Chapter 40 - Episode 90 & 91
Skipping episode 90's opening and title, they were met with Hiriluk's dream, both to save the country and to have Chopper go out to sea.
The reindeer stared at the flag until Luffy caught up to him. Chasing after him, Luffy wanted him to come with them.
"Yes!" Toru cheered.
"You have to." Jiro let out a laugh, seeing the little doctor's reaction.
Dalton collapsed to his knees, though he claimed he just feels a little drained.
When the villagers noticed Kureha, they were certainly frightened, and once Zoro noticed the old hag, she'd beaten him up for calling her so. At least the injured are taken to the medical ward.
With Sanji and Nami, they tried to keep themselves hidden but she still wants to escape from here now so they could depart for Alabasta... but Kureha soon found them, licking the wall right behind them.
"Holy-"
Students winced with the villagers as they could hear Sanji's cries of pain.
"Thank God we have Recovery Girl." Toshinori shivered.
After Sanji's operation is over, Kureha came to the injured and sick to get a long drink. She asked Dalton about the key to the arsenal, much to the man's confusion. He knew that the key is always carried by Wapol, so it must mean that it's with him.
"Well, funny story about that..." Mina grinned mischievously.
Doctorine was disappointed by that, and Nami asked if she could make the treatment fee free, and discharge her right away, which Kureha refused to do. Vivi agreed that Nami should rest, but soon Nami pulled out the bargaining tool: the key to the arsenal.
Kureha asked where she even get that, and Nami admitted to stealing it. The doctor believed she's absolutely unbelievable, but begrudgingly made the treatment free and only the fee at that. She can't accept the other term.
Since she couldn't, Nami wanted the key back. Kureha pointed out that she has plenty of benefits to get out of here, but Nami's not allow to escape.
Once Kureha took the villagers with her to do some work, Nami and Vivi could see that's Kureha's way of saying she can escape.
"Yeah, basically." Ochako shrugged.
It was already night time as Chopper rested on the roof. Since he doesn't hear any voices, that means they're not around. Chopper believed that he can't leave this place.
"No! No! Dr. Hiriluk is completely fine with you leaving." Mina told him.
He heard Luffy call out for him, seeing that they're still looking for him. Usopp and Zoro told him to give up, but Luffy refused.
Chopper's determined not to go with them.
As Vivi and Nami dragged Sanji out of the castle, Luffy really wanted Chopper to join them, but the little doctor gave his reason why he can't: He's a reindeer with a blue nose; a monster.
"He doesn't care about those things." Izuku said, which the others agreed to. "I understand why you feel so insecure about them, but I know that Luffy just wants you."
Chopper admitted that he does want to go and be a pirate, that he appreciated everything they've done. He tried to tell them that they can stop by again in the future, but-
"Shut up! Let's go!"
...and Chopper cried.
The students smiled fondly.
After the eyecatches-
"Yes, there's one for Chopper!" Ochako grinned.
-Usopp asked if Nami is really okay, and Nami claimed she really is. Luffy suggested that they say their goodbyes, but Nami believed that Chopper should do this alone since he'd lived with Kureha for 6 years. The crew planned to go when Chopper comes around.
Back in the castle, the villagers were moving the cannons out of the castle, though Kureha didn't tell them the reason.
She went to the medical ward to find Dalton only there, who told her of the Straw Hats' escape.
"You obviously wanted them to." Katsuki rolled his eyes.
Chopper came in. Kureha told him to help take the cannons out, but he told her that he's gonna be a pirate with the Straw Hats as their doctor and travel across the world.
Kureha yelled at him, that he's her assistant, that he should stay here if he truly loves this island, that he'll be dead out there.
"Don't be like that, granny." Denki frowned.
Hizashi lended towards the other two teachers, and whispered, "You can see what she's doing, right?" Toshinori and Aizawa nodded.
Still, Chopper is a man... so Kureha attacked him with weaponry, nearly hitting any nearby villagers.
"...She's doing the same thing as Dr. Hiriluk." Iida pointed out.
There was a collective of 'oh' in realization from at last half of the students.
The Straw Hats could hear the ruckus from inside as Chopper took the sleigh, hearing Kureha insult him. He refused to believe he's living in a fastasy.
When the Straw Hats saw the reindeer coming their way, he warned them to get on the sleigh now.
From the villages down below, they saw the witch's sleigh flying down across the snowy moonlit shy, but in actuality, Chopper was pulling the sleigh on the ropeway.
"Oh, that explains it!" Ochako said, in awe.
"Of course he wan't flying." Katsuki rolled his eyes.
There were memories of Chopper and Kureha as the doctor watched. The villagers at Kureha's old home were confused on what happened over there.
At the castle, Dalton asked the woman if it's really okay to say farewell like this, though Kureha claimed she was just taking care of someone's pet...
"I don't like... tears..."
"So, you do have a heart." Toshinori cracked a smile.
She punched Daltom, claiming they're going to prepare a flashy sendoff.
Chopper ran and ran into the forest, wishing that Hiriluk's research was actually true and not some lie for his sake.
From the castle, cannons were pointed tot he sky as Kureha ordered the villagers to fire. Dalton was confuse, but she just told him to shut up and watch.
The villages from below were worried that this is an attack, but the doctor had them be lighten up.
The audience murmured among themselves, wondering what's going on.
This display was seen from everywhere, even from where the Straw Has are as they stopped to watch.
"Listen, This red dust isn't ordinary dust. This will attach to the white snow in the air."
Tears fall from Chopper's eyes as he let out a loud wail.
Eyes widen, becoming watery at the beautiful sight.
The pink clouds had made the Drum Rocky resemble a giant cherry blossom tree, Hiriluk's dream.
"Now, have a safe trip, my stupid son."
"To Be Continued."
"That was beautiful! I never thought it would end so magnifique."Aoyama sniffled as Izuku grinned widely at the scene.
Skipping episode 91's opening and title, they could see the Straw Hats admiring the giant cherry blossom tree from their sailing ship. Chopper looked at the scene ever do seriously as the crew suspected it's because he's leaving home for the first time in his life.
"Leaving home is an important time in anyone's life." Toshinori said, which the students nodded in agreement.
Soon, the Straw Hats started to have a party, and they dragged Chopper into it, wanting him to sing, drink, and stick chop sticks up his nose.
Chopper looked confuse, but Nami reminded him that he made friends with some crazy people, making him smile.
The students smiled as well, seeing that he's really part of the crew now.
Vivi discovered Karoo was frozen in the lake. Zoro figured that he must had slipped, but Chopper was able to translate for the bird that he tried to get Zoro from the river and got frozen.
Nami smacked the swordsman for that, but Vivi realized that Chopper could understand other animals since he is one.
"Oh shit, I almost forgot about the bird." Denki said.
"Oh hey, he can talk to animals, like you." Sato said to Koda, which brought a little smile to his face.
Nami praised the reindeer for that and his medical skills, which caused Chopper to happily dance around.
The guys were shock to learn that Chopper is actually a doctor, and the navigator asked why did Luffy wanted Chopper to join in the first place.
"A seven-form transforming interesting reindeer."
"Emergency food."
"No, not emergency food!" Toru cried out as people let out surprised laughter at Sanji's answer.
Chopper soon realized that he hasn't brought his medical tools with him, but Nami showed him his bag, which was in the sleigh. Soon, Chopper realized that Kureha did all of this for him.
The smiling was unstoppable at the heartwarming scene, though a couple did burst out laughing at how the Straw Hats are celebrating Chopper's arrival or cheering at the same.
At the castle, Dalton and Kureha chatted about Chopper going out to sea and his future as a doctor. Kureha asked Dalton what he's going to do now.
Dalton wanted to atone for his sin as Wapol's Security Guard captain. He thought about leaving the country so he could entrust it to the citizens, but he realized that's not the only way to atone, and maybe he could watch the country start and grow.
"Well, I'm glad you're not leaving." Iida said, nodding.
Kureha could see that he cares about this country, and he admitted that he learned it from a ten years old girl.
Many years ago, in the Holy Land of Marie Geoise, Wapol was bored of this world event as even then, Dalton questioned if the Drum Kingdom would last any longer.
The king of the Alabasta Kingdom, Nefertari Cobra, passed by, which Dalton recognized him for his benevolence and wisdom.
At this event, royalty across the world discuss about the Revolutionist Dragon and how he'll become a big enemy to the World Government.
"Whoa, wait, that's the guy who've saved Luffy before!" Denki pointed out.
"He's that dangerous?" Momo's eyes widen.
...And why did he helped Luffy before? Kindred spirits? Izuku can't help but to wonder, more questions arising from this.
Wapol didn't care since it doesn't involve his country and figured that he governed his country so his people won't be led astray by a revolutionist, but Cobra called him out on it, calling him selfish and telling him to be more responsible.
Exiting the conference, Wapol saw the daughter of Cobra, Vivi, and 'accidentally' slapped her.
"Are you seriously that petty?" Jiro sneered at the fat man, as the others glared at him.
Igaram yelled at him, but Vivi claimed that she's fine even with the bruise on her forehead. She apologized to Wapol, and Dalton could see that even a child knew what it could start a war from an argument like this.
"Vivi, even from a young age, she've always cared about her country." Iida said, clearly impressed.
From this, Dalton could see that Vivi's nobility hasn't changed and how magnificent she turned out to be today.
The Twenty MDs approached the man to ask to let them do something for the country. Dalton smiled and nodded, but he frowned when his gaze turned to Hiriluk's flag, knowing the country will be reborn like Chopper.
Soon, a villager ran up to him when he remembered something serious: Luffy has a bounty on his head.
"I hope that doesn't change your opinion of him." Momo said.
Kureha found this to be amusing Dalton asked where he found this poster.
The villager told him that a week ago, a traveler suddenly appeared in Robelle Town on an unusual, non-snowy day. They don't know where he landed, but the traveler claimed he was after Blackbeard. When he realized that the pirate was long gone, he asked about Luffy, saying that when Luffy comes here, tell him that he'll be in Alabasta for 10 days. When the villager asked for his name, he claimed to be Ace, a name Luffy knows. While he does appear to be cool, another villager yelled that Ace just ate and skipped on the bill, causing him to run away.
Through the snickering students, Kirishima said, "He does seem manly so far."
"And he's pretty cute." Toru added, which the other girls agreed to with a nod.
Especially the freckles. Ochako thought with a light blush.
"But who the hell is he?" Katsuki asked the most important question here.
"Maybe Ace is Luffy's childhood friend." Mina determined, but Todoroki stared at Ace, getting a strange feeling of familiarity towards him.
"Maybe... he's his older brother." Todoroki suggested.
Everyone stared at him, but Izuku sighed, shaking his head at another one of his theories. "Really?"
"It just feels... right to me. More so than usual."
Dalton noticed Kureha was staring at the poster, and she asked if he knows about Gol D. Roger? He was confused, asking if she's talking about Gold Roger.
Kureha could tell that Chopper went with an extraordinary guy as the Will of D still lives on.
"He died 22 years ago, and Luffy's 17." Izuku immediately told Todoroki.
"I was just thinking he could be another one of Luffy's uncles."
"Another?"
Still, it can't be a coincidence, though I don't feel like they have a blood relation. Izuku still thought. Are their middle names the same? What does 'D' stand for? What's the Will of D?
After the eyecatches, on the Going Merry, Chopper was enjoying his new life as a pirate until a giant seagull started to attack them.
"Ah... Back to the wacky adventures." Hizash let out a fond sigh.
The giant seagull swooped in, and gotten Luffy, much to Nami and Chopper's horror. The reindeer warned the others that Luffy had been eaten by a bird, but they were playing with some cards, absolutely not worried.
"To be fair, this is not the first time Luffy was in a giant bird's beak." Tokoyami pointed out.
Since Luffy didn't ask for help, the three don't see a problem with this. Chopper was confused til he saw the rubber man was able to defeat the seagull, bringing it down to the Going Merry as a meal. Usopp was angry since Luffy messed up his good hand.
Seeing all of this, Chopper was able to confirm that pirates are incredible after all.
"He's etting it! He's getting it!" Mina exclaimed.
Since they're arriving at Alabasta soon, Nami had them discuss Alabasta. The crew were able to recap Chopper on what they're doing, along with information on the World Government and the Shichibukai. Vivi explained that Crocodile is a hero in Alabasta because he crushes he pirates that attack towns, but that's his public face.
Students stilled at Crocodile's description; that he's a hero.
"Of course." Izuku gritted his teeth, feeling disgusted.
Vivi seemed to be growing more frustrated at each word, but soon, Luffy is certain that they need to beat up Crocodile. Vivi agreed that htey need to stop the civil war and expel Baroque Works, which lead an explanation for Chopper about what it is and how it works and its system.
Izuku nodded along, writing down any new information like the other agent pairings.
Back in Little Garden, Mr. 2/Bon Clay was punishing his navigator, bu he asked about Mr.0's order, which was to kill Mr. 3 on the direct route between Alabasta and Little Garden. Bon Clay grabbed him by the throat and repeatedly slammed him against a tree since they got to Little Garden without meeting Mr. 3, meaning his crew must have missed Mr. 3's ship.
"He's much more freaky than I thought," Mineta shivered. "And why does he have two codenames?"
"Bon Clay... Like the O-Bon Festival and Kure?" Iida guessed.
"But the holiday codenames belong to the girls!"
A couple of eyes widen in realization,
"Huh..." Jiro said. "I guess that's impressive."
Bon Clay doesn't want to fail, or else Mr. 1 and his partner will kill him. Since they can't find Mr. 3 here, they have to go to Alabasta.
Meanwhile, Crocodile thought it was foolish that there are pirates attacking towns in Alabasta since he's here too, but Miss All Sunday pointed out that a rioting kingdom would be an easy target.
Still, he has to do it for his public position as the Shichibukai are pirates who crush other pirates, heroes to the people.
"To Be Continued."
That sour feeling returned as they saw Crocodile's face. Toshinori felt particularly disgusted at his words, his wounds aching.
Heroes... Izuku can't help but to glare at such a description. He could feel himself pitying people of Alabasta.
Chapter 41 - Episode 92, 93, & 94
Skipping episode 92's opening and title, they could see a pirate crew pillaging a desert town. The people were absolutely helpless against them until one of them saw Crocodile on top of a building, even being brought to tears at the sight of him. Even when Crocodile insulted them, the people were still grateful to him.
The audience can't help but to frown at this, hearing the people yell out wonderful titles at Crocodile.
These people truly believe in him. Aizawa thought.
The pirates were absolutely insulted since Crocodile believed that he could take them down, especially since he's a government dog acting like a hero.
Crocodile ordered those who don't want to die to lay down on the ground. The moment he got down, the pirates took the chance to stab him... but the man seems to be barely affected.
When he raised his hook, sand came towards it and swirled around like a storm, taking the crew down as they lied stiff in the sand.
The students held their breath once they saw the fat captain look so different now; dried and thin with shrunken features.
Their reaction was contrasted by the townspeople's joy to see him and their disappointment when he left, happily chanting his name.
Of course they know that not every villain's defeat would be clean and spotless, that not every hero has to smile at the people around them. It was just... different when you know a 'hero' have such ill intent and yet the people around them are oblivious to it, not sensing any future danger.
The guards arrived to see that Crocodile have already beaten them to it, and a report to the king has one of them telling him that Crocodile seems to be always one step ahead of them. Still, Cobra thought it's fine as long as the citizens are okay.
"Goddamn it." Kirishima cursed, wishing they'll realize it soon.
On the Going Merry, Nami could tell that the ship is going to Alabasta, giving Vivi hope.
The two looked down when they heard some commotion between Sanji and Luffy. With the rubber man's terrible poker face, the cook could easily tell that he's eaten all their food, and it was confirmed when Sanji lied about something around Luffy's mouth, earning the rubber man a kick in the face.
Sanji have to ask Nami if they could get a lockable refrigerator since the giant rat trap is no longer good enough.
"A giant rat trap?" Shoji said, absolutely baffled.
Nami will considered it since this is a life or death situation here.
Meanwhile, Usopp, Chopper, and Karoo were fishing, eating out of the others' views. Much to their nervousness, Sanji approached, and he bonked their heads together.
"You have to be more careful with your food!" Iida exclaimed as some of the others snickered.
After some time, the fish weren't biting as Usopp and Luffy fished. The sniper said that it was Luffy's fault for eating the bait, though Luffy pointed out that he did too.
Hizashi dry heaved at that as a couple of students looked disgusted.
Vivi came over to ask if they caught anything yet, but she soon discovered that the two were using Karoo as bait, earning them bonks on the head.
"Poor Karoo." Koda sighed.
The princess noticed that they're heading for some green steam, though when she told Nami about it, the navigator said not to worry about it since it's just a hot spot, explaining there's underwater volcanoes, and in thousands of years, an island will be born.
Sanji asked Luffy and Usopp if they caught anything, but Luffy's hungry so the cook has to search through the storage for anything.
Just as he entered the mess hall, the ship have entered the steam, much to their dismay since it smelt like sulfur and they can't see.
At the same time, Mr. 2's ship entered the same steam, and when they went through, the agent somehow disappeared.
"...How did that happen?" Momo raised an eyebrow.
Back on the Going Merry, Usopp and Luffy managed to catch Mr. 2. who's confuse on why he grabbed Karoo.
"Not even he knows." Jiro shrugged.
Bon Clay fell into the sea, begging for help, and after the eyecatches, he was seen on the ship, dripping with sea water. He was very grateful that they saved him, but asked for a cup of warm soup.
From above, Vivi seemed to recognized him at first as Bon Clay thought she's cute, much to her disgust.
When Luffy noticed he can't swim, Bon Clay confessed that it's because he ate a devil fruit. To entertain them, he decided to show off his powered, which involved smacking Luffy.
"Hey, why did you do that?" Toru protested just as the Straw Hats jump into action.
Eyes widen when they heard Luffy's voice in a much higher tone than before.
Before their eyes, the agent looks exactly like Luffy, minus the clothes.
With the touch of his left hand, Bon Clay can turn back to normal. This is the power of Mane Mane no Mi.
Ochako's jaw dropped, being reminded of Toga.
Luffy thought that was amazing as Bon Clay touched the others' faces.
By simply touching his face with his right hand, the agent can change his appearance, including body... which he showed by opening his shirt as Nami.
Mineta cursed the fact that they didn't get to see any of Nami's 'goods' as Ochako deeply frowned at this. It would make disguising yourself so much simpler like that.
Of course, that earned him a punch to the head by the real Nami.
Bon Clay apologized since he can't show anymore of his power, but with some cheering from Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy, he decided to show off more of his appearances. One of them was a face that Vivi recognized: her father.
"He has Cobra's face." Izuku mentioned.
"At least Vivi could tell them later about it." Iida said.
"But there are many things he could do with the king's face." Momo worried.
Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy were having a blast with Bon Clay, but the fun has to stop when the Swanda came into view. The four has to make their tearful goodbyes, but they'll always be friends.
"Really?" Katsuki rolled his eyes.
"It's sweet!" Sato exclaimed.
The Straw Hats heard Mr. 2's crew say his codename, and once the Swanda is gone, the Straw Hats were shocked. Luffy asked why Vivi didn't know his face, and the princess claimed it's because she've never met Mr. 2, Mr. 1, or his partner, along with their powers, but she does know of the rumors.
With such a detailed and specific description of Bon Clay, she should had definitely noticed him.
"No offense, but yeah." Denki shrugged.
Vivi was distressed, recognizing one of the faces Bon Clay turned into was her father. As Zoro pointed out, he could do a lot of bad things as the king.
"Exactly." Momo agreed.
They recognized that Mr. 2 will be quite a problem as their enemy, especially once he realizes they're the enemy. Since Mr. 2 can transform into them now, they won't even be able to trust each other.
Ochako nodded, glad they're taking this seriously.
While that is the case, Zoro pointed out that now they do know of Mr. 2's powers, that also means they can figure out countermeasures.
While Bon Clay is happy about the small friendship he'd made, the Going Merry was ricked violently by the sea until a Sea Cat rises from the waters.
"Oh look," Hizashi snickered, lightly jabbing an elbow into Aizawa's side. His friend could only give him an annoyed look.
Chopper and Usopp were terrified by it, but Luffy and Zoro are desperate for a meal. Nami could tell they're on the right track.
Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji were going to fight it as a meal, but Vivi stopped them by smacking them with a broom.
The Sea Cat escaped as Luffy and Sanji were confuse. Vivi told them they can't eat it because Sea Cats are sacred to Alabasta.
Still, Luffy's disappointed that their food has gotten away, but Vivi reassured him that they can stuff their faces soon, which led the rubber man to wonder if what cat will appear this time.
"I'm pretty sure it won't be a cat." Aizawa dryly murmured.
Vivi could tell that they've entered Alabasta's climate area because of the Sea Cat.
Then they noticed a lot of Baroque Works ships in the distance, and Vivi'd guess that its employees are gathering and there are probably Billions, meaning their enemies are the 200 elites.
Usopp asked if they should fire at them, but Luffy thinks it would be quicker to beat them up... after they eat. Zoro and Sanji believed they shouldn't as the agents are a bunch of small fries, and there's only 8 of them.
Later, the crew tied white pieces of cloth to their arms, confident that they don't need to doubt their friends.
"Lucky that Bon Clay can't copy their clothes." Ochako let out a long sigh.
Sanji asked if Mr. 2 can really become similar when he transforms, and Usopp corrected him, saying that it's the same, not similiar.
"Oh yeah, Sanji hasn't met Mr. 2 yet." Toru said.
"Nor does Baroque Works know about him." Jiro added.
"Hopefully, they can use that to their advantage." Izuku said.
Chopper asked what he should do, and Usopp told him to do he can do, and that it's okay to run away from the enemy you can't defeat... which seems more like advice to himself. Still, Chopper understood.
Luffy can see the island, and Vivi told them to stop at Nanohana and that they have to hide the ship.
The captain reassured them that the thing on their left arm is the sign of their friendship. As Nami reminds Luffy of their enemy, Vivi looked at her left arm with a smile.
"To Be Continued."
"I'm glad that Vivi is trusting the crew more." Kirishima said, remembering how she was in the last arc.
"She just needed a little more time." Sero said.
Aizawa took a glance at the little sticky note. "Alright, episode 93 will be half filler." When he looked up, no one missed the way he looked at Katsuki, as if daring him to complain about the filler part. He'll probably will during the episode, but for now, he stayed quiet, letting out an annoyed huff.
Skipping episode 93's opening, they saw Vivi staring at the desert island. Nami asked if she has a plan for the Rebellion, and she does, but there's no guarantee it will make things stop. She's determined to not make a hasty decision.
"I mean, I'm sure you won't, but I'm not sure about Luffy here." Tsuyu said.
After skipping the title, the crew's ship landed near Nanohana of the Alabasta Kingdom. Nami advise them to use self-control and try not to act on instinct too much. Sanji happily agreed, but Luffy, the guy who needs to hear it the most, is gone already as he ran for a food place.
"I knew it." Tsuyu said.
"...Someone get a leash for that kid." Aizawa sighed.
"I'm pretty sure he'll break out of it." Toshinori sweatdropped.
Vivi asked what they should do, and Sanji told her not to worry since he'll be easy to find, just go to the place with the most commotion, though Nami wishes Luffy realized that he has a bounty on his head.
Several students nodded in agreement at both points.
"Still, they're going to be in a giant desert." Denki pointed out.
Vivi said that she and Karoo will stay on the ship since she's too recognizable here, though Sanji did want to shop with her.
When Karoo squawked, he was able to point them to where Mr. 3's ship is, surprising them that Mr. 3 is still kicking it.
Usopp has a plan... which involves everyone, except for Sanji and Chopper, hiding under a big tarp and walking their way into the town.
...
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever seen." Katsuki complained.
"But it's working." Aoyama shrugged.
The crew managed to hide in a ruined house. Sanji noticed Vivi was spacing out, and she admitted that she just felt a relieved from seeing the town, but at the same time, she can't rest easy.
Zoro asked what will she do now and what should they do. Vivi was surprised since the agreement was to only bring her to Alabasta, but with a small bonk to Vivi's head, Nami told her that they've traveled this far, there's no way they'll leave her now.
"Exactly. You guys already went through so much." Mina said.
Also, Nami wanted that reward.
Ochako sighed, bowing her head.
Even as Nami and Zoro fight over the debt, Vivi felt relieved.
The princess told them of an oasis called Yuba, which is where the rebel army is based in, and she'd like to go there to stop the uprising, but they have to cross the desert. For that, they'll need to stock up on food and water, but Mr. 3 is in town.
Sanji reminded them that the agent hasn't seen his nor Chopper's face, so they have to count on them.
"Oh, Chopper's first mission!" Mina gushed.
While Sanji and Chopper get the supplies, Nami is wondering where's Luffy.
Cue Luffy in the desert.
"...I'm not even surprise." Jiro sighed.
Luffy attempted to go back the way he came until he noticed smoke coming from a building. He immediately raced there, believing the smoke means it's a food place.
"Or on fire." Iida said.
"Or a chimney is warming up a place." Denki added.
"In a desert... at broad daylight?" Momo raised an eyebrow at him as Katsuki mentally wondered if this is the filler part of the episode.
Back in Nanohana, Sanji showed Chopper some grilled deer meat-
"Sanji, no!" Toru cried out.
-as the cook's fascinated by all the ingredients here.
Chopper sniffed the air and noticed there's something strange mixed with the food's smell. Sanji was able to tell that it's perfume, which Chopper doesn't like. He was quickly abandoned by Sanji, who went to hit on some girls until Chopper pulled down his pants to remind him of the shopping.
The girls shook their heads at the cook.
Chopper really doesn't like the smell, and the cook told him to not push himself. In fact, Sanji will do the shopping while the reindeer waits over there...
Then, he chased after the girls.
"Sanji, how dare you leave Chopper alone!" Momo furiously exclaimed as Chopper was starting to have symptoms of heat stroke.
"And poor Chopper, the first island he goes to is a desert island after living in a winter island all his life." Tsuyu can't help but to pity him.
He found a nice dark place in to rest in from a truck... which someone closed the door on and took him out into the desert.
"Chopper, no!" Toru cried out as Katsuki also wondered if this is part of the filler.
As Sanji tried to find Chopper, Vivi explained that Nanohana's perfume is actually made in an oasis called Katorea, which is where Luffy found himself at.
Sadly, it doesn't look like a food place to Luffy, calling out for someone but no one came out.
There's no water, but there are these bags. After the eyecatches, Looked looked through all of them and only found nasty, green powder. As a man shakes in the darkness with a sword, Luffy decided to burn all the green powder since he's thought it was poison.
"Yeah, this is definitely filler." Katsuki let out an annoyed sigh.
Burning the powder made the smoke turn green. Before Luffy could walk off to another food place, the green smoke made it rain, alerting the man inside.
"Wait, the powder made it rain?" Denki said in confusion, which was the same feeling spread to the others. "Why isn't it being used everywhere then?"
The man was furious with Luffy, especially learning that he burned all of his Dance Powder, but Luffy doesn't really care. The man tried to attack him, but Luffy dodged him at each swing.
Once Luffy realized that the powder was the man's dream, he apologized, but that didn't made things better for the man, especially since Luffy doesn't have any money.
When Luffy suggested that he buys some more, the man claimed the powder's outlawed, which made the rubber man realized that he's a bad guy.
"But why?" Denki continued to ask.
"Maybe it messes with the environment." Sato guessed.
Cutting away from the old man trying to kill Luffy, Chopper woke up and noticed where he is, absolutely frightened/ It doesn't help that he knocked over a box, and was surprised by the rifles that came out. Luckily, he was able to hide away before he was caught.
"Poor Chopper..." Ochako whined as the girls and Koda can't help but to feel bad for the little reindeer.
The truck stopped as the guys went inside the building for Koza. The camel looked around as one of the men opened the truck to see Chopper playing dead, wondering if he's food.
Inside the tent, the man told Koza that they've gotten the weapons, and Koza apologized for having them to do that. Soon, the man asked why he's in a daze, and Koza claimed it's because the country's screw. It won't stay in peace no matter what, and now they have enough men after 300,000 of the Royal Army switched to their side, but they don't have enough weapons or food, and their strength is at its limit. He doesn't believe in shedding anymore unnecessary blood.
They have to change the country!
The students gulped. Koza seems reasonable in some way, clearing after something he believes in, but hopefully he'll know the truth some day.
The soldiers wasn't able to find that reindeer from before, and the camel wanted water, so one of the men showed him the way, much to his delight.
The camel walked off... hiding Chopper under his cloak. He managed to bring him out in the desert for safety, Chopper asked why he'd saved him.
Apparently, it's just because the camel's cool.
"Well, thanks, camel." Jiro said as Koda let out a sigh of relief.
The two went their separate ways. For a moment, Chopper wondered who those people were but he decided to go back to Nanohana by the scent of the perfume.
Back to what happened to Luffy, he was safe, having beaten up that guy who tried to kill him. The two apologized for what happened, but the man does ask Luffy to keep the powder a secret. Soon, Luffy asked what it is anyway.
The man said it's Dance Powder, or Rain-Summoning Powder, and it can cause a downpour. When he asked if he should explain it in more detail, Luffy admitted that he wouldn't understand anyway, and the man has to agree. The two laughed until Luffy hit him on the head for being rude.
The man was able to explain it in more detail, but it just seems to get higher and faster for Luffy to listen to. Still, luffy understood it as 'mystery powder.'
Izuku blinked, pen in hand. "...Did anyone get that?"
"It's mystery powder." Denki simply answered.
Luffy asked why they would want to use the powder to make it rain, and the man explained that Alabasta has always been battling with drought, but the World Government has outlawed Dance Powder, executing anyone seen using it. In fact, it's what started the country's rebellion.
Luffy asked if his dream is to use the Dance Powder to save the country, but in actuality, he just wanted to make money by selling the water.
"Of course." Ochako sighed.
Before Luffy could go out to look for another food place, the man asked again for Luffy to not tell anyone about this, and Luffy won't since he doesn't care. To make sure he doesn't, the man made him some lunch.
The two made their goodbyes, but not before Luffy told him that he can't even turn the man in since he is a pirate.
"Well, that was pointless." Katsuki sighed.
"I think the Dance Powder will make a return at least," Izuku said. "And maybe the camel too."
Back with the other Straw Hats, Nami and Vivi thanked Sanji for the dancer outfits.
"Nice." Mineta gave his thumbs up as he and Denki drooled over the girls. Some of the other guys can't help but to blush in the close ups on the them.
Vivi reminded him to get commoner clothes, but Sanji claimed that dancers are commoners. Vivi added on that they need to go through the desert, but Sanji doesn't mind carrying them if they get tired.
The girls sighed, shaking their heads.
Sanji compared the other guys to looking more like bandits. Usopp asked what Chopper's doing laying on the ground, and Chopper claimed that the smell is killing him.
...and Nami added more perfume on.
"Nami!" The girls and Koda quickly scolded the navigator.
They plan to go to Yuba, but they have to trek through the desert first, which Vivi is uneasy about since it's dangerous. Once again, she asked for their help, which is what the Straw Hats were waiting for.
Then they realized they were missing someone.
Cue Luffy in the desert, eating his rice balls.
"To Be Continued."
"They just noticed he wasn't there?" Katsuki complained.
Moving onto episode 94, they skipped the opening, recap, and title to see Ace walking around town.
"Oooooo..." The girls blushed, seeing that he's shirtless.
He belongs to another pirate crew. Izuku noted the tattoo on Ace's back. What does he want with Luffy in the first place then?
An old man tried to see Ace a golden apple that will let him live for 1000 years, but Ace is only interested in living in today. The he walked off.
"So manly..." Kirishima admired.
The old man was disappointed, but his apple did caught the attention of Chopper and Usopp. The two would had bought it until Nami hit them on the head, and Zoro showed them where the apples were being painted at.
Even as they're being dragged away to look for Luffy, the two still wanted the apple.
"I thought being a liar would make you better at noticing lies, Long Nose." Katsuki rolled his eyes.
Zoro wondered where Luffy is, but soon, he noticed Ace, who's also looking got the rubber man.
"Wait, he has a tattoo of his name, but it's been misspelled." Hizashi said.
"I hope it was the tattoo artist that misspelled it." Aizawa said.
"How would anyone misspell their own name?" Toshinori raised an eyebrow.
As Ace was directed to a restaurant, Usopp, Chopper, and Nami were curious about him, but Zoro recognized that mark on his back during his pirate hunting days..
So that mark is that famous, or I guess, infamous? Izuku thought.
Before he could elaborate, Zoro was soon distracted by the fact that Tashigi is here too, and quickly hid from her.
Smoker approached her, carrying around some small fry pirates. He was looking for any word of Straw Hat in this country.
"I can still see that you're still obsessed with Luffy." Toru nervously chuckled.
"I mean, he's the reason why Smoker's in the Grand Line." Ojiro reminded her.
The other Straw Hats hid as well, seeing that Smoker has followed them from Logue Town.
Meanwhile, Luffy was still in the desert, hungry. He didn't get excited when he saw some towns in the distance, but he did when he hallucinated some food over them, running as fast as he could.
"Hopefully, it's the fight town." Iida sighed.
People from inside and outside the restaurant, "Spice Bean," were shocked because a man died in the middle of a conversation with the owner, probably from a desert strawberry.
"What?! Ace can't just die right now!" Mina frowned in disappointment.
"We barely got to know him." Tokoyami shook his head in sadness.
...Then Ace woke up.
"...Never mind then." Mina said, though a little happy since Ace's alive now.
He blinked, looking around, and when a woman approached too see if he's okay, Ace used her skirt as a towel. He realized he fell asleep.
"You were asleep?!" The audience and the people shouted at the same time.
Some students bursted out laughing while others stared in disbelief.
"I wonder if he has narcolepsy." Momo mentioned.
Ace wondered if their telling is some kind of comedic skit, but the owner reassured him that they're just worried.
...Then Ace fell asleep again.
Among the laughing students, Izuku thought, He kind of does have a similar feeling to Luf- He glanced at Todoroki. Oh my god.
People leaving the restaurant has caught Smoker's attention as Ace finished his meal. He soon asked the owner if he've seen Luffy, just in time for Smoker to see the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Portgas D. Ace.
"Oh, would you look at that. Whitebeard's here too." Hizashi said, having heard another familiar name from history.
"But that's obviously a mustache." Aizawa dryly said.
Another D? Izuku can't help but to note that.
Everyone around them was shocked to hear that. Ace was part of the Whitebeard Pirates.
When Smoker asked why someone like him is in this country, Ace claimed that he's searching for his little brother.
...
"Holy shit, that's Luffy's big brother!?" Mina suddenly shouted, bringing everyone up into an uproar.
Through the excitement, Izuku stared at Todoroki in disbelief. "Looks like you're right for the first time." He wasn't sure what he was expecting, maybe some triumph, but he wasn't expecting confusion on Todoroki's face.
"But that have different family names." Todoroki pointed out.
"Maybe 'Portgas' is his mother's maiden name." Iida guessed.
"You... can just take her name?"
"I believe so, after signing some papers."
"Huh."
As Luffy was able to find the restaurant by smell, Smoker wanted to capture Ace quietly, but since Ace refused, Smoker wanted to look for Luffy. Still, he can't look the other way, turning into smoke.
It looked like there's going to be a fight between the two until Luffy 'Gomu Gomu no Rocket'ed himself straight into Smoker and Ace, sending them flying through several buildings.
Students bursted out laughing at the scene.
"My God, he always bring chaos with him." Hizashi grinned.
After the eyecatches, Luffy happily eaten his big meal as the owner decided to warn him about the guy he sent flying, asking if he knows who he is. Of course Luffy doesn't realize it nor why there's a bunch of holes through several buildings.
Smoker and Ace arisen from the rubble with Ace apologizing to the customers.
"Hm... He's a lot more polite than I thought." Iida nodded approvingly.
The customers and the owner ran when they saw Ace approaching. He would had been angry until he saw Luffy. Sadly, so did Smoker, pushing Ace into the ground.
"No, we need that brothers' reunion!" Toru cried out.
Luffy stared at Smoker, continuously eating his food even when the man told him to stop. It took a long while, but Luffy finally realized who this marine is, sputtering out his food.
Before Smoker could fight him, Luffy shoveled all his food into his mouth and ran off with Smoker and Ace chasing after him, leaving behind a ruined restaurant.
"That poor restaurant. He didn't even paid." Momo sighed.
"Yeah, the most important part." Ojiro sarcastically said.
Luffy recognized that all he could do is run for now as Smoker called out for Tashigi, who thought he wanted a towel. When she realized she has to catch Luffy, she attempted to slice him, but the rubber man jumped to one of the buildings' roof.
Following him with his smoke powers, Smoker ordered Tashigi to gather the marines at once and search the town for the Straw Hats.
Realizing this, Tashigi figured that it must mean Zoro's here too.
"Oh god, this is going to be messy." Sero nervously smiled.
"White Snake!" Luffy tried to run away as fast as he could from Smoker's plume of smoke. Smoker demanded on why he's here, and Luffy told him that he's here to beat up Crocodil, making him wonder their connection.
"So, yeah, Crocodile's the bad guy here." Denki said.
Luffy managed to disappear, confusing Smoker when in actuality, the rubber man fell into an alleyway. The marine captain was able to notice him, chasing after right away.
Meanwhile, Sanji, Vivi, and Karoo were hiding away in the ruined house, wondering where Luffy has gone to. What's worst is when Usopp, Chopper, Zoro, and Nami approached to warn them that the marines and a strange guy are here.
Then they heard a big commotion from the marines, and Sanji figured that some idiot pirate must be running around town or something...
Then they realized it was Luffy.
"Like I said before, Luffy always bring chaos with him." Hizashi said.
Luffy noticed Zoro, running towards them, which in turn, got the marines to notice them too. Now, all the crew has to run away with their supplies as Smoker continued to chase after Luffy.
"White Blow!" Smoker extended his punch to Luffy.
"Kagero!" A stream of fire stopped the smoke, surprising everyone as Ace entered the scene, fire coming out of his body.
"Holy shit!" Everyone gaped at Ace.
"He has fire powers." Todoroki said with interest, eyes widening at the reveal.
The crew were confused on why Ace's helping them, but Luffy clearly recognized them as Ace commented on how he didn't change a bit.
Luffy couldn't believe it, including the fact that Ace ate a Devil Fruit. Ace confirmed it to be the Mera Mera no Mi.
The marines were securing the perimeter as Ace told the crew to run, he'll hold them off.
As the Straw Hats ran off, the crew asked who that guy is.
"Apparently his brother." Tsuyu said in disbelief. "I wonder why he'd never mentioned him."
"I mean, it's not like the whole crew talk about their past causally." Jiro said.
Smoker asked why Ace is helping the Straw Hats, the fire man claimed it's natural for a big brother to worry about his kid brother.
Iida can't help but to smile a bit, reminisced of his own older brother.
Though flames decorated Ace's body, Smoker told him to move aside, but of course, Ace can't do that, his whole body turning into flames.
As they continued to run, Nami asked if Ace is an acquaintance of his, but soon, Luffy happily told them that he's his brother.
"To Be Continued."
As the students talked about how cool Ace is, Todoroki can't help but to be fascinated with Ace, seeing his entire body burst into flames like that.
Hopefully, I could learn from him. Todoroki thought with a slight smile.
Chapter 42 - Episode 95, 96, & 97
Skipping episode 95's opening, recap, and title, they were greeted with Ace refusing to move, creating a wall of fire. The people in the background called him "Fire Fist Ace."
Smoker turned his hands into smoke. "White... Spark!" He rushes ahead, colliding with the fire.
From far away, the civilians could see what look like a tornado made of fire and smoke, which can be seen by the Straw Hats as well.
"This is awesome!" Denki exclaimed as Todoroki looked on in awe. He can turn into fire itself.
The Straw Hats were confused by the fight as Nami asked Luffy if Ace is truly his brother. Of course, Luffy said yes, and Zoro claimed he isn't too surprised by that, but he did asked why Ace is in the Grand Line.
Luffy answered that he's a pirate, and Ace left the island three years ago before him to find the One Piece.
The crew continued to run for the ship, but because he was watching Ace and Smoker's fight, Luffy managed to get himself separated from them... again.
"Of course." Iida sighed.
"But the fight did look cool." Denki tried to defend.
Smoker could tell that this fight is going to nowhere, having lost both the Straw Hats and Ace.
As the crew were setting sail, Vivi told Chopper that they're going to head up the river into the interior of Alabasta as their next destination is Erumalu, the City of Green.
Then the whole crew realized they were missing Luffy... again.
"How many times is this going to happen?" Iida scolded them.
Luffy soon realized that his crew is gone, but Ace came in, making fun of him.
The two haven't seen each other, already making banter as they arm wrestled on the barrel.
The audience can't help but to smile at the heartwarming scene of the two remembering the past til they broke the barrel from their struggling.
Is that how brothers usual are? Todoroki thought, seeing how the two reminiscence on the trouble they made.
The two decided that they're the same.
Ace asked about his friends, but Luffy also asked why he's here in this country. Ace told him that he's on minor business, so he thought he could look the rubber man up.
To clarify on 'minor business,' Ace is a member of the Whitebeard Pirates now, and he asked Luffy if he wants to join too, including his friends.
Kirishima scoffed. "No way. He'll never do that."
Of course, Luffy said no, and Ace expected so. Still, Ace believes that Whitebeard is the greatest pirate he know, and he wants to make him King of the Pirates. Luffy was fine with that. They'll just have to fight as Luffy's going to be King of the Pirates.
So, they still have a mutual respect for each other. Aizawa slightly smiled at the thought.
Then Ace scolded him for trying to drink all the water.
On a marine ship, Mr. 11 is left all alone, giving him a chance to escape, but soon, he was confronted by Billions, who are candidates to be Number Agents.
One of the Billions shot Mr. 11, and when they got off the ship, they were told of Fire Fist Ace,, and they were confident that they'll guaranteed to be Number Agents if they take down Ace.
"Shooting a tied up man is different from trying to kill a guy made of fire." Mina said.
Luffy and Ace decided to look for his friends. Luffy figured that they've gone back to the ship, but the only problem there is that he can't remember where the harbor is.
While Ace scolded him, they were being followed and stalked by the Billions.
Ace asked about his crew, and Luffy answered honestly, like a 'navigator who likes maps and tangerines and money,' a 'liar,' and a 'reindeer.' His brother thought that's quite a variety there.
"Yeah, since when was the last time you heard of a reindeer in a team?" Toru said.
"Besides Santa." Jiro gave a pointed look at Denki.
Luffy thought his crew is so interesting, though Ace believes that he's probably the most interesting of all. Still, a handful of people for a crew is just so... Luffy, but he still wants a musician.
"Man, you really want a musician." Sato can't help but to note.
Soon, they were stopped by the Billions.
After the eyecatches, on the Going Merry, Chopper worried about setting sail without Luffy, but with the Navy around, Nami told him that they have to hide the ship.
Vivi told them of a cove they can be hidden in. Sanji figured that they'll wait for things to cool down, then look for Luffy. Usopp was more annoyed with the rubber man, but Zoro thought he's a real reliable captain.
"Well, at least you put your trust in Luffy." Kirishima sighed.
Ace and Luffy were held up by gunpoint. The Billions were there for Ace until they realized that Luffy's there as well and worth 30 million Beris. They were certain of the promotion... but the two brothers causally walked passed him as if it was just another day.
Snickers broke out at the relax nature of the two.
The Billions jumped them, but the brothers dodged their attacks. Even when the agents tried to dogpile Luffy, the rubber man managed to stretch his arms up to some clothes line, surprising the agents.
They tried to shoot bullets at him, but the bullets bounced off of him, one of them hitting the cheek of the leader.
"The least you could do is research your enemy." Hizashi jokingly wagged a finger at him.
The main man of the Billions tried to slice Luffy, but Ace was able to grab the blade with his hand.
"Holy shit, that's so cool!" Sero exclaimed as the other students were impressed as well.
As Luffy stretched his arms back, Ace set his hand on fire, causing the man to feel the burning heat through the sword.
"...Bazooka!" The man was sent flying across the city and into the sky.
Then the brother causally left, not even caring about the threat the Billions had made.
"Just give up, you fucking bastards." Katsuki groaned, rolling his eyes.
The brothers were able to find the ocean. The Billions came in, much to Ace's annoyance, but Luffy was able to find his friends, and soon, his friends has found him too.
Leaving Ace behind, Luffy stretched his arm out to the ship and pulled himself over, knocking over Sanji and Chopper in the process.
"What? That's it for Ace?" Toru said in disappointment, her sleeves slumping.
"I'm sure we'll see more of him in the future." Todoroki hoped.
His crew wished that he acted more like a captain, but Luffy realized that Ace isn't here. Usopp asked if it's okay to just leave him there, but Luffy thought it'll be okay since Ace's strong. Even though Ace haven't ha=d eaten the Mera Mera no Mi a long time ago, Luffy still never beat him in a single fight. This shocked the crew.
"Wait, really?" Katsuki's eyes widen. "Ace was able to beat Luffy without some power? I know he's his older brother, but that's just impossible."
"Anything's possible if you try hard enough." Toshinori said as Izuku glanced at the floor with a small smile.
Though Luffy believes he could beat Ace now.
Suddenly, Ace jumped in, landing on the Going Merry's railings. Luffy was surprised, but introduced him to his crew.
Ace thanked the Straw Hats for taking care of his brother, and they stiffly bowed and said it wasn't a problem despite their complaining earlier.
There were a few snickers and giggles as Denki said, "Oh, trying to impress the captain's big bro."
"I mean, he was apparently stronger than Luffy back in the day." Iida reasoned.
Sanji figured that Ace will be staying around, so he'll make some tea, but Ace politely declined, then lit up his cigarette as well.
"Hm... he also has pyrokinesis." Todoroki noted, nodding.
The crew were so shocked by Ace's politeness that they couldn't believe he could be Luffy's brother.
"Oh, come on, Luffy's not that bad." Sato waved a hand away at this.
The Billions' ships came in, ruining the reunion between the brothers, but Ace decided to clean them up.
He jumped down below into a little boat that was tied to the Going Merry.
"Was that always there?" Shoji blinked in bewilderment.
Ace set his feet aflame, which fueled the boat into moving.
The Billions dared him to get pass their five ships, so he did.
Ace's boat slipped into the ocean but didn't sink as Ace jumped into the sky, somersaulting into flames til he was able to land on his returning boat.
"Alright, he's just showing off." Aizawa said, though the others were in great awe in Ace's feat.
"We should get you something like that." Denki told Todoroki, eyes sparkling.
Todoroki was in thought. "I don't think I'll be need for oceanic rescues."
"It'll be cool! Come on!"
I didn't say I wouldn't do it. I may need to pay a visit to the Support Department once they're available. Todoroki thought to himself.
"Hiken!" Ace turned his fist into flames and launched it at all of the Billions' ships with ease.
As Ace lifted his hat's brim with his lit finger, the Straw Hats and the audience stared in amazement.
"Holy shit, that was one of the most manliest scenes I've ever seen." Kirishima looked as starstruck as the others.
Smoker and the other marine soldiers were at the ruined house the Straw Hats were hiding out at when Tashigi ran to Smoker to tell him that the Straw Hats are nowhere to be found. Smoker asked for Tashigi's opinion since Vivi was with them too.
Tashigi thought the princess might be a hostage, but Smoker pointed out that she was acting like she was part of the crew. He figured that something's happening in Alabasta.
"Thank God someone in the marines is figuring this out." Katsuki praised.
"But will it be correct." Momo hoped.
One of the soldiers came to tell him the news that Mr. 11 was killed and that the Straw Hats haven't been located, but Smoker already had an idea where they're headed, that they're after Crocodile.
Smoker honestly hates the Shichibukai, especially Crocodile. Tashigi pointed out that he's a Navy and government ally, but Smoker knew that Crocodile has never been the type to just quietly obey the government.
He told Tashigi to remember one thing: "A pirate is a pirate, no matter where he goes!"
"I mean, you're right about Crocodile, but Luffy probably has done more than good than bad in his whole pirate career!" Ochako disagreed with him on that point.
Smoker is confident that Luffy will show up wherever Crocodile is, and things could become clear if they go there.
On the Going Merry, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were happy to toast that Ace is one of them, though Ace reminded them that he isn't joining, so they cheered to the delicious drinks instead. Nami claimed that they're always looking for an excuse to drink.
"That better not to be alcohol." Iida scolded.
"They're pirates. They don't care about if they're under the legal drinking age." Jiro rolled her eyes.
Luffy asked Ace if he's sure he won't join them, but Ace is after a certain man: Blackbeard.
Vivi remembered him as the pirate who attacked the Drum Kingdom, and Ace explained that Blackbeard used to be a member of the 2nd Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, one of his men, but he committed the worst possible sin on a pirate ship: he killed a crew mate and jumped ship. As the commander, he has to find and get rid of him. He came to Alabasta because he caught word that Blackbeard was seen in Yuba, which Nami pointed out is the same destination as theirs.
"Oh my god, he's going to come with us!" Mina excitedly exclaimed, hands over her cheeks.
"I can't believe that Blackbeard was apart of Whitebeard's crew." Hizashi said.
Vivi showed them to Yuba on the map, which is where the leader of the rebel army is.
Sanji would happily go anywhere Nami and Vivi went, and Zoro told him to get lost. Before they could fight, Ace was welcomed to the crew as they have a toast together.
"To Be Continued."
"I can't wait for more Ace." Kirishima grinned.
Onto episode 96, they've skipped the opening, recap, and title, they could see people walking up some stairs, but the guards stopped them. The people begged to see the king, asking how long id the civil war going to last as they have nothing to eat.
The students frowned, seeing their desperation.
The people tried to push pass the guards, but everyone froze when the king came in. One man dared him to say something until the crowd were in an uproar. The guards yelled back, but Cobra criticized them for doing so.
To the people, Cobra apologized for his lack of strength and their suffering. He welcomed them to enter his castle so he could listen to their qualms. For now, all he could do is share their suffering as if it were his own, and ask for them to endure a little more. He will return calm to the kingdom, even at the expense of his life.
"There's no way this guy could be evil." Denki murmured, seeing how down to earth he is.
As green powder gather in a man's hand, Vivi had told her father that this was a set up, that someone is trying to ruin the kingdom. In the present day, Cobra hoped that Vivi's alright, wondering where she is and what she's doing.
In the Going Merry, Vivi looked up as Sanji asked for her to come to the kitchen for tea. In the kitchen, Usopp and Luffy were playing with their food, and Sanji hit them with a wok and a frying pan for doing so.
"Seriously, are you five?" Katsuki complained.
Sanji told them to wash dishes or something, absolutely frustrated as he has to pack their meals. Ace asked if he needs a hand, but the cook told him to relax since he's a guest.
...Then he got mad at Luffy and Usopp for washing dishes in the mop bucket. Meanwhile, Chopper was getting a nice breeze from Zoro swinging around his weights.
While the girls and Koda thought it was cute that Zoro was doing something nice for Chopper, Kirishima said, "Seriously, look at how much he's lifting."
"Don't swing weights around." Aizawa quickly said. "I don't want to imagine the holes of the injuries from that."
Vivi asked Nami to land the ship here for a moment, and when the navigator asked what for, the princess claimed that she has an important task for Karoo.
Landing on the shore, Vivi asked Karoo to go to the Alubarna Palace on his own and deliver a letter to her father. It has everything she and Igaram learned about Crocodile and Baroque Works' schemes, and that she've returned to Alabasta with friends.
Karoo looked nervous, but when asked if he can do it on his own, the bird saluted.
Vivi gave him the letter and reminded him of his water for the journey. Luffy wished him good luck, and Karoo ran, but stopped for a sip. Then he ran across the desert in a flash.
"Good luck!" Tory shouted as Koda waved Karoo good bye.
Ace thought that a pirate trying to steal a kingdom sounded like a bad joke, especially one settling down. As they've set sail, Ace figured that there could be another side to this takeover thing; a deeper goal.
"But what?" Izuku wondered. "Is Alabasta hiding something?"
"I just thought he'd be taking over Alabasta because he has an advantage with his sand powers." Katsuki shrugged.
"I mean, of course, Crocodile would use that to his advantage, but at the same time, Ace made it sound like Crocodile wants more than a kingdom, but what?" Momo said.
In the shadows, Crocodile always thought the desert will always be filled with the stench of death no matter how long you build buildings on top of it. From the beginning, this land has embraced the shadow of death.
Tokoyami nodded his head, and Shoji asked, "...Are you agreeing with him?"
"I understand what he is saying, but that doesn't mean I agree with his sinister ways." Tokoyami elaborated.
Does he have a grudge against Alabasta? Izuku tried to guess.
Miss All Sunday told him that the Billions' ships stationed at Nanohana have been wiped out by someone, but Crocodile claimed that they have replacements for them. This doesn't affect his plan. Still, he want to crush anyone who dares to defy him.
Miss All Sunday has already sent the Lizard Runners to to contact the others.
Students snickered at the way the lizards look and ran across the desert, especially when it was after the serious scene.
The going Merry landed near the desert, and Sanji was horrified that Nami and Vivi are covering themselves. Even though Vivi reminded him that any exposed skin will wind up terribly sunburned, Sanji was disappointed.
As the students laughed at the fact that the cook is rolling around on the ground, Iida and the girls shook their heads.
"We can not risk the others' health." Iida scolded him
"But the dancer clothes." Mineta whined.
Ace's little boat bobbed in the water as two shadows swam closer to the shore.
Zoro was about to drop the anchor when he saw shadows in the water, growing in number. Soon, these turtle seals popped out of the ocean, much to the others' confusion. Vivi claimed they're Kung Fu Dugongs.
"Oh my god, they're so adorable!" Toru squealed.
Chopper translated one of the Dugongs' challenge. Usopp took it, and was beaten in an instant.
From what Vivi said, Kung Fu Dugongs are strong.
"Or that Long Nose is just that weak." Katsuki said.
As for Luffy, he've already beaten one, which is bad too.
"No!" The girls and Koda cried out.
The Dugong he'd beaten stood up with a sparkle in his eyes. Vivi claimed that it's Kung Fu Dugong rule for the loser to become the winner's pupil.
In a near instant, the number of pupils went up, and so, Luffy had them in fighting stance, punching in unison.
"I've done this at Gunhead's dojo." Ochako reminisced on her internship with the hero.
Luffy wants to set out to Yuba, but the problem here is that the Dugongs are coming along, and they can't. Still, the girls were enchanted by the Dugongs' cuteness, wondering what they should do now.
"I know, right?" Mina agreed.
Chopper was able to think of something, searching through their bags. Offering them meat, he asked the Dugongs to stay here, but soon, he was carried away.
After the Dugongs were given food, they made their goodbyes with the Dugongs staying at their ship.
Nami, Chopper, and Sanji scolded Luffy since, if Chopper haven't persuade them to stay, they would had gotten a lot more attention with a big group, and now, their food supply is a lot smaller.
"That was irresponsible." Momo agreed.
"Yeah," Kirishima sadly sighed.
After some traveling, they've discovered a town buried in sand. Luffy asked if this is Yuba, but no, this is Erumalu, the City of Green, or at least it used to be. Vivi could see that this is what the Baroque Works organization has done to the country.
Erumalu right now is a ghost town, but before, it was a thriving city full of greenery.
"Holy shit," Denki could only describe it as such, seeing how dried up the plants are.
Rain was always scarce, but even so, the city was able to manage by saving every last drop of rainwater it could, but for three years, rain hasn't fallen in Alabasta.
Zoro asked about the river they'd crossed, and Vivi decided to show them why. She explained that rain never completely stopped before, but there was one place where rain fell more than usual: Alubarna, the capital, the city with the king's palace.
The people had called it the King's Miracle until one day when cargo was being transported, the wagon broke to reveal the substance to be Dance Powder.
"A set up." Izuku quickly concluded, gritting his teeth.
Nami had heard about it before as 'Rain-Summoning Powder.' She'd heard it from stories, but there was a researcher in a country where it doesn't rain created it. Luffy figured it as that 'mystery powder,' but the crew didn't take him seriously.
"I knew that shit was filler." Katsuki complained.
"So, what's the down side to the mystery powder?" Denki ignored him.
Ignoring Luffy's complaining, Usopp was confuse since the Dance Powder sounds perfect for the country. Nami told him that the catch was that the neighboring country would have had a drought, explaining the process. So, the two countries broke out into a war, and many lives were lost, so the World Government has put a worldwide ban on it.
Luffy thought that means Cobra is the bad guy all along, but Sanji repeatedly kicked him, saying that the king was framed.
"Seriously, we just met the guy and I could tell the king seems pretty sweet." Jiro said.
Vivi knows that Cobra would never, but she'd found a massive amount of Dance Powder in the palace, meaning that Baroque Works have people inside the palace.
"This guy thought of everything." Katsuki felt annoyed at Crocodile, but at the same time, a little impressed. Still, he wants to see this guy's ass get kicked.
Sanji asked about the road in front of them, and Vivi told them it's actually a canal that used to bring water in from the Sandora River. Someone destroyed it.
Since the Dance Powder incident, distrust in the king drew daily, and then the fighting began. To escape the fighting, the people abandoned the city and left for other oases, so the City of Green withered away.
The audience can't help but to be sadden by that, seeing that it left behind.
As the wind pass by, a strange sound came out, alarming the crew. Ace thought it's just the wind, but the crew thought it could be a voice.
Ace reassured them that's just the wind blowing across the town and echoing off old buildings.
To Vivi, it sounds like the cries of Erumalu City.
Tokoyami bowed his head as Sero said, "Please, let it actually be the wind and not freaky ghost stuff."
A harsh twister of wind and sand pass through them, and Luffy could had sworn he've saw something.
"Oh God, is it really ghost stuff?!" Toru panicked a bit.
Luffy ran when he saw someone lying in the sand, but when they got to them, they've only discovered a skeleton.
The audience's breath were held at the discovery.
Vivi touched the skull, asking what have her kingdom do to deserve this. They're hard working people, natives who are forced to fight against nature, and yet Crocodile destroyed their lives. He just pretends to be a hero of the people, and yet no one realizes it!
The student gritted their teeth, hearing the people happily cheer Crocodile's name. Izuku fought back bitter tears as they all understood what she's saying, what she's feeling.
Luffy was so furious that he punched through a building, causing it to collapse.
Vivi and Ace made a grave for the skeleton, as Luffy ordered them to get moving. So, they kept moving to Yuba, where Vivi plans to persuade the rebellion to stop the bloodshed.
"To Be Continued."
"...Do you really think Vivi could persuade them?" Momo asked.
"Koza said he doesn't like the bloodshed wither." Ochako answered with hope in her voice.
"But would he really believe it if she said that Crocodile is behind all of this?" Denki asked, but he was only met with frowns.
Skipping episode 97's opening, recap, and title, they were met with scuttling lizards, which ran away from Luffy's loud groaning. He and the crew burning up from the desert heat. Chopper was on a makeshift sleigh pulled by Zoro as the reindeer couldn't take the heat especially.
The girls and Koda let out sad awes.
Usopp told him to take off his animal suit, which Chopper got at, transforming into his Heavy Point, scaring the sniper. Zoro complained that Chopper shouldn't grown big or else he can't pull him, pushing him back down to Brain Point.
As Ace spared them a glance, Sanji noticed that Vivi doesn't seem to have a hard time, which is because she was born and raised here.
Usopp complained about the hills as Luffy wanted a drink. Nami warned him to only drink a mouthful. Of course, being a rubber man, his is the equivalent of 13 mouthfuls.
Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji started to beat each other up as Viv tried to stop them.
"Ace doesn't seem to like that." Toru worried about the look Ace gave the other crew members.
At night, the crew camped out, having a cook out.
Nami is confused on why it's so cold now, and Vivi explained that with nothing to block out the temperature, the desert burns during the day but falls below freezing at night.
Chopper was amazed by the stars since winter island skies are always covered with thick snow clouds, but right now, Usopp is freezing, trying to use Chopper like a plush toy.
"He does look nice and warm." Jiro smiled a little.
Toru let out a loud gasp. "Momo, can you make a Chopper plushie?"
The other girls and Koda immediately perked up, turning their gaze at her.
"I believe I can. It's not really hard." Momo said, much to the others' joy.
"Make him life-size!" Mina begged.
"But I have no idea how tall he is."
Everyone looked at Izuku, who shifted his eyes everywhere else til he realized they're looking at him. "...But I haven't reach that part of the manga yet or at least the SBSs."
"Can't you do a quick search online?" Toru asked.
"I guess." I kind of wished you did that yourself. Using his phone, Izuku was able to look up Chopper's height. "90 centimeters."
"I can do that." Momo nodded.
As she unbuttoned from the bottom of her pajama shirt, the guys quickly looked away (and Mineta had to get his eyes covered by Sero's tape). From her stomach came a pink glow, and a familiar looking plushie came out.
"YES!" Toru quickly grabbed the Chopper plushie before anyone else could, and held it up in the air for everyone to see.
The girls let out squeals, celebrating the fact that this is the closest thing to meet the real Chopper they could get.
Several hands reached out, but the invisible girl hugged the plushie close to her. "Wait, I didn't have my time with Chopper yet!"
The girls glared at her as Aizawa let out a sigh. "I hope this doesn't become a sharing problem situation. We're not in preschool."
Momo bit into a chocolate bar. "Should I make more?"
"No."
"Alright, for one episode, you get to hold the Chopper plushie, but in the next, I'll hold him." Ochako pouted.
"We should make a chart to make sure everyone gets an equal turn." Momo suggested.
"Oh my god, I can't believe this is happening." Katsuki groaned.
Chopper transformed into Heavy Point, scaring Usopp again, but Luffy tackled him into a hug with Usopp.
Ace was by himself when Vivi approached, saying it must be a surprise since Luffy isn't really captain-like, but the longer she've been with them, the more she've came to understand.
Ace claimed that's how luffy does things. He hasn't changed a bit since he was a kind, and despite how he seems, people always gather around him. He... has a mysterious charm to him.
"I guess he really does." Izuku agreed.
"I mean, he's just so determined to do anything for his friends. I can't help but to love him." Kirishima grinned.
Vivi could see that he knew already. Ace claimed that he and Luffy go go way back, but he's thanked her. He could see that she was worried that he was concerned, and Vivi agreed, but she could see she didn't need to.
The class smiled, seeing that Ace seemed to be fine with Luffy and his crew.
Early in the morning, Luffy found a 'shrimp,' much to Usopp and Chopper's surprise. Vivi warned him to throw it away since it's actually a scorpion. Luffy was more disappointed that it's not edible, trying to pass if off to Usopp.
When Usopp refused, Luffy threw it away, and Vivi apologized for not mentioning it sooner.
Chopper's ear twitched as he could sense something's coming.
In the distance, twisters of sand appeared, much to Vivi's horror. She yelled for everyone to hide behind the rocks because a sandstorm is coming. This is another thing she should has mentioned as the storm ripped and destroyed the came.
"Seriously, I know we really need to stop the rebellion, but I feel like you could give us a crash course on deserts now." Jiro said.
The crew came out of the sand, several of them awakened by the storm.
Later, the crew's off on another journey through the desert. Luffy already wanted his bento, but Sanji told him he can't until Vivi says so. Luffy complained to the princess, and though they're only one tenth of the way to Yuba, with some pestering, he managed to convince her to take a break at the next rocks they find.
He just decide that whoever wins rock-paper-scissors has to carry everyone's stuff, though Sanji pointed out that it should be the loser doing that.
Later, Luffy was seen carrying everything because he've won.
"Pffft! You should had thought of that." Jiro laughed.
Luffy was glad to get some shade, but when he heard some pained groans, he'd found cranes lying in the sand.
Koda let out a horrified gasp for the poor birds.
Luffy left to get Chopper, leaving their bags behind.
He managed to run back to the crew, getting Chopper, but Vivi realized something when the captain mentioned 'birds.'
After the eyecatches, it was revealed their stuff had been stolen by Warusagi birds, which Vivi wished she had mentioned this earlier.
"For fuck's sake, this is literally the third time you didn't mention something important." Katsuki complained as Koda looked sadden at the fact that the birds deceived them.
Sanji got mad at Luffy since that was three days of provision there, and because Luffy tried to put all the blame on the birds, the two fought. Zoro tried to stop them, but Ace held him back. He believed that it's best to let them have it out, which the swordsman agreed to.
They decided to take a break, but they've noticed that Warusagi birds are back.
"They're mocking them!" katsuki gritted his teeth at the smug looks on their birds' faces.
Luffy ran afer them, and Vivi tried to stop him, but it was too late.
The birds started to fly away, though one seemed to be caught by something from the sand. Stepping over feather covered sand to reveal some kind of mystery desert plant, which ate him.
"You're kidding me." Hizashi slumped against his seat as the students were getting increasingly worried over the silence.
One of the carnivorous plants came out, broken up, setting Luffy free. He've discovered a crying camel in the mouth of the plant, and was able to set him free by punching the plant.
"Oh, it's the camel that helped Chopper." Momo pointed out.
"Huh, he returned sooner than I expected." Izuku commented on.
Luffy asked him what he's doing here by himself, but the camel was much more panicked as a hole appeared in the sand, followed by a roar.
"Another one!?" Denki cried out.
A pillar of sand rises from the ground as the camel cried.
Back with the others, they were worried about Luffy, though Zoro and Sanji thought he was a lost cause. Ace apologized for the trouble Luffy has caused, but Zoro and Sanji doesn't seem to mind, setting out to look for their captain.
Before they could, the ground rumbled and they saw sand spouting out of the ground. Using his goggles, Usopp could see Luffy riding on the camel being chased after by the sand.
Sanji asked what's chasing after him, then a giant purple lizard, a Sandora Dragon, the largest of the reptiles living in the desert, popped out of the ground.
"Of course it is!" Katsuki shouted, exasperated.
"I'm surprise there are any towns in this desert with these guys running around." Sero exclaimed.
Ace simply claimed that Luffy has a gift for attracting trouble as Zoro and Sanji ran up ahead.
The two asked if he needs any help, but in fact, Luffy has brought the meat.
"Gomu-Gomu no..." "Tatsu..." "Êpaule..." "...Muchi!" "...Maki!" "...Shoot!"
Their attacks landed on the Sandora Dragon, much to the others', including the camel, surprise. Usopp thought they went too far as Nami almost pitied the monster.
"It was literally going to eat you. What do you expect?" Jiro rolled her eyes, though Koda did felt bad for the Sandora Dragon.
Then another Sandora Dragon popped out of the ground as Vivi forgot to mention that they hunt in pairs.
"FUCKING GOD!" Katsuki threw a pillow at the floor.
The lizards was close to Ace, and Nami and Vivi told him to look out, but Ace jumped into its mouth and used his powers to burn it alive, creating a large pillar of fire.
Students stared in shock and astonishment.
"Holy shit, he just beat the lizard by himself." Kirishima's eye sparkled in amazement.
As Sanji cooked the meat, Zoro asked about the camel. Luffy claimed he just found him as Nami could tell it's not a wild camel since he has a saddle.
Chopper recognized the camel from the the time he've escaped from Katorea.
Usopp and Sanji hoped that would mean the camel can help them, like carrying at least two people. Luffy tried to ride him, but the camel refused. As Chopper translated for the camel, he's thankful for the help, but no men are allowed to ride him.
As Usopp, Luffy, and Sanji beat the camel up, Koda stared, agape at the camel.
After he was beaten up, Nami apologized for her crew, petting him. She wondered what name to give him.
Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp went with names like 'Idiot,' 'Moron,' and 'Doofus,' but Nami decided on 'Eyelashes' instead, which Zoro thought that's the weirdest one of them all.
Nami told Vivi to get on Eyelashes. The princess tried to refuse, but Nami managed to convince her to get on anyway.
"Pervy camel! Pervy camel!" Denki and Mineta joined in on the guys' chanting as Koda continued to look disappointed in Eyelashes.
The girls and Eyelashes left the guys behind as they have to chase after them.
Meanwhile, there's a ship sailing in the sand-
"That's filler." Aizawa said, then gave a pointed look at Katsuki. "We're skipping that."
"Thank God." Katsuki sighed.