Thank you all so much for supporting this story-and shout out to Simitria for reviewing every chapter :) . With this chapter, we have hit 100,000 words, which a first for any of my stories. I was going to make a TV Tropes page for this story to celebrate...but I really couldn't figure it out. Maybe I'll figure it out by the next milestone?
The Merry once again docked once they had gone upstream the Sandora river. The crew disembarked and peered around in the heavy mid-day sun.
"So, what are those?" Zoro asked conversationally, as he watched the strange turtle-manatee-like creatures fight and completely beat down Usopp, who had pridefully accepted their challenge in the first place. Chopper was fluttering around holding his first aid kit, waiting for a moment he could dive in to save his patient, who was emitting girlish screams as the strange marine animals knocked him around.
"I think they're...definitely squirtle," Sunny hazarded from Sanji's shoulder.
"These are kung-fu dugongs. They like to challenge passersby's to battles to expand their abilities."
"Squirtle aren't fighting types though," Sunny protested.
"Dugong, huh? I've never seen any before," Sanji replied.
"And you still haven't. That's not a dewgong either!" Sunny smacked the back of Sanji's head irately.
"Hey, quit it, tiny!" Sanji growled, covering the back of his head with a hand. "What have we talked about with you being upset about things we can't understand?"
Sunny pouted. "Not to."
"Not to," Sanji confirmed. "Are they your kind?"
Sunny huffed a sigh, squinting at them again. Finally, he shook head. "No, they're not like me."
Sanji deflated at that. "Well, I guess that might be a good thing for how many of them there are, still we better-" He looked over at the kung-fu dugongs and his eyes went wide in shock. Luffy had taken over Usopp's fight and beaten them all up and the strange creatures were now lying bruised on the ground. Moments later, Chopper was translating their declarations of fealty to the Strawhat Pirates.
Once Usopp was patched up and their food and water supply were equally distributed to be carried by Luffy, Sanji and Zoro, they began their trek into the desert to the rebel town dozens of miles inland. Though Nami and Vivi had asserted traveling at dawn and dusk were much safer, they had used too much time up already and consigned the crew to take the risk of day.
Before the Merry was out of the view, the sun was beating down on the crew in waves of heat in what was, for the others, unbearable heat. Sunny trotted at the front of the pack with Luffy and Zoro. Even the sand being kicked up by their sandals couldn't bother him, cyndaquil had evolved (in the slow, eventual sense, of course) to weather the occasional sandstorm. True, it was a little hotter and didn't have any shade, but all around, it wasn't much worse than Pecha Cove in late summer. The bright sun nearly made him giddy with excitement.
The same couldn't be said for Chopper, who was already staggering in walk-point. Thirty minutes into the journey, Sunny had already lapped back a few times to make sure he kept moving. Huh, he hadn't known reindeer could sweat...so much.
"Luffy, can you stop panting? Just hearing you is making me exhausted," Nami complained from the middle of the group.
Luffy was indeed panting like a poochyena chasing a rapidash. "I feel like I'm roasting...I can't even sweat even more. Sunny come here." Luffy picked the unsuspecting fire-type, who had trotted over at his call, and placed him on top of his hat. "Be my second hat."
Sunny grinned, pleased as he curled up on Luffy's head in the hopes he could catch a short nap in the sun. "Aye-aye, captain! If you insist!"
If the rest of the crew thought it was a strange look, they certainly didn't comment as Sunny had slept on or over most of the crew in similarly strange positions, so none of them could talk.
And Sanji and Zoro were still fighting, but their blows were sloppier and their faces much redder.
"The women of summer islands are known to be the most beautiful! The sun blesses their skin to be beautifully tan and the sand makes their skin so incredibly soft. They truly are the-"
"I said it five minutes ago, I'll say it again, I'll throw you into the sun!" Zoro growled back.
"Please, you would need someone to point the sun out to you or you would just get lost, Marimo-for-brains!"
"At least I have brains, unlike you who always thinks with your-"
CLUNK-CLUNK! Nami left them on the ground each with a mouthful of sand and a welt on their head.
The heat sure makes human krabby, Sunny ruminated as the two boys pulled themselves off the ground, spluttering. He didn't mind the hijinks at all, naturally, as long as he wasn't the one being clobbered. But as long as he acted sympathetic to the human's plight, he could avoid the girls' ire entirely. Sunny was feeling confident he was well-versed in avoiding trouble with them now; he definitely wasn't going to kill any more bugs around either of them.
Luckily, the incident had been forgotten entirely as Sunny dogged Vivi's feet while the princess finally told them about the dance powder. Luffy had just admitted to Sunny and his misadventure with the green powder. Vivi's face had grown sad and distant, and she had begun to explain, starting with an incident in Nanohana years ago that had revealed huge amounts of dance powder being imported into the country. The "accident" (as Vivi suspected it wasn't) lead to unrest within Alabasta's people as they believed that King Cobra had been illegally importing it to bring rain to the crown city, even at the cost of parching other areas of the desert country.
"Dissent gave way into rebellion! My father was innocent, set up by Crocodile!" Vivi abruptly stopped walking forward, and Sunny who had been pressing his side to her leg, dug his paws in the sand to stop at her side. It was a difficult angle to look up at his friend by, straight up. He wished, not for the first or last time, that he could be as tall as the humans, give them the support he wanted to. Look them in the eyes. But even from knee-height, he could see the rage in her eyes. Her knuckles were white as she looked at the horizon. "Because of Crocodile..!" She choked. "WHAT GIVES HIM THE RIGHT TO DO SUCH A THING? I WILL...NEVER FORGIVE THAT MAN!"
KA-KRACK!
Sunny whipped his head around to see Sanji, Luffy, and Usopp walking back from a half-buried and rubble buildings, now falling apart in chunks. All three of their faces were stern and angry.
Nami sagged a little. "Those children."
Luffy stared ahead, eyes determined. "Let's hurry and get a move on. My fists are getting impatient."
A few hours later, the group stopped to rest in the shade of a large rock, panting in exhaustion and thirst. Zoro had long since tucked Chopper under his arm, and now set the poor doctor in the shade. He splashed a couple of drops of water on his face to rouse him. Sunny came to sit by his side, giving a conciliatory pant to pretend to be winded from the desert trek. He had a feeling if he didn't, Nami was irate enough to "accidentally" step on him. And Vivi hadn't spoken to him since she'd punted him into the wall following the moth incident.
Looking at his doctor friend, he did feel a measure of regret that Chopper had done so much for him on the winter island and now that they were in his favored terrain, there was nothing he could do to reciprocate. He wasn't crazy enough to wish he were an ice-type, but he desperately wanted to help his newest friend.
As Zoro set down his pack of supplies after leaning Chopper against the large rock and turned around to shout at the others, who had lagged behind to hurry over. Sunny sniffed the little deer's cheek. He barely roused. Sunny hefted the water jug Zoro had been carrying from the bag. Immediately straining to realize it was heavy, and toddling back to the doctor on his back paws. How humans did it so easily would always be a wonder to him; he had to lean far back to bring his center of gravity to his middle, meaning he only noticed he walked too far when the jug made a tap against the rock. Sunny had to scramble and with Herculean effort, manage to catch the splash of water before it fell.
He held the jug up to Chopper's mouth and trickled water into the doctor's mouth. Thankfully, he was coherent enough to swallow it.
Sunny sensed the green-haired swordsman stooping down as the others approached. He reached out and pulled the jug up gently but firmly after several long moments. "We have to save it for later. We'll all be thirsty later too."
Sunny looked uneasily at Chopper but Zoro angled the spout toward Sunny. "You drink some too."
Sunny considered it for a moment before taking a sip and nodding to Zoro with thanks.
The three-swordsman quirked an eyebrow skeptically, weighting the jar in his hand. "That's enough?"
The fire mouse nodded again, it wasn't like cyndaquil needed water every day. It was more of a luxury. And what's more, the desert sun didn't dehydrate him like it did the others.
"Sanji! I want the desert-crossing desserts!" Luffy cheered after the water had been passed around and re-stowed.
The cook, who was looking rather hassled in the heat, hadn't even lit a cigarette. "You idiot, you ate that an hour ago when you last asked for snacks and raided all our supplies. We're out!"
"Eh?" Luffy tilted his head quizzically. "Then what do we eat now?"
After the water, and after Sanji had rather spectacularly laid into Luffy, Sunny was more than happy to return to playing in the sand. He knew the crew's eyes were on him as he zoomed back and forth in the sunlight a few times, enjoying the arid heat. He rolled and kicked up hot sand and without even deciding to do it, he plunged his paws deep into the sand. It only made one quick cloud of sand-a dozen rapidash-fast paw strokes in a moment-to bury himself. From there, it was only natural to continue. The grainy earth flowed around his whim as his paws swiped the sand away and his nose carved a path. He raced one way, skimming just below the surface, then the redoubled the other way just for fun.
The cognizant crew members couldn't help but sweat-drop at the display their youngest was putting on. He was unbelievably agile burrowed underground, and as he nearly skimmed the surface, they could only watch the displaced sand mound zig-zag back and forth as he played.
"Er, is he doing the backstroke?" Vivi asked.
"I...believe he is, Vivi," Nami said, watching Sunny flip onto his back and kick through the sand without losing too much speed.
The princess watched the shrew for a couple more seconds before she cracked a smile and chuckled. "He really is something."
"A show-off, you mean." Nami looked over to Vivi to see her smile turn sad as she wrapped her arms around her legs.
"Sunny really seems in his element here. Happy, you know?" Vivi ventured. "I wonder-"
Nami raised a hand to stop Vivi, who broke off in surprise. "No." She offered Vivi a smile despite her firm tone. "Don't think like that. Sunny may be an animal but he has to learn and make his own choices. I made the same mistake with him once, thinking I knew what was best for him. Sunny's a pirate, and if you offer him a place on the island, you're only questioning his pride as a Straw Hat."
Vivi balked, pulling away. "No, I..."
"It's okay. But we live by a code, and we have to take it seriously. We're going to be the Pirate King's crew someday, after all." Nami's smile didn't fade.
Vivi bit her lip as she contemplated her words before giving Nami a nod. "I get it. I understand upholding a code. I'm sorry if I seemed like I was doubting the crew."
Nami raised a hand placatingly. "It's-"
"QQQQUIILLLLL!" Came a shrill, terrified cry.
"Did you hear something just now?" Nami asked.
"CYNNNNNNNNNNDAQUIIILL!" The cry got slightly louder.
"Do you hear a very quiet squeal?" Vivi agreed.
"I do...it's weird, the only one that quiet is..."
"SUNNY!" Usopp yelled, hand shaking in fright as he pointed to the distance. Sunny had strayed too far in his play and evidently, it had attracted the attention of a gigantic purple lizard. It was charging after the cyndaquil, jaws slavering. Half a dozen feet ahead of it, Sunny's eyes were wide open and teary as he pelted back toward the crew. He was still up to his waist in sand, kicking up a wave of sand into the Shandoran dragon's mouth, his front legs were above his head as his quiet scream of terror continued.
Zoro shaded his face to watch the spectacle, reaching his other hand for a katana. "Looks like Sunny found us lunch."
Sanji stood up and tapped the front of his shoe against the sand a couple of times. "If it's like crocodile, it should taste similar to chicken, we'll just need to tenderize it."
"SAVE HIM!" Vivi yelled.
"SAVE US!" Nami added as the pair got within fifty feet of them. Usopp was screaming and clinging to the unconscious Chopper in fear.
Sunny let out one more miserable 'Quuuiii' as he poured on all the speed he could muster and passed the cook, the swordsman, and their captain. An inch behind Sunny, a sword swept upwards and across the lizard, while a powerful kick and punch met its teeth and elongated skull.
After Sunny had come to terms with life being intact, he torched the lizard on the hot rocks under Sanji's instruction and before long they were eating and Nami somehow acquired a camel she quickly named Eyelashes while the rest of the crew had been busy eating..
"Nami," Sunny started carefully.
"Yes, Sunny?" Nami asked pleasantly, patting Eyelashes' neck from where she was sitting on his back.
"I'm really glad you weren't allowed to name me," Sunny stated, sweat-dropping.
Nami scowled as she held out a hand to Vivi as she climbed up onto Eyelashes as well. "Whatever you say, Sunny. I was going to lie to Eyelashes and tell him you were a girl-"
Eyelashes brayed in protest at that.
"But now I'm not gonna! Have fun walking with the boys!" Nami sing-songed, a tap to the side was all Eyelashes needed for him to race away, leaving Sunny, Usopp, Sanji, Zoro, and Chopper in the dust.
That in itself would have been alright had Luffy not eaten a hallucinogenic cactus.
"Luffy! Quit. It! Put Sunny down!" Sanji yelled from a cartoon fight dust cloud.
"Quil!"
"That's my leg!"
"YURRK!"
"Get your teeth off of Chopper!"
"Now you're stepping on-"
"Cyndaaa.." Sunny couldn't hold back his frustration as he removed himself from Luffy's sandal in the chaos as limbs wove and impacted all around him from the brawling boys. Goaded by the bright sun and the stagnant air reaching over 120 degrees, a plume of fire burst from him in every direction leaving several of his crew mates scorched and twitching on the ground and his assailant, Luffy, insensate.
Sunny huffed a smokey breath of relief and shook himself off as Sanji, Usopp, and Zoro pulled themselves up, giving Sunny dirty looks.
"You're pulling Luffy." Zoro said, cracking his neck as he continued in the direction he thought Nami and Vivi had gone.
"Wrong way, moss head!"
Chopper staggered along in brain point until Zoro hefted him over his shoulder and Sunny panicked waving his arms when he realized Luffy and the sled they had previously been pulling Chopper on were left for him. Pulling on the sled just had him digging himself into the sand.
"Come back you guys, this is a bad joke!" Sunny yelled.
The next leg of the trip involved musical chairs with carrying Luffy, then once Luffy had regained consciousness just as Chopper and Usopp had to be carried. As the sun was beginning to set, even Sunny was beginning to realize how exhausted he was. His feet were dragging along the sand, making his paw steps look like a slug trail rather than paw prints. Sunny had trained his eyes onto Sanji's heels a few feet in front of him, focusing on nothing more than walking forward. Of course, a step for Sanji was three strides for Sunny. Still, there was nothing to do but keep moving forward as a group.
By the time they were nearing Yuba, the sun had fully set and the temperature dropping down significantly.
When prompted, Vivi casually explained that the desert could reach sub-zero temperatures at night.
"W-WHAT?" Luffy, Usopp, and Nami spluttered in disbelief.
Sunny was at Vivi's feet, shaking her pant leg back in forth in lieu of shaking her shoulders. Tears were streaming from his squinted eyes. "You didn't think you should tell us about that!?"
"Ahaha..ha... It must have slipped my mind. If you get cold tonight, you can sleep with me in my sleeping bag."
"You packed a sleeping bag?!" Nami blustered, the heat only accounted for part of the redness in her face. "Are the rest of us supposed to freeze?"
Sanji simultaneously got a nosebleed from both nostrils.
"Sanji! Did you over-exert yourself? Sit down!" Chopper was immediately at the chef's side, pulling at his cloak in a similar manner as Sunny had done to Vivi. It was hard being so small.
Usopp shook sagely his head at the panicked reindeer. "I'd bet my swords he's having a breakdown deciding if he wants to offer to sleep in Vivi's sleeping bag with her or offer to keep Nami warm."
"-But the important thing is that Yuba is just over this dune!" Vivi said, redirecting the Strawhat's attention and most importantly, Nami's cranky, heat-exhaustion-based tirade.
Suddenly it was like there was wind in everyone's sails again. The crew and the princess hurried up the slope of the dune, looking over at Yuba in amazement. From what Vivi had described it was a beautiful town, more quaint than many of the other cities in the country but beautiful and enduring.
What Sunny saw over the mountain was a graveyard of a town. Buildings were bleached white in the sun, adobe houses cracked, any sign of foliage was dried and stripped wood. Above all, everything was covered in sand, whether it was some clinging in cracks in the stone, the inches piled on roofs or the mounds in front of doors to the houses. Through the middle of the town was something Sunny guessed must have been some kind of river or pond. The Oasis? Thinking about it now, the idea of clear water in the middle of the desert seemed implausible. In his forest, their lake would dry up almost completely in summer and water had to be dug up. The idea of it staying in this town was a dream, but it was one Sunny was sad to see go away.
Anything Vivi might have said here dried up in her throat and came out more a growl Sunny would have made.
Nami was instantly at her side, securing her arm and helping her down the slope. As the crew made their way into the town. In the fading light, they made out one figure in the open raised a hand in greeting to them.
"Travelers aren't something we often see these days," the old man greeted as the crew approached. He leaned casually on a shovel in front of a hole a couple of feet deep but very wide. "We've got accommodations here, if you need the night to rest."
Glancing around, even though the man was saying 'we' as if the town were offering, Sunny couldn't help but notice it was only late evening and there were no other people around. The sand was clear of fresh footprints, and the only scent-of hot cotton and sweat-was coming from the old man. Could a town this quiet really have an army of rebels? It's not possible, Sunny realized, his heart sinking for Vivi.
When Vivi asked, the man, Toto, told them not only that the rebels had already left, but that the town had dried up due to three years of drought. Vivi looked destroyed for a moment, staring down the old man, one of her citizens, in a dried up old town. Suddenly, the wide hole the man had dug seemed to span between them like a canyon. Vivi hadn't known, she'd spent the last two years working her way up Baroque Works, taking the problem into her own hands. Rain was not something she could bring to Alabasta. And peace alone would not bring water to an oasis. Still, Sunny saw nothing but guilt and shame in the princess's eyes in that moment.
This chapter was mostly set up for the rest of the arc that had to be done. I'm excited for what's to come in, maybe the 4-5 chapters it'll take to finish up the arc? I'm treating it like its own discrete novella and want to have as much mapped out as possible before I update so I apologize for the slow updates on this arc.
Thanks for reading and hope to hear from you guys!