Nanohana
The Going Merry did not sail into the port of Nanohana.
It was too dangerous. The country was crawling with Baroque Works assassins. Royal Guards were everywhere. Sailing a pirate ship right up to the dock was suicide.
Instead, they anchored down the coast. A massive sandstone outcropping hid the ship. They made the trek into the city on foot.
Kai red hoodie already feeling like a personal sauna. He looked the sleek orange face of his Power Watch, initiating a silent diagnostic.
Alright, hotshot, listen up," Bot's voice chimed in his ear, carrying a distinct tone of robotic pride. "I've crunched the numbers from the moss-head's torture sessions over the last few days. Your hardware has finally leveled up to meet my software."
Kai wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Give me the specs, Bot."
"You can now hold a Single Element Shift for exactly thirty minutes before your cells start breaking down," Bot explained. "That's a massive upgrade from gasping for air after sixty seconds. You'll actually be able to hold your own in a protracted fight."
"And the Element Split?" Kai asked, his voice dropping slightly as he remembered the agonizing tearing sensation of using two elements at once.
"Five minutes," Bot replied, her digital voice turning deadly serious. "Five minutes maximum. You can wield two elements simultaneously, but if you push it to five minutes and one second, your nervous system is going to fry like an egg on this desert sand. I'm talking total paralysis. Do not test me on this, Kai."
"Thirty minutes for one, five minutes for two," Kai muttered, clenching his fist. The power felt solid. Grounded. "Got it."
"SO HOT!" Luffy whined, his tongue rolling out of his mouth as he draped himself over the ship's railing. "And I'm so hungry... I can smell meat..."
"We need to blend in," Vivi instructed, pulling a white cloak over her shoulders. "Nanohana is a port city. There will be Marines, bounty hunters, and potentially Billions—Baroque Works agents. We cannot draw attention to ourselves."
Within twenty minutes, Sanji had returned from a quick dash into town, tossing bundles of fabric onto the deck. The crew quickly changed into traditional Alabasta desert wear—flowing robes, head wraps, and lightweight fabrics designed to block the blistering sun.
"Put this on." Sanji tossed a flowing white desert robe toward Kai. "Otherwise, you'll roast alive."
Kai slipped into a sandy-tan cloak, wrapping a breathable scarf around his neck to hide his red hoodie. He kept his left sleeve rolled up just enough to leave the Power Watch exposed for a quick activation, the white bandage with their secret 'X' hidden safely underneath the fabric.
"Hey, Sanji?"
Sanji shielded a match from the dry wind. He lit his cigarette. "Yeah?"
"Stop calling me 'kid'." Kai's tone was earnest but firm. "We fought Wapol together. We survived that avalanche. We're crewmates now. Just call me Kai."
Sanji stared at him. The unlit cigarette dangled from his lips. Slowly, a genuine smirk spread across his face. He exhaled a thin cloud of smoke.
"Fair enough. You earned it. Let's get moving... Kai."
"Alright, nobody do anything stupid," Zoro warned, adjusting his three swords beneath his robe. "We get supplies, we stay quiet, and we—
Nanohana was a labyrinth. Sandstone buildings packed the streets. Merchants and nomads crowded the alleys.
But beneath the noise, there was a dark tension.
Royal Guards patrolled in tight formations. Their hands gripped their swords. The locals cast fearful, starved glances at them. They hastily parted to let the soldiers through. It felt like walking through a minefield.
Suddenly, an eardrum-piercing scream shattered the air.
"MEEEEEEEAAAAAT!"
Luffy had spotted a communal outdoor fire. Giant slabs of desert reptile meat roasted on iron spits. He was completely oblivious to the guards. He ignored the political tension.
The Straw Hat captain stretched his rubber arms. He grabbed a nearby rooftop. He slingshotted himself directly into the city. A massive cloud of dust plumed in his wake.
"That idiot!" Zoro sighed. He dropped his hand to his swords.
"I'll go get him," Kai volunteered. He sprinted into the crowded streets before the others could argue.
He tracked Luffy easily. The trail of screaming merchants and overturned fruit carts was obvious. He finally cornered his captain in a massive, open-air plaza.
But Luffy wasn't eating. He was surrounded.
Six men in heavy desert cloaks circled him. They held curved scimitars. They had the merciless eyes of killers. Numerical tattoos peeked from their sleeves. Baroque Works Millions.
"A thirty million Berry bounty, just strolling into Nanohana," the lead bounty hunter sneered. He twirled his blade.
Luffy crossed his arms. He looked incredibly annoyed. "Move. I'm hungry."
Kai stepped out from the shade. He had grown physically stronger. But his core philosophy hadn't changed.
He wouldn't kill them. He just needed to put them down.
He didn't need the interface. He just synced his breath with the core. He focused his intent.
"Elemental Power: Water!" Kai shouted.
Cyan light flashed brilliantly. His desert robe dissolved. His clothes vanished. A sleek blue shirt and tactical black joggers took their place.
The bounty hunters charged. Their blades raised high.
Kai moved. He had the blistering, fluid speed of a rushing river. He slipped flawlessly between the two leading bandits. Moisture gathered around his leg.
"Hydro Whip!"
A thick stream of high-pressure water lashed from his foot. It struck their chests. It didn't cut. It hit with the blunt kinetic force of a speeding truck. It knocked the wind out of them completely. They crashed into the dirt.
The remaining four lunged simultaneously. Kai dodged a downward strike with fluid grace. He pivoted on his heel. He thrust his palms forward.
"Vapor Blast!"
Pressurized water slammed into the sandy plaza. It erupted upward like a geyser. The blunt force blasted the remaining agents off their feet. They hurled into a sandstone wall. They slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Kai exhaled. The cyan energy hummed smoothly in his veins. He didn't drop his transformation. The cooling sensation fought the oppressive desert heat. His blue shirt caught the harsh sunlight.
"Whoa! You're so fast now, Kai!" Luffy cheered. He pumped his fists.
"Thanks, Captain. Now, let's—"
Kai's words caught in his throat. The temperature plummeted. The sweltering heat vanished. A suffocating, dense gray fog rapidly flooded the streets.
"Straw Hat Luffy." A deep, gravelly voice echoed through the fog.
A towering Marine officer stepped from the smoke. His white justice coat whipped in the wind. Two thick cigars burned fiercely in his mouth. He gripped a massive jutte tipped with Sea Prism Stone.
Captain Smoker.
Luffy's eyes widened in sheer panic. "Smokey?! What are you doing here?!"
"Doing my job," Smoker growled. His right arm dissolved into thick, swirling smoke. He launched a massive, blinding punch. "White Blow!"
Luffy flinched. He knew he couldn't punch smoke.
"Aqua first"
Kai didn't hesitate. He lunged forward. He threw his hand directly into the path of the billowing smoke-fist.
Smack.
Flesh hit solid matter. Smoker's eyes widened in absolute shock. The Marine Captain's forward momentum died instantly.
Kai stood there. His boots skidded slightly in the sand. His hand wrapped tightly around Smoker's wrist.
Except, Smoker's wrist wasn't flesh. It was still entirely made of smoke. But in Kai's grip, the intangible vapor felt completely solid.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Smoker barked. He tried to wrench his arm away. Kai's grip held the smoke firm. "You're grabbing pure smoke! How?!"
Kai looked just as stunned. He stared at his cyan-glowing hand. It was wrapped around gray vapor. He had no idea how Devil Fruits functioned. He didn't understand energy logic. He had just reached out on pure instinct to protect his captain.
Somehow, the smoke acted like a physical object in his palm.
"I... I don't know!" Kai stammered. His eyes were wide.
Smoker gritted his teeth. His Logia advantage was being physically bypassed by a kid. He swung his Sea Prism Stone jutte with his free hand.
He never connected.
A massive wave of blistering heat washed over the plaza. A towering wall of roaring, orange flames erupted between them. Smoker violently jumped back. The smoke ripped from Kai's grip.
"Now, now," a new voice chimed in. It sounded relaxed and amused. "You Marines are always so hasty."
A young man sat casually on a rooftop. He wore a bright orange cowboy hat and a beaded necklace. He had no shirt. A massive purple tattoo marked his back. His fingers burned with bright, dancing flames.
Luffy's jaw dropped. His eyes teared up instantly. "Ace?!"
The young man smirked. He tipped his hat. "Long time no see, Luffy. Go on, get out of here. I'll hold Smokey off."
Luffy didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed Kai by the collar. He stretched his arm to a distant building. He slingshotted them both out of the plaza. They flew through the sky. They left the roaring clash of fire and smoke behind.
An hour later, they reunited with the crew.
They hid in a sandstone cavern just outside the city limits. Luffy gave a brief, chaotic explanation of Ace. He was Luffy's incredibly powerful, older brother.
Then, the tone in the cavern shifted to something much darker.
Vivi sat on a rock. Her eyes were heavy with sorrow.
"We need to talk about why we are really here," Vivi said. Her voice echoed softly off the stone walls. "Nanohana is tense. But the rest of Alabasta is dying. It's all because of a weapon called Dance Powder."
Kai leaned against the cavern wall. He had finally dropped his Water form to conserve energy. He pulled the white desert robe tightly around his shoulders. "You mentioned that in the alley. It forces rain to fall?"
Vivi nodded. She pulled a map of Alabasta from her pack. "It's a synthetic green powder. When burned, it creates artificial rain clouds. But it's globally banned by the World Government. It steals rain from neighboring regions. It leaves them in absolute, devastating droughts."
Sanji lit a cigarette. His expression was grim. "Let me guess. Crocodile used it."
"He didn't just use it," Vivi said. Her voice trembled with anger. "He engineered a three-year drought across my entire country. Every oasis dried up. People starved. Then, he smuggled shipments of Dance Powder into the capital. He framed my father."
Usopp gasped. He gripped his slingshot tight. "He made the country think the King was stealing the rain?"
"Exactly," Vivi cried. Tears finally spilled over her cheeks. "The people felt betrayed. The anger turned into a rebellion. A massive Rebel Army of two million citizens is preparing to march. They will slaughter the Royal Guard. My people will kill each other over a lie. Crocodile is just waiting for the dust to settle. He will step in as a 'hero' and take the throne."
A suffocating silence fell over the crew.
Kai looked at the ground. He had thought the bounty hunters were cruel. But Crocodile's plot was a masterpiece of pure evil. He was starving a nation to trick them into destroying themselves.
Nami broke the silence. Her voice was unusually soft. She knelt beside Vivi. She traced a path on the worn map with her index finger.
"The Rebel Army's main camp is located at an oasis called Yuba, right?" Nami asked softly. She looked up at the weeping princess. "And their leader... you mentioned him before. He's your closest childhood friend, Vivi."
"Yes. His name is Koza," Vivi whispered. "We grew up together in the palace courtyard. He loves Alabasta just as much as I do. That's exactly why Crocodile's lies worked so well on him. Koza thinks he is saving the country by destroying my father. But if I can just get to Yuba... if I can stand in front of him and tell him the truth... I know I can stop the Rebel Army.
Luffy stood up.
The goofy, meat-obsessed boy was completely gone. He walked over to Vivi. He placed his hand gently on her head. His eyes were shadowed by the brim of his hat.
He looked out past the cavern entrance. The endless, sprawling, deadly dunes of the Alabasta desert waited under the pale moonlight.
"Then it's decided," Luffy said.
His voice was low. It was quiet, but it was unyielding. It carried the weight of absolute certainty. A fierce, determined grin slowly spread across his face, showing his teeth.
"We are going to Yuba," Luffy declared. "First, you are going to talk to your friend. You're going to stop this army. And then... we've got a Warlord's ass to kick."