"The minute I catch him I will strangle this piece of crap to death,bury his body in the sand, make the camel piss on his grave and hope the giant maggots eat his flesh and bones! "you thought, the deathly aura hovering your form worsening.
You lifted your face and coughed a bit of sand, spatting some of it. You stood up with the help of your arms, dusting your black crop top and the long white sleeves shirt with a front tie who was covered in sand with your baggy pants. You took off your hat and pulled out some sand of it from inside, watching as the particles fell back on the ground.
"Now, what to do?" you mumbled aloud, looking at your surroundings. You thought you could at least catch a glimpse of the group. They couldn't be that far...
It's only after waiting a long 20 minutes that you guessed they were already far, far away. Glowering, you tried your best to search for the others by activating your right eye. But something else caught its attention. It was faint, but you could see a purple aura surrounding an object. Raising an eyebrow, you walked toward the direction the purple light comes from. Arriving at the spot, you found yourself into what it seems like an oasis. Or more importantly the ruins of what was left of an oasis.
"....Those marks" you whispered, passing a finger over a mysterious rock that was covered in sand. Sigils were drawn on it, some of them that you could recognize anywhere. "I saw those kinds of round platforms made of stones before...It's an ancient altar from one of my previous lives!" you exclaimed in shock.
You quickly dusted and whipped off the sand from the stone, using a Realm to make the task easier. When it was all clear, you gazed upon the platform in mild interest, wondering what kind of life you had a long time ago.
"What will I learn from it?" you wondered aloud. "Let's see..."
You sat down with your legs crossed, your back straight and brought your hands together as if praying. You let out a low hum and closed your eyes, feeling the atmosphere and environment disappear around you. Each minutes that passed, your chest heaved at the intakes you took. A moment later, you could feel the power of the stone responding to your meditation.
"...A Realm among Humans...." you spoke. "Our name was Fidda, a woman that gave her life to protect her country and possessed a Karma that would lead her to the Superior Realms...A noble warrior that held many secrets and mysterious weapons that she learned from previous lives..." you finished.
Your right eye flashed and a memory from Fidda's life appeared in your mind. From your level, you could only take the strongest memory that marked her time. This one showed you a particular weapon who was wooden pole with a curved blade at the tip. A naginata. Passed on from another life.
"What is your name...?" you hummed, your right eye returning to normal. "I will have to make this weapon when we will return to the ship-"
You cried out when your eye suddenly strain, bringing you a burning sensation. You brought a hand over it, gritting your teeth as the pain became worst. Your arm moved on its own and extended at the front, toward the center of the platform. A yellow light surrounded your shoulder and trailed the length of your arm to your fingertips. It became brighter as it twirled around the platform, getting closer to the center before it morphed itself into a wooden pole with a curved blade. The naginata from Fidda's memory.
The weapon fell in your hand and you stared at it in awe.
"Human Realm: Edge End..." you said, the naginata disappearing. "It seems I learned a new technique...but how? Usually I construct the weapon in question but this time...it appeared right before me..."
You stared at your arms in wonder, trying to remember if there was ever a time it happened before. But you knew you were still clueless about everything related to Saṃsāra. The wind picked up and you looked at the horizon to see that the sun showed the afternoon. You had no time to stay here any longer.
"...Where are those idiots?!"
"Fifty-two kilometer on foot wears out, wears out..Fifty-two kilometer on foot wears out your shoes for good..." you walked a steady pace, whistling sometimes the song under your breath since you were bored out of your mind. "Fifty-three kilometer on foot wears out, wears out-"
You stopped singing, your eyes falling on three familiar figures walking through the desert and you gritted your teeth in irritation. "Why are they here without the others?....Do I really want to know?"
You thought about hiding yourself before they spot you and continue on your way, but the odds were against you. Immediately, Luffy started to wave his arms, yelling your name loudly as the others stopped walking and turned their head toward your direction. You glowered and waved back, your lips forming a thin line. You were hesitant to go to them, thinking that Luffy was probably still under the cactus's influence. Your mood worsened when Luffy stretched his arms toward you, enveloping his limbs around your waist before the straw hat boy pulled harshly.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAA" you cried out, flying across the desert to fall head first into Chopper who had transformed himself into his human form. He quickly caught you in his arms.
"(y/n)! Are you alright?!" the doctor demanded in worry as foam came out of your mouth. Luffy laughed heartily at the state you were in.
"She's making a weird face!" the boy exclaimed and the other males sweatdropped at his words. Whipping the foam off of your mouth, you turned your head toward the captain who continued to laugh.
"YOU PIECE OF SHIT, WHEN I HAVE MY HANDS ON YOU I WILL MAKE SURE YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO WALK ANYMORE!" you snarled, causing the young man to tilt his head to the side, gazing at you curiously.
"Huh? Why would you do that? If I can't walk, I won't become Pirate King..."
"I.DON'T.CARE"
"Please, calm down! Or else you will waste your energy for nothing!" stammered Chopper, holding you tightly in his hold.
Luffy continued to laugh as you tried to kick him from where you stood, annoying you to no end. Finally, you calmed down to Chopper's relief and the doctor didn't have to stop you from murdering the straw hat captain on spot. The four of you continued your journey to find the others, sometimes stopping for Luffy to catch on with you.
"HOT......." he panted like a dog, trailing behind you slowly. The poor boy was almost crawling on the sand at this point.
"Come on, Luffy. I'm sure the others aren't far away" you told him.
"Will he be all right?" asked Chopper, observing his captain closely.
"He's not the kind to kick the bucket so easily" answered Zoro for him.
"Say, is pirate life always like this? Always climbing snowy mountains, crossing deserts..."
"Ain't that the truth?" mumbled Zoro. "But we're just a little out of the ordinary...Plus there's our captain"
"That's for sure" you mused, giving the evil eye to Luffy.
"I think I might've gotten on board a not-so-good ship..." sweated Chopper, his back hunching in despair.
"What a coincidence. I was just thinking the same thing myself" replied Zoro with the same tone.
"Say, you're the most veteran crew member here, right?"
"I guess, but there's not that much of a difference between us..."
"Why did you joined?" asked the doctor, turning his head toward the swordsman. "To me, since I just joined, it seems like everyone's a maverick. Especially you"
"That's true. In my case, things pretty much just turned out this way" answered honestly Zoro and you raised a brow as you listened to their conversation. "The others are the same. Our real goals are different from his. We're trying to do what we want to do. It's crazy. It's just like someone said before...On the outside, we have no teamwork at all"
"Given our captain, he's a real handful" you pointed behind.
"Think so too" enriched Chopper.
"But, really, what is teamwork? Is helping each other and protecting each other 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 says, '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 companions? That's my opinion"
"So that's what Usopp meant by 'Just do what you can!'" said Chopper and Zoro chuckled.
"It sounds like BS when he says it, though"
"Wow. I didn't know you were a sage by heart, pot plant" you drawled, ignoring the angry stare from the swordsman. "Even though your explanation doesn't make sense at all..." you mumbled the last part to yourself.
"As for why I still stay with him..." continued Zoro, looking behind. "...being by his side all this time's given me another goal to strive for. But I dunno how to answer about it"
"Probably live through this journey" you groaned. You all stopped when you fell upon rocks from far away.
"I FOUND SHADE!" cried out Luffy. Zoro and Chopper's stare altered between Luffy and the rocks a few times, panic showing on their face. "GOMU GOMU NO...."
The young boy stretched his members to grab one of the rocks.
"...ROCKET!" he finished as he released his hold, sending the four of you directly at the rocks.
You directly landed face first on the giant rock, groaning in pain at the collision. Zoro fell from where he was standing, back stuck against a rock, to the ground face first.
"Whoo! It's nice and cool!" exclaimed Luffy in joy.
"I OUGHTA CHOP YOU APART" stood up Zoro, unsheathing his swords.
"Oh! My bad! My bad!" dismissed Luffy with his hand. "Huh? Where's Chopper? Oh! There he is!"
You lifted your splattered form off the ground, glaring at the other side to see Chopper laying on his stomach a few feet away.
"What's he doing out there? Is he trying to act funny?" asked Luffy with a smile, but it quickly disappeared when Zoro put his sword at his jugular. "Yes. It was my fault. I'm sorry"
"Geez! What was the point of that conversation--" complained Zoro, only to cry out in surprise. He fell in a pitfall, you following suite since you were next to him.
"KYA" you yelped, falling on something solid and you heard a grunt under you.
Your eyes adjusted in the darkness and you blinked, turning your head right and left. You lifted yourself with the help of your hands, only for them to grab something that seems like knees. You stared at your limbs for a moment, looking over your shoulder to realize that you were straddling Zoro who laid on his back. From his spot, he could have the glamorous view of your butt inches away from his face.
"OH SH-" you started, jumping away to put some distance between you. "WHY IT IS ALWAYS WITH YOU?!"
"I COULD ASK YOU THE SAME!" snarled back the swordsman whose face was red.
"IF YOU COULD MOVE YOUR FAT ASS THAT WOULD BE APPRECIATED!"
"SAME FOR ME AND I HAD A GOOD VIEW TO PROVE IT!"
"SO YOU WERE LOOKING YOU JACKASS" you accused, pointing a finger at him.
"IT OBSTRUCTED MY SIGHT AND I COULDN'T MOVE WITH YOUR WEIGHT, YOU MUMMY!"
"SAY THAT AGAIN, MARIMO BASTARD" your right eye flashed purple.
"I SAID, YOU WERE ALMOST KILLING ME OVER THERE!" repeated Zoro, standing up and headbutting you.
"ALRIGHT. DRAW YOUR SWORDS" you growled, headbutting him too.
"I WILL SLICE YOU INTO PIECES AND SEND YOUR ASS BACK TO HELL. IF IT EVER PASSES"
"WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU, YOU WILL HAVE TO PICK WHAT'S LEFT OF YOUR ASSHOLE TO SHIT THROUGH, YOU GOT THAT?"
The fire between the two of you raised and engulfed you both. Zoro sighed and calmed himself down, pulling his swords away. You did the same but continued to glower at the green haired man.
"What is this place?" he asked. Then, he caught sight of a giant cube laying in the sand. "What's this? What's something like this..."
"...doing underground?" finished Luffy, surprising the both of you.
"WHY ARE YOU DOWN HERE?"
"I used my arms" answered Luffy like it was obvious.
"I'M ASKING WHY"
"Cause"
"IDIOT. With you down here too, we might get separated from Chopper! Without him, we'll never meet up with Vivi and the others!"
"Oh, that's okay!" smiled Luffy and you arched an eyebrow at him.
"And why's that?" you asked.
"Because Chopper was falling down here too!" On cue, you heard Chopper's scream as he fell behind the cube. "See?"
"Chopper! You're alright?" you called, receiving a faint answer from the reindeer.
"Zoro! Luffy! (y/n)! Where's this place?"
"No idea. But whatever it is, it's definitely underground" spoke Zoro, looking at your surroundings.
You approached the giant cube, grazing your fingers on the carved symbols. It reminded you the language you learned back at the island, but it was such a long time ago.
"Can you understand?" asked Chopper.
"No. But I know those symbols. I have seen them before" you said, looking at another face of the cube.
"My eyes have adjusted" said Zoro. "On closer look, we're inside a giant dome"
"Built by people, no less. These are probably ancient ruins or something" continued Chopper, walking around. "Those symbols. I saw it in a book or something before. These are ancient letters"
"Who cares about that stuff?" yawned Luffy, laying in the sand. "It's so nice and cool in here!"
"If you're right, then what is this place doing underground?" asked Zoro, completely ignoring his captain.
"I don't really know...Was it built underground, or did it get buried after it was built?"
"Maybe the people from before wanted to hide it. Impossible for the cube to be buried under a dome after millions of years" you said, eyes wandering around.
"They sure worked hard..." trailed Zoro, turning to walk away. "In any case, it's none of my business, and it doesn't interest me. What we gotta do now is get the hell outta here. Right, Captain?"
"Really? But it's cool in here" pouted the childish captain.
"Just get up!"
"No! No! Let's stay here a little longer! It's hot outside!" complained Luffy, rolling on his back like a child.
Your eyebrow twitched and you walked toward your captain. You got behind him and swung your leg, without the young man knowing what's happening. You kicked his butt hard, sending him directly face first into the cube.
"GET UP, YOU DAMNED BRAT!" you snarled, a thick mark on your forehead.
"Okay! Time to get outta here! We gotta meet up with the others!" said quickly Luffy, standing up with a large bump over his head. He gazed upward to the hole you made with Zoro. "So, that's Zoro and (y/n) comedic hole?"
"Shut up!" you said in unison with the swordsman.
"Alright! Gomu Gomu no Pistol!!" he cried out, sending his stretched arm toward the hole. The moment it connected with the ceiling, a piece fell down on Luffy with sand.
"The heck are you trying to do?!" you scowled at Luffy.
"Darn it I missed!"
"Just grab onto the boulder above the hole!" suggested Zoro.
"This is getting annoying!" replied Luffy, irritated. He dug himself out of the sand. "GOMU GOMU NO GATLING!"
With multiple punches, he broke the hole wider with his ability, smiling proudly after he finished.
"There you go!"
"ARE YOU CRAZY?! What are you gonna grab on to now you broke that boulder?!" pointed Zoro with a pissed expression.
"It's okay. I got an idea!" said Luffy, walking away. "Chopper. You should probably turn a little...."
"I'm not comfortable with Luffy having an idea" you shuddered, eyeing warily the straw hat boy.
"GOMU GOMU NO...."
Luffy enrolled his arms around a pillar.
"I see now..." stated Zoro, closing his eyes in displeasure. "There's no way to refuse. We have to..."
Chopper and Zoro held unto Luffy's shoulders while you glared at them. You sighed and did the same, cursing under your breath.
"If I die, I'm coming back to hunt him down" you gritted your teeth.
"Here goes!" said Luffy, taking a few steps back. "....SPRING!"
The young man let go and you all twirled rapidly around the pillar, making you almost sick by how fast it was. When you finished turning around, it sent you like a slingshot across the hole in the ceiling, flying back outside.
"YAHOO!"
"HOW ARE WE GOING TO LAND?!" yelled Chopper.
"Heck I know!"
"YOU SON OF A--"
"I TOLD YOU TO GIVE UP"
"NOBODY MENTIONED THIS!" countered Chopper.
You flew across the dunes until Luffy landed in the sand, bouncing on it a few times before the ultimate impact. You found yourself upside-down with your head between your legs as your glare was aimed to your captain, who was laughing loudly.
"I think I did choose the wrong ship to ride on..." groaned Chopper, his head stuck in the sand.
"You definitively made a wrong choice in life... " you replied bitterly.
"We're all on the same wavelength today..." breathed painfully Zoro. "I was just thinking the same thing"
It was almost the evening when you all retook the road. The sun was ready to settle at the horizon, and yet you didn't find the rest of your group. The reindeer was giving you a piggyback ride after straining your ankle from the fall. Suddenly, Chopper stopped and sniffed the air.
"What's going on, Chopper?" you asked, looking over his shoulder.
"The wind has changed direction. I smell something!" he stated.
"What?!" exclaimed Zoro, turning to him.
"No doubt about it! It's Nami's perfume! It's this way!"
"Who would have thought it will come handy...?" you smirked. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"Oy, Luffy!" the swordsman called his captain who was walking in the wrong direction. "We found Nami and the others! In the sunset direction!"
"For reals?!" said Luffy, a big smile inching on his lips. "GUYS!!"
As he ran toward the direction of the sunset, Zoro yelled at him to not get lost again.
"That's supposed to be a warning for you" you said to Zoro, smirking as he glared darkly at you.
"Don't act so cocky because you're injured and I can't do nothing about it!" he snarled.
"Hey, I'm even more taller than you as usual!" you said, your smirk turning wider.
"SHUT UP"
The three of you ran behind Luffy, following him close so he will not get separated again. Finally, you all reached the others' location, finding them after a good minute of run.
"GUYS! WE'RE BACK!" waved Luffy. Nami winked at Vivi who stared at us in awe.
"(y/n)-san! You're with them!" the princess of Alabasta smiled.
"(Y/N)-SWANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN I THOUGHT SOMETHING HAPPENED TO YOU WHEN I COULDN'T FIND YOU!!!!" cried and sulked Sanji, a hand hovering his forehead. "I'M SO SORRY THAT YOU HAD TO SUFFER WITH THOSE MORONS"
"Who are you calling a moron, Ero-cook?!" scowled Zoro.
"Yourself, Marimo bastard!!!"
You shook your head, thinking that it was another one of Realm of Hell of a journey.
A little while later, you could walk back on your feet under the bewilderment of Chopper. You told him that injuries and wounds you took could heal themselves faster than a normal human, stating that it was a 'spiritual' case. However, Chopper told you that if you ever needed a ride, you could always ask him.
"Hey, Luffy. What did you brother give you?" asked Usopp suddenly.
"I dunno. It's just a scrap of paper" the straw hat boy answered, taking out said-paper.
"Lemme see that" said Sanji, taking it from Luffy's hands. "It really is just a scrap of paper. It's not even a note or anything..."
"A-Are you serious?" panted Usopp, sweating like a dog from the heat of the noon.
The piece of paper flew out of Sanji's hand and floated toward the camel who started to munch on it. Luffy punched the back of the animal's head:
"HEY! THAT'S MINE!"
"Give me your hat, Luffy" demanded Nami, extended her hand toward the piece of paper at the same time. "If it's that important, I'll sew it to the underside of your hat ribbon"
When she finished, she gave it right back at Luffy who put it on his head.
"Thanks! Now I don't have to worry!" he chuckled.
"There's nothing written on it. What point is there to keeping it?" asked Zoro.
"Ace told me to keep it, so I'm keeping it!" said Luffy, determined.
"Your confidence isn't based on anything" sweatdropped Sanji.
"So what? It's right a lot!"
"Still..."
"(y/n), carry me" asked Usopp, leaning on your shoulder and you took a step aside so he actually fell on his side.
"Never in this life, boy"
"Come on! You're just mean!"
"Everyone! Yuba is just over those big rocks!" cut Vivi. "Let's make one more push to get there!"
"Yeah! Yuba!!" Luffy took a sprint, the others following behind him.
"Zoro, carry me"
"Don't be a wimp!"
"Ooh! Carry me too, Zorro!"
"Go ask the mummy over there!"
"Watch out pot plant or else the 'mummy' will put a curse on your roots"
"THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE"
"JUST LIKE YOUR SENSE OF DIRECTION"
"She got you on that Zoro"
"USOPP"
"DON'T INSULT (Y/N)'S BEAUTY, MOSS HEAD"
"YOU WANT A FIGHT, EYEBROW?!"
"Haha, everyone's against Zoro"
"Up ahead, I see a light!" pointed Vivi.
"Did we make it to Yuba?! I can't really see with all this sand!" said Luffy, a hand above his eyes.
"What could that sound be?" wondered Vivi. She gasped. "The city doesn't look right!"
With a closer look, you realized that the city of Yuba was targeted by a sandstorm.
"Yuba is being struck by a sandstorm!" exclaimed the princess in shock.
Your group approached the town when the sandstorm stopped and the wind died down, leaving the city covered in sand.
"This c-can't be..." muttered Vivi, staring at Yuba in sorrow and desperation.
"This is bad. It's almost no different from that Erumalu city!" Zoro clicked his tongue.
"Where's the water?!" asked Luffy, his tongue stuck out.
"Wasn't this supposed to be an oasis city, Vivi-chan?"
"The sand has raised the ground! The oasis has been swallowed up!" she said.
Your eyes wandered around the city and fell upon an old man who was digging a hole at the center of the town.
"Are you travelers?" he asked, not stopping his digging. "You must be exhausted from your trek through the desert..Sorry. This city is a bit dried up, but you're free to rest here if you want. There are plenty of inns here. They are this town's pride, after all"
"Umm, we came because we heard the rebel army was in this city..." explained Vivi, her voice coming out muffled by hiding her face from the old man.
"What business do you have with the rebel army?!" the man whipped his head toward the princess. He started to throw at you barrels and rocks at you. "Curse you! Don't tell me you're hoping to join the rebellion?! If you're looking for those fools, they left town long ago"
"THEY WHAT?!" spouted Luffy angrily.
"No!" cried out Vivi.
"A sandstorm hit the town just now, but it certainly wasn't the first" the old man continued to dig. "The sand has dried up after three years of drought, and sandstorms began to frequent this town ever since. Little by little, the oasis of the past was swallowed up, leaving what you see now... "
"Realm of God..." you breathed.
"With the town's flow of supplies gone, not even the rebel army's protracted struggle would have worked out. So the rebel army moved its base to Katorea"
"Katorea?!" repeated Vivi.
"Wait a minute, isn't it an oasis next to Nanohana, Vivi?" you groaned, remembering the map Vivi showed you once.
"Katorea is the town where I got lost and met Lashes!" said Chopper. The camel started to mumble. "Huh? Lashes says he was carrying rebel army goods to Katorea!"
You didn't hold back and swung a fist through the camel's jaw, knocking it out in one punch.
"YOU DAMN CAMEL, WHAT DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?!" you yelled, showing your fist to the dizzy camel.
" 'Whatever', he said..." translated Chopper and you pulled out one of your guns.
"DEMI-GOD REALM: BLACK BULLET!"
The dark cyclone came out of the ground and sent flying the camel a meter away, the animal landing on its head. You crossed your arms over your chest, trying to calm yourself down before you kill this damned mammal.
"Thank you" said in unison Usopp, Luffy, and Sanji.
"It's nothing" you growled.
"Why did we come all this way, then?!" grunted Zoro, growing agitated.
"Vivi?..." the old man approached the blue haired woman slowly.
"Wait, old guy! Vivi isn't the princess!" Luffy shook his hands in front of him, making you facepalm hard.
"DON'T TELL HIM THAT, MORON"
"Vivi-chan? Is it you?" ignored the old man, coming closer to her. He grabbed her shoulders. "You're alive! Thank goodness! It's me! Don't you recognize me?"
Vivi stared at him in confusion, trying to place his face.
"I suppose I can't blame you. I did lose some weight..."
"Toto-ojisan?!" said Vivi, putting a hand over her mouth. On cue, tears started to fall down on his cheeks, nodding his head. "It can't be..."
"Vivi-chan. I have faith in His Majesty! He's not someone who would ever betray the kingdom. Don't you agree?"
The old man fell down on his knees and Vivi squatted before him. The tears fell down on the sand between his fingers, his shoulders shaking.
"This rebellion is ridiculous!" Toto said after a moment. "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 tried to stop them. But they won't listen to anything I say. The rebellion won't stop and their strength is at its limits, too"
"So they will settle things once and for all" you finished.
"Their backs are to the wall...They're prepared to die!" sobbed the old man. "Please, Vivi-chan! Stop those fools!"
Vivi offered him a tissue with a smile.
"Don't worry, Toto-ojisan. We will stop the rebellion" she promised.