The crew all became a group, and Chopper blended in very well. He was innocent and kind, and Luffy and the others quickly fell in love with their new ship's doctor. The group was full of joy, enjoying the reunion after a long separation. Moonlight, too, was a rare sight, drunk and happy. Not only was he glad to see everyone, but meeting Ace had also made him very happy. No matter what, now that he was in this world, he would never let that tragedy happen. He might not be able to change Ace's will, but with this sword in his hand, he could cut a different future.
The night wind blew, and the Going Merry left Nanohana, sailing on.
The next morning, before they knew it, they had arrived at Alabasta. It was truly a desert kingdom; as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but yellow sand.
"The place we're going now is a city called Yuba," Vivi said, being the first to go ashore. Karoo followed faithfully behind her, like a royal guard. "That's where the rebels are gathered. Their leader is a man named Koza, a childhood playmate of mine. As long as we can find him and explain everything, we can stop this war."
"Alright, in that case, let's go!" Luffy said, full of interest. Ignoring the others, he took off running.
"Hey, Luffy! This is a desert! Don't run around!" Vivi shouted after him, but he was already gone, disappearing into the vast expanse of sand.
"It's okay, don't mind him," the other Straw Hats said, completely unfazed. "Our captain is like that." Nami just shrugged, Sanji sighed helplessly, and Zoro didn't even bother to look. Usopp was exasperated, but Chopper just stared, wondering how such a wayward captain could lead anyone. Ace just pulled the brim of his hat down, pretending he didn't know him.
"Don't worry," Nami said, patting Vivi's shoulder with a smile. "Although Luffy is a bit headstrong, he's always there when it counts. He'll definitely find us. Vivi, let's go."
"Alright," Vivi hesitated for a moment, but seeing that no one else was concerned, she took the lead. She was like a tour guide, leading them forward and introducing the sights. "The town ahead is a famous green city. As you all know, the desert is always plagued by drought, but no matter how arid the rest of the country is, the green city will always remain green..." But when they arrived, they found that the once-lush city was now nothing but a ruin, shrouded in wind and sand.
Vivi covered her mouth, her body trembling.
"You should have expected this," Nami said, stepping forward to comfort her.
Vivi nodded silently, and a sense of unease fell over the group. Though it was just a ruined town, they could all feel the tension in Alabasta, as if the very sand were about to explode.
"Originally, under my father's rule, the country was doing fairly well," Vivi explained as they continued on towards Yuba. "But after Crocodile came, droughts began to occur, and the people grew resentful. Then, by chance, the 'Dance Powder' incident happened in the capital, and the public's anger finally boiled over. Dance Powder is..." She went on to explain the origin of the civil strife. Now that they were all in the same boat, they needed to know the full story.
"So, after Crocodile arrived, droughts began to occur everywhere? What a coincidence."
"And not only that, but the Dance Powder incident also happened by chance? That's definitely not a coincidence."
"It's a pity that everyone was so intimidated by his title as a Warlord and his powerful strength that no one dared to doubt him. They even respected him as the country's patron saint." Hearing this, the crew finally understood everything, and their hearts grew heavy. Even outsiders like them could see that something was wrong, but the people of the country were blind to the truth.
WHOOSH!
At that moment, a strong wind began to blow, and the dust danced wildly. A sandstorm was upon them.
"No, a sandstorm is coming!" Vivi cried out in alarm. "Quick, everyone, hide in a sand pit, or you'll be blown away!"
As she finished speaking, a massive, swirling pillar of sand, tens of meters high, appeared, piercing through the sky and heading straight for them. It was a dust devil.
"The weather in this desert is really weird. A sandstorm, just like that!" the others exclaimed, already scrambling for cover. They all dug pits in the sand and hid, but Moonlight remained standing, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the massive sand pillar. There seemed to be something inside it.
"What's wrong, Moonlight?" Sanji asked quickly.
"Moonlight!" the others poked their heads out of their pits, looking at him with a puzzled expression. Ace also looked at him, wondering what he was going to do.
"Luffy is in there," Moonlight said, finally seeing it. Inside the massive sand pillar, a man in a straw hat was being tossed about. It was Luffy.
The others were stunned at first, and then speechless. Hey, wasn't Luffy supposed to be looking for a town? How did he end up in a sandstorm?
WHOOSH!
At that moment, Moonlight's longsword slashed out, and a massive wave of sword energy, comparable in size to the sandstorm itself, shot out, carving a deep gully in the soft desert sand. The sword energy slammed into the sandstorm.
"What?!" Ace's pupils shrank. To cut a sandstorm with a single sword slash... was Moonlight's swordsmanship really that terrifying? He looked at the others and saw that though they were surprised, they weren't shocked. It was as if this were commonplace for them.
The massive sand pillar was sliced in two, and though the wind and sand still raged, its speed had slowed, and its direction had changed. Luffy fell straight down from the sky. At this height, even if he didn't die, he would be seriously injured. Ace was about to make a move, but Moonlight had already shot into the sky, his Raptor's Air Rend carrying him through the air. He caught the falling Luffy and returned.
"He can run on air! This..." Ace stood up straight, looking at Moonlight with a look of pure shock. This swordsman was truly on another level.
Luffy's eyes were spinning, and he was obviously dizzy, but he was still conscious. "Moonlight... thanks... I'm so dizzy... let me rest," he mumbled.
"Luffy, why were you in the sandstorm?" the others asked, completely speechless.
"I don't know," Luffy recalled. "I left and got separated from everyone, so I was heading back, and I found a group of strange guys surrounding our ship. We had a fight, and after I won, they showed me a path, and then I was somehow swept up by the sandstorm."
"A bunch of strange guys?" the others asked, taken aback.
"A group of creatures that were like turtles but not turtles," Luffy explained. "They had to fight me, but they were pretty cute."
"Kung Fu Dugongs," Vivi's eyes suddenly moved, and she blurted out the name.
"Kung Fu Dugongs?" the others asked, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"They are very cute creatures from the desert of Alabasta," she explained. "They love kung fu, and when they see someone, they have to compete with them. If they lose, they have to worship that person as their master. Otherwise, you can't get rid of them. If that's the case, Luffy, did you..." She trailed off, a strange look on her face. She suddenly thought of something.
"I guess so," Luffy said indifferently. "They were pestering me and wouldn't let me go, and they motioned for me to teach them martial arts. I taught them a few moves before I left." The next moment, he jumped up abruptly, a look of dawning realization on his face as he looked at Vivi, dumbfounded. "No way... you're saying they see me as their master?"
"Yes," Vivi nodded solemnly. "That's the characteristic of the Kung Fu Dugongs. Otherwise, they would have never let you leave."
"What?!" Luffy was stunned. He had somehow become the master of a group of dugongs.
"Hahahaha, Luffy, you actually have a group of dugong apprentices! That's great!" Usopp howled with laughter.
"Yeah, promising," Zoro said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Captain Dugong," Sanji said with a squint.
"Wow, the sea is really amazing. There are such creatures," Chopper said, jumping up and down with excitement. Ace quickly pressed the brim of his hat down. His brother, really...
"Kung Fu Dugongs? The world is a big place. There are no surprises, especially in the Grand Line," Moonlight couldn't help but laugh. The thought of Luffy leading a group of dugongs in a boxing match was just too funny.
Though Luffy looked depressed at first, he quickly brightened up. A Pirate King... what was a group of dugong apprentices to him? He was truly an optimist.
After a while, the group continued on towards Yuba. But they soon discovered that they had underestimated the desert. The sun was scorching, and it felt as if they were walking in a steamer. In less than an hour, they were all dry and exhausted. Even Moonlight was finding it difficult. Chopper had already fainted from the heat, and Moonlight was now carrying him on his back.
"I'm so thirsty... so thirsty," Luffy moaned, his own body now dry and dizzy. Zoro had to drag him along, and the others were not much better.
But they all persevered. "Look, there's a rock wall ahead," Nami said, pointing to a huge rock formation in the distance. "We can rest there for a while." Everyone's spirits lifted, and they quickened their pace. But one of them was faster than the others. Luffy, as if he had been reborn, suddenly became full of life and, dragging his luggage, shot towards the rock wall. But the next moment, his angry shouts were heard. "You bastards! Give me back my water!"
The others rushed over and saw that their luggage had been snatched by a group of birds, and their precious water supply was being greedily drunk. Luffy was chasing after them, but the birds were too fast. In the blink of an eye, both he and the birds had disappeared into the desert.
"No, it's the Sandoru Daisagi!" Vivi recognized them immediately, a look of alarm on her face. "The desert is not a peaceful place. Besides the scorching sun and the extremely variable weather, there are countless desert beasts. The Sandoru Daisagi is one of them. They are notorious for pretending to be in trouble to deceive travelers and then snatching their luggage. They are so fast that no one can catch them in the desert. They've robbed us of our food and water."
"What?!" everyone's face grew grim. In the desert, without food and water, they were doomed.
But that wasn't the end of it. A short time later, the ground began to tremble violently, and Luffy came running back, a large mass of green plants chasing after him.
"No, it's the desert carnivorous grass!" Vivi cried, covering her mouth in horror. "The Sandoru Daisagi and the desert carnivorous grass have always worked together. The birds are responsible for luring away the travelers' supplies, while the carnivorous grass lies in ambush in the desert to eat them."
"What?!" everyone was shocked. This desert was truly a dangerous place.
"I'll take care of it," Zoro said, stepping forward with his sword. Though the desert carnivorous grass was dangerous and dense, it was no match for him. With a few slashes, he cut it all down. At the same time, a strange-looking camel also fell to the ground.
"Phew... saved," Luffy said, breathing a sigh of relief.
But the danger was far from over. Not long after Zoro had dealt with the carnivorous grass, the ground in front of them began to tremble again. A patch of quicksand appeared, and from it, an oversized lizard, comparable in size to a Sea King, emerged, its green forked tongue flicking out, a waterfall of saliva dripping from the corner of its mouth as it looked at them as if they were food.
"It's a desert giant lizard! Not good!" Vivi exclaimed. They had just entered the desert, and the dangers were coming one after another.
"What a big lizard," Usopp yelped, already hiding behind Moonlight. Nami was also surprised, and Chopper buried his head behind Moonlight's back. Sanji, a grim look on his face, drew a long drag from his cigarette. With Luffy and Zoro gone, the burden of protecting their companions fell on his shoulders. The next moment, he shot forward, his long legs a blur of motion as he unleashed a flurry of kicks. After a scream, the lizard fell to the ground, defeated.
Vivi was about to remind them of something, but at that moment, in front of Ace, who had been resting with his eyes closed, the earth trembled, and another giant lizard appeared. "I forgot," Vivi's words rang out. "The desert giant lizards always hunt in pairs."
But as soon as she had spoken, Ace leaped into the lizard's mouth. A pillar of fire erupted from the creature's body, and Ace flew out as the giant lizard was cooked from the inside out.
At that point, the surrounding earth finally calmed down.
"This desert is really terrible," Usopp said, a lingering fear in his voice. "If it were just me, or any ordinary person, I'd be buried in the desert right now."
"It really is extremely dangerous," Nami agreed, patting her chest.
"Miss Nami, please don't worry," Sanji said, a flattering look on his face as he appeared at her side. "Your loyal servant will definitely not let any harm come to you."
Zoro looked on with disdain, and Luffy returned, his own body weak and exhausted.
Fortunately, the roasted meat from Ace was distributed to everyone, and it barely restored some of their energy. But without water, they still couldn't move.
"Great! He knows where there is water!" Chopper suddenly exclaimed, pointing to the strange-looking camel that had been accidentally rescued.