"Get away from her!" Emmy shouted as her cards went shooting across the plaza.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
A handful of the Baroque Work Millions clutched their bloodied shoulder and fell to their knees. The Millions had identified the pirates and were closing in. Zoro had no choice but to stay behind to fight them off for Emmy and Vivi to run ahead. However, as soon as the girls rounded the corner, another group of Millions were waiting for them.
Emmy leapt up and jumped off of a kneeling Millions' backs to tackle another Millions, who was trying to attack the princess from behind. She hit the ground hard and skidded across the stone pavement.
"Ah! Miss Maid!" Vivi gasped.
"I'm okay!" Emmy said as she scrambled to her feet and stood back to back with the princess. Emmy couldn't help but giggle, "I once saw Luffy do that...Never thought I could do it too."
"We can't afford to waste time in a place like this," Vivi said. She had her Peacock Slashers out and they spun violently at her sides.
"Agreed," Emmy nodded.
"Ha. I'd expect this much from a Frontier Agent," one of the Millions said as he pointed a gun right at Vivi's face while another Millions pointed one right at Emmy, "You fought well...Too bad you didn't fight well enough. Now come. The boss is waiting."
Emmy blinked. "Wait what? You're not going to kill us?"
"Her? No. The boss wants Princess Vivi alive. You? Not so much," the Millions facing her sneered.
"Vivi-sama...If that's the case, go with them then," Emmy whispered.
"WHAT?! We're supposed to meet Luffy-san and them at Raindinners-"
"Where Crocodile is, right?" Emmy hissed, "So if they are taking you to Crocodile, then just go with them!"
"But what about you?"
"Don't worry about me...Just-"
Bratatta. Bratatta. Bratatta. Bratatta.
"AH!" Emmy and Vivi screamed as rapid machine gun fire came striking down from the sky. They clutched their heads and knelt down while the men around them were placated.
Emmy looked up at the sky once the bullets stopped for just a moment. A large falcon was barrelling right down at them.
"Raise your arms!" Vivi exclaimed with relief.
"What?!"
"Just grab on!" Vivi shouted just as the falcon plateaued and swooped within arms reach of them.
Without another thought, Emmy reached up and grabbed onto the falcon's neck as Vivi did the same. They were both swept up and carried to safely to a rooftop nearby.
"Pell! You came for me!" Vivi exclaimed as the falcon changed into a man with a painted white face and purple streaks under his eyes. He wore a long white robe with a dark four star motif printed all along it. His hat had the same pattern as his clothes and the fabric draped down on either side of his head.
"It's good to see you again, Vivi-sama," he said and then gave a nod to Emmy, "And you must be one of the people who she wrote about in her letter. Thank you for coming to Vivi-sama's aid in our time of need."
"So you got my letter," Vivi breathed, "That means Carue made it to Alubarna safely. Thank goodness."
"Both the king and I read your letter," he replied.
"How is my father?" Vivi asked.
"He's doing well. Thanks to you and Igaram-sama, we know we're fighting against now," he said and then looked back over the edge of the roof, "Please excuse me for a moment."
He crossed his arms. "The Bird-Bird Fruit, Model Falcon!" He switched back into his falcon form and flew back down.
"Who is he, Vivi-sama?" Emmy asked with a tilt of her head.
"That is Pell. The strongest warrior in Alabasta. He's one of the head guards for my father," Vivi answered as they marveled at how he was able to take them down in just one swoop, "With his help, we can get to Raindinners faster now!"
"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?"
Vivi and Emmy jumped to their feet and spun around to face the amused female voice.
"Miss All Sunday?" Emmy gasped as she stood in front of Vivi with her arm out protectively. Her gesture made her audience laugh.
"My, how things have changed since we first met," Miss All Sunday mused, "Have you taken a liking to the princess now?"
"We're friends," Emmy replied slowly. Without her headband off, it was impossible to read Miss All Sunday's mood and motive. Was she here to harm or help? Emmy couldn't tell.
"Vivi-sama, I take it these are the ones threatening our homeland?" Pell asked.
"I'd like to invite the princess to our mansion," Miss All Sunday said and she extended her hand out towards the princess, "What does her two protectors say to that?"
"Out of the question!" Pell answered without hesitation.
MIss All Sunday raised an eyebrow and smiled at Emmy, who was finding a harder time to answer. Not because she didn't know what to say but because the person behind her, the one who was emotionally suppressed just a day ago, was brimming with fury.
"Vivi-sama," Emmy whispered worriedly, "Please calm down and think about it rationally. She's-"
"DON'T SCREW WITH US!" Vivi screamed, shoving Emmy out of the way. She lunged right at MIss All Sunday with her Peacock Slasher at the ready.
Thwack!
Miss All Sunday smoothly caught her by the wrist and the Peacock Slasher dangled limply off Vivi's pinky finger. "What uncouth words from a princess," she tsked.
"How dare you kill Igaram!" Vivi spat.
"Igaram?" Miss All Sunday asked with a tilt of her head, "Oh, you mean Mr. 8."
"Don't tell me you killed Igaram-sama!" Pell shouted.
Miss All Sunday sighed. "And how is that different from you gunning down our men just now? It's silly. Why is his life worth more than those men's?"
Emmy blinked and then shook her head. Somehow Miss All Sunday's point struck a chord in Emmy but she knew Miss All Sunday was the enemy. After all, she was working with Crocodile and she killed her friend's friend...So that must make her the bad guy. Right?
"AH!"
Before Emmy could think about it any further, all doubts were wiped away completely when Miss All Sunday landed a punch right through Vivi's stomach with her fist sticking out of the princess' back.
"VIVI-SAMA!" Pell and Emmy screamed.
"Damn you!" Pell yelled as he charged forward.
"Feel Feel Punch!" Emmy shouted, pushing her headband off and socking Miss All Sunday right in the gut.
"Oof!" Miss All Sunday released Vivi and Emmy slid over just in time to catch her from banging her head on the ground.
"Eh? No blood?" Emmy whispered when she felt Vivi's sides.
"Tres Fleurs," Miss All Sunday said and three arms sprouted out from Pell's body. Two of them grabbed each other and closed his wings while the other held his sword firmly in it's hilt. The arms on his back stunted him from flying any further and he crash landed against the chimney of the roof.
"Pell!" Vivi coughed.
"What an interesting move, little pirate," Miss All Sunday mused to Emmy, "I must've really hit a nerve with you. Did that look like I killed her?"
"What did you do?" Emmy asked out of genuine curiosity. She was completely bewildered by this woman.
"I was only merely teasing," Miss All Sunday said.
"What kind of Devil Fruit powers do you have?!" Pell demanded.
Miss All Sunday placed a hand on her hip and then another and another and another. "I partook of the Flower-Flower Fruit. The power to make body parts bloom into flowers. This is my ability. There is no escape from my body which can bloom anywhere."
"Escape? Nonsense! I'm going to avenge Igaram-sama right now," Pell seethed as he got to his feet and drew his sword in his human form.
"I'd love to play more but I don't have time. Sorry," Miss All Sunday said with a smile.
"Time?" Emmy repeated and snapped to attention. Yes! We don't have time. We need to get to Luffy...To Crocodile!
"That's all right! This won't take that long!" Pell shouted and ran forward with his sword gleaming in the air.
"Seis Fleur!"
"Feel Feel Repose!"
"MISS MAID?!" Vivi screamed just as Pell fell into a deep sleep while six arms disappeared from his back in a flurry of petals. Emmy stood over the sleeping guardian and ignored the accusing eyes of the princess to stare into the dark blue ones of the other Devil Fruit user.
"We'll go with you to Crocodile," Emmy stated, "We won't put up a fight."
"What did you do?!" Vivi gasped as she ran over to Pell, who was starting to snore.
Miss All Sunday crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. "She did something smart."
She leaned down and picked up Emmy's headband that had fallen at her feet when Emmy had tore it off to get to Pell in time. She balanced it at the end of her fingertip and gradually moved it in front of the first mate. "This belongs to you, I believe."
Emmy nodded and placed it back on her head. Each completed a gesture of a temporary peace.
"Miss Maid! Pell-" Vivi started to say.
"Was about to have his back broken in half," Miss All Sunday finished, "But she stepped in before I had a chance to complete it. You should thank your friend for saving his life."
Emmy turned and she looked at the princess. "She'll take us directly to Crocodile. Isn't that the whole point of us coming here? Both of you have said...we can't waste any more time."
Miss All Sunday nodded in approval. "That's right. Our boss and your friends are waiting...inside a prison cell at Raindinners."
Emmy and Vivi's eyes widened. "Cell?!"
------------
Miss All Sunday escorted them off the roof, through the city, and straight into the casino. Emmy winced at the hard sounds of coins jingling and slot machines whirring. Everything on the casino floor was an overabundance. There were too many people. Too much money. Too much food. Too much champagne. Too much opulence. Emmy's stomach turned and she squeezed her hands together in front of her.
"Do you not like it, little pirate?" Miss All Sunday mused.
"I find it revolting," Emmy admitted quietly.
"How...refreshing," Miss All Sunday said as she led them through large double doors with the letters VIP at the top. It was much quieter as soon as they closed the doors behind them and Emmy breathed a sigh of relief. They were in a long white corridor with paintings hanging over the walls. At the end of the corridor, it split into two other hallways, leading to opposite sides. One was labelled VIP and one was labelled pirates.
Miss All Sunday turned towards the VIP way but she and Vivi stopped when they realized Emmy was still standing in front of the sign.
"Shouldn't I go this way?" Emmy asked as she pointed towards the other hallway, "I'm...I'm a pirate not a VIP."
Miss All Sunday chuckled. "Today you are both so why don't you come this way?"
"...Okay," Emmy said after some thought and walked a bit faster to catch up to them.
They kept walking until they faced another set of doors. This one was painted in the color of sand. Miss All Sunday pushed the doors open and then waited for Vivi and Emmy to step through.
They found themselves at the top of a large marble staircase with golden chandeliers adorning the ceiling. At the bottom of the staircase was a long banquet table with a man sitting on one end all by himself. The table was filled with food with metal cloches covering them to keep them warm.
"CROCODILE!" Vivi called out as soon as she spotted the man at the table. He was a tall man, given how high he was even when sitting down in a lavish wingback chair. His skin was pale and his nape-length black hair was slicked back in a oily sheen. A long stitched scar stretched across the bridge of his nose that stretches and instead of a hand, he had a large hook attached to his left arm. He wore an orange and black-striped vest over a peach shirt with a long, thick, dark pelted fur coat draped over his broad shoulders.
"Vivi! Emmy!" Luffy, Usopp, and Nami shouted.
The sight of this fancy banquet caused bile to rise up Emmy's throat and then it was almost too hard not to vomit when she saw the large prison cell situated right behind the banquet table. Banquet...Nobles...Cell...Captivity! I can't...I can't do this. I can't...I can't...
"EMMY!" Luffy shouted and startling Emmy enough to pull her out of her panic.
As soon as her eyes rested on him, he grinned. "I'm right here."
Emmy blinked back her tears and she nodded at him. Her hands moved up to touch Ace's string of beads. I'm fine...I'm fine. I have my brothers. I have Gramps. I'm fine.
"Welcome, Vivi! Princess of Alabasta. Or should I call you Miss Wednesday? I'm impressed you managed to evade our assassins and have come this far!" Crocodile called out in a voice that sent chills down Emmy's back, "I see you brought a handmaiden with you. Hehehehe."
Emmy's face turned pale. That laugh! He was in those sandstorms. He was there! I heard him! It was him. It was him!
"I would go as far as it takes!" Vivi shouted, "Because I want you to die, Mr. 0!"
She whipped out her Peacock Slashers and came running forward ready to attack.
"Wait! Vivi! Emmy! Let us out first!" Luffy shouted.
Emmy started to run down the stairs as well but was suddenly grabbed and held back by four of Miss All Sunday's arms.
"No, no," Miss All Sunday said as she pinned Emmy's arms to her sides and her legs together, "You are only here as a witness. Not a participant..."
"EEK! ARMS JUST GREW OUT OF EMMY!" Usopp shrieked.
"Let her go or else I'll kick your ass!" Luffy shouted.
"He means it! We just saw him punch a woman yesterday!" Usopp yelled, "He's CRRAAAZY!"
"Yeah but that was Vivi," Luffy said with confusion.
"SHH! She doesn't need to know that!" Nami and Usopp hissed back.
"If you hadn't come to this country, Alabasta would've remained peaceful!" Vivi screamed as she leapt down the last few steps and threw her Peacock Slasher outwards, "Peacock String Slasher."
The sharp point of her weapon sliced right through Crocodile's head and exploded into a firework of sand. Vivi leapt and landed right on the table, sending plates and metal lids flying every which way.
"Whoa," Luffy, Usopp, and Nami breathed.
"Did she kill him?" Emmy asked.
"No," Miss All Sunday stated bluntly.
Crocodile's entire body disintegrated into sand and then it swept up and over the princess.
"As a citizen of this country, you of all people should know that I have the power of the Sand-Sand Fruit," Crocodile said as his sand reformed into his body directly behind the princess. He grabbed her across the face and whispered into her ear, "Would you like to become a mummy?"
"A-A-A sand person?" Usopp stammered.
"Oy! You! Get away from Vivi and I'm going to kick your ass!" Luffy threatened.
"Don't you mean 'or'?!" Nami cried incredulously.
Crocodile chuckled and released her as he motioned for Miss All Sunday to bring Emmy down. He pulled back a chair for Vivi to sit in and then took his original seat, opposite of her. "I must say, you have perfect timing. Just in time for the party. Wouldn't you agree, Miss All Sunday?"
"Yes," Miss All Sunday said as she led Emmy down the last few steps and then stood her next to Vivi's chair. She pulled out a rope and tied Vivi's hands together behind her and then bound her feet as well. Finally, she took out a pocket watch and checked the time, "It just turned noon. Operation Utopia is beginning."
"Operation Utopia?" the pirates repeated.
"Hehehehehe. HAHAHAHAHA!" Crocodile threw his head back and gave a full bellied laugh and then he smirked at the princess. "It will be this pathetic little kingdom that dies, Miss Wednesday. I'm going to wipe Alabasta from the face of this earth. All people, big and small will be sucked into an eternal darkness as they writhe in pain. Let Operation Utopia commence!"
Bang!
VIvi slammed her fist against the table. "Just what exactly are planning to do to Alabasta?!"
Crocodile sniffed. "Would you like to know the type of people I look down on most of all? Hypocrites who treasure the so-called 'happiness of the people'."
"You intend to kill my father?" Vivi gasped.
"Please. I have no intention of doing so," Crocodile scoffed, "There's no point in me killing him. I'm going to let Cobra taste humiliation far crueler than death."
"Crueler than death?" Emmy asked.
"Just what is Operation Utopia? I demand to know!" Vivi yelled.
"Now, now. Do you realize where you stand in this situation?" Crocodile sighed, "But very well. Since the operation is already in motion, I'll tell you about my plan to end this country."
He got himself much more comfortable in his seat and rubbed the top of his hook with his remaining hand. "I know you've been acquainted with Mr. 2 and are aware of his abilities...As we speak he's in Nanohana with a group of Millions, posing as royal soldiers, and he, himself, has the appearance of Cobra."
Vivi gasped, "Why?!"
Crocodile grinned. "He is going to admit and take the blame for the Dance Powder incident, creating an uproar amongst the few left who still believe in the king's innocence."
Vivi's face turned pale. "N-No...That can't be... NO!"
Crocodile laughed. "But I'm not even done yet. Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger has taken over a ship that is carrying a massive amount of weapons. I would say in about...three minutes, they will be crashing it right through the center of Nanoha. Do you know what is at the center of town, Miss Wednesday?"
Vivi's eyes widened. "The water supply!"
Crocodile nodded in approval, "Yes. With this happening, the rebel forces gain strength as well as ammunition. I'm shifting the war in favor of the rebels and pushing more citizens towards the front lines. More blood will be shed!"
"My father will never allow this! He will put a stop to it. As soon as he shows his face in Alaburna, the citizens will know the the king at Nanohana is an imposter!" Vivi shouted.
"He could...if anyone can actually find him," Crocodile laughed.
"What?!" Vivi gasped, "What did you do to him?! WHERE IS MY FATHER?!"
"Didn't I already say I wasn't going to kill him? What are you getting all worked up for?" Crocodile taunted, "The operation you once participated in has now blossomed. If you listen closely, you could probably hear the howls of dying Alabasta's. They're all howling the same thing. 'Protect Alabasta. Protect Alabasta. Protect Alabasta!'"
"STOP IT!" Vivi screamed at the top of her lungs, "How can you be so cruel?!"
"Isn't it so heart wrenching?" Crocodile laughed, "Love for the kingdom will be what destroys the kingdom."
"AHHHHH!" Luffy roared from the cell. He grabbed the bars and tried to squeeze himself through it, only to fall limply to his knees while still holding onto the metal.
"Don't tell me...Sea Prism Stone?" Emmy gasped.
"Is he stupid? How many times do we have to tell him that won't work?"
Emmy blinked and her eyes widened when she realized the smoky marine was sitting in the cell along with the pirates. Zoro, lounging in the corner this whole time, adjusted his swords. "Yes, he is stupid...but that's also why he's our captain."
"Do you have any idea why I'd go to such lengths to attain this country?" Crocodile asked Vivi.
"As if I'd understand anything inside your rotten head," Vivi spat and then threw her bodies sideways, slamming her and the chair to the ground.
"VIVI-SAMA!" Emmy gasped but could do nothing but struggle against Miss All Sunday's still present limbs.
"If...If I can just get to Alubarna...If I can get there before the rebel army...I might be able to stop them! I absolutely refuse to let you have your way!" Vivi screamed as she struggled against her binds.
To add insult to an already humiliating state, Crocodile stepped right over the flailing princess to get to the stairs. "What a coincidence," he said without looking back, "We're heading to Alubarna too. You're welcome to join us...Or...would you rather save these people?"
He turned around and flashed a key in front of his face.
"The key to this cell?! Give it here!" Luffy demanded.
Crocodile grinned and stomped his feet. A trap door opened near the banquet table and he tossed the key right through it. It landed with a plop into a water filled moat and within a seconds, a gigantic alligator with a banana shaped growth on it's head came swimming up to it and gobbled it up.
"That is the den of bananagators," Crocodile explained as Miss All Sunday untied Vivi's ropes.
"Go! Vivi! Go get the key!" Luffy exclaimed, having no visuals of what was going on through the trapdoor.
"I can't! It got swallowed by a bananagator!"
"Oh! Emmy! Go down there and tame it! Make it spit it out!" Usopp screamed.
"But..But it's filled with water!" Emmy protested, "I can't!"
"Oh...Devil Fruit user...?" Crocodile said as he eyed Emmy up and down and then looked at Miss All Sunday.
"Feel-Feel Fruit user," Miss All Sunday said, "She's an empath. That's all. She can manipulate emotions. Parlor tricks, really. Nothing offensive. Just avoid her touch."
Crocodile nodded while Emmy blinked.
Did Miss All Sunday just lie for me? I punched her with my powers...She knows I do have some attacks...Miss All Sunday...Whose side are you on?