"Vivi!" Luffy calls out.

"Where do you think you're going!?" Crocodile growls.

"Vivi wake up!"

"The gator is coming!" Usopp adds.

The poor girl has been tossed around too much, and she lays on the brink of unconsciousness on the rubble.

"If you care about your friends that much, then you should stick with them until the very end," Crocodile says as he and Ms. All Sunday make their way up the stairs. "Soon the water will cover the banana-gators feeding area and this room will be flooded. I'll bring back Mr. Prince as well. If you don't mind a corpse!" he chuckles, walking through the door and letting it slam shut.

"Shit!" All of us call out, or it feels like we do.

"Vivi!" Luffy firmly shouts as Usopp fearfully screams.

The banana-gator is coming right at her with it's mouth wide open, but she's still not moving. That is until it chomps down, and then she is using the monster's head to jump to the top of what remains of the steps.

"She got away!" Nami happily shouts.

"Please hurry Vivi!" I call out.

The banana-gator chomps down on the stairs once again, but this time it leads to the glass that surrounds us being broken.

"The glass broke!" Usopp is in hysterics. "At the rate that the water is rushing in, we only have twenty minutes before we are goners!"

"Are you alright, Vivi!" Nami yells.

"You guys!" Vivi shouts down to us. "Hang on a little more! I will come back with help! I am not going to abandon you!"

"We're counting on you Vivi!" Luffy and Usopp reply.

Vivi nods before rushing through the door.

"There has to be some way that we could try and help ourselves," I look around the cage, and then straight at the banana-gator that was after Vivi. "Hey, do you think we could get that monster to chomp through this cage?"

Everyone looks at me with varying degrees of impressed surprise.

"How do we get it to chomp down on us though?" Luffy asks.

Before we can even think about how to achieve my idea, a loud explosion causes everything to shake. It is mere seconds later that water is rushing in at a rate that doesn't leave us that much longer before we will all drown. The tension between us all, besides Smoker, just increased tenfold.

"The water!" Luffy and Usopp exclaim in horror. "We're going to die! We're all going to die!"

"Please don't say that!" I shriek as the water quickly rises to my ankles. "Oh damn it! If this cage floods, we are going to die!"

"It's up to my knees!" Nami cries.

"We have to do something now," I grab Nami's arm, pointing at the gator.

"Hey gator!" Nami and I scream. "Come and get us!"

"Yeah, that's right, come and get us you stupid banana!" Luffy shouts.

"No, Luffy, you have it all wrong," Usopp steps in front of Luffy. "They are not bananas, they are gators. Not fruit, just gators with bananas on their heads. Like the Monkey Dance. Not monkeys, just a dance."

"Who cares? They are both edible."

Nami and I wrap our arms around each other as the banana-gator starts coming right at us. "Here it comes!"

The banana-gator comes right at us, chomping down on the cage with all it's might, but it doesn't break through.

"It didn't work!" Nami's hand shoot to grasp the sides of her head.

"What is this cage made of?" I groan, slogging through the water to stick close to Luffy.

"Vivi, hurry!" Usopp shouts.

"Hey, guys," Smoker speaks up, calm as ever since he attacked Luffy.

"How are you so calm!?"

"Why don't you help us figure something out to get out of here!?" Luffy shouts.

"How much do you know about what Crocodile is doing?" Smoker asks, but none of us answer. "That woman with him, she has had a bounty from the World Government for over twenty years. A bounty that is over seventy million berries!"

"Seventy million!" Usopp blurts out. "Why?"

"That's the same as Crocodile's," Nami says.

"From the moment those two teamed up, there has been more at stake than just what happens to this country," Smoker continues to explain. "If they aren't stopped, the whole world is in danger."

"The whole world?" I ask. "Why is the whole world in danger?"

"But he's a Warlord," Nami says.

"That's b-big," Usopp stutters.

"What are you talking about?" Luffy grumbles. "I don't need any more reason to kick his ass!"

"Hm, so how do you plan to get out of here?" Smoker asks.

"It's up to my thighs!" Luffy's jaw drops open.

"We are going to die!" Usopp screams.

"No!" Nami groans.

"Ugh," Luffy slumps against me. "I feel weak."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Luff," I bat his head.

"No, this isn't good!" Usopp frantically looks between Luffy and me. "Hang on, Luffy! Vivi is on her way back with help! She promised us!"

"He's not dying," I sigh.

"Oh Vivi," Nami breathes out, mumbling to herself.

Zoro grunts, clenching his jaw.

The banana-gator lets out a roar.

"It's not polite to roar like that at the dinner table," the voice of the boy we've been waiting on fills our ears. "Bad manners kick course!" Sanji slams his foot into the banana-gator, sending it flying and spitting out the chunk of stairs it ate earlier.

I feel the hope that had been ebbing away come back to me at full force as a smile takes over my face.

Sanji takes his cigarette out, pointing it at us. "Hi, been waiting long?" He's acquired a pair of glasses since the last time we've seen him.

"Prince!" Luffy has a surge of energy as him and Usopp scream.

"Stop wasting our time and get us out of here!" Zoro growls.

"You're our hero, Sanji!" I call out.

"Nami! Akari!" Sanji gushes as he dances around in a love-filled way. "Do you love me now?"

I giggle, shaking my head.

"Yes, yes," Nami grimaces. "I love you. Now get us out of here!"

"What a dumbass," Zoro grumbles.

"Vivi!" Luffy calls out to the girl sitting at the top of the steps. "Good job!" he gives her a thumbs-up.

She returns the gesture, "Thanks!"

"Clobber those gators, Sanji!" Usopp calls out as more banana-gators make their way towards Sanji; all of them letting out growls that sends shivers down my spine.

"They just keep coming!" Sanji places his cigarette back between his lips. "Come and get me you shit bananas," he kicks his leg to have his foot straight in the air. "I'll knock manners into all of you. It is not polite to attack young ladies!"

"Sanji! There's no time to mess around! Each second matters! Kill them all already!"

"Kill the third one that came in," Smoker says.

"What?" Luffy looks back at the man with a glare. "Why that one?"

"Are your ears just decorations? Don't you recognize the growl from that one? That is the one that swallowed the key!"

Sanji wastes no time in going for the banana-gator that Smoker points out, but a key is not what it spits up. Instead a sphere that reminds me of an egg shoots out. "Is the key in that?"

"That is not the key at all!" Usopp blurts out.

The sphere cracks, a man's voice coming from within when Mr. Three pops out. "Open! Wait, what? Water? It's water? Ah, this is a miracle."

"Are you kidding me!?" I exclaim.

"That's..." Zoro stops his thought out of anger.

"Three! It's that Mr. 3 guy!" Luffy completes Zoro's statement.

"Mr. 3!" Vivi shouts. "What are you doing in that gator!?"

"I'm alive!" Mr. 3 starts to drink the water that surrounds him. "I thought I was dead for sure!" He lets out a giggle, "Crocodile thinks he got rid of me, but he underestimated me! The moment I was swallowed, I used the last of my strength to form a Wax-Wax Ball! I managed to survived by sealing myself inside. A brilliant move, if I dare say." He starts examining his ball's shell. "Wait, what is this? Is this a key stuck to my Wax-Wax ball?" He finally turns to look at us who have been staring at him. "Shit! You guys!"

"Shit for us!" I scream, grasping the bars of the cage. "Are you kidding me!? You tried to immortalize us in wax!"

"Give us that key!" Usopp, Luffy, and Nami scream.

"What?" Mr. 3 asks, holding up the key. "This? Hm, a room flooding with water, a steel cage, and a key. I understand what is going on here."

"Okay Mr. 3," Sanji turns to the man. "Be a good boy and give me the key."

"Here you go!" he chucks the key away, bursting into laughter afterwards. "I don't know who you are, but you are clearly their friends, so if you want that key so badly, then you have to go and find it. Don't get eaten while you do!"

"What a jerk," Zoro says.

"He caught on fast!" Luffy gapes.

"Sanji! We are running out of time!" Nami screams.

"Don't jerk me around!" Sanji growls.

"That Wax jackass is on my shitlist," I pull my hands off the bars as anger runs through me.

"Sanji, wait!" Usopp calls out. "Don't send him into oblivion! I think we can use his powers to make a duplicate key!"

"Oh," Sanji glances back at us.

It doesn't take long for Sanji to defeat Mr. 3, as the water is weakening the Wax. Then Sanji is forcing him to open the cage door, releasing us from what would have been a watery grave.

"Not bad, Candle Head," Sanji pats the man on the shoulder.

"Thanks," Mr. 3 nervously smiles.

Sanji then easily kicks him out of the way.

"I think we have some gators to take out, boys," I grin as I look at Luffy and Zoro.

"Hurry, there's no time!" Vivi has climbed down to be with us.

"The passageway that they went down must be the direction of Alubarna," Sanji says.

"But the banana-gators are everywhere!"

After being trapped in a cage, I feel immense energy running through me. As Luffy, Zoro, and I stare down the multiple banana-gators, I have no fear within me, and I know that I have support behind me. The three of us working together like we grew up fighting together. Zoro uses his swords with grace, Luffy is using any strength he has left to go all out, and I am using my speed to dodge while throwing shurikens with amazing precision. It doesn't take us long to take out all the banana-gators.

"Now that was awesome!" I raise my hand in the air to use my magnet to pull my shurikens back. "I want to kick more ass!"

Luffy chuckles, "You're cute, dumpling. Ugh, I'm not even at full strength because of all this damn water."

"There seemed like there was more when we were trapped," Zoro shrugs, sheathing his swords.

A loud crack has us all looking towards the glass wall that can no longer hold the pressure of the water pushing in.

"The wall broke!" Luffy shouts.

"Morons! You over did it!" Nami screams.

"Moron!?" I look over at the girl.

"Not you, Akari, you did amazing! You aren't like those boys who have so restraint!"

"Enough of that!" Usopp cries. "The passageway is busted, so let's get out of here!"

"Zoro!" Luffy looks at the man.

I don't hear what he says, as the water crashes over me and my only thought is to swim upwards until I break through to the surface. My lungs are burning when I break the surface, having to take a moment before I pull myself onto land.

Sanji is helping Luffy out of the water while the poor boy spits out water; Vivi and Nami are helping Usopp out as he hit his head on a rock; Zoro is tossing Smoker onto land with a scowl. Everyone gasping for breath as we slowly stand up and start squeezing the water out of our clothes.

"Smoker?" Nami asks. "Zoro, why did you save him?"

I take a deep breath, sticking close to Luffy as he lies on the ground while the strength returns to him.

"It wasn't my decision," Zoro matter-of-factly states.

"He would have been fine on his own!" Sanji exclaims.

Smoker is now on his hands and knees as he coughs up water. Even if he is the enemy, he doesn't deserve to down because his Devil Fruit robbed him of the ability to swim.

"Forget it," Zoro says. "We just need to hurry up and get out of here."

"We lost a lot of time," Sanji says. "Are you sure we can still make it?"

"I don't know," Vivi says.

"Dumpling," Luffy reaches for me, and I hold my hand out for him to grab. He slowly sits up, but there is a twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh, Nami, do you still have that perfume that you bought in Nanohana?" Sanji asks.

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Nami looks at him while she fixes her hair.

"Can you put it on?" he sweetly asks.

"Like this?" she pulls the perfume bottle out, spraying a bit on her neck.

"It's like falling in love and going to heaven!" Sanji swoons.

"Okay, then how about you stay there?" Zoro rolls his eyes.

"Roronoa Zoro!" Smoker bursts up, attempting to attack Zoro with his jitte, but Zoro is quick to block it with a sword. "Why did you save me?"

"You don't owe me anything. I was following captain's orders. I was going to let you drown."

"Then you won't mind if I do my duty."

"I knew this would happen if we rescued him!" Sanji snaps.

The shouts of Navy officers fill the air as they must have spotted us with Smoker. It won't be long before we are surrounded.

"Let's make for Alubarna as fast as we can go!" Usopp bursts up.

"Where's Crocodile!?" Luffy explodes, looking around until his gaze lands on Smoker.

"Well, at least you two are up now," I giggle.

"Oh, Smoker-roo. You still looking to fight?" He sets up into a fighting stance with his fists out.

"No Luffy!" Usopp waves his hands in front of him in a stop gesture. "Let's just run for it! We don't have the time!"

The sounds of countless feet running our way is making me nervous.

Smoker takes a moment before closing his eyes and looking down. "Go."

"What?" Luffy sneers.

"This one time, I will let you get away. Next time we meet though, Straw Hat, you are dead meat."

Sanji, Nami, and Vivi are in disbelief, Usopp is panicking, and Zoro and I let out chuckles. Luffy is standing there with no emotion on his face like he can't understand what is happening.

"The Navy is coming, so which way to Alubarna?" Sanji asks as him, Nami, Usopp, and Vivi turn and start heading away.

"East!" Vivi answers.

"Luffy, Akari," Zoro starts to jog away. "What are you doing? Let's go!"

"Okay," I smile as I grab Luffy's hand.

Luffy lets out his adorable chuckle, "You know, I kind of like you, Smokes!"

"Get out of here!" Smoker slams his jitte down in front of us.

Luffy and I start running to catch up with the rest of the group. His hand getting a strong grip on mine.

"We are not seriously thinking about running all the way there, are we?" Usopp whines.

"Where did Eyelashes go?" Nami asks.

"We feel into some stables before all this," I speak up. "Why don't we grab some of them?"

"The Navy's all around here," Zoro says.

"Relax," Sanji grins. "Look up ahead!"

Chopper and Eyelash is riding on top of a giant crab that is easily running towards us at a stunning speed with a huge smirk and leer spread across its face. At this point I shouldn't be shocked about what I am going to see each day, but I can't help it when crazy things like this keep happening!

"Hey! Guys!" Chopper waves at us as we all skid to a stop.

"A crab!" Usopp screams.

"Chopper!" Nami and I happily exclaim.

"That's a Crab Mover!" Vivi cheers.

"Looks tasty!" Luffy shouts.

"Hop on!" Chopper says.

"We get to ride on that thing!?" Luffy widely smiles.

"Now that is exactly the ride we needed!" I bounce on my toes.

"Why does it have such a creepy leer?" Nami cringes.

"He's Eyelash's friend!" Chopper explains. "This is actually Eyelash's hometown, so he has tons of friends around here. They are strange."

Eyelash has started to sing as he looks down at us with some mixture of love and admiration.

"That's wonderful!" Vivi says. "Crab Movers bury themselves in the sand, so not many people see them."

"Beats running," Zoro shrugs.

It only takes a few minutes for us all to climb onto the back of the crab. There's plenty of room for us all to spread out and stretch our legs out in front of us. After what we have been through the past few days, it is about time that we sit down and relax. All we have to worry about is what we will do once we get to Alubarna.

"Okay, let's head out!" Chopper is the one steering the crab as he can communicate with animal.

"You look really pretty, dumpling," Luffy says as he brushes hair out of my face. Even with all the space on the crab, he's take a spot right next to me.

I giggle, "I'm a mess, Luff. Like a total mess from being in the heat for days on end without a bath, and then we just swam out of a lake. There's sand everywhere that I'll be finding long after we truly get clean."

"And you're still pretty," he softly smiles as what might be a blush rises to his cheeks. "Isn't that the whole deal? That no matter what you look like, I'll always find you pretty. Because I do. I mean, some situations I think you are more pretty, but you're always pretty."

I tenderly smile, feeling the blush rising on my cheeks now. "You're really cute Luffy, with that kind of thinking. I do always think that you are handsome."

"That is why I am your boyfriend," he chuckles.

We have just made it to the edge of town when a golden hook on the edge of a rope of sand snatches Vivi off the crab.

"Stop it Chopper!" Zoro demands.

"VIVI!" Luffy angerly screams. "It's him!!"

Before the crab can stop, or someone