[img]https://i.imgur.com/oTcp24q.png[/img]
[b]Location - Alabasta - Port District[/b]
[@King Cosmos]

Alabasta. The land of the desert. The pirate crew of the Red Lion Pirates gazed down upon that endless desert, and whispered to themselves. Astonished by the size, the lengths, and the howling storms of sand that rushed across the surface of the island. Anybody else might forget about the ocean beyond the sand, but not the pirates who could see the island from the ocean. That, and they were so above the island that they could see the ocean in the distance. 

Because the Red Lion's ship, the Golden Lion MK II did not sail like other pirate ships. No. That was absurd. How else would they have gotten to Loguetown if they had completed the full trip through the grandline required to do such a thing? Nikko had taken a page from his father's book, which involved a flying ship. Now, he couldn't control the ship like his father with the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, but he had other means to make a ship fly. In particular, he was an exploding sun that never rested. 

Literally.

The ship used several hot air balloons, with a rigging system just in case one or another was broken. From the captain's seat in the center of the flying ship, Nikko sat on a throne. Around him where various pipes that led to the many balloons, and he sent heat to each in order to control the vessel's height, speed, and other factors. Though, at the moment, the heat of that chamber could boil a man alive, resulting in Nikko having to use a computer system to communicate with his crew. 

[b]"Boss, Alabasta is in view!"[/b] One of the voices said, as his visage appeared on one of the multiple monitors Nikko used to keep an eye on things.
[color=f7976a]"Thank you dear... Floyd. You're doing a great job. If you can, gather the men to make sure the rest of our plans are ready. We're going to be replicating Luffy's time on Alabasta on a tight schedule, and I need it to be as accurate as possible. That means, bomb, captive princess, and we're going to be so busy setting it all up."[/color] Nikko sighed as he stretched back on his make-shift throne. The temperature slowly dropping as the ship descended downwards. It's shadow drifting over Alabasta, as finally it made water. The vessel shaking as balloons were retracted back into the vessel proper. Already plans were in motion. 
__________________________________________________
[b]Several minutes later...[/b]

Nikko stepped from the metal room in the center of the vessel, wiped his brow and smiled. 
[color=f7976a]"Now, some crew shall stay on board, and the others shall begin work on their various parts. Squad A, shall join me and Shigeuchi on the island. The second team... Squad B, shall be setting up in Alubarna, as we discussed earlier."[/color] Nikko explained to the surrounding crew he had gathered. So many pirates under his lead, just to recreate a scene for a book. Naturally, it was only that to Nikko. He let them plunder as they wished otherwise, as long as it didn't ruin his scene. 
[color=f7976a]"According to my research, the pirate Crocodile was aiming to get his hands on the secret weapon, Pluton. While Pluton's plans are no longer a thing, as you will read in my chapter regarding Water 7 and the Pirate Franky, it is not a complete loss. Rather we'll just fudge some of the showing and merely make it a classic hostage situation. You dig?"[/color] Nikko already knew the details. He just needed the raw emotion that came with a city in peril to write his novel. Anything else would just... Be a side benefit. Though he'd probably grill the Queen Vivi for more... Information later. 

As the boat pulled into harbor, and anchor was set down...

Nikko the Red Lion stepped onto the shores of Alabasta, and thus the plan was set into motion. [color=f7976a]"Shigeuchi, we have some time to kill before Squad B is ready. Would you like to get a drink or something before we make our move on the palace? We're working in broad strokes here."[/color]