One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda
Kingdom Hearts characters belong to Square Enix and Disney
OCs belong to me.
-Chapter Twenty-Four-
"Well," Vivi began, "I was born and raised in this country, so I guess you could say I'm just used to it" she reasoned.
"Makes sense" I nodded.
"So what's with all these hills?" Usopp curiously asked, motioning toward the large piles of sand that surrounded us. "I was expecting a desert to be more flat" he admitted.
"This is an old desert—some of the sand dunes here are over nine hundred feet" Vivi answered.
"Nine hundred feet?" Usopp echoed. "Oh my god...no...that's a mountain..." he breathed out in horror, sounding almost petrified at the thought that a pile of sand could grow so insanely high.
"So...hot...water..." Luffy weakly groaned, tongue lulling out as he dragged himself along until finally, someone gave him one of the canteens of water we had packed in an attempt to shut him up.
"Just one drink, Luffy—just a mouthful" Nami desperately begged, pleading for him not to take much from the canteen. "Not so much!" she snapped, smacking the back of his head the second he started to chug the canteen like his life depended on it.
"Idiot! You better save some of that water for Usopp!" Usopp growled, also smacking the back of the captain's head.
"What did you expect was going to happen when you gave him the canteen?" I asked, not understanding why they were so angry over the captain being his usual self.
"I expected him to be a rational human being and know how to preserve our water" Nami huffed.
"This is Luffy we're talking about, I don't think he understands what "one mouthful" means" I pointed out. "It's like expecting a newborn puppy to not chew up your shoe while you're away when it's teething" I said.
"Well I can hope, can't I?!" she snapped before an argument finally broke out between her, Usopp, and Luffy the moment they noticed the captain trying to sneak more water.
"Hold on, you just had some!" Sanji suddenly barked, quick to join in on the fighting once he realized what was happening.
"Stop it, you guys, you're only going to wear yourselves out if you keep it up" Vivi pleaded as she attempted to settle the four down.
"She started it!" Luffy childishly shouted.
"It's your fault!" Nami defended.
"It's always his fault" Usopp huffed in agreement.
-Later-
"I'm so hungry!" Luffy impatiently whined while hungrily eyeing the food over the fire.
"Don't be such a greedy pig, it's still raw" Sanji scolded. "Don't eat that!" he snapped, angrily swatting away the rubbery hand that attempted to steal some food.
"Tired?" Zoro murmured as I yawned.
"Hm..." I tiredly hummed, leaning my head against his shoulders as my eyelids became heavy with sleep. All that walking around earlier today along with the intense heat of the afternoon sun had really done a number on me as I felt absolutely exhausted. It didn't help that the night air felt good—much better compared to the heat of earlier.
"Your dinner will be ready in just a minute, Nami" Sanji cooed.
"Hey, that looks good" Usopp complimented.
"Warm..." I sleepily muttered, snuggling closer to the swordsman's side as he wrapped an arm around my waist.
"Get away from that!" Sanji snapped as he smacked Luffy away once again.
"Jerk! We're starving!" Luffy whined.
"Back off!" the blond growled in return.
"W-what the heck happened?" Nami chattered as she scooted closer to the campfire. "It was so hot all day and now suddenly it's freezing" she quivered, arms now wrapped tightly around herself as she hurriedly rubbed her hands up and down them in an attempt to keep warm or at least generate more heat.
"I know it seems strange, but it's caused by the lack of cloud coverage here" Vivi answered. "With nothing to act as insulation, it's scorching by day and freezing by night—the desert is full of unpredictable dangers" she explained as I finally dozed off.
-Everyone's P.O.V-
"Well, it seems that Skylar at least found a way to keep herself warm..." Nami quietly giggled at the sight of the brunette who was currently curled up against Zoro's side. Her small body still shivering until finally, the swordsman moved her onto his lap and tightly wound his arms around her in an effort to keep her warm.
"How sweet..." Vivi softly giggled as well, smiling at the sight.
"Ah, just look at those stars..." Chopper breathlessly breathed out in amazement the moment he peered up at the night sky.
"C-couldn't you see the stars back on your island?" Usopp shivered.
"The sky on the winter islands are always covered by snow clouds, so I've never been able to see this many before" Chopper explained. Zoro smiled for a moment as he listened to the reindeer talk...though, it soon dropped the moment he heard the low whine the brunette suddenly gave. Quietly did she start to squirm, causing his grip on her to tighten as he now ran his hand along the length of her back in an attempt to soothe the distressed sounds she was silently starting to make.
"Don't worry, I'm here..." he reassuringly mumbled before his eye began to twitch the moment he became aware of the unruly racket that was taking place right behind him. "Chopper, don't turn big—we have to huddle for warmth" he scolded the moment he felt a shift in the reindeer's height before continuing to soothingly rub his hand up and down the brunette's back...yet it did very little to help as the teen's shaking only seemed to grow worse until finally, she woke up.
-Skylar's P.O.V-
I jolted away, breath catching in my throat like a strangled gasp as my eyes shot right open. For a moment, I couldn't remember where exactly I was as I frantically looked around while desperately attempting to regain control over my now thundering heart.
"Hey..." I flinched at the sound of Zoro's voice, eyes darting away from the barren landscape that surrounded us and toward the concerned swordsman whose face was a lot closer than I expected. It took me a second, but I eventually realized where I was as my breathing finally regulated and my heartbeat returned to normal. Already were the contents of my dream starting to fade and slink their way back into the depths of my mind as my tense muscles instantly relaxed, causing my entire body to slump against the swordsman's chest.
"It's cold..." I tiredly remarked, sleepily rubbing one eye. I only heard him hum as he shifted his hold, pulling me close until my head was now pressed flush against his chest and I could hear his rhythmic heartbeat.
"Woo! So warm!" Luffy loudly cheered from somewhere behind us.
"Agreed" I contently sighed, already starting to feel once relaxed as I yawned.
"Cuddle closer" Usopp urged also from somewhere behind.
"See, isn't this cozy?" Luffy asked.
"Yep, it sure is" Zoro contently sighed as well, a small smile tugging at his lips as I once again started to doze off.
-The Next Day-
"Ah! I found a shrimp!" I awoke to the sound of Luffy's voice.
"Who has that kind of energy this early in the morning...?" I tiredly groaned, arms stretching as I pushed myself up into a seated position. On either side of me, Nami and Vivi peacefully slept—neither seemingly bothered by the captain's boisterous voice as they continued to snooze away.
"You sure it's a shrimp?" Chopper asked as I carefully maneuvered my way around the two and stepped outside. I practically groaned the instant I stepped outside, stiff muscles now screaming in relief as my bones loudly began to pop the moment I started to stretch. I was no stranger to sleeping on the ground, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable. "That's neat."
"But shrimp don't live in the desert" Usopp pointed out as he, Chopper, and Luffy stood huddled together not that far from where I stood.
"Look!" I raised an eyebrow, unable to properly see whatever it was the captain was holding as he proudly showed it off to the other two pirates.
"I stand corrected, it's a desert shrimp" Usopp said.
"What are you guys looking at?" I asked as I approached the three.
"Oh, good morning" Usopp greeted.
"Morning" I nodded, barely casting a glance at the sharpshooter. "What do you have there, Luffy?" I asked, trying to catch a peek at whatever it was the captain was currently holding.
"Luffy found a desert shrimp" Chopper innocently piped up.
"A desert shrimp?" I questioned. "Shrimps don't live in the desert" I said, echoing the same sentiment Usopp had expressed earlier.
"Yeah, they do—see" Luffy grinned as he finally held out his hand and allowed me to see the scorpion he was holding in the palm of his hand. I flinched, instantly recoiling back and away from the venomous pest as the three continued to admire it. "Looks yummy" the captain remarked, already licking his lips as he hungrily peered down at the arachnid.
"I wonder if it's edible" Usopp pondered out loud.
"Why not? Crawfish are edible, aren't they?" Luffy reasoned.
"No!" I jolted at the mere thought of them haphazardly trying to cook and eat the thing. I'm sure it was probably edible after being properly prepared...but still, the thought of eating it made my skin crawl.
"Hey, I've never seen a real-life shrimp before—this is really exciting!" Chopper marveled right as Vivi stepped outside of the women's tent.
"Ah! Luffy!" she shouted the moment she spotted the scorpion in the captain's hands. "Are you crazy?! Get rid of that thing—quick!" she frantically cried.
"Uh-uh, that would be wasteful" Luffy scolded with the shake of his head.
"How? It's still alive" I sweat dropped.
"It's a scorpion—don't let its small size fool you, the poison in its stinger could kill you in seconds" Vivi frowned.
"Really? I guess I don't want it then—you?" Luffy asked as he recklessly tried to pass the scorpion off to Usopp, his interest in the arachnid now fading.
"Hey now, keep that thing away from me!" the sharpshooter cried out as Chopper started to panic.
"Yeah, okay" the rubber man said, carelessly throwing the scorpion back and behind him without a second thought.
"I'm sorry, I should have mentioned it earlier" Vivi quickly apologized.
"That's for sure..." Usopp muttered, holding his hands in defense the second I shot him a pointed look.
"There's no need to apologize, Vivi" I assured her, resting a comforting hand on her back. "It's not like you could have foreseen something like this happening, all that matters is that no one got hurt" I smiled.
"I guess your right..." she muttered, shoulders still slumped as if she wasn't fully convinced that it wasn't entirely her fault that the three had gone and picked up a scorpion.
"What's wrong? What's going on, Chopper?" Luffy asked the second Chopper suddenly climbed atop one of the nearby rocks and began looking out at the surrounding desert.
"Something's coming and quick" he informed us, ears twitching as he continued to scan the barren wasteland around us.
"Something like what?" Usopp questioned.
"Do you hear something? Is it bad?" I asked.
"Huh? It looks like the wind is picking up" Ace remarked the second he stepped out of the men's tent, taking note of just how strong the wind was starting to get.
"Everyone! Hide behind the rocks—quick!" Vivi suddenly ordered.
"How come?" Luffy asked.
"A sandstorm is coming!" she cried out, roughly grabbing the front of my robe and pulling me down onto the ground with her.
"Whoa! That's so cool!" Luffy gleefully exclaimed.
"In what way is that cool?" I asked, quick to bring my arms up in an attempt to shield them from the wisps of sand that were now being stirred up by the harsh winds.
A/N: Enjoy
Please Review, Favorite, and Follow.