False Hero:

-x-

SHUNK! Early the next day, an anchor sank down into the hot desert sand. The repaired pirate ship of the Barbar Pirates was now anchored within sight of a desert village.

"Ahead is a village called Edo," Barbarossa informed the Straw Hats. "You should be able to get water there without much difficulty." The Captain of the Barbar Pirates had agreed to give the Straw Hats a ride to a village where they could get some supplies after they had helped repair the broken mast the night before.

"Does this mean you're not coming with us?" Luffy asked.

"We Sand Pirates can not travel beyond this desert realm," Barbarossa replied, "You see, this land belongs to my people, brave souls who have lived and died here for generations. The desert is the home of the free, but not everyone can survive in this harsh environment, for them the village ahead provides a better home."

"..." Vivi was silent, she looked up and saw Rasa watching her from up above on a rope ladder.

"So... what are you going to do now?" Luffy inquired.

"Nothing much actually," Barbarossa admitted, "We live freely on this ocean of sand and that's exactly what we plan to keep doing."

"I guess this is goodbye then," Y/N resolved as he tucked his hands in his pockets. While he wasn't exactly on friendly terms with Barbarossa, he had at least gotten used to the desert pirate's ways and was now back to his usual self. "Let's go crew."

-x-

Not long later, the Straw Hats plus Ollie had disembarked the BarBar Pirate's ship and were heading towards the desert village of Edo. Y/N led the group with Ollie walking alongside him and Zoro and Sanji trailing a little behind them. The three aforementioned male Straw Hats had put their weights back on and now left deep footprints as they walked onward. Eyelash followed behind Zoro with Nami and Vivi once again riding on his back while Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were bringing up the rear and were walking backwards so they could wave goodbye to the desert pirates.

"SEE YA AROUND, UMBRELLA GUY!" Luffy called out. "BYYYEEE!"

"They were great," Luffy commented to his Nakama.

"Yeah," Usopp agreed.

"Any of you guys have any idea where Ace and Han ran off to?" Sanji inquired.

"If this Edo place has water then they're likely to have food," Ollie reasoned, "and if they have food, Ace will turn up eventually bringing Han along with him."

"I can sense Ace's ruby bands nearby," Y/N reported as he adjusted the black bag of money on his shoulder, "We'll head into the village and buy some supplies then wait for them to join us before we head off for Yuba again."

"Then let's get to this Udo place as fast as we can," Luffy resolved.

"That's Edo," Nami corrected him.

As Vivi sat side saddle behind Nami on Eyelash and looked back at the pirate ship she saw Rasa waving from the crow's nest. The Princess smiled and waved back as the camel she was riding on got farther and farther away from the pirate ship.

-x-

Ahead of the pirates in the desert village of Edo a man stared through a telescope at the black Barbar Pirate flag that was waving off in a distance. "AAAAAHH!" the man screamed, "They're waving a desert pirate flag! Crap! I gotta go and tell Big Bro!" The man scrambled to his feet then grabbed his sword and ran into the village.

In the middle of the village, children ran happily through the streets. Unlike Erumalu and Melias which were withered and dead, the desert village of Edo was alive and well. Plants were growing, the buildings were in perfect condition, and the people seemed happy, it appeared that there was at least one village in the desert that hadn't been destroyed by the drought.

"Aah, soldiers of the rebel army," the mayor the village greeted a group of three men. "I salute you all. Camu, my dear friend and ally, since the arrival of you and your companions, attacks on the village have ceased entirely."

"No prob," Camu replied. He was a lean young man with pale gray hair held off his face with a purple headband. He had tanned skin and a hooked nose and wore a brown vest over a short piece of padded armor that went halfway down his chest and covered his white and black striped t-shirt. He also wore brown shoulder pads and long brown knees pads over a simple pair of blue pants, finishing off Camu's look was a pair of dark boots and gloves. "I have to admit, man or beast alike would have to be utterly insane to try and take on my men. So rest easy Mayor, and leave the fighting to us. Hahahaha!"

Camu and his men were currently seated at a table and were eating a large meal at the expense of the mayor. One of Camu's men was a large fat man that looked like a sumo wrestler, he had black hair and a wide triangular nose, and a light blue kimono lined in dark blue that was decorated in yellow triangles. The other man was only four foot eight and was dressed like a boxer, he wore a green beanie with a white ball on the top, a pair of pink goggles with black lenses over his eyes, a pair of dark trunks, and an orange robe that was lined in pink that matched his goggles. The short man's fork was currently clenched in his boxing-glove encased hand.

"Oh, you'll get no argument from me," the Mayor agreed, "I confess, word is spreading that the rebel and royal armies will soon be at each other's throats. Aren't you concerned that staying here might send out the wrong signal?"

"Nonsense," the short man with the boxing gloves replied, "We could never leave a place that lets us eat as much as we want whenever we—" THWAK! Camu cut the other man off with a quick kick to the face and knocked him off the bench.

"No, our stay here has nothing to do with the fighting," Camu assured the Mayor, "we may be rebels but we haven't completely given up on the King's ability to make the right decisions for his people."

"Yes, I'm very pleased to hear you say that, Camu," the Mayor commented, "for we too share your unshakable faith in the King. That's why we are hoping this unfortunate conflict could preferably be handled with the most delicate touch."

"Please, good Mayor, say no more," Camu said, "After careful consideration we've decided to take the responsibility of keeping you and yours safe. All we ask from you is the simple gift of unlimited food and booze."

"Of course," the Mayor answered, "I will see to it that your needs are met. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go." The Mayor exited the room and Camu was left alone with his two men.

"Big Bro," the boxer called out as he pulled himself back up off of the ground, "tell it to me straight, would turning our backs on the King really be such a bad idea?"

"Look," Camu told him, "we aren't leaving this village until we've sucked every last drop of that sweet nectar dry." Camu and his gang weren't real rebel soldiers, they were conmen preying on the hospitality of people of Edo.

"BIG BRO!" the man who had been keeping a lookout came running in. He was the tallest of the group and had short black hair on top of a long rectangular head with a rectangular nose, he wore red catchers padding over a long white coat and had a katana sheathed at his waist. On his forehead was a purple diamond tattoo. "TERRIBLE NEWS, BIG BRO!"

"Calm down," Camu ordered, "What do you want? I'm trying to eat here."

"SAND PIRATES!" the tattooed swordsman exclaimed, "Sand Pirates are attacking!"

Camu and his other two men gasped in shock. "Seriously?" the boxer questioned before turning to Camu. "What do we do?"

"What do you mean, there aren't many options," the tattooed man pointed out, "In fact, there's nothing we can do. We can't afford to just stick our tail between our legs and run away again. Well Big Bro, what's the plan?" The three subordinates turned to face the leader and found him bundling up all the remaining food and tying it onto the end of his rifle.

"We're getting the hell out of here," Camu decided as he picked up his rifle and faced his men.

"WE'RE RUNNING AWAY?" Camu's three men exclaimed.

"But if we leave here what will happen to us after that?" the tattooed man inquired. "Do we have to go back to starving again?"

"MORON!" Camu snapped, "What's the point of food if we're not alive to eat it? There are probably plenty of other villages out there just like this one. Come on!" Camu pushed passed his men and made to leave but stopped and stared in shock when he found his path blocked by Fido the Mimo Gecko. "What the..."

"I think I'm about to lose my lunch," Ace commented from behind them as he sat at the table eating Camu and his men's food. "You've got a lot of nerve calling yourselves rebel soldiers."

"The four of you are down-right despicable," Han stated as he sat beside Ace at the table and glared at the four conmen.

"What the heck are you doing here?" the tattooed swordsman demanded.

"FOOD THIEF!" the boxer snapped.

"I've got this, Commander," Han offered, he shot up and lunged across the table. WHAM! Han slammed into the swordsman and drove him into the boxer and the fat kimono man knocking all three of them down to the ground. Camu attempted to flee but found his path blocked by Fido, he turned around in time for Han to draw a shotgun and smack him the face with it, SWAK! Camu was knocked down to the ground and held the side of his face while Han pointed his shotgun at the conman's forehead. "You're a disgrace. You're not even worth the bullet."

"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" Camu begged as he got on his knees and bowed to the gun-wielding monster hunter. "I'LL DO ANYTHING!"

Han glanced at Ace who had finished off everything on the table. "Give us food," Han ordered.

"Yes, of course!" Camu frantically agreed.

A moment later, Ace had a wide variety of food platters laid out in front of him and was eating his fill. "This place has good food," Ace commented, he was content to allow Han to deal with the situation and just enjoyed the free food he got as a result.

"Thanks, I appreciate the compliment," Camu replied with a big smile while his men stood uncertainly behind him.

"You had nothing to do with it," Han spoke up, as he glared at Camu and his men with his arms folded across his chest. "This village provided you with the food and you haven't even done anything to earn it."

"You're right," Camu agreed, "We're weaklings and cowards! And we clearly don't stand a chance against Sand Pirates... unless we have help from someone like you two!" Camu and his men dropped to their knees and bowed to the two pirates, "you must rescue us, please!"

"And why should we?" Han asked. "I don't have anything to prove. I left my homeland behind so I could save people all over the world from vicious monsters. The four of you can't even protect one little village."

"That's why we need your help!" Camu exclaimed, "Save these people from those desert savages! We're weak, we can't face them!"

"We could use some provisions," Ace confessed.

"Give us food and water and we'll think about it," Han decided.

A moment later, Ace was holding a large sack of food over his shoulder while Han stood next to him with a large water barrel on his back.

"So... you'll save us now?" Camu asked.

"We thought about it," Han told him, "And we've decided not to."

"WHAT?" Camu and his men shrieked. KLIK! The quartet found themselves staring down the nozzle of Han's cannon-sized gun.

"The four of you have two options," Han informed them. "You can either man up, face those pirates, and live up to the image these villagers have of you. Or you can run away and live the rest of your pathetic lives as honor-less creatures that don't even deserve to be called men."

Fido was back down on all fours and Ace sat down on the lizard's back above his front legs. Han sat backwards on the lizard's lower back and stared at Camu and his men.

"If you're too selfish to fight for these people then at least do it for yourselves," Han advised, "Cowards may survive but is it really worth it? Is that really how you'd want to live the rest of your lives? If you fight these pirates you'll have the chance to be the heroes you've pretended to be but if you pass it up, you'll eventually die as you are... cowardly rats."

"Let's go Fido," Ace ordered the lizard.

"MEEP!" Fido cried out and ran off leaving Camu and his men pale and shaking in their wake.

-x-

"It feels like Ace is coming towards us now," Y/N noted as the Straw Hats plus Ollie approached the village. "I wonder how they got there before us."

"They rode on a big purple lizard," Ollie answered.

"How do you..."

"Depth perception," Ollie interrupted as she pointed to the Fido the Mimo Gecko as it ran over carrying Ace and Han on its back.

"HEEEEY! HEEEEY!" Ace called out and waved to the others as Fido ran closer.

"ACE!" Luffy exclaimed as he ran to meet his brother. Ace and Han got off of Fido and the lizard stood back up on its hind legs just as Luffy skidded to a stop in front of them, "Hey, what's this thing?"

"So you were the Sand Pirates those flakes were scared of," Ace realized.

"What're you talking about?" Luffy asked, "We left the sand pirates a little while ago."

"Well whatever, no biggie," Ace resolved, "I've got good news, do you guys need food and water? Cause we brought you guys plenty of both." Ace put the sack down in front of him and undid the knot in the top to reveal all the food he'd gotten, Han took off his barrel and put it down next to the food.

"Quick, grab some food before Luffy eats it all," Y/N advised, the Straw Hats gathered around the food and water and quickly claimed their portion before Luffy could eat it all.

"Oh, that's much appreciated," Sanji remarked. "This should be more than enough to last us a good while."

"Ace is one incredible guy," Usopp commented.

"Sure is," Nami agreed as she got off of Eyelash and landed next to him, "Kind and thoughtful to a fault, unlike someone we know."

"That's true," Usopp muttered.

"Thank you, I was so thirsty," Chopper said as helped himself to some of the water.

"Um, excuse me, Ace, Han," Vivi addressed the two Whitebeard Pirates as she got off of Eyelash and walked over to them. "I assume you used something other than money to get this. Whatever you did... please don't tell me you stole the supplies."

"That's not my style," Ace reassured her, "The rebel army gave it to us."

"THE REBEL ARMY?" Vivi repeated.

"Well... fake rebels," Han clarified. "They pass themselves off as rebel soldiers and were hired by that Edo place. The villagers are so grateful for the protection that they welcome the crooks with open arms and give them all the food they want. Disgraceful cowards if you ask me."

"I get that they're desperate for help," Nami commented, "but wouldn't they eventually figure out they've been fooled?"

"Not necessarily," Ace replied, "The villagers know that the mere mention of the rebel army is enough to send most bandits running. It's ingenious really, confident swagger with a little misdirection and the money and prestige comes rolling in."

"Well rebel soldiers aren't crooks," Vivi stated, "Nor is their title meant to serve as some sort of decoration."

"Miss. Vivi, I'm sure we'd all be happy to teach these guys a lesson," Sanji offered.

"You'd barely have to extend an effort to do it," Han told him, "they're cowards that were planning on running away the second they heard that desert pirates were coming."

"But keep in mind, the villagers still live in peace with their fake protectors," Ace pointed out. "Is fighting them really necessary?"

"I understand what you're saying," Sanji admitted, "But you've gotta consider this from Miss. Vivi's perspective. Surely you'd like to see those jerks pay."

"Look, Vivi can do what she wants," Ace assured him, "I was only sharing my thoughts on the subject."

"..." Vivi was silent as she thought of what to do. She remembered what Rasa had said.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR EXCUSES! For years I waited for you all alone in an abandoned city in the middle of a trackless desert!"

"My Kingdom is no longer able to protect everyone," Vivi spoke up remembering what had happened to the Melias Oasis, it had become a rundown ruin and the people had abandoned it because the King was too busy attempting to say all of the other villages and cities that were suffering. "So I find nothing wrong with villages attempting to uphold public safety on their own whenever possible."

"What do you want to do?" Y/N inquired. "Whatever you decide, we're with you."

"First we need to put these conmen to the test," Vivi decided, "If these imposters are protecting them, even if that protecting is nothing more than a bi-product of their ruse than I really don't care what they pass themselves off as."

"So you want us to find out if these crooks will defend the village if they have to?" Han asked.

"Yes," Vivi answered, "but this is something that will require everyone's cooperation if we're to pull it off."

"That's no problem Miss. Vivi," Sanji agreed.

Zoro and Ollie shared a look and shrugged, deciding to allow the others to make the plans and then step in where instructed.

"Alright, now things are getting interesting!" Luffy cheered.

"What do you mean by interesting?" Chopper questioned.

"Hold on Luffy, you need to calm down," Nami instructed their excitable captain, "this isn't a game, you understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Luffy agreed, "Basically we're gonna track down these fake rebel guys then beat 'em up, right?"

"He doesn't understand a thing," Sanji noted. "Someone needs to put him on a short leash."

"I'll stick with him," Y/N offered, "That way I'll be able to cover for him in case he does or says something stupid."

-x-

Heart of the Rebel Soldier:

-x-

"What do we do, Big Bro?" the tattooed swordsman whimpered to Camu back in Edo.

"We're gonna get the hell out of here," Camu decided. "I'm sure gonna miss these perfect accommodations but staying alive is all that matters." Camu motioned for his men to follow him and began leading them out the back way so they could escape the village without being seen.

But as soon as they pushed the door opened they were met with cheering, "HOOORRAAAAY!" the villagers cheered. Camu and his men stopped and stared in shock, the entire village had gathered and was blocking their escape route.

"Gentlemen, we're all relying on you," the Mayor spoke up. "I was just about to come calling for you but I should have realized you were on top of the situation. Of course you are already aware that the sea pirates are here."

"S-sea pirates?" Camu and his men repeated.

"Yes, sea pirates," the Mayor confirmed, "far more ferocious and deadly than sand pirates. Once we heard you'd deal with the pirates we knew we could rest easy. We know you won't fail."

"Good luck, Mister!" came a small voice, Camu looked down to see a trio of children tugging on his pants legs and smiling up at him. "Show those stupid sea pirates whose boss! I hope to be strong just like you some day! Hahahahahaha!"

"Uhh... let's go," Camu groaned as he led his men onward.

"HOORAY!" the villagers cheered as their resident rebel soldiers headed off to face the sea pirates. They failed to notice how reluctant their defenders were.

"Are you serious about this, big bro?" the tattooed swordsman inquired as they made their way through the village.

"Don't be stupid," the boxer reprimanded him, "of course he's not serious! That's crazy."

"Shut up, both of you," Camu scolded them. "Once out of town, we run in the opposite direction of those pirates and don't stop. That's our only chance to get out of this alive. We keep running."

"Good luck with that," came the voice of Han as he walked out of an alley and stepped in front of Camu and his men. "I took a look at those sea pirates, they're the real deal." Han pulled out two wanted posters, "'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy and his First Mate 'One Eye' Y/N. Together they're worth fifty million berries. They may come from the East Blue but they're as vicious as they come. They systematically eliminated all the big name pirates in the East Blue before finally heading here to the Grand Line."

"B-big b-bro," the swordsman stammered, "Wh-what do we d-do?"

"Let's get out of here!" Camu decided.

"As I said, 'good luck with that'," Han said, "but I don't think your audience will allow you to escape this conflict."

Camu looked back and flinched when he saw that the Mayor and the villagers were following behind them. They couldn't chicken out and run away with all those people behind them, they were now stuck on a path leading to the sea pirates.

With a desperate plea on the tip of his tongue, Camu turned back to Han but found that the Monster Hunter was already gone. "Damn it," Camu cursed as he led his men onward with the crowd of villagers trailing behind them.

Around a corner, Han leaned against the wall next to Ace, "They know what they're facing now," he reported, "and they know that there's no way of completely avoiding the conflict."

"Then we'll see what they'll do when their backs are against the world," Ace reasoned. The two of them pushed off of the wall and began to silently follow after the crowd of villagers.

-x-

"Grr... look at them all," Camu growled as he led his men along a path out of the village, the villagers were still following behind them. Camu and his men were increasingly nervous as they approached the area where they knew the sea pirates were waiting. "Following our every step, morons, just a bunch of mindless sheep."

Camu and his men finally made it to the archway that led out of the village. They were all shaking knowing that the large green double door was the only thing separating them from the vicious sea pirates.

"Stay sharp," Camu ordered his men. "We'll get one shot at this. Once outside the gates we find which direction is pirate free and then take off as fast as we can, got it?"

"Uh-huh," Camu's three men replied.

"Here goes," Camu prompted as he grabbed the doors, "One... two... three!" KREEK! He pulled the green doors open and the four men ran through them into the sandy clearing. They promptly stopped when they saw their bath blocked.

Two figures stood ahead of them, both of them wore red desert cloaks. The first wore sandals, shorts, and had a light blue shemagh wrapped over his straw hat. The other had short red hair and wore boots, black pants, and an eye patch over his right eye.

The quartet turned to flee to the right but found another two pirates standing there. The first wore blue robes, had blond hair, and was smoking a cigarette. The other wore pale green robes, had curly black hair and a long nose.

Camu and his men turned the other way, looking to run the left but found another two pirates standing there. The first wore an orange shemagh on his head, a black and white tiger print desert robe, and a sword poised over his shoulder. The second was a large hairy man wearing light blue robes and a pink top hat.

Realization sunk in on Camu and his men, left, right, and straight ahead were all blocked and the villagers were all gathered in the archway behind them. There was no escape.

"Crap," Camu thought to himself.

"GET 'EM!" the Mayor cheered, "GET 'EM INVINCIBLE REBEL ARMY!"

"He's gonna get us killed," Camu whimpered.

"What's that?" Luffy growled in a 'tough' voice. "You're rebel soldiers?"

"I'm insulted Captain," Y/N spoke up in a cold voice that oozed blood-lust. "These people said members of the rebel army would handle us. These four don't count as an army."

"That's right," Camu agreed, "We're not rebels, we're just..."

"SAY YOUR PRAYERS!" the Mayor shouted as he stood on top of the archway. "YOU DASTARDLY SEA PIRATES ARE DEAD! THESE REBEL SOLDIERS ARE GONNA MAKE MINCEMEAT OUT OF THE WHOLE LOT OF YOU!"

"Are they really?" Y/N inquired as an evil toothy smile lit up his face.

"SHUT UP MAYOR!" Camu screamed, "YOU'RE NOT HELPING!"

"Right, right, forgive me," the Mayor apologized. "It won't happen again. Please carry on, I'm not even here!"

-x-

Nami and Vivi were watching the confrontation from behind a large boulder at the edge of the clearing. Ollie leaned against the boulder and was wearing Y/N's black cowboy had, she didn't seem overly pleased to be there.

"Loser," Nami scoffed, "the guy's completely spineless."

"Yeah," Vivi agreed.

"Are you sure about letting this go on?" Nami asked. "It might be better for everyone if we have them take care of everyone now."

"Let it play out," Ollie advised without looking, "Y/N's a good actor. Normally he tries to talk people out of fighting him but if anyone can goad those cowards into fighting, it's him."

"But do you think he can cover Luffy's bad acting?" Nami wondered.

-x-

"Hey, sounds like you guys are the real deal," Luffy observed as the crowd of villagers on top of the archway continued to cheer.

"No, no, you don't understand," Camu protested, he and his men all had tear streaming down their faces.

"We're in trouble, Big Bro," the swordsman sobbed.

"Damn it, our one chance to escape is gone," the boxer whimpered.

"Then it looks like you've got a decision to make," Han's voice cut through the air as he and Ace hid behind the opened doors behind Camu. "You've got no way out of this. Either fight like heroes or die like cowards."

"You know we can't handle these guys," Camu whispered back, "We're totally faking it."

"You're pretending to be soldiers," Ace spoke up, "but if that doesn't work, might I suggest you act like men."

Camu remembered seeing the children running happily through the village and was suddenly hit with a sense of nostalgia.

"What do we do, Big Bro?" the boxer asked.

"Grrr... stop asking me!" Camu snapped. "We have no choice, to save our skins we have to lie our way out of this imposter style."

"Imposter style?" the swordsman repeated.

"IF IT'S A FIGHT YOU WANT, CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED!" Camu shouted at the Straw Hats. "WE AREN'T THE ONLY REBEL SOLDIERS AROUND HERE! In the village there are... A HUNDRED MILLION MORE LIKE US!"

"Come on," Usopp groaned, "Babies lie better."

"You're one to talk," Sanji muttered.

"A HUNDRED MILLION?" Luffy repeated in shock.

WHOMP! Y/N stomped on Luffy's foot to shut him up, "I know Captain, I'm insulted too," Y/N quickly covered for his brother's stupidity. "Do they really expect us to believe a terrible lie like that? We're pirates, not idiots."

"They... were lying?" Chopper questioned, he sighed in relief, "Phew."

"Geez," Zoro groaned at the reindeer's gullibility.

"FAKER!" Luffy hollered at Camu, "HOW DARE YOU LIE TO ME!"

"Damn," Camu cursed, "they know the truth!"

"Did you really think that old line was going to work?" the swordsman asked.

"GUUUUM... GUUUUUM..." Luffy pulled back his arm and sent his rubber arm flying at Camu, "PIIIISTOOOOOLLLL!" POW! Luffy's fist slammed into Camu face and knocked him through the open archway. Camu's body left a trench in the dirt as Luffy's fist continued to propel him backwards until he was halfway down the path that led out of the village.

SHWUP! Luffy retracted his arm and Camu's men were left staring after their leader in shock.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" the swordsman shrieked.

"AAAH! HE HAS DEVIL FRUIT POWERS!" one of the villagers screamed. "ONE HIT KNOCKED HIM OUT! NOT EVEN REBEL SOLDIERS COULD WITHSTAND POWER LIKE THAT! WE'RE DOOMED!"

-x-

"Luffy, think," Nami whispered from behind the boulder, "It's all over if you knock him out. Give it a little more time."

"I hate being a damn cheerleader," Ollie complained as she continued to lean back against the boulder. Due to being more associated with Ace and Han than the Straw Hats, Ollie had stayed behind so that in the odd chance that someone recognized her they wouldn't think they were dealing with the Straw Hats and the Whitebeards.

-x-

Luffy and Y/N grinned as they walked side-by-side towards Camu's remaining men.

"What do you suppose we should do with them, Captain?" Y/N inquired. "If we kill them, we'll be able take all the supplies we need from this village."

"I was starting to get hungry again," Luffy admitted while Camu's men shook in terror.

"This is why we pick villages like this one as targets," Y/N commented, "They're all alone in the middle of the desert. By the time Crocodile or the King's forces can get here, we'll have all the supplies we need and be long gone." Y/N drew Akakyuuketsuki from its sheath and showed off the red blade to the terrified fake rebels. "So... which of you wants to die first?"

-x-

"Big Brother Camu!" cried out one of the three kids that had encouraged Camu earlier. "You've gotta get up! The sea pirates are coming! We believe in you! Stand up!"

Camu remembered the children running happily through the streets. He remembered himself running through the streets of his hometown with his three friends. He remembered seeing the King's two greatest warriors Chaka and Pell ride passed on a regal two-humped camel.

"I remember... when I was a kid," Camu thought to himself, "I always looked up to the warriors of Alabasta. All I ever wanted was to be as strong as them someday. That one dream never left me. Even now, my only wish is to be as strong as those warriors I saw as a child."

Han's words echoed in Camu's head, "If you fight these pirates you'll have the chance to be the heroes you've pretended to be but if you pass it up, you'll eventually die as you are... cowardly rats."

"Someday..." Camu whispered as he clenched his fists.

-x-

Luffy and Y/N continued to advance on Camu's men, Luffy was a step ahead and grinned as he reached out to punch one of them. WHAP! Camu suddenly appeared in front of them and grabbed Luffy's wrist. There was blood dripping out of his nose and he still had a dazed look on his face.

"Big Bro!" Camu's men chorused.

"Oh look, the rebel soldier survived your first punch," Y/N taunted. "Now it looks like he's actually going to try and fight us."

"It's true... we aren't rebel soldiers," Camu confessed, "We lied. All we ever wanted was to be as strong as our childhood heroes. But now we're just a bunch of scoundrels. Even if my hopes never become a reality, those dreams we had as kids will never die. Today I stop running and face my fear. I may not be a match for you but I'm willing to give it my best shot! My defeat will inspire these children to grow up and fight. I'd rather die as a hero that taught the youth of this miserable world to stand up and rage against scum like you then be remembered as a lying coward that ran away!"

Luffy grinned at Camu's speech but was caught off guard when the man punched him in the face. POW! Luffy fell backwards and landed in the sand, FWUMP!

WHOMP! Y/N 'accidentally' drove his foot down into Luffy's face to keep him from saying anything to give them away. "Ooh noo," Y/N gasped, "you knocked him out with one punch..." Y/N glared at Camu, "How dare you do that to the Captain!"

Usopp and Sanji glared at Camu but suddenly found the fat kimono-wearing man stand in front of them. "What's your deal?" Sanji demanded.

"You're not alone, Big Bro," the fat man said, speaking for the first time. "I'll help you fight. We share the same dream. From the time we were little we've made all sorts of bad decisions I'm not proud of. But no matter what we did, we were always there to protect the weak. RAAAAHHH!" The fat man stomped the ground and charged Sanji like a raging sumo wrestler, the cook jumped backwards to avoid him. "I... I'll always be right beside you defending those that are helpless! WE'LL FIND REDEMPTION TOGETHER!"

"He's right," the boxer realized, he and the swordsman turned to face Zoro and Chopper.

"I'M WITH YOU GUYS!" the swordsman shouted. "WHAT HAVE WE GOT TO LOSE? LET'S SHOW 'EM WHAT WE'RE MADE OF!"

"Alright," the boxer agreed, "No more running, this is our time to shine!"

"So... you're actually going to fight us, huh?" Y/N asked with the evil grin across his face.

-x-

"They seem different somehow," Nami observed from behind the boulder, "Though this turn around could have more to do with the fact their backs are against the wall."

"Yeah," Vivi agreed, "But this kind of change can't come from desperation. I doubt its possible without a genuine awakening in someone's heart."

"Then... they're good?" Nami asked.

"Yes, we can go," Vivi decided. A gang acting like defenders for the village was better than leaving the village without any defenders. "I'll trust them to guard this village for now."

"I'll signal the retreat then," Ollie resolved as she pushed off of the boulder and pulled out one of her arrows and used the metal head to reflect the sun.

-x-

"Uh..." Usopp groaned as a light shined in his eyes, he looked over at the boulder Nami, Vivi, and Ollie were ducked behind then looked over at Sanji, "Hey, Sanji, time to retreat!"

KLIK! CHUK Camu cocked his rifle and shouted, "SEA PIRATES OR NO SEA PIRATES, I SAY BRING IT ON! IF YOU WANNA TAKE SO MUCH AS A STEP INTO THIS VILLAGE, YOU'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH US!"

BANG! Camu fired his rifle and the bullet struck Y/N in the chest. The evil grin was still on his face as he fell backward and landed hard on the ground next to Luffy, FWUMP!

-x-

"RI—MMMPPPHHH!" Nami's scream was cut off when Ollie clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Shut up!" Ollie hissed, "Y/N's taken a punch from the strongest pirate in the world. He can handle a bullet from that guy's rifle!"

-x-

"BASTARDS!" Usopp shouted as he darted forward, grabbed Luffy, and then ran off dragging Luffy with him. "HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO OUR CAPTAIN AND FIRST MATE!"

Zoro and Sanji grabbed Y/N by the arms and dragged the two thousand plus kilogram pirate way after Usopp. "CURSES!" Sanji hollered, "THAT'S REBEL SOLDIERS FOR YA!"

"I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH A STRONG DISPLAY OF STRENGTH!" Usopp yelled.

"Whatever, I suck at scenarios like this one," Zoro muttered, like Luffy, he wasn't a very good liar. He was a man of honor and a strong swordsman, lying and pretending to lose weren't his strong suits.

"HEY! WAIT FOR ME!" Chopper called out as he ran after them.

Camu and his men were left staring after the pirates in shock, "Uhh... what just happened?" Camu wondered.

"HOOOORAAAAYYY!" the villagers cheered, Camu and his men turned around and stared at them in surprise.

"I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T LET US DOWN!" the Mayor exclaimed.

"YOU BEAT 'EM, YOU BEAT 'EM!" the children cheered.

While Camu and his men soaked in the cheers of the villagers and lived their dream of being warriors they missed the large purple lizard that walked passed on its hind legs. They also missed Ace and Han slipping away after the others.

-x-

"HEY!" Ace called out as he and Han caught up with the Straw Hats and Ollie. They stopped once they had gotten out of sight of the village and Chopper and Ollie were tending to Y/N.

"I don't see a wound," Chopper observed as Ollie looked over Y/N's body. They'd pulled his cloak open and raised his shirt but they couldn't find the bullet wound from when he'd been shot by Camu's rifle.

"I found the bullet," Ollie informed him as she held up the round ball that had stuck Y/N in the chest but hadn't punctured his skin.

"But it didn't wound him," Nami noted as she looked on from over Chopper's shoulder, "How is that possible?"

"Ugghh... I blocked it," Y/N answered. "It's a technique I developed called Steel Shield. I tense the muscles in my torso and make them hard so I can lessen the impact of strong attacks. Simple things like bullets just bounce right off."

Nami knelt down and grinned as she poked his eight-pack, "I guess that gives a new meaning to the phrase 'abs of steel'," Nami remarked.

Fwip! Ollie flicked the bullet at Nami causing her to flinch away from Y/N, "Hands to yourself," Ollie scolded her.

Nami opened her mouth to retort but Y/N interrupted, "Let's get going." He pulled his shirt down, closed his cloak and stood up. Y/N snatched his hat back from Ollie and put it on before grabbing Chopper and lifting him up onto his shoulders before he walked off and once again led the group onward.

Nami scowled at Ollie and quickly hoisted herself onto Eyelash in front of Vivi and followed after him. The others all shrugged and followed behind Y/N and the camel.

"I'm impressed," Han commented, "I didn't think those guys had it in them."

"It was almost scary how quick they turned over a new leaf," Zoro admitted.

"At least we know they'll defend the village now," Sanji resolved.

Shhwwooo...

Y/N, Chopper, and Han suddenly stiffened. Y/N whirled around and darted back over to the group, he yanked Nami off of Eyelash then spun around and pointed Nami so she was looking at a dark cloud coming in from the north, which was to their right.

(A/N: Our heroes are travelling north-west towards Yuba which is in the middle of the western side of Sandy Island. The northern-most city on that side of the island is Rain Base. Everyone who's read/watched One Piece before knows what – or who- lives there.)

"HEY!" Nami shrieked, "QUIT MANHAND—OOOOH MY GOD!" Everyone turned to look at the Navigator who had a look of horror on her face. "THAT CLOUD! IT'S LEADING A HUGE SANDSTORM! IT'S HEADING STRAIGHT FOR EDO! A SANDSTORM THAT SIZE COULD DESTROY THE ENTIRE VILLAGE!"

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Usopp exclaimed. WHOMP! Sanji kicked him on the top of the head.

"IDIOT, MISS. NAMI'S NEVER WRONG WHEN IT COMES TO THE WEATHER!" Sanji scolded him.

SSSHHHHWWWOOOO... The dark cloud continued its south-bound path and revealed that below it was an enormous spiraling tornado of sand. The huge sand-tornado was almost half the size of the village it was heading towards. Even with their motivated fake rebel soldiers, the village of Edo didn't stand a chance.

Vivi's eyes started to tear up as she remembered the state Erumalu and the Melias Oasis were in, "No..." the Princess gasped, "We can't lose another village..."

Luffy looked over at Vivi, he silently took off his straw hat and handed it to her, then turned to his crew and shouted, "LET'S GO KICK IT'S ASS!"

"You're going to fight a sandstorm?" Ollie asked incredulously.

"No," Y/N answered, "We're going to beat a sandstorm." Y/N put Nami and Chopper down and handed Nami the money bag and Chopper his black cowboy hat before he spun around to face Zoro and Sanji, "Weights off, let's go take care of this."

"Right," Zoro and Sanji agreed. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! A moment later, Y/N, Zoro, and Sanji were weight-free. But in the moment it had taken them to remove their weights the sandstorm had gone passed the group and was bearing down on Edo.

"LET'S GO!" Luffy hollered as he took off to catch up with the sandstorm, Y/N, Zoro, and Sanji ran along with him.

"Those brothers of yours are setting off to fight the forces of nature," Han informed Ace as he, Ace, and Ollie stared after the four Straw Hats. Beside them, Usopp and Chopper were staring in amazement at their courageous crewmates.

"Yeah," Ace agreed with a fond smile on his face. "I couldn't be any more proud of them right now."

Nami went over to Vivi and hugged her, "It'll all be okay," she reassured the princess, "with those four together, there's nothing they can't handle."

-x-

Luffy, Y/N, Zoro, and Sanji had raced passed the sandstorm and were now standing in between it and the village of Edo.

"So... uh... how do we fight a sandstorm?" Luffy asked. SSSHHHHWWWWOOOO... The sandstorm was bearing down on them, if they didn't stop it quick they'd be destroyed along with the village they were trying to protect.

"A sandstorm is basically wind blowing the sand," Y/N reasoned, "so we should be able to stop it if we counter with an even stronger wind. Luffy, make your biggest Gum Gum Balloon and then spin around and blow out all the air at the sandstorm. Zoro, stand beside him and swing two of your swords around as fast as you can. DO NOT let the sandstorm move any further."

"RIGHT!" Luffy and Zoro agreed.

"GUUUM... GUUUUM..." SHOOOM! Luffy inflated until he was five-times his normal size while Zoro drew Kitetsu III and Yubashiri.

Y/N looked over at Sanji, "The sandstorm is spinning counter-clockwise," Y/N pointed out, "While those two keep it at bay, the two of us will jump inside and spin clockwise. If we do it fast enough we should be able to cancel it out."

SKUSH! Sanji dropped his cigarette and stamped it out with his foot, "Let's go this then," he resolved.

FWWOOOOSSSHHH! Luffy winded his inflated rubber body around and spat a strong torrent of wind out of his mouth. WHIR-WHIR-WHIR! Beside him, Zoro spun his two swords around like a pair of propellers, a gust of wind – which was the result of his weight training – blew out from Zoro's swords and joined Luffy's gust and flew into the spinning sand tornado. The two of them working together were enough to keep the sandstorm from moving forward.

SKISH! Y/N and Sanji leapt passed Luffy and Zoro and landed in the middle of the sand tornado. The strong wind inside caused their clothes and hair to be blown around wildly.

"AND SPIN!" Y/N ordered, at his prompting, he and Sanji started spinning clockwise at an incredible speed that resulted from their weight training, WOOOOSH! Sand whirled around the two spinning pirates and disrupted the flow of the spiraling sand and the sand tornado slowly started to lose its power.

SSSSHHhhhwwwwoooo... With the four Straw Hats working together against it, the sandstorm was overpowered and the sand fell down to the ground. The storm that could have destroyed Edo was stopped.

Luffy and Zoro came walking back towards the others with a sand-covered Y/N and Sanji walking along beside them.

"Not bad," Zoro commented as he sheathed his swords.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Y/N apologized with his signature grin.

"WOW!" Chopper cheered with stars in his eyes, "THAT WAS AMAZING!"

Ollie gaped at Y/N, "That was in—" She was interrupted when Nami pushed passed her and enveloped Y/N in a hug, uncaring of the sand that was now getting on her.

"THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" Nami exclaimed, stealing Ollie's words of praise before she even got a chance to say them. "You beat a sandstorm!"

"Hey, what about me?" Sanji complained, upset about not getting a hug as well.

"Everything you did was because of this guy," Nami pointed out. Y/N had noticed the storm approaching and Y/N had issued the orders to combat it. "When you stop a sandstorm, maybe I'll consider giving you a congratulatory hug too."

Luffy took his hat back from Vivi and turned to the others and cheered, "ON TO YUPA!"

"That Yuba," Usopp corrected the brave but simple-minded captain as the group headed off.

"Yeah, that," Luffy agreed. "LET'S GO!"

Ace and Han fell into step behind the others. "I have a gut feeling that that wasn't a natural sandstorm," Han informed his commander. "That storm your brothers beat was incredibly concentrated and was focused on one particular target... I think something caused it."

Ace nodded, "You might be right," Ace agreed as he looked ahead at the Straw Hats. "But I think that Nami girl was right too. With those four working together improving the way they have, there's nothing they won't be able to handle."

Back in Edo, Camu and his men were the heroes that would now defend the village from bandits and sand pirates. But once again, it was the Straw Hat Pirates who were the real heroes of the day. Now with the group together again, the Straw Hats and the three Whitebeards continued their journey to Yuba to find the Rebel Army.

-x-

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!