Luffy vs. Vivi

A heavily bandaged Mr. 3 speaks up, sweating and looking nervous. "Could you hold up for a sec...? About this operation utopia," The scene shifts to a grand, dimly lit dining room with a long table surrounded by ornate chairs. Several figures sit in the shadows. Miss All Sunday stands near a grand staircase. The door at the top of the stairs bursts open with a loud "BAM," revealing Mr. 3. The people at the table react with surprise. Miss All Sunday looks up, asking, "How did you get in here!? Mr. 3!?" A close-up shows Crocodile's face, his expression dark and annoyed as he glares at the intruder.

Mr. 2 Bon Clay angrily shouts at Mr. 3, "MR. 3! WHERE DID YOU SPRING FROM!? I WAS CERTAIN I FINISHED YOU OFF!" Crocodile interrupts, "LET HIM TALK, MR. 2!" Mr. 3, still bandaged and sweating, replies, "Where did I 'spring from?' How rude... I've been trailing you ever since at Spider's Cafe, you know...? I hitched onto the back of Banchi's carriage, you see..." Mr. 3 walks down the stairs towards the dining table, addressing Crocodile. "A pleasure to meet you for the first time, boss... I've come here in hopes of being given a second chance, you see... After failing to carry out my mission, it's only natural that you'd seek to eliminate me... But that is precisely why I then headed for Spider's Cafe, the meeting place for officer agents..." Crocodile questions him, "You failed... To carry out your orders...? What're you talking about!?" Mr. 3 explains, "Like I was saying, I failed to eliminate Princess Vivi, And the Straw hat pirates..."

Crocodile erupts in anger, yelling, "YOU DIDN'T KILL THEM!? YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THEY'RE STILL ALIVE!?" The room is tense. Crocodile glares menacingly at Mr. 3, demanding, "Then what the hell was that denden-mushi call about!? You told me over the phone that Vivi and the pirates had been taken care of!" Mr. 3 looks completely confused, stammering, "Umm..." Crocodile recalls the phone call, remembering a voice saying, "Hello, this is the shitty restaurant," and his own response, "Would you like to make a reservation?" Realization hits Crocodile, and he shouts, "WHAT!" Mr. 3, oblivious, says, "Denden-mushi call!? I'm afraid I don't follow? I never used the denden-mushi while on Little Garden, you know!"

Crocodile sits in silence, smoking his cigar, processing the information. Miss Doublefinger and Mr. 1 are visible sitting at the table. Crocodile thinks to himself, "I see... Now I understand why the Unluckies never returned..." He then asks Mr. 3, "Well, umm... No, because- But you did manage to kill off at least one or two of them, right...?" Mr. 3 reacts with shock, "WHAT?" Mr. 3 frantically tries to explain his failure, waving his arms. "Y-you see, there was an error with the intelligence given to me prior to! T-there were actually 4 pirates in the Straw-hat crew! I uhh... I was unaware of the pirate with this l-long nose, you see...!" Crocodile's eye twitches with rage as he growls, "YOU LITTLE PIECE OF-" Suddenly, Mr. 2 Bon Clay interjects, striking a dramatic pose, "W-WAIT! BOSS, WOULD YOU MIND EXPLAINING TO ME THE DETAILS BEHIND MR. 3'S FAILED MISSION!?"

An exterior shot shows the Rain Dinners casino, a massive pyramid structure topped with a giant crocodile statue. Inside, Mr. 2 Bon Clay looks absolutely shocked, his eyes wide and mouth open. "I... I MET THEM!" He slams a set of photographs onto the table, scattering them. The photos show the faces of Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Vivi. Someone asks, "WHAT?" Mr. 2 points at the photos and declares, "IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THESE PEOPLE, THEN I DEFINITELY MET THEM!"

Mr. 2 Bon Clay uses his Mane Mane no Mi powers to rapidly change his face, demonstrating who he met. With a series of *Kasha* sound effects, his face transforms into Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and finally Chopper. "I MET HIM! AND HIM! AND HER! AND HIM! AND THIS THING!" Crocodile looks at the photos on the table. "AND MISS WEDNESDAY, A.K.A. PRINCESS VIVI! THESE PEOPLE WERE MY ENEMIES ALL ALONG!?" Crocodile deduces the situation, "...Yes, they know my true identity. They'll become a thorn in our sides if we leave them alone." He continues, "And as Mr. 3 pointed out, there seems to be one man and one animal, That our intelligence hasn't accounted for... Leaving their little pet aside, That makes 5 people including Vivi, And they're most likely somewhere in this country by now. Mr. 2, use your memory skill to get those faces you just showed onto photos..."

Mr. 3 desperately pleads with Crocodile, "PLEASE, BOSS! I SWEAR TO YOU THAT THIS TIME I'LL FINISH THEM OFF, IF YOU GIVE ME A 2ND CHA-" Crocodile suddenly grabs Mr. 3 by the face/neck, lifting him off the ground. "SHUT UP, YOU INCOMPETENT BUFFOON!" Crocodile holds the choking Mr. 3 in the air. "Mr. 3... Do you know why I made you Mr. 3, Despite the fact that you're inferior to Mr. 4 in terms of combat ability!?" Mr. 3 gasps, "KAH..." Crocodile uses his Devil Fruit power, and Mr. 3's body begins to visibly dry up and crack. "It's because I assumed your cowardly but cunning ways would help you achieve success! You disappoint me... There's nothing more worthless than someone who can't pull through when it matters the most...!" Mr. 3 screams in agony, "AGHHH!" Miss Doublefinger watches in horror, "W-what's happening to him!? He's drying up...!"

Crocodile drops the completely desiccated, mummified body of Mr. 3 onto the floor. "Drink as much water as you like..." Mr. 3 weakly gasps, "W... WATER... WATER..." Suddenly, a trapdoor opens beneath Mr. 3. He screams, "AGH! GAAHHHH!" as he falls through the floor. Crocodile calmly walks towards a large window, ignoring the screams. *Knock knock* "It's meal time..." Mr. 3 plummets down a dark shaft, landing with a splash in a body of water below.

Mr. 3 finds himself submerged in water. "W-WHERE AM I...? I'M... UNDERWATER?" He looks around and sees massive, terrifying crocodiles swimming nearby. "WHAT IS THIS, A FISH TANK?" Crocodile stands in the dining room, looking through a large glass window down into the tank where Mr. 3 is trapped. Mr. 3 screams in absolute terror as he realizes his situation. A gigantic crocodile with a strange, banana-shaped growth on its head approaches him. Mr. 3 panics, "IT'S A... BANANADILE!" The beast growls, ready to attack.

Back at the dining table, Mr. 2 Bon Clay comments on Mr. 3's fate, "That damned idiot...! Killing him once isn't enough!" Crocodile throws the newly created photos of the Straw Hats onto the table. "In any case, I want you all to etch these 5's faces into your brains! Their objective is to stop the rebellion! They'll definitely show up in the middle of the action even if we don't look for them!" Mr. 2 questions the threat, "But Zero... Even if the princess were free to do as she wanted, Do you really think one little girl can stop the rebels?" Crocodile explains, "It's complicated... My intelligence tells me that princess Nefertari Vivi, And Kouza, leader of the rebels, were close childhood friends." Crocodile looks out the window, his expression serious. "Even if she can't stop the swarm of 700,000 rebels, There's a good chance she'll cause the rebels to hesitate... We can't afford to let those two meet...!"

Crocodile continues smoking his cigar, outlining the situation. "Many of our Billions have already infiltrated the rebel forces. The fact that I haven't received any updates from them yet means that Vivi and the Straw-Hat pirates have yet to take decisive action...! We have to ensure it stays that way by keeping Vivi away from the rebles!" He turns to his partner. "Ms. All Sunday." She replies, "Yes?" Crocodile orders, "I don't care if you have to use a denden-mushi. Just get the word out to the Billions stationed in Nanohana as soon as you can, That they are to kill Vivi and the Straw-Hat pirates on sight!" Crocodile clenches his fist, his face intense with determination. "THEY CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER KATOREA NO MATTER WHAT! AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, VIVI CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO MEET KOUZA!"

Crocodile turns his back to the table, looking out the window. "As you wish..." Miss All Sunday replies. Crocodile adds, "Now get going, the rest of you, Or our 'celebrations' will be delayed... Our Utopia awaits just ahead!" He glances back over his shoulder with a sinister look. "And I hope for your sakes that you won't cause me any trouble unlike a certain someone..." The officer agents stand up from the table, ready to depart. Miss Doublefinger assures him, "You can count on us, boss...!" Mr. 1 adds, "We'll bring you success no matter what!" Crocodile crushes his cigar into an ashtray. "GOOD. THEN ENJOY YOURSELVES..."

The scene shifts to the harsh, bright desert. Luffy's voice rings out, "YOU QUIT!?" The Straw Hats and Vivi are walking across the dunes. Sanji asks, "Luffy, what're you talkin' about!?" Usopp yells, "HEY LUFFY! WE'VE GOT NO TIME TO PLAY ALONG WITH ONE OF YOUR WHIMS RIGHT NOW!" Luffy is sitting cross-legged on the sand, refusing to move. "I dun' wanna." Vivi turns back to him, explaining, "Well we're going back, aren't we? Yeah, that's right. We have to head to Katorea 'cause that's where the rebles are! You do realize we're trying to stop a huge civil war involving a million combatants that's going to start any time now, right!? This is all to help Vivi! Did you forget already!?" Vivi looks shocked by Luffy's stubbornness. "YOU WHAT!?" Nami asks, "What is it?...Vivi."

A close-up shows Luffy looking incredibly serious and determined. "I WANT TO KICK CROCODILE'S ASS!" Vivi stares at him, stunned. A wide shot shows the group halted in the desert. Luffy explains his reasoning, "Even if you manage to stop the rebels, Do you think Crocodile will just stop...? We're pirates, after all. In fact, it's better if we're not there at all. Even if we go with you to the rebel base, there's nothing we can do." Sanji, smoking a cigarette, comments, "I'm surprised an idiot like him can still hit the bulls-eye at times..." Zoro agrees, "Yeah, you said it." Vivi looks down, conflicted. "Well, that's-"

Luffy continues speaking to Vivi, "In your mind, You think things will be just fine as long as nobody dies. The citizens, Rebels, and even us!" He looks directly at her, challenging her mindset. "Don't you think that's naive?" Vivi looks distressed and unsure. Luffy presses on, "Even though you're up against one of the Royal Shichibukai, In the midst of civil war involving a million people, You're still hoping for everyone to be all right!" Luffy smiles slightly, delivering a harsh truth. "...People die." Vivi snaps, her face contorted with anger and desperation. "What's exactly wrong with wishing for no one to die!? So what if that's the case!?" Sanji tries to intervene, "Luffy! You're not thinking of Vivi's feelings at a-" but Nami stops him. "Nami, wait! Let him finish."

Vivi lashes out, slapping Luffy hard across the face with a loud *PAAAN!!* "DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT TO ME AGAIN OR I WON'T FORGIVE YOU! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M TRYING SO HARD TO PREVENT!" Luffy grunts from the impact. In retaliation, Luffy punches Vivi right back, knocking her to the ground with a *BAKI!!* "THEN WHY THE HELL ARE YOU WILLINGLY PUTTING YOUR OWN LIFE AT RISK!?" Vivi falls, groaning, "NGH..." Luffy yells passionately, "THE REBELS! THE ROYALIST FORCES! AND EVEN THE CITIZENS! NONE OF THEM DID ANYTHING WRONG SO WHY DO THEY HAVE TO DIE!? THE ONLY ONE AT FAULT HERE IS CROCODILE!" The rest of the crew reacts in shock. Usopp yells, "HEY LUFFY! YOU'RE GOING TOO FAR!" Sanji is furious, "LUFFY, YOU SON OF A-" Luffy and Vivi grapple on the ground, throwing punches. Luffy shouts, "EVEN I CAN TELL FROM A SINGLE GLANCE, WHAT DID YOU SAY!? ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE THE MOST IN THIS COUNTRY!"

Vivi pins Luffy to the ground, crying and hitting him repeatedly. "Yuba will never be the defeated by the likes of sand... YOU THINK RISKING YOUR LIFE ALONE IS GONNA BE ENOUGH!? THEN WHAT ELSE CAN I RISK!? I will... Never forgive that man! I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO RI-" Luffy screams back at her, his face intense. "YOU COULD AT THE VERY LEAST RISK OUR LIVES TOO! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!" Vivi freezes, shocked by his words, tears streaming down her face. She collapses into a sitting position, burying her face in her hands and sobbing loudly. "...So you were hiding it all along, weren't you...? I'll stop the rebels no matter what! You still do have some tears left in you."

Vivi continues to cry into her hands. Luffy sits up in the sand, looking at her. "Truth be told, You're the one who most wants to beat him up, right...?" A series of panels shows the serious, determined faces of Sanji, Chopper, Usopp, Zoro, and Nami, all standing by, ready to fight. Luffy, battered but resolute, looks forward and demands, "SO TELL ME... TELL ME WHERE CROCODILE IS...!"

No description for this page.

No description for this page.