Chapter 25

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it."- George Moore

Although his brother hadn't stayed to chat for more than a few hours, Luffy was still as happy as ever. He still had no idea what the piece of paper Ace had given him was, but Nami sewed it into his hat for him. "Thanks Nami! Now I don't have to worry about it! I'll never lose it!" He smiled as he placed his prized possession on his head. "How do you know that?" Usopp grumbled as Vivi came down with a bundle of clothes. "Wear these, Luffy-san." She smiled lightly at him. "Huh? Why? It's hot." He frowned back at her. "You wear it because it's hot. The desert gets over 50 degrees Celsius; you'll get sunburned if your skin is exposed."

"Why are your clothes so skimpy then?"

"We're going to wear coats too." Nami informed him as he grabbed one. "Whaaaat?! You're going to wear those?!" Sanji's heart nearly fell out of his mouth as the princess handed a coat to Kya. Her coat was the exact same style as everyone's but was completely black. "Oh well. I guess I better do it." Luffy sighed as Chopper leaned over the edge of the boat. "Hey! We just rounded the side of the island!" He exclaimed, gaining Vivi's attention. "No, this isn't the side of the island. This is the bank of the river Sandora." She pointed to the mouth of the river as it bled into the sea. "You can see the other side off in the distance, right?" "Oh, you're right!"

The blue haired girl suddenly pulled a map from wherever it was hidden on her body and opened it up in front of them. Kya peered over her shoulder to see she was pointing at the exact place they were at: in between Nanohana and Erumalu. "Look, this is a rough map of the area." She pointed at a spot that read 'Yuba Oasis'. "And this is our destination. It's Yuba; we'll cross the Sandora and head for it!" She had a small, yet encouraging, smile on her face as she spoke. "And Yuba is where the leader of the rebellion is." Zoro concluded, leaning up against the wall. "So I just have to kick his ass right?!" Apparently this was Luffy's ideal thought to everything Vivi said. "Would you stop that!?" She cried angrily, her hands placed together. "I would to persuade the rebellion not to shed any more blood!"

"With a rebellion that large, blood shed is all they know. Will they stop because of you?" Kya questioned, sitting on steps. "Will they stop…" Her voice trembled as she spoke. "We'll discover everything on the way to Yuba, exactly what Baroque Works has done to this country! Exactly what the Alabastan people have gone through! We can stop this senseless violence! I won't let Baroque Works destroy my country!"

Everyone was quiet for a moment, staring at the shaking princess. They had only known the young woman for a few weeks, but they could clearly see how much she loved her country. "I'll make a special desert-crossing lunch for you Vivi-chan!" Sanji cried, breaking the heavy tension. "Whoa! That sounds fun!" Chopper's eyes sparkled in anticipation. "Okay Vivi! I understand!" Luffy suddenly cried, holding a fist up. "Let's go! Upa!"

"Yuba."

"Yuba!"

"Baka." Kya chuckled lightly at the dimwitted captain. "Calm down before you hurt yourself." He was jumping around and trying to put his coat on at the same time. She grabbed him by the shoulders, steading him so he wouldn't trip and die. "But I'm so exciteeeeddddd!" He whined, slugging his shoulders in defeat. "At least put your clothes on before you fight." She pulled his head through the coat, revealing his overly happy face. "I still don't understand why I need to wear these though." He pulled at the dark fabric, annoyed. "You either wear it, or get fried." She put simply, and he nodded in understanding.

"We're coming up to the shore."

"I've prepared lunches for my three favorite leading ladies!~" Sanji twirled out of the kitchen, three boxes in his hands. "The rest of yours are in the kitchen." He sneered at Zoro, who huffed out in disapproval.

The crew gathered their materials as they landed. The air was empty; no clattering of a busy port, no human voices, no screaming of 'Pirates!'. "I don't really like this place…." Chopper panted, leaning up against Kya's leg. She chuckled lightly, patting his hat. "We'll be through the desert soon enough." His tongue rolled out of his mouth. "Too hoottt."

"We made it! Yuba!" Luffy was standing out in front of the ruins, his hand shielding the sun from his eyes. "Wait a minute….There's nothing here…Let's look for the leader! Where is he?!" He placed his hands on his hips, turning back to everyone unloading the supplies. "No, Luffy-san, this isn't Yuba yet. We still have to walk northwest through the desert for half a day." Vivi informed him. "Half a day?!" Usopp shouted as she pulled her map. Kya set Chopper down on the soft sand, noticing that, as always, the first mate was wondering off in the wrong direction.

She appeared beside him, grabbing his cheek roughly. "Zoro, don't go wandering off on your own." She chastised, pulling him back over towards the Merry. "I wasn't. I was just looking at the sand." He grumbled, slapping her arm away as they rejoined the rest. "I'm not a kid." He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't be stupid." She poked his arm. "Even kids can get around better than you."

"Whoa, what the hell is that?!"

The two turned to Usopp, who was cautiously approaching what looked to be a seal with a turtle shell covering its upper body and head. "Kuo!" It cried, punching its arm into the air. "A seal?!" The sharpshooter patted its head lightly. "A kung-fu dugong!" Vivi shouted suddenly, a frightened look on her face. "Kung-fu?" He repeated, getting in a stance to fight the cute creature. "No Usopp-san! Get away from it!" Her warning came too late as the creature mercilessly beat the hell out of the long nosed man. "They're strong." She squeaked, covering her mouth with her hands. "You lost." Zoro and Kya deadpanned, shaking their heads at the young man.

"We have a winner over here…" Nami pointed over at Luffy, who was cheering over the defeat of the dugong. "Don't beat them either!" Vivi screamed as the creature hopped up on its tail and bowed to the captain. "It's kung-fu dugong law that the loser becomes the winner's student!" She informed them, a little too late. "They're martial artists then." Zoro concluded as the dugong 'kuo'd to Luffy. Within the blink of an eye, Luffy had defeated at least twenty of them, and was attempting to teach them a stance. "No, the stance goes like this!" He corrected them, although he had no idea what he was doing. "How did you get so many?!" The blue haired girl was livid now, pulling him by his cheek. "We need to go now." She seethed, trying to ignore the crowd of dugong's following her.

"There's no way we can go into the town like this." Kya muttered, throwing her pack over her shoulder. "What should we do? They're students of Luffy now." Sanji breathed out a puff of smoke as Luffy attempted to play with his new friends, only to be pulled away by Vivi. "Chopper." The assassin looked over to the reindeer. "You can understand what they're saying right? Try to figure out what they want in exchange for leaving us alone." She placed one hand on her hip as he nodded and slugged over to the dugongs. "Ah Kya-chwan~! You're so smart!" The chef cooed, only to get a nasty scoff from Zoro. "Did you say something to me marimo?!" Sanji's eyes were on fire as he growled at the swordsman. "Shut up ero cook."

After a few moments Chopper returned with a distressed look on his face. "They keep saying 'We'll go with you!'. There's only one thing I can do…." He grabbed a few backs, emptying the food supply from them. The dugongs suddenly turned their attention to the pile of meat laying before them. "Kuo!" They all cried, scurrying over. "I guess that works." She muttered, walking forward with the others, leaving the upset kung-fu masters behind them.

"Now let's go to Yuba!" Luffy laughed, marching forward next to Nami. "You wasted almost all of our food." Sanji grumbled from beside the pink haired girl. "If Chopper hadn't talked them out of it, we'd be in serious shit." She informed him as the reindeer sighed. "I had to do it to keep them away." He muttered as Luffy let out a sigh. "Why couldn't we take them along?" He whined, already pissing off the hot tempered red head. "We can't get into any towns with that many trailing along you idiot!" She clenched her fists at him. "The dugongs in this country are pretty weird, Vivi-chan. Do they live in the river?" Sanji asked, hoisting his bag up higher on his back.

"No, the ocean." She answered, and Kya brought her head up to look at the princess. The younger girl stared sadly at the ruins that lined the high dunes around them; their beauty had left with the people. "Ever since ancient times, the Sandora River has sustained this country. But lately, the river has lost the force it once had and now it's being pushed back to the sea by the downstream." She explained lightly. "Then the water those dugongs live in is…" Sanji trailed off, holding his cigarette between his fingers. "Salt water. It can't be used on fields or to drink."

"Is that why this village is so tried up?" Zoro asked suddenly, finally noting the scenery around him. "No. they collected water on the rare occasions when it rained and the town survived off of that most of the time. Up until now, this town was a lively place, full of green plants. However, in the past three years, not a single drop of rain has fallen on the country." Everyone seemed to be in disbelief, aside from Luffy and Chopper at the moment. Luffy was holding a cracked skull in his hands, while Chopper just stared at it, frightened. "Baka, let's go." Kya muttered, hitting her captain on the top of his head. "Is that port town going to be okay?" The little doctor asked worriedly. "Nanohana gets its water supply from the oasis Katorea, so they're safe." Vivi reassured him. "Even in Alabasta, no rainfall has never been something to worry about for thousands of years, but there was always one place that got more rain than everywhere else; the capital, Alubarna, the city built around the king's palace. The people called it the 'King's Miracle'. At least, up until that day…"

Kya listened to Vivi's story intently; a group of men had nearly killed civilians as they carried a heavy cart through town. As they crashed, the contents on said cart spilt everywhere, revealing a substance called Dance Powder. "Dance Powder…." She repeated to herself; the name sounded slightly familiar, but she just couldn't recall where she heard it from. "They were carrying Dance Powder…?" Nami suddenly asked and Vivi nodded. "Hey, you know what that is?" Luffy moved closer to her, nearly throwing himself in her face with curiosity. "It's also known as 'powder that calls rain'." She told him. "Powder that calls rain?"

"It was created by some country with no rain, long ago."

"Right, right."

"The powder emits a mist like smoke that rises up into the air. It speeds up the creation of ice particles in subfreezing temperature clouds to cause rainfall." She noted the incoherent expressions on a majority of the members. "Basically, it's a powder that makes artificial rain." She sighed lightly. "Ahaa, so it's a mystery powder." Luffy concluded, putting his fist in his palm. "It makes rain." Zoro grunted from his side, making the others shake their heads in disdain. "But that would make it perfect for this place right?" Usopp piped up from behind the group as Kya stopped Chopper from falling over with her hand. "Careful." She patted his back lightly and he gave her a lopsided smile.

"Originally, yes. The people who created it called it Dance Powder because it made them dance with joy but, there was a large pitfall to all of this." Nami held up her hand and pointed at the sky. "It caused droughts in countries to downwind! Do you understand? Artificial rain is the process of nurturing clouds that aren't ready to rain yet. It sucks the water out of the clouds…." She explained more, and a few of them understood. "I see! It steals rain from clouds that would mature over neighboring countries!" Usopp exclaimed, a serious look framing his face. "Yes, and it started a huge war, the loss of life was profound. Since then, the World Government has outlawed the manufacturing and possession of dance powder worldwide."

"A powder that brings happiness and misery at the same time…"Kya said softly as Vivi bent down to the skull in the golden sand. "That large shipment of Dance Powder appeared in Nanohana. Soon afterward, an abnormal weather pattern appeared, and no rain fell anywhere except where the king was!" The blue haired girl pushed her hood back and closed her eyes. "It's normal to distrust the king. They must have thought he was using the powder to steal all the rain." Zoro spoke, his tone still emotionless as usually. "Dang Vivi your dad is evil!" Luffy shouted, earning him a kick in the head from Sanji. "He was framed you idiot! Vivi-chan's father would never do such a thing!"

"Now I realize Crocodile's terrible plan was already in effect. My father was suddenly surrounded by a scandal he had nothing to do with. Somehow, a large volume of Dance Powder had been brought into the palace under his nose." The princess picked the skull up with her nimble fingers, pressing it to her forehead lightly. "It was all a trap set up by Crocodile! A rebellion rose just as he had planned! Towns dried up, people starved, and an army of rebels started a bloody war with an innocent country. The kingdom's peace…the royal family…the rain…the towns…and even people's lives were stolen. And it was done by one man…Crocodile!" She took in a shaky breath as she put the skull down. "What right does he have to do those things?!" She placed her head in her hands as she cried, not noticing Sanji, Usopp and Luffy walk away. "I will never, ever, let him get away with this!"

Her cries were followed by the collapse of a building; the three boys were now walking back with unamused expressions. "Stupid kids." Zoro muttered and Kya just shook her head. The pink haired girl watched as the ruins crumbled to the ground, her heart aching silently for the princess. She couldn't even imagine the burden of being a part of the royal family, especially during times of chaos. Although she seemed to be faltering, Vivi had been pulling at least three times her own weight in the near fall of her country, and for that Kya could admit she was slightly jealous of the bravery the younger woman expressed.

"Hey, what were you doing?!" Nami yelled at the captain, who let out an unattractive huff. "Let's move forward already." He declared, moving his way through the group. "I'm anxious now." He rolled his sleeves up, grabbing a stick up off the ground. "So eager." The assassin chuckled lightly to herself, striding up towards the middle of the group. "I don't know how long I can go on." Chopper panted, his hooves dragging in the sand. "Maybe we should stop and rest for a bit." Vivi said lightly, looking at the doctor worriedly. "No. We need to move forward." Luffy slammed his feet into the sand as he walked off into the dunes, not looking back at the others.

"Ah, maybe he can use this."

Sanji was holding a small wooden sled that was slightly rotting away. "There's even a long handle." He set it down in front of the reindeer, who happily climbed in. "I thought I was going to have a heat stroke." He panted, laying on his back. "I'll pull it." Kya smiled lightly at the sight, grabbing the reigns from the cook. "Of course my dear Kya-chwan!~" He twirled around until Zoro made his way over. "I've got it." He snatched the thin ropes from her hands, earning a glare from the other two. "Don't take things from Kya-chwan!" Sanji was quick to get in the swordsman's face. "I just did, ero cook!" Kya sighed, placing her hand on each one of their faces and pushing them away from each other. "Can we please get through this trip without killing each other?"

"Aaaaah."

Luffy drug his way through the dunes up in the front of the group, complaining about the heat every three seconds. "Weren't you just excited to be marching across the desert a few minutes ago?" Kya chuckled, earning a sigh from the navigator next to her. "Would you stop going 'aaaahhh' already Luffy? You're just wasting energy." She scolded, only to be ignored again. "Aaah…I'm burning….I can't even sweat."

"I can't stand the heat, but I'm fine in the cold…." Chopper muttered from the very back, Zoro still pulling his wooden sled. "It's cause you're all fluffy. Why don't you take that costume off?" Usopp gasped, pulling himself along with a large stick like his captain.

"Don't mess with a reindeer punk!"

When Kya turned around, she saw Chopper had transformed into his human form, and was currently trying to attack the sharpshooter. "Gyaaaaa! A monster!" Zoro tugged on the rope, glowering at the two men behind him. "Don't get huge like that Chopper or I won't pull you!" He shouted, gaining the reindeer's attention. "Sorry." He said quietly before returning to his normal size, and collapsing back onto the sled. "Bakas." She shook her head at them, facing forward once more. "You don't seem to mind the heat, Vivi-chan." Sanji commented, a cigarette hanging from his dry mouth. "I grew up here, so I'm fine, more or less." The princess smiled before turning back to the assassin. "Ah, Kya-san. You don't seem bothered by it either." She noted, finding little to no sweat on the older woman's forehead. "My home was hot all the time, so I'm used to it. Although, it was always humid and raining so the dryness is a little annoying." She swatted in the air, a frown adorning her lips. "You're from the Grand Line right? Is your home near here?" The blue haired girl wandered back a little to walk next to her. "I'm not really sure. The island I lived on was little, and it had a small magnetic field. You can only get there with an Eternal Pose." Kya pulled said object out from her bag. "It has no name on it…." She nodded lightly, closing her eyes. "Aye. It's always just been called 'Unknown' or 'Unnamed'."

"Why are there so many damn hills? It's like we're climbing mountains." Luffy groaned, his voice cracking from the dryness. "This is an ancient desert, the largest dunes are over 300 meters tall." Vivi informed him, and Kya sighed in relief. She hadn't expected to be questioned about her home like that, especially by Vivi. "T-Three hundred meters? No wonder they seem like mountains." Usopp muttered, dragging his feet with every step. "Water…" Luffy opened his barrel, putting the straw in his mouth. "Just enough to fill your mouth." Nami warned him, and he agreed. That is, until he filled his cheeks three times their size with water.

"That's too much!"

"Give it to me! That was your 13th swallow!"

"No, wait! You just drank it's my turn next!"

"What the hell are you guys doing you made me spit it out?!"

Kya stopped, watching the somewhat comical scene of Nami, Usopp, Sanji and Luffy fighting over the already wasted water. "Who's idea was it to let him carry the water in the first place?" She sighed as Zoro stopped next to her. "You're all just a bunch of dumbasses." He said lowly, closing his eyes. "Someone isn't in a good mood today." She snickered as he glared at her. "I'll just deal with you later."

Vivi finally managed to unhinge the idiots from each other and get everyone back on their way. "Hey Sanji, let's eat lunch. 'Pirate Lunchbox' time." Luffy let his tongue loll out of his mouth as he spoke about food. "Nope. Not till Vivi-chan says we can eat." The cook said quickly, looking at the young princess. "Vivi! Let's eat I'm starving!" The captain whined loudly. "But we're not even a quarter of the way to Yuba yet, Luffy-san." She answered sheepishly. "And we already lost half of our food because of you." Kya informed him as she walked next to Chopper; although she was quickly ignored. "Jeez you're dumb. Haven't you ever heard of this proverb: 'eat when thou art hungry'." He informed them, a determined look on his face. "You just made that up."

"I understand. Why don't we take a break when we reach the next rock outcropping?"

"Okay! Next rock…roooock?!" There was nothing but dunes for the next few miles, and Luffy simply fell to his knees. "I'll never survive this." He cried loudly, waving his head in a melodramatic fashion. "We don't have time for this Luffy." Zoro grumbled, kicking some sand up at his captain. "I can't carry my bags anymore. They're too heavy….." Luffy ignored him, dropping his large pack to the ground. "How about we play janken? Loser has to carry the all the bags!" Usopp suddenly suggested, earning a few glares and one bright smile. "What a great idea!"

Unfortunately for the happy go lucky boy, it wasn't such a great idea, seeing as he lost and had to pull the bags for the next few miles. "Heavy…Heavy…Hot…." His complains came out in loud pants that could be heard throughout the desert. "You lost at janken, so shut up and pull." Zoro told him grumpily. "Don't drop it Luffy!" Nami snickered as Usopp looked through his binoculars up front. "Alight! Rocks sighted dead ahead!" He shouted, nearly being trampled by Luffy as he ran past the crew, screaming 'Break time!' at the top of his lungs. "Damn he's fast."

"Ah, at least we're getting closer." Kya let out a breath, looking down at the panting Chopper. "Are you alright?" She asked softly, and he nodded. "Aye. We'll be out of the desert soon." He gave her a small smile as Luffy came back screaming for help. "There's a bunch of dying birds back there! Come on Chopper, heal them!" Chopper sat up quickly, a worried look spread over his face. "O-Okay! I'm coming!" Just as he began to remove himself from the sled, Vivi gasped loudly. "Birds! What Luffy-san, those birds are-" She was cut off by Luffy grabbing Chopper, and running back over to the rocks. "Luffy-san please listen to me!" She shouted, running after them.

"What has he done now…." Zoro growled lowly, dragging the empty sled behind him as they followed the others. "If he dropped our stuff, I'll ring his neck." Nami clenched her fists, a vein popping on the side of her head. "Awh, Nami-swan is cute when she's angry!~" Sanji cooed, hearts exploding in his eyes as he moved next to her. "Shut up!"

"All our stuff is gone!"

"Oh no…" Kya groaned, rubbing her fingers in between her brows. They weren't anywhere close to being done with this 'adventure' and the migraines were already beginning. "There were these dying birds here I swear!" Luffy was running around frantically, trying to figure where these 'birds' had disappeared too. "Warusagi are called 'thieves of the desert'. They fool travelers and steal their luggage. I should have told you…." Vivi murmured, falling to her knees in the soft sand. "They were playing injured?! They're sagi!" Usopp cried, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. "Yes, they're sagi."

Sanji suddenly strode over to the captain, grabbing him by his coat. "That was luggage for three days Luffy! How could you let a bunch of birds steal it!? And that was all our luggage! Without food or water, how are we going to-" He was cut off by the panicking, now angry, Luffy. "But I was tricked! I can't help it!" He tried to explain, but the cook would not have it. "You're dumber than a bird!"

"Cut it out!" Zoro finally shouted, sitting down against a rock next to Usopp, who was laying in the shade. "Let's take a rest, you're getting angry because of the heat. Chill out for a minute?" He removed his head band and covering. Kya raised an eyebrow at how leveled the usually angry swordsman was acting, but was soon busied by Sanji and Luffy's fist fight. "Bakas." She growled, kicking them both in the head. "We're going to get to Yuba at night right?"

"Yes. If it's an oasis, then we'll just have patience. We're not gonna die!" Vivi tried calming everyone down. "But he started it!" Luffy whined, rubbing the bump on his head. "I don't care who started it, I'm ending it. Now." Kya glared at the two of them intently, earning murmurs from the captain and swoons from the chef. "Just forget about this. Thinking about this makes my throat dry up. We'll rest ten minutes and then leave." Zoro informed everyone before Luffy suddenly let out a cry. "There they are!" He shouted, taking off after what seemed to be a large group of herons. "Give us back our stuff!"

"Don't follow them Luffy! How will you get back?!"

"Yeah, that would be even worse! Come back Luffy!"

"That moron…." Sanji grumbled, leaning back up against the rocks. "Maybe he'll get our stuff back…" Kya commented, slightly hopeful in the situation. "Are you on drugs? He'll just make a bigger mess than he already has." Usopp screamed at her, but she only rolled her eyes. "No need to be dramatic. I was just thinking out loud."

Within the next few minutes, they spotted Luffy running back towards them, a large mass chasing him. The creature was larger than a three story building, almost a block long, and was covered in purple scales. Its green tongue licked its sharp teeth as he followed Luffy hungrily. "A giant Sandora lizard!" Vivi screamed, her face paling at the sight. "I suppose we should save that camel running beside him…" Kya said as she walked forward, her arms crossing over her chest as Sanji and Zoro walked up next to her. "What star was I born under that gives me all this damn trouble?" The green haired man groaned as the four of them began their battle.

"Gomu Gomu…"

"Tatsu…."

"Epaule…"

"Rankyaku…"

All four pirates jumped into position; Sanji's foot collided with the lizards head while Luffy's leg hit the side of it. Zoro had all three of his swords out, twisting his body to send the strikes flying, and Kya flipped forwards, placing her hands firmly in the sand.

"Whip!"

"Maki!"

"Shoot!"

"Sen!"

Kya frowned, look down at her sandy hands. "Now I'm all dirty…." She moaned, catching sight of the swordsman in her peripheral. "Not anymore!" She wiped her pale hands off on his coat, earning a growl in return. "Don't be so annoying." He grumbled, pulling her hair. "Don't be so bossy." Their conversation came to an abrupt end when the camel Luffy had been running with walked in between them. "What the hell…." The furry creature turned to her, wriggly its eyebrows in a suggestive manner. "Disgusting."

The three men drug the dead lizard back over to the group, chopping it into edible pieces for everyone. She stood on the rocks near the edge of the rock enclosure, looking out onto the golden sea. "I managed to get this for you…." Luffy came over to her, holding a green apple in his hands. "Ah, thanks." She smiled, grabbing it from him. "Kya, what are you doing over here though?" He blinked innocently as she bit into the fruit. "Oh, it's nothing. I just suddenly got a bad feeling."

"Oi, Luffy. What's with the camel?" Zoro called from his seat on a rock, biting off a piece of his meat. "Dunno…when I was chasing the birds, he came running up. Then I saw the lizard chasing him, so I started running too." Luffy answered casually, as if things like this happen every day. "It doesn't look wild. It's got a saddle and everything." She pointed out, hopping down from the jagged stone. "We can ride it! That'll be nice!" He laughed loudly, holding his gut. "Yeah, good thing. I bet two people could ride on it." Sanji pulled another cigarette out and lit it. "You really do need camels in the desert."

"Okay! I'll go on fir-" Luffy suddenly howled in pain as he climbed onto the camel's back. The tan creature had its mouth around the boy's head, and was chomping down hard. Chopper was suddenly by its side, holding his arm out towards the other animal. "'I am just a passing camel. Thanks for rescuing me.'" He translated for the others. I'll let you ride me but, I won't let any guys ride.' That's what he says." Luffy, Sanji and Usopp were quick to pummel the perverted camel to the ground. "You stupid punk! Who do you think saved your worthless life?!" Kya couldn't help but chuckle at them as Nami strode over, threatening to hit them if they didn't stop. "I'm sorry my bandits are so mean to you." She cooed, rubbing its chin lightly. "What a good boy! What should I call you?"

"Idiot."

"Moron."

"Dumbass."

"Okay. How about Eyelashes?" She ignored the boys, climbing up into the saddle. "That's worse than the others." Zoro deadpanned, sighing lowly. "Get on Vivi!" The navigator demanded, pulling her hood back on as Usopp and Luffy murmured names to the camel. "No, I'm fine. I can still walk." The princess laughed awkwardly, but Nami simply pulled her into the seat behind her. "It's okay. Now we can get to Yuba a little faster." She smiled lightly before turning to the assassin. "I don't think we have any room for you." She sneered, her lips forming into a thin line. "That's fine. I'd rather not ride with a perverted camel and a snobby bitch." Kya answered, fixing her garments before they headed off. "Fine then. Let's go Eyelashes!" With a snap of the reigns, the two girls and the camel took off. "Wait a minute!"

"What a snob…" Kya groaned, attempting to begin their journey. "It's a tsunami!" Luffy's frantic screams gained everyone's attention. "What is he doing now!?" She shouted, watching as he flung his arms around in fear. "Do you think it could've been that thing….?" Usopp asked in a small voice. "What thing…?" Luffy began falling, waving his arms around as he screamed for someone to save him from 'drowning'. "When we stopped for the lizard meat, he also ate a cactus over there." The sharpshooter informed them all, making Kya deadpan. "Who eats random plants in foreign places…"She sighed as Chopper bent over a small, round cactus. "A cactus like this one?"

"Yeah, one of those round ones."

"Oh no! That's a mescal cactus! It causes hallucinations!" The doctor cried, searching through his small blue pack for something. "Get ready everyone! I'm gonna kick your asses! Gomu Gomuuuuuu-" The rubber boy suddenly fell down to the ground, a snot bubble forming from his nose. "Tranquilizer!" Chopper held the syringe up in relief. "Right! Good job Chopper!" Sanji gave him a thumbs up. "Look how far that stupid camel is!" Usopp pointed at the small figures off in the distance. "Hurry up! We gotta follow it!" Zoro shouted, attempting to run after them. "We can't leave Luffy here!" She yelled, pulling at said boy's arm. "Dammit, Luffy! What the hell is your problem?!" He grabbed the arm she was holding, dragging the captain behind him. "That's not the easiest way to pull him….."

They walked for what seemed like forever; Kya leading the way, Zoro dragging Luffy and arguing with Sanji, and Usopp and Chopper staggering in the back. "They're waiting for us, no more than two miles." She told them, squinting her eyes to make out the silhouette. "They could've just waited for us. It wouldn't have made a difference." Zoro grumbled, pulling Luffy harder as he got snagged on a rock. "I understand why. I'd rather listen to Nami talk than all our guys' bitching and moaning." She scoffed, watching as the sun began to sit low in the sky. "I just don't understand how you can stand this heat." Usopp panted, pulling himself along with the stick. "It's not that hot."

"Ah! What a great nap!"

The five others froze, peering at Luffy as he stretched and yawned. "You…dumbass….." Sanji seethed, his cigarette falling from his mouth. "Ah? Where are we? Yuba?" He raised an eyebrow as the four men gathered around him. "No. Because of you, we are not in Yuba yet." Kya answered, rubbing her temples as she walked forward, ignoring the screams of her captain as he was beaten by his own crew.

Eventually they all met up again, just as the sun was setting. Her body was shaking violently as they climbed yet another dune. "Not so easy is it now?" Zoro cracked an arrogant smirk, the poor sharpshooter dangling from his shoulder. "If it wasn't so cold, I would kill you." She muttered as the winds began to pick up. "The temperature's the exact opposite from the daytime." Sanji stated the obvious, pulling his coat closer. "The desert gets below freezing at night." Vivi explained as Kya let out a small sneeze. "It's too cold."

"There! Can you see the light?!"

Looking up from the top of the dune, the group could make out a small city just a few miles off in the distance. "Did we make it to Yuba?!" Sanji asked excitedly as the sand began to sweep around their faces. "I can't tell! There's so much sand blowing around!" Luffy groaned, attempting to swat away the little pieces falling into his eyes. The ground below them began to shift violently, and everyone nearly lost their footing. "Why is the earth rumbling?!" Chopper shouted as the wind started to knock him backwards. They pulled their hoods around their faces, protecting them from the harsh, cyclone like winds. "We must be in a sand storm or something." Kya tried to say, but almost chocked on the sand blowing into her mouth.

"There's something wrong with the town!"

I'm a terrible author. D: it's been like over two months. I'm so sorry. I just got caught up in life and then I really dislike this part so it's hard for me to write. I'm sorry. T-T I promise a new chapter sometime next week! Please forgive me!