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"Hey Vivi, what do you think of joining our crew?"
"What?!" Vivi freezes at the sudden question, before she turns to her in shock.
"I'm serious; the others will love to have you" Nami chuckles at the shock, as she crosses her arm over her chest.
"Yea, it'll be a lot of fun. What do you say Vivi?" Chopper eagerly nods with a smile.
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"Would it be alright if I think about it?" Vivi nervously stares at the pirates for a second, before she sheepishly rubs the back of her head.
"Of course, we won't be leaving for a while, so take your time. If Luffy wakes up, let me know" Nami grins in understanding as she starts walking out of the room. Vivi nods as she and Chopper continue taking care of the unconscious captain for the rest of the day.
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"Zoroooooooo. Where are yaaaaa?" Anamaria stalked around the corner making both Sanji and Zoro freeze and robotically turn to face her "There ya are"
"I just-wanted to see how your sword worked" Zoro said as he felt a similar fear as when Nami scowled at him.
"Oh ya did, well that's fine" the smile on the woman's face didn't put him at ease "Let me show ya"
"A-Ana?" Sanji asked the woman as she approached the two men.
"Ya also wanted to know didn't ya darlin'? That's why you let 'im take it?"
"No, no, I..."
There were two echoing screams that made several people turn to see what the noise was about and coming from. Zoro and Sanji were now sat in front of Anamaria with steaming bumps on their heads as the woman slipped Fang out of its sheath and looked at the edge of the blade.
"So, what do ya wanna know?" she asked the green haired swordsman.
"Just, how does the poison work? How do you control it?" Zoro asked her.
"I can't control it that well. It was hard to learns to do so, see?" she showed both men the palms of her hands which had several scars on them "All I can actually control is the amount of acid that comes out of it but not where it goes"
"So, it's unpredictable?" Sanji, who had been nursing his aching head, chimed in.
"Aye, that it is. Fang's a double-edged sword, quite literally" Anamaria nodded, her eyes flickering with a mixture of pride and amusement at the blonde's concern.
"But you've mastered it to some extent. That's quite impressive" Zoro couldn't help but admire her skill and determination.
"I've had my fair share of close calls, believe me. It's a dangerous weapon, but it's saved me more times than I can count" Anamaria's lips curled into a faint smile.
Sanji frowned and took Anamaria's only free hand and softly inspected the pale scars that contrasted against her tanned skin. The woman smiled down at the cook as he gently massaged the palm of her hand while seeing Zoro roll his eyes from the corner of her eyes and then he stood up and left to find something to entertain himself with before they left.
"It's fine Sanji" Ana told the man while fumbling to sheathe her sword with one hand "It doesn't 'urt"
"Mmmh" the man hummed, feeling a bit weird at her using his name and not her pet name for him. Sanji continued to massage her hand, his frown slowly softening into a look of concern. He couldn't help but be captivated by the woman's resilience.
"You've been through a lot, haven't you?" he asked, his voice laced with empathy. Anamaria nodded, her gaze drifting to the horizon.
"Aye, I have. But every scar tells a story, doesn't it?" her eyes held a hint of nostalgia as she reminisced about her past adventures.
"Yes, they do" Sanji said as he finally released her hand.
My poor baby😭🥺he had such a bad past.
Anamaria then made herself busy helping Chopper and Vivi take care of their captain after Sanji had made her some chocolate sweets to boost her energy. Sable had been comfortably curled up near Luffy's bed trying to soak up more warmth from her surroundings before the night came.
The morning quickly made way for the dusk in the warm climate making the temperatures turn colder. Nami and Anamaria had changed clothes that Vivi had lent them and were now waiting for Luffy to wake up before dinner was served for them.
"Ana, what do you think of Luffy?" the navigator asked the woman.
"What do ya mean?" the other woman asked Nami.
"I've noticed that sometimes you treat the captain a bit differently from the other boys" Nami said "I was simply curious"
"Well, it might seem strange, but he kinda remind me of my older brother" Anamaria replied as she smiled down at the sleeping boy "He's just as reckless and almost always has a smile on his face"
"Do you miss your brother?" Nami asked her as she wiped Luffy's forehead a bit.
"I do. But I'm glad that I agree ta join your crew" Ana responded.
"Ana-chwan, Vivi-chan, Nami-swan! We're going to dinner now" Sanji said as he came into the medical ward.
"We're coming darlin'" Anamaria responded, looking behind her weirdly as Vivi and Nami smirked and giggled together behind her "What?"
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With Luffy still unconscious, the meal between Vivi and the pirates seemed relatively quieter. It didn't take long for them to finish, and start heading out.
"So Nami, did you ask Vivi to join the crew?" Anamaria asked the navigator as they went to their assigned rooms for the night. Usopp and Sanji widen their eyes at the question before they look to the navigator.
"You did?!"
"Yup, it'd be great if she and Carue joined us" Nami chuckles at their surprise.
"I think the duck would 'ave a heart attack at havin' ta spend so much time with Sable" Anamaria said quietly with a small smirk.
"You're serious?!" Usopp asks while Sanji grins in excitement with hearts in his eyes.
"Mellorine, it'd be great to have another lovely lady onboard as well as...!" Sanji stopped the phrase as he didn't feel as excited as he usually would be.
"Yup, any idea when Luffy'll be waking up?" the tattooed woman asked them.
"No idea, but it can't be too long now. He always recovers quickly" Usopp shrugs at the question.
"Out of curiosity, how would you react if you did meet someone from another world?" Anamaria asked them as she finally broke the silence with a question she had wanted to ask for a bit now.
The pirates look at each other while they silently try to decide their view on this. Nami quietly sighs as she looks away from her, and thinks about her past in the Arlong Pirates.
"To be honest, I'm not sure..." Sanji puffs out some smoke from his cigarette, and thinks back on his life in North Blue, that he'd rather stay hidden.
"It's hard to say since we never met one. If they don't know anything about us, then it's just like meeting another person" Sanji said "But I would feel weirded out about it"
"Are you kidding? I would be completely scared knowing there's another world out there. I'd prefer it if they stayed in their own place" Usopp said with a shiver that made Nami and Sanji nod in agreeance.
"That's good to know" Anamaria said, not sure why she felt sad about their reactions "Well, I think I'm going to..."
"GUYS, WHERE ARE YOU?!" all four of them stop when they hear the captain's voice from a distant corridor.
Luffy catches up to the group, from a separate hallway, with a stretched arm full of fruit for him to munch on, interrupting the threes questions at the sudden change of attitude from the woman besides them.
"When did you wake up?!" Nami widens her eyes to see her captain eating, while he runs up to them. Luffy wastes no time in finishing his food, before he smiles.
"A few minutes ago, I came looking for you guys, so we can have dinner. Vivi said we can't eat without you" he looks around to see the strange ambiance of the group.
"Nothing cap. We were just waiting for ya ta wake up" Anamaria said with a small forced smile.
"Well I'm awake now. Sanji, can you make me something to eat?" the captain asked the cook as he inhaled the last fruits quickly.
Anamaria sluggishly lifter herself a bit from on top of Sable as the snake follows Chopper around, having grown accustomed to the doctor of the crew, while everyone else also gets ready to leave. The princess however, sits to the side and watches uneasily about her friends leaving and the offer she's been given to join them.
"Everyone..." the crew stops what they're doing and looks to see Vivi nervously looking down while tightening the fists on her lap "What should I do about the decision to join you?"
The group looks at each other for a brief moment before Nami steps up.
"We'll give you twelve hours. Tomorrow at midday, we'll sail past the east coast while we're escaping. We can't stop there, but if you decide to join us we'll get you onboard. The marines will be on our tail, so this will be the only way we can do it" the navigator tells her. Vivi slowly nods as she watches her friends attach the end of a rope ladder to the window and unravel it to reach the ground.
"You gotta be there Vivi!" Luffy says when Usopp whacks him on the head.
"Don't tell her that!"
"What?! You don't want her to come?!"
"Of course not, but it's her decision!"
"Ana" the blue haired princess calls out to the woman and hands her something "It's a gift from me. I know how much you like sweets so I had the chef make this for you"
Ana's eyes widened with an adoring gleam as she looked down at the rather large bag of treats that had been placed on her hand.
"Oh thank ya Viv. Don't ya worry about yer decision, I'm sure no one will bother you too much about it. I know I will still be yer friend anyways" Anamaria smiled down at the woman who gave her a small smile in return.
The others are getting on the backs of the Super Spot-Billed Duck Squad. She looks to see that all five of the ducks were ready to leave with the rest of the crew while Chopper himself got onto the snake with Ana.
Up in the room that they've left behind, the princess can only watch as her friends ride off into the night. When she can no longer see her friends, Vivi pries herself away from the window. She softly frowns just before Carue quacks in concern. She snaps out of it and smiles at the duck.
"I'm fine Carue, we should get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow"
The duck quietly nods as he keeps his best friend company for the rest of the night.
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As the sun begins to rise for the new morning, Mr. 2 waits on the deck of the Going Merry for the ship's owners to arrive while his crew waits on the swan boat docked behind him. He begins to tap his foot impatiently as he leans on the railing for any sign of them, when he sees the crew riding on a band of ducks.
"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?!" the ballerina man stands on the railing and begins to pirouette. The crew ignores the okama as they reach the shore line and get off the ducks. Chopper gets off his Sable before he grins at the duck squad.
"Thank you, be careful on your way back!" the ducks quack their goodbyes as they wave them off and start running back to the capital.
"SEE YA!" Luffy yells as he and the others wave them off.
"Goodbye! I'm sure we'll meet again someday!" Mr. 2 begins tearing up at the farewell as he waves with them. He snaps out of it when he realizes that he shouldn't be bidding them farewell "WAIT, THIS ISN'T RIGHT!" he stomps his foot angrily as he glares at the crew "What's the meaning of this?! A friend's been waiting for you this whole time, and you don't even give me a 'hello'?!"
"'Ello there bird man" Ana said lazily as Sable hissed along with her greeting.
"Hello to you too" Mr. 2 blinks at the greeting before he smiles at her. Usopp acts shocked at the greeting before he turns to Mr. 2.
"Quit acting like we're friends!"
"I'm not your enemy anymore since Baroque Works is finished, so let's forget the past. I even did you this favour to show that we're friends" the okama sighs as he sits on the railing.
"What are you talking about?!" Luffy asks while some of his crew members starts climbing aboard.
"Think about it, if I didn't move the ship from the coast line what do you think would happen?" Mr. 2 points to the ship's head while making his case.
"The marines would've found it" Nami says as she walks onto the ship.
"Exactly, the coast is completely covered by marines now! It would've been spotted in a second!" he nods at the assumption as he gets off the railing.
Luffy, Usopp and Chopper widen their eyes at the news as they run onto the ship.
"So you really helped us?! Why?!" Chopper asks when the okama begins to smile at them.
"Isn't it obvious? It's because we're friends"
The three pirates beam at his answer before they start dancing with him like they're old friends. Anamaria chuckled at the sight of them while Sable slithered onto the boat herself, the woman getting off. She was surprised when she saw pink flower petals on the floor.
After going to leave her bags and coming back to the deck, she froze when she sees that both the crew and Mr. 2's ships are surrounded by eight marine ships. The crew works to outrun them, but they're completely blockaded by the ships that are now sending at least twenty large black spears towards them.
"GUYS, DEFLECT THE CANNONS!" Nami yells as she rushes to the helm to find an opening to steer to.
"I was gone for two minutes" Ana muttered as Usopp and Chopper run off to grab the cannon while the others get to work on deflecting the spears.
She unsheathes Fang to deflect some of the large spears, however, the more that she and the others deflected, only more would come to replace them. When a few managed to stab the ship, Chopper ran below deck to start patching the holes.
"Dammit, protecting it from both sides isn't working!" Mr. 2 says as he kicks a spear away from the ship, but he misses the second one that came right after.
Luffy growls in frustration when the spears stop and they begin to hear shouting from one of the ships.
"THERE'S NOWHERE FOR YOU TO RUN!" The crew looks in confusion to see a pink hair marine with iron knuckles on his hands smirking at the crew from one ship.
On the ship next to his a hypnotist marine stands at the front of the ship with his hypnosis ring ready.
"That's right Fullbody. No one can escape the Black Spear" Luffy looks at the hypnotist in confusion and widens his eyes when he sees that it's Jango from the Black Cat pirates.
"HYPNO GUY?! AREN'T YOU A PIRATE TOO?!"
"Who's the pink haired marine?" Sanji looks at the pink haired man, that he kicked the crap out of at the Baratie, but he forgot about him.
"I'll show you that I'm playing on the right side now. Take a look at this ring..." Jango ignores the confusion as he lift his hypnosis ring to his face. Before Jango can hypnotize anyone the crew's cannon managed to hit their ship and blow it up.
"BUDDY!" Fullbody calls out worriedly for his friend when the burning ship leans towards his ship and breaks it in half.
"Holy shit..." everyone on the Merry widens their eyes to Usopp's comment, and looks to see the stunned sniper staring at the sinking ships with the cannon he just used right next to him.
"THAT WAS AWESOME USOPP!" Luffy's jaw drops at the cannon, that's still smoking from the use, before he smiles at Usopp. Usopp snaps out of his daze before he looks at the crew then back to the boats repeatedly, and then he smirks triumphantly.
"Th-that's right! It was all according to plan! That'll teach those marines to mess with us!" he boasts.
"Well done Long Nose! Now just blow up those two ships and we can outrun them!" Mr. 2 grins at the victory before he looks at two other ships that are in their way.
Usopp gets to work on getting the cannon ready when a pair of Mr. 2's men from his swan ship calls out to him.
"MR. 2!"
"WHAT IS IT?!" the okama calls back to them when the pair looks back at the commander ship sailing towards them.
"BLACK CAGE HINA IS COMING UP FAST!"
"WHAT?!" Mr. 2 runs to the back of the ship to see that they're right and stares at the ship in sheer terror.
"What's so great about this black cage?" Zoro raises an eyebrow at his distress as he looks at the ship.
"You mean you never heard of her?! Black Cage Hina's one of the strongest marine commanders in these parts! We gotta run!" Mr. 2 looks to see that the Straw Hats aren't steering in the direction he instructed them "What are you doing?! We gotta head south and get out of here!"
"You guys can run if you want, but we have to go east" Luffy doesn't move as he looks to the island.
"What?! Why?!" the okama's eyes widened at the statement.
"We have an appointment. We need to go to the east coast by 12" Nami says as she gets ready to steer them east.
"Hmph, that's ridiculous! What kind of treasure is worth getting killed by Hina for?!" Mr. 2 scowls at their recklessness before he gets ready to jump aboard his own boat.
"There's treasure?" Anamaria asked as her attention turned away from one of the creamy goods that she was stuffing her face with.
"We're going to pick up our friend" Mr. 2 looks at her in confusion when Luffy smiles at him after the statement.
The okama became completely shocked, at how they were willing to risk their lives for a friend, and decides to help them. He turns to his men with a smile on his face and new determination in his eyes.
"Everyone, if we run away now we won't be worthy of being called okama!" every pirate looks at him in confusion as he continues to motivate his men "If we can't sacrifice our lives for our friends then there's no way we can rest in peace! Who's with me?!" the okamas under Mr. 2 begin to tear up in awe before they cheer in agreement. Mr. 2 tears up in pride of his friends and doesn't wipe away the streams on his face as he turns to the Straw Hats.
"Straw Hat Luffy and all you rascals, please listen carefully. Once I get on my ship you all head east and pick up your friend" the StrawHat crew looks at him in shock as he touches his face with his right hand and transforms into Luffy "We'll take care of those marines for you! Farewell my friends!"
He jumps onto his ship and wastes no time in steering south to begin the decoy plan. Nami doesn't look back as she steers the ship to the east, but the rest of the crew can only stare as Hina's ship speeds off after Mr. 2's ship. As the battle rage on between the swan and marine ships Luffy, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper cry for their friend's sacrifice.
"BON CLAY, WE WON'T FORGET YOU!"
Ana solemnly salutes the man as her crying shipmates said goodbye to the man as their ship sails off she silently promises that she will repay her debt to the okama, she was not one to not return favours and she didn't like being indebted to others.
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As the crew reaches the east coast, they begin to hear Vivi's speech from the speakers that are on the island.
"I had an adventure over deep oceans and dark tides in search of hope. The ocean that I faced was vast and held things that I could only dream of. There were times when the waves were peaceful and times when the waves were so violent as if they were laughing at the weak. But in that darkness I found a tiny ship that pushed me forward and taught me not to give up"
"That's definitely Vivi's voice making that speech" Zoro looks to the coast and can't find the princess.
"It's a ceremony at Alubarna. It looks like she decided not to come after all..." Sanji slowly nods as he starts smoking and tried offering one to Anamaria who denied it since she was content enough with her sweet treats.
"It's just Vivi's voice. She'll be here" Luffy refuses to believe it as he stands by the railing and searches for the princess.
"It's almost 12, we can't stay for too long" Nami quietly sighs as she gets ready to steer the ship.
Usopp looks at the back of the ship and his eyes widened when he saw two marine ships sailing towards them.
"GUYS, WE GOT TWO MARINE SHIPS COMING!"
"FULL SPEED AHEAD THEN! WE GOTTA GO!" Nami steers the ship away from the island without sparing the island another glance.
"Forget it Luffy, she has her life as a princess" Sanji looks at Luffy, who's keeping his eyes on the island, and sighs.
"Hold on! I see her and the duck, right at the shore!" Anamaria shouted as she squinted her eyes to see the two waving at them from land. The pirates' eyes widened when they look at the coast, and find the princess and the duck.
"Vivi-chwan!" Sanji calls out happily while the others happily smile for their friend.
"Everyone, I'm here to say goodbye!" everyone on the ship stops when they hear Vivi's announcement while the princess keeps talking through the speaker "I can't go with you, but I want to thank you for all that you've done for me!" Ana quietly sighs then softly grins as Vivi continues her farewell speech with tears in her eyes "Even though I want to go with you, I really love this country! So I can't leave!" Vivi doesn't bother to wipe away the tears that are streaming down her face as she keeps speaking "E-even though I want to stay here... If we ever meet again, will you let me be your friend?!"
The crew begins to softly grin at the princess' question while the marines look at her in utter shock. Luffy goes up to the railing and starts calling out to her.
"NO MATTER WHAT WE..."
"Shut up!" Nami quickly rushes to her captain and covers his mouth with her hand to shut him up. Luffy looks at her in confusion as she takes her hand off his mouth.
"We can't answer her. If the marines found out that we're friends then Vivi will be considered a criminal. We need to leave quietly" she tells him.
Luffy looks at her seriously for a moment before he turns his back on the princess along with the others.
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Vivi sadly frowns at the turned backs when she sees them rolling their left sleeves up. When she and Carue see the black X's on their friends' left arms, to prove that their still friends, they smile in joy as they show their marks to them as well.
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"Open the sail Ana" Nami tells the woman who had climbed up onto the crow's nest of the ship to see the two, now smaller figures, better.
"On it!" Anamaria said as she jumped off and caught onto the rope that pulled the ship's sails taut, allowing air to fill them as she slid down and into Sanji's opened arms, her thanking him before jumping off to see the ships behind them.
Like that, they sailed as fast as the wind could take them away from the marines chasing after them. When the adrenaline from the excitement kicked in, she wasted no time in helping her crew not only lose the marines, but sail off to their next adventure.
End Alabasta Arc
End Alabasta Saga
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