After the Straw Hat Crew finally escaped from the Raindinners casino, they set off toward Alubarna while the Marines chased after them.
"You don't seriously expect us to run all the way to Alubarna like this, do you?!" said Usopp, pointing out they couldn't make it by just running.
"That's right, Matsuge! Where's Matsuge?!" Nami shouted, looking for him.
"Now that you mention it, there should be a stable or something in this city. Let's get some horses!" said Luffy.
"But the Marines are in the city!" said Vivi.
"Don't worry. Look ahead," said Sanji.
Up ahead, Chopper and Matsuge arrived riding on top of a giant crab, leaving everyone shocked.
"A CRAB?!" said Usopp, stunned by the sight.
"Chopper!" Nami said, happy to see him safe.
"That's a Moving Crab!" said Vivi. "With that, we can reach Alubarna quickly!"
"It looks delicious! Amazing! Amazing, amazing, amazing!" said Luffy, both hungry and impressed.
"Hop on board!" Chopper told them.
"We can ride it?! WOO-HOO! Nice to meet you!" Luffy said, as cheerful as ever, as he climbed onto the crab.
"Doesn't its face look a bit perverted to you?" Nami asked suspiciously as she got on.
"It has the same face as Sanji, what did you expect?" Oliver said while helping Vivi up.
"HEY!" shouted Sanji, looking at the crab's face. "It doesn't look like me!"
"He's a friend of Matsuge. Matsuge was born in this city, so he has lots of friends around here. Though, yeah, he's a little perverted," said Chopper, as the crab used its claw to lift Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji on board.
"This is amazing! They usually stay under the sand, so they're considered legendary crabs!" said Vivi, in awe at seeing one.
"It's pretty fast, huh?" said Zoro.
"Hold on tight! Alright, let's go!" Chopper said, pulling the ropes and making the crab move.
Just as the crab started moving, Crocodile's hook shot out and quickly grabbed Vivi.
Vivi screamed, alerting everyone to what was happening.
"VIVI! STOP, CHOPPER!" Zoro shouted in alarm, making the reindeer bring the crab to a sudden halt.
"VIVI! IT'S HIM! THAT BASTARD!" Luffy shouted in rage, stretching and grabbing onto the hook.
Luffy launched himself toward the hook, quickly pulled Vivi free, and tossed her back to the crab, where Zoro caught her. Meanwhile, Luffy clung tightly to the hook.
"Hey, Luffy!" Zoro shouted in alarm.
"That idiot!" said Sanji, worried, while Oliver watched Luffy drift away with a neutral expression.
'I'm not strong enough to help in that fight,' Oliver thought as he watched Luffy fade into the distance. 'But I can take care of other things.'
"LUFFY-SAN!" Vivi cried out, deeply worried and shaken, as she saw her captain drifting farther away toward Crocodile and his companion.
"I CAN HANDLE THIS ON MY OWN! YOU GUYS GO AHEAD! MAKE SURE VIVI GETS THERE SAFELY! GET VIVI TO ALUBARNA!" Luffy shouted as the hook carried him off.
"Luffy, be careful! There are two of them!" Nami shouted.
"LUFFY-SAN!" Vivi screamed, shocked, as she saw Luffy smiling confidently.
"That idiot... Hey! LET'S GO, CHOPPER! WE HAVE TO KEEP MOVING TO ALUBARNA!" Zoro yelled, turning to the little reindeer.
O-okay! Here we go!" said Chopper, pulling the ropes again to get the crab moving.
"Wait! H-HEY ZORO! ARE WE JUST GONNA LEAVE HIM BEHIND?! THAT'S SO CRUEL! YOU'RE SO MEAN! FROM NOW ON, YOU HAVE TO PROTECT ME, OKAY?! Why do you always do this?!" Usopp shouted, terrified.
"LUFFY-SAN!" Vivi yelled desperately as Nami held her back.
"Calm down, Vivi! He'll be fine! I actually feel bad for Crocodile. So far, no one's ever come out of a fight with Luffy unscathed," said Nami with a nervous smile.
"Listen, Vivi. He'll be able to hold Crocodile off. When the rebel army started marching, the country's time limit was set. When both armies clash, this country—the kingdom of Alabasta—will be history. If you're the only hope of preventing that, then you must survive, no matter what. It doesn't matter what happens to the rest of us from here on out!" said Zoro, determined, as Vivi hesitated.
"B-but..." Vivi said, worried.
"Vivi-chan, this is a fight you started. You're the one who left this place years ago and challenged an unknown organization. But… don't think you'll have to fight alone," said Sanji.
"Focus on the goal, Vivi. Don't let anything get in the way of that goal. We'll make sure no one interferes," Oliver said, placing a hand on Vivi's shoulder.
"Vivi! D-don't worry! I-I'll…!" said Usopp, trembling, but he couldn't finish—because Vivi had already understood what they meant.
"LUFFY-SAN! WE'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU IN ALUBARNA!" Vivi shouted.
"YEEEEAAAH!" Luffy shouted back at the top of his lungs from afar.
"You'll show your worth, Usopp," Oliver said, giving him a few pats on the shoulder.
--
--
The crew kept moving forward, and thanks to the crab, they were able to cover a good stretch of the journey, which gave them some relief—but now they had another problem.
"WHAT?! The crab can't cross this river?!" said Usopp, shocked to hear that.
"The Moving Crab is a desert creature, so they can't handle water," Vivi told them while Zoro used Matsuge as a weight.
"BUT IT'S A CRAB! A CRAB! DO SOMETHING! This is a problem! Look at this," Usopp said, showing the map. "We won't make it in time if we swim across a river as wide as a sea! Even after crossing it, we'll still have dozens of kilometers of desert left! If this crab can't get us to the other side, are we gonna have to run from there?"
"Well, we'll have to do that if it comes to it," Oliver said, looking toward the river. 'And if Karoo doesn't show up with the rest of the ducks, I might have to buy Devil Fruits until I get one that helps us get there faster.'
"WE WON'T MAKE IT IN TIME! THIS IS COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE!" Usopp screamed.
"Damn it. Hey, I can already see the Sandora River!" Sanji said, pointing at it with concern, since time was running out.
"WHAT?!" Usopp shouted in disbelief.
"Do something, Hasami!" Nami yelled at the crab.
"I know! Hasami likes dancers!" said Chopper.
Nami took off the cloak she was wearing, revealing her dancer outfit.
"Will this do?" Nami asked, and immediately Hasami's eyes swirled to look at her.
Hasami stared at her intently and suddenly picked up speed, beginning to walk over the water.
Everyone was thrilled they were going to make it—but they didn't even reach halfway before Hasami sank.
"It was obvious this was going to happen," said Oliver.
"W-wait! Aren't there any boats?! How many kilometers is it to the other side?" Usopp asked.
"About 50 kilometers," Vivi answered.
"WHO CAN SWIM THAT FAR?!" Usopp screamed.
"Stop complaining and move," Zoro said, with Chopper sitting on his head.
They kept swimming, trying to hurry, but suddenly a Sandora Catfish emerged from the water, scaring Chopper and Usopp.
"That's a Sandora Catfish! They're not seen very often!"
"WHO CARES?!" Usopp shouted in fear as he started swimming.
"THEIR FAVORITE FOOD IS HUMANS!" Vivi screamed, scaring him even more.
"YOU SHOULD'VE SAID THAT FIRST!" Usopp cried as he kept swimming while the others followed Vivi, trying to escape the fish.
Oliver launched himself into the air using Geppo, and with his new fighting style combined with Electro, he punched the catfish in the face, making it back off slightly.
'I need more strength and speed,' Oliver thought.
In an instant, all the Kung-Fu Dugongs emerged from the water, defeated the Catfish, and saved the Straw Hats.
"KUNG-FU DUGONGS?!" Usopp shouted, surprised to see them there.
After the shock, the Kung-Fu Dugongs decided to help the crew cross the river by using the fish as a boat.
"Thank you!" said Vivi with a smile as she waved goodbye to the Dugongs.
"BYE!" Chopper said, waving.
"Things worked out. Will we make it in time?" Zoro asked.
"It'll be difficult. Even if Matsuge carries us, I don't think there's enough time," said Vivi, worried.
"Besides, he can only carry two people… And if Baroque Works attacks us, it'll be from this point on. Isn't there a way for us to act together?" Usopp asked.
'They better show up soon—or I'll have to spend the 70 million on Devil Fruits,' Oliver thought.
"Wait! Look over there!" Nami said, pointing at something in the distance.
"Is it the enemy? Are they here already?!" Usopp asked, trembling with wide eyes.
"N-no… That's...! Karoo! And the Super Spot-Billed Duck Troops!" Vivi said, surprised and overjoyed to see the duck squad.
'I almost bought 35 Devil Fruit Tokens,' thought Oliver, relieved.
"They came for us, didn't they?! Karoo!" said Vivi, extremely happy to see them. "With them, we can make it to Alubarna in time!"