In Viridian City, Giovanni was reading up on a bunch of reports. He frowned as he petted his Persian's head.

While this Warlord vacancy does sound intriguing, it requires me to capture that boy or his friends. And with Cynthia forcing the Navy to recant their bounties and cease their search, that is a big no-no. Ketchum is well-connected, so going after them directly would be an extremely foolish and costly move. Giovanni brooded. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide.

Wait a second! What if Uta and the Straw Hats aren't the only ones who showed up here?! he mused. Giovanni smiled wickedly and snapped his fingers.

What if there are others?! he thought. Giovanni picked up the phone receiver and dialed in a number before holding it in his ear.

He waited until he heard a cold woman's voice say, "Yes, Giovanni?"

"Quick question, ma'am. Are there other people besides Uta and the Straw Hat crew in this dimension?" Giovanni asked.

"Yes, there are. But I don't suggest going after most of them. Reports say Cutty Flam, also known as Franky, lost a Rhyhorn Race to Ketchum. So if we capture him, that brat will more than likely be on our trail. 'Demon Child' Nico Robin has always eluded us, so CP9 is undertaking that mission to apprehend her. That's how dangerous she is. And Charlotte Pudding is the daughter of Big Mom. So if we get her, we risk going to war with an Emperor of the Sea." the woman answered. Giovanni hummed in understanding.

"Are there any others besides those three?" he inquired.

"...There is one other person: Princess Vivi." the woman responded after thinking on it. Giovanni's eyebrow rose in intrigue.

"A princess, eh? Any connection to Ketchum or the Straw Hats?" he queried.

"No, there isn't." the woman confirmed. Giovanni grinned at that.

"Perfect. Leave getting her to me." he declared.

"...Then I'll fax her picture over to you. Also, word of advice: Search the desert area in Kalos." the woman replied.

"Yes, ma'am. Giovanni out." Giovanni stated before hanging up. Soon, he had the picture in his hand.

Oh? Never seen a duck like this before. Giovanni mused. He once again grabbed the phone receiver and made a call.

"...Yes, sir!" Cassidy exclaimed one ring later.

"Cassidy, I want you three to search the desert area for a young woman." Giovanni ordered her.

He described the woman and her companion while adding, "She is very important to our cause. Don't screw this up."

"Yes, sir!" came Cassidy's instant response as she hung up. Above Lumiose City, she, Butch, and Vicious stood in a hot air balloon that resembled the head of a certain Pokemon.

"We have a new, very important mission from the boss. Search the desert area for a certain woman." Cassidy confirmed. Once she relayed the description to the men, Vicious looked intrigued.

"Oh? She sounds like royalty." he stated.

"...If she's royal, then that means..." Butch started.

"...capturing her will potentially help us take over Kalos!" Cassidy finished, sounding excited.

"Precisely. Let's go to the desert then." Vicious concurred. And with that, the trio flew northwest to the Lumiose Badlands. Soon, they arrived and began looking around with their binoculars.

"...Hm, if I was a princess hiding in a desert, where would I be?" Cassidy wondered out loud.

"...Well, she'd need water to survive. So...an oasis?" Butch guessed. Cassidy nodded as they looked for an oasis. Soon, they found one...and near it, a young woman of medium height alongside a duck. She had chin-length wavy light-blue hair, with two locks hanging down, one on either side of her head, which she tied into a very high-positioned ponytail, and brown eyes and was wearing a shirt with dark blue and white circles, shorts fastened with a belt, a white coat, and white high-heeled boots. And the tall duck had yellow-brown plumage with black-tipped wings and tailfeathers, a black band around his bill, and tetradactyl feet with ostrich-like talons and wore a usually unbuckled blue-and-white chullo, pink goggles, a large saddle carrying multiple saddlebags, and a barrel-sized canteen around his neck complete with drinking straw.

The trio smirked devilishly before putting the binoculars down and muttering to themselves, "Bingo. Found you."

"So...what's the plan?" Butch inquired.

"We try to ask her to come with us peacefully. If that fails, then we attack. BUT not with the Unova Pokemon. After all, if Ketchum had bonded with a Riolu or its evolution, he'll be on to us fast." Cassidy replied seriously. The men gave her a nod before Butch faced Vicious.

"In that case, you should allow us to handle this. After all, if she sees your mask, she'll likely get suspicious." he whispered into the Iron Masked Marauder's ear. While reluctant at first, he saw the logic there and agreed to the plan. Once Cassidy landed the hot air balloon in a well-hidden place, she and Butch jumped out and put on disguises. They then casually walked over to Vivi and the duck.

"Hello there!" Cassidy called out innocently. Vivi and the duck turned to face them.

"Oh? I didn't think I'd run into anybody else in this area besides these creatures that come along from time to time." she admitted, a bit surprised.

"...Oh, you mean Pokemon?" Cassidy queried knowingly. Vivi and the duck's eyes rose in curiosity.

"Pokemon? Is that what they're called here?" she asked back.

Cassidy hummed before asking, "Not from around here, are you?"

"No, I'm not." Vivi answered uncertainly.

"...So then where are you from, exactly?" Cassidy inquired. At that, Vivi bit her lip.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." she stated. Cassidy had to chuckle there.

"Try me. I've seen some crazy stuff." she affirmed. Vivi hesitated for a moment until she took a deep breath.

"Fine. Just don't laugh. So my name is Vivi, and the truth is, me and Karoo...that's my duck...we aren't even from this dimension. We come from the Kingdom of Alabasta, where I am a princess. One minute, I was in Whisky Peak as Baroque Work's Miss Wednesday, trying to figure out how to stop its boss, Crocodile, from taking over my country. Then next thing I know, Karoo and I were falling through a portal to get here. And now we've been stranded for a few days, trying to find a way to go back there." she explained. Karoo whimpered at that. Cassidy and Butch raised an eyebrow curiously.

That must be how the Straw Hats got here if the Navy's reports are to be believed. they thought. Butch then spoke up.

"Our boss's company is quite proficient with technology. Maybe he can help." he suggested. Vivi and Karoo narrowed their eyes suspiciously.

"How do I know you're not working with Crocodile?" she questioned them.

Cassidy scoffed before she replied, "Trust me, we don't even know who that is." While still a bit suspicious, Vivi and Karoo decided they didn't have a choice but to trust their words.

"Okay, fine. So...what are Pokemon? And where are we?" she asked curiously. Cassidy and Butch both grinned as she started explaining everything on the way back to the balloon. When they got there, Vivi and Karoo tensed up at the sight of Vicious.

He put his hands up before he assured her, "Relax, I'm with them. There's nothing to fear here." Vivi nodded in understanding, but she and Karoo remained skeptical. Once they got in the basket, Cassidy set a course back to Lumiose City. As the balloon floated up in the air, Vivi and Karoo noticed the Navy flag hanging on Prism Tower.

Their eyes lit up with hope while she thought, The Navy is here?! Perfect! Maybe I can ask them to take out Crocodile!

The group soon arrived and landed near the Navy base. However, before they could even set foot there, a man and his Pokemon stepped up to block them and glared at Vicious. He wore a mask similar to his Pokemon's face, a black body suit, black gloves with red and light gray stripes, a red cape, a red belt with pouches and a gold-outlined gray buckle resembling a crown, red kneecaps, and red boots. And the Pokemon was a bipedal, chicken-like Pokemon. The majority of his body was red with accents of beige, yellow, and gray. Behind his head, there were beige, hair-like feathers that continued downward and surrounded his chest and abdomen. He had a small red face with a V-shaped crest on his head. His blue eyes were semicircular with yellow sclerae, and his mouth was similar to a hooked beak. He had featherless, gray hands with three fingers each, and three clawed toes that were normally not visible due to the shaggy, yellow feathers on the bottom of his legs. Cassidy and Butch tensed up upon recognizing the Pokemon that saved the Ketchum brat from certain doom in the Garchomp incident via the reports.

Vivi and Karoo looked very confused as she asked, "Um, is there a problem, sir?"

Blaziken pointed directly at Vicious while Blaziken Mask said, "I don't know what business you have with the Navy, but turn back and leave...Team Rocket." Cassidy and Butch groaned before they each readied a Pokeball.

They were about to send their Pokemon into battle when a woman's voice called out, "Enough!" Everybody turned to see her walking up to them. The woman had short gray hair and blue eyes and wore a grey blazer with the sleeves rolled up in the wrist area and designed with grey and white stripes and little pockets on the side, a tight grey skirt, and a velvet scarf around her neck.

"...Palermo." Blaziken Mask uttered in a neutral tone. Palermo turned to face him.

"Blaziken Mask, I appreciate you trying to handle Team Rocket. But that man is my spy in that organization." she stated sternly. Blaziken Mask and Blaziken's eyes rose in surprise.

They quickly recomposed themselves as he muttered, "Really?"

"Indeed." Palermo confirmed. Vicious stepped up to her.

"I wasn't expecting to see you, boss." he admitted with a salute.

"I can imagine." Palermo responded dryly. She then faced Vivi.

"Princess Vivi. It is a pleasure to see you unharmed." Palermo affirmed, sounding relieved. Vivi wasted no time stepping forward.

"Ma'am, I bear urgent news. Crocodile of the Seven Warlords-" Palermo held her hand up to stop the princess.

"Was defeated." she finished. Vivi and Karoo's eyes grew wide in shock.

"Who did it if I may ask, ma'am?" Vicious wondered out loud.

"Fire Fist Ace." Palermo answered. Vivi and Karoo's jaws dropped on the ground.

"A PIRATE?!" she yelped, completely stumped.

"Yes. But Fire Fist has ties to Garp." Palermo informed Vivi. Needless to say, the princess and Karoo were left even more stunned.

"In any case, let's continue this in my office." Palermo suggested. Vivi had to agree with her there since she needed something soft to sit on after a few days in the desert. Palermo looked over at Blaziken Mask.

"Keep up your good work in protecting Lumiose City." she concurred. Blaziken Mask just gave Palermo a nod before he and Blaziken walked away. They didn't get very far as they shot a glare at the backs of Palermo, Vicious, Cassidy, and Butch while they, along with Vivi and Karoo, went inside the Navy base.

"I don't like this one bit." Blaziken Mask whispered to his partner.

Blaziken nodded in agreement before whispering back, "Blaziken. (Me either.)"

In Palermo's office, Vivi was sitting on a comfy sofa to rest her feet for a few minutes while Karoo laid down on the floor.

"You know, Princess, I must commend you for going undercover in Crocodile's organization." the old woman admitted.

Vivi and Karoo both chuckled as she replied, "I only did what I did to save my country."

"Yeah, I get it. If you're up for it, would you mind going undercover for me?" Palermo inquired. Vivi and Karoo raised an eye curiously.

"Are you saying there's another organization like Baroque Works in Kalos?" she asked back.

"Precisely." Palermo confirmed. Just like that, Vivi and Karoo jumped at the opportunity.

"I'll do it." she declared, with her duck nodding. Palermo nodded back and turned to Vicious.

"Help Princess Vivi get her first Pokemon and teach her the basics so she can go undercover in this Team Flare." she commanded him.

Vicious, Cassidy, and Butch gave her a salute while the masked man responded, "Yes, ma'am!" Once they left the office with Vivi and Karoo, Palermo walked over to her desk. She picked up her phone receiver and dialed in a number.

"What's the status, ma'am?" Giovanni asked one ring later.

"Princess Vivi has been found and safely brought over to me. There was a bit of an issue with Blaziken Mask, but I swiftly took care of that before things got ugly." Palermo explained.

"Heh, glad to hear." Giovanni concurred.

"I will be calling Sengoku to see about getting you the open Warlord spot." Palermo stated.

"Excellent. Good to know. Keep me posted. Giovanni out." Giovanni responded before he hung up. Palermo put the receiver on the phone and proceeded to pick up another one...for a Transponder Snail whose face resembled that of a certain Fleet Admiral's.

Meanwhile, Meyer had filled Clemont in about the encounter Blaziken Mask had with Team Rocket. The inventor was telling the others, but stopped when Luffy yelled out Ace's name. Everybody in the know had to chuckle at his enthusiasm despite the seriousness of the situation.

"It certainly is impressive that Luffy's brother beat a Warlord." Nami admitted, clearly impressed there.

"Very impressive indeed. BUT...thanks to that, a member of Team Rocket now has a clear path to becoming one themselves." Zoro replied seriously. Ash had to agree with him there as he clenched a fist so hard that veins started popping out of it.

"This confirms Madame Boss is in the Navy." he spat out venomously.

"Now that I definitely did NOT see coming." Meowth uttered while the other Pokemon currently out shuddered. Serena looked terrified, but that didn't stop her from grabbing Ash's fist. Her touch instantly calmed him down.

Ash smiled a little bit before saying, "Thanks, Rena." A small blush crossed Serena's face.

"No problem." she responded. Sanji puffed out smoke from his cigarette.

"I say we tread carefully. After all, if whoever replaces the Warlord Ace beat is as strong as Mihawk..." He trailed off. Zoro's scar throbbed at the mention of Mihawk.

"Agreed. Also, we should keep an eye out for Vivi. It almost sounds like Team Rocket is manipulating her." Uta admitted sternly.

"Yep, definitely. All right, let's step up our training." Luffy declared. With that, they split into four battles: Ash and Serena vs. Brock and Alain, Luffy and Uta vs. Zoro and Nami, Usopp and Sanji vs. Clemont, and Bonnie vs. Mairin.

Back in Luffy's dimension, Sabo had gotten word from Dragon regarding the Navy's goals in Ash's.

He explained all that to Ace before asking in a serious tone, "You up for a mission?"

"Yeah, that sounds like trouble. I'm in. Let me call Pops first." Ace concurred. He called and told Whitebeard about the issue.

"...Hm, yep, this is definitely worrisome. All right, go for it. BUT...come to Sabody first." the Emperor said strictly.

"Yes, Pops!" came Ace's instant response as he hung up. Soon, he and Sabo arrived at Whisky Peak, where Vivi was last seen.

They were looking around when they heard a tired man's voice call out, "PRINCESS, WHERE ARE YOU?! Ma ma ma..." He spoke those last three words like an opera singer trying to clear his throat. Ace and Sabo perked up and went over to see a wobbly tall old man desperately trying to stay awake. He had a small red nose and blond hair in a style that resembled a powdered wig with the curls looking similar to the number eight and was dressed like a gentleman, with the number eight at the tips of his collar. Ace and Sabo recognized the man from the talk with King Cobra and ran to catch him before he completely fell over.

"Whoa there, Igaram! You don't look so good." the pirate yelped worriedly.

"...I am...fine. Just exhausted...from trying...to find...Princess Vivi...Ma ma ma..." Igaram uttered while huffing and puffing. Sabo, however, saw right through him.

"You don't look fine at all. In fact, you look like you've been sleep-deprived for a few days now. Ace, get him to bed. I'll search for Vivi." he stated sternly. Igaram looked like he wanted to protest, but he was simply too tired to. Once Ace and Sabo found the house he had been living in while undercover in Baroque Works, the pirate laid him down in bed and stayed with him while the revolutionary looked for Vivi.

Along the way, Sabo heard two loud voices holler, "MISS WEDNESDAY!" He turned to see a man and woman frantically searching for their friend. The young man had red hair and the number nine written on his cheeks and wore a green suit with white lace along with a ruffled red scarf. And the tall, muscular woman had dark skin and pink hair pulled into short twin-tails and was wearing a short dress with a magenta and white diamond pattern and three green flowers.

"...Oh? You looking for someone too?" Sabo inquired curiously. Mr. 9 and Miss Monday perked up and went to him.

"I hate to admit it, but...yes." he uttered.

"Have you seen a woman with light-blue hair and brown eyes around here? She usually hangs out with her pet duck." Miss Monday asked in a soft high-pitched voice. Sabo's eyes went wide upon recognizing that description.

"Wait, wait, wait, you're looking for Princess Vivi too?!" he yelped, sounding surprised. Now Mr. 9 and Miss Monday looked very confused.

"Princess Vivi? Who's that?" he questioned Sabo.

"We're looking for our friend and Mr. 9's partner, Miss Wednesday." Miss Monday added. Sabo's eyes became even wider as he came to a revelation.

"Of course. Now this part makes sense! Vivi and Igaram must have infiltrated Baroque Works to stop Crocodile from taking over Alabasta!" he exclaimed. Now it was Mr. 9 and Miss Monday whose eyes widened.

"WHAT?!" they both gasped. Sabo explained Crocodile's scheme and how he and Ace put a stop to that. Needless to say, Mr. 9 and Miss Monday were both left stunned and impressed. After the trio searched every nook and corner of the island in vain, they went back to Igaram's house and reported to Ace.

"...Sabo, I just had a thought. There were some disappearances, right? So what if..." The pirate trailed off.

"...Vivi went to the same place this Ash guy is at." Sabo finished knowingly.

Ace nodded before saying, "Exactly! Which means she's right in the thick of things."

"Then we need to get over there as soon as possible." Sabo responded seriously. As thanks for stopping Crocodile, the agents gave them supplies for the long trip ahead. Soon, Ace and Sabo were back on the sea.

"So...why does Whitebeard want us to go to Sabody first?" Sabo wondered out loud.

Ace just shrugged as he responded, "Beats me. I'm not gonna question it, though." Sabo nodded at that.

"It's a long way to get there. So I have a suggestion. Drum Island is not that far off from here. And it apparently houses some great doctors. And we do need one, just in case. So..." He trailed off.

"...we get a doctor to join us for the trip to the other dimension?" Ace asked.

"Precisely. There's no telling what dangers await us when we get there. We should be well prepared for this." Sabo replied seriously.

"Agreed." Ace concurred. And so they set a course to Drum Island.

The boys had one question on their minds: Why does Whitebeard/Pops want us to go to Sabody?