Just another design of Saki.
Saki leans against the railing of the Going Merry next to Ace as Vivi bids farewell to Karoo. The brave duck was going to deliver an important letter to the King himself. Saki wasn't sure what it was about and frankly, she didn't really care.
'You don't care that Alabasta is being overrun by a Shichibukai?'
'Of course, I care!' Saki huffs quietly and Ace raises a knowing eyebrow.
'Well, that's what the letter is about, idiot.'
'Oh.'
"I knew that Crocodile of the Shichibukai was in this kingdom..." Ace started. "But who's ever heard of a pirate trying to take over a kingdom? What a bad joke." Ace shakes his head and scoffs. "A pirate, trying to set anchor and settle down in one place? He can't be trying to take the throne as King."
"Alright! Let's set sail!" Saki's attention was drawn towards Luffy and the others as they climbed back on board.
"There could be more to this Kingdom takeover than meets the eye," Saki concludes.
"More?" Zoro asks, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Yeah. Like Saki said. There could be a deeper, ulterior motive." Ace says, pushing himself away from the railing, leaving the swordsman deep in thought.
'Wouldn't be surprised if this bastard wanted his grimy hands on one of the Poneglyphs. Doesn't every country have at least one hidden?'
Saki hums quietly. 'It's unlikely but possible...'
"We're finally here!" Luffy calls out, grinning.
"We're finally gonna walk in the desert!" Chopper looks at Saki excitedly with a grin. "Must be pretty hot..."
"Yeah, it gets super hot!" Saki decides to take off her blue beanie. "Will you be ok? I don't think reindeer are meant for hot weather...."
"I'll be ok!" Chopper beams.
Saki nearly dies from cuteness overload.
"I heard that the temperatures go over 50° during the day," Nami walks down the stairs from the helm.
"What?!!" Chopper's eyes widen drastically. "Are you serious?!"
Saki tilts her head in thought. If she's taken off her beanie then she'll have nothing on her head. Her eyes light up. Steal Ace's hat! He doesn't need it! He's made of fire!
"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, NAMI-SAN?!" Sanji gasps, panicked, when he sees her covered head to toe by a cloak. "WHERE ARE YOUR DANCING GIRL CLOTHES?!" Sanji looks like he could burst out in tears at any moment.
Vivi walks by, wearing a similar cloak.
"NOO! NOT VIVI-CHAN, TOO!!" Sanji cries dramatically, close to ripping his hair out. He gasps and whips his head towards Saki. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees Saki still wearing her thigh-length kimono. That bubble burst, however, when Vivi hands her a blue-grey cloak. "NOOOOOOO!!!"
"Sanji, we'll be burned by the desert sun if we leave our skin exposed." Vivi reasons with a nervous smile. "The desert sun is merciless, after all."
Saki tilts her head at the cloak. "How'd you conveniently have one in storage for me?"
"Oh, we bought that for you in Nanohana!" Vivi smiles.
"Awww, thank you!"
Sanji had fallen to the deck and mutters under his breath pathetically. "My precious dancing girls..." he starts rolling around on the floor in dramatic grief.
Saki stares at Ace with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Creeping closer on her tiptoes and tongue out in concentration, Saki has him in her sights. Ace turns around and Saki quickly looks away, stopping in her tracks.
Ace raises an eyebrow and looks away.
One second she was beside Vivi and the next, right next to Ace stealing his hat and running off.
"Eh?" Ace took a second to realise what happened. "OI!!!"
Saki giggles and pokes her tongue out. "I'm taking this! You don't need it in the desert!"
Nami and Vivi gape at Saki. "She...how did she move so fast? She was right here..."
"I have no idea..."
An irk mark appears on Ace. "Stop using that technique on me, idiot! And give me my hat back!"
"It's so funny though! You can never keep up with me! Slowpoke!" Saki teases. "And I actually need a hat! So I'm borrowing it!"
"You always 'need' it, though!" Ace whines.
Saki gasps in mock offence. "You're saying I don't need it?"
Ace pouts. "You have your own hat..."
"That's a beanie. It's not the same thing!"
"Yeah, because you're always cold!"
"That's why I have you!"
"Is that why you always hug me?!"
"Yep!!"
"Ehhhh??!!"
The Straw-Hats sweatdrop.
Shaking off her amusement, Vivi hands Luffy a set of robes. "Luffy-san, please wear this."
"Oh, thank you." Luffy grins brightly.
"Let's get ready to land." Zoro steps over the cook's depressed body without a second glance.
"Alright." Usopp follows after him.
"Let's get on land already!" Luffy shouts to the sky excitedly.
'There's something in the water.'
"Hm?" Saki walks towards the railing and peers down.
"Something wrong, Saki?" Nami questions, head tilted.
"There's something down there..."
"Eh? What do you mean?" Chopper waddles to Saki.
"Probably animals." Saki pats Chopper's head. "Nothing to worry about."
"Ah, ok!"
Not a second later, a small army of adorable little turtle-dugongs jump out of the water, looking quite ready to kick the pirate's asses as they strike fighting poses.
"Turtles?" Zoro questions, dropping the anchor.
"You mean seals, right?" Luffy corrects, eyeing the creatures on the shore.
"Kung Fu Dugongs!" Vivi gasps, eyes wide.
Ace looks to Saki and sweatdrops. The swordswoman had sparkles surrounding her, stars in her eyes and a small blush on her cheeks. "C-Cute!!"
Ace facepalms. "Oh, God...She's a goner..."
"C-Chopper....turtles...Chopper....cute turtles...."
"Yep, definitely a goner."
"'You must fight and defeat me if you wish to disembark here!'" Chopper translates.
Saki gasps dramatically. "No! No way! No one hurt these adorable little turtles! If you do, I'll beat you up!" Fire burns in her eyes.
Nami, Usopp and Vivi subtly scoot away from the assassin.
Chopper frowns. "He says, 'If you're too afraid, go dock on the other shore, you wimps.'"
Saki jumps overboard and sits cross-legged in front of the turtles. She looks up at them and before they can get a hit on her, she gives them her best puppy dog eyes.
"Uh oh." Ace covers his eyes. "Everyone look away! If she uses those on you, you're as good as dead!"
"Ehhhh?!!"
"I mean, you won't be able to resist giving her ramen. That's what she uses it for mostly. When she wants ramen and boom. You've already bought it for her because she looks so sad."
Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.
Usopp's eyes pop out. "She's hugging them?!!"
"I thought they wanted to kill us!!"
"Note to self: Never look at Saki doing those cute eyes."
Saki stands up proudly. "They're all my friends now!"
The Kung Fu Dugongs hug her legs and then look up at the ship. They immediately scowl and one starts talking again. "'If you guys wanna come on shore, you still gotta beat us! Wimps!' Is what he says." Chopper translates again.
"Ehh??!!"
"That's so unfair!"
Saki frowns. "Don't fight them! They're my friends, little turtles," she crouches down and explains.
"'They gotta prove themselves! Cowards!'" Chopper says.
Luffy and Usopp gasp.
"That's what he said! Not me!" Chopper defends himself.
Saki sighs. "Fine! But don't hurt each other too bad!"
"Heh." Usopp places his foot on the ship's railing. "I can't stand down after being called a coward and a wimp." He takes a breath. "HERE I COME!!" Usopp jumps to shore.
His ass was kicked immediately.
Saki chuckles quietly at the dugongs flexing their muscles over the sniper's poor body.
Nyx had no tact. 'BWAHAHAHAHAHA. IDIOTTTTTTT. AHAHAHAHAH!!!!'
"Kung Fu Dugongs are very strong!" Vivi calls down to him.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Zoro comments dryly.
"I win!" Luffy shouts in triumph, throwing his fists into the air.
"Looks like we have a winner over here." Nami deadpans.
"Winning is even worse!" Vivi panics.
"What the?" Luffy says, confused as the defeated dugong stands up and bows deeply to the rubber captain.
"The code of the Kung Fu Dugongs states that they must become disciples of anyone who defeats them," Vivi explains.
"Hardcore martial artists." Zoro comments, crossing his arms over his toned chest.
"The pupils have increased while we were talking, too...." Nami sweatdrops as she sees all the dugongs looking at Luffy with stars in their eyes.
"YOSH!! EVERYONE FOLLOW ME!! TAKE YOUR STANCE!!" Luffy yells, throwing a fist in the air, the little creatures mimicking him.
Saki giggles. "They're all so cute..."
"Yosh! We're heading to Yuba!" Luffy calls out excitedly, the King Fu Dugongs nodding along.
Saki holds one up, little hearts surrounding her. "Yeah!!"
"You can't take them, Luffy! Saki!" Nami scolds, resting her hands on her hips.
"These Dugongs couldn't possibly cross the desert," Vivi adds. "They're aquatic creatures."
The little animals latch onto Luffy's and Saki's legs.
The princess and navigator eye them blankly. "C-Cute..." they mutter at the same time. They looked like kicked puppies. How could they say 'no' to those cuties?
"I feel as though I'm being mean to them." Nami murmurs as the two girls face away from the Dugongs.
"So do I...." Vivi whimpers.
"What should we do?" Nami glances behind her.
Chopper lights up. "I know!" He waddles towards their bags and sniffs out the right one. "Ah ha!" He holds up some food. "I'll give you this if you stay here!" Poor Chopper was immediately overwhelmed by Kung Fu Dugongs grabbing for the food.
"It's that simple?" Usopp gawks.
A short time later, the adorable turtles were waving goodbye.
Luffy and Saki return the wave. "SEE YA!!!"
"Listen, Luffy! If it weren't for Chopper, we'd have been in real trouble!" Nami states angrily.
"And now we've lost half our provisions," Sanji adds, sourly.
"Nothing but trouble, isn't he? I can say the same about Sa-chan, too." Ace chuckles.
Saki gasps, mock offended. "You're trouble too! You dine 'n dash all the time!"
"So do you." Ace points out.
"Touché."
The small group had arrived somewhere. Saki wasn't sure, but she wasn't happy at the sight before her.
The pirates and Vivi stare at the ruins before them, sand covering everything in sight, drowning many crumbling buildings.
"What's this?"
"Is this Yuba?"
"No." Vivi's voice is quiet, but she was heard clearly. "This is Erumalu. It was once known as the Green City."
"Green City?" Luffy repeats doubtfully.
"Looking at this city, you can understand...." Vivi turns toward the group, "...just how much Baroque Works has done to this country. And just how much Alabasta's people are suffering."
The atmosphere gets heavier as they head deeper into the ruins.
'Why the hell...would someone do this?'
'We've seen worse...don't let your anger get to you, Saki.'
'I know. It's just...Vivi is my friend.'
"Wow, there really is nothing here," Luffy comments bluntly.
"Yes...But even though the city is now in ruins, up until its collapse, it was a lively town full of lush green plants."
"This place, eh?" Zoro hums, kicking a palm tree, which disintegrated into nothing.
"This region never got very much rain, but...collecting water on the rare occasions it did rain, the town was prospering on its own. However, in the past three years...not a single drop of rain has fallen throughout the entire kingdom."
"Three years?!!" Sanji gasps, his hands shoved into his pockets.
"That long?!!" Chopper's eyes grew wide in shock.
'There's no way...' Nyx murmurs. 'That's physically impossible. Even in a desert region, clouds would've formed by the moisture and condensation in the air along with the temperature...clouds should've formed long ago.' She concludes. 'Unless...'
'Unless what?'
'Unless that Shichibukai has something to do with it. Rumour has it, he has a Devil Fruit. And since we're in the desert, what is this country in an abundance of?'
'Um...people?' Saki guesses.
Nyx sighs. 'Sand. This country has an abundance of sand. If Crocodile has the Sand Devil Fruit, it makes perfect sense that he came here. He could just as easily be stopping the rain.'
"But even without rain, you still have that river we sailed upstream on." Zoro points out.
"Yeah, couldn't you guys just draw water from that big river?" Usopp questions.
"The answer yet lies ahead." Zoro and Usopp share a look at Vivi's words. They move on. "Complete lack of rainfall is a catastrophe that hasn't occurred in Alabasta for thousands of years. But there was one place where there was always rain. That was the capital city, Alubarna, where the Royal Palace is located. People called it the King's Miracle. Until the day a certain incident occurred. Dance Powder."
"Dance powder?" Saki tilts her head to the side.
"Yes, it's also called 'Rain Calling Powder'."
'I'm not surprised you've never heard of it before. You never pay attention to history.' Nyx huffs.
'That's because history is boring.'
'History is fun.'
'...Nyx just said something was fun, Saki.'
'Oh, holy cheese, she did.'
'Shut up.'
"It was invented by a researcher in a Kingdom where rain never fell," Vivi explains. "The powder emits a mist-like smoke that rises into the air...and artificially creates rainfall."
"You can pull a lot of nasty things with that powder." Ace notes, scratching his head, not missing the fact that his hat was still in Saki's possession.
"Oh, I got it!" Luffy suddenly exclaims, his fist placed into his palm. "You mean the Mystery Powder. I just ate some before. It tastes really bad!"
"So, in other words, it makes rain fall," Zoro says, walking past the dumbfounded Luffy.
"What's up with you guys?! You think I'm lying, don't you?! Hey!" The rubber boy yells angrily, stomping his foot in the sand while flailing his arms around, having a little tantrum.
"Wait, hold on. If sort of thing exists, that's perfect for this country, right?" Usopp asks.
"They thought so, yes. The people of the Kingdom initially danced with joy when it was invented, just like the powder's name implies. But the powder has a tremendous defect." Vivi explains, sweatdropping at Luffy who is sulking while drawing stick figures in the sand. "That was the drought it caused to countries downwind. Dance Powder basically takes rudimentary clouds–which would have otherwise kept travelling along the winds, maturing into rain clouds–and forces them to mature instantly to make them deliver rain. Therefore..." she trails off.
"Ah, I get it! So it basically steals rain that would've otherwise fallen in a different country." Usopp concludes.
"As a result, a huge war erupted between two kingdoms. The loss of life was profound. The World Government has since placed a global ban on the manufacture and possession of Dance Powder."
'So, a Powder that brings both happiness and destruction, eh?'
"The mass quantities of Dance Powder was brought into our port...while there was no rain falling anywhere else in Alabasta except the capital..." Vivi looks down sadly.
"WHAT THE HELL, VIVI??! YOUR DAD IS EVIL!!" Luffy accuses stupidly and Sanji takes immediate action and kicks the captain in the head.
"IDIOT!! He was set up!! How could Vivi-chan's father ever do such a thing, ever?!" The cook yells angrily, slamming his foot into Luffy's head continuously.
"Of course, my father had no idea what happened. And around the same time, mass quantities of the Dance Powder were discovered in the palace." The princess states.
"So there were conspirators even in the palace..." Zoro hums.
"What's this road?"
"This is where the canal used by the city to draw water from the Sandora River once flowed," Vivi explains. "Yet, even this canal was mysteriously destroyed. Without the canal, the Green City was no longer able to sustain its water supply. The citizens continued to wait, desperate, but the rain still refused to fall." She frowns. "Ever since the incident with the Dance Powder, suspicion toward the King is steadily increasing daily. Inevitably, fighting broke out. Exhausted, people migrated to avoid conflict and obtain water. The cities were abandoned." Vivi stops in her tracks, the others doing the same while sending questioning looks towards the princess.
"The Green City came to ruin."
The wind picks up and Saki puts her hand on her hand to stop Ace's hat from flying away.
"What is that? Are those people?" Nami asks, hearing the wind howling through the abandoned buildings.
"Is it the Rebel Army?" Chopper hides backward behind Saki's leg.
"Could it be assassins from Baroque Works?!"
"They sound like voices," Luffy notes.
"It's the wind," Saki says calmly.
"I can hear them all around us!! What should we do?!" Usopp panics.
"It's nothing dangerous." Ace agrees with Saki. "The wind is passing through the town and reverberating among the buildings ruins."
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blows against them, sending waves of sand. Saki merely bows her head, using Ace's hat as coverage from the gritty sand while the other pirates try to block themselves from the incoming grains.
The wind eventually dies down.
"Man, what kind of wind was that?" Usopp wonders.
'A gale.' Nyx replies snarkily. Not like the long nose could hear her, though.
"There's someone lying there!" Nami shouts as Luffy runs toward a cape fluttering in the wind.
"Is someone still living in this city...?!" Vivi gasps, her voice full of hope.
Saki winces. There was absolutely no way someone could've survived here. Vivi was undeniably given false hope.
Saki was proven right when she trailed after the crew and Ace. Underneath the tattered cloak was a human skull embedded in the sand.
"Father..." Vivi falls to her knees, her voice quiet and weak. "What have my father and the people of this kingdom ever done?"
Saki clenches her fists.
"Destroying the lives of people who have struggled again nature to live in this desert...Why? What right does he have to do this?! Why? He acts as though he is the hero of the people as one of the Shichibukai...! And no one realises this man is deceiving the kingdom! I...! I will never forgive that man!"
Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji spontaneously and simultaneously punch one of the ruined buildings in rage, letting it crumble to the sand.
Vivi looks up, her lips trembling.
"Geez..." Zoro groans as Ace stares at the damage, amused. "You guys are such kids." He reprimands the trio.
Saki and Ace share a look and, in unison, crouch next to Vivi and start digging a small hole. Saki gently places the skull in the ground and she and Ace cover it with sand. Ace adds a stick as a sort of marker for the grave.
"Vivi." Luffy rolls up his sleeves. "We have to keep going forward. We've been sitting here for too long." The trio walk away while the princess gets up and follows them, wiping her tears.
Saki and Ace follow suit.
"Aaahh...I'm burning..." Luffy groans for the thousandth time. "Not even sweating anymore."
"Enough of the 'aaahh's, Luffy." Nami glances at her captain in annoyance. "You'll wear yourself out."
Luffy's groan is her only reply.
"You're not listening to a word I say..."
Usopp wasn't much better. He was propped up on a stick, his mouth gaping open like a fish out of water.
Poor Chopper had it the worst. Zoro had to make a makeshift sled/stretcher for the reindeer to collapse on. Saki had wanted to steal Chopper from him, but Zoro said no. He didn't think she'd do well in the heat, either, apparently.
"I can't take this..." Chopper groans, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "I'm perfectly fine in the cold, but I can't stand the heat..."
"It's because you're so damn fuzzy." Usopp retorts tiredly. "Why don't you take off that animal costume?"
"What was that, asshole?! Don't make fun of reindeer!" Chopper turns into his human form, Zoro having no luck in pulling Chopper forward.
"AHH!! A MONSTER!!"
"Who are you calling a monster, you stupid nose!"
"Wha-Wha-What did you-Why I'm gonna–"
"Just change back already!" Zoro slammed his fist on Chopper's head, forcing the doctor to turn back to normal.
"The heat doesn't seem to be affecting you much at all, Vivi-chan, Saki-chan," Sanji notes, glancing at the princess and assassin.
"I was born and raised in this country. I'm used to it." Vivi smiles.
"And I...! Um...like the heat?" Saki's exclamation came out as a question.
"Man, why are these dunes so freakin' tall? I thought deserts were supposed to be flatter than this..." Usopp pants.
"This is an ancient desert. The largest sand dune can reach over 300 metres." Vivi explains.
"3...300 metres?! We might as well be climbing mountains!" Usopp complains.
"Aaahh...I can't stand it...It's so hot..." Luffy whines. "Water..."
"Luffy! Just one mouthful! Only enough to fill your mouth!" Nami sighs.
That...wasn't the right wording, as Luffy takes a huge sip from the barrel of water, his cheeks stretching more and more. Both Nami and Usopp punch him on the back of his head, causing Luffy to spit all the water out.
"THAT'S TOO MUCH!!"
"Save some for me, too! You just took 18 mouthfuls!!"
"HOLD IT!" Sanji points an accusing finger at Luffy. "You just had some before! It's my turn next!" The three boys begin brawling over the water, Saki chuckling at the entertainment.
"Hey! You made me spit it out!" Luffy yells.
"Well, you're the one to blame for that, aren't you?!"
"That's right! You had it coming!"
*Purupurupuru*
"Eh? What's that?" Sanji, Usopp, and Luffy immediately stop their fighting at the weird sound.
"Oh, just my Den Den Mushi. But...Ace is here, so who's calling?" Saki tilts her head in thought. "Eh, I dunno. Could be Oyaji or Pineapple."
*Kacha*
"Yo, this is Yamamoto D. Saki."
"Saki-ya."
Saki gasps in excitement. "Tra-chan!!!!"
'So, the asshole finally decides to make contact.'
Trafalgar Law sighs tiredly. "I unfortunately need your help."
'Holy shit, the guy wants help.'
'This is a new phenomenon. Maybe he's sick.'
Saki squeals. "Yes!!!! Finally!!!"
"If you shut up first."
Saki shuts up.
"My crew and I are on Hana Island."
"You are on an island of flowers. But you're so dull. I mean, you're practically done with life. You're like, 'I hate this, I hate you, I'm gonna kill you, let's torture some people, I'm depressed and have insomnia!'"
"Shut up. It's where the log pose took us."
"Why the hell do you need help on a flower island?"
"Some underground assassin bastards. Thought you might know 'em."
"If they're after you, they obviously got a job to take you out."
"Exactly. And unfortunately, I'm not up to their strength and speed yet. You are. So..." Law grits his teeth. "I...need your...help."
"Wow, that sounded like it physically pained you to say that."
"Oh, it did."
Saki pouts. "Rude. But don't worry. I'll be there soon, Tra-chan. I just need to do some stuff first."
"I swear to God, if you get lost, I will kill you."
Saki hums nonchalantly. "Okie."
She hangs up.
"Who was it?" Ace asks.
"Tra-chan."
Ace's face darkens. "Oh. That bastard."
"Tra-chan?" Nami tilts her head and turns to Vivi. "Is it just me or does Ace sound annoyed?"
"It's not just you," Vivi reassures.
"Heyyy, Law is a good friend!" Saki whacks Ace in the head. "You should be nice!"
Ace rolls his eyes. "He's a psychotic, creepy and pain-in-the-ass doctor."
"Doctor?" Chopper's eyes glisten with hope. Maybe he could learn something from this doctor friend of Saki's!
"Yeah, so?" Saki doesn't see what's wrong.
"Didn't you hear me?! He's psychotic!" Ace argues.
Saki nods. "Yep."
"You don't care?!"
"Nyx and Tra-chan are besties, the little sadists. And he's mine, too!"
"Oh, so he's your best friend now?"
"Is that jealousy I hear?" Saki teases.
Ace pouts and looks away. "No!"
"Don't worry, Ace. You'll always be my best best friend!" Saki assures him.
"Sure....." Ace doesn't sound convinced.
Saki feigns hurt. "You don't believe me?"
Ace pouts, huffs, and crosses his arms.
Saki pats his (hatless) head in sympathy. "Don't worry. I'll help you find Teach first and then I'll go help Law."
"So, who's this Trafualgra guy?" Luffy questions, the water long forgotten.
"Trafalgar Law." Saki corrects. "He's my friend! A pirate captain swordsman doctor Devil Fruit user!"
"Woah..."
"A swordsman?"
"He?"
"Doctor?"
"He's also psychotic," Ace adds.
"He's a psycho?"
"Yep!" Saki confirms. "He and...um...he is a sadist." Saki fumbles over her words. She was gonna say 'Nyx' but with the grumpy yelling in their head, Saki quickly trailed off.
Nami sweatdrops. "And yet, you're still friends with him...?"
"Uh-huh!" Saki grins.
"He's a bad influence," Ace mutters.
"He sure is!" Saki nods in agreement.
'He's also an asshole.'
'He makes our innocent little Saki swear.'
"I'm starving!" Luffy whines.
Night was falling quickly, stars taking their positions in the dark sky.
The group decided to make camp near some rocks jutting out of the sand.
"Quit being so greedy! It's still raw! Don't eat it!" Sanji snaps at Luffy while tending to the fire, cooking meat on a stick. His annoyance fades the moment he spots the navigator. "Nami-san~! It'll be ready soon, please wait a little bit more~!"
Zoro rolls his eyes and pretends to gag.
Saki giggles and scoots over to the swordsman. "Zoro, do you wanna fight?" She gets straight to the point. "I've noticed that ever since we met, you've been itching to!"
"Now?" Zoro fingers twitch towards his swords. Saki was right. He had been itching to fight her ever since they met. The Black Blade Assassin was no joke. He wanted to get stronger and right in front of him was a powerful swordswoman. Stronger than Zoro himself. He could learn so much through fighting Saki.
Saki gives him a closed eye grin. "If you want!"
Zoro mulls it over. Should he be impatient and fight her now or fight tomorrow morning after he was well rested? He clenches his fist. "I'd say now, but I suppose it's better to fight tomorrow after I've gotten some sleep."
"Ok! That's all good!" Saki's grin widens. "We'll fight tomorrow!"
Zoro leans back, hands behind his head. Suddenly he couldn't wait for the next day.
"DON'T TOUCH IT!!!"
"Why not~? They're done!" the rubber boy complains.
"DON'T TOUCH IT!"
"It was so hot during the day." Nami shivers violently and huddles closer to the princess. "What happened?"
Now that Nami mentioned it, Saki was freezing. She shudders. Where was Ace? And her beanie? Saki fishes her beanie out of a well-placed pocket in her cloak and takes Ace's hat off. Resting the hat on her lap, she pulls her beanie down over her head, covering her ears, too. Saki was still cold.
She leaps towards Ace and tackles him onto the gritty sand. "Gah, what the hell?!" Ace sputters.
Saki snuggles into Ace's arms. "So warm..."
Ace pushes her off, standing up. "You could've just asked..." he sighs. "Now I'm covered in sand!"
Saki looks up at him, still smiling. "Sorry, Ace!"
He smirks, ready for revenge. He quickly wipes the smug expression off his face and gasps. "Sa-chan...is that...a spider on you?"
Saki freezes. "What...?"
Ace inwardly grins, while grabbing his hat off the ground, shaking it off, and placing it back on his head. "A-A huge spider! On your back!"
Saki shrieks and rolls around in the sand. "Get it off, get it off! Shit, get it off!"
'Saki, stop looking like a goddamn idiot.'
'THERE'S A BLOODY SPIDER ON ME!!!'
'Calm the hell down.'
'HOW THE HELL CAN I CALM DOWN?!!! IT'S A SPIDER!!!'
'You're so gullible.' Nyx sighs. 'There's no spider. Ace tricked you.'
Ace laughs at Saki's fearful expression. He stiffens when they make eye contact. Saki did not look happy.
"YOU DAMN ASSHOLE!!!"
Nami and Vivi sweatdrop at the two best friends brawling, rolling around, tugging hair, kicking, slapping and, I as the author am ashamed to admit, biting. "W-What the hell...?" Nami stands up–and even though these two were not under the Straw-Hat flag–she decides to knock some sense into them. "Stop...FIGHTING!!" She knocks their heads together, effectively putting a standstill to their scuffle.
They both sit there looking like children being scolded by their parents. "Sorry, Nami..."
"Yeah. Sorry."
Nami nods, proud of herself, and sits back down next to the baffled princess. "Now, as I was saying before these two started fighting..." she sends a nasty look their way. "Why the hell is it so cold?"
"U-Um, in the desert," Vivi starts hesitantly. "Where there's nothing to absorb the heat, the days are burning hot and the nights drop below freezing. The desert holds many unexpected dangers," she explains.
"Look at all the stars..." Chopper trails off, his eyes glinting as he stares at the bright lights.
"You could see stars from your Winter Island, couldn't you?" Usopp asks.
"On a Winter Island, the sky is always filled with thick snow clouds..." the reindeer says, full of wonder. "This is the first time I've seen so many stars!"
Saki smiles softly, her annoyance at Ace quickly forgotten. She remembered she was cold, so she stood up and offered a hand to Ace, who had yet to get up. He accepts her hand and Saki pulls him to his feet. They both sit back on the rock they were on earlier, Saki keeping close to Ace for much-needed warmth.
"I'm too cold to look at the stars!" Usopp's teeth chatter as he huddled closer to the adorable doctor. Zoro opts to sit next to them.
"I'm fine in the cold." Chopper chimes happily.
"It's so nice to have something warm here~!" The sniper wraps his arms around Chopper, nuzzling his cheek against his fur.
"Hey! Don't rub me!" The doctor snaps, glaring at Usopp.
"I did it because you're so fuzzy."
"Don't make fun of reindeer!" Chopper turns back to his human form, hovering over the sniper threateningly.
"AHH!! A MONSTER!!"
"Chopper, don't get big like that. You are pretty warm," the swordsman grumbles.
"So warm~!" Luffy joins the little pile, hugging the poor reindeer for warmth.
"Aren't you surprised?" Vivi asks Ace, walking towards him and Saki. "About Luffy-san. I was surprised at first, too. Luffy-san doesn't act like a captain. It's normal for a pirate captain to be revered by his crew."
Ace's lips tug up into a smile as Vivi continues, "And yet, only this morning, they fought so much only because he drank some water. But...you know what?" Her eyes soften and her voice turns wistful. "After being together with them for so long, I've begun to understand them a little."
"That's Luffy's way of doing things." Ace finally spoke up, smiling softly down at the sleeping swordswoman hugging him. "He hasn't changed a bit from when he was a kid. Even though he's like that, people always gather around him." He strokes Saki's hair gently. "He's a dumb little brother, but he has a strange charm."
"Oh, so you already knew," Vivi laughs sheepishly.
"I've known him a long time," Ace admits, his voice warm. "But, thanks. You were worried whether or not I was concerned about him."
"Yes...But it looks like I was worried over nothing." The princess glances up at the stars before heading towards a sleeping Nami in one of the tents, lying down next to her.
Ace takes one last look at the peaceful expression on his best friend's face before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep, Saki clutched in his grasp.
Saki's fear of spiders comes from my irrational fear of them.