Docking at Alabasta

A view of the sprawling city of Nanohana is shown. An off-screen voice worries, "What should we do? Trying to find Luffy in a city as large as Nanohana's going to be near-impossible!" The Straw Hat crew, consisting of Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Vivi, and Karoo, walk through the desert outskirts. Sanji reassures Vivi, "Don't worry, Vivi. All we have to do is look in the noisiest part of town, And he'll be there for sure." Usopp laughs in agreement. Nami expresses her concern, "If there's something to worry about, It's the fact that he's completely clueless to the bounty placed on his head. I wish he'd pay just a little more attention to that, especially in a country as large as Alabasta...!" Zoro dismisses the worry, suggesting, "Just leave him be. For now, we should go and eat something as well. We can think about all that stuff later."

Vivi suddenly stops, her eyes wide with shock. "Wait, look...! THAT'S MR. 3'S SHIP!" she exclaims. Docked at the shore is a distinctive ship with a large "3" painted on its sail. Usopp is equally stunned, sweating as he says, "Don't tell me... He survived...!?" Karoo lets out a surprised "Quack." Vivi, looking deeply concerned, deduces, "That ship can only be operated by the power of the Doru doru fruit... So he must be here in this country..." The scene then shifts to a bustling street in Nanohana, filled with people in desert attire and camels carrying goods, with the sounds of lively chatter filling the air.

In a local establishment, two men are gossiping. One whispers, "Did you hear? He's one of the Whitebeard pirates..." The other gulps and adds, "That marine called Smoker's pretty famous too!" Inside the "Spice bean" restaurant, Marine Captain Smoker stands over a man seated at a table. The man wears an orange hat adorned with two smiley faces and a skull necklace. The man asks casually, "So? What d'ya want me to do...?" Smoker, clenching two cigars in his teeth, demands, "Give yourself up without resisting." The man, Portgas D. Ace, simply smirks and replies, "Sorry, No can do, Smokie."

Outside in the city streets, Luffy is sprinting at full speed, sniffing the air eagerly. "SNIFF SNIFF. What's that? I smell something strange..." he wonders. He suddenly spots a large building ahead. "OVER THERE! A RESTAURANT!" he yells, dashing towards it. Back inside the restaurant, Smoker tells Ace, "...I'm already on the hunt for another pirate right now, So I don't particularly care about taking your head... So just look the other way then." Ace, resting his chin on his hand, smiles and refuses, "I'm afraid I can't do that."

Smoker prepares for a fight, smoke beginning to billow from his arm and shoulders. "AS LONG AS I'M A MARINE, AND YOU'RE A PIRATE, THAT IS...!" he declares. Ace maintains his relaxed smile, saying, "Well, let's see what ya got." Smoker mutters, "What a dull reason..." Suddenly, a loud "YAHOO!" echoes from outside. Luffy comes hurtling through the air, propelled by his stretching powers. With a shout of "ROCKET!", Luffy crashes feet-first directly into Smoker's back. Smoker yells "GAHH!" in pain, while Ace looks on in utter shock, exclaiming "WHA!?"

The force of Luffy's impact sends both Smoker and Ace crashing through the thick stone wall of the restaurant. Luffy flies through the newly made hole, cheering, "WOO HOO! FINALLY A RESTAURANT! I'M STARVING!" Inside, Luffy immediately sits at the counter, banging his silverware impatiently. "GIMME SOME FOOD, MISTER!" he demands. The chefs, terrified by the sudden destruction, tremble. One chef nervously suggests, "Umm... You might... want to run for it, kid." Ignoring the warning, Luffy is next seen devouring a massive plate of food with incredible speed. "MMMMM MMMMN! DAMN, THE FOOD HERE IS GREAT!" he praises with stuffed cheeks. The chef stammers a weak "T-thanks..." The exterior of the large, dome-shaped "Spice bean" restaurant is shown.

Outside the restaurant, Ace stands up from the rubble, dusting off his hat. "Damn it... Who was that punk!?" he mutters, annoyed. He looks back through the hole in the wall and says, "Pardon me for intruding during your meal." As he glares angrily, he starts to say, "How dare h-" but is interrupted by the sound of loud munching. Nearby, Smoker is also rising from the debris, looking absolutely furious. Both men peer into the restaurant. Ace spots the source of the noise and his eyes widen in recognition. "LU..." he begins. Smoker also spots the culprit and yells, "HEY, LUF-"

Smoker roars in anger, "STRAW-HAAAT!" Luffy, completely oblivious to the enraged Marine, continues to aggressively stuff his face with food, making loud chomping noises. Smoker glares intensely at Luffy, who just keeps eating, his cheeks bulging. Finally, Smoker speaks up, "So you did come to this country, after all... CAN'T YOU STOP EATING FOR JUST ONE SECOND?" Luffy, still chewing, doesn't even pause his meal.

Smoker introduces himself, "A captain at the Marine HQ. My name's Smoker," Luffy finally looks up, his mouth completely full of food, and his eyes widen in shock. Realizing who is standing before him, Luffy spits his food everywhere in a panic. "MMN DMM MOG FMM! (YOU'RE THAT SMOKE-DUDE!) WHAM RMM NUU DON EER!? (WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE!?)" he yells through a mouthful of food. Smoker, veins popping on his forehead, growls, "YOU LITTLE PIECE OF S..." Before Smoker can finish, Luffy quickly bows, mumbles "MNNF NRR GRRB (THANKS FOR THE GRUB!)", and bolts out of the restaurant. Smoker is caught off guard, yelling, "WHA? WAAAIT!"

Luffy sprints away from the restaurant as fast as he can, thinking to himself, "MMNN BFFHH MNN! (DAMMIT, NONE OF MY ATTACKS WORK ON THAT GUY!) MNNF DDNNR PFF! (JUST GOTTA RUN FOR IT!)" As he runs, Ace spots him from the rubble and calls out, "UGH! WAIT UP, LUFFY! IT'S ME!" Meanwhile, Smoker bursts out of the restaurant, furiously yelling for his subordinate, "TASHIGI!!!" Inside the ruined restaurant, a Marine notes to the terrified chefs, "They didn't even pay..."

Tashigi is walking through the streets, carrying her sword. She hears Smoker and asks, "Yes, captain? Do you need a towel? It sure is hot in this country, isn-" Smoker's voice booms from afar, "STOP HIM! IT'S STRAW-HAT!" Tashigi is startled, "STRAWHAT?" Suddenly, Luffy dashes right past her, yelling, "Y-YES, SIR! NGH!" Tashigi quickly draws her sword and swings, but Luffy is already past her. She looks back in confusion, asking, "WHO'S THAT!?"

Smoker propels himself into the air, his lower body turning into a thick plume of smoke. "HMPH!" he grunts. Flying over the city streets, he barks orders, "TASHIGI! CALL UP THE OTHER MARINES IN THIS TOWN AT ONCE AND HAVE THEM SCOUR THIS ENTIRE CITY TO ARREST STRAWHAT AND HIS CREW!" Tashigi, running below, salutes and replies, "YES, CAPTAIN!" Civilians in the street panic, shouting, "Look! It's a fight between devil fruit users!" Smoker extends his arm, launching a dense stream of smoke towards Luffy, shouting his attack name, "WHITE SNAKE!" Luffy continues to run for his life, yelling, "UOOHH! NGHH!"

In the outskirts of the port city Nanohana, Nami and Vivi are now dressed in revealing dancer outfits. Nami looks uncomfortable and says, "Sorry if I sound like I'm complaining after making you go out and buy clothes Sanji, but... These dresses make us look more like exotic dancers than inconspicuous civilians..." Vivi, however, is delighted, twirling in her outfit. "This is just the kind of thing I like! Oh, how lovely!" Sanji is completely smitten, his eyes turning into hearts as he swoons, "As long as we don't look like pirates and you don't look like a princess, it's all good, right?" Vivi agrees, "Oh, it's all fine, isn't it? Aren't dancers civilians as well?" Nami sighs, looking at the desert ahead, "But to walk across the desert in this is..." Sanji immediately offers, "Don't worry, I'll carry you if you get tired. Ohoho!"

Zoro, sitting with the rest of the crew who are dressed in heavy desert robes, comments, "But compared to the 2 lovely ladies, the rest of you guys are just... You might be trying to hide the fact that you're pirates, But those outfits make you look like bandits! How're we any different from you?" Usopp is fully covered in a robe and goggles. Chopper suddenly holds his nose, looking distressed. "Hm? What's wrong, Chopper?" someone asks. Chopper complains, "My nose feels like it's tearing apart..." Vivi explains, "Is that so? Your nose must be quite sensitive, Chopper. Nanohana is also famous for its perfumes." Chopper is confused, "Perfume?" A man walks by, spraying a bottle. "Yes, they're made from mixing very pungent ingredients so- Like this one here?" Chopper screams in agony, "WAHH! STOP THAT!" Meanwhile, Sanji continues to swoon over Vivi, "Ohhh, I could fall in love with you all the way to the gates of hell!!" Zoro, annoyed, yells, "What're you, retarded?" Sanji angrily snaps back, "WHAT WAS THAT!?"

Looking out over the city of Nanohana, Nami says, "In any case, we now have all the supplies we need to cross the Alabastan desert... So Vivi, where do we head from here?" Vivi explains their plan, "Well... First, we have to stop the rebel forces! I can't predict when they'll start rampaging and needlessly shedding blood. Which is being used as the base of operation by the leader of the rebel forces. So we'll head over to the oasis town called Yuba," Nami nods, "And to go to Yuba, we-" Suddenly, a figure flies past them at high speed. "GET DOWN!" someone yells. "AHH!" "WHAT IS IT?" Zoro looks up and identifies the threat, "Marines. What're they doing here...!?"

Zoro looks towards the city, noting, "Sounds like there's something going on in town... DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!" Usopp guesses, "Maybe some pirate appeared." Suddenly, Luffy comes sprinting towards them, waving his arms frantically. "IT'S YOU!?" he yells. Zoro is shocked to see him. "HEY, ZORO!" Luffy calls out. Zoro angrily replies, "OH, FOR THE LOVE OF- YOU IDIOT! LOSE THEM FIRST BEFORE YOU COME HERE!" A Marine spots the group and shouts, "LOOK! THERE'S THE REST OF HIS CREW! The rest of you stand back down! CAPTAIN!" Luffy, seemingly unbothered by the pursuing Marines, casually asks, "Yo, is everyone all here!?"

Smoker closes in on Luffy, launching an attack. "I WON'T LET YOU ESCAPE! WHITE BLOW!" he shouts, sending a fist of solid smoke towards Luffy. Luffy barely dodges, yelping "GAH!" Suddenly, a massive blast of fire erupts, intercepting Smoker's smoke attack. "HEAT HAZE!" a voice calls out. Smoker is caught off guard, exclaiming "HUH!?" The smoke clears to reveal Ace standing between Smoker and the Straw Hats, his arm engulfed in roaring flames. Ace smirks and says, "So it's you. Give it a rest."

Ace stands confidently, his upper body transforming into swirling flames. "You might be smoke, but I'm fire. A match between our abilities won't get us anywhere," he tells Smoker. Behind him, Luffy looks on in utter disbelief. "WHO'S THAT...!?" someone asks. Luffy stammers, "ACE...!?" Ace turns his head slightly, flashing a wide grin at Luffy. "You haven't changed at all, Have you, Luffy?" he says warmly.

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