disturbed."

"You feel it too, then?" I ask, dropping my eyes to my boots. "That feeling that's telling you something bad is going to happen."

"Not something bad," he replies. "Something necessary that we can't interfere with."

I nod slowly, closing my eyes for the barest of moments. That feeling's changed my perspective of the situation. This isn't our end, but it doesn't mean everyone will be spared.

A starttled gasp rings out from the Straw Hats, even from Zoro and myself, when Pell reappears, in full falcon form, with the large, round bomb swinging securely from his talons. He flaps his massive wings, driving him higher and higher into the sky. "He can't be..." I whisper, my fingers curling into anxious fists.

Vivi's scream rips away the deafening silence. "PELL!!! DON'T DO THIS!!" I can clearly see her, leaning out from the clockface, face turned upward to track Pell, who is deaf to her cries. I unconsciously grab Zoro's hand, lacing my fingers with his in a vain attempt to seek comfort. I feel him look at me for a moment before going back to watching Pell, who's now miles above us and showing no signs of stopping.

For a gut-wrenching moment, I imagine I can hear the clock on the bomb ticking down, signaling the end of this war, and the end of a brave man's life.

Tick.

Toc.

Tick.

Toc

Tic--

The bomb explodes in a blinding flash that must stretch over all of Alubarna, and the resulting shockwave sends me to the ground. Windows burst, spraying the air and roads with mirror-like shrapnel. Smoke sweeps through the streets, turning the world a dirty gray and brown. 

The initial explosion was the last thing I heard. A panic-inducing BOOM that's set my ears ringing. I shake my head vigorously, and small snippets of sound seep through the nauseating ringing left behind in their place. As I fight to regain my hearing, I crawl to my knees and force myself to sit back and survey the situation.

The other Straw Hats have been knocked off their feet, but like me their hesitantly standing, shaking off their momentary paralysis. A hand appears in front of my face, and I grab it before looking for its owner. I'm hauled to my feet in an instant... by Zoro.

With a hollow feeling deepening inside me, I absently brush the dust and dirt from my hair, returning it its crimson brilliance. I check my bandages, and sigh slightly when I confirm that they aren't a bloody mess like before. Slightly damp, but nothing to be concerned over. I think my bloody scare might finally be over.

"That bastard..." I look up and over at Sanji, standing in shock, looking up at the fractured sky, split apart by lingering remnents of the explosion. "Why..."

Nami, Zoro and I also tip our heads back, and I feel a burning behind my eyes, warning me of the onslaught of tears sure to come my way. Zoro says nothing, but when I reach for his hand again, he doesn't protest.

"In order to protect the country he..." I hear Nami swallow thickly, cutting off her remark. I bite my lip to keep from saying anything, knowing a single word will force the tears down my cheeks. I can't cry right now, not when I still don't know the fate of this country. And besides, Vivi will be dealing with worse emotions. I can't let myself fall just yet.

"Hey..." 

"What is it, Usopp?" I ask, my voice splintered with my unshed tears. The four of us turn to look at our sniper, standing stiffly beside Chopper. Both their backs are too us, though I can imagine their wide eyes. "Can't be..." he says, his voice rising.

In the square filled with warring soldiers, all is still quiet in the wake of the explosion, as it should be. But not all are content to drop their weapons and resolve this once and for all. As we watch, several rebels move to strike at royal soldiers, who have no choice but to defend themselves. And the fighting breaks out once more.

"Are they all idiots?!" I hiss through clenched teeth. My anger is overpowering my grief, and I find it all too easy to give into my urge to scorch this place, freeing it of all the moronic squabbling. In fact, Honoo is in my free hand when I hear the choked cry of, "STOP FIGHTING!!"

"Vivi," I whisper, catching sight of her. She stands tall and commanding on the edge of the clockface's opening, hands fisted at her sides, a desperate yet forceful expression on her face. 

"PLEASE EVERYONE!!" she begs. "STOP FIGHTING! PLEASE STOP FIGHTING EVERYONE!!" Her words are punctuated by coughs, evidence that she too was affected by the recent blast. 

"Vivi," Zoro says, in a low, almost inaudible voice, echoing my surprise and thoughts.

"PLEASE EVERYONE STOP FIGHTING!!" She repeats this over and over, like a chant, and it spurs the rest of us into action. 

"What are you doing just staring?" Nami demands, shaking at fist in Zoro's face. He leans away from her with an irriated scowl. 

"What can we do?" Usopp questions shrilly.

"Just go kick them or whatever!" Nami orders, facing each of us in turn. I raise a questioning eyebrow when she looks at me, but don't deny her request. "Hurry up! Save the ones you can!"

Another whispered "Vivi" escapes from Usopp as Nami urges (shoves) him towards the fighting. Vivi's shouts are crystal-clear in my ears, and Nami doesn't need to tell me twice. I follow Sanji, Zoro and the others as they sprint off towards the men risking their lives for ridiculous causes.

We move through the throng of soldiers, trying to force them down and out of this fight. Zoro is using his inhuman strength to knock them out, and I even see Chopper chomping down on a very unfortunate man's head. I myself am dust whacking people on the back of the head with the butt of Honoo's hilt. I dash through their ranks, knocking people out one after the other in quick succession. It's efficient and fast, and the scores of unconscious people behind me attest to that fact. 

"Hey! Look at that!" Sanji shouts, pointing skyward. The rest of us stop in our actions, and simultaneously chorus, "CROCODILE?!"

He's falling right into the thick of the fighting, fur coat splayed around him in the whistling wind. He spirals towards the ground from an inconcievable height. I smirk slightly, sheathing Honoor and turning around to race back to my friends.

"Although I don't know where he came out of but--"

"That doesn't matter!" Usopp interrupts Sanji, his jaw dropped down to the floor. "We know..."

"That guy won!" the rest of us finish, excluding Zoro who only smirks. Though I hear an almost silent sigh from him. It only makes my grin widen.

I don't see where Crocodile lands, and I don't care. He's done for as soon as this country comes to its senses and realizes all the harm that's been caused is a direct result of him.

I flinch slightly when a cold, wet droplet splatters on the bridge of my nose. But the confusion only lasts for a split second. Rain. I hold out my hand, letting the cooling water spill onto my palm, and smile broadly as I notice the rest of my friends in similiar states of wonder and awe. 

The rain slices through the thick smoke and dust that's been blanketing the square, and for once Vivi's voice reaches all those present as the fighting begins to die down from the sudden weather change. "EVERYONE PLEASE! STOP FIGHTING!"

The attacking armies pause, their heads swiveling to see the clock tower. "Vivi's voice is heard by everyone," Nami says softly, eyes sparkling with relief and joy.

"Princess Vivi?"

"It's Princess Vivi!"

"Vivi!"

"I thought the Princess wasn't here..."

Without the distraction of clashing swords and shouting guns, another unexpected guest seems to gain everyone's attention.

"Mr. Crocodile!"

"Why is he down here?!"

"Mr. Crocodile? Let me tell you what he's done!" Usopp seethes, his teeth comically shark-like and his eyes slanted ferociously. He struggles to break from Sanji's grip on his curly black hair.

"Just wait and watch," the cook instructs calmly.

Vivi's voice rings out clear and bright in the pounding of rain and the dying breath of battle. "The rain right now, will fall again like before," she promises. "Because all the nightmares have ended!"

For a moment, I can actually believe they'll listen. Then their discontent reaches a fever pitch, and they begin to protest.

"The nightmare has not ended yet!" they chorus, causing me to sigh loudly, slapping a hand to my forehead. I swear, this country is full of stubborn fools. "We saw with our own eyes what the King has done!"

"Right! Kohza was attacked too!"

"They're still on that?" I mutter, frowning, just as a hand touches my shoulder. My frown tips into a tiny smile when I see it's Kohza. 

"They really wouldn't listen," he sighs, looking up at Vivi with prideful eyes. I smile sympathetically at him as the rebels continue to rant.

"What the royal army did cannot be forgiven with an apology!" they cry out. "How do you say such things to those who have lost their lives?!"

"PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS, ROYAL ARMY!!"

The words "General Chaka" erupt in scores from the waiting royal soldiers, and I can barely make out decimated form of the other Guardian of Alabasta, standing on the high wall protecting the palace.

"You..." An unfamiliar voice coughs. Even that is loud in the startling silence. I myself am just as shocked as everyone. I'd foolishly given Chaka up for dead. "Put down your weapons too, uprising army!"

A large man with long very pale blonde hair rolled into bouncy curls, wearing a strange suit, stands at the edge of the fighting. I squint, just able to make out the small child he carries in his arms. 

"Mister I-Igaram!" someone shouts, though whether they are royal or rebel, I can't tell. 

Igaram? Oh, the captain of Alabasta security, the man Vivi infiltrated Baroque Works with. It's amazing how many men are coming back from the dead today.

"He's that weird guy on Whiskey Island!" Zoro shouts, looking none too pleased to see the light-haired man. "He's still alive?!" Nami cries, almost at the same time.

"Can you still speak, kid?" Igaram asks the child he's holding. The boy nodes and shifts in the man's arms to face the opposing armies. 

"He's the kid from Nahan," I hear one rebel mutter. 

"The one who got attacked by the royal army," another one adds. 

'NO!" the boy insists. Tears form in his wide eyes, small dribbles of snot sliding from his nose. He looks bruised and beaten, and I'll readily believe he was actually attacked. "Someone attacked else attacked me! Listen everyone, I saw it all! The royal army that attacked in Nahan were just fakes!"

He goes one, much to the shock and dismay of the rebels. "The King was fake too, it was all a trap!"

"Right!" Kohza speaks up from beside me. "This battle was planned from the beginning!"

"Kohza!" Dozens of rebels shout their leader's name in a mixture of surprise and guilt. Ah, those would be the ones who saw him earlier and refused to listen. 

"Everything about this incident I will now explain clearly!" Igaram says. "Now put down your weapons!"

It is shocking just how fast each and every weapon falls to the ground in a clattering symphony.

Thirs Person POV

The Straw Hats don't remain in the square to listen to Igaram's exlplanations. They all know the story, and don't feel the need to hear it told again.

Each of them tired and drained, even Raya who isn't fully recovered from her previous wounds, staggers from the square and down an empty street. They pause to rest for a moment when it's clear there are some among them who can't move properly.

But when they attempt to keep going, protests meet their weary ears. 

"Can't you walk right yet?" 

"Hey listen, I have a disease that will kill me if I walk anymore..."

"Fine, stay here."

"Wait alright!"

The six Straw Hats continue through the city, ignoring the sorry state the buildings and streets are in. Zoro, having decided this was easier, pulls Usopp along by his bandadged ankle, and is only met with more complaints. 

"Will you stop pulling me?!"

"Oh," Sanji says, walking along with his hands in his pockets, as casual as ever. "There he is."

"King Cobra!" Raya greets, smiling tiredly at Vivi's father. He approaches from the opposite end of the street, an unconscious Luffy seated on his back. They both look as though they've been through hell and back, and seeing what he did to Crocodile, that story is very likely to be the truth. 

King Cobra pauses, then looks at Raya with a hint of recognition in his dark eyes. "You were with Vivi," he says, then addresses the rest of the crew. "Who are you?"

Sanji scratches the back of his head, smiling awkwardly. He points to Luffy. "Er, that guy on your back.... He's one of our friends. Thanks for carrying him. Let's switch."

"So you're the pirate group that brought Vivi back," the King says thoughtfully. "Ah?" Sanji continues to rub his head, unsure of the situation. It seems no one took in Raya's greeting. "Who are you mister?" he asks.

Raya rolls her eyes, blowing out a quick breath through her nose. Zoro looks over at her, one eyebrow cocked, but his question in answered in the next heartbeat. 

"Everyone!" a familiar Princess calls. "Papa?!"

Sanji is instantly in the King's face, a very moronic expression on his face. Very Usopp-esque, if you will. His eyes bug from his skull, and his jaw is dropped in an almost inhuman way.

"You're the King?" Zoro asks in what could be described as a bored tone. It's been a long while since Zoro has been this long with his daily naps, and the experience has done nothing for his manners. Raya, unconcerned with his tone, flicks the side of his head. While he shoots her a half-assed glare, she frowns and says, "I swear I just called him King Cobra about a minute ago."

"I thought I was dead," Cobra says, ignoring both Sanji's curiosity and the bickering pair. "But this kid saved me." The King walks over to the Straw Hats and carefully places Luffy on the ground, slumped against a still-intact building. The others, including Vivi, gather around him.

"Even after fighting with Crocodile, he carried two people to the surface. Such unbelievable power."

(A/N: Luffy and Crocodile fought in an underground chamber that's hidden near a temple in Alubarna. Crocodile was there because he wanted the information that was on the Poneglyph hidden there. Poneglyphs are these massive stone blocks with ancient writing on them. Some have information about the ancient weapons, like Pluton, while others are just written acounts of history. Miss All Sunday, whose real name is Nico Robin, is said to be the only person left alive who can read them, which is why Crocodile had her with him. When she told him a lie about what was on the Poneglyph, he believed her and said she was worthless and attempted to kill her. Luffy saved her when he finally caught up to Crocodile, and that's when they fought. Obviously, Luffy won, though he was poisoned by Crocodile's hook. But I just didn't want people to be confused later on since I didn't include Luffy's fight in the book. If you were looking forward to that, sorry!)

"So does that mean the poison is gone already?" Usopp asks, hands on his hips. 

"Hm," the King agrees. "It should be neutralized."

But the wounds should be treated. You guys too," Vivi insists worriedly. 

Zoro settled down by Luffy, propping his three katana against his knee with his arm casually held around them. "Vivi," he says. "Stop bothering with us. Hurry up and go!"

"Hmm?"

"Back to the palace ground," he clarifies.

"Right," Usopp agrees, arms now folded across his chest. "You finally stopped the uprising. Without you and the King showing up, it just won't seem like the end."

"That's right!" Vivi smiles brightly, swiping the rain from her eyes. "Let's all go!"

"Vivi I think you should know..." Sanji lights up a cigarrete, and takes a drag from it, before smiling widely at Vivi. "We're pirates. We don't like to get involved with politics."

"I'm hungry," Chopper pants, tongue hanging from his mouth. Raya laughs softly at the sight. He sits in her arms as she drops down beside Zoro, leaning heavily against his shoulder. Her eyelids feel unnaturally heavy to her, and she realizes the last time she really slept was when she was in Yuba.

Nami, too, is feeling the effects of both lack of sleep and her fight with Mr. 1's partner. "Can we go to the palace to rest?" she asks Vivi with a pleasant, yet pleading, smile. "I'm about to collapse."

Vivi nods, returning a small smile, before following her father as he heads for the palace square.

When the King and Princess disappear from view, the Straw Hats waste no time in going the way of their captain. Everyone but those who are already sitting collapse onto the dusty ground, snores erupting from the men's chests, light breathing from sighing from the women. 

Raya smiles slightly in her sleep, curled up against a deeply-sleeping Zoro.

All across the capitol, Marines are rounding up the fallen Baroque Works agents. Tashigi herself formally arrests the decieving Croc. Vivi and her father address the uneasy crowds still huddled in the palace square. And off in the distance, even Smoker reflects on the goings on of the Kingdom of Alabasta.

(Sometime later...)

"What?!"

"This is an order," Tashigi snaps, staring down the Marines assigned to her.

"S-Sergent!" one man stutters. "This is a chance we can't lose!"

"You will not touch these people!" she orders. "Will you disobey a direct command from me?!"

"W-why? They're all right here! We'll get promoted for them!"

The "them" these Marines are referring to are in fact the sleeping Straw Hats. They do not stir, too exhausted and injured to be awoken from the bickering. They've earned their rest, and Tashigi of all people knows this. Her own sense of justice, so different from that of an average Marine's, tells her that, just this once, she should give the Straw Hats a break.

Night falls, and the Straw Hats are gathered from their resting place by palace guards, and brought back at the direction of Princess Vivi and King Cobra. They are given room in the palace's infirmary, along with Vivi, also recovering from her ordeal. Though her wounds are superficial compared to those of the pirates she's come to love.

The pattering of rain against the window is almost drowned out by a certain captain's cacophony of snores, but Vivi, seated at the windowsill, doesn't mind. She smiles out at the rain. She, along with the Straw Hats, are clean and fresh and bandadged. 

Vivi hears the door open, and turns slightly to greet the nighttime visitor. 

"Princess Vivi," Igaram greets. "Why are you still awake?"

"Igaram," she replies, turning back to the scene outside the window as he walks up behind her. "You can't sleep?" he guess. She shakes her head, once more smiling at the falling water. "I can..." she says softly, so as not to disturb her sleeping nakama. "But right now all I want to do is watch the rain. Just for a little longer.

Igaram nods and goes to help several Straw Hats who have slipped off their white-sheeted beds in their slumber. He pulls their covers over them, just as a thought occurs to him. "Ah, Pell, he..."

Vivi turns for only a moment before looking back out at the rain. "He was the proudest soldier that I have ever seen," Igaram finishes with a smile.

"Yes," she replies, pulling at the blanket around her slender shoulders. "I really want to thank him."

"That would be the highest reward for him."

Vivi smiles, not only at the beautiful sight of rain falling past her window, but at the memory of her beloved Pell. Yes, she decides, Pell would be very happy to hear that. And I'm sure, wherever he is, he's smiling as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Woohoo! Another chapter! And guess what? We're almost out of the Alabasta Arc! Aren't you guys ready to move on to other things in the One Piece universe? I know I am. I love Vivi and her story, but one of my personal favorites is coming up soon! Can't wait!