Capítulo 116: "Desert Encounters and Crocodile's Web"
The Straw Hat Pirates docked on the west side of the Sandora River delta in Alabasta, where a hot, dry wind greeted them. Their first encounter was with a familiar sight: a group of Kung-Fu Dugongs splashing by the riverbank. As soon as Luffy saw them, he was ready to challenge them all over again, and it took only a few seconds before he bested one in a quick sparring match.
However, rather than scurrying away, the Dugongs stared at Luffy in awe. They wanted to become his apprentices! Chopper quickly stepped in, handing out food as a bribe to keep them from following the crew. The Dugongs, convinced, waved a hasty goodbye, satisfied with the snacks.
Continuing through the desert, the crew finally reached Erumalu, once known as the Green City. Now, only remnants of life remained, with buildings half-buried in sand and plants withered from the harsh storms. The city was desolate, a shadow of what it had once been.
Vivi's face grew somber as she gazed at the ruins, a painful reminder of her country's plight. But they had to press on. Leaving Erumalu behind, the crew trekked deeper into the scorching desert.
As they moved further, Luffy got distracted by a group of Warusagi birds. Thinking they were harmless, he tried to befriend them, only to lose half of their precious supplies to the sneaky birds, who snatched away their food bags.
"Those thieves!" Luffy yelled, sprinting after them in a futile attempt to retrieve their stolen goods. By the time he returned, he wasn't empty-handed but instead brought back a grumpy, long-lashed camel in tow, frantically pursued by a Great Sandora Lizard.
Zoro, Sanji, and the rest jumped in, taking down the giant lizard with coordinated attacks. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, they set about cooking it. The camel, impressed by the crew's strength and generosity with food, decided to stay with them. Nami affectionately named it "Eyelashes," and, with a huff of pride, Eyelashes joined their journey.
Elsewhere, a quiet but tense meeting took place. Baroque Works' agents gathered at Spider's Cafe, each member sporting a cloak and mask to conceal their identity. From here, they'd head to Rainbase, where Crocodile would deliver his final orders. It was a dangerous mission—the culmination of everything they'd been working for—and no one could afford to fail.
The Straw Hats eventually reached Yuba Oasis, where they met an old man, Toto, shoveling sand tirelessly, trying to dig up water. Vivi's face brightened as she recognized her father's childhood friend, and Toto was equally overjoyed to see her. He offered them shelter and water, sharing stories from Vivi's past and the hardships of the ongoing drought.
As he recounted the Rebel Army's move to an oasis near Nanohana, Luffy's patience waned. "Forget the rebels, Vivi," he urged. "If we want to save Alabasta, we need to go straight to the source and stop Crocodile."
Vivi hesitated but eventually agreed, understanding that stopping Crocodile was the only way to bring peace to her kingdom.
At the Rain Dinners Casino, Crocodile gathered his agents to reveal their final mission. His smile was sharp, his gaze colder than the desert nights. He singled out Mr. 3 for his failure at Little Garden, allowing a Bananawani—one of his giant, carnivorous crocodiles—to swallow him whole as punishment.
The remaining agents received a new directive: to hunt down the Straw Hats. Their mission was simple yet deadly, and Crocodile dismissed Chopper as insignificant, seeing him as merely the crew's pet.
Arriving in Rainbase, Luffy and Usopp, parched from the desert trek, immediately sought out water. They slipped into a nearby bar and began guzzling down glasses. But before they could quench their thirst, they were met by two familiar faces: Captain Smoker and Tashigi.
The moment their eyes met, chaos erupted. Smoker shouted for his Marines to capture the pirates, and the Straw Hats scattered into groups:
Nami & Usopp
Zoro & Vivi
Sanji
Luffy, pursued by Smoker
Chopper & Raja
The pursuit led each group through the crowded streets of Rainbase, dodging Marines and Baroque Works agents alike.
Capture by Crocodile at Rain Dinners
Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji found themselves cornered at the Rain Dinners Casino, where they soon realized they'd walked into a trap. Crocodile, anticipating their arrival, sealed them in a Seastone cage, which sapped the strength of Devil Fruit users. They were helpless as Crocodile watched them from above, a satisfied smirk on his face.
Meanwhile, Vivi faced her own peril. Surrounded by Baroque Works Billions, she was saved at the last moment by Pell, one of Alabasta's royal guards. However, Miss All-Sunday quickly defeated him, capturing Vivi and dragging her to the casino's basement, where the rest of the crew was imprisoned.
Crocodile's Master Plan
In the dimly lit basement, Crocodile laid out his sinister scheme. He revealed his plan to overthrow Alabasta by inciting chaos and destabilizing the country. In Alubarna, his agents Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas had kidnapped King Cobra, while Mr. 2 Bon Kurei, disguised as Cobra, used Dance Powder to create artificial rain in the capital, stirring anger among the citizens.
Kohza, leader of the rebels, confronted the disguised king, only to be shot. But when a young boy named Kappa exposed Mr. 2's true identity, Kohza rallied his forces to march on Alubarna, determined to fight for justice.
Crocodile's Deadly Challenge and the Call to "Mr. Prince"
Crocodile taunted Vivi, daring her to stop him if she could. He began to flood the room, releasing his Bananawani crocodiles into the water to devour the prisoners. Crocodile even made a call to Mr. Prince—a name he knew Raja had been using to trick his agents.
Outside the casino, Crocodile saw Raja "caught" by his men, struggling in a fake net. Laughing, Crocodile left to check the situation himself. This was the opening Raja needed: he and Chopper sprang into action.
With Chopper acting as a decoy, Raja destroyed the bridge connecting the casino to the rest of Rainbase, trapping Crocodile outside.
The Escape Plan
Raja returned to the casino, determined to free his friends. Spotting a key inside one of the Bananawani, he used his magic to retrieve it, only for Mr. 3, who had been hiding, to destroy it. But Raja remained calm, using another spell to unlock the Seastone cage. The crew scrambled out, free once more.
Escape Through the Waters and Scissors the Crab
The Straw Hats escaped by diving into the flooded basement and swimming underwater. Sanji and Zoro carried Luffy and Smoker, who were weakened by their Devil Fruits. As they surfaced, Chopper called over a giant crab named Scissors, a friend of Eyelashes, to help carry the crew to safety.
In a rare moment of gratitude, Smoker refrained from pursuing the Straw Hats, telling his Marines to head directly for Alabasta instead.
Crocodile's Final Move and Luffy's Challenge
As the crew clambered onto Scissors' back, Crocodile lunged from the casino, reaching for Vivi. Luffy intercepted him, allowing the others to escape. Determined, he challenged Crocodile, knowing full well the Shichibukai's immense power.
For three tense minutes, they clashed, but Crocodile's Suna Suna no Mi powers gave him an overwhelming advantage. Each of Luffy's punches passed through Crocodile's sandy form, while Crocodile's attacks drained the moisture from Luffy's skin, leaving him weakened.
Desperate, Luffy splashed himself with water from his barrel to regain his strength, continuing to fight as Crocodile conjured a massive sandstorm, which he sent toward Yuba, where Toto awaited. Crocodile laughed, revealing that he'd been the cause of the sandstorms plaguing Yuba all along.
Enraged, Luffy tried to charge Crocodile again, but the Shichibukai overpowered him, ready to finish the fight by plunging him into quicksand. Just as Luffy was on the verge of defeat, Raja intervened with a powerful 10x Wind Blast spell, forcing Crocodile back.
Luffy's Rescue by Miss All-Sunday
Crocodile departed, leaving Luffy to sink into the quicksand, convinced he'd won. However, Miss All-Sunday appeared, pulling Luffy free from the deadly sand trap. She handed him over to Raja and Pell, instructing them to protect Vivi at all costs.
"Your captain," she said to Raja, "is more important to this kingdom than you realize."
Together, they lifted the weakened Luffy and began the journey to regroup with the Straw Hats.
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