Hello hello! It's Sunday again, so that means another chapter! I've had a crazy week this week, so it's kind of a relief to just get this out and done with.
Thanks to: ZabuzasGirl, Theburper, Zany Dragon, pizzafan123, lilness, Momochan77, Dalo721, Awesome Guest, and Serendipital for the reviews! You guys are awesome! I really appreciate your comments and compliments!
To lilness: I actually have something similar planned, but a bit later on in the story, so you'll see it soon!
To Zany Dragon: Yes, I have been reading it, but it's been slow going.
To Theburper: Lol yeah, it should be! ;)
REMINDER: This story will be going on a two week hiatus from July 1st through the 15th. That means no updates on July 6th and July 13th! I'm going to be really, really busy for these two weeks, and won't have time to write nor update.
Chapter 25
Twenty minutes later, I was snacking on some fried fish sticks as I wandered around Nanohana after Sanji. Nami had sent me, the blond, and Chopper out because the Baroque Works agents didn't know who we were. Therefore, we were tasked with the duty of getting supplies for our travel across the desert.
"Here you go," Sanji said, and Chopper, in his reindeer form, grunted a little under the weight of another barrel of water. "Now, all we have to get is clothes for everybody."
"Alright," I agreed, finishing off my snack and trailing after them. "Vivi said that we needed something that would cover us up complet - NOT THAT!"
But it was too late; Sanji had already bought three sets of dancer outfits, rather than the clothes we were supposed to get. I groaned, slapping a hand on my face and dragging it down in frustration. "Sanji-nii, that's not what we need!"
"Don't worry!" Sanji laughed, grinning a perverted grin as he loaded the clothes up onto Chopper's back. "They'll help us blend in just fine!"
I tipped my head back with a moan of annoyance, and while he was distracted getting clothes for the guys, I turned to the vendor again. "Ignore him," I said plainly. "We need two sets of adult women's clothes for crossing the desert, and one young adult women."
"That guy's your brother?" the vendor asked as he handed me the clothes, and I hesitated.
"…He's adopted," I finally answered, and the man scowled.
"Just keep him away from my daughter," he said, jabbing a thumb over to the side, and I turned, in time to see Sanji flirting heavily with a nervous and frightened girl, who was trying to hand him the clothes he requested.
"Sanji-nii…!" I growled, before paying the man and marching up to the blond. I swiped the clothes the young woman was handing out, seized Sanji by his ear, and dragged him off.
"Thanks!" the vendor called gratefully as we left, and I growled in annoyance, my tail thrashing.
"Every time…! Can't you go five seconds without hitting on every girl with boobs?!" I demanded, and he whined while Chopper hurried after us with wide eyes.
"But Haaaazel!" he whined. "She was beautiful! I wish I could've spent all afternoon with her -!"
"No," I cut him off harshly. "Vivi gave us this job, and we're going to finish it!"
"That's right!" Sanji gasped, jolting upright and jerking himself out of my grasp. "I'M COMING FOR YOU, VIVI-CHWANNNN~!" He raced off with clothes in his arms, and I exhaled loudly through my nose in frustration. I massaged my temples, and began to count to ten. Hopefully, I would be calm enough to avoid strangling the moron the next time I saw him.
"You can be really scary sometimes, Hazel," Chopper said after a moment, and I snorted aloud at his awestruck expression.
"Only with idiots, Chopper, only with stupid people," I grumbled, before waving for him to follow after me.
"Oh, how lovely! This is just the kind of thing I like!" Nami giggled as she swirled around in her clothes. I tried not to growl in annoyance. After all the trouble I went through, and she liked them…!
"Sorry if I sound like I'm complaining after making you go out and buy clothes, Sanji, but…" Vivi hesitated, before shaking her head. "These dresses make us look more like exotic dancers than inconspicuous civilians…"
I sighed, my shoulders slumping in my own dancer-girl getup. "I tried, Vivi, I tried…"
"Oh, it's all fine!" Sanji swooned, hearts exploding in the air around him as he shamelessly ogled Vivi and Nami. "Aren't dancers civilians as well~? As long as we don't look like pirates and you don't look like a princess, it's all good, right?" He then seized me in an enthusiastic hug, smashing my face against his chest as he spun. "AND HAZEL-CHAN YOU LOOK SOOOO CUUUUUTEEE!"
"Mmph - gerrof!" I pounded against his chest, but he didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
"But to walk across the desert in this is -" Vivi tried again, and Sanji let me go, leaving me to stagger over and lean against Zoro while I tried to get my bearings back. The swordsman glanced down at me for a brief moment, but didn't complain. Bless him.
"Don't worry, I'll carry you if you get tired~!"
Vivi hung her head.
"It's useless," she groaned, and I nodded, swirly-eyed.
"Tell me about it!" I agreed with a gasp as my world tilted and spun. Finally, I was able to stand up straight, and patted Zoro wordlessly on the shoulder in thanks.
"But compared to the lovely ladies, the rest of you guys are just…" Sanji trailed off, before scowling at the rest of the crew assembled. "You might be trying to hide the fact that you're pirates, but those outfits make you look like bandits!"
"How're we any different from you?" Zoro grumbled, grabbing a piece of steak and chewing on it. Usopp, on the other hand, blinked and glanced over at Chopper when the little reindeer covered his nose.
"Hm? What's wrong, Chopper?"
The little reindeer groaned, back in his doctor form. "My nose feels like it's falling apart…"
We all looked on in confusion.
"Is that so? Your nose must be quite sensitive, Tony-kun. Nanohana is also famous for its perfumes," Vivi informed him, and Chopper sat up, squinting at her through runny eyes.
"Perfume?" Chopper parroted, and Vivi nodded.
"Yes, they're made from mixing very pungent ingredients so -"
"Like this one here?" Nami asked mischievously, giving herself a spray, and Chopper screamed.
"WAAAAHHHH STOP IT!"
Sanji just fell over, moaning in delight. "Ohhhhh! I could fall in love with you all the way to the gates of hell~!"
Zoro grunted, sipping at a bottle of sake. "What are you, retarded?"
I burst out laughing as Sanji surged up, furious. "WHAT WAS THAT?!"
As Nami shouted at the guys to knock it off, I found myself watching in appreciation. Well, despite how difficult it would be, the guys would be entertaining enough to get us through the desert.
"In any case, we now have all the supplies we need to cross the Alabastan Desert," Vivi was saying while we packed the rest of our supplies up.
"So Vivi, where are we headed?" I asked as I picked up my bag. I was raring to go! I wanted to go and kick ass, fight baddies, and save the world! I was ready! Especially now that I had food in me! Thank god for food!
"Well, First we have to stop the rebel forces," Vivi instructed us. "I can't predict when they'll start rampaging and needlessly shedding blood. So we'll head over to the oasis town called Yuba, which is being used as the base of operation by the leader of the rebel forces. And to go to Yuba, we -"
"GET DOWN!" Zoro suddenly snarled, seizing Vivi's arm and yanking her down behind the wall we were standing next to, and I jumped in surprise.
"What is it?!" Nami hissed in alarm, she and the rest of us automatically crouching down in response to Zoro's actions.
There was a long pause as Zoro peered over the wall, and he growled, "Marines. What're they doing here?!"
Usopp squinted over the swordsman's shoulder, using his goggles to view the group of men running about. I looked as well, and tried to make sense of what was going on. They looked like they were waving swords and whatnot in the air while they chased someone through town.
"Sounds like there's something going on in town," Usopp said in a hushed tone of voice.
"Maybe some pirate appeared," Zoro mused.
I looked harder. The figures appeared to be approaching, and - I stopped with a dumbfounded expression on my face. After a moment, I spluttered aloud in surprise and annoyance. "That little shit!"
"What is it?" Sanji asked curiously, and I shook my head helplessly.
"Not just some pirate," I answered with an exhausted sigh, pointing, and everyone peered over the wall, only to topple over in shock.
"HEY, ZORO!" Oh god, Luffy just spotted us, and Zoro jerked back behind the wall. Luffy, you dumbass!
"Oh, for the love off -!"
"LOOK! There's the rest of his crew!" the marines shouted, and Luffy began running towards us, laughing and grinning.
"You idiot!" Zoro shouted. "Lose them first before you come here!"
"Yo, is everyone here?!" Luffy asked, completely ignoring the green-haired swordsman, and I tugged on my hair in frustration. Why did I choose to follow an idiot captain like Luffy?!
A burly man with cigars and white hair shoved a marine aside. "Move! I won't let you escape, Straw Hat!" He punched out, and I goggled at the sight of smoke billowing out of his arm, propelling his fist forward. "WHITE BLOW!"
"Gah! Get away, Smokey!" Luffy tried to run faster, but the fist was moving closer and closer to him -
"HEAT HAZE!" an unfamiliar voice shouted, and a column of flames erupted behind Luffy, stopping the smoke in its tracks.
The smoke-man paused at the interference before he straightened, pulling away as the flames began to disperse.
"So," he grunted, white smoke swirling around him. "It's you."
"Give it a rest," laughed a figure standing in the middle of the dying flames. He was topless, with wavy black hair, an orange hat, a sweet tattoo on his back, and black cargo shorts. I gasped in awe as flames danced around his fingers, and he grinned tauntingly at the smoke-man. "You might be smoke, but I'm fire. A match between our abilities won't get us anywhere."
"Who's that?!" Nami demanded, stepping away from our hiding place. Luffy gawked in shock, jaw agape.
"A-Ace?!" he exclaimed, completely surprised, and the newly-named Ace smirked back at us.
"You haven't changed at all, have you, Luffy?" he asked smoothly.
And as I stared at the man, I felt my face flush, my heart beating erratically in my chest.
Just…who was that guy?!
"Get back on the ship?! Are we leaving this island?!" Usopp asked breathlessly as we raced back to the ship, and Vivi shook her head, hauling a bag of supplies up onto her hip as she ran.
"No, we'll take the ship to travel along the river so we can dock further inland," she panted. "From there, the desert we need to cross is right ahead! The only reason why we stopped by in Nanohana was to buy some supplies!"
"Hurry up! The marines are coming!" Usopp called to the rest of us as we ran, and Nami nodded in agreement.
"Raise the anchor!" she called, but I ignored her. I wasn't thinking too much about what was going on right now.
My thoughts were on a hot guy. And emphasis on hot.
"Wow!" Luffy laughed as he balanced a barrel of water on his head. "Never thought I'd meet Ace in a place like this!"
I smiled goofily as I ran. Ace had stayed behind to let us get away while he held off the rest of the marines, and I almost tripped over the gangplank when we hurried up onto the ship. Whoa, we were here already? How long had we been running?!
…And wait, why was Carue running off?
"…I said conserve your water!" Vivi shouted after the duck, before I heard a thud behind me. I turned around, in time to see Sanji kicking Luffy in the back of the head. Luffy's cheeks bulged, then sprayed out an inordinate amount of water.
"You too!" Sanji was roaring, and Usopp yelled, "Don't waste the water we just bought!"
Oh, that's what the problem was.
"So, who was that guy, Luffy? You seemed to know him," I asked awkwardly, approaching the rubber man as I twirled a strand of hair around my finger, and he laughed.
"Oh, yeah! That was my brother!"
There was a long moment of silence, before we all shouted in surprise, "BROTHER?!" Luffy had a brother?
"That guy earlier…is your brother?!" Nami exclaimed, and Luffy grinned at us brightly.
"Yeah, he's my older brother," he reaffirmed, snickering, and Zoro shrugged.
"I'm not surprised by the fact that you have a brother, but what's he also doing in the Grand Line?" he asked, and I shook my head, flabbergasted. How was someone that cool-looking related to Luffy?
I watched as Luffy took a seat on the railing of the ship.
"He's a pirate," he explained proudly as he rocked back and forth in his seat. "He's also searching for One Piece." I tilted my head in interest. Really? "Ace is three years older, so he left our hometown three years earlier than me."
"To think that both brothers would end up eating a devil fruit…" Sanji shook his head in disbelief, and Luffy laughed.
"Yeah, that surprised me too! He didn't have a devil fruit ability back when we lived together," the teen explained cheerfully. "But even then, I could never beat him in a fight. Not even once! Ace is really strong!"
I stared at Luffy, before grinning. So he was good-looking and strong? How on earth did Luffy get such an awesome-sounding brother?
"Y-you couldn't beat him even once?" Nami stuttered, shocked. "Even when he was just a normal human?"
Usopp shook his head in disbelief. "Guess the brother of a monster is an even bigger monster," he muttered.
"Yeah, I got my ass handed to me! Hahahaha!"
As the rest of us stared, flabbergasted, Luffy added, "But I could take him on now!"
"Do you have any evidence to back up that bluff?" asked Zoro incredulously, just as a figure loomed up behind our captain.
"Who…" The figure kicked Luffy down from the railing, and landed in a crouch, gripping his hat and grinning mockingly at his brother, "…Can you take on, now?"
"Agh!" Luffy exclaimed as he skidded on the deck, before he grinned and flipped over.
"Ace!" he and I cheered enthusiastically, and I almost melted when Ace gave us a grin and a wink.
"'Sup." He then bowed. "Oh, but first - Thanks for taking care of my troublesome little brother," he said gratefully, and we all bowed in reply.
"Yes, he really is quite a handful."
"But that's okay!" I blurted, blushing. "Anything for you!" Ace shot me a strange look, as did the rest of the crew, and I felt my blush rising higher and higher. Wow, did I ever sound like a love-struck idiot. However, looking around and spotting knowing looks on Usopp, Vivi, and Nami's faces made me scowl and turn around in a huff.
"So, what're you doing here in this country?" Luffy asked eagerly, trotting up to Ace while I sneaked over to his other side, and Ace glanced at his brother.
"Hm? Did you not get my message at Drum Island?" he asked, and Luffy tilted his head questioningly.
"At Drum Island?"
"Ah, whatever. It's not too important," Ace dismissed with a grin. "I'm just glad I met up with you."
"I'm glad we met up with you too!" my mouth said without my consent, and I heard Nami and Usopp snicker at me from the background. In retaliation, I shot them a scowl and flipped them the bird. Ace stared at me with raised eyebrows, before a mischievous grin spread across his face.
"Thanks," Ace said smoothly, causing a part of me to squeal loudly. "I've been sailing the seas around here for a little business I have to take care of, and I thought it'd be nice to see you once before sailing off again." My heart was beating ninety miles a minute every time he spoke, and I could've sworn he was doing this on purpose.
He faced Luffy. "Luffy…" he began, and Luffy straightened at the serious tone in Ace's voice. "What d'ya say to joining the Whitebeard Pirates that I'm in? 'Course, all your friends are welcome too," he offered, his dark eyes roving over the rest of us.
"I dun' wanna," Luffy denied immediately with a childish pout, and Ace laughed.
"Ahahaha…I knew you'd say that," he chuckled, regarding his brother with a fond expression. "Just wanted to ask, that's all."
"Whitebeard?" Usopp gasped. "Then that mark on your back is the real thing?!"
"Yeah, it's my pride and honor," Ace affirmed proudly, jabbing a finger over his shoulder. "He's by far the best pirate I've ever known. And I want to make him the pirate king, not you, Luffy!"
"It's fine," Luffy said simply. "I'll just fight him later then!"
Ace studied his brother for a long moment, before he grinned in amusement.
"If you wanna talk, why don't you come aboard? Hazel-chan and I can get you some tea," Sanji suggested, and I nodded immediately in agreement.
"Yeah! Anything you want!" I said awkwardly, and Ace's eyebrows rose in amusement at my behavior. I flushed deeply in reply.
"Nah, it's fine," Ace said easily, shooting me a smile and causing my heart to beat a million times faster. "No need to mind me. I'm not gonna be here for too long anyways."
"Hmm, there aren't any marines chasing us," Zoro muttered, and Ace smirked.
"Yeah, that's because I took care of 'em with my Mera Mera abilities," he bragged, before digging into his pocket. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot!" He tossed Luffy a small, folded piece of paper. "Here. I wanted to give you this."
"Hm?" Luffy peered at the paper, and Ace grinned. "Hang on to that tight, y'hear?"
Luffy opened up the piece of paper, flipping it over. "A scrap piece of paper?"
"Yes, and that piece of paper will bring us together in the future," Ace informed his brother, and Luffy paused.
"Uhhhh…"
"Don't want it?" Ace asked flippantly, and Luffy, like a small child, yanked the piece of paper closer to his chest.
"N-no, I'll keep it!"
"Having a naive and reckless brother," Ace said, turning to the rest of us, "is stressful to an older brother's heart. I'm sure the rest of you have your hands full trying to take care of him. But I hope you'll continue to take care of him well."
He ruffled my hair, and my heart fluttered while my blush turned tomato red. I watched, dazed, as he hopped down onto his own boat, a small ship that seemed to have rockets attached to the end.
"Wha -" Luffy rushed over to the railing, and I quickly followed, tripping over my own feet in the process. "You're leaving already?!"
"Yeah," Ace called, and both Luffy and I pouted.
"Why don't you stay with us a little longer?" I suggested, and Luffy agreed immediately.
"Yeah! C'mon, it's been so long!"
"I told you already," Ace said with a shake of his head. "Meeting up with you was just an added bonus in coming here." He paused, in the middle of preparing his ship, before scowling. "I'm chasing after somebody. He's apparently been calling himself 'Blackbeard' these days, but he used to be a member of the Whitebeard Pirates' second division. In short, he's my subordinate. He committed the worst crime you can commit on a ship…" He paused, and we gasped when he said, "Killing a fellow crew member and then running away."
As we stared at him, he continued grimly, "As the division commander, it's my responsibility to see that he meets his end. If it weren't for something as serious as that, I'd never sail all the way back the other way on the Grand Line." He then gave us a handsome, determined grin, and said, "The next time we'll meet, is when you're at the pirates 'top'."
Luffy blinked at him, before nodding and grinning. "Yeah! See ya, Ace!"
"Bye Ace!" I called as he left, and he tipped his hat at me with a grin, his grin broadening as my face positively erupted with my blush. I swear he was getting some form of amusement out of making me embarrassed.
He seemed to notice the Baroque Works Ships off in the distance, and I watched as he smirked, leapt over the ships, and burnt them all into nothing with just one punch.
"That guy," I breathed in awe, "is my hero."
"What did your brother give you, exactly?"
"Not sure," Luffy mused as he stared at the paper. "I think it's just a piece of paper."
"Huh, you're right," Nami agreed, taking it from Luffy and flipping it over in her hands before taking his hat. "There's nothing written on it."
"What's it for?" I asked, peering up at it from between the navigator and the captain, and Luffy shrugged as Nami began to sew the paper into the band of Luffy's straw hat.
"Dunno, but since Ace told me to hang onto it, that's what I'll do!" he said, and Nami nodded. "So sew it in there tight!"
"Alright, I'll sew it in underneath the ribbon here…"
"Wasn't he awesome?" I sighed dreamily, taking a seat next to Nami, and Nami chuckled, nudging me with a slippered foot.
"Someone got a crush?" she teased, and I blushed with a scowl, glancing away from Nami with embarrassment.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I mumbled, and Luffy blinked at me.
"Why? Ace's a weirdo," he said.
I slugged him.
"I don't wanna hear that from you!"
"Here," Nami said, tying off the string she was using and handing the hat back to Luffy.
He hopped back up easily with a smile. "Thanks, Nami! It should be safe here! Now I won't need to worry about losing it!"
"Wait, you worry?" Usopp asked in actual surprise.
"Luffy, change into this," instructed Vivi, approaching Luffy with a bundle of clothes, and he pouted.
"Huh? But why? It's hot outside," he whined, and Vivi shook her head.
"You have to because it's so hot outside," she explained. "The temperatures here can reach over fifty degrees. If you don't, you'll get sunburns all over."
"Then why're you three wearing sleeveless stuff?" Luffy asked, scratching his head in confusion as he looked at the females of the group. That particular action made him look like a monkey, in my opinion.
"We're going to be wearing additional clothing on top of this," Nami answered, picking up her own bundle of clothes. "Hazel got them for us."
"WHAT?!" Sanji gurgled in horror. "YOU ARE?!"
I gave him a flat stare. "Pervert," I deadpanned, and he fell over.
"Not for you!" he protested desperately, but I was already turning away from him. Yeah, like that makes it better, Sanji.
"Fine," Luffy sulked, trudging off towards the men's cabin. "Guess I don't have a choice."
I took my own clothes, and after giving Sanji another, disapproving stare, I left to go change into my own clothes.
I came back out, just in time to hear Vivi declare, "…But I swear I won't stop trying! I can't let this senseless violence continue! And I can't allow Baroque Works to continue doing what it wants, either!"
"Vivi…" Nami murmured.
Sanji grinned. "Well, don't you worry about our trek through the desert! I'll make sure you stay well-nourished!"
"I can't wait to start our journey!" Chopper agreed, and Zoro smirked at the blue-haired princess.
"Sorry for doubting," he said, and I cheered.
"Let's kick some ass!"
"Alright, Vivi!" Luffy declared enthusiastically. "Let's go!" He thrust a fist into the air, just as we entered the mouth of the Sandora river. "TO UPA WE GO!"
"…It's Yuba," Vivi corrected after a bit, all momentum lost.
"TO YUBA WE GO!" Luffy repeated with the correction, not caring.
"OKAY!" the rest of us cheered with a laugh.
"Alright! We're here at Yuba!" Luffy inspected the barren, wasted town, before cheerfully adding, "Wow, this place is the dumps!" He planted his fists onto his hips. "Now, let's go look for this leader! Where is he again?"
"Actually, Luffy, this isn't Yuba," Vivi corrected with a sigh. "We still have to walk Northwest across the desert for half a day."
"H-half a day?!" Usopp stammered, and I scowled, tugging on my light green robes.
"They're so itchy…" I grumbled, throwing my hood on and completely ignoring what Vivi was saying.
"KUOOO!" I jumped in surprise as a little turtle-sea lion thing popped up next to me in the water, and Usopp yelped while I reflexively punched at it. It toppled over, a swelling lump on its forehead.
"HOLY SHIT!"
"What the heck is that?! A turtle? Or a seal?!" Usopp was demanding, jabbing a finger towards it in fear, just as another rose out of the water and started approaching the sharpshooter.
"That's a Kung-Fu Dugong!" Vivi gasped in alarm. "Monkey-chan, no, don't beat them up! And Usopp - get away from it! They're very strong!"
'Uh, a little too late, Vivi,' I thought belatedly, staring down at the one knocked out by my feet. I awkwardly scratched my head. "Uhh…my bad?"
I laughed mockingly when the one next to Usopp beat him up, but I yelped when another flew at me with a kicking attack. In retaliation, I performed a strong roundhouse kick. I felt vaguely guilty as my foot knocked it into the ground, but it attacked first! It wasn't my fault!
"We got a few winners over here," Nami commented, pointing at me and Luffy. I looked over, and saw that Luffy had his own little beaten up dugong.
"I SAID, DON'T BEAT THEM UP!" Vivi shouted at us, before sighing as the little dugong picked itself up. "It's their custom for the loser to become the victor's disciple."
"A very martial art species, huh," Zoro commented with interest as he watched a crowd of dugongs swarm Luffy and I. I resisted the urge to hug them all. THEY WERE SO CUTE!
"Alright!" Luffy cheered, not fazed in the slightest. "Punch like this!"
"KUOO!"
"No, your stance should be more like this!" They copied his stance, and I looked down at my own two little dugongs, before I grinned.
"Alright, seal guys!" I shouted enthusiastically and totally missing their confused expressions. "Do what he's doing!"
I also missed Sanji's muttered groan of, "They're dugongs…"
"HOW MANY DISCIPLES DO YOU HAVE ALREADY?!" Vivi shrieked in astonishment.
"KUOO!" the dugongs called happily while we left, chewing on the food we had to give them. I waved goodbye as we walked away from them, and Luffy laughed.
"Alright, let's go to Yuba then!"
"We lost a lot of our food supplies because of you!" Sanji said sourly to Luffy, scowling as he strode through the sand next to me.
"What would you have done if it weren't for Chopper?" demanded Nami, and I glanced at the little reindeer.
"What'd they say?" I asked him curiously, and he sighed.
"They kept saying they'd accompany us, so I had no choice but to convince them with some food," he explained.
"Then I'd just bring them along," Luffy said, and I nodded in agreement. "What's the problem?"
"How on earth do you expect to walk into any city if we have such a huge flock of dugongs with us?!" the redhead hissed. "Learn some sense!"
"Hey, this is Luffy we're talking about," I pointed out. "He doesn't have any."
Nami sighed and hung her head. "You're right. Why am I even trying…?"
"In any case, it's quite odd to see dugongs living in the river, Vivi," Sanji commented, trying to steer the conversation away from our current topic, and Vivi blinked.
"Hm? No, they live in the sea," she replied, and when we stared at her, she explained, "For ages past, the Sandora River has nourished the lands of Alabasta. But in recent years, the river has lost its vigor and is now being driven inland by the ocean."
"So then the mouth of the river, where the Dugongs were…" Sanji began, and Vivi nodded.
"Yes, it's actually saltwater. You can't use it to irrigate the lands around here," she finished sadly.
"Is that why this town is dried up, then?" asked Zoro., and Vivi shook her head.
"No…not quite. This town has managed to get by via storing the occasional rainwater. Even just a few years ago, this place was still a lively town full of plant life."
"Really?" I asked in disbelief, staring around the place. There was tons of sand, and pretty much no plant or human life to be seen. Anywhere.
"COOL! A SKULL!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed from the side, and abandoning any interest in Vivi's explanation, I rushed over to his side.
"Oh my god!" I gasped, before lowering my voice conspiratorially, "Do you think this guy was murdered here?"
"GYAAA!" Chopper shrieked, standing next to us with a frightened expression. "Don't say stuff like that!"
"WHOA! THIS GUY WAS KILLED HERE?!" Luffy asked excitedly.
"EHH?! They were delivering Dance Powder?" We looked over at Nami's shriek, and Sanji tilted his head in a quizzical manner.
"You know what it is?" asked Sanji, and Nami nodded, her face grim.
"It's more commonly known by its nickname, 'the powder that calls rain'," she explained, and I wrinkled my nose.
"How is that a nickname?"
"A powder that calls rain?" Luffy parroted, and Nami nodded.
"It was invented in some country where rain was very rare," she explained as the rest of us listened attentively. "If you send it up to the atmosphere as a mist of powder, it stimulates the formation of ice particles in clouds at sub-zero…" My mind went blank as Nami continued her explanation, and suddenly, she said, "…In short, it's a powder that artificially makes rain. That's what Dance Powder is."
"Ohhh, I get it," Luffy said with dawning realization. "So it's a magic powder."
"Basically, you're saying it makes rain fall," Zoro clarified, and I nodded upon understanding. That makes a lot more sense than what Nami was saying.
"Hm?" Usopp blinked, then asked, "Wait, if that's the case, isn't that exactly what your country needs right now?"
"That's what anyone would think at first," Nami agreed, her expression grim. "As the name 'Dance Powder' implies, the people first danced with joy when it was invented in their country. But behind the blessing it calls forth lies a great pitfall. And that pitfall," she announced, with great solemnity, "is a drought in the lands leeward! Do you understand what I'm getting at? Dance Powder is something that artificially stimulates premature rain clouds to make them rain much earlier then they should, therefore…"
"Ohhh, I get it!" Usopp realized. "The rain clouds that normally drift leeward would now rain much sooner, so it'd be like stealing rain from your neighboring countries!"
"…And that's bad?" I asked hesitantly, not really understanding this, and Nami nodded firmly.
"Of course! Once people realized that, wars were started and countless of lives have been lost. And that's why the World Government has officially banned producing or owning Dance Powder."
"So it's a powder that can be both a blessing or a tragedy, depending on how you use it," Vivi added, looking worried. "Once that huge amount of Dance Powder was uncovered at the port of Nanohana, the entire nation finally realized the truth behind the capital's abnormally abundant rainfall."
"I guess it's only expected that the people would suspect the king after an incident like that," Zoro commented idly.
"HOLY CRAP, VIVI!" Luffy suddenly realized. "YOUR DAD IS EVIL!"
"YOU IDIOT!" Sanji roared, kicking Luffy upside the head. "HE WAS OBVIOUSLY SET UP! THERE'S NO WAY HE'D ACTUALLY DO SUCH A THING!"
Vivi nodded and sighed, pulling down her hood so it rested at her neck. "Thinking about it now, Crocodile's plans must have already been well underway back then." She crouched, and picked up another skull lying nearby. "My innocent father was completely dumbfounded by the incident, but the fact remained that a large amount of Dance Powder had somehow been delivered to the Royal Palace." She rested her forehead against the skull's, and I found myself scrunching up my nose a bit. As much as I was interested in stuff like this, I wasn't really inclined to touch it.
"It was all a trap laid out by Crocodile," she murmured, upset. "And just as he intended, a rebellion rose! The start of a bloody conflict between the angry citizens who had lsot their homes to the drought, and the innocent government -!" She took a deep breath. "The country's peace, it's trust in the King, the rain, people's homes and even their lives…" Her voice began to rise, and she started shouting, "All of it was stripped away because of one man! Because of Crocodile! WHAT GIVES HIM THE RIGHT TO DO SUCH A THING?!" Vivi bowed her head, now sobbing as our faces grew grim, "I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THAT MAN!"
Suddenly, a building collapsed off in the distance, and I realized that Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji were gone, and Zoro snorted.
"Hmph…Bunch of kids," he grumbled, and we watched as the others strode back, angry expressions on their faces and dust rising up from behind them. They were obviously the cause of the destroyed building.
"Hey," Nami called. "Just what're you guys thi -"
"Let's hurry up and move on," Luffy ordered, cracking his neck and clenching his hands. "My fists are getting antsy."
And I grinned. Because if anyone was going to help Vivi now, it was going to be Luffy.
Now, on to the desert! You guys will really like the next chapter, I just know it! :)
About Hazel having a crush on Ace...she's thirteen, she's young, and easily enchanted, and he's charming, polite, handsome, and strong...Hazel didn't stand a chance. And since it's her first real crush, she doesn't really know how to act, so therefore, she's awkward (I had so much fun writing that). Not only that, but Ace is twenty, and he's more than likely to get a kick out of her having a crush on him, and would therefore encourage it.
Anyways, enough of my rambling! Please review, spread the word, critique, and all that jazz! As always, I love hearing from you guys!
Posted and Edited: 6/15/2014, 11:12 AM