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Nami sewed the paper from Ace to the bottom of Dad's hat so that Luffy would never lose it. Vivi brought out desert clothes for us to wear, since we'd be spending a lot of time in direct sunlight and needed to cover our bodies to avoid getting burned.
I got dressed in a brown cloak with a white hood. Rose's outfit was gray with a purple hood. Sanji wasn't too happy that the girls were covering up the inappropriate dancer outfits he had bought them.
"This is our destination, the oasis of Yuba," Vivi explained, showing us a small map. "That's where the rebels' base is. I want to talk with their leader."
"A rebellion this big might not stop with just talk," Zoro told her.
"I won't let Baroque Works do what they want to my country," Vivi said firmly.
We docked the ship at the bank of the Sandora River and departed for the desert.
"This is Erumalu, 'the city of green,' or at least it used to be," Vivi explained.
The entire town was nothing but a dried-up husk. The crumbling buildings were half-buried in the sand. No one had been here for a very long time.
"What is this thing?" Usopp yelled, staring at a large seal with a shell.
The animal immediately knocked the long-nosed man out with a punch. Vivi explained that these were Kung Fu Dugongs, animals that practiced martial arts and would train under anyone they lost to.
"No, punch like this," Luffy said, demonstrating to a crowd of seals.
"What the hell are you doing?!" I yelled.
We had to give the Dugongs a large portion of our food so they would stop following Luffy around. As we walked through the ghost town, Vivi told us it hadn't rained here in three years. She explained that there was an incident with a substance called Dance Powder. Nami chimed in, explaining that the powder could be used to make it rain, but it caused droughts in nearby areas.
"It's a mystery powder," Luffy said.
"You're an idiot," I told him. God, it's hot.
"Soon after the Dance Powder arrived in Nanohana, the rain stopped everywhere except the capital, Alubarna," Vivi told us. "Crocodile set all of this up. He's ruined people's lives, just playing with them. What right does he have? I'll never let him get away with this!"
Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp took out their frustration on a nearby building.
"Let's get moving, I'm anxious now," Luffy said, taking the lead.
We walked for hours in the scorching heat. Everyone was exhausted, and Chopper had to be pulled on a sled by Zoro.
"These dunes are like mountains," Rose complained.
"I need water," Luffy groaned.
"Just a mouthful, understand?" Nami said, handing him a canteen.
Luffy grabbed it, filled his mouth, and puffed out his cheeks like a chipmunk, trying to maximize his water intake. Sanji and Usopp immediately got into a fight with him over the canteen, wasting both their stamina and our precious fluids.
"You idiots, knock it off, or we're all dead!" I said, trying to break up the fight.
"I'm hungry! Sanji, let's eat!" Luffy yelled.
"You're always hungry. You can eat when Vivi says so," I told him.
"We'll take a break at the next rock," Vivi promised.
When we looked up, there wasn't a shadow as far as the eye could see, but we kept walking. As soon as Usopp spotted a rock, Luffy made a mad dash for it, only to come running back screaming for Chopper.
"Chopper, come quick! There's a bunch of sick birds!" Luffy yelled.
"Wait, Luffy, those are Warusagi Birds," Vivi told us.
When we got back to where Luffy had left our stuff, the so-called sick birds were gone, and so were all our supplies.
"I can't believe you! If it weren't so hot, I would kill you!" I said, berating Luffy.
"It's not my fault I was tricked," he tried to defend himself.
"You got fooled by a bunch of birds, you dumbass! Now we have no food or water!"
"Enough, both of you!" Zoro yelled. "You're agitated by the heat. Just relax. We can reach Yuba by tonight. It's an oasis, so we might not die just yet."
Luffy and I both calmed down and went to find some shade on a nearby rock. Luffy spotted the birds that had stolen our luggage and ran after them, only to come back with a camel that was being chased by a giant lizard.
"I suppose we should help them," Sanji said.
"Guess so," Rose said, walking out of the shade.
"Tatsumaki!" "Dagger Storm!" "Epaule Shoot!" "Whip Crush!" "Gum-Gum Whip!"
We killed the lizard with a five-pronged attack. Sanji deduced that it was edible and cooked it, so we had something to eat. We decided to bring the camel along to ease the need for everyone to walk, but the thing would only carry the girls, so the guys had to walk.
"I'll call you Eyelash," Nami told the camel as she climbed on his back.
We walked even farther into the desert, passing dunes, dunes, and more dunes. I think there was a cactus at one point, but I'm not sure.
"It's a tsunami!" Luffy suddenly started screaming and flailing around.
What now!?
"Luffy ate one of those cactuses," Usopp told Chopper.
"That's hallucinogenic!" Chopper screamed.
"I'm gonna kick your ass!" the delusional Luffy yelled.
"Who are you even talking to?" I groaned.
"Tranquilizer!" Chopper pricked Luffy with a needle, knocking him out cold.
"The camel's getting away!" Sanji called, pointing to the animal and the girls far in the distance.
We managed to catch up to the girls. Luffy woke up along the way, and I beat him for eating strange foods and nearly getting us lost.
"Where were you boys?" Rose asked when we regrouped.
"I don't wanna talk about it," Zoro and I both answered.
When the sun set, it went from unbearably hot to borderline freezing. To add to our continued troubles, the wind picked up and started blowing sand everywhere.
"See that light? That should be Yuba... something's wrong," Vivi said, quickly losing her optimism.
When we got closer, we saw a sandstorm ravaging the town. We walked into the town and realized that it wasn't much better than Erumalu. The town was empty except for one man with a shovel in the center.
"Sorry, but the town's a little dried up. You're welcome to spend the night in one of the inns, though," the man told us.
"Excuse me, we heard this was where the revolution was," Vivi asked the man, hiding her face.
"What do you want with those punks?" the old man asked, throwing things at us. "Those stupid kids packed up shop and left town."
"WHAT!"
"They moved to Katorea."
"Is that close, Vivi?" Luffy asked.
"It's back in Nanohana, where we started," she said, distraught.
The man ran up to Vivi and started talking, and she realized she knew him. They had a heart-to-heart, and the man, Toto, told Vivi he still believed in her father, the king.
"I'm begging you, stop this foolish rebellion. You're the only one who can," Toto told her.
"We can stop it," Vivi reassured him.
We packed it in for the night and got ready to rest at one of the inns. Before I fell asleep, I noticed Luffy wasn't inside. I went out and found him digging with Toto. He was doing a pretty poor job, since he was throwing sand into the hole the old man was digging.
"Don't throw the sand like that, Luffy," I said, announcing my presence.
"Isn't that what you do when you dig?" Luffy asked, confused.
"Yes, but you're throwing the sand into Toto's hole, and that's not really fair, is it?"
A few hours passed before Luffy passed out at the bottom of the hole he was digging. I hopped inside the small pit and picked my friend up.
"Thank you for letting us spend the night," I thanked Toto for his generosity.
"No, thank your friend there for all his digging."
I carried Luffy inside and laid him on the ground with a pillow and a blanket.
"Wish you wouldn't tire yourself out. We have a big fight coming up, you know," I said to the sleeping boy.
I went to my own bed and tried to fall asleep, but I got caught up in my own thoughts.
We have a tough trial ahead of us. Powerful men like Crocodile and Mr. 2 stand in our way, not to mention Miss All-Sunday. That woman... She keeps appearing in my thoughts. What is it about her? I feel all weird every time I think about her. It's even stranger when I think I might have to fight her.
My heart feels achy. Do I not want to fight her? I certainly don't want to mess up her good looks. She's an enemy, but I want to see her again. I want to know more about her. This reminds me of a story Dad told me one time.
Flashback
"Hey, Dad?" I walked up and tugged on his coat.
"What is it, bud?"
"How did you know you loved Mom?" I asked.
"What makes you ask that?" he asked.
"I just want to know more about you guys before you leave."
"Dahahaha, all right. I remember meeting her when I was on the Pirate King's ship. She worked in the kitchen, and I was a trainee. I don't know what it was, but I remember every time I looked at her, it seemed like she was glowing. Maybe that was her Devil Fruit, I wasn't sure," he explained.
"But what made you know for sure?" I asked, trying to get to the end of the story.
"I'm not quite sure. I just know that every time I thought about her, my heart trembled."
"Bleh, that sounds all mushy."
"You're the one who asked for the story, you brat!"
Flashback End
Am I in love? Impossible. She's like ten years older than me. She's also way out of my league. I wouldn't stand a chance with a babe like that.
"I just know that every time I thought about her, my heart trembled."
Rose said that's why she likes Zoro: "He makes her heart tremble."
Am I?
Robin's POV
Crocodile had assembled the Officer Agents for the final phase. The only ones missing were Mr. 3 and Mr. 5, along with their partners. I walked in, and Mr. 2 and Mr. 1 were already fighting.
"Can't you two get along?" I asked as I walked in.
"Miss All-Sunday!"
"Where are we?" Mr. 1 asked.
"Are you familiar with Rainbase, 'the City of Dreams'? The building you're in is the grand casino, Rain Dinners. If there are no more questions, let's get started. Allow me to introduce the elusive boss."
They were awfully surprised to see that Crocodile was the boss. He explained to them his 'Utopia Plan,' an idea I was only involved in for the Poneglyph that might hold the answers I seek.
"I would appreciate it if you'd wait on this 'Utopia Plan,'" I said, looking toward the stairs and seeing Mr. 3.
It's him. The one who killed that boy.
"How did you get in here, Mr. 3?" I asked.
"I just hitched a ride on the turtle," he explained. "I came here for another chance."
"What are you talking about?" Crocodile asked.
"I'm referring to the fact that I let Vivi and the Straw Hats escape."
They're still alive...
"You mean they escaped! What were you talking about on the Den Den Mushi?!"
"I never used a snail on Little Garden," Mr. 3 said.
"Tell me you killed at least one or two of them?"
"Not really."
This feeling.
"There were actually six pirates!" Mr. 3 yelled.
"I met them!" Mr. 2 yelled when he saw the pictures of the pirates.
He cycled through his faces. I recognized them from when I was on the ship. One was missing, the man with the blonde hair, and there was a new one, some animal. There was one face that caught my attention: a man with red hair.
Why do I feel so strange?
"Take pictures of Mr. 2 so we know who to look for," Crocodile instructed.
"Just one more chance!"
"Shut up, you're a failure!" Crocodile grabbed Mr. 3 and sucked the moisture out of him. He dropped the man into the Banana-Gator tank.
"Miss All-Sunday."
"Yes, sir?"
"Message the Billions and tell them to look out for Vivi and the pirates. Vivi must not meet Koza."
"Right away, sir."
Steve's POV
Right before we left Yuba, Toto gave Luffy a jug of water that he got from the hole he dug last night. Vivi promised to stop the rebellion, and we left the small oasis. Right on the outskirts of town, Luffy sat down next to a tree.
"I quit," he said.
Huh?