Kung Fu Dugongs:

-x-

North of Nanohana across an expense of desert was the city of Alubarna, Alabasta's Capital. A group of around twenty weary-looking citizens wearing heavy desert clothing were making their way up a long flight of nearly three hundred steps to the Royal Palace. The large, majestic building was made up of large blocks of – alabaster – stone and overlooked the entire city.

Two guards armed with bladed staves came running down from the top of the steps and met the group of civilians. "HOLD IT!" one of the guards ordered as the two of them crossed their weapons to keep the citizens from passing. "What business do you have here?'

"We have to see the King!" a man at the front of the group answered.

"We're dying out here!" another man at the head of the group complained, "How much longer can this war go on?"

"Between the war and the drought there's nothing to eat!" the first man stated, "Our crops and livestock are dead!"

"My baby needs milk!" a woman holding a baby added from her position behind the two men. "There must be some in the palace! Let us in!"

The group of tired and hungry citizens pressed forward and attempted to push passed the guards to gain refuge in the palace. Outnumbered over ten-to-one the guards began to give ground and were pushed up a couple of steps.

"STOP PUSHING!" one of the guards shouted, "STAY BACK!"

KREEEEEEEK! The struggling stopped and the complaints quieted when the massive fifty foot double doors to the palace slowly opened to reveal King Nefertari Cobra. King Cobra walked to the top of the steps and stared silently down at the citizens of his kingdom.

"ARE YOU GONNA JUST STAND THERE AND DO NOTHING?" a man at the back of the group demanded. "YOU CALL YOURSELF A KING?"

"SHUT UP!" one of the guards snapped, "HOW DARE YOU INSULT HIS ROYAL—"

"THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT!" the regal voice of Nefertari Cobra boomed. "ALL OF THEM!" Cobra began to make his way down the steps so he was closer to the people of his kingdom and didn't have to shout down at them.

"I'm sorry," King Cobra apologized, "You've all had to put up with unbearable suffering because of my lack of strength, for that I apologize." King Cobra motioned passed himself towards the open doors of the royal palace. "Those who wish to speak, please come inside the palace. Tell me of your qualms and I will listen. The only thing I can promise is that I will share your suffering as if it were my own. I ask that you endure a little more. Mark my words though, I will return peace to this kingdom... even if it takes my life to do so."

"Father this is an obvious setup!" Vivi had said three years ago before she and Igaram had left in infiltrate Baroque Works. "It's clear that someone is trying to throw you and this kingdom into ruin!"

The King of Alabasta made his way back up the steps and the citizens were allows passed him to gain temporary sanctuary in the royal palace. The two heads guards - one of which was Chaka the Acting Captain of the Royal Guard - who had been standing in the palace doorway to ensure that the King wasn't attacked by a desperate citizen nodded to the King and followed the civilians into the palace.

King Cobra remained standing at the top of the stairs and took a moment to stare at the sky off in a distance.

"I hope you're alright, my dear," Cobra thought to his daughter. "I wonder where you are right now, and what you're doing... even at this very moment."

-x-

"The tea's ready!" Sanji announced to Vivi as the princess sat at Nami's desk in the woman's quarters of the Going Merry while writing something. "Come on up to the galley."

"Thank you Sanji," Vivi replied, "I'll be right there." The cook nodded and headed back up the steps to the storage room.

-x-

"Ahoy there matey's! It's me Rice Ball Usopp!" Usopp called out as he playfully bounced rice ball across the galley table. His finger was going through the ball and came out the other side as an Usopp-like nose. Usopp moved his 'Rice-Ball Usopp' over to a big round ball of rice that was about ten times the size of his rice ball. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Ricey the Rice-Man!" Luffy exclaimed as he held up his snowman that he'd made out of rice. It consisted of two big balls of rice, two forks coming out of the bottom ball for arms, a small piece of sausage for a nose, and who smaller pieces of sausage stuffed into the top rice ball as eyes, and an upturned bowl on the top of the rice-man's head for a head.

WONK! Sanji hit Luffy and Usopp over the head with a wok when he came back to the galley and found the two playing around with the plate of riceballs he'd left out on the table for a snack.

"QUIT PLAYING WITH OUR FOOD, YOU DAMN NUMBSKULLS!" Sanji scolded them, "IF YOU'VE GOT FREE TIME, WASH DISHES! I could use some help since I still have to pack all of the food for the hike to Yuba."

"Let me know if I can help," Ace offered as he sat at the table with an amused smile from his youngest brother's antics.

"No, you're our guest," Sanji replied as he went back over to the stove, "So just sit back and relax. Thanks though."

Klak-Klak! Sanji looked away from the stove and over to Luffy and Usopp to find them washing dishes... in a bucket of dirty water. "WHAT'S MOP WATER, YOU IDIOTS!" Sanji snapped at them. "WE JUST SWABBED THE DECK WITH IT!"

-x-

SWOOOOSH! "Aaaaah, what a nice breeze," Chopper sighed as he laid on his back on the steps leading up to rear deck. He'd taken off this thick desert clothing which allowed his brown fur was blow in the gust of wind created by Zoro as swung two of his katanas overhead while standing on the main deck.

SWIIIISH! Zoro had removed his desert clothing and his shirt and was attempting to get used to swinging his swords with Mana's weighed bands still on his wrists. The swings were slow but they were creating the wind that was currently cooling Chopper.

"Qua..." Carue said to himself as he causally walked along the railing ining the deck in front of the galley.

"What's he doing?" Han asked as he looked down the steps at Zoro. He and Ollie were sitting on the railing along the thin length of deck on the starboard side of the galley.

"Weight training," Y/N answered as he leaned against the external galley wall across from his two former Nakama. "Zoro, Sanji, and I are trying to learn how to cut the air like Thatch used to be able to do. We figured out that the success of the technique is based on the speed of our swings so we're all wearing bands that weigh two thousand kilograms. Zoro is trying to get used to swinging his sword with the additional weight so he can swing even faster when he finally takes them off."

"And I suppose your run through Nanohana helped you get used to yours," Han reasoned.

"A little bit," Y/N admitted, "it would've been more beneficial if I wasn't running away from the Marines at the time. Now... where was I?"

"You were in the Calm Belt on the snout of a giant Neptunian," Ollie reminded him, drawing Y/N back to the story he'd been telling them about his adventures with the Straw Hats.

"Oh, right," Y/N replied, "Well, by some odd coincidence, we ended up on top of Ned."

Ollie's green eyes widened in recollection, "You mean the one we..."

"Yeah, that one," Y/N answered, "So after securing Nami to the main mast with a length of rope, I took one of the paddles and jump off the ship onto Ned's snout..."

Krek! Vivi exited the storage room with whatever she'd written folded in her hand. She walked passed Zoro and crossed the main deck then went up steps to the front deck and walked up behind Nami who was standing there marking their course.

"Nami..." Vivi addressed the Navigator. Her voice startled the orange haired girl and caused her to jump slightly. What Vivi had meant to say was temporarily forgotten when she noticed that Nami seemed oddly tense. "Are you alright, Nami?"

"She's barely taken her eyes off of him since she got here," Nami whispered without turning around. Vivi glanced over her shoulder and sure enough, the only other female on board the Going Merry had her green eyes locked on the First Mate.

Vivi looked back at Nami and found the navigator facing her sporting a smile, the tension had completely vanished. "Did you need something?" Nami inquired.

"Oh, right, I'd like to stop here if you don't mind," Vivi requested, "It'll just be for a moment."

"Stop?" Nami repeated, "What for?"

"I have a very important mission for Carue," Vivi explained.

"Quack?" Carue quacked as he peaked around the other side of the main mast when he heard his name mentioned by his princess.

-x-

A moment later, the Going Merry and the Whitebeard Pirates' ferry had been anchored along the eastern bank of the Sandora River. Vivi was standing on the shore addressing Carue, Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper had gotten off along with them.

"Carue, I need you to go to Alubarna Palace," the Princess instructed her faithful duck. "Deliver this letter to my father. It contains everything uncovered by Igaram and myself. The details for Crocodile's nefarious plans for this country are in here. Also, it lets him know that I've returned to Alabasta safe and sound in the company of brave friends willing to help us in our struggle. Can you do this for my Carue?"

"Quack!" Carue agreed with a salute. Vivi smiled and tucked her letter into the one of Carue's saddle bags. The duck was wearing a green sheet over him for his journey and had a full barrel of water hanging from his neck with a straw sticking out of it.

"Be careful to conserve your water," Vivi advised.

"Good luck, duck!" Luffy encouraged Carue.

"Go let my father know Carue," Vivi told her duck, "there's hope for this kingdom at last."

"QUUUAAAACK!" Carue exclaimed. TMP! TMP! TMP! TMP! TMP! TMP! With that, the spot-billed duck ran off. Skish! SSSSLLLUUURRRP! Carue skidded to a stop a couple seconds later and took a long drink from his water barrel and then ran off again leaving a dust trail in his wake. ZZZZZOOOOM! For desert travel, spot-billed ducks like Carue were the fastest in the Kingdom.

"I SAID CONSERVE NOT CONSUME!" Vivi shouted after him. "Thank you. And good luck."

"I did know that Crocodile was based here in Alabasta," Ace admitted as he, Y/N, Zoro, Han, and Ollie stood and rear deck of the Merry watching the others. "But him trying to steal a kingdom? That sounds like a bad joke."

"Pirates usually sail the seas to accomplish a specific goal," Han stated, "It's not like a pirate to just drop anchor and settle down in one place."

"Crocodile trying to usurp the throne of Alabasta doesn't make sense," Ace continued. "There could be another side to this takeover thing. Like some sort of deeper goal or something."

"That's what I figured," Y/N told him, he pulled a wanted poster out of his bottom right pocket and handed it to his older brother. Han and Ollie came up behind their commander and looked over his shoulders at the wanted poster.

"She's here?" Ollie questioned.

"Yeah," Y/N answered, "She's all grown up now and is Mr. Crocodile's Vice President."

"In that case, there's definitely a hidden agenda here," Ace resolved. "You guys had better be careful. With her working for him there's no telling what Crocodile's up to."

-x-

Fffsshhh... In a dark room in a hidden location, Sir Crocodile lit up an expensive cigar. The Warlord pulled aside a curtain and stared out the window of his hidden lair.

"Alabasta the Kingdom of Sand..." Crocodile mused to himself, "Even if they build cities on top of the dunes and they manage to stand for a thousand years... the desert will still be filled with the stench of death. Death is a constant, and this land has embraced its shadow since its inception."

Ms. All Sunday walked out of the middle of the dark room and stood behind Crocodile. "I just received a report," she informed Crocodile, "It's about the Billions' ships stationed in Nanohana. They were destroyed by someone and all hands are reported lost. Of course, I'm having all of this verified as we speak."

"No great loss," Crocodile resolved, "We have more replacements for the Billions than we'll ever need. A single drop of water spilled in the desert is insignificant and no obstacle for my plan. However, if anyone who would dare defy me has appeared in this land... crush them underfoot."

"Understood," Mr. All Sunday agreed as she turned to leave the dark room. "I'll dispatch the Lizard Runners to contact our other agents."

"Excellent," Crocodile replied. He let the curtain drop back into place and the room was plunged into darkness.

-x-

"WE'RE FINALLY HERE!" Luffy exclaimed as the Going Merry finished crossing the Sandora River and approached the west side.

"Wow, so we're going into the desert?" Chopper questioned. "Does anyone know how hot it's supposed to get?"

"Over a hundred degrees in the day time," Nami informed him.

"WHAT?" Chopper shrieked. "PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE JOKING!" Chopper slid down the railing of the steps alongside the navigator as she went down to the main deck. Her dancer girl outfit was now covered by a white button up cloak lined in light blue with a hood that was currently down.

"GAAAAH! NAMI WHAT HAPPENED?" Sanji screamed in horror when he saw Nami's no longer revealing outfit. "WHERE'S YOUR DANCER OUTFIT?" Sanji turned around and screamed again when he saw Vivi walking across the deck wearing an identical cloak that was a dark blue in color and was lined in white. "AAAAH! YOU TOO?" Sanji fell to the ground and rolled away looking like he'd just lost all will to live. "But... those outfits... were so sexy..."

"Luffy I want you to wear this," Vivi instructed as she handed Luffy a bundle of fabric.

"It looks really thick," Luffy commented.

"It's meant to be," Vivi explained, "any exposed skin will get sunburn. You have to cover up in the desert."

"Is he going to be okay?" Ollie asked as she sat on the railing next to Y/N and looked over at the depressed cook with mild concern.

"Sanji's a bit of a pervert," Y/N told her, "but we try not to hold it against him."

"Although he doesn't seem terribly upset that you'll be covered up," Nami noted with a glance at the green-clothed archer, "Too bad."

"I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those skimpy dancer outfits," Ollie replied, "I'd hate for people to think I'm just a useless piece of eye candy. But to each her own."

"I'm so glad you two are getting along," Y/N remarked, "See? I'm fluent in sarcasm too." Y/N reached down into what Nami had long ago dubbed his 'treasure pocket' and pulled out an expertly crafted sapphire necklace. The necklace consisted of several round grape-sized beads and the focal point was a rain drop the size of his middle finger with waves carved into it.

KA-CHING! Nami's eyes became gems and she stared at the necklace in openmouthed shock. At the same time, Ollie was staring at it as if it was offensive.

"I made this out of the sapphires I stole from Don Krieg," Y/N told Nami, "I was going to give it to you as a gift. But if you can't behave yourself... maybe I should reconsider."

Nami was instantly sitting next to Ollie with her arm around the archer's shoulders, "We'll be good," Nami assured him, "We're best friends."

"That's better," Y/N said with a grin as he handed the necklace to Nami then turned and walked over to Ace on the other side of the deck.

Once he was out of earshot, Ollie threw Nami's arm off of her shoulder and glared at her, "It's just a fancy piece of jewelry to you, isn't it?" she hissed. "You have no idea what you're holding."

Nami looked at the archer in confusion. Ollie's tone told her that her new necklace was definitely more than just a necklace.

Ollie plunged her hand into the neck of her cloak and pulled out an emerald pendant that was half the size of her palm. The emerald was shaped like a four-leaf clover and was surrounded in a diamond clasp. It was attached to a silver chain which was currently around the archer's neck.

"We call them Y/N Originals," Ollie informed her. "You're holding the fifth one he's ever made. Whitebeard has the fourth. I've got the third. I'm sure you've noticed the bands of rubies that Ace wears around his hat and neck... they're the second. The first is currently decorating a tombstone back in the East Blue. He crafts them specifically for the person he gives them to and uses his Treasure Sense to find us in emergencies. So before you pawn it off for some quick cash, just remember: he gave one... to you." Ollie gave her another hard look then got up and followed after Y/N.

Nami put on her new 'Y/N Original' and stuffed it into the neck of her desert cloak. "Then I'll just have to earn it," she resolved.

-x-

A moment later, the eight Straw Hats and the three Whitebeards were standing on the sandy shore on the west side of the Sandora River, they were all once again dressed in their desert clothing and were loaded down with bags of supplies for the journey across the desert. The Going Merry and the ferry were anchored behind them.

"YUBA, HERE WE COME!" Luffy cheered. He was now wearing red cloak that was lined in gold over his usual clothes and a light blue shemagh on top of his straw hat that would not only keep it pinned to his head in the wind but also protect him from getting burned by the hot sun. "Okay, now to find that Rebel Leader."

"We're not at Yuba yet, Luffy," Vivi corrected him. "Right now we're outside Erumalu."

"Erumalu?" Luffy repeated.

SKUSH! "JUU!" A strange brown seal wearing a green turtle shell on its back and another smaller one on its head suddenly burst out of the sand by the river bank. SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK! The first seal-turtle was followed by others until the Straw Hats and Whitebeards found their way blocked by fifteen of the strange creatures.

"Turtles?" Luffy questioned.

"No, I think they're seals," Zoro replied.

"OH NO!" Vivi gasped, "KUNG-FU DUGONG!"

"Threat Level: low," Han stated as he eyed the creatures.

"Arf-arf bark juuuuu!" the first 'Dugong' cried out while striking kung-fu poses.

"'If you wanna get passed you'll have to beat me first'," Chopper translated. "'But I doubt that'll happen you bunch of cowards' – he says."

"Nobody calls me a coward and gets away with!" Usopp exclaimed before he charged the Dugongs. "HERE COMES THE FIGHT!"

"USOPP, NO!" Vivi called out after him. "DON'T FIGHT THEM!"

DOOM! A battered Usopp was left lying on the ground with the Dugong standing over him with its flippers raised over its head. The Straw Hats all sweat-dropped at Usopp losing to a creature a third his size.

"Isn't he your ship sniper?" Ollie asked Y/N as she stood with him and Zoro. "Why would he rush in and face something called a 'Kung Fu' Dugong in a fist fight?"

"I guess he underestimated it," Y/N suggested,

SHUSH! Another Dugong burst up out of the sand in front of them and struck a pose. "JUUU!"

"Are you talking to me?" Y/N asked the creature with a raised eyebrow.

"RAAAAHH!" Luffy roared as he stood over the battered Dugong with his arms raised over his head. "See? They're not too tough!"

"THAT'S BAD TOO!" Vivi scolded him.

SWISH! "It is?" Y/N asked as he side-stepped an attack from the Kung Fu Dugong that was attacking him. THWAK! Y/N lashed his leg out behind him and drove it into the shell on the back of the Dugong's head, knocking it down and out. "Oops."

"JUU!" The Dugong Luffy had beaten got back up and bowed to him while sporting what looked like a puppy-dog pout.

"It's one of their rules," Vivi explained. "If they lose a fight, they become the winner's pupil."

"JUU!" the Dugong Y/N had beaten got up and bowed to him.

"Uuhhh... right," Y/N said as he stared down at his new 'pupil'. "I guess I'll call you 'Doug'."

"Doug?" Nami repeated in annoyance. "There he goes again badly naming animals."

"I think it's cute," Ollie countered, "Doug the Dugong."

"JUUU!" A crowd of thirty Dugongs were now bowing to Luffy, all having lost to the rubber pirate who didn't seem to know the meaning of restraint.

"THEY THINK YOU'RE THEIR MASTER NOW!" Vivi shouted at him.

"EVERYONE AFTER ME!" Luffy ordered his pupils. "NOW PUNCH!"

"Arf!" Luffy's army of Dugong chorused as they all threw a punch.

"NO, LIKE THIS!" Luffy corrected them while demonstrating one of his punches.

"ARF!" the Dugong barked as they copied Luffy and all threw a straighter punch.

"If you wanna be my student you're gonna have to fight with kicks..." Y/N informed Doug before looking down and seeing his 'seal-like' tail. "Or I guess your tail. Now, I only want you wearing your shell as extra weight during training. In a real fight it should come off."

Y/N slipped one of his wristbands off and let the five hundred kilogram band plummet down into the sand. BOOM! "By wearing weights during training you'll be faster and stronger when you finally take them off," Y/N explained to his student.

"ARF!" Doug agreed as he wiggled out of his shell as his new master had instructed and was left looking like an ordinary brown seal. Y/N nodded in approval motioned for his sole student to attack him. "JUU!" SKISH! Doug launched up into the air and did a front-flip launching his tail over his head and bringing it down on Y/N. WHUMP! Y/N raised his weight-free arm and blocked the strike.

"Now that's more my style," Y/N complimented his pupil.

"Oh boy," Ace sighed as he stood in between Han and Sanji and shook his head at his younger brothers' antics.

-x-

"RIGHT! ALL SET, LET'S GO TO YUBA!" Luffy called out.

"Hey wait..." Zoro protested, "You're not bringing him with us..."

Luffy's Dugong army had doubled in size, the sixty Dugongs were standing behind their master in six neat rows seemingly intent on following him to Yuba.

"Luffy, you can't!" Nami scolded him.

"They're water creatures," Vivi explained, "they won't make it."

"Ooo... ooo..." two dugongs cooed as they hugged Luffy's legs.

"But they're so cute..." Nami and Vivi thought internally.

"It's gonna break my heart to say 'no' to them," Nami whispered to Vivi, "but we can't let them come along."

"I agree," Vivi said, "but how are we supposed to get them to stay?"

"I KNOW!" Chopper chirped. He sniffed the bags of supplies that the Straw Hats had put down while they were waiting for their Captain to stop goofing off and pulled out a large bone of meat and offered it to the Dugongs. "Here, you can have this, but only if you guys stay here, okay?"

"Listen Doug," Y/N addressed his own pupil. "I've got some important business to take care of in the desert. But I can't take you with me. You won't survive out in that climate." RRRIP! Y/N reached down and tore off the end of the red sash he'd been wearing around his waist exposing the sheath of his sword. Y/N folded the torn piece of sash in half and then tied it around Doug's head like a bandana. "This will mark you as my student. When I finish my business in the desert, I'll come back and test you. I hope you'll have gotten a lot stronger by then."

"JUU!" Doug agreed as he bowed to Y/N.

"At least yours is well behaved," Ollie remarked as she patted Y/N on the back.

A few minutes later, Luffy's Dugong pupils had been sufficiently bribed and were waving goodbye to the eleven pirates and the princess from the shore.

"HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY THE FOOD!" Luffy called out to them as their group of twelve began heading inland. "SEE YA!"

"'Hope you guys enjoy the food'," Nami repeated as she glared at Luffy,

"Hey, why couldn't we take those guys with us?" Luffy asked, oblivious to Nami's and everyone else's frustration with him.

"Because we don't have enough food or water to take care of a group that big, you moron," Nami scolded him. "Honestly, I don't know what we would've done if Chopper hadn't persuaded them to stay."

"They kept saying 'where you go, we'll follow master'," Chopper said, "They really would have too if I hadn't given them that food."

"And now our food supply has gotten a lot smaller," Sanji complained, "Thanks Luffy, thanks."

"He's a handful," Ace commented.

"You're telling me," the cook agreed.

-x-

Erumale the City of Green:

-x-

They continued their journey inland until Vivi led the pirates up a sand dune and stopped on top of it. "What's this?" Sanji asked.

"Are we in Yuba already?" Luffy inquired.

"No, this is Erumalu," Vivi answered as they all stared out at a city that seemed to be filled with sand, "it was known far and wide as the City of Green."

"It was green?" Luffy questioned.

"Look around everyone," Vivi instructed, "this is what Baroque Works has been doing to my country. The people of Alabasta... this is what they've had to go through."

"Wow... there's nothing here at all now," Luffy commented as the group began to make their way through the city. The buildings were all cracked and partially buried in sand, the palm trees and bushes that lined the streets were withered and bare, and the sandy streets themselves looked untouched as if no one had been in the town in a long time.

"No, it's become a ghost town now," Vivi replied, "But up until recently it was a thriving city filled with gardens, palm trees, and a lush greenery. Rain was always scarce here but by saving every last drop of water and using it wisely the city was able to make the foliage flourish. Unfortunately, that stopped when the rain did. Not a single drop of water has fallen in any part of this country for three years now."

"Three years?" Sanji repeated.

"Wow, that long?" Chopper questioned.

"But wait, even without rain there was still the river as another water source," Zoro pointed out.

"And it's close," Usopp added while motioning back the way they'd came. "Why couldn't they just pipe the water in from over there?"

"Well the answer to that is just up ahead," Vivi informed him as she continued onward and led them deeper into the dried up city.

"Even though it's a desert kingdom, never in Alabasta's history has the rain ever stopped completely," Vivi explained. "However, there was one place in the kingdom where the rain fell more than usual, much more in fact: Alubarna, the capital, the city where the king's palace is located. The people of the land called it the King's miracle. At least they did until one particular day..."

"And here comes the flashback," Y/N prompted.

Whap! Ace swatted him on the back of the head, "Don't break the fourth wall," he scolded his brother.

-'Incident' Flashback-

One day, in Nanohana three years ago a bunch of men were pulling a large wagon with two huge sacks through the main road of the port town.

"Get that cargo unloaded!" one of the men called out so everyone could here them, "we've got a schedule to keep."

KRAK! One of the wagon wheels broke and the cart collapses. The two large sacks fell of the cart and were torn opened... revealing a green powder.

"DAMN IT, WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO NOW!" Mr. Mellow who was wearing a red t-shirt that read 'Half-Fledged' exclaimed as he surreptitiously glanced around at the crowd that had gathered around the accident. Mr. Bee, Mr. Mohawk, and Mr. Sailor had all been pulling the cart with him. "IT'S A DELIVERY FOR THE KING! WHAT'S HE GONNA DO WHEN IT DOESN'T ARRIVE ON TIME?"

"His green powder's for the King?" a civilian man questioned as he knelt down and poked his finger in the green powder. "What is it?"

"What is it?" Mr. Bee repeated, "How the hell should we know? We're only following your King's orders."

"We're just couriers," Mr. Mohawk added.

"RUN!" Mr. Mellow shouted and the group of eventual Billions ran off leaving the spilled cart and powder in the middle of the town for all to see. The people missed the smiles on their faces.

"Wait a minute..." another civilian said as he held a bunch of the spilled green powder in his hands, "could this be... Dance Powder?"

-End 'Incident' Flashback-

"Dance Powder?" Nami repeated.

"Oh, so you've heard of it?" Luffy asked the navigator.

"Yes, I sure have," Nami answered, "It summons rain. I've only heard stories about it but apparently Dance Powder was created by a researcher in a country where it never rained. Burning it creates a misty green smoke which rises into the sky, once it reaches the clouds it causes them to rain. In essence, it gives you the ability to create rain on the spot."

"Oh, I know what you're talking about!" Luffy said as he recalled his own experience with Dance Powder when he'd been wandering the desert in search of food. "I've seen that stuff before. I ate some a while back, it tasted pretty gross though."

"You ate Dance Powder?" Nami questioned with a skeptical shake of her head.

"It's not even food, it's for making rain," Zoro scolded him.

"HEY! I'M NOT LYING!" Luffy hollered. "I'M TELLING THE TRUTH! I DID EAT IT! AND IT TASTED SO GROSS IT MADE ME WANNA PUKE!" The others ignored Luffy's hollering and just kept walking.

"I don't get it," Usopp spoke up, "Wouldn't that stuff be perfect for a desert country like this?"

"You'd think so," Nami replied, "as its name suggests, the people of country that developed Dance Powder were happy enough to dance. It got lots of rain. But there was a catch. It's neighboring country had a drought. Let me explain how it works... the smoke from the burned Dance Powder targets small clouds that aren't ready to rain yet, it artificially matures them into full rain clouds. Those clouds would have naturally grown into rain clouds but when they were further downwind."

"That's our Nami," Y/N remarked with a proud smile as he and Ollie walked at the back of the group. "Our Navigator knows everything about the weather."

"Hmph," Ollie grunted while a smile lit up Nami's face.

"Oh, I get it," Usopp realized, "it steals all of the rain that would have normally gone to a neighboring country. That must have caused some big problems."

"It did," Nami assured him, "a war broke out between the two countries. Ever since then, the World Government has instituted a world-wide ban on the production and possession of Dance Powder."

"But some of it still managed to show up here," Y/N stated.

"When it happened, the country had been experiencing some strange weather," Vivi said with a frown, "there had been no rain. Not a single drop had fallen anywhere except one place... and that was the capital."

"No wonder why we haven't had any rain in ages!" one of the people of Nanohana had realized as they stood around the spilled sacks of Dance Powder. "The King stole it for the capital using this Dance Powder!"

"ALUBARNA'S RAIN WASN'T A MIRACLE AT ALL!" a man shouted, "IT WAS A SHAM!"

"Yeah, one that's left us parched and starving!" another man added. "This is all King Cobra's fault!"

"VIV! THAT MEANS YOUR DAD IS THE BAD GUY HERE!" Luffy exclaimed.

"NO, YOU IDIOT!" Sanji snapped at him, "HE WAS FRAMED!" WHOMP! Sanji kicked him on the top of the head. "HER SWEET," WHOMP! "DEAR OLD DAD..." WHOMP! "WOULD NEVER DO SUCH A THING!" WHOMP! "GOT IT?"

"Of course, my father didn't have anything to do with it," Vivi told the others. "He was innocent. Unfortunately, a large amount of Dance Powder was discovered inside the palace shortly thereafter."

"So they even had people working inside the palace," Zoro realized.

"So... what is this?" Sanji asked when they found themselves standing in an empty trench that took up most of the sandy street. "A road?"

"No, it used to be a large canal," Vivi answered, "it piped in fresh water from the Sandora River... until someone destroyed it. Now do you see what happened? With its canal gone, the City of Green lost its only remaining source of fresh water. The people here waited and prayed... but sadly... the rain never came."

"Something like that in addition to the Dance Powder must've created a lot of distrust between the people and the King," Y/N reasoned.

"That's exactly how Crocodile planned I'd bet," Zoro thought out loud.

"With no more water, fighting began to break out in Erumalu," Vivi continued. "To escape the violence here there was only one thing the exhausted citizens could do... they abandoned the city and left for other oases in search of water." Vivi stopped walking causing the others to stare at her. "And then... the City of Green withered away."

WWWOOOOOOOOOO... A wind blew through the once green city and a mournful moaning broke out.

"WHAT IS THAT?" Nami exclaimed.

"Is it the Rebels?" Chopper wondered.

"Or more of those Baroque Works guys... oooh nooo..." Usopp whimpered.

"It's just wind," Han finally spoke up as the mournful wind continued. He'd been silent thus far, content to just listen to the story and let the others ask any questions.

WWWWOOOOOOOOOOO...

"It sounds like a voice, though," Luffy commented.

"IT SOUNDS LIKE ITS COMING FROM ALL DIRECTIONS!" Usopp shrieked, "ACE, what d owe do?"

"There's no danger," Ace reassured him. "It's just the wind echoing off of the buildings."

Vivi's hood was blown off as the wind rushed passed them, "It's like... it's like the city of Erumalu is wailing over what's happened to it," she said.

SSSHHHWWWWOOOOO! The wind picked up and began to spiral around ahead of them created a small tornado of sand. WOOOOOSSSHHH! The wind rushed passed and most of them closed their eyes to protect themselves from the blowing sand. Eventually, the wind passed leaving the twelve of them standing their with ruffled clothes.

"Whoa," Usopp gasped, "what is up with that wind?"

"HEY!" Luffy exclaimed he spotted something fluttering up ahead of them and ran towards it. Everyone looked in the direction he was running.

"Someone's collapsed!" Nami observed when she spotted someone's cloak up ahead, partially buried by the sand.

"You mean there's someone still living here?" Vivi questioned as they hurried after Luffy. But they stopped when they realized that it wasn't a person, at least not any more. The cloak was being worn by a skeleton.

Vivi knelt down in front of the skeleton and stared down at it, "What did my father... and all of the other good people... what did they ever do?" she asked. "They don't deserve this. It's hard enough to live in the desert. Every day it's a struggle just to survive. Somehow the people of Alabasta found a way to do it and they led happy lives! BUT CROCIDLE DESTROYED THOSE LIVES! WHAT GIVES HIM THE RIGHT TO DO THAT? WHAT? All the while... as one of the Seven Warlords... he passes himself off as a hero of the people! They don't know what he's really doing! No one realizes that he's actually deceiving the entire country, EVEN AS THEY CHEER HIM ON! I CAN'T... I CAN'T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

An angry-looking Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji stormed off into the city leaving footprints in their wake. BOOOOM! The remaining Straw Hats and the three Whitebeards watched as one of the taller ruins toppled over and crashed to the ground, creating a large dust cloud when it landed.

"Oh well, I hope that made them feel better," Zoro muttered.

"Sometimes you just need to hit something," Han stated, "it's good for venting frustrations."

Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp marched back out of the wreckage they'd caused. Luffy was swinging a fist, Sanji had his hands stuffed in his pockets and was smoking a cigarette, and Usopp had his goggles down and his fists clenched.

Ace dug a hole in the sand and helped Vivi bury the skeleton in it then stuck a stick in the top of the mound of sand as a marker.

"Vivi, let's get moving," Luffy called out to the Princess. "I'm itching for action." With that, he, Usopp, and Sanji started heading out of Erumalu and into the desert.

"He's right," Nami said, "let's get to Yuba."

"That's where you said the rebel army is," Zoro recalled.

"Yes, I have to stop them," Vivi resolved as she stood up. "I'm going to persuade their leader."

"And how do you plan to do that exactly?" Y/N inquired.

"I'm going to tell him the truth," Vivi explained. "That this was all Crocodile's doing. And have him stop all of this pointless bloodshed."

"Let's go," Zoro decided as he turned and headed off after Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji. Nami, Chopper, Ace, and Han walked along with Zoro while Y/N and Ollie trailed after them. Vivi stayed behind to take one last look behind her at Erumalu. The stick marking the grave not only represented the skeleton buried their but the entire city.

With renewed motivation, Vivi followed after the eleven pirates intent on stopping the war and the suffering of her people once and for all.

-x-

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!