46~ Yuba

Mira

"Is this all the breakfast we get?" Usopp complained as he slurped up the last of his meal.

I narrowed my eyes at Luffy as he began banging his spoon against his bowl. "Seconds! Seconds!"

"Don't be wasteful" A foot was planted in each of their faces. "You've had enough calories."

With a foot still planted in his face, Luffy reached over to Zoro and plucked some meat from the plate. "Hey! Luffy! Why you-!" He thrust his plate into my hands for safe keeping. "Keep your hands off other people's food!"

Oh, Usopp is becoming more demanding. "C'mon, Sanji! Give me more food!" And he's gone again.

"There isn't anymore food!"

"Don't sweat it, Zoro!" Luffy said around a bite of food. I slowly stood to climb on the rock beside Vivi and Nami, knowing a fight was about to break out.

"Why does this happen every meal?" Vivi asked as I settled in and watched the brawl unfold.

"They're men, they're hungry, and they're being denied more food. I call it Hangry."

"Just don't make eye contact." Nami grumbled.

Vivi gasped and whispered, "Look! Ace-sama is cleaning his fork and plate after his meal."

Nami and I looked up to another rock positioned a little higher than ours. "Yeah! He's completely different from his incompetent little brother."

"Are we certain he and Luffy are related?" They giggled at my comment.

My attention was brought back to Luffy and Zoro as he stretched our captain's cheeks as far as possible. "Danm you! Give it back!"

"No!"

Nami sighed. "You'd never guess from Ace's well-mannered personality that he has an immense bounty on his head."

"Ace-san has a bounty?!"

"Got a poster to back that claim up?"

"Somewhere," Nami reached for her bag. "I hear it's such a large amount that bounty hunters around the world drool at the thought of it. Fire Fist Ace of the Whitebeard Pirates. Pirates over the whole world fear the mere mention of that name. Which means this Blackbeard pirate Ace-san is seriously chasing must really be something, too. Ah, here it is."

I took the poster and whistled low at the number. "Damn. We'd be set on food for a while. So long as Luffy doesn't eat it all." I handed it back to her. "Tell me again why Ace is persistent about Blackbeard?"

"He's a traitor who killed his own crew mate."

I nearly choked on my food. "Holy shit, for real?!"

She nodded. "It looks like Ace is going to keep chasing him as long as it takes." She hopped off the rock and handed her plate to Sanji so she could put the fire out. "Okay! Let's get going. Today-"

"Damn it! Give it back!"

"What's the big deal?!" Zoro and Luffy continued to roll around and wrestle in the sand.

"I forgot they were doing that." I finished my food and wiped my plate off.

"Knock it... OFF!" Two swift hits from Nami, and the two were subdued. "Now and hurry and clean up! We're leaving for Yuba!"

"Zoro! I still have the rest of your- Hey, yo. What the food doin'?" I watched as his piece of meat began to float off his plate I was holding.

"Awesome!" Luffy scrambled to his feet. "Mira! How are you making it float?!"

"I'm not."

"Oh no! They saw us!" My ears twitched at hushed voices behind me.

"Hurry, big brother!"

"The meat can also talk! You're amazing, Mira!"

"I just said it wasn't me. There's-" I was cut off by the meat hitting my nose and ducking behind the rocks.

"What're you talking about, Luffy?" Nami turned as I rubbed the grease off my nose.

"The meat! The meat's running away!"

"Hey! Don't use me as something to climb!"

"Wait, meat!"

"Luffy!" Nami reached uselessly after him. "Idiot..."

"At least he didn't take our stuff to lose to birds again." I dusted off his sandal prints. "Sorry, Zoro. I tried to save it."

He sighed heavily and brushed off the dirt. "It's fine. We better go after Luffy before he gets lost."

"Fair point. Ready, Ace? Huh? Ace?"

"He already took off."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "At least that runs in the family." My head snapped up at the sound of a gun going off. "That can't be good. Come on!" We rushed off after the brothers.

After a bit, Nami, Usopp, and I came upon the scene of two little boys in front of Ace, one of which is holding a gun. They look so skinny...

"Who're they?" Usopp asked from behind the safety of one of the rocks.

The older of the two boys rushed to the feet of Ace. "I have a favor to ask! There's someone I want you to find and catch! If you catch him, I'll pay you a million Berries!"

"Does he even have that much?"

"Hush!" Nami hissed at me.

"I can't pay it right now, but I will pay it when I grow up!" He continued. "Please, find this man!" He held out a torn, dirty piece of a photo of a man with messy light brown hair, a tattoo of two hearts being pierced by an arrow above his eyebrow, and wearing a dusty blue button up.

Ace took it from the boy. "My brother and I have followed him out here from the Badlands."

"So, who is it?" Usopp asked cluelessly.

"Scorpion. A bounty hunter." The younger boy said.

Zoro leaned forward a bit. "Bounty hunter?"

"Do you know him?" I whispered in his ear.

"Do I look like I know every bounty hunter alive?"

"Well, I mean, you were one."

Nami took a step forward. "Why are you boys chasing him?"

"W-well..."

"I have business with him, too." Ace said as he looked up from the photo. "A man in Yuba defeated Blackbeard. His name was Scorpion. My reason for going to Yuba is to meet him."

"I'm sorry, what?!"

"He defeated Blackbeard?!"

Usopp moved in to get a closer look at the photo. "This guy did?"

"He looks like a farmer." I pointed to a pitchfork he was holding. "That thing must've been uber powerful."

Usopp crossed his arms and held his chin in thought. "Looks like a normal pitchfork to me. I dunno, Ace. Did this Scorpion guy really beat Blackbeard?"

"I'm not sure," He responded. "The only way to find out is to meet him."

"Ace?" The little one spoke again. "You mean the real... Fire Fist Ace?"

Ace slowly stood and began scanning the horizon. "What is it, Ace?"

He narrowed his vision to one spot. "Two people. And a bird?"

"Karoo? No, he went back to the palace." I glanced around. "Wait, where's Luffy?"

"What is it, Chopper?" Nami asked as she looked to him.

He sniffed the air. "They're coming!" A cloud of dust rose over one of the dunes as the sound of feet raced across the sand. Soon, a strange bird creature crested the dune, a man matching the photo rising astride him.

He stopped at the top and called out, "There you are, Fire Fist Ace!" Wait, is that...? "I'm Scorpion! The indomitable hero! I've come from afar to challenge you! Let's fight, fair and square!"

"That's Scorpion?" Vivi mumbled under her breath.

I scanned him up and down. "He looks a little thin for someone to be able to take down Blackbeard. I don't even see his powerful pitchfork."

"I think it was a normal pitchfork, Mira..."

"That's what he wants you to think." I wiggled my fingers mysteriously at Usopp.

"Hey, guy!" Oh, right. I spotted Luffy with this guy. "Are you all here?"

"What're you doing there?" Sanji replied with his own question.

"Hold up. Is that guy sweating nervously?" I nudged Zoro.

"Seems like it."

Luffy said something to Scorpion, who flinched and waved back at him, his hand quivering. "So sorry! Your luck has run out!" He called back to Ace. "Your heroic sage that's told on the sea ends today!"

My ears twitched as one of the boys whispered from behind a rock. "Don't be stupid! He's the real one!"

I watched the scene closely with furrowed brows. Something's not adding up.

"This is so exciting!" Luffy laughed giddily. "Ace! It's a serious fight! Don't pull any punches!"

"I wasn't planning to!" Ace shouted back. "But there's something I wanna ask him, too. Move aside, Luffy."

"Here I come, Fire Fist Ace!" The man suddenly screamed as the bird took off. Luffy jumped off the back as the bird quickly started closing the distance. Ace hopped across some rocks as the man pulled something from his bag. I felt arms hover near my waist as the man aimed his large weapon.

"Take this!" He pulled the trigger and launched a huge net at Ace, who stood coolly in the face of danger. Without even lifting a finger, Ace ignited and threw the net off him. The bird slid to a stop at the bottom of the sand dune. "Wh-wh-what?!" It fell around him and pulled him from the bird.

"Hot! Hot-hot-hot-hot!" The bird kicked some sand at the man.

Usopp leaned forward, impressed. "He sent that metal net flying back!" The man quickly pulled it off him and slowly looked up, fear filling his face as he took in the sight of a still smoldering Ace.

He chuckled, trying to play it cool. "It wouldn't be any fun if it were that easy to stop Fire Fist Ace!"

I saddled up next to Nami. "Hundred Berries says he wimps out within the next two minutes."

"You're on!"

"You seem to have some skill." Ace called to the man as the fire on his shoulders went out.

Scorpion stood shakily on his feet. "Our hellish battle is just getting started! Popo! Compressed Extinguisher Gun!" The bird trotted up and set a large yellow canister before him. He quickly got to work assembling it on his back and attaching hoses to pipes. "A compressed air gun filled with extinguisher foam!"

"An extinguisher?" Sanji said as he pulled his hands from his pocket.

I groaned. "Looks like I'm gonna be out a hundred Berries..."

Scorpion charged. "I'm gonna use this to fill you full of foam!" He pulled the trigger on the nozzle. I felt arms pull me back as the foam shot clean through the rocks three times. Ace easily dodged them and landed behind the man. He shot a few more times as Ace ran up on him, easily ducking out of the way of the powerful streams. He reared back an unlit fist and landed a solid hit to the gut.

Scorpion grunted in pain and hunched over, stumbling forward a couple steps before landing in the sand.

Usopp sighed and shrugged. "Sorry, but you never stood a chance."

"I'll be taking that hundred Berry plus interest when we get back to the ship."

"Damn it..." I'm gonna be in debt forever...

Ace stood over the small dip the man had fallen down. "I expected as much. You lied about beating Blackbeard, didn't you? You figured using his name would get me to show up. Am I right?"

He gave a weak chuckle. "That's right. Not too shabby of a plan, huh?" He coughed a bit before speaking again. "We've fought on even terms this far. Now I'm gonna get serious!"

"That's enough!" The oldest boy stood from hiding. "Stop this, dad!"

"Dad?!"

"Stop this!" The boys rushed off to slide down the small slope.

"D-Dip! Chip!" Okay, I know this isn't the right time, but I could really go for some chips and cheese dip.

I wiggled free from Zoro's grasp to peek over the slope leading to the reunion. "You don't stand a chance against Fire Fist Ace!"

"What are you two doing here?!" Scorpion raised a weak hand to hold one of the boys. "When did you leave the Badlands?"

"The world's greatest battle is too much for you! We came to get you, dad!"

The man gave a soft laugh. "Don't be silly. I'm the world's greatest bounty hunter. I've fought epic battles from Double Barrel Danny to Hellbattler Luther and they all begged for their lives!"

"Or so you plan to, right?"

I looked over my shoulder. "Hey, Usopp. He's going for your world's worst liar title."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

"Yeah, that's right. I'm a terrible liar and a terrible father." Okay, this is getting a little too personal for me. I stepped back to give them some privacy.

"There is one important thing!" I heard him say as I got half way back to Zoro. "Even the most insignificant person can still challenge the world's greatest hero if he tries hard enough."

"Aw, he tried teaching them a valuable lesson." I felt tears spill down my dusty cheeks.

"I wanted to show you two a grand dream! Men need dreams burning inside their hearts! Even if it means struggling every day, never give up! Stand tall! Live every day with a laugh!" I continued on to let them have their tearful reunion.

"Popo! The bazooka!" Wait, he's still going? "Fire Fist Ace! This is the end!

"Dad! That's enough! No more!"

"Dip! Chip!"

"We understand! We understand what you're trying to say! We stood up to hardship, too! We'll live every day as hard as we can! With you around, we're filled with courage!"

"I'm sorry I complained! I don't really care about food! I'm happy just being with you, dad! We love you, dad!"

"We love you!"

"Don't leave me! I love you! Mom! Dad!" I bit my lip and turned away into the comfort of Zoro's chest.

A loud explosion pulled me from my dark thoughts. A projectile launched from the bottom of the slope and into a rock spire. It stuck in and exploded right above the family, sending chunks of rock and debris for them.

"Gomu Gomu no...-"

"I got this!" Ace whipped his flaming arm out to strike the rocks. "Fire Fist!" It pushed the rocks back into the spire, effectively splitting it and sending the whole thing back and away from the father and his sons.

"Please tell me they didn't get hurt..."

"Dad? Dad!" Oh no...

"You guys alright?" Ace and Luffy slid down the slope.

"Chopper, do you have anything?"

"Maybe... I don't have much on me right now." He rummaged through his bag.

"Scorpion-sama is invulnerable!" Oh, thank god...

Ace and Luffy helped them up and out of the dip. Chopper checked the family over to make sure they were alright as Sanji made up a quick simple meal for them. Once everything checked out, we helped guide them back towards the Badlands. The sun was starting to set as we prepared to drop them off.

Ace adjusted his hat and smiled to himself. "Well, then. I best be off."

"Are you really leaving, Ace?" Chopper asked softly.

"Yeah," He faced all of us and gripped his bag. "Seeing as Blackbeard isn't in Alabasta, I have no reason to be here."

Sanji lit a cigarette. "Where will you go next?"

"Scorpion says there's a man who saw him in the west."

"That's vague..." I mumbled.

"I'm gonna go check it out." Ace reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and tossed it. "Here, Luffy. Always hang on to that."

We all huddled around Luffy. "It's just a scrap of paper."

"That scrap of paper will bring you and me together again some day." He explained.

"Does he write on it and you get the message on a similar piece of paper?" I asked.

"Not exactly." He chuckled. "Do you not want it, Luffy?"

"No, I'll keep it."

"It's natural for a big brother to worry about his bungling kid brother." Ace addressed us. "He might be a bit much for you to handle, but take good care of him. Luffy, when we next meet, we'll both be top pirates!"

"Yeah!"

"Come to the top!"

"Hey!" We turned to see the father and his kids a bit of a distance from our group.

"Hey!" Luffy waved his hands to them as the boys waved us off and rode the bird thing back to their home. I gave my own small wave as they faded into the distance.

"Hey, where's Ace?" We turned back to see there was no trace of Ace anywhere. Not even footprints.

"Well, he's gone." Zoro looped an arm around my shoulders.

"Was he even here to begin with? Was that a ghost?!"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"We'll see him again!" Luffy assured us all with a smile.

"Yeah," Vivi stared at where he had been standing. "I'm sure of it."

I stretched and headed for some rock outcrops. "Well, we better hunker down for the night. It's gonna be cold. I call snuggling with Chopper!"

"No fair! His fur is so warm!"

"Hey, wait! Put me down! I'm not a teddy bear!"

~~~~~~

We took off again about an hour after sunrise. It didn't take long for the sun to bake the sand and heat the world around us. Somehow, it feels hotter than yesterday. I nestled against Zoro's back as Chopper carried Luffy in his larger form. It didn't take too long for our captain to start complaining, and we all decided unanimously that we didn't want to hear it all day.

When I looked back up over Zoro's shoulder, I found it was just him and I, and Chopper holding our captain. "Ah, shit... Did we follow Zoro and get lost?"

"Hey, this isn't my fault." He grumbled as Luffy began to stir.

"Looks like he's back with us." Chopper adjusted his hold on Luffy.

"Are you finally sane again?" Zoro asked.

"Wait, this was his fault? What happened?"

Zoro groaned and wiped some sweat from his brow. "Where to begin? You're such a nuisance, Luffy."

"Huh?" He glanced around. "What? Huh? Where are the others?"

"Don't know." Zoro fixed his hold on me. "I'm also unsure as to how Mira slept through that whole fiasco."

"How do you not know?" Luffy leaned up on Chopper's shoulder.

"Alright, how about this? I'm not sure, to be more precise."

Luffy pouted. "Don't be funny." Zoro gave a tired sounding laugh. "Hey! This is no time for that!"

"Yeah, I guess." Zoro shook his head and looked around.

"So, are we lost again?"

"Whose fault do you think that is?!" We all three snapped at Luffy.

"M-my fault?!" Luffy looked nervously between us. "Mira, you can't even be mad! You were asleep!"

I huffed, annoyed. "Yes, I can. You did something stupid and now we can't find the others. And I'm still waiting to know how this happened!"

"It's like this," Chopper explained. "It happened soon after you fell asleep. We were walking through the sand, Vivi guiding us, and then out of no where Luffy began running off screaming about he was gonna kick Crocodile's butt."

"We think he ate another cactus."

"Perfect..."

"Anyway, he's running all over the dunes and somehow flying and causing trouble. I wasn't able to help because of the heat, so Zoro had to try and calm him down."

"I didn't wanna do it, but that witch reminded me of that debt from Logue Town." Zoro sighed heavily as he wiped at more sweat. "So, I dragged Chopper and carried you after our captain to get him to settle down. I tried getting Chopper up to stick him with a needle to wake him from whatever was happening, but that was getting nowhere. Next thing I know, he's thinking I'm Crocodile and throwing punches. Chopper got buried, you fell off my back, and I had to fight him hand to hand.

"Damn. How did I not wake up?"

"Beats me. Anyway, our fists collided with each other's cheeks, and we stood there for a while. I even started questioning how I even started following a captain like him." I giggled at his words.

"I finally came to when I realized the sand was really hot." Chopper set Luffy down. "By the time I found them beyond a dune, they were covered up to their chests with sand, their fists still in each others faces. I tried slapping Zoro awake, but that didn't work. I used my restorative powder on him and it instantly worked. He managed to crawl out of the sand and regain his composure."

"That's when we realized the others were gone." Zoro set me down on my feet. "And then I realized I couldn't find you. You had also gotten buried by the sand somewhere near Chopper. I only found you because your water canteen was sticking out from under the sand."

"Zoro came up with the plan to follow their footprints, but... the wind had blown them away."

"Wait, you're actually Crocodile?!"

"Don't be stupid!" Zoro conked Luffy in the head.

"Wait, you said we got separated?"

"You moron..."

"Why didn't we go after them sooner?!"

Another fist to the head. "That would be because of you!"

It didn't phase him. "Chopper! You can smell things good!"

He turned back from sniffing the air. "I'm already trying, but I don't smell anything at all."

"Then we have no clues at all?"

"Which way is the wind blowing from?"

"Oooh, good idea, Zoro."

"I don't know, but it's coming from our left."

I looked up at the sky. "Well, my limited navigation will be useless. The sun is at its highest point, so I don't know which way is which."

Zoro looked to our left. "At least it means they didn't go that way."

"You're just making that up..." Luffy grumbled.

"Baaaaka..." I stuck my tongue out at him. "Nami has strong perfume on. Chopper would have been able to smell it."

I followed after Zoro as he began going towards our right. "If you wanna stay, then do it! Let's go, Chopper."

"R-right..."

"C'mon! Wait for me! Don't leave me behind!" Luffy jogged after us.

Not even ten minutes later, he began to complain. "So hoooooot..."

"Will he be alright?" Chopper asked as he glanced back to our trudging captain.

"He's not the kind to kick the bucket so easily." Zoro assured him.

"Say,"

"Hm?"

"Is pirate life always like this?"

"Are you having doubts?" I asked.

"Um..."

"Like what, Chopper?"

"You know," He rubbed the back of his neck as he answered the questions. "Always climbing snowy mountains, crossing deserts?"

"Ain't that the truth?" Zoro sighed. "But, we're just a little bit out of the ordinary. Plus, there's our captain."

Chopper began to pout. "I think I might have gotten on board a not-so-good ship..."

"What a coincidence." Zoro tried his hand at a half smirk. "I was just thinking the same thing."

I snickered. "You're just now thinking that?"

"Hey, you two are the most veteran crew members, right?"

I thought for a second. "Eh, sort of..."

"I guess, but there isn't much of a difference between us." Zoro clarified.

Chopper glanced between the two of us. "Why did you guys join?"

"Why do you ask?" Zoro met his gaze.

Chopper looked up to the sky. "To me, since I just joined, it seems like everyone is a maverick. Especially you, Zoro."

"A what?"

"An independent-minded person." He explained to me. "Anyway, why is that?"

Zoro sighed. "In my case, things pretty much just turned out this way. The others are the same. Our real goals are different from his. We're trying to do what we want to do." He chuckled. "It's crazy. It's just like someone said before. On the outside, we have no teamwork at all. Especially our captain. He's a real handful."

I glanced back. "He's also falling behind."

"He'll be fine."

"I think so, too." Chopper agreed.

"But, really," We focused back on Zoro. "What is teamwork? Is helping each other and protecting one another enough? Some people say so, but, sorry, that only sounds like they're fooling themselves. I think teamwork only begins when everyone risks their lives to do what they can and then say, 'I did it! You're up next! If you can't do it, I'll kill you!' When you think about it that way, what's wrong with having mavericks as a companion?"

"Damn, that got dark for a second. How often do you have those deep thoughts, Zoro?"

"It's just my opinion." He smiled softly.

Something clicked for Chopper. "That's what Usopp meant by, 'Just do what you can!'"

Zoro and I glanced to each other and laughed. "It sounds like BS when he says it, though. As for why I still stay with him," We stopped and turned back. "Being by his side all this time has given me another goal to strive for."

"Another goal?" He asked.

Luffy slowly shuffled his way up to us as Zoro continued to speak. "Sorry, I'm not sure how to answer that, yet."

Luffy suddenly became instantly alert. "I found shade!!"

"Oh shit. Everyone part the way!"

"Gomu Gomu no..." Ah, shit! Ah, shit! He's stretching and reaching! "Rocket!!" He crashed hard into our bodies, bringing us with him towards a small rock that was shaped just enough to have some shade. We crashed hard into the rock, finding it went in a little deeper than we thought. I'm pressed into the wall like when Sanji uses a cookie cutter to make fun designs in our sandwiches, Zoro just fell off a stalactite, and Chopper is crumpled on the ground, still outside in the sun.

Luffy sat back and laughed, sighing in relief. "Nice and cool!"

"I oughta chop you apart!" Zoro waved his swords at Luffy as he stood.

"Oops! My bad!"

"Get in line, Zoro..." I grunted and tried to free myself. "Once I get out of here, he's toast."

"Wait, where's Chopper?" Luffy glanced around.

"Outside..." I got an arm free.

"Oh, there he is!" Luffy giggled. "What's he doing out there? Is he trying to act funny?"

As I freed myself and landed on my back, Zoro placed a threatening blade in front of Luffy. "Ah, right. Yep, that was my fault. I'm sorry."

"Geez," Zoro helped me stand then sat on a flat rock. "What was the point of that conversation-"

"Aaaand... the ground ate him..." It's just one thing after another...

Luffy and I stared down the hole where Zoro just was. "I didn't know he was a comedian."

I dead panned. "He's not... (I'm not!) You okay down there?" He had shouted the same time I spoke.

"Damn it! That hurt! What is this place?"

"What do you see?" I called down to him.

"Darkness. And some stone."

"Weird stone?!"

"Luffy, wait-! And he's gone down the hole... Jeez... I better go check on Chopper." I walked outside our small bit of shade.

"AAHH! He's sinking!" I dove for him, but was too late. He slipped through my fingers, screaming. "Well, shit! Now what am I gonna do?!"

The ground began to shift around me. "Mother fu-AAAHHH!" I fell and bounced off a large, flat stone structure and rolled onto the ground. "Oh, no! I forgot to warn you guys about the sands that eat you!" I mocked Vivi in a muffled voice.

"Told you Mira would get down here, too!" I'm gonna kill that rubber man...

"Hey, Mira? Can you stand?"

I turned my head to the side and spit out some sand. "At the moment, Chopper, I don't wanna. Can I in the future? Yes."

"You two seem to be alright." Zoro said as he and Luffy came around the slab.

"Zoro! Luffy! Where is this place?" Chopper helped me sit up.

"No, idea." I groaned as Zoro stooped down and brought me to my feet.

"Just leave me on the ground..."

"Whatever it is, it's definitely underground." He ignored my protests.

I started to lay back down. "No, Mira. I need you to stay on your feet at the moment."

"I don't wanna... I just fell, like, thirty feet! This whole trip has worn me out." I leaned into Zoro, begging with my eyes for him to carry me. I whimpered and shook my bottom lip in a hard pout, hoping he'd say yes.

All he did was pat my head. "It'll be fine. Does anything hurt?"

Now I'm for real pouting. "No..."

"Good. Now, let's find a way out." He rubbed his eyes a bit and looked around. "Well, my eyes have adjusted some. Upon closer look, it seems like we're in a giant dome."

"Built by people, it seems." Chopper inspected a broken pillar. "These are probably ancient ruins or something."

"How can you tell?"

I ran a finger over another pillar. "It kinda reminds me of that one town we came across when helping Apis get Grandpa Ryu back home. You know, the place where you fought Sicko Sicko guy?"

"Huh, I guess."

"Did your town have all these picture-like writing on the wall?" Chopper waved us over to the large cube shaped rock.

"Hm, no. I don't think it did. I mean, there were murals, but not this." I traced my finger through one of the symbols.

"I saw it in a book or something before." Chopper turned to face us. "These are ancient letters."

"Oooo, spoopy."

"Who cares about that stuff!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed. We looked back to see him laying in the sand. "It's so nice and cool in here!"

We faced the slab again. "If you're right about this, Chopper, then what is this place doing underground?"

"I don't really know. Was it built underground, or did it get buried here after it was built?" He looked back up to the way we came in. "Either way, I get the feeling they were trying to hide this building."

Zoro sighed. "I don't know who did it, but they sure worked hard. In any case, it's none of my business, and it doesn't interest me. What we gotta do is get the hell outta here. Right, Captain?"

Luffy lifted his head. "Really? Why? It's so cool in here."

"Just get up!" He groaned.

"No! No!" Luffy began rolling on the floor, throwing a tantrum. "Let's stay here a little longer! It's hot outside!" *CONK* "Okay! Time to get outta here. We gotta meet up with the others!"

Luffy stopped under a dim light shining down from a hole. "Is that Zoro's comedy hole?"

"Shut up!"

"Alright!" He wound his arm back. "Gomu Gomu no... Pistol!" He reached up as high as possible, arching his arm. I did the calculations in my head and took a step back. His fist connected with the roof, sending large stones crashing onto his head and partially burying himself.

"What are you doing?" Zoro asked halfheartedly.

"Sh, let him do it again." I waved him off. "A couple more hits and maybe the rocks will set his brain right." He and Chopper snickered.

"Darn!" He crawled out from under the rubble. "I missed 'cuz the target is too small! RAAH!" Up and away his arm went again. This time, it went outside and latched onto something.

"Yeah! I got it!"

"And the rocks came-a tumbling down." I said in a sing-song voice as more of the roof toppled down onto his head.

"Again, what are you trying to do?'

"No, no. He's getting somewhere."

"Just grab onto the boulder above the hole!"

"Party pooper..."

Luffy's head popped up from a pile of sand. "GAH! This is getting annoying! Gomu Gomu no..."

"Oh, shit..."

"Gatling!"

"Duck and run, duck and run!" I took off in a dead sprint to hide from the falling roof of these underground ruins. Large rocks fell all around us as daylight began to stream in.

"All better!" Luffy beamed at his handy work

"Are you crazy?!" Zoro snapped at him as he came out from where he ducked to avoid the falling stone. "What are you gonna grab on to now that you broke that boulder?!"

Luffy waved him off. "It's okay! I've got an idea."

Dread filled every cell in my body. "The world is gonna burn..."

"Chopper, you should probably turn little."

I turned my fear filled eyes to Chopper. "Run while you still can."

"What do you mean?"

"Gomu Gomu no..." He flung his arms out and wrapped them around a sturdy looking pillar.

Chopper quickly shrank back down as realization crossed Zoro's face. "Oh, now I see..."

"Grab on!"

"Do I have to...?"

"Just give it up," Zoro led me over to Luffy. "This is the only way!" Zoro held me tightly with one arm, the other wrapped around Luffy. Chopper wrapped both his arms around Luffy's left arm. We held on for dear life.

"Here it goes!"

"If we crash, I'm gonna kill him."

Luffy jumped up, his arms retracting as we swung around the pillar dozens of times before being launched skyward. "Spring!!"

"I'm gonna be sick...!"

"Yahoo!" How can he be having fun at a time like this?! We sailed past sand dunes, rocks, strange creatures, and cactus at speeds I can't comprehend at the moment. My only focus is not getting sick.

"How are we gonna land?!" Chopper shouted.

"I'm using Luffy to break my fall!"

"Heck if I know!" He chuckled, a huge grin in place.

"You don't mean-?!"

"I told you to just give it up!"

"Again! I'm using Luffy to break my fall!"

"Nobody mentioned this!" Chopper wailed as we began to slowly start pitching downward.

"You shoulda seen it before you joined the crew!" We landed hard and bounced twice before coming to a stop on the third landing. Tweetie birds danced around my head as I tried to regain my senses. I missed landing on Luffy...

Speaking of which, the fool is laughing his head off. "Successful escape! Hey, where'd they go?"

I spat more sand from my mouth. "From what I felt, they fell off at the first bounce..."

"Oh! There they are! Come on, Mira!" He reached down and pulled me from the sand.

"Just leave me to whither away..." He dragged me happily across the sand to join up with the other two. Once we had rejoined the others, we continued down the way we were flying, following my drag marks until they reached where Luffy and I had landed. From there, we continued on as straight of a path we could. This time, I did it from Zoro's back.

The lower the sun got in the sky, the more energetic Luffy became. "Hey, come on guys! Hurry up!"

Zoro scoffed. "Of course he gets more energetic as it gets cooler."

"Heh, I was just thinking the same thing." I gave his head a quick pat. "Great minds think alike."

Chopper suddenly came to a stop, sniffing the air.

"Something wrong?"

"The wind changed direction." He replied. "I smell something!"

"What?!"

"No doubt about it!" He sniffed again. "That's Nami's perfume! It's this way."

"Finally! Thank god!"

"Way to go!" Zoro turned to Luffy. "Luffy! We found Nami and the others! In the sunset direction!"

"For reals?!" He became jittery as he faced the sunset and began running. "HEY~! Guys!"

"Don't rush off on your own!" Zoro shouted after him. "We'll get separated again, you moron! Hang on, Mira!"

I wrapped my arms tighter around him. "Trust me. I don't plan on letting go!" Finally, after several hours, we caught up with them. I slid off Zoro to allow him to cool off. After a quick moment to catch our breath, we continued on to find a place to rest for the night. Hopefully, we aren't too much further from Yuba.

Usopp saddled up next to Luffy so he could speak to him. "Hey, Luffy. What did your brother give you? I meant to ask you that before you took off in your crazed delusions."

He pulled it back out to inspect. "I dunno. It's just a scrap of paper."

"Just a scrap of paper?" Chopper stood on the tips of his hooves to try and get a better look.

"I still think it's some sort of magic paper that allows you to write on and he has another page that gets the message." I peeked over his shoulder.

"What if it gets full?" Usopp asked.

"Um..." I scratched my head. "I have no idea. Voodoo witch magic? It erases the ink?"

"Let me see that." Sanji carefully took the page from Luffy. "It really is just a scrap of paper. It's not even a note or anything."

"Invisible ink!" I exclaimed. "It has coordinates to where his ship is!"

"Ships are always moving, Mira." Usopp said from over Sanji's shoulder.

I clapped my hands together and pointed them at him. "Again. Voodoo witch magic."

"I like Mira's idea, but I'm not really sure, either. But- AH!" The wind suddenly picked up as Luffy was speaking and pulled the paper from Sanji's hand. It flew through the wind and right into Lashes' mouth. 

"Oh no, he's dead..."

"Hey! Don't eat that!" Luffy smacked his fist into the back of Lashes' head, making him spit the paper back out.

Nami climbed down and held her hand towards Luffy. "Lemme see your hat, Luffy."

"Huh? This?" He removed his head wrap from his hat and gave it to her.

She pulled a small pouch from under her desert clothes. "If it's that important to you, I'll sew it to the underside of your hat ribbon."

"Ooo!" He watched her with fascination. "Great idea! Sew it good."

"Yes, yes." She took a couple moments to secure it tightly in place before giving his hat back to him. "Okay! All done. Here you go!"

"Thanks!" He secured it back in place.  "Now I don't have to worry."

"There's nothing written on it." Zoro said. "What's the point of keeping it?"

"Ace told me to keep it, so I'm keeping it." Luffy said firmly.

"Your confidence isn't based on anything."

"Sanji, be nice." I bumped his shoulder. "Wouldn't you want to keep something from your sibling if they told you to have it?"

An odd look crossed his face as he turned away, lighting another cigarette. "Yeah, I guess..."

"My confidence is right a lot!" Luffy cut in before I could ask him about the look.

Everyone gave mumbled disagreements as Usopp weakly asked to be carried.

"Hey, everyone!" Vivi's voice cut through an argument that was about to start. "Yuba is just over those big rocks! Let's make one more push to get there."

"Okay!" Luffy and Chopper began to excitedly rush ahead. Even Nami picked up her pace as the three of them happily chanted "Yuba!"

"Zoro, carry me..." Usopp whined as we all started walking ahead of Vivi.

"Don't be a wimp!"

"Zoro, carry me!" I was already leaping for his back.

"Alright, get on." He knelt down a bit so I could latch on.

"That's not fair! How come she gets to?!"

I stuck my tongue out. "Girlfriend privileges!"

Luffy suddenly came running back. "Carry me too, Zoro!"

I held on tighter. "Nu-uh! Mine! There's only room for one person up here!"

"Rock-paper-scissors, then." Zoro suggested.

I gasped, playfully hurt. "I thought you were on my side!"

"No cheating, Mira!"

"I already called dibs!"

"Mira, be fair."

"But-but-but-"

"Come on!" Luffy held his hand out.

"Better idea!" I scrambled around Zoro, still attached, to where I was now on his front. "Okay! You can get on his back."

"Alright!"

"W-wait a second! I never agreed to this!"

"Yahoo!" Luffy jumped on, making Zoro stumble a bit.

"I only agreed to carry one of you!"

I gave his cheek a soft pat. "Think of this as an endurance test."

"I've been enduring for days!" He groaned as he wrapped an arm under me to help keep me in place. However, he didn't complain anymore after that. Maybe because I've been sneaking kisses on his cheeks, or maybe because I'm offering him small sips of water to help encourage him. Whichever it is, I was enjoying it, and even he had a small smile in place.

About an hour after sunset, a gust of wind started to blow sand around. We had to use our cloth coverings to shield our faces to keep from inhaling the dust. Usopp couldn't make it another step soon after that and with deep pouts, Luffy and I agreed to climb off and allow Zoro to carry him. Luffy got the walking stick and I took Vivi's spot on Lashes.

Vivi pulled us to a stop after about another thirty minutes. "Up ahead! I see a light!"

"Did we make it to Yuba?" Luffy shielded his eyes from the dust. "I can't really see around all this sand."

The wind shifted and carried an odd sound with it. We stayed as still and as silent as possible, trying to understand what it was.

"Vivi, what does that sound like?" Nami asked.

Vivi pulled her face cover down a bit, panic in her voice. "The city doesn't look right! It's a sandstorm! The city of Yuba is being struck by a sandstorm!"

We watched from our relatively safe positions as the storm ripped through the city. I could faintly see trees being ripped apart and debris from buildings being thrown about as if they were nothing. I gritted my teeth and looked away. This poor country... Why do they have to endure so much?

The storm raged well into the night. We took shifts watching to make sure it didn't change directions and head towards us. I'm fairly certain Vivi didn't sleep at all. The second the storm began to die down, it was about the middle of the night. Vivi took off before we could stop her.

Once we were close enough to get a better look, I covered my mouth in disbelief. Yuba looks... abandoned. Like it hasn't been lived in for many years. I climbed off Lashes to inspect some of the buildings that aren't too damaged. Can sand really do this much damage?

"This can't be..." I turned to see Vivi in a similar state. Her body slumped a bit as she stared at the devastation before her.

Zoro slowly walked up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "This is bad. It's almost no different from that Erumalu city." 

I wrapped my arms around him for comfort. "All those people..."

Luffy moved a bit further in, scanning the city. "Where's the water?"

Sanji glanced around. "Wasn't this supposed to be an oasis city, Vivi-chan?"

"The sand..." She shook her head. "The sand has raised the ground. The oasis has been swallowed up!" My ears twitched as she looked up to a strange sound. Like something being stuck into the ground. I stepped away from Zoro and freed my ears so I could pinpoint the sound better.

We walked around a couple buildings and found a lone old man digging a hole with a dinky shovel. He worked slow, yet seemingly tirelessly. "Are you travelers?" He asked, not looking up from his rather deep hole. "You must be exhausted from your trek through the desert. Sorry, this town is a bit dried up. But you're free to rest here if you want." He stopped only for a moment to greet us.

I quickly covered my ears back up as he turned back to his work, now at a different spot. "There are plenty of inns here. They are this town's pride, after all."

"Um..." Vivi stepped forward, covering her face a bit. "We came here because we heard the rebel army was in the city."

He turned an icy glare at her. "What business do you have with the rebel army?! Curse you! Don't tell me you're hoping to join the rebellion!?" He began chucking small barrels of sand at us, not caring if they hit us or not. I dodged as many as I could. It's weird how he doesn't seem to run out.

I happened to catch a glance at Luffy getting struck, distracting me for a second as one flew into my shoulder.

Once the man calmed down, he turned his cold gaze away from us to continue working. "If you're looking for those fools, they left town long ago."

"They what?!" Luffy exclaimed as he rubbed his head.

"No!" Vivi held back tears.

The man tossed a shaky shovel full of sand to the side, kind of in our direction. "A sandstorm hit the town just now, but it certainly wasn't the first. The land has dried up after three years of drought, and sandstorms began to frequent the town ever since. Little by little, the oasis of the past was swallowed up, leaving what you see now. With the town's flow of supplies gone, not even the rebel army's protracted struggle would have worked out. So, the army moved its base to Katorea."

Vivi took a step back and gasped. "Katorea?!"

"Where's that, Vivi?" Luffy asked her. "Is it close by?"

I crossed my fingers. "Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes..."

"It's an oasis next to Nanohana." She explained. Damn it...

"Wait!" Chopper looked up to our camel friend. "Katorea the town where I got lost and met Lashes!"

He started translating for Lashes. "Lashes says he was carrying rebel army goods to Katorea!"

I flinched and looked away as Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji began ganging up on Lashes. "Why didn't you say so sooner?!"

He came away with many bumps and bruises. "Whatever!" Chopper translated again. This incited another round of pummeling.

I turned to Vivi. "Guess that means we have to high tail it back the way we came, huh?"

"I'm afraid so..."

"Why did you come all this way, then?!" The old man started climbing from his hole. "Vivi! Did you just say Vivi?"

"Oops... I didn't realize until now that Luffy spilled the beans..." I held a hand over my eyes and shook my head.

"Wait, old guy!" Luffy got between him and Vivi. "Vivi isn't the princess!"

"Oh, way to go!" "Don't tell him that, moron!" Zoro and I quickly conked Luffy to try and shut him up.

"Vivi-chan?" He began to reach for her and grasped her shoulders as he crested the lip of his hole. "Is it you? You're alive! Thank goodness! It's me! Don't you recognize me?" She searched his eyes, trying to find some familiarity.

He sniffed. "I suppose I can't blame you. I did lose some weight."

She gasped, her hand coming to her mouth. "Toto-ojisan..."

"Mm-hm!" Tears dripped down his dusty cheeks. "That's right!"

"It can't be..." 

I stepped back a few paces and looked away, trying to give them some privacy. Poor Vivi has seen so much on her journey here, and now we're told the army isn't here. On top of that, she has now met one of her subjects that she used to have a close relationship with. This all must be weighing so heavily on her. I don't know what I would do in her shoes.

Toto pulled Vivi in for a light embrace. "Vivi-chan, I still have faith in His Majesty! He's not someone who would ever betray the kingdom. Don't you agree?" He fell to his knees before her, openly weeping. She knelt down in front of him, a hand on his knee in silent comfort.

After a couple moments, he took a breath to collect himself. "This rebellion is ridiculous! Those fools... So what if it hasn't rained for a mere three years? I have faith in His Majesty. Most of the country still does, in fact. So many times... so many times I've tried to stop them. But they won't listen to anything I say. The rebellion won't stop. Their strength is at its limit, too. They intend to settle things once and for all in the next attack. Their backs are to the wall... They're prepared to die!"

He sniffed as more tears fell. "Please, Vivi-chan! Stop those fools!"