V.I.P.s

-x-

"Eighty-eight... eighty-nine... ninety..." Mana's counting, Zoro's grunts, and Luffy's snores were the only sounds in the infirmary.

"Alright, I'll bite," Y/N relented as he lowered the book he'd been quietly reading in bed. "Why are you doing that?"

"Chopper doesn't want Zoro training," Mana explained from a few beds over. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was being held up in the air. "Ninety-one! Zoro refuses to listen of course. Ninety-two! So I offered to help him out. Ninety-three!"

The swordsman was lying on his back wearing only his green sash and his dark green pants. His hands were supporting the blonde by the back and the back of her legs as he held her up above him like a human barbell. "Ninety-four! Six more seconds Zoro! You can do it!" The metal bed frame had been folded flat so Mana's weight on the mattress didn't destroy it.

"Uggh... I may have cut that steel guy before," Zoro grunted as he held Mana up above him, "but until I can bring out that power whenever I need it I can't consider myself any stronger. I need to improve my concentration."

"Ninety-nine!" Mana counted. "One hundred! Great job Zoro!" She lowered her weight and Zoro brought the much lighter blonde down so she was now lying horizontally across his chest. "Take a rest then I'll increase my weight by another three hundred kilograms and you can start again."

"Okay, maybe I should rephrase my question," Y/N reasoned. "Why are you doing that here? Chopper could come back at any time and catch you."

"Don't worry, I've got an alibi!" Mana assured him.

"You do?" Zoro asked.

The door started opening so instead of answering Mana scrambled so she was lying on the bed next to Zoro. Chopper came in accompanied by Vivi and an Alabasta doctor. The doctor wore a tall dark blue hat, a full body turquoise robe, round glasses, and had a long white beard.

"Your medicine making skills are so innovative!" the Alabasta doctor was praising the Straw Hat doctor. "And practical! You're a genius, my boy!" Chopper couldn't help the giddy grin that appeared on his face. "Where in the world did you learn such techniques?"

"Tony was a practicing doctor back at Drum Kingdom," Vivi explained.

"HE WAS?" the Alabasta doctor exclaimed. "You mean the same Drum that was once renowned for its advanced medicine? No wonder this little fellow is so talented! I've been a doctor for forty years and even I don't know the techniques and remedies that you do!"

"SHUT UP!" Chopper shouted as he pulled out a chair from nearby desk and motioned to it. "Stop saying that! I can't stand it! Get out of here if you're gonna talk like that!"

The doctor looked over at Vivi in confusion, "He's offering me a chair despite what he's saying... does he want me to stay?"

"He certainly does," Vivi told him.

"Well in that case, show me more of your incredible talents," the doctor requested.

"I said shut up!" Chopper snapped... while doing a happy dance. The reindeer stopped and surveyed the room. Vivi was tending to the still sleeping Luffy, Y/N was reading in bed, and Zoro and Mana were together in another bed. Wait... what? "WHAT'RE YOU TWO DOING?"

"Time to use that alibi," Zoro whispered.

"Why're you two in bed together?" Chopper demanded. "Why isn't Zoro wearing a shirt? And why's he out of breath and sweaty?"

"Well, I think that'd be obvious," Mana replied. "We just had sex."

"WHAAAT?" Chopper, Vivi, the Alabasta Doctor, and Zoro all shouted.

"Wow, Zoro," Y/N lowered his book and grinned. "You did that with me in the room? I would've given you some privacy if you wanted. Or you two could've gone somewhere less public. Unless of course, you're some kind of exhibitionist..."

"SHUT YOUR TRAP!" Zoro yelled. "WE DIDN'T HAVE SEX AND I'M NOT AN EXHIBITIONIST! I WAS TRAINING DAMN IT!" He'd rather have Chopper mad at him than everyone think he was some kind of sexual deviant.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Chopper hollered. "YOU WERE TRAINING! I TOLD YOU NOT TO!"

"So what, I didn't need your permission!" Zoro argued.

"OF COURSE YOU DID!" Chopper snapped. "I'M YOUR DOCTOR! NOW WHERE ARE YOUR BANDAGES?"

"It was too hard to move with them on!" Zoro complained.

"Hmph, see if I cover for you next time," Mana said as she relocated to another bed. "Where's everybody else anyway?"

"No idea," Y/N answered. "With all the traveling we did, I'm happy to just finish my book."

Vivi shook her head at her friends' antics and smiled fondly down at Luffy. The sleeping pirate's injuries had all healed and now they were just waiting for him to wake up.

-x-

Alubarna's market district was filled with the sounds of reconstruction. Everywhere anyone went they could see people attempting to repair the damage done to the city during the battle.

"Does anyone have any more lumber?" a man asked.

"I have some left," another man replied. "Take whatever you need."

"Look, everyone's coming together," Usopp observed as he, Sanji and Ayako walked down the street together. Sanji had a grocery bag, Ayako was hugging another to her chest and Usopp was holding two bags of supplies.

"Its cause their Princess is cute," Sanji told him.

"Oh please," Usopp scoffed.

"DAMN IT!" someone shouted. Their attention was drawn to a man standing in front of a wall. A huge man-sized hole had been smashed through it. But that wasn't all. A series of similarly sized holes went all the way through that building and the ones behind it. It looked like tunnel going through the houses "HOUSE AFTER HOUSE IS LIKE THIS! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED? IT'S LIKE SOMEONE KICKED A HOLE THROUGH THEM!"

Sanji flinched. He'd been rushing to find the bomb... "GAAH! THERE'S NO WAY I HAVE TIME TO GO ALL THE WAY AROUND!" THWHAM! The cook kicked a huge hole in the wall in front of him. "There! A shortcut!" Sanji continued smashing his way to the square.

"How awful!" Usopp remarked as he and Ayako surveyed the hole. "Who'd do such a thing?"

Ayako traced the odd shape at the edge of the hole. It looked like half a foot. Ayako glanced from the hole to Sanji's foot. It was almost exactly the same size and shape.

The cook had gone pale, "So uh... as I was saying..." Sanji attempted to change the subject. "People will do anything for a cute girl."

"Yeah right..." Usopp retorted.

"Usopp... I'm tired," Ayako complained. "Carry me?"

"Ugghh... fine," Usopp agreed. He bent down and Ayako lifted herself onto his back.

-x-

"Wow! They're all such interesting books!" Nami exclaimed as she scanned the shelves of the King's personal library. "Is it really okay to take some with me?"

"Absolutely," King Cobra replied. "Take any you'd like, I've read all of them."

"Thanks so much!" Nami smiled at the King. "I'll definitely take you up on that offer! Hehehe!"

-x-

"QUACK!" Carue called out as he paced down a hallway. "Qua-qua-quack quack!"

"Quack!" the other ducks in the Super Sonic Duck Squadron chorused as Carue walked passed.

"Grumph!" the new recruit grunted. Eyelash the camel stood at the end of the line of ducks. He'd been made an honorary member for helping the Straw Hats in the desert.

-x-

KLANG! In the palace courtyard Jun used his sword to parry an attack from Chaka's sword.

"Uuggghh..." Jun grunted as he managed to push the Royal Guard away from him. "I'm a Bomb Man. I use guns and I blow stuff up, why am I fighting with a sword?"

"You want to be a member of the Royal Guard don't you?" Chaka asked. "Then you need suitable training."

"But why am I training in swordsmanship?" Jun questioned. "If someone's causing trouble can't I just shoot them?"

"When you're a guard, you're goal is to defend," Chaka explained. "But when you use a gun you're attempting to kill. When you're a guard you can't go around killing people that are giving you trouble so I want you to be well versed in different forms of armed combat."

"Killing people?" Jun repeated. "After facing the Straw Hats I can't even remember the last time one of my bombs actually killed someone."

"Still, it can't hurt to know another form of combat," Chaka pointed out. "Come on, try again!"

-x-

Further outside, Pell was dealing with a group of Marines as he stood on the steps leading up to the entrance to the Royal Palace.

"I'll tell you again, there are no pirates here," Pell addressed the Marines. He was refusing to aid them in their search for the Straw Hats.

"Lying to us will only harm your country," one of the marines warned him. "Harboring pirates is a major felony."

"Hey Pell!" Sanji greeted the Royal Guard as he made his way up the steps carrying the grocery bags and Usopp's supply bags. Usopp was trailing behind him struggling to carry Ayako up the steps. Despite her small size, the artist was quite a bit heavier the supplies he'd been carrying.

"Welcome back," Pell returned, "Did you find everything you needed?"

"Yes... thanks for your help..." Usopp replied, sounding short of breath.

Pell nodded and turned back to the Marines, "There are no pirates here," he insisted as the two pirates went passed. "If you're going to linger in this country then why don't you do something useful and help the people rebuild?"

"Hey, do you think Luffy woke up yet?" Ayako asked as they approached the doors.

"I doubt it," Sanji answered. "Things would be noisier if he had."

-x-

"I SLEEEPT GREEEAAAT!" Luffy shouted as he finally woke up and sat up in bed. The Straw Hats, Vivi, Carue, and the three former agents had all gathered in the infirmary. The rubber pirate had just woken up an already he was making a great deal of noise. "Hey, where the heck is my hat? I'm starving too! When's breakfast? My hat! My breakfast! My hat! My breakfast!"

"You just woke up and you're already making a racket," Sanji complained. "And it won't be breakfast, it'll be dinner. It's evening."

"You're hat's right over there Luffy," Usopp said as he pointed to the corner, "Lucky for you, a soldier found it near the front of the palace."

SHUWHUP! Luffy stretched his arm out and grabbed his hat then yanked it back to him. "I missed ya," he told his hat as he put it back on his head.

"I'm so relieved that you finally got well, Luffy," Vivi commented as she sat at Luffy's bedside.

"Got well?" Luffy repeated. "What do ya mean? I was never not well."

"You dummy," Nami scolded him as she sat next to Y/N in his bed and read one of the books she'd gotten from the King's library. "You were in really bad shape and had a high fever. Vivi and Chopper have been taking care of you all this time."

"Really?" Luffy asked. "Aw! Thanks you guys!"

"It's about time you recovered," Y/N said as he lowered his own book. "Good to see ya bro."

"Hey Y/N!" Luffy greeted him. "Long time no see!" But then his face scrunched up. "Wait a minute... 'long time no see'? Why'd I say that?"

"You've been asleep for three days," Chopper informed him.

"Three days?" Luffy echoed. "Three whole days? I MISSED FIFTEEN MEALS!"

"Kyahaha," Mana laughed, "He counts fast when it concerns food."

"He counted five meals a day," Ayako pointed out.

KREK! The doors swung opened and a woman stood there. She wore a dark pink blouse and a pale purple dress. She was tall with broad shoulders and her hair that was in rollers like an old English wig. In short, aside from her bust and makeup SHE LOOKED JUST LIKE IGARAM!

"I heard the Captain's awake!" the woman called out in a voice that sounded like a higher-pitched version of Igaram's. "Dinner will be served shortly, I hope you're all hungry!" A man followed her in pushing a cart that was loaded with food.

Luffy smiled. "Hey! Old roller haired guy! You're still alive!" he rubber pirate cheered.

"So that cross-dressing thing wasn't just an act!" Zoro gasped.

"No everyone, you're mistaken," Vivi corrected them. "This is Terracotta. She's Igaram's wife and is the palace's head chef."

"Thank you for helping Vivi and my husband," Terracotta addressed the Straw Hats.

Zoro sweat-dropped, "I've heard of wives resembling their husbands but this is too weird!"

"I heard the Captain eats a lot," Terracotta continued. "So I had my staff put together a little snack to hold you and your friends over."

"Thank you," Luffy replied. SHOOM! In one quick bite the entire cart that had been piled high with fruit and bread was left completely empty.

"GREEDY PIG!" Zoro and Sanji yelled at the Captain.

"I'm gonna eat three whole days worth of food, lady," Luffy informed Terracotta.

"Oh, a challenge?" Terracotta inquired. "I'm looking forward to it! Eat to your heart's content!"

-x-

Roughly an hour later, the seven pirates, Vivi, Carue, the three former agents, King Cobra, Igaram, Chaka and Pell were sitting around a long table in the royal dining hall. Vivi had come through on her promise of food and now the Straw Hats were literally eating like Kings.

King Cobra sat at the head of the table with Igaram sitting at his right, Luffy was next to Igaram followed by Nami, Usopp, Mana, Zoro and Pell. Vivi sat at the other end of the table across from her father and on her right was Carue, followed by Sanji, Chopper, Ayako, Y/N, Jun, and finally Chaka who was sitting at the King's left.

MUNCH! MUNCH! Luffy gnawed at a meaty leg that was bigger than his head – which was three times as wide from all the food stuffed in his cheeks. But he wasn't the only one enjoying the meal. The other Straw Hats were also eating with incredible enthusiasm. They'd only been eating small meals in the days they were waiting for Luffy to wake up and compared to what they'd eaten when they were crossing the desert the banquet was incredible.

"Geez, I've seen pigs eat less," one of the guards lining the room muttered as they watched the pirates gorge themselves. "This is the royal dining hall, not a trough!"

As the pirates devoured the food the plates piled up and Terracotta kept cooking. "Come on Captain!" Terracotta exclaimed as she stirred a pan in the kitchen. "Keep it up! I can handle it!"

"This smells good," Zoro remarked as he speared a hunk of meat on his fork and brought it to his mouth. YOINK! The swordsman gaped as the meat was yanked right off his fork.

"Ahahaha!" Usopp laughed as he prepared to eat the lobster on his plate. SHOOM! The lobster was snatched off his plate and was stuffed into the rubbery mouth two seats down from him. "LUFFY! YOU JUST SNATCHED MY FOOD, DIDN'T YOU?"

"Nuh-uh!" Luffy mumbled around his newly acquired mouth full of food.

POW! Nami punched Luffy in the cheek. "YOU LIAR!"

As usual, Luffy didn't limit himself to the food on his plate. Everyone at the table was suffering from Luffy's wandering hands and huge appetite with the only exception being Y/N. Whak! The First Mate used his fork to smack Luffy's hand away from his plate then went back to cutting his food. But Luffy's reach wasn't stopped, only deflected. YOINK! Ayako frowned as her food was stolen right in front of her.

"Steal my food will ya," Mana growled as she grabbed her food and increased its weight. "Now, it won't go anywhere." SHWUP! "GAAAAH!" Her heavy food was snatched and stuffed into Luffy's mouth. Mana glared down the table at the rubber food thief. "I hope it gives you indigestion!"

SLURP!SLURP! Chopper sucked down a large mass of noodles. Sanji looked at him with concern.

"Slow down or you'll choke," Sanji warned the reindeer. YOINK! The cook had been paying more attention to Chopper and his plate fell prey to Luffy's reach. "YOU RUBBER BASTARD!"

"Eat this..." Jun growled as he leaned over and spat on his food. PTOI! As expected, Luffy snatched it off his plate and stuffed it in his mouth. SHOOM! Jun grinned and then the spit exploded. KA-BOOM! Luffy's already swelling stomach blew outward but then shrank down.

Luffy stopped eating and stared down at his stomach. "Hm... my belly feels empty again... MORE FOOD!" And then it started all over again.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Mana screamed. "NOW HE'S EVEN HUNGRIER!"

Whak! Y/N casually deflected the rubber pirate's stretching hand. Luffy's deflected hand once again snatched food off of Ayako's plate. Klak! The artist got fed up and threw down her fork. There was only so much the lazy artist could take.

"Y/N! STOP HIM!" Nami complained.

Whap! Y/N caught Luffy's wrist. Whup!Whup! Luffy stretched his other hand out and attempted to free his other one from his brother's grip. WOOING! SHWUP! Everyone watched as Y/N stretched Luffy's arms out and tied them around the base of Ayako's chair.

"That better?" Y/N asked. "Eat while his hand're tied." That prompted everyone hurriedly to dig in at the spread of food before Luffy could get free.

"HEY! THAT'S NO FAIR!" Luffy whined as his crew ate without him."GIMME FOOD!"

"That's what you get for stealing our food," Nami scolded him.

"The rest of 'em are no better than the Captain!" one of the disgusted guards pointed out.

"What do you call that dish there?" Sanji asked one of the Alabasta cooks.

"It's called Kanafa," the cook explained. "Noodles baked in a brick oven."

"GACK!" Chopper wheezed as he choked on some noodles.

"Hey, can we get some water over here!" Sanji requested on the reindeer's behalf.

"Here's more!" Terracotta called out, "Eat up!"

"NOOOO!" Luffy shouted as more plates were put out and he could do nothing to eat them. Luffy struggled and flailed in an attempt to pull his arms free from Ayako's chair. "Uuuuggh!"

WHING! "Yaaah!" Ayako let out a yelp as Luffy's monstrous strength prevailed and the girl and her chair were yanked across the table. WHAM! Ayako slammed face-first into Luffy's and they both went tumbling to the ground. THUD!

"LUFFY!" Usopp shouted as he shot up from his seat. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" Usopp pulled Ayako off of the prone Captain.

Ayako blushed as she touched her lips then turned to Usopp, "I thought he was gonna eat me..."

Nami looked over at Mana, "Did they just..."

"I think so," Mana clarified. Ayako had slammed face-first into Luffy for an inadvertent kiss.

"Take this Luffy!" Usopp called out as he drew his slingshot. "HOT SALSA STAR!" WHING!

FWOOOSSH! "WAAAAAH!" Luffy screamed as he spat out flames.

"Heh heh!" Zoro laughed, "Serves ya right Luffy!"

As the feast returned to normal the laughter proved to be contagious and soon everyone was laughing out loud as they shared the lively celebratory meal. Even the guards who had been lining the room looking disgusted at the pirates' eating habits started chuckling but soon the chuckles turned into full blown laughter.

Vivi, who had previously been so worried about the fate of her country sat in her chair and laughed along with the others as she was thoroughly amused by her friends' antics.

-x-

After the hearty meal, the group had moved on to the royal baths. The bath was a large marble room with a wall that ran through the middle and separated the sides by gender. The actual bath was a round tub in the middle of each section. On the men's side, water flowed out of the mouths of the two golden lion statues that were in the middle of the round bath.

"WHOA!" Luffy exclaimed as he surveyed the large opened room.

"This is the palace's royal bath," King Cobra explained to the male Straw Hats and Jun. They were all wearing towels on theirs wastes except for Luffy and Usopp who were running naked through the bath. "Normally we only use it during the rainy season."

"Then why use it now?" Jun inquired.

"Tonight's a special occasion," the King replied. "This is an important celebration."

"I'm royally impressed," Usopp remarked. "It's gorgeous! I'M GOING FIRST!" Luffy and Usopp raced across the marble floor to the bath.

"Real mature guys," Sanji muttered.

"Well, that was some dinner tonight wasn't it?" Cobra asked as he sat on the edge of the bath while Luffy and Usopp played in the water. Since he was only standing in the water so his inability to swim wasn't a factor here. "I thought an after dinner bath would be a more sedate affair. But it seems anything you lads become involved with becomes a party very quickly."

"They're a lively bunch," Y/N admitted as he knelt behind Chopper and washed his younger brother's back.

"Hey Zoro! Look!" Luffy called out to Zoro who was relaxing in the bath with his eyes closed. "Look at what we're doing!" Luffy and Usopp stood naked under the spray of the lion fountain and pretended to be meditating.

"We're training!" Usopp joked.

"Real funny," Zoro retorted.

Sanji grinned and elbowed Igaram, "Hey, where's the women's bath?" he inquired.

"YOU'RE NUTS!" Igaram snapped. "WHY WOULD I TELL YOU THAT? THAT'S WHERE THE PRINCESS IS!"

"I know!" Sanji agreed with a lecherous grin.

"Its right behind that wall," Cobra pointed out as he motioned to the wall that divided bath.

"Thanks old guy!" Usopp exclaimed as he and Sanji ran over to the wall. "You're the best!"

"Uhh... perverts," Y/N sighed as he joined Zoro in the bath.

Chopper looked over at the others who were rushing over to the wall then back at the other two who were casually sitting in the bath.

"I'm not interested in human females," Chopper chirped as he joined the older two in the bath.

-x-

The women's side of the bath was almost identical to the men's except the golden statues in the middle of the bath were long-bodied serpentine dragons instead of lions.

"This feels so good," Nami sighed. "I wonder if a ship with a big bath like this exists." She, Vivi, Mana, and Ayako were sitting on buckets in the opened floor washing each others' backs.

"I'm sure one does," Vivi replied as she sat behind Nami wearing a white towel and scrubbed the orange haired girl's bare back. "The sea's full of surprises. Think of what we've seen..."

"Giants, dinosaurs, abominable snow rabbits, cherry blossoms blooming in a winter land," Mana listed as she sat beside Vivi wearing a yellow towel and scrubbed Ayako's back.

"If those things exist there must be plenty amazing things out there in the sea," Vivi commented.

"By my count you've only been to four islands so far," Mana pointed out. "The Grand Line's got nearly a hundred."

"And each one has its own environment and ecosystem," Ayako added. She snuck a peek at the well-endowed girl sitting beside to her and pouted. Her chest was easily the smallest on that side of the bath, in fact, even Zoro's muscular chest was bigger than hers.

"My turn," Nami called out, "Switch." But before they could switch off the girls realized that they weren't alone.

"EEP!" Ayako squeaked as she pulled her pink towel back on.

Luffy, Igaram, Sanji, Usopp, Cobra, and Jun were all hanging on the top of the wall blatantly peeking into the women's side of the bath.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING OVER THERE?" Vivi demanded.

"Peeping," Nami answered. She closed her eyes knowing that the voyeurs weren't going to leave them alone until they'd seen something. Nami pulled her pink towel back on and resigned herself to doing something about the peeper problem. "Alright... it'll cost 100,000 berries each..."

Nami turned around to face the boys, "Happiness... PUNCH!" Then she unleashed her ultimate attack and pulled opened the towel and flashed them.

"WAAH!" came the collective gasp as blood squirted out of the noses of the peepers and all six of them fell down to the floor. THUD!

"NAMI!" Vivi shrieked while Ayako blushed. Nami smiled and winked.

"Kyahahaha!" Mana laughed. "You took 'em all out with one attack!"

"I'm not paying for that," Y/N's voice sounded from the other side.

"Well... if they're allowed to peep," Mana reasoned as she stood up and adjusted her towel. SKISH! She lowered her weight and jumped up to the top of the wall and sat on top of it. She looked down and saw Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, Jun, Cobra and Igaram all lying prone on the floor. "Aww! They're towels stayed on! Hey guys!"

"Hey Mana," Y/N replied as he casually sat in the bath with Zoro and Chopper. "I don't suppose you'd go away if I asked you nicely?"

"Nope!" Mana chirped.

"Didn't think so," Y/N said then glanced at Zoro. "It's not gay if we don't look at each other."

"Fine," Zoro resolved, "if it'll get her to go away." Mana's eyes went wide as the two stood up and turned to face her. The only clothing they wore between them was Y/N's eye patch.

Mana's face went bright red then her blue eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted. The blonde fell off the wall and dropped down to the floor on the women's side. THUD! Her towel came loose during her fall and ended up fluttering down on top of her.

"They knocked her out!" Ayako exclaimed as she stared at the blonde. A delirious smile was etched on the unconscious blonde's face.

"No charge," Y/N stated as he and Zoro sat back down into the bath.

"Humans are weird," Chopper decided.

-x-

Nami, Vivi, and Ayako had relocated to the bath while Mana was still out on the floor.

"Can't make up your mind?" Nami asked the Princess. Vivi and Ayako stared at her in confusion. "Better think quick, I was thinking we might actually leave tonight."

"Really?" Vivi asked.

"We need to go while the going's good," Nami explained. "I know that the Marines are looking all over for us and that means that the ship is in dangers."

-x-

A stream of blood dripped out of Cobra's nose as he and the other male peepers finally recovered from Nami's devastating attack. "Thank you."

"Pervert," Luffy, Usopp, Sanji and Jun chorused.

"NOT FOR THAT!" Cobra snapped, "For the country." The King sat cross-legged on the floor then bent down into a low bow that saw his face almost touching the floor.

"It's not that we don't appreciate it," Zoro said, "but is a King supposed to do that?"

"That swordsman is right your Majesty," Igaram stated. "You're this land's sovereign ruler. You should bow to no one."

"Listen Igaram," Cobra instructed, still bowing to the pirates. "Authority is something that you wear over your clothes. But we're in the bath now and there is no such thing as a naked King, is there? I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart as both a father and a native of this land. Alabasta will forever be in your debts Straw Hats." Luffy chuckled. "Thank you all very much. I can not tell you how much we appreciate you."

-x-

Night fell and water stopped flowing from the statues. The Straw Hats and the former agents returned to the infirmary and changed into their night clothes.

"Tonight?" Usopp questioned.

"Yup," Nami answered.

"We have to leave?" Chopper asked.

"The Marines know we're here," Zoro pointed out. "More will be coming. I agree with Nami, we need to get out now."

"Me too, and not just because she's got a pretty face," Sanji added. Although it hadn't been her 'face' that had knocked him off the wall earlier.

"After taking down a treacherous Warlord while they just stood by and watched the World Government's going to be gunning for us," Y/N reasoned. "They've probably raised our bounties already."

"COOL!" Luffy exclaimed.

"THAT'S NOT COOL!" Nami snapped at him. "Now even more people will be after us!"

"Do you think we should leave, Luffy?" Usopp inquired.

"Yeah," Luffy replied, "But only after we've had some more yummy food!"

"No, now you idiot!" Zoro scolded him.

"Then let's get our supplies together," Y/N resolved. "We don't have much time otherwise."

Vivi, Mana, Ayako, and Jun silently listened as their friends planned their departure.

-x-

"This could be trouble," Pell observed as he, Igaram, and Chaka stood together in a room and surveyed three wanted posters.

"What should we tell them, Igaram?" Chaka asked. "We have to let them know right away."

"You're right, I agree," Igaram agreed. "Well, word of what's happened here must've traveled fast. They've already released new wanted posters. Their bounties are quite large."

"'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro," Pell read, "60,000,000 berries."

"'One Eye' Y/N," Chaka noted, "80,000,000 berries."

"'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy," Igaram recited, "100,000,000 berries."

The pictures on Luffy and Y/N's posters were the same – offensive pose and all – but Zoro's picture for his new bounty looked like it had been taken while he was searching for the bomb because there was dried blood on his temple and going down from his mouth. The background behind him was a cloud of sand.

"That's 240,000,000 berries all together," Chaka counted, "Incredible."

"With bounties like that Marine Headquarters must have a keen interest in capturing the Straw Hats," Igaram pointed out. "You're no longer a mere pirate Luffy, not since you took down one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

-x-

Operation Escape Alabasta:

-x-

Igaram ran down the hallway and burst into the infirmary, "WE'VE GOT TROUBLE!" But the Captain of the Royal Guard was surprised to find that the ones remaining in the infirmary were Vivi, Carue, Mana, Ayako, and Jun. Vivi was silently staring out the window while Mana stood beside her and placed a reassuring hand on her back.

"Vivi... where are they?" Igaram asked.

"Oh, Igaram, what is it?" Vivi inquired.

"Luffy and the all others," Igaram clarified, "Where are they?"

"The sea," Vivi answered. "They are pirates."

Igaram dropped the three wanted posters he'd been carrying to the floor.

"I'm gonna miss 'em," Ayako admitted while sitting on a bed hugging her knees to her chest.

"We all are," Jun told her.

"But we can accomplish our dreams by staying here," Mana reasoned. "Big dreams like theirs can only come true if they continue their miraculous adventures at sea."

-x-

"Listen up you guys!" a marine called out. He had long gray hair and had a beard that looked like a mushroom stalk. He wore familiar heart-shaped sunglasses but also a bucket hat with 'Marine' written on the front and a green button-down shirt with big purple spots all over. "Pirates are nothing but scum! Everyone one of them!" This man was Petty Officer Jango 'the Traitor'. Somehow, after being left behind by the Black Cat Pirates following their defeat at the hands of the Straw Hats, Jango the Hypnotist had joined the Marines.

"Hey wait," the marine next to him protested. He had purple-gray hair and a scar running down his face under his left eye. He wore a Marine cap a blue t-shirt and had iron bolts attached to his knuckles. This was Petty Officer 'Iron Fist' Fullybody. "Come on, don't you remember? You used to be one."

"YOU'RE RIGHT!" Jango shouted. "HOW COULD I FORGET?" The two Petty Officers were on board a pirate ship. But all the pirates were unconscious.

"Now that we've finished taking down this pirate ship for Captain Hina..." Fullbody said before striking a pose, "LET'S DANCE!"

"OH BABY!" Jango exclaimed then he and Fullbody proceeded to dance right there on the deck of the pirate ship.

-x-

"It looks like those two subdued the enemy ship," a large arine observed as he stood on the shore and stared at the dancing Marines through a pair of binoculars.

"Took them long enough," Hina commented as she stood beside the marine. "Don't tell me... they're dancing now, aren't they? I trusted those two to finish off that ship that tried to escape us and this is what they do. Hina's disappointed. Have you finished deploying all the ships?"

"That's affirmative Captain," the large marine reported. "Every harbor in this dust ball of a country is now blockaded. But ma'am..."

"Hm?" Hina questioned.

"There's one thing I'm concerned about," the large marine admitted. "It's the Straw Hat's ship ma'am. It was confirmed to be near Erumalu but now... it's gone."

"Don't tell me they left the country already!" Hina gasped. "Hina's upset."

"No, I doubt that ma'am," the large marine replied.

"Then go search for it!" Hina ordered. "Scour the entire coast!"

"Yes Captain!" the large marine agreed as he ran off to relay the Captain's orders.

"Miss. Hina!" Fullbody called out, he and Jango had finally made it back to shore and were approaching the Marine Captain, "We're back ..."

"Oh no," Hina muttered as she turned to face away from the two Petty Officers.

"Sorry it took us so long," Fullbody apologized.

"Aren't you gonna ask us why?" Jango asked eagerly.

"Why'd it take so long?" Hina humored them.

"Because we were picking these flowers for you!" Jango and Fullbody produced two large bouquets of flowers. Fullbody's were red roses while Jango's were yellow chrysanthemums.

"No thanks," Hina immediately dismissed them. But her two admirers didn't have time to mope. "Man your positions right away, we're going after the Straw Hat Pirates."

"THE STRAW HATS!" Dango and Fullbody shouted. Both of them had history with that particular pirate crew.

-x-

The Straw Hats raced across the desert towards the Sandora River on the backs of the Supersonic Duck Squadron. Luffy was on Ivan X, Y/N was on Cowboy, Zoro was on Kentauros, Usopp was on Stomp, Sanji was on Hikoichi, Chopper was on Bourbon Jr. and Nami brought up the rear on Eyelash. Driven by pervert power the camel was able to keep up with the speedy ducks. The pirates all wore white cloaks that fluttered behind them as they raced across the sand.

"I wonder if she decided to come..." Y/N thought to himself. He was leading the group and was wearing his black and red cowboy hat.

"Not bad," Zoro remarked as they sped towards their destination.

"So a final farewell, oh Kingdom of the Sand!" Usopp exclaimed as tears ran down his face. He glanced beside him and saw Luffy eating a chunk of meat. "Luffy, aren't you full yet?"

"These Alabasta dishes are great, aren't they Sanji?" Luffy asked the cook riding next to him. "You should make 'em sometime."

"Yeah, I liked 'em too," Sanji agreed, "So I got some recipes from Terracotta. I also got some of their local spices."

"Um... what's wrong Nami?" Chopper asked as he looked at the glum-looking girl riding next to him with concern. "Are you sick?"

"I'll give you a piece of this if you want," Luffy offered, "But just a small one."

"Miss. Nami," Sanji called back to her. "If you're thinking about Miss. Vivi again, I understand. Listen, moping around about it won't help. I know it must be really hard for you, you two got close. Just keep your chin up, okay?"

"It's not that," Nami said. "I'm just sad... we didn't take the reward... the one billion berries..."

"WAAAAH!" came the collective shout from the pirates.

"YOU'RE MOPING ABOUT THE MONEY?" Sanji demanded.

"AAH! USOPP FELL OFF!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Aw, you shouldn't mislead people like that, Nami!" Zoro snapped.

"What did you think I was upset about?" Nami asked. "We just walked away from a huge payday that we actually earned."

"Nami, we've already been over this," Y/N stated. "What would you have done with all that money? I already took one hundred million berries for the crew's expenses from Crocodile's treasure and I gave you two hundred million. Plus, there's that six hundred thousand you earned from your show in the bath."

"Well, yeah," Nami admitted, "but I finally realized what we could've bought with it. We could've outfitted our ship with a big bath like the one in the palace. I don't know about you guys but I'm tired of pumping water every time I wanna use that tiny shower we've got now."

"Like you ever pump it yourself!" Zoro snapped.

"GUYS! USOPP FELL OFF!" Chopper reminded them.

"Then tell his duck to go get him," Y/N instructed. "He can catch up. But we can't stop, we're in a hurry."

-x-

Back at the palace, Igaram was still trying to stress the situation to Vivi and the others.

"Carue, wake up!" Igaram ordered, "You're needed!"

"Quuaaa?" Carue sleepily asked.

"It's no use Igaram," Vivi told him.

"But the World Government has released new bounties on their heads!" Igaram reported as he held up the three wanted posters. "We should at least warn them!"

"I had the Duck Squadron take them," Vivi informed him. "Even if Carue could catch up to them it wouldn't change anything."

"Why's that?" Igaram asked.

Mana came forward and picked up the three wanted posters, "Y/N already expected something like this," she admitted.

Ayako came over and peeked over her shoulder at the new bounties, "This'll actually make them happy. They'll be tickled pink."

"But Princess!" Igaram protested.

"Trust me, they'll be fine," Vivi assured him. She got up and pushed the large man out the door. "Now out you go, I've got to get some rest. I've got a big day tomorrow, remember?"

"Oh that's right," Igaram realized. "Your Coming of Age Ceremony is tomorrow at ten."

"Uh-huh," Vivi said as she headed for a bed in the infirmary, "Now come on Carue, let's get some sleep..."

-x-

Igaram walked down the hallway with Jun at his side. "Something wrong, Captain?" Jun asked.

"Something's bothering me," Igaram admitted as he scratched his head and tried to think. "She's awfully calm. Strange. Very strange." He was so caught up in his thoughts that he missed the knowing smile on Jun's face.

-x-

The infirmary had become a girl's dorm. Vivi had pushed her and Carue's beds together and was lying awake in hers while Mana and Ayako laid in beds on either side of them.

"It's really quiet, isn't it?" Vivi asked. The only sound in the large room was Carue's snores. "We haven't had a night this quiet in a long time. The cook who guards the refrigerator from a late night raider is gone..."

"So are the swordsmen that train every night..." Mana added.

"And the marksman who talks in his sleep..." Ayako recounted.

"The navigator who throws pillows when she's asleep..." Vivi continued. "They're gone."

-Farewell Flashback-

"A snail call?" Nami repeated Pell who had come to see them in the infirmary. Vivi, Carue, Mana, Ayako, and Jun were all watching as the Straw Hats packed their supplies and prepared to leave. "From who?"

"I'm not sure," Pell admitted, "He called himself 'Bon'."

"Just Bon?" Sanji asked. "That's it?"

"Never heard of the guy," Usopp said.

"That's strange," Pell commented. "He insists that you're all good friends."

"Friends with us?" Sanji questioned.

"Heellooo! Heeey old friends! It's meee!" a familiar high-pitched man's voice called out. "Gaaa hahahaha! I bet you never thought you'd hear from me again, did—" KLAK! Sanji promptly hung up.

"Was that..." Ayako stared to ask.

"Mr. 2?" Jun questioned.

RRRRING! RRRRING! RRRING! The transponder snail frantically rang again. Shu-whup! Luffy stretched his arms out and took the phone from Pell.

Luffy picked up the receiver and spoke into it, "So you escaped, Mr. 2? What do you want?"

"STRAW HAT! I'd recognize that voice anywhere! You're right I escaped. Aand I wanna keep it that way so don't call me Mr. 2. If the Marines intercept this call they'll be able to ascertain the location of both me AND you!"

"Thanks a lot you jerk!" Chopper shouted.

"Tell us what you want," Zoro ordered.

"Oooh, it's not what I want, it's what I HAVE! YOUR SHIP!"

"STOP JOKING!" the Straw Hats snapped.

"I'm gonna kick your butt for saying that!" Usopp threatened. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

"On your ship, the Going Merry!"

Y/N got up and took the receiver from Luffy, "How could you have our ship?" Y/N asked. "I just saw it in Erumalu the other day."

"Well now III have it! You won't find it anywhere near Erumalu, I'm all the way up near Rain Base!"

"I should've kicked him harder!" Sanji growled.

"Heeeey! Calm down! Pleeeaase! I mean... we are friends, right? RIGHT! GAA HAHAHA!"

-x-

"He's at the upper part of the Sandora River," Luffy stated. Pell had left and the Straw Hats were discussing what to do about the Okama that had their ship.

"Can we trust him?" Sanji asked.

"We did become friends that one time," Luffy pointed out. "But..."

"That was before we knew he was part of Baroque Works," Zoro continued for him.

"You want us to help you take care of him?" Jun offered.

"No," Y/N answered. "I think... we're gonna have to trust him."

"I guess we have no choice," Chopper reasoned.

"You're right," Sanji agreed, "He has our ship. If he tries to trick us, I'll be more than happy to kick the crap out of him again."

"Then let's get going," Y/N resolved.

"Yeah, before he changes the ship's figurehead to a swan," Usopp added.

"In that case..." Ayako said as she got up and held out a rectangular package to Usopp, "This is for you... um... don't open it here or I'll be embarrassed."

"Oh, thanks," Usopp remarked as he took the gift. "But I didn't get you anything..."

"You didn't need to," Ayako assured him with a small smile. "You and your crew did enough for me to last a lifetime."

"If this is goodbye... then I want a hug from each of you," Mana requested. She scooped up Chopper and hugged him like he was a living plushy. She went around the room hugging each of the Straw Hats in turn. She let out a faint giggle as she pressed herself fully against Y/N and Zoro then finally ended with Nami and whispered something in her ear that caused the navigator to blush bright red and sneak a glance at Y/N.

Once Mana was done Jun stood and addressed the pirates, "All of you, thanks for everything," the Bomb Man bowed to the Straw Hats. "Just knowing you has changed me for the better."

"Hey... you guys..." Vivi spoke up from the couch where she'd been sitting silently, "I uh... I don't... I don't know what to do. If you were me... what you would do?"

"Vivi, we can give you twelve hours to make a decision," Nami told her. "We'll travel down the Sandora, after teaching Ballerina Boy why he shouldn't steal from us, and by noon tomorrow we'll draw by the eastern harbor. I doubt we'll be able to drop anchor though. If you do decide to join us, that's gonna be the only chance for you to come aboard, twelve o' clock, on the dot. It's your choice, you can stay a Princess... or become a pirate."

"I'm sure being a pirate doesn't compare to being a Princess," Sanji admitted as he stood by the opened window that they'd dropped a rope out of. "But we'd sure love to have you."

"Yeah, so why wait?" Luffy asked. "Come with us now, Vivi!"

"Knock it off, Luffy," Usopp scolded him.

"Yeah, come on," Zoro urged him.

"Why?" Luffy questioned. "Don't you guys want her to join us?"

"Of course," Y/N answered, "but it's a life-changing decision. And it's something she has to decide for herself."

-End Flashback-

"Twelve o' clock on the dot," Vivi recited as she laid in bed beside Carue. "If it's the eastern harbor it'll take four hours to get there on Carue. If I left here by eight I'd make it on time. Life as a pirate, huh? Adventures on the high seas... surrounded by loyal friends... If I miss this chance I know I'll never get another one like it for the rest of my life."

"On the other hand," Vivi thought to herself, "I have duties here as a Princess. And at a crucial time since this land is at a rebirth." "What should I do?"

"I would've liked to go with them," Ayako admitted, "they're bound to see and experience things that are impossible to imagine. Some of those sights would make amazing paintings." The artist frowned, "But then... I'm lazy. They're all so strong and enthusiastic... I'd never be able to keep up."

"They're an incredible group of pirates," Mana remarked. "But I just got the deed to my café. I can live my dream from here." She looked over at Vivi, "You need to decide where you belong. Whatever you decide, we'll help you if you need us."

-x-

"FINALLY!" Mr. 2 Bon Kurei exclaimed to the newly arrived Straw Hats as he stood on the edge of the crow's nest of the Going Merry. "LONG TIME NO SEE MY FRIENDS! Did you guys miss little old me?"

"Not a bit," Zoro dead-panned.

"Let's unload," Sanji instructed. "Later ducks, thanks for the lift!"

"Yeah!" Usopp called out. "You ducks take care of yourselves!"

"Have a safe trip," Zoro said.

"..." Y/N silently saluted Cowboy while the relaxed looking duck saluted back.

"Say goodbye to the King, the old tube haired guy, and the others for us!" Luffy requested.

Even Mr. 2 waved goodbye as the ducks and the camel departed. "Farewell! May you ugly ducklings turn into beautiful swans!"

"JUU!" Y/N approached the river and was greeted by five familiar dugongs. Their heavy shells were a bit bigger than before.

"Hey guys," Y/N greeted them. "You wanna help us get our stuff on our ship?"

"Juu!" Y/N's students chorused. They all made their way over to the Straw Hats' supplies and picked up boxes.

"WAIT HOLD ON!" Mr. 2 shouted. SKISH! The Okama jumped down to the railing

"Yeah, what?" Sanji asked.

"Don't 'yeah what' me!" Mr. 2 snapped. "That's just rude! You should learn some manners pretty boy! Friends aren't supposed to talk to their friends that way!"

"Quit saying that, weirdo," Luffy ordered. "We're not friends, we're enemies. You lied to us."

"NO I DIDN'T!" Mr. 2 argued. "I just didn't mention that I was a member of Baroque Works!" The strange man sat down on the railing and dangled his hairy legs off it, "Besides, that matter anymore now, does it? Baroque Works is done for now. And that means that we are no longer enemies."

"Hey move it," Zoro complained as he carried a stack of boxes up the ladder Mr. 2 was sitting next to. He was followed by Y/N and a line of Dugongs.

"Oh, my bad," Mr. 2 said as he slid to the side and allowed them all to bring their supplies onto their ship.

"Well if we're not enemies then why the heck did you steal our ship?" Luffy demanded.

"Oh, how dumb are you?" Mr. 2 asked. "LISTEN! If I hadn't taken your little ship from where it was moored... WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD'VE HAPPENED TO IT?"

"The Marines probably would've seized it," Nami stated.

"WAH!" Luffy gasped.

"Change the 'probably' to a 'definitely', honey!" Mr. 2 replied. "The Marines have been looking all over for you guys and your ship. Every port in the country's been blockaded! LOCKDOWN!"

"Hold on," Luffy said, "are you telling us that you took the Going Merry so the Marines wouldn't?"

"How come?" Chopper demanded.

Mr. 2 smiled and flashed them a thumbs up, "'Cause you guys are my friends!"

A moment later, Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Mr. 2 had joined arms and were dancing on the deck together.

"We may have had to fight on opposite sides of the war but our friendship will last throughout all of eternity!" Mr. 2 cheered.

Nami turned away from them and looked over at Sanji, "Need help loading?" she offered.

"Nope," Sanji replied."This is the last of it. Y/N's students were a big help."

"JUU!" the dugongs chorused as they stood around Y/N and bowed to him.

"You're not planning on bringing them with us, are you?" Nami inquired.

"No," Y/N admitted, "but we still have time for one last spar before we say goodbye."

"Tell the truth twinkle toes," Zoro addressed Mr. 2 as he continued dancing with Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper. "You and your crew don't have a chance of getting through that blockade. But you might if you had us as allies, right?"

"GAAH!" Mr. 2 shrieked at Zoro's accurate guess and jumped away from the dance line.

"BON KUREI!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper exclaimed.

"That's right, you got me," Mr. 2 confessed, "but in trying times such as these we have to band together under the flag of friendship! IF YOU BELIEVE IN TRUE FRIENDSHIP SAY 'AYE'!"

"AAAYYYYYEEE!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper shouted.

"Uhh..." Nami groaned.

"AAAAYYYYEEEE!" Mr. 2's ship the Swanda appeared out of nowhere with his loyal men all on board. "HEY STRAW HATS!"

"WHERE DID YOU GUYS COME FROM?" Zoro demanded.

-x-

"Captain Hina, we've spotted the Straw Hats' ship!" a marine reported early the next day. "It's in the upper reaches of the Sandora River! What do you think we should do, Captain?"

Hina pulled on her gloves, "Attack of course," she answered.

Marine Captain 'Black Cage' Hina was standing in the Straw Hats' way of escape.

-x-

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!