ONE PIECE: A NEW LUFFY

WORD COUNT: 1680

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"So, where now from here!??" Ussop asked as Merry kept sailing forward. Vivi took out the map and showed them, "Look. This is a rough map of the region here I sketched just now. Our destination is here!" she pointed at a red 'X' mark above it written 'Yuba Oasis', "We'll exit from the mouth of Sandora river and then head inland!" she traced a red dotted line on the map showing their route.

"And this leader of the rebels is in Yuba, right?" questioned Zoro to which Ussop remarked, "So, we need to beat his ass---" "NOOO!" Vivi immediately shouted at him, startling him. "I'm going to stop the rebels through words. I don't want any more unnecessary bloodshed...!" explained Vivi. "But there's 700,000 of these rebels. You really think---" but Zoro stopped in mid-sentence when Luffy raised his hand, "Let her be, Zoro. We're only here to help her, but it's her Kingdom and she the 'Princess'.... if she thinks talking will work then who we're to stop her."

Vivi smiled at Luffy, "Thanks for understanding, Luffy...and don't worry, I'll find out the answer to that along our journey to Yuba, as I determine the extent to which Baroque Works, has deceived and corrupted the citizens of Alabasta...! But I swear I won't stop trying! I can't let this senseless violence continue! And I can't allow the Baroque Works to continue doing what it wants either!" listening to her words, everyone got motivated, "Well, don't you worry about our trek through the desert! I'll make sure you stay well-nourished!" said Sanji while twirling around.

"The Great-Ussop will see to it as no harm comes to you, Princess...." stated Ussop while puffing up his chest, "Yay..." Chopper cheered and Nami patted Vivi on her shoulder in reassurance. Only Luffy and Zoro were quiet, Zoro looked at the naive princess and then back to his captain who just signaled him to keep quiet. Zoro just shrugged, who he was to deny Captain's order, but he knew one thing.... the direction the situation was going on, talking will never work.... Afterall, peace was never the option.

With Crocodile, "The operation begins two days from now at 7 am. All the necessary things are prepared and there are no delays." stated Nico Robin aka Miss All-Sunday as she took a sip from her wine. "Good...." remarked Crocodile, "What about the Officer Agents!? Where are they?" "Hmm....they'll all be meeting tonight at 8 at Spider's cafe." replied Robin then she checks the time, "And it's just about 5 o'clock already. They should all be arriving there any time now...." hearing this, Crocodile kept silent as he was contemplating something and then he looked at Luffy's and Zoro's bounty posters, again. Robin seeing the strange look in Crocodile's eyes got a bad feeling, 'Looks like things are about to get messy!!'

The Strawhats with Vivi's guide had crossed the Sandora river and docked at the green city, Elumalu. "Well, not to be rude.... but there isn't anything green out here...." commented Ussop, seeing only desert everywhere. ".... Nowadays, yes..." replied Vivi. "KUOO!" everyone heard the sound and looked back to see...." Whoa! What the heck is that!? A turtle? Or a seal!?" remarked Ussop as he approached one of them, "That's a Kung-Fu Dugong! And don't get close to it because they are---" Vivi tried to explain but it was too late as the one Ussop was approaching had just punched at poor sniper's precious nuts.

"--strong..." "WAAAHHH....USSOP.... SOMEONE....SOMEONE CALL THE DOCTOR!!!" Chopper started to freak out seeing Ussop wailing on the ground while holding his nuts. Nami sweat dropped, "Ahh....Chopper, you are the doctor..." "Oh yeah, right!" he then immediately went to tend Ussop's injury. "Pathetic..." Zoro scoffed, but got punched on his head by Nami, "Stop fooling around and go help Chopper." Zoro's eyes twitch, "Damn witch..." he muttered under his breath. "KUOOO!" the sound came again but this time there were multiple of them.

Vivi's eyes widen at seeing so many Kung-Fu Dugongs bowing to Luffy, "Luffy, did you just defeat them!??" The said Captain looked at her while cleaning his ear, "Yeah, they are kinda weak!" Vivi sighed and rubbed her forehead, "Now they will see you as their master. It's their custom for the loser to become the victor's disciple." but Luffy just grinned and looked at his 'students'. He then opened his system shop and with some money he had on him, bought two very thick books, one was about general understandings of 'Mixed Martial Arts' and other was 'Haki 101'.

"Here my dear students, take these and master everything from those books. And once you mastered them, take the best of the best from the bunch and travel to the Fishmen island and wait for my arrival there." the Dugongs took the book and looked at it as if it was the most precious treasure in the world, "KUOOOO" they all cheered and saluted, as if saying, 'Don't worry Master, we'll not disappoint you.' Luffy nodded in satisfaction, "Now go, it's time for you all to go on your journey to achieve perfection...." the Dugongs tearfully said their farewell to their Master with a promise to meet at Fishmen island.

With everything done, the Strawhat arrived at the entrance of the ruined city, Elumalu. "It looks like, some kinda of war-torn city!!" Sanji stated, looking around the destroyed buildings. "No, not that.... starting 3 years ago, our country has been suffering from a severe drought. A drought so severe that no place in Alabasta has received a single drop of rain ever since..." said Vivi with sadness in her tone, "But that port town we visited earlier seemed to be doing fine." inquire Chopper.

"Nanohana's a special case, as it receives its water from the neighboring oasis town Katorea. This country's been through droughts before but to receive not a single drop of rain was unheard of in the several thousand years of our history. However, there was one place in Alabasta that somehow still received rainfall and in higher amounts than it would normally get. That place is, Alubarna, the capital city of Alabasta where the King resides. For a while, the people thought of it as the King's miracle. But that all changed after a certain incident.... Two years ago, some men were found delivering a massive amount of 'Dance Powder', and when they were caught, they said it was King's order."

"What!? They were delivering Dance Powder...!?" exclaimed Nami, Sanji looked at her in confusion, "You know what that thing is, Nami~sawn?" Nami nodded, "It's commonly known by its nickname, 'The powder that calls forth rain.' It was invented in some country where rain was very rare. If you send it up to the atmosphere as a mist of powder, what it does is stimulate the formation of ice particles in clouds at sub-freezing temperatures to later have it released as rain. In short, it's a powder that artificially makes rain." explained Nami.

"Hm? Wait, if that's the case, isn't that exactly what your country needs right now?" questioned Ussop, while walking a little bit awkwardly due to little bit of still lingering pain. "That's what anyone would think at first. As the name 'Dance Powder' implies, the people first danced with joy when it was invented in their country.... but behind the blessing it calls forth lies a great pitfall... and that pitfall is a drought in lands leeward! Can you understand what I'm getting at? Dance powder is something that artificially stimulates premature rain clouds, to make them rain much earlier than they should, thereby..." "Ohhh, I get it! The rain clouds that normally drift leeward would now rain much sooner, so it'd be like stealing rain from your neighboring countries!" concluded Ussop.

"Exactly...once people realized that, wars were started and countless of lives have been lost...and that's why the World-Government has officially banned producing or owning Dance Powder. " finished Nami. "So, it's a powder that can be both a blessing or a tragedy, depending on how you use it..." remarked Sanji, to which Vivi nodded solemnly, "Once that huge amount of Dance Powder was uncovered at the port of Nanohana, the entire nation finally realized, the truth behind the capital's abnormally abundant rainfall..."

"I guess it's only expected, that the people would suspect the King, after an incident like that..." stated Zoro, "Thinking about it now, Crocodile's plans must have already been well under way back then..." Vivi said as she knelt down on the ground and looked at the human skull with sadness. "My innocent father was completely dumbfounded by the incident, but the fact remained that a large amount of Dance Powder had been somehow delivered to the royal palace. It was all a trap laid out by Crocodile...and just as he intended, a rebellion arose! The start of a bloody conflict between the angry citizens who had lost their homes to the drought, and the innocent government...!

The country's peace, its trust in the King, the rain, people's homes and even their lives...All of it were stripped away because of one man! BECAUSE OF CROCODILE! WHAT GIVES HIM THE RIGHT TO DO SUCH A THING!? I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THAT MAN!" by now Vivi was in tears and bawling. Seeing her crying like that, Sanji clenched his fist, Luffy's Strawhat shadowed his eyes and Ussop stood straight, they moved with measured steps and only one thought in mind.... while Zoro seeing them just sighed, "Hmph....bunch of kids...." Vivi looked at the trio and was shocked to see they completely buried the ruined city.

"Hey, just what was that for!??" Nami asked in anger, "Clearly they did it because, it reminds the princess about some bad shits..." remarked Zoro. Sanji lit his cigarette and looked at Vivi, "Don't worry Vivi-chan, that bastard Crocodile is going to pay for making you cry...." "Then let's get moving..." said Luffy and with that they all followed behind him.