Chapter 12

"Alright then." Ace placed his hat back on and turned towards the pirate group that he was leaving behind. After causing a resolution upon a bounty hunter that was after him and receiving the information he wanted, the Whitebeard pirate was leaving the group. "Blackbeard isn't in Arabasta. There's no reason for me to stay in this country."

"Where are you planning to go next?" Sanji questioned.

"Scorpion told me some guy in the West say him. I'm going to try looking there." He reached for his pocket, taking out a small piece of paper and threw it towards the straw hat captain. "Luffy, keep it with you, always."

"What? It's just a scrap of paper." Luffy's simple mind was at full speed as he tried to search his brain for some deep meaning for him to keep that paper.

"That scrap of paper will let us meet again. Don't want it?" Ace finally asked when he saw the straw hat captain turning the piece of paper around on his hand.

"No, I do."

"Having a younger brother who's a bit on the slow side makes his older brother worry. He's probably going to keep burning your hands, too." His signature smile appeared on his lips and his eyes looked at each pirate. "Take care of him for me." He bowed down at the request before returning to his natural poise. "Luffy, the next time we meet will be at the Pirate's Summit."

"Alright."

"As for you, young princess…" The freckled man looked at Amaya and placed his hand at the top of her head, messing her raven black hair in the process. "I hope to see you as well." He leaned down and placed a feather light kiss on her forehead. "And don't try to get yourself killed. I probably won't be there to save you."

"Oh shut up." The assassin pouted at him, receiving a light chuckle from the pirate before her. "I won't get myself killed that easily. Besides…" She looked over her shoulder, a faint hint of a smile dancing on her lips. "I have nakama now."

"I'm glad you feel comfortable and happy with them." His voice was filled with honesty and so was his expression. He then looked up at Zoro, a devious grin on his lips. "Don't you dare hurt her ever otherwise I'll come hunt you down."

Luffy and Chopper were the only ones that looked lightly confused at this statement while the others just looked at Amaya, Ace and Zoro, knowingly.

"You won't have to worry about that at all." The green haired swordsman smirked back before letting his dark gaze fall upon the assassin he had grown fond of.

"Protect her and Luffy." He finally said, turning to the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates. "They are the most precious people to me."

Everyone just smiled, reassuring the Whitebeard pirate that everything would be alright before turning around when they heard a shout. Scorpion's children waved at the group before making their way back home. In an instant Ace disappeared, leaving the crew behind to their adventure.

Vivi quickly identified the next town as being Yuba. Just as Erumalu, this one was destroyed as well but there was something else. There was this eerie feeling that was creeping up everyone's spine. Amaya was almost sure it was because of the winds that were picking up a sandstorm only on that exact location of the town.

"A sandstorm…" The assassin mumbled over the fabric that covered her mouth and nose.

"But… it doesn't seem to move beyond that area." Sanji stated, looking at Vivi and then at Amaya. The assassin did not look up to meet the cook's gaze. Instead she stood still, eyes closed and evening her breathing. "Amaya-swan…?" He called but the only answer he got was her hand placed in front of his face.

"What's the matter?" Nami asked, looking over her shoulder, towards the raven haired assassin.

"I think there's someone at the town alive." Amaya finally spoke out, opening her deep blue eyes and looking at each pirate.

"How do you know that?" Vivi's voice was filled with emotion at the slight hope of life.

"I need too much concentration but my training as an assassin lets me pick up life forces." From the corner of her eye she saw a stupefied swordsman looking at her. "It's a fucked up science. Deal with it."

With that the group rushed towards Yuba the moment the storm died down but found nothing.

Everything was covered with sand and the remaining plants that were still there were dead and dried up.

"This is bad… This place isn't any better than Erumalu." Zoro stated, his analytic gaze running over the ruins of a once prosperous town.

The princess felt sadness when nothing and no one appeared. Nami, on the other hand, out of frustration, grabbed Amaya's collar and shook her violently.

"Amaya, you shouldn't lie to Vivi-chan! She worried about her country and this is not helping!"

A sound found its way to their ears, making the group turn their heads towards the source before rushing towards a large hole where an old man was digging up.

"I wasn't lying." The assassin smiled tenderly towards a guilty looking navigator. "Don't worry Nami. It's alright."

"You're passing travellers, right?" The old man asked, never once rising his head to look at the group that stared at his exhausting work. "You must be tired from your trip across the desert. I'm sorry. It seems this town's a little dried up at the moment." He finally came to a stop and looked over his shoulder. "But I hope you can at least get some rest before you go." With that said he returned to his work, continuing to dig for whatever he was searching for. "If you're looking for inns, there's plenty to choose from. After all, that's what we're known for here."

"Excuse me…" Vivi began, trying to hide her face form the man and muffling her voice lightly with the fabric that covered her head. "We heard the Rebel Army has been using this town as a base…"

"What business do you have with the Rebel Army?" The old man's voice came out harsh as he stopped once again from digging. He had a menacing expression on his eyes before he proceeded to throw anything he had at hand towards the pirates. "Don't you dare tell me you're actually thinking of joining them!?" Once he got it all out of his system, the man continued to dig. "Those fools have left already.

"WHAT'D YOU SAY!?" Luffy shouted out, verbalizing everyone's frustration and exhaustion.

"You saw the sandstorm that just blew through, right? It's not the first. This three year-long drought has caused the sands to dry up and sandstorms have been continually ravaging this town. Swallowed bit by bit, the great oasis of the past is now in the state you see here. Without the commerce of the city to support it, the Rebel Army's protracted war could not continue. They relocated themselves to Katorea."

"Katorea!?" Vivi sounded astounded.

"Where's that, Vivi? Is Katorea nearby?" Luffy asked, revealing her identity to the old man even though she attempted to hide it away.

Oh Luffy…

"It's the oasis right next to Nanohana."

"Katorea!? That's the town where I got lost and met Eyelashes!" Chopper informed, mentioning the camel in his story. The animal in question began to make sounds and the small reindeer proceeded to translate what he was saying. "When you saved me… Eyelashes says he was delivering supplies to the rebels in Katorea!"

"Why didn't you tell us!?" Amaya, Zoro, Usopp and Luffy shouted out at the animal, the men kicking it down to the ground.

"So we came all the way out here for nothing?" Zoro growled, his exhaustion reflecting in his words.

"Vivi…" The old man called out, dragging his body out of the hole. "You just called her Vivi..."

"OI, OLD MAN! VIVI'S NOT A PRINCESS OR ANYTHING!" Luffy quickly shouted, trying to hide the fact that he had given her identity away to the man.

He was only making it worse.

"DON'T TELL HIM, DIMWIT!" Zoro shouted, punching his captain on the head.

"Are you Vivi-chan?" The old man ignored the two loud pirates, making his way towards the princess and placing his hands on her shoulders. "Is it really you? You're still alive." Relief washed his words as a wave of joy rejuvenated the old man. "I'm so glad. It's me. Don't you recognize me?" Vivi was at a complete loss for words and in absolute confusion. "I can understand… I've lost some weight…"

"Toto-san…

"That's right." And that was enough to make the man break down in tears. "This rebellion is ridiculous…! Those fools…" Toto sobbed out almost choking in his tears. "So it hasn't rained for three years. So what? I believe in the King. The greater part of the country does as well. So many times… I tried to stop them so many times… But no matter what I said, it was all in vain. This rebellion will not cease. Their strength has already reached its limit. They plan to end it all with their next attack. They've… become embattled. They plan on dying." With each word he said, the tears never once stopped flowing down his cheeks. "I beg of you… Vivi-chan! Please stop those fools!"

As the man continued to cry, Vivi's mouth grew in a tender smile as she handed him a perfectly white handkerchief.

"Toto-san… Don't worry."

"Vivi-chan…"

"I will stop the rebellion."

"Thank you." And once again the man broke down in loud sobs. Once he breathed in and regained his composure the man got up from the ground and smiled widely at the group. "I'm sure you are all tired. Please, come with me, I'll take you to an inn and you can rest there."

"Thank you so much." Vivi smiled widely before following the man towards one of the decent looking buildings that still stood strong even after years of suffering sandstorms. They quickly found the room where they would all be sleeping and, with that, Toto proceeded to go back to where he was digging relentlessly, leaving the group behind.

"Okay, gentlemen! We've had a rough day! Let's take a little rest to replenish our strength for tomorrow. Good night." Usopp stated, quickly removing his shoes and resting his body on the bottom bunk bed. He was quickly pushed off from the bed by a pillow that was thrown at him full force.

"You've been sleeping the whole time!" Zoro growled at the marksman.

"Don't compare me to you monsters!" Usopp shouted back and threw the pillow at the swordsman's face. The small quarrel quickly grew to a never ending pillow fight between Zoro and Usopp, Sanji and Chopper quickly joining them when they were picked on.

"Well, I'm off." Amaya informed at Nami, waving at her.

"Where are you going Amaya? We need to rest." The navigator complained and was highly impressed by the assassin's endurance.

"It's cold outside which I enjoy and I want to try something out. I'll be quick." She winked at the ginger woman, receiving a knowing smile. "Yoru, come." Under her request, the blade flew towards its owner and followed the assassin outside. Her expression was blank and her mind was completely erased from any activity that surrounded her the moment her weapon hovered at her side. This led to completely neglect the swordsman that eyed her carefully. The raven haired assassin made sure to find a place far away from where they were resting before letting her weapon float a bit further away. "Are you ready, Yoru?" Her voice was low when she spoke and the weapon only shook lightly signalling its owner that it was ready. "Stage 5: Separate." Under her order, the Kusarigama lost its chain and transformed into two small scythes. "Good…" She grabbed the blades and turned them in her hands. She fought against the air, trying to get used to the new dynamic of her weapon.

"Training all by yourself?" A familiar voice called out.

"Shouldn't you be resting, Roronoa Zoro?" A smirk crawled to her lips when she looked over her shoulder, towards the green haired swordsman that had lost his cloak.

"I got curious and it seems you need a bit of help."

"I don't want you to die on me." She only heard him chuckle at her statement.

"I'm pretty hard to kill." With that said, Zoro took hold of his three swords and waited patiently for her attack.

"I didn't know you were this kinky, Zoro-kun." She teased and got exactly what she wanted: that faint blush that tainted his cheeks. "I would say buy me dinner first…" She laughed before she threw her two blades up in the air. "Stage 4: Shatter." With that order, her Yoru dismantled, becoming thin and long metallic shards that floated all around the assassin. "But I'm kinky myself as well." She winked before snapping her fingers, making the shards fly towards the swordsman. He blocked most of them but the one that would manage to hit him in his vitals were hovering over that area. "You need to better your defense, Zoro-kun."

"Do I really?" He looked down only to find three shards hovering in front of him: one in front of his heart, the other aiming at his right lung and the third one that was dangerously close to his crotch. "What!?" He shouted and stepped away from the small metallic shards of danger.

"Don't be like that Zoro-kun." Amaya jumped towards the swordsman whispering the word reverse, making her weapon return to its original form. "I would never bring harm to you." A hand snaked to the back of his skull, brushing the edge of his green, messy hair.

"You could've aimed somewhere else!" He growled at her, still somewhat annoyed by her attack.

"Could I? But I like to tease you and you know that." She chuckled under her breath before brushing her nose against his chin.

"You witch… Why do I enjoy this…?" He mumbled and that made her chuckle lightly.

"I knew you were a kinky one."

"OI!"

"I'm just stating the obvious." She laughed it off and stepped away from the swordsman. "I just want to try one more thing and then we can return." She turned her back to the swordsman and breathed in deeply. "You can leave if you want to."

"You don't need my help?"

"I'm just doing a little review and activation of my skills. They have been a bit rusty from the lack of usage." Amaya twirled her shoulders receiving a pleasant cracking sound almost as trying to show the metaphorical rustiness she was speaking of.

"Then I'll wait for you."

"Fair enough."

Zoro stepped away, giving her as much space as she needed and leaned back against one of the destroyed buildings, carefully watching what the assassin was attempting. As he looked at her figure, he couldn't help all the thoughts that crawled to his mind. It didn't help at all that she still had that outfit the crazy love cook had gotten her.

After a couple of minutes of her just standing still, her lips moved but he captured no sound. Her hair faded to a pale shade of blue before she just simply dismantled and disappeared into the sky.

Zoro was in shock as his eyes captured the impossible occurrence: he had never heard of any kind of person to be able to do that unless they had a devil fruit of some sort. But this was beyond anything he had seen so far.

It was almost ridiculous.

After a couple of seconds, shards fell from the sky and quickly gathered up, forming Amaya's image one again right before his eyes. Her hair that was now white danced lightly around her before she inhaled deeply and smiled over her shoulder. As the raven colour returned to her long locks, the colour from her skin faded away as a weak smile found its way to her lips.

"Shall we return?" And with that said she collapsed.

A/N:

That ending though XD Wat the feck was thet? XD

I am enjoying SOOOO MUCH WRITING THIS! Even though I have to re-watch the Arabasta arc I do not mind. I ADORE ONE PIECE FAR TOO MUCH! I probably won't write fanfictions of other anime or games for quite some time. Might do a fanfic with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim but it's still an idea that I haven't developed well. It's still a sketch most of it along with two more fanfictions of One Piece.

I hope you enjoy this story so far =D

I do not own One Piece!

I only own Amaya and Yoru no Ame.