Ch 53 - I am Being Fought Over.

"Do you need anything, Ace-san? Some more water? Maybe something else? Sake? Milk?" Emmy asked.

Ace smiled over the rim of his just finished mug of water. The two brothers and Emmy had found the Going Merry and got on board before the marines and Baroque Works closed in. Ace managed to take down five of Baroque Ships all by himself in a dazzling display of fire and power.

As soon as they got on the ship, they had set off towards the other side of the island, in which they were to make their way towards the Yuba Oasis, passing by the nearest port town, Erumalu. They had a made a small pit stop along the way so that Carue could leave the ship and transport a very important letter from Vivi to her father but now they were back on their way.

"Milk?" Usopp asked incredulously while he sat amongst Luffy and Chopper, "Why would a guy like Ace drink milk?"

"I thought real pirates drank rum or ale...I didn't know they drank milk," Chopper said thoughtfully.

"Oh!" Emmy blushed and smoothed out the apron that she had immediately put back on as soon as she had returned to the ship. She had had enough with exposing so much of her skin, "I'm sorry, Ace-san...It's just...Dadan-san said that when you were growing up you were the only boy who actually drank milk every day so I thought...I thought…I'm sorry…"

Ace laughed as he perched on top of a water barrel. "Oh yeah. I forgot I did that. I'm glad I did because look how much taller I am compared to this guy," he said as he thumped the base of his mug right on top of Luffy's head.

"OW!" Luffy yelled and he frowned at Ace, "Milk doesn't make you grow. Meat does."

"Sure. You keep believing that, Luffy," Ace said with a grin. He then flashed it towards the first mate, "And I can't believe you actually recall something as small as that."

Emmy's blush deepened. "I-"

"That's just how Emmy is," Luffy said with a grin, "She likes taking care of people. Especially me. She likes taking care of me the most."

"That's not something Emmy-chan has to say. Not you," Sanji huffed and gave Luffy a light kick in the back.

"But it's true!" Luffy insisted.

Ace raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?" he taunted, "Because last time I checked, Emmy had already offered me a refill on my water. What about you?"

"EH?" Luffy looked down on his mug and his eyes widened when he saw how empty his was. He thrusted it in Emmy's direction, "Emmy! Can I have more water?"

"Oh! Of course!" Emmy said as she ran into the galley and returned with a full pitcher, "Here you-"

"Emmy," Ace called out and he held his mug out as well, "Could you please give me some more too?"

"Of course," Emmy said and she proceeded to pour water into Ace's mug first.

Ace looked triumphantly at his little brother. "Ha!"

"EMMY!" Luffy shouted, "What about me?"

"Ah! Sorry! Ace-san was closer to me but here! Here you go, Luffy!" Emmy said and filled up Luffy's mug.

Luffy quickly downed his mug and held it out again. "More!"

"Eh? More?" Emmy asked as she tilted the pitcher.

"Me too, Emmy," Ace drawled from behind her.

"Already?!" Emmy gasped as she pivoted between the two brothers, "I'm going to run out of water soon if you guys keep this up."

"Don't give it to him!" Luffy cried. He leapt to his feet and kicked Ace's mug out of his brother's hand. In doing so, he accidentally smashed the pitcher in his sister's as well.

Thwack!

Immediately, Emmy's mini Fist of Love cracked down hard on Luffy's skull. "Luffy! Do not be rude to our guest and do not waste water!" she scolded, "We are about to head into the desert, after all."

"Sorry...Emmy," Luffy groaned as he bent at the knees and cradled his head in his hands.

Ace laughed. "I guess it's not worth fighting over her if she only considers me as a guest."

"Fighting...over...me?" Emmy repeated. Then her hands went to her heated face and she ran back into the galley, "I...I'll go get a broom to clean this up."

Ace's laugh continued but he did not do any more to provoke either the captain or the first mate when Emmy came back to sweep up the broken glass. Her face was still as red as a tomato.

"What brings you to Alabasta?" Vivi asked as she sat leaning against the mast next to Carue.

"I'm chasing a certain man," Ace said, "His name's Blackbeard."

"Blackbeard?" Vivi repeated and she sat up a little taller, "The pirate that attacked Drum Island?"

Ace nodded, "He used to be a member of the 2nd Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, one of my men...But he committed the ultimate sin on a pirate ship. He killed a nakama and then jumped ship. As the commander, I can't just let that fly. I gotta find him and take care of him."

Standing so close to Ace, Emmy was surprised at how warm he felt in one second and then turned blood chillingly cold in the next. It was all directed at just one person yet it felt like Ace was a fuse away from igniting into war. She understood fully now why the government had marked Ace as a dangerous man.

"I came here because I caught word that Blackbeard was seen in Yuba," Ace continued.

"Then your destination is the same as ours then," Nami said brightly. "It looks like we'll be travelling together for a bit."

"Yayyy! Ace has joined our crew!" Luffy cheered.

"When did I say that?" Ace demanded.

"Shishishishishi, let's have a fun time together!"

Ace grinned. "Now that I can agree to."

"Three cheers for Luffy's brother!" Usopp cried, "Hip hip…"

"Hurray!" the pirates responded.

"Hip hip!"

"Hurray!"

"Hip hip!"

"Hur-"

Hurray!

Emmy stopped in the middle of her cheer and she glanced over towards the figurehead. Merry-san, you like travelling with Ace-san on board too?

Leave it to me, Little Miss. I'll take you all to where you want to go.

Emmy clasped her hands in front of her apron and she smiled. Her talks with Merry were becoming more and more frequent now. The ship was always the one to initiate the conversation. She would only chime in when something was happening with the crew or if she was feeling a particular way about something. Of course, that still didn't stop the first mate from talking to Merry every day as she had done before. Emmy just now had the anticipation that maybe one day, the Merry would respond back more regularly.

Is there anything you'd like me to do, Merry-san? Any loose boards to fix? Any messes that need to be cleaned?

I'm okay for today. Thank you, Little Miss.

"Three cheers for going to Yuba and kicking Crocodile's ass!" Luffy suddenly cried, bringing his sister's attention back to the people on board.

Nami and Usopp both placed a hand to their face as Zoro rolled his eyes.

"Of course this guy still doesn't get it," Sanji sighed as he puffed on his cigarette.

"Listen up, Luffy," Nami said and she pulled on Luffy's cheek to make sure he gave her his full attention, "Like we said before, we are going to Yuba so that Vivi can meet up with the rebel army and talk to their leader. Hopefully, we can convince them not to fight. After that, then we'll see about Crocodile and Baroque Works. Got it?"

"But-"

"That's what Vivi wants, okay?" Nami said with a dangerous look in her eye.

Luffy gulped. "Y-Yes. Nami."

"Good!" Nami said and snapped Luffy's cheek back into place, "We need to do a good job in saving this country or else we're not going to get the reward!"

A sweat dropped down everyone's face.

"This again?" Usopp said, which earned him a glare from the navigator and the sniper shut right up.

Ace stood up and he leaned against the railing. "I knew Crocodile was in this country but...a pirate trying to steal a kingdom?" he mused to himself, "A pirate dropping anchor in one spot and settling down? I find it hard to believe."

Emmy giggled. "Ace-san, maybe that's because you're the type who needs to be constantly moving. At least, that's what I gathered from everything Dadan-san, Gramps, and Luffy have told me about you."

Ace laughed. "Yeah. I'm definitely not the type to just stay put...but then again…"

He nodded over at Luffy, who was dancing all around the deck with Usopp and Chopper, "So is that guy."

Ace's expression turned solemn and he looked down at the floor. "Still...my personal preferences aside, there could be another side to this whole takeover thing."

Zoro, who had been listening silently from his spot near the mast, leaned over a bit more in his seat. "Another sort?"

"Some sort of deeper goal…" Ace said.

"Oh, Miss Maid!"

Before Emmy could even turn to face the princess, she felt something soft drape over her shoulders.

"Here you go...For the desert," Vivi said as she helped fit Emmy's arms into the sleeves of a long yellow tunic with a white lining and a white hood.

"Oh! Thank you, Vivi-sama," Emmy breathed with relief as she buttoned it closed from her neck to her feet, not even bothering to take off her apron from underneath.

"Of course. You have to wear that or else you're going to get burned within the hour," Vivi said and proceeded to put on a matching cover-up in blue.

"Ahh! What are you doing, Vivi-chan?!" Sanji cried and then his face fell when he saw that Nami had put on one in white as well, "Not you too, Nami-san!"

"Sanji-kun!" Nami huffed and then pulled back her sleeve to expose her skin, "Do you really want me to expose my skin and wind up terribly sunburnt?!"

"I guess not…" Sanji said. He dropped to the ground and began to roll around in circles, "Oh...my three dancer girls…"

"Moron," Usopp said.

"Perv," Zoro added.

"You guys are hilarious," Ace laughed.

Luffy nodded in approval when he saw his sister's updated outfit. "Good. You have more pockets now."

"Emmy-chan is a lady. Not your snack holder," Sanji snapped to his captain.

"Luffy, you need to cover up too," Emmy advised as she went over to the parcels that the crew had brought back with them. She pulled out a dark maroon tunic and gave it to her brother.

"Oooh!" Luffy said. He put it on while she draped a blue cloth around his neck and covered his straw hat with it, "Oh! These pockets are huge! I can fit a lot of meat in here!"

"There," Emmy said as she finished securing his headwrap and then leaned back to see if anything needs adjusting, "That should do it. Please don't fidget with it or else your hat might slip off."

"Got it."

Emmy folded her hands in front of her and she stared firmly into her Luffy's eyes. "Also, please make sure to drink your water sparingly. Don't finish it all in one gulp, no matter how thirsty you get."

"Okay."

"Last but not least, once you take a sip, make sure everyone else has drank some too before you take another one. Okay? That one is really important."

"Yep!"

"Did you really get all of that?" Zoro asked as he finished wrapping himself up for the desert.

Luffy gave a short but firm nod. "Make sure to water my hat but not too much or else I won't have anything to drink."

"Idiot! That's not right at all," Sanji, Nami, Usopp, and even Chopper shouted at the captain.

"It's not?" Luffy asked with a frown and then it disappeared with a shrug, "Whatever. Emmy, you just tell me when it's time to drink water."

"Okay," Emmy said with a smile.

From his spot on the railing, Ace watched the pair and his relaxed grin turned into something much warmer.


The group anchored in a quiet bay. It only had room for one ship and it had tall boulders surrounding it so that the Going Merry was somewhat hidden from plain view.

Once the crew got the ship settled, they were surprised to find turtle-like creatures resting on the boulders and in the waters. They had faces like seals but had a turtle shell on their backs and also over their heads like a helmet.

Vivi informed them that they were called Kung Fu Dugongs and they somehow had adopted a martial arts mentality where they challenged any passersby to a fight. Should they lose, they would follow whoever had bested them and viewed them as their master. However, all of this was not heard by the captain and Luffy easily knocked out one before anybody could even think to stop him.

Before the pirates knew it, Luffy was instructing a whole army of Kung Fu Dugongs how to punch. When the humans started to set off for Erumalu, the Dugongs tried to follow the captain. Only after some persuasion from both Emmy and Chopper, did the animals finally concede and stay behind.

"See ya!" Luffy laughed as he waved to his disciples.

"Please take care of yourself and thank you!" Emmy said with a bow.

"Oy, Luffy. Do you even understand the current situation?" Nami huffed, "There's no way we could enter any city with that big of a group, especially when we're trying to lie low and keep Vivi out of everyone's radar. You're so dumb!"

"Honestly," Usopp agreed, "We would've been in big trouble if Chopper hadn't offered them some of our food."

"And Emmy-chan for giving them the task of defending our ship if anyone comes near it," Sanji added.

"They seem very dependable," Emmy said.

"Sheesh, Luffy," Sanji sighed, "Thanks to you, our food supply's gotten a lot smaller."

Ace chuckled. "He's still causing a lot of trouble…"

"That's for sure," Zoro grunted.

They climbed over sand dunes and trudged under the hot desert sun with the princess leading the way. It took several hours and only a few sips of water each, since they had to ration every little drop as much as they could. When Vivi finally stopped at the top of a particularly high dune, all the pirates could see were withered trees and weathered buildings half buried in the sand.

"What's this?" Usopp asked.

"This is Erumarlu. It used to be known as the Green City," Vivi said. Her eyes casted downwards and her shoulders drooped ever so slightly as she led the group into the city, "This is a clear example of what the Baroque Works organization has done to this country...What the people of Alabasta are going through…"

"Wow, there's nothing here at all!" Luffy gasped as he ran through the deserted city.

"Yes, it's a ghost town now but just until recently, it was a thriving city full of greenery," Vivi sighed.

"This place?" Zoro asked in disbelief. He kicked a nearby stump of a dried up palm tree and the bark crumbled with just a light touch.

"Rain was always scarce," Vivi said, "But even so...the city was able to manage by saving every last drop of rainwater. However, in the last three years, not a single drop of rain has fallen in any part of this country."

"Three years?!" Chopper gasped.

"But even without rain, what about the river we just crossed? There's a water source right there," Zoro pointed out.

"The answer to that is up ahead," Vivi said, "Never in the thousands of years of Alabasta's history has the rain stopped completely. However, there was one place where the rain fell more than usual...Alubarna, the capital...The city where the king's palace is. The people call it the King's Miracle...Until that day...that is..."

The princess walked on forward, without hesitating in her step, as she told the group about how three years ago, there was an incident in the city of Nanohana where bags and bags of Dance Powder were discovered. The people caught transporting the illegal substance had said they were going by the king's orders and deliver it to him for his private use.

"Dance Powder?" Emmy asked, "Does it...make people dance? Or do people turn into powder when they do?"

Nami snorted, "Don't take things so literally, Prude. Dance Powder is also known as the 'Rain-Summoning Powder'."

"Eh? You've heard about Dance Powder before?" Luffy asked the navigator.

"I'd only heard stories about it so I don't know how true it is," Nami admitted, "I think a researcher in a country where it doesn't rain created it. The powder, when burned, creates a misty smoke and when it rises into the sky, it can artificially cause it to rain."

"Oh! You mean that mystery powder!" Luffy said with a grin, pleased that he was finally in the know, "I ate some a while back. It tastes really bad."

"Of course you'd eat it," Ace laughed.

"Yep! Without any hesitation!"

"Not something to be proud of," Usopp and Zoro said in unison.

"It's not food," Nami lectured.

"But...if there's a powder that can create rain, wouldn't something like that be perfect for this country?" Usopp asked.

"The country that developed Dance Powder was almost happy enough to dance at first, which is how it got its name," Nami explained and shot a poignant look at the first mate, "But there was a big catch. They caused the neighboring country to have a drought. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Absolutely not," Luffy beamed.

"Of course, you don't," Nami sighed, "Dance Powder quickly and artificially matures clouds that would normally grow into rain clouds further downwind and causes them to rain.

"Clouds can mature?" Emmy asked and she looked up at the sky, "Does that mean that small one over there is a baby cloud? Where are it's parents? Why is it all alone?"

"What Nami means," Usopp cut in and stepped in front of the navigator before Nami could even attempt to strangle the first mate, "Is that it steals rainclouds that would've normally gone to a neighboring country."

"Oh, I see," Emmy said and then she frowned at the navigator, "Why didn't you say so then?"

"Why you-" Nami snarled while Usopp and Chopper struggled to hold her back.

"Wars have been fought due to the use of Dance Powder. Many lives were lost. That is why the World Government had banned the use of it...," Vivi said as she continued to walk, "When all that Dance Powder was found at Nanohana, Alabasta was in the middle of a strange weather phenomenon where rain fell nowhere except for where the king lived."

"Hold on, VIvi! That means your father used that mystery powder!" Luffy shouted.

"Idiot!" Sanji seethed and knocked Luffy's head with the back of his heel, "It means he was framed! Vivi-chan's father would never do any such thing!"

"My father had nothing to do with it...but around the same time, a huge amount of Dance Powder was found inside the palace," Vivi said and her head sank even lower.

"They even had people working inside the palace?" Zoro asked.

The princess finally stopped and the pirates realized they were standing in the middle of a wide sandy path that split right through the city. Vivi took a deep breath. "This was a canal that used to bring water in from the Sandora River. Someone destroyed this canal too...With its canal gone, the City of Green lost it's source of water...and it wasn't the only city in Alabasta that this happened to."

"Something like this must've added to the amount of distrust towards the king from the Dance Powder incident then," Zoro said.

Vivi nodded. "It grew daily since then and the fighting began. To escape the fighting, the exhausted people fled the cities and went to the oasis. Because of that, the City of Green withered away."

"I-I'm so sorry, Vivi-sama," Emmy said softly as she walked over to the princess and put a hand on her arm. The whole country's pain and distress was felt by the princess and it lingered within her still. "You-"

Emmy stopped short and she looked off into the distance just as a wind swept past. Is someone laughing?

The wind grew stronger and there was a low moan that came with it. The wind was warmed by the sun but feeling it still caused the whole group to shiver and tense just from the sound alone.

"What..what is that? Is that someone's voice?" Nami asked.

"Is it the rebel army?!" Chopper asked.

"Don't tell me Baroque Works has followed us!" Usopp shrieked.

"No...it's just wind," Ace said.

"But it sounds like someone's voice," Nami gasped.

"It's just wind blowing across the town and echoing through the abandoned buildings," Ace replied.

"It's...it's as if the city of Eramalu is crying," Vivi whispered.

"Crying?" Emmy asked and she closed her eyes to concentrate on the sound. Why do I hear laughing?

"Brace yourselves!" Vivi shouted just as the wind suddenly picked up speed and force. It stirred up the sand caught in it's path and whipped through the group.

"Ah!" Nami gasped as everyone threw up their arms to shield themselves.

Hehehehehe.

This time, Emmy could hear clearly what was covered by the wind. It was a deep, rumbling laugh and it was filled with menace. The sound made her open her eyes just for a second and when she did, she could've sworn she saw a swirling cloak race past. As she turned to get a better look, she saw that her brother seemed to have noticed the same thing.

The wind died down and the rest of the group return to normal. Luffy and Emmy stood fixated in the direction of the wind.

"Whoa...what was that wind?" Usopp breathed.

"Did...did you see that too, Luffy?" Emmy asked quietly.

"Was it a ghost?" Luffy asked.

"I...I don't know…" Emmy admitted.

"Look! Over there! I think someone's collapsed!" Nami suddenly cried.

Further down the canal, they could see a glimpse of a cloak flailing from the last remnants of the wind. Luffy raced over towards it with the group at his heels.

"Are there people still in this city?" Vivi gasped.

Luffy slowed down his pace and allowed Vivi to pass by. When his nakama caught up to the captain, they could see why Luffy had stopped. The cloak was worn by a crumbling human skeleton. The skull was fractured and a big chunk in the back had broken off. Half of its jaw was buried in the sand while a thin blanket of sand covered everything else.

The princess collapsed to her knees as she reached out to cup the sides of the skull with her hands. "Wha...what did my father...what did the citizens of this country ever do to deserve this?" she whispered, "These people already had to work so hard just to live."

The princess' grief was held at bay from Emmy's bonds and headband so the first mate was sure that when a tear slipped down her own face, that it was because she genuinely shared in Vivi's sadness. Emmy knelt down next to the princess and she wrapped an arm around her shoulder while the princess continued to choke out her anger through gritted teeth. "These people are natives of a desert land and are forced to fight with nature since the day they were born. And yet...And yet, he still tries to destroy what little they have? What gives him the right to do that?!"

Vivi withdrew her hands and clenched them in her lap. "All the while, he uses his title as a Warlord and pretends to be a hero of the people," she sobbed, unable to contain herself any longer, "No one realizes he's deceiving the entire country! I...I can't let him get away it!"

"AHHHHHH!"

Kaboom!

The three tallest and largest buildings of the city suddenly collapsed and crumbled into the sand. As the group watch the displaced sand fall back to its place, they saw three silhouettes making their way towards them. They watched silently when the silhouettes turned into familiar but angered faces of the captain, the cook, and the sniper.

"What are they, kids?" Zoro sighed with a roll of his eyes.

The corner of Ace's lips turned upwards as he knelt down and scraped out a hole in the sand near the skeleton. He smiled at the princess. "Let's give him a proper burial. An honorable one that he deserves."

The princess sucked in a breath and then nodded back at Ace. Emmy went to a nearby tree and snapped off one of it's brittle twigs. Once the skeleton was properly covered, she handed the twig to Vivi, who placed it as the skeleton's headstone.

Emmy's mind went to the ghostly figure that had passed them by. Emmy wasn't one who believed in the supernatural but she knew better than to underestimate what powerful, lingering emotions could do. She clasped her hands in front of her and she offered a silent prayer. May you find peace and happiness wherever you are now and leave any sadness and regrets behind.

"Vivi! Let's get moving!" Luffy shouted. He rejoined his nakama and he cracked his knuckles, "I'm itching to go now."