One Piece Chapter 180: Alabastan Animal Land

A fierce sandstorm blows across the desert landscape, obscuring the buildings of a distant city, likely Rainbase. The wind howls with a loud "GOOOOOO..." sound. In the foreground, Crocodile's golden hook rests buried in the shifting sands. Crocodile looks down with a sinister grin, stating, "Yuba will die." Below him, Luffy is shown buried up to his neck in the sand, his eyes closed and face battered, struggling to breathe. Crocodile continues his taunt, "You and I are pirates in completely different leagues..." Luffy gasps for air, letting out weak grunts of "NGH-...UGH!" and "HUFF HUFF" as he tries to free himself from the suffocating sand.

Luffy continues to sink deeper into the treacherous sand, his face barely visible as the shifting grains pull him under with a heavy "ZUU... ZUU" sound. He lets out a muffled, desperate "...MFFT!" as the sand covers his mouth. Suddenly, a slender hand reaches down and firmly grabs him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him upward. Luffy gasps, "GUH...!?" as he is unexpectedly yanked from the deadly sand trap. A tall, mysterious figure wearing a long coat and boots stands calmly in the desert, looking out towards the distant city skyline. The figure effortlessly pulls Luffy completely out of the sand. Luffy falls back onto the solid ground, coughing violently and wheezing for air with a loud "COUGH!!", completely shocked by his sudden rescue.

The mysterious figure, revealed to be Nico Robin (Miss All Sunday), stands tall over Luffy in the barren desert. Her long, fur-lined coat billows dramatically in the wind as a low "OOOOOO..." sound echoes across the dunes. Luffy, still lying flat on his back on the ground, is completely drenched and dripping wet—suggesting she may have poured water on him to revive him from his near-death dehydration. He looks up at her and weakly asks, "Tell me......Why?" Robin gazes down at him silently from under the brim of her cowboy hat, her expression unreadable. Luffy, heavily battered, bruised, and utterly exhausted from his fight with Crocodile, manages a faint, genuine smile despite his condition and sincerely says, "TH... THANKS..."

Nico Robin looks down at the exhausted Luffy and asks a probing question, "Why do you fight?" She continues her thought, her expression serious, "Those of you who carry the name of 'D'..." She stares intently at him, demanding to know, "Just who on earth... are you people!?" Luffy, still coughing and hacking up water with a "HACK!", looks completely confused by her question and mutters weakly, "D...?" Suddenly, a voice calls out from off-panel, interrupting them: "I've found you." Robin turns her head slightly toward the approaching voice. Realizing their brief conversation is over, she sighs and says, "...Perhaps it was a pointless question to ask." With a casual flick of her wrist, she tosses Luffy's signature straw hat back onto his head as he lies resting in the sand.

A man carrying a large cross-shaped sword on his back approaches them in the desert. Nico Robin turns to him and says, "Oh? Awake already?" The man, revealed to be Pell, demands, "What did you do with Princess Vivi!?" Pell looks furious and heavily injured, gripping his weapon tightly. He shouts, "I won't be done in so easily this time! Now that I understand your powers," Robin calmly observes him and remarks, "He's the brave pirate-knight in shining armour, who escorted your precious princess all the way to this country..." She gestures toward Luffy and adds, "But it's good that you've come. Perhaps you'd like to tend to that boy's wounds?" Pell looks confused by her request. Robin dismisses him, saying, "Oh, give it a rest. You're injured enough as it is already..."

Nico Robin mounts a large, bizarre creature—a Crocodilia bananadile, specifically an F-Croc, noted as the 2nd fastest animal in Alabasta. As she prepares to leave, she tells Pell, "In case you're wondering, the princess is just fine. She's currently heading for Alubarna." She adds ominously, "But who knows what'll happen to her from hereon, what with the current crisis in this country..." Pell falls to his knees, clutching his chest in frustration and pain. He thinks to himself, "I... I can't even beat her... Just who can protect Princess Vivi...!?" The F-Croc growls as it stands ready. Suddenly, Luffy, still lying on the ground, weakly but emphatically yells, "MEAT!" Pell looks over at him in surprise, uttering a confused "HMP?"

A wide, scenic view shows the vast desert and distant mountains of Alabasta under a clear sky. A voice can be heard vocalizing a warm-up scale, "Maa Maa Maaaaa~" followed by a sudden realization, "So the final rebel ad- AHEM!" In the heavily ruined and debris-filled streets of Port Town Nanohana, a lone figure stands amidst the rubble. The man observes the destruction and says to himself, "So the final rebel attack's already begun... I saw their ship, so the princess and the pirates should have arrived safely in the country..." A close-up reveals the speaker is Igaram, recognizable by his distinctive curly hair and suit. He looks incredibly determined, sweating slightly as he states with urgency, "I just hope I can make it in time...!"

The massive rebel army charges fiercely across the desert dunes, riding camels and horses. They raise their swords and rifles, shouting loud battle cries as they march toward the capital. A text box notes the urgency: "The time limit continues to wind down." A large clock face is shown with the time approaching 3:00. Text boxes indicate the critical deadline: "Before the rebels reach Alubarna. Only 5 hours remain." Elsewhere in the desert, Crocodile stands alone with his back turned to the viewer. His heavy coat blows wildly in the wind as he watches the massive, swirling sandstorm he created in the distance. He declares confidently and ruthlessly, "So be it! Once this sandstorm passes by, the rain will come again... Just as before..."

Toto, the resilient old man from the ruined oasis of Yuba, is shown in a dramatic close-up. His face is contorted in a fierce, defiant yell, his eyes wide with determination despite the harsh conditions. He shouts passionately into the howling wind, "Yuba will never be defeated by mere sand! So come as many times as you dare, sandstorm!" The next panel shows the terrifying reality of his challenge: a massive, devastating sandstorm crashes down upon the fragile remains of Yuba. The sheer force of the wind tears through the ruins, ripping up the ground and sending large chunks of debris and dead trees flying high into the air with a deafening "DOOOM" sound, threatening to bury the oasis completely.

The Straw Hat crew and Vivi are riding atop the giant crab, Scissors, as it scuttles rapidly across the desert. Usopp yells in disbelief, "Whaaat!? This crab can't cross rivers!?" Nami explains calmly, "Itinerant crabs are desert creatures, so it's only natural they can't swim!" Usopp retorts, "B-but it's a crab for crying out loud! A freaking crab!" A text box notes, "4 Hours Remain..." A map illustrates their current location near Rainbase, showing they must cross the Sandora River to reach Alubarna. Usopp panics, "It'll take forever if we try to swim across this huge river! Not only that, we still have several tens of kilometers to go even after crossing the river! If this crab can't cross the river, then that means... we'll have to go by foot!" The crab suddenly skids to a halt at the edge of a massive river. Usopp screams, "Oh crap! The river's already right in front of us! There's no way we'll make it in time then!" Sanji, looking desperate, pleads, "Please do something, scissors! <3"

Sanji turns to Nami and asks, "Will this do?" Nami has changed into a revealing, belly-dancer-style outfit. Chopper looks on in shock. Sanji excitedly declares, "That's it! Scissors loves dancing girls!" The giant crab's eyes literally turn into large hearts as it stares at Nami, who looks thoroughly unamused. Suddenly, the crab bursts forward with incredible speed, dashing straight onto the water's surface. Sanji yells, "Whoa, warp speed!" Chopper screams, "Sex appeal power!" Usopp and Sanji are blown back by the wind, with Usopp crying out, "V... Vwoohh! Naamiii!" Nami angrily points out, "You accidentally broke 2 other animals here..." Usopp questions the logic, yelling, "...But how's this gonna help our situation at all, Chopper!?"

Usopp yells in sheer disbelief, his eyes wide, "I can't believe it!" Sanji, equally shocked with his cigarette dangling from his mouth, adds, "Huh!? Holy moly... This crab is phenomenal!" The giant crab, Scissors, is shown literally running across the surface of the water, its legs splashing rapidly and creating huge wakes. Usopp cheers enthusiastically, throwing his arms up, "It's a miracle! It's running on top of the water!" However, the triumph is incredibly short-lived. The crab suddenly stops its frantic paddling and begins to sink rapidly into the river with a "Blub blub blub..." sound, its eyes returning to normal. Usopp's cheers instantly turn to sheer panic as he screams, "-Or maybe not, aww crap! Aghhh!" as the crew plunges into the water.

The crew is now floundering in the river. Usopp thrashes in the water, yelling, "You think I can swim that far!?" Sanji calmly estimates, "Around 50km." Chopper panics, "W-w-wait! Isn't there at least a boat? How far away's the other side anyways!?" Zoro, swimming steadily, says, "We don't have time to complain. Keep going, guys!" Suddenly, a massive, terrifying fish emerges from the water behind them. Usopp screams, "Aghhhhh!" Chopper identifies the creature, yelling, "It's a Sandora Rarecat Fish! It's extremely rare to see!" The giant catfish opens its enormous mouth, preparing to swallow them whole. Chopper adds, "And it loves to eat humans!" Usopp furiously yells back, "And mention that first! Save the living planet narration for later!"

Just as the giant Sandora Rarecat Fish opens its massive jaws to devour the swimming crew, it is suddenly struck hard from the side. A massive impact hits the beast with a loud "WHAM!", sending water splashing everywhere. Usopp looks back over his shoulder in absolute shock, his eyes bugging out at the unexpected rescue. From the churning water, a large group of small, round creatures wearing turtle shells emerge. They strike disciplined martial arts poses and shout "KUOOO!" in unison. These creatures have completely subdued the giant catfish, knocking it out cold. Usopp recognizes their saviors immediately and yells in amazement, "Kung-Fu Dugongs!"

The crew is now riding comfortably on the back of the unconscious giant catfish, which is being towed across the river by the squad of Kung-Fu Dugongs. The dugongs paddle happily, shouting "KUOO!" Chopper translates for the crew, "'We can't abandon our fellow disciples,' is what they said." Usopp sweatdrops and mutters, "We're not exactly Luffy's disciples though..." Vivi smiles in relief, "In any case, I'm glad we're saved!" A map updates their progress, showing they have successfully crossed the Sandora River. A text box notes, "Thanks to the help of Alabasta's numerous animals, the crew managed to cross the river." The time left is now 3 Hours. On the opposite shore, the crew stands on dry land. Zoro remarks, "We've made pretty good time so far but can we still make it in time?" Sanji replies, "It'll be hard, even with Eyebrows here... No kidding, since he can only carry 2 people at a time! And we have to deal with B.W. agents from hereon!" Usopp asks anxiously, "Isn't there some way we can all get there as a group!?"

Standing on the rocky shore, Vivi suddenly points excitedly into the distance and shouts, "Wait, look over there!" Usopp immediately panics, sweating profusely as he asks, "W-what is it!? Did the enemies already track us down!?" Vivi smiles brightly and replies, "No! Those are...!" Suddenly, a loud, triumphant "QUAAACK!" rings out across the desert landscape. Emerging from the dust is a majestic group of large, spot-billed ducks. Each duck is outfitted with unique hats, goggles, and carrying saddles and travel gear. Vivi joyfully yells out to their leader, "Carue! It's the Super Spot-Billed Duck Squad!" A decorative text box formally introduces the arriving reinforcements: "Commander Carue and the Super Spot-Billed Duck Squad (Fastest Troop in Alabasta)." The ducks stand proudly in a line, striking heroic poses, ready to carry the crew the rest of the way.

At the Eastern gates of Alubarna, Daz Bonez (Mr. 1) sits cross-legged on a rock, his arms crossed, waiting patiently. A text box notes, "1 hour remaining. Before the battle begins at the Eastern gates." Meanwhile, Bentham (Mr. 2 Bon Clay) is spinning rapidly on his toes, saying, "Yes, indeedio! And princess Vivi herself was a former B.W. agent too! They've already beaten 6 of our numbered officer agents... We can't take them lightly. Where to lie in wait for them... The problem is, meanwhile at the Western Gates..." Miss Doublefinger, standing nearby, tells him, "Stop spinning, you little fruit!" Mr. 2 stops and strikes a dramatic pose, declaring, "Buuut! In the art of deception, I cannot be beaten!"

Daz Bonez (Mr. 1) and Miss Doublefinger continue their discussion. Miss Doublefinger, smoking a pipe, says, "...Well, we can always crush them in one stroke if we felt like it. What should we do?" Mr. 1 simply replies, "Hm..." Suddenly, Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas arrive. Miss Merry Christmas speaks incredibly fast, yelling, "Holditrightthere, enoughmessin' around! Ain'titobvious thatwe'lltake careofthisjob!? Right, Mr. 4!?" Mr. 4, a large, slow-moving man, replies sluggishly, "We'llbethe onestotake themout!" Miss Merry Christmas angrily berates him, "God, yer slow! Aghmyhip!" Miss Doublefinger holds up a torn wanted poster showing Princess Vivi's face and clarifies their mission: "All we have to do... Is eliminate Vivi, right!?"

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