"MAKE SURE YOU GET VIVI TO THE PALACE!", Luffy shouted back at our group.
"PROTECT HER, NO MATTER WHAT!", I shouted to them.
"LUFFY! SAURUS!", Vivi shouted as we were pulled back towards Rainbase.
They faded from sight, and shortly after, we landed unceremoniously in the sand.
"The princess ran out on us", I heard Crocodile cackle, "no matter. The agents in Alubarna should be done soon. Call them."
I looked up and glared at the sandman.
"Your games have gone on long enough", he growled.
God I wanted to punch him.
"You know Vivi", Luffy said, sitting up, "she's weak, but she tries to save everything she can. She can't bear to abandon anything, so she's always in pain. She wants this rebellion to end without anyone dying."
"Without anyone dying? There are many weak fools like that. They don't know true battle.", Crocodile remarked, "you agree with me, don't you?"
"Yes", Luffy says firmly, standing up, me following suit, "but as long as you're alive, she'll keep fighting to her grave. That's why we're stopping you right here."
"Kuahahaha, absolutely ridiculous", Crocodile cackled, "you're beyond saving. This should be a good example."
He looked over at me, and I glared at him.
"I'm impressed you made it out, too bad you're stuck with this fool", He remarked, gesturing to Luffy, "Why stay with him? Your wasting your potential."
"And you would have me join you?", I bit back, "you murder your own subordinates when they fail to complete even the smallest of tasks, or when you grow bored of them! You treat your crew like TOYS!"
"Guess that makes him pretty stupid", Luffy commented, which made me smirk. Crocodile audibly growled, looking ready to murder my captain. Miss All Sunday chuckled faintly at her boss's rage.
"What's so funny?!", he hissed, glaring at her, "do you want to die as well, Nico Robin?"
"Didn't you promise not to call me that name?", Robin questioned, walking away.
"He doesn't seem like the type to keep promises", I commented, making her laugh.
"Where are you going?", he inquired.
"Alubarna", she replied.
"Crazy woman", he huffed, before throwing something into the sand near our feet.
"You've got 3 minutes", he said, "That's all the time I have to play with you. Any problems?"
"Nope", Luffy said, ready to throw a punch.
"Time to end this", I said, "come forth, Deathwing!"
Crocodile was forced to jump back as a black Wyvern with massive red horns emerged from the sand. Its body resembled that of Ghost, but it was black instead of white, and instead of bearing a single horn, it bore two, dark red horns and a mouth full of red fangs. Its tail club had two prongs covered in spikes, and it's eyes were bright purple. Dragon energy crackled around its maw.
"Quite the impressive beast", he remarked. The Black Diablos let out a roar that surpassed Ghost's, making Luffy and Crocodile wince.
"Gomu Gomu no...PISTOL!"
Luffy launched a powerful punch, aiming for Crocodile's head. The sandman simply moved his head slightly, before turning into sand. With alarming speed he shot forward, hook ready to take Luffy's head off.
"Merciless Horn!", I commanded.
Deathwing charged forward and slammed her horns into the golden hook, shoving it away from Luffy. Luffy leapt over Deathwing and pulled his leg back for a kick.
"Gomu Gomu no...STAMP!"
Crocodile glanced over as Luffy's foot rocketed towards him. The foot struck, but the Shichibukai turned to sand and the attack passed through him. Luffy grunted as he landed in the sand.
"No matter how much you struggle, you will never, ever-", Crocodile began, but was cut of by our attacks.
"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"
"Savage Fireball!"
Luffy unleashed a barrage of punches, and Deathwing launched a massive fireball. I attacked as well, using Ground Slash. My Raging Blade glinted as the talons extended, and I unleashed an upwards slash. None of our attacks worked though, as Crocodile's body just disintegrated into sand. Once we stopped, he reformed, his cocky smirk still present.
"These pathetic attacks are useless against me, because you will never-", he tried to speak again.
"SHUT UP!", Luffy and I shouted.
"GOMU GOMU NO BAZOOKA!"
"MERCILESS SLASH! DEATHWING, VENGEFUL TACKLE!"
Luffy's and Deathwings' attack struck his chest, while my sword swing took his head off. Luffy then swung his foot high above his head.
"Gomu Gomu no AXE!"
He brought his foot down, completely disintegrating the Shichibukai's body.
"You! Stupid! SAND GATOR!!!", Luffy shouted angrily, stomping the ground where Crocodile stood.
We froze upon hearing the moving of sand and turned to see Crocodile reforming behind us.
"I already told you, that won't work", he chastised, "no matter how hard you fight, you will never def-"
Luffy punched him in the face, cutting him off. His face slowly reformed.
"Sorry, what were you saying?", Luffy taunted.
Crocodile was pissed, eyes like an enraged Diablos.
"It's time we ended this, Strawhat Luffy, Monster Brat", Crocodile mused.
"He keeps turning to sand when we attack him", I thought, "how the hell are we going to beat him?"
"You brats and I are in completely different leagues", Crocodile said, arm turned to sand and forming what looked like a thin blade, "DESERT SPADA!"
He swung his arm down and the blade shot forward through the sand. Upon seeing it cleave a rock in two, we were forced to dodge. Luffy's eyes were wide open upon seeing the damage the attack caused, leaving a massive, deep gash in the sand.
"Nice reflexes", Crocodile mocked, "That attack would have certainly killed you."
"WAH!? He cut the desert in half!", Luffy exclaimed, staring at the massive chasm.
"Like a hit from a Glavenus's tail!", I gasped.
"Depending on how you train them, devil fruit powers can be very useful in battle", Crocodile said, his hand becoming sand again, "but I'm not like those idiots who are content just possessing their powers. I've honed mine to perfection. You'll wish you never opposed me!"
He then slammed his hand into the ground.
"DESERT GIRASOLE!"
Luffy and I panicked as a massive quicksand pit opened beneath our feet. The sand began dragging us down, threatening to swallow us.
"Quite the convenient grave, isn't it?", Crocodile taunted, "no need for a coffin. It leads directly to and underground river I detected with my powers. There's no living being that can defeat me in the desert."
"Deathwing!", I called out.
Deathwing quickly dove into the sand, grabbing Luffy and I. She then leapt from the sand pit, soaring over Crocodile's head.
"If I can't beat you, then maybe I can capture you!", Luffy growled, weaving his fingers together, "Gomu Gomu no Net!"
He leapt from Deathwing's back, letting us land and skid to a stop. His fingers stretched and formed a net, which he used to try and grab the sandman. Crocodile wasn't amused, turning his arm to sand and catching Luffy in midair.
"Can't you take a hint? This is ridiculous", he growled, now very annoyed.
"Gomu Gomu no Whip!"
Luffy lashed out with his foot, cutting the sandman clean in half.
"Repeating the same old thing again!?", Crocodile growled, yanking Luffy towards him.
"Let him go!", I shouted, Deathwing charging towards him.
Crocodile glanced back at us and swung his hook, slashing Deathwing's face and damaging her left eye. She roared in pain and backed off, shaking her head. I gasped in shock, before becoming enraged.
"Barchan!", Crocodile shouted, dragging Luffy close and swiping with his sand arm. I watched in horror as the water was drained from Luffy's arm, leaving it shriveled. He tossed the boy back and he landed in the sand. Upon seeing his arm he started screaming.
"AHHHH, MY ARM! YOU TURNED IT INTO A MUMMY!", Luffy screamed, panicking.
"Using my sand, I drained all the water out of your arm", Crocodile said, "maybe I should drain the water from the rest of your body as well."
"You bastard!", I hissed, "You're gonna pay for hurting my monstie!"
Luffy then sat up and ran a few yards away. He began furiously chugging water from the barrel Toto gave him. With a flex of his arm, the water rehydrated the limb.
"Ridiculous", Crocodile remarked.
"NO IT'S NOT!", Luffy bit back, "that old guy in Yuba spent all night digging up this water. You know what he said?"
I watched as Luffy opened his mouth wide, expanding it like Wapol back on Drum.
"YUBA WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED BY MERE SAND!", He declared, charging towards Crocodile, "GOMU GOMU NO MUNCH!"
I watched in both disgust and horror as he bit the Shichibukai's upper half clean off! He was halfway through his jump, before he was thrown to the ground as a VERY, pissed off Crocodile freed himself.
"ENOUGH OF THIS BULLSHIT!", he roared angrily, reforming his body.
Luffy coughed violently, trying to rid his mouth of the foul sand. Crocodile was beyond angry, his body quaking with barely controlled rage just waiting to be let loose. Veins were visible on his forehead and neck, throbbing in time with his pounding heart.
"It's time for you brats to die", he growled, forming a sandstorm in his hands, "along with that pitiful oasis, Yuba. Your three minutes are up."
He then let the sandstorm loose.
"Sables."
Luffy and I watched in horror as the sandstorm grew to a massive size, causing the air around us to become choked with sand and dust. I quickly pulled a potion from my bag and had Deathwing drink it. Her wound closed, though not fully, just enough to keep sand from getting in.
"Ahh, the sand's so soothing and dry", Crocodile purred.
Luffy and I glared.
"Listen Strawhat Luffy, Monster Brat. The prevailing winds here always blow from north to south", he stated, "if this sandstorm rides the wind and heads south, it'll grow into a monster. And where do you think it'll hit once it's reached full size?"
"To the south?", Luffy wondered, before his eyes widened.
"In Yuba", Crocodile said with a sinister grin.
"Why?", Luffy gasped, before charging and grabbing the sandman by the coat, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! THAT OLD MAN HAS DONE NOTHING TO YOU!"
"LUFFY, GET AWAY FROM HIM!", I shouted.
Luffy charged at the sandstorm, in a futile attempt to stop it. He was ultimately thrown back, like a newborn Lagombi trying to fight a Tigrex.
"Kuahahaha, give it up", Crocodile taunted, "once it picks up speed, even I won't be able to stop it. Yuba is finished."
"CUT IT OUT!", Luffy roared angrily, grabbing him again, "CUT IT OUT! STOP IT RIGHT N-"
I gasped in horror as Crocodile drove his massive, golden hook through Luffy's stomach, goring him. The point stuck out his back, and blood dripped from the tip. He was easily able to lift Luffy off the ground, the boy limply hanging from the hook embedded beneath his rib cage.
"Who do you think I am?", Crocodile growled, "There are plenty or rookies like you who are all talk on the Grand Line."
I was trembling with rage as I watched blood drip from Luffy's mouth and punctured torso.
"Yuba will die, this sandstorm will be the final blow", Crocodile said, "it will light the flame's of the rebellion's anger once again. This archaic love for others is what will destroy this country. The same goes for you, Strawhat Luffy. You would've lived longer had you not succumbed to your weak emotions."
He then glanced back at me.
"Even monster brat here isn't free of such weaknesses", he said.
He then noticed water soaking his sleeve, and realized his hook had pierced Luffy's water barrel.
"Even this water won't save you", he rumbled.
To our surprise, Luffy was still alive, and was able to grab Crocodile's soaked arm. I heard a loud CRUNCH as Luffy squeezed Crocodile's arm, no doubt cracking the bones. The Shichibukai groaned in pain and glared at the still-breathing Luffy.
"You're still alive!?", he hissed. He then flung Luffy off his hook, the boy landing in the sand pit and screaming in pain after the hook was ripped from his body.
"That looks like it hurts", Crocodile taunted, "it'll all be over soon, Kuahahaha!"
"Deathwing, go get Luffy", I commanded, drawing my sword, "I'll deal with this asshole."
The Black Diablos quickly retrieved Luffy from the sand pit, carefully laying him on the ground.
"You still don't see reason", Crocodile sighed, "do you honestly think your pathetic captain will live? Either way, it's clear you're a lost cause."
"I was always a lost cause for you!", I roared, lunging forward, "WATER SLASH!"
Crocodile's eyes widened as water jetted out from beneath my sword's talons. I brought the sword down, forcing him to evade to avoid being cut in half.
"SPREAD DRAGON BREATH!", I called out.
Suddenly, Deathwing emerged from the sand, dragon energy crackling around her mouth. She then unleashed the energy in an unstable blast. To my surprise, she actually managed to clip Crocodile with the blast, leaving a small cut on the side of his face.
"But, there wasn't any moisture there", I thought, "unless...THAT'S IT! Dragon element attacks remove elemental affinity. Or in this case, they can temporarily nullify devil fruits that rely on elements!"
"You damn brat!", Crocodile hissed, feeling the blood dripping down his cheek.
"Looks like you've got another weakness", I taunted, smirking, "your devil fruit isn't so useful when dealing with Dragon Element, is it?"
I hopped on Deathwing's back, my kinship stone glowing.
"And thanks to our earlier fighting, I can do this", I said, "KINSHIP SKILL: FIENDISH CYCLONE!"
My kinship stone glowed, and Deathwing's body surged with energy. She dashed towards Crocodile, before diving below the sand. Once we were just beneath him, the ground split apart as dragon energy welled up from below. Then, a massive red and black sandstorm burst from the ground, dragon energy crackling around its edges. Deathwing leapt from the sandstorm, good eye glinting red from the excess dragon element.
I smirked victoriously, sure that Crocodile was done for. I dismissed Deathwing, thinking it was over, but when the dust cleared, Crocodile was nowhere in sight. There wasn't any blood on the ground or anything.
"Did you really think you had me beat?"
I whirled around to face Crocodile, ready to draw my sword. Before I could draw the blade, he lashed out with his hook. The sharp point dragged across my face, leaving a massive, horizontal gash beneath my eyes. It stretched from ear to ear, and I cried out as the pain set in. I turned away momentarily, but as soon as my back was to him, I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my gut as I was lifted off the ground. My helmet fell to the ground, the faceplate completely shredded. I looked down and screamed in pain and fear as the golden hook protruded through my stomach.
"You're as pathetic as your captain", Crocodile remarked, before throwing me to the ground. I screamed and held my stomach, blood seeping from the gaping holes on my back and gut. I weakly glanced up at Crocodile and noticed he was barely injured, only looking a little disheveled. He must've turned to sand and avoided the attack at the last second. I yelped in pain when I felt him sharply kick my back, pain now shooting up my spine. I skidded across the sand a few feet, my blood streaked across the sand.
"What a waste of time", Crocodile huffed, stomping away.
Once he was gone I tried to stand up, but my arms gave out and I slumped down with a whimper. I glanced over at Luffy, was was lying in the sand a few yards away.
"I can't die here", I whimpered, "I can't...let Luffy die. The others...are w-waiting...for us."
I heard Luffy scream for meat, and sighed in relief. Good, he was still alive. I dragged myself slowly, laying on my side so keep sand out of my wounds. The sand was painted with a long stroke of red as I dragged myself over to Luffy. He may not be able to ingest potions, but Lifepowders should still work.
I only made it halfway to him before I had to stop, my injuries throbbing from the intense pain. Then, I felt a bunch of hands grab me, and suddenly I was being pulled over to Luffy. I noticed several hands pulling him as well, and they dragged us until we stopped in front of Miss All Sunday, or as Crocodile had called her, Nico Robin. Why was she here? Wasn't she going to Alubarna?
"Thank...you", Luffy thanked her weakly.
"Why do you fight?", Robin asked Luffy, "those of you with the name 'D'"
"D?", Luffy rasped, confused.
"That seems to be a pointless question", she sighed, creating a hand to retrieve Luffy's hat. She then looked over to me. Her eyes widened, before narrowing upon seeing the gash across my face.
"And where do you come from?", she questioned, "you weren't with the others on Whiskey Peak." she caught sight of my Kinship Stone, and knelt down to examine it.
"Intriguing", she mused, "it's unlike anything I've seen in my years of research."
She tried to slide it off, but it wouldn't budge. Only a rider could remove their Kinship Stone, let alone use it.
"What are you?", she pondered, staring at me.
"I've found you!", a new voice called out.
I looked over and saw a man in white robes walking over to us. As he got closer, I could see markings on his face, either face paint of tattoos.
"Oh, you're awake", Robin mused.
"What have you done to Princess Vivi!?", the man shouted
I noticed he was badly injured himself, had he been attacked by Baroque Works? The man drew his sword, ready for a fight.
"Knock it off, don't injure yourself any worse", Robin chastised, "perfect timing, why don't you save the boy and his friend? He's the brave, gallant knight who escorted your precious princess. Besides, the princess is fine. She should be on her way to Alubarna."
I watched her climb aboard a strange looking Bananadile. The creature then took off, leaving just us and the strange man. He looked down when Luffy grabbed his sleeve.
"Meat!", he groaned loudly.
I rolled my eyes, all he thought about was food.
.........
Cephadrome Ecology...
A massive dorsal fin just above the sand, with several smaller ones following behind. The owner of the fin breaches the surface of the sand, revealing itself to be a Cephadrome. The smaller fins belong to multiple Cephalos, who follow the Cephadrome. These large, black and red piscine wyverns are distantly related to the Plesioth and Lavasioth, and are the only known piscine wyverns to hunt in packs. Though their scales appear black, they are actually blue, gaining their darker coloring from being constantly bathed in sand and soil. Their eyes are reduced in size and complexity, leaving the Cephadrome with poor eyesight. However, it doesn't need its eyes, relying instead on an acute sense of hearing, able to detect the breathing and heartbeats of its prey, even while buried below the sand.
Despite their piscine appearance, they are incapable of breathing whilst buried, and must occasionally surface for air. The fins of the Cephadrome come equipped with not only sharp edges, but also a paralyzing neurotoxin.
A shift in the sands catches the drome's attention, and he commands his pack to follow. Their streamlined bodies let them swim through the sand as easily as a fish through water, and they can reach speeds of over 40mph. The Cephadrome tracks the source of the vibrations, the noise becoming louder with each second.
Soon enough, they happen upon a potential meal. Prowling along the edge of a nearby oasis is a Tigerstripe Zamtrios; a monstrous amphibian with features resembling a great white shark. He is a known kleptoparasite, and can be seen forcing other predators, such as lone Cephalos, Gendrome, Great Jaggi and Desert Seltas, from their kills. A lone Cephalos would stand no chance against the monstrous frog, but a Cephadrome backed by his pack was a completely different story.
Driven by his predatory instincts and the need to nurture his pack, the Cephadrome makes his move. He and his pack dive below the sand, circling the oblivious Tigerstripe. The orange amphibian is blissfully unaware he is being hunted, too focused on stalking a small herd of Kelbi.
The Cephadrome makes his move. He breaches at high speed, his venomous fins tearing into the Tigerstripe's stretchy hide. He then disappears back below the sand, leaving the Tigerstripe dazed and confused. The frog looks around, trying to pinpoint his assailant. The Cephadrome strikes again from below, clamping down on the Zamtrios's right foreleg and trying to drag him under. The awaiting Cephalos join the fray, grabbing at his legs, tail and gills. The Zamtrios roars as it tries to break free, but the Cephadrome's venom has begun to take effect. He is helpless as the piscine wyverns tear at his flesh with their serrated teeth, ripping chunks of flesh from his body as they drag him down. He struggles to breathe from his wounded gills, and his movements become weak and feeble.
The Cephadrome and his pack finally drag the amphibian beneath the sand, kicking up dust as they begin a massive feeding frenzy. The amphibian is torn apart and devoured, alive and fully conscious, but unable to escape.
...
Next time...
Luffy and Saurus have just barely survived their encounter with Crocodile, and must now make the journey to Alubarna.
The rebel forces have reached Alubarna, and are clashing with the royal army.
The remaining Strawhats must battle against the agents of Baroque Works, while Vivi attempts to reach Kohza.
Will they stop the war?
Next time on Monster Hunter: Open Ocean...
The Wounded Must Carry On. The Battle for Alabasta!
...
A/N: only devil fruits relying on elements like those from Monster Hunter can be nullified by dragonblight. Crocodile's Suna Suna no Mi counts, as in Monster Hunter, offensive sand attacks are often classed as water type attacks, and can cause water blight. This is observed when fighting monsters like Cephadrome, Nibelsnarf and the Mohran duo. This would mostly only affect logias, excluding the Moku Moku no Mi, which has no additional effects to suggest an associated element, and including certain Paramecias and Zoans, such as the Doku Doku no Mi, which uses poison, which monster hunter classifies as an element. Fruits with no added elements, such as the Ito Ito no Mi, Gomu Gomu no Mi, and Bara Bara no Mi are unaffected by dragonblight.