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Chapter Thirty-Six:

" Desert Shenanigans "

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(NO POV)

The ship was sailing smoothly to its destination. Zoro and Isaac were training, and Chopper benefitted from the breeze over him caused by Zoro waving his weights. Isaac stopped for a moment to get some water when June approached him holding an apple. "Want one?" June asked. Isaac nodded, "Sure, thanks." June flicked her wrist and a second apple appeared in her free hand. "Whoa!? How'd you do that?" He asked. "Oh, I guess I never mentioned it to anyone but Vivi. I ate the Double-Double Fruit. I can create copies of objects I've touched. Pretty beneficial I'd say. I can copy my whip as many times as I'd like and only need to carry one." June explained. Isaac nodded, "Cool." He said that before eating some of the apple June had given him,

Vivi came above deck, approaching Nami. "Hey Nami, I'd like to stop the ship here. Just for a moment." She requested. "Stop? What for?" Nami asked. "I have an important task for June and Karoo." Vivi explained. Hearing them be referred to, June and Karoo looked over at her, "An important task?" June asked. They stopped the ship and everyone but Ace, Zoro, and Isaac got off. "June, Karoo. I need you both to travel to Alubarna Palace and deliver this letter to my father. It contains everything you, Igaram, and I have learned about Crocodile and Baroque Works' schemes. It also says that I've returned to Alabasta safely with the help of supportive friends. Can you two do it? You'll have to cross the desert alone." Vivi explained. June frowned, "But my mission from Igaram was to protect you, I can't just leave you alone!" She protested. 

"I know that, but it's not just us anymore, we have allies so you wouldn't be leaving me alone. And Karoo will need your protection, and my father will need as much assistance as he can." Vivi replied. June sighed before nodding her head, "Alright. I understand." She looked down at Karoo, "You ready for a little one-on-one time in the desert, Buddy?" Karoo quacked giving a salute in response. Sanji stepped forward handing June a backpack and a canteen, "This should be enough to last you and Karoo the whole trip. Take care now." He said. June smiles, "Thanks, Chef. Taking some of your cooking along, I'm sure we'll be just fine." She said. Vivi hugged June, "Be careful, okay?" June hugged her back, "I will, don't worry Princess. I'll keep Karoo safe too." After giving their final goodbyes, June hopped on Karoo's back and they rode off into the desert.

(ISAAC'S POV)

Nami and Vivi had caught me up on everything that I missed, including the introduction of a man in feminine clothing who could copy other's appearances. To combat this everyone had an x on their forearms wrapped by bandages to show that they were who they say are, and even though he hadn't copied my appearance due to my absence they still put an x mark and bandage on my forearm just in case. Vivi handed me some robes to cover up while we trod the desert, dark magenta, and teal in color. "Thanks," I said before putting them over my head. I went to go help Zoro put down the anchor but noticed some spots in the water, "What the heck are those?" I asked. As if on cue several little seal-turtle creatures popped out of the depths, squealing. "AWW THEY'RE SO CUTE!" I gushed. "They're Kung-Fu Dugongs!" Vivi exclaimed. 

"If you wanna come ashore you'll have to beat me first, but I doubt that'll happen you buncha' cowards! He says." Chopper said in a translation of what seemed to be the leader Dugong's words. "No one calls me a coward and gets away with it! HERE COMES THE PAIN!" Usopp shouts. "USOPP WAIT-!" And immediately Usopp was defeated by the Dugongs. "Kung-Fu Dugongs are really strong!" Vivi explained. Luffy jumped off the ship and easily defeated one, "Hah! See they aren't so tough!" He exclaimed. "WINNING IS BAD TOO!"

The defeated Dugong's eyes began sparkling before it bowed its head to Luffy. "It's one of their rules that if they lose a match they become the winner's pupil," Vivi explained. All the Dugongs were looking at Luffy before bowing before him. "They think you're their master now!" Luffy grinned, "Everyone, after me! Now, punch!" The Dugongs punched, "No! Like this!"

"Yeah! Now harder!"

"LEFT! RIGHT! LEFT! RIGHT!"

Luffy then grinned, gripping his backpack straps, "Alright, we're all set! Let's head for Yuba!" He exclaimed. "Wait a minute..." Zoro said. "YOU'RE NOT BRINGING THEM WITH US, ARE YOU!?" He shouted. I squealed happily, hugging one of the Dugongs. "Omigosh Omigosh Omigosh, CAN WE PLEEEEEEEEASE!" I begged. "No, we can't!" Nami protested. "Dugongs are water creatures, they won't make it," Vivi explained. I frowned, "But we can't just tell them no! Their little hearts will be broken!" I pleaded. "So how do we get them to stay?" Nami asked. "Oh! I know!" Chopper said before searching through his bag, "Let's see, where is that thing...?"

"What're you doing?" Sanji asked. "Here!" Chopper pulled out some meat on a bone, "You can have this, but only if you stay here. Okay?" The Dugongs all swarmed Chopper, "CHOPPER NO!" I cried. After getting their meat from Chopper the Dugongs bid a tearful farewell to us as we finally entered the desert. Not that much later though, we stopped at what seemed to be a small town mostly submerged by sand. "Are we in Yuba already?" Luffy asked. "No...This is Erumalu, formerly known as the City of Green." Vivi explained wistfully. "Take a good look around everyone. This is what Baroque Works has been doing to my country. This is what the people of Alabasta are going through." 

I frowned at the sight, "It's completely abandoned..." I mumbled. "It's nothing but a ghost town now, but up until a few years ago, it was a thriving city full of greenery! Even though water was always scarce, but by saving as much as they could and using it wisely the plants flourished." Vivi explained. "But three years ago all that stopped when the water did." 

"Wait, but even without the rain, there's still the rivers we crossed as a water source." Zoro pointed out. "Yeah, couldn't they just pipe water in from that big river?" Usopp asked. Vivi turned her head back to us, "Well, the answer to that is up ahead." She said. Vivi continued to explain everything as we moved on about how the rain never stopped completely in all of the country's history and how it rained the most in the capital city of Alubarna where the palace was located. "The people called it the 'King's Miracle', until one certain day, that is..." She explained how one day a delivery for the king had been found out to be a substance called 'Dance Powder'. "What's Dance Powder?" I asked. "It's also known as Rain-Summoning Powder. I've only heard stories about it but it was supposedly created in a country where it never rained. It creates a smoke that rises into the sky and can artificially create rain." Nami explained.

I raised a brow, "But wouldn't that be good for the country if it's not raining?" I asked. "You'd think so, but there was a catch when it came to using Dance Powder. It caused the neighboring country to drought. Dance Powder takes clouds that aren't ready to rain and artificially matures them into full rain clouds. But those clouds would've been able to become rainclouds further downwind." I nodded, "So it was stealing rain from the neighboring country?" "Exactly. A war between the two countries broke out because of it and since then the World Government has banned producing and/or possessing Dance Powder."

Vivi nodded, "When it happened, Alabasta had been going through some strange weather. Not a single drop of rain would fall anywhere, except for at the capital. So when the citizens discovered the Dance Powder they blamed my father." Luffy's eyes grew wide, "Wait a minute, then that means your dad's the bad guy!" He shouted causing Sanji to kick his head. "YOU IDIOT! HE WAS FRAMED!" 

"My father had nothing to do with it, but unfortunately more Dance Powder was found inside the palace." Vivi continued. "So Baroque Works had guys on the inside too...What scumbags." I said. We stopped in front of what Vivi said used to be a canal. "This canal was used to bring water from the Sandora River until someone destroyed it. You get it now?" She asked. "With the canal gone, the City of Green lost it's last secure source of water. After that, fighting broke out and the only way for the exhausted citizens to escape it was to abandon Erumalu in search of other oases in search of water...After that, the City of Green withered away."

Suddenly we were swarmed by loud howling winds echoing across the abandoned city, "It's like the city of Erumalu is wailing over what's happened to it..." Vivi whispered. After the winds died down I noticed what looked like a body in the near distance. "Someone's collapsed!" Nami exclaimed and everyone followed me as I ran towards it. But we all stopped dead in our tracks when we discovered that it wasn't just any old body but a corpse. A withered away human being that left behind nothing but robes and a skeleton. Vivi stepped forward, kneeling down to the skull, "What did my father and all the citizens of Alabasta do? None of them deserve this. It's a struggle enough to survive in this desert land but they all manage to live their lives! Yet Crocodile's destroyed it all! Meanwhile as a member of the Seven Warlords he passes himself off as a hero! No one even realizes that he's deceiving them even as they cheer him on! I can't let him get away with this!" Vivi sobbed. 

A loud crash occurred as an abandoned building came crumbling down after Luffy punched it. Vivi and Ace buried the body to respect the life that was lost. "Vivi, let's get moving! I'm itching to do this now!" Luffy said. "Cap's right, we should continue on to Yuba." I replied. "That's where the rebel army is, right?" Zoro asked. Vivi nodded, "I have to stop them. I'm going to persuade their leader by telling him that this is all Crocodile's doing. I need them to stop this pointless bloodshed." "Then let's get going."

After the sun set and the night began we all stopped to make camp. Sanji was cooking dinner and I was shivering. "WHY IS IT SO DAMN COLD IN THE DESERT!?" I complained. I felt an arm wrap around me and I sighed happily feeling warmer, "That better?" Ace asked and I nodded, "Yeah, definitely. Thanks a bunch, Ace!" I smiled. I was then roughly tugged away by Zoro who was glaring daggers at Ace, "Back off! Pinky doesn't need you to keep him warm! I don't care if you're Luffy's brother, you can't just take what's not yours!" He barked. Ace chuckled putting his hands up in defense, "No need to get feisty, I was just trying to be helpful 'is all!" He said in his defense. I looked up at Zoro with an all-knowing smirk, "Taking what's not his, eh?" I teased. Zoro's cheeks turned a dark shade of red before pulling me closer to him, "Sh-Shut up, you know what I meant. Besides, keeping you warm should be your boyfriend's job..." He grumbled just loud enough for me alone to hear. I giggled, "Rest easy, Tiger. I'll be sure to let you handle it from now on." I whispered back to him. "Good..."

(NO POV)

The next day was even worse because Luffy got all the group's supplies stolen by birds who Vivi explained were 'desert bandits' that tricked travelers by playing dead. Sanji and Luffy were fighting about it while everyone else was sitting in the shade they'd found waiting for the two of them to get it out of their system. Luffy and Sanji then cried out when they saw the same group of desert bird bandits taunting them with all their stolen supplies. Luffy immediately ran after the birds, giving chase. Despite their cries for him to give up the chase before they knew it their captain was gone. 5 minutes passed, then 10 minutes, and then 15 minutes. "Jeez, what's taking him so long?" Usopp complained. "You don't suppose he got lost, do you?" Chopper guessed. "I apologize for my brother, I know he can be a flake," Ace said. Isaac stood up, feeling restless, "Screw this, I'm gonna go look for him." He declared. "Hold on, I'll go with you." Zoro said, "Me too." Sanji added. 

The ground then started shaking, "What's that rumbling!?" Chopper shouted. Usopp used his goggles to hone in on what was coming their way, "It's Luffy!" He cried. "Why is he on a camel!?" Nami exclaimed. "Someone wanna tell me what the Hell's chasing him!?" Sanji shouted. "I can't really tell. It seems like something's in the sand burrowing after him." Zoro replied. A giant purple lizard popped out of the sand, chasing Luffy and the camel. "IT'S A SANDORA DRAGON!" Vivi cried. "A WHAT!?" "They're the largest lizards in the desert! They wait under the sand for their prey and ambush them! They have razor-sharp claws and fangs, but they hardly use them because usually large enough to swallow." Vivi explained. Isaac turned his head to Vivi, "Tell me, Vivi...Are these Sandora Dragons edible?" He asked with a serious look in his eye. "Well I suppose it depends on if you could kill it or not-" "GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!" 

Isaac drew his sword, looking at Sanji and Zoro, "Leave it to me, boys! Papa's bringing us some food!" He shouted with a wicked grin. "ISAAC WAIT!" The two shouted after him. Isaac's body glowed pink as he charged at the Sandora Dragon and zip-zapped in and out of everyone's vision just as he did back in the Drum Kingdom.

"BRIGHT...PINK...BLITZ!"

The Sandora Dragon then collapsed on its side, newly deceased, and Isaac reappeared on top of it, fists in the air laughing triumphantly. Nami and Usopp cringed, "He didn't have to go that far..." "I almost feel sorry for the monster..." Everyone who witnessed this now had a new instilled respect and fear for the pink-haired boy. Zoro stared at him wide-eyed, "My new boyfriend is a freaking maniac..." He mumbled before grinning, "I love it!" Isaac slid down the monster's body, his expression back to its normal look of being sweet and innocent-looking. "Hey Sanji, let's get this thing cooked! I'm starving!" He chirped. 

Behind Chopper, Usopp, Nami, Vivi, and Ace emerged another Sandora Dragon from underneath the sand causing them to scream. "ANOTHER ONE!?" 

"I'M SORRY I FORGOT THEY USUALLY TRAVEL IN PAIRS!"

Ace was the closest to the jaws of the giant lizard, but didn't seem too bothered. "ACE! LOOK OUT!" They screamed. Ace smirked, "Lotta pests in these deserts. You wanna play? Well, alright. If that's what you want!" Ace jumped high, the Sandora Dragon's mouth closing with him inside before fire poured out of its mouth and nostrils eventually bursting into flames and being cooked alive. After cutting the two lizards into chunks, Sanji began cooking the lizard meat. "Sooo, now that we have a moment...What's with the camel?" Zoro asked. Luffy shrugged, "I dunno. I found him in the desert and saved him from getting eaten by a plant." He explained. Chopper walked up to the camel, eyeing it. The camel then seemed like it recognized Chopper, "Oh, it is you!" Chopper exclaimed. The camel and Chopper seemed like they were having a pleasant conversation. "It's a passenger camel so that'll make traveling a lot easier!" Usopp said. 

"It looks like it could carry 3 people!" 

"Well, camels do go hand in hand with deserts."

Luffy grinned, "Great! I'll take the first ride!" He tried climbing onto the camel's back but was shoved off by the camel. "I'm a freedom-loving, hard-boiled, yet compassionate camel." Chopper said as he began translating for the camel, "And I'm very grateful for you helping me back there. I can give some of you a lift, but I'm afraid I don't accept male passengers." Sanji, Usopp, and Luffy began roughing up the camel shouting, "THIS GUY'S A PUNK!"

The camel then pointed it's head at Isaac, "Except the boy with the pink-hair. He gets to ride me since he killed the first giant lizard." Chopper said. Isaac looked at the camel, touched, "Awww! How sweet!" He cooed. He was petting the camel and Nami was petting the other side of his head, "What a good boy you are! I'm sorry most of my crewmates are such brutes! Now, what should we call you?" Nami asked. Isaac and Nami then got aboard the camel's back, "Eyelash it is then!" Nami said. "Come on Vivi, get on with us!" Isaac said putting a hand out for Vivi. "No it's fine, I can still walk." "Just get on, will 'ya!" With the two girls and Isaac on Eyelash's back, and all the boys but Zoro and Ace name-calling Eyelash, the group continued on their journey to Yuba.

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TO BE CONTINUED...