The salty breeze carried the scent of spices and civilization as the Going Merry approached Alabasta's coastline. Rouge leaned against the railing, watching the rocky shores grow larger through the desert haze.
"Finally," he muttered, stretching his arms above his head. "Eight months of Little Garden, then islands full of talking reindeer and crazy okamas. This kingdom better have some decent food."
"FOOOOOOOD!" Luffy's voice boomed from somewhere behind him. "Where's the food? I'm starving! These stupid railings don't even taste good!"
Rouge turned to see their captain actually gnawing on the ship's wooden railing like some kind of deranged beaver. Tiny wood chips scattered around his feet.
"Luffy-san," Rouge called out, amused despite himself, "the railing isn't meant to be eaten. That's why it tastes terrible."
"But I'm so hungry!" Luffy whined, releasing the poor abused wood. "And we've been sailing forever!"
"It's been three hours since breakfast," Nami pointed out dryly.
"Exactly! Forever!"
Rouge was about to make another sarcastic comment when Luffy suddenly stopped mid-whine. His eyes went wide as he spotted something on the horizon.
"LAND HO!"
The shout was so loud and excited that it startled a flock of seabirds from their perches on the mast. Everyone rushed to the railing to see Alabasta rising from the sea like a mirage made real.
The coastline stretched before them—rocky and barren under the harsh desert sun, but beyond it they could make out the sprawling kingdom that was Vivi's homeland. Ancient stone buildings climbed up from the harbor, their weathered walls telling stories of centuries under the desert's embrace.
"Finally," Zoro muttered, crossing his arms. "I was getting sick of being on this boat."
"Says the guy who gets lost on land," Nami retorted without missing a beat.
"I do NOT get lost!"
Rouge chuckled, unable to resist joining in. "Don't worry, Mosshead. Deserts are basically just really big, sandy rooms. Hard to get lost when there's nowhere to go."
"That's... actually not reassuring," Usopp whispered, images of endless sand dunes filling his mind.
As they pulled into the small harbor of Nanohana, the signs of the kingdom's troubles became immediately apparent. The port was nearly empty, with only a few desperate-looking merchants trying to hawk their wares to anyone who'd listen. Their voices carried a note of desperation that hadn't been there in better times.
"The civil war has scared away most of the trade," Vivi explained quietly, her voice heavy with sadness as she looked at her suffering kingdom.
Once the Going Merry was securely anchored and they'd all stepped onto solid ground, Vivi looked around with tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
"My poor kingdom..."
Even from the port, they could see smoke rising in the distance—ugly black columns that spoke of ongoing conflicts and burning homes.
"So," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette with his usual casual air, "what's our plan?"
Rouge looked over at the cook, and his expression suddenly shifted to one of mock concern. "Oh, I'm sorry, Curly Brow."
Sanji raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What?"
Vivi also looked confused. "What happened, Rouge? Is there a problem?"
Rouge put on his most serious face, though his eyes gleamed with mischief. "Oh, it's nothing, princess-san. It's just that our cook has a very serious health problem."
Nami, catching some of the conversation, looked concerned. "Huh? Did he get sick too or something?"
Sanji was getting more bewildered by the second. "Huh? What's going on, wizard? I don't feel anything wrong."
Rouge looked him directly in the eyes with exaggerated worry. "I mean, I just told everyone the plans, but look—you're already forgetting. Sigh I think you're getting dumber by every second. That's a very serious issu—"
Before he could finish, Sanji's leg whipped through the air where Rouge's head had been a split second before.
Rouge had already dodged, grinning widely. "Huh? Why are you kicking me now? Did you also forget I'm the new crew member? You met me in Little Garden." He looked around theatrically. "Huh? Where is everyone?"
Sanji, having had enough of the wizard's antics, walked away with visible irritation.
Rouge put his hands behind his head with a carefree attitude. "Ahh, these guys are no fun. Hmm, let's see... right now I need to go look for that lizard." He glanced around and realized his mistake. "Hmm, I hope everyone follows the plan. Ah, shit—Nami and Usopp already walked away without listening to their part. It seems no one is going to follow the plan. Tch."
○○○○○○
Meanwhile, Marine Captain Smoker walks in the town with tashigi, reviewing reports with his usual stoic expression. The two cigars between his lips burned steadily as he processed the morning's intelligence.
A Marine came running, excitement and anxiety written all over his face. "Captain Smoker! You'll never guess who showed up in town!"
Smoker looked up, mildly interested. "Who?"
○○○○○○
In Spice Bean, one of Nanohana's popular taverns, the atmosphere was buzzing with conversation. Pirates, merchants, and locals mixed together in the kind of uneasy peace that marked most Grand Line port towns.
"I heard that guy died while eating the food," one patron whispered to his companion.
"Ah, it's that bug from the desert. Strawhat something."
Suddenly, the person they were talking about stirred. A young man with black hair and freckles lifted his head from where it had been planted face-first in his plate.
"Huh? What are you all doing here?" he asked, looking genuinely confused.
"We were worried you died!" someone called out.
"Oh no, no, I just fell asleep," the young man replied with a sheepish grin.
"What?! You fell asleep while eating? And look—he's eating again!"
Indeed, the mysterious young man had already resumed devouring his meal with impressive speed and enthusiasm.
Just then, Smoker came inside the tavern."What brings the Whitebeard pirates, Second Division commander, Portgas D. Ace to the kingdom?"
Someone in the tavern had overheard the Marine. "What? He's from Whitebeard? What's he doing here?"
"Look at the tattoo on his back! Are we all going to die?"
Ace, noticing the sudden tension in the room, looked up from his food. "Ah, actually, I'm looking for my broth—"
That's when chaos erupted.
"AAHHH! MEAT! It's time for food!"
Luffy came rocketing through the tavern's front entrance like a human cannonball, his rubber arms stretched behind him for maximum impact.
"Gomu Gomu no... ROCKET!"
CRASH!
The rubber boy slammed directly into Smoker, who had been standing just inside the doorway. The Marine Captain went flying backward, his cigars spinning through the air.
"GAAH!"
But Luffy's trajectory didn't stop there. He bounced off Smoker and crashed straight into Ace, sending the Whitebeard pirate tumbling from his seat.
"WHAT?!" Ace exclaimed as he found himself sprawled on the tavern floor.
Luffy, completely oblivious to the chaos he'd caused, plopped down at the nearest table with his trademark grin. "Hey! I want food! Give me meat!"
The tavern owner, who had watched two of the most dangerous men in the area get bowled over by this rubber boy, stuttered nervously. "K-kid, you might want to run somewhere..."
"Huh? Give me the food already!" Luffy demanded, his stomach growling audibly.
After several plates of meat and rice, Luffy sat back with a satisfied sigh. "Ahhh, the food is amazing here!"
Ace was picking himself up from the rubble, his expression a mix of confusion and growing anger. "Who was that punk?" But then his eyes focused on Luffy properly for the first time, and recognition dawned. "Wait... Luff—"
At the same time, Smoker had recovered from his unexpected introduction to rubber-powered combat. He stood up slowly, brushing debris from his Marine coat. His eyes locked onto the straw hat sitting on Luffy's head.
"Strawhat," he growled.
Luffy, still focused on his meal, hadn't noticed either of the men he'd accidentally assaulted. "Mmm, this meat is really good!"
Smoker watched him with a mixture of professional interest and personal annoyance. "So you did come to this country," he said, "Can't you stop eating for even a second?"
It was then that Luffy finally looked up and noticed the Marine Captain staring at him. Recognition hit him.
"Ah! You're Smoker! What are you doing here?" Without waiting for an answer, he jumped up from his seat. "Thank you for the food!"
And with that, he bolted for the exit.
"WAIT, YOU BASTARD!" Smoker roared, white smoke already beginning to pour from his body.
Luffy was already running through the streets of Nanohana, his flip-flops slapping against the hot stone. "Damn it! None of my attacks work against him! Gotta run!"
Behind him, Smoker gave chase, his smoke-enhanced speed allowing him to keep pace through the winding streets.
But there was a third party in pursuit as well. Ace had recovered from his surprise and was running after both of them.
"Luffy, wait!"
The three-way chase careened through the marketplace, sending merchants diving for cover and toppling fruit stands. Luffy's rubber abilities let him bounce off walls and stretch around obstacles, but Smoker's Logia powers and Ace's own considerable speed kept them all in close pursuit.
"This is just like old times!" Ace called out, though whether he was talking about chasing his little brother or being chased himself wasn't clear.
The chase wound through narrow alleys and across busy squares, with confused civilians pointing and shouting as the three powerful figures blazed past them.
And somewhere in all this chaos, Rouge was probably still standing at the port, wondering why his carefully laid plans never seemed to survive contact with his captain's impulsive nature.
Just another typical day for the Straw Hat Pirates.
***
Author's Note:
Here's Chapter 13! I won't let Ace die this time. I still remember that episode.
It's also a double chapter release in one day, so where are the stones hehe.. 😁