Battlefront:
-x-
"Luffy was right, change of plans," Vivi resolved, "We're going to go and find Crocodile."
Vivi pulled out a map and unrolled it, the Straw Hats and the three Whitebeards gathered around her to see where they were going. "This is the Capital City Alubarna where my father rules..." Vivi pointed out as she pointed to a dot labeled 'Alubarna' that was in the middle of the desert to the east of the Sandora River. "And the Rebel Army is camped here in Katorea, getting ready to invade Alubarana..." Vivi pointed to another dot labeled 'Katorea' that was south of Alubarna and was right next to a dot labeled 'Nanohana' on the southern shore."
"So we just need to get to Crocodile before the rebels can get to Alubarna," Sanji resolved.
"This is where Crocodile is..." Vivi told them as she pointed to a dot on the west side of the Sandora River labeled 'Rain Base', it was north of a dot labeled 'Yuba Oasis' and that was a great deal north west of a dot labeled 'Erumalu' which was along the eastern shore of the west half of Sandy Island. "Over here... Rain Base."
"It's a city a bit to the north of us," Vivi explained, "About a day's journey from here."
"Wow, a lot quicker when we decide to skip the filler," Y/N remarked.
Whap! Ace slapped him on the back of the head, "As much as I agree with you," Ace stated, "I'm not going to allow you to keep breaking the fourth wall."
"What are they talking about?" Chopper asked Han.
"It's best to just ignore it," the Monster Hunter advised, "Unless you want your view of the world completely shattered don't pay it any attention."
And so, the Straw Hats and the Whitebeards altered their course and headed north towards Rain Base and Crocodile.
"Uugggghhhh..." Luffy and Usopp groaned a few hours later as they hobbled after Eyelash while walking like a pair of zombies.
"Oi, stop with the zombie walk," Y/N ordered as he glanced uneasily over his shoulder at the two younger pirates, "You're freaking me out."
"Did I, or did I not, tell you two to quit it with the pathetic groaning?" Nami demanded as she looked over her shoulder from where she was riding behind Vivi on Eyelash.
"But it's too hot..." Luffy complained.
"You get to ride the camel..." Usopp added.
"You could at least let us ride Eyelash for a little bit..." Luffy groaned.
"You're a big fat camel hog!" Usopp snapped.
"Nami-hog!" Luffy exclaimed. THWAK-WAK! A moment later they were both on the ground sporting lumps on their head.
"HOW DARE YOU INSULT MISS. NAMI!" Sanji yelled down at the pirates he'd just kicked.
"Hey Chopper," Zoro called out to the reindeer who was walking next to him in his Walk Point form, "You've managed to make it all day without collapsing."
"I'm trying hard not to," Chopper told him. The heat was still borderline unbearable for the thick-furred reindeer but he was pulling through it.
"Rain Base isn't as far away as Yuba was," Han reassured the reindeer as he walked on his other side, "So look at it this way, if we keep up this pace we'll be there in a few hours and will finally be able to get out of the hot desert."
"Ahh," Chopper sighed as he looked ahead at Vivi who was guiding Eyelash and leading the group, "Vivi... does this Rain Base place have a water supply?"
