As the group traveled up and down the dunes of the desert, Luffy groaned and whined, his pace slow as his exhaust and dehydration got to him.
"Burning up...Can't even sweat..." He groaned out once more.
"Quit moaning, Luffy. You're only wasting energy." Nami told him while fanning herself, but the rubber man just groaned again, completely ignoring her.
"I can't take this heat either..." Chopper laid still on the small makeshift sled that Zoro dragged along.
"It's cause of all that fur. Why don't you take off that animal suit?" Usopp panted out, envious of the reindeer for not having to walk.
"What was that, you jerk?!" Chopper growled out and turned into his heavy point form, scaring Usopp.
"Ah! Monster!" The sniper cried out.
"Oi, don't turn big or I won't pull ya!" Zoro protested, having a hard time pulling the sled.
"You seem quite fine, Vivi-chan..." Sanji stated, seeing Vivi walk normally through the hot desert.
"Well, this is my home island. I suppose I've gotten quite used to it from living here." Vivi smiled.
"It's too much...It's too hot." Luffy complained.
"Just one drink, Luffy. Only one mouthful!" Nami told him, the rubber man instantly filling his mouth with water. "Don't drink so much!" Nami and Usopp punched his head, making the man spit up the water.
"Hey, you just had some, I'm next!" Sanji tried to grab the water, but Luffy held it away from him. Soon enough, Luffy, Sanji, Usopp, and Nami started fighting.
"Don't fight! You'll just waste your energy!" Vivi sighed as she watched them roll around in the sand.
"Just watching them is making me exhausted..." Y/n groaned, wiping her forehead clean of sweat. "I think I lost 5 pounds just from sweating." Vivi giggled slightly.
"Will you be okay, y/n-san?" The princess asked, slightly concerned for the goddess.
"Yeah, it looks like the sun will be setting soon, so we'll be taking a break then, right?" Y/n asked, looking up at the dimming sky.
"Of course. It's quite dangerous to travel through the desert at night. We'll be resting through the dark hours." Vivi responded, y/n nodding in understanding.
The sun had set not long after, disappearing behind the sand dunes. The crew set up a fire and tents for the night, their tired muscles relaxing. The desert had cooled down immensely, the once sweaty and exhausted crew now shivering from the cold.
"It was so hot during the day. What happened?" Nami asked Vivi as she huddled next to the fire, trying to warm herself up.
"With nothing to block out the temperature, the desert scorches in daylight but falls below freezing at night." Vivi explained. Y/n ignored the others, smiling contently as she admired the stars with Chopper, the reindeer in her lap.
"Wow, look at all those stars..." He sighed in awe, y/n only nodding in agreement.
"D-Didn't you see stars on Drum Island?" Usopp asked with a slight stutter as his teeth chattered.
"Winter island skies are always covered with thick snow clouds, so I've never seen so many stars at once!" Y/n cuddled Chopper closer to her body. She pointed up to one of the constellations.
"That's the Belt of Orion." She told him. "Legends say that he was a giant and a hunter that was turned into a constellation upon his death." Chopper let out a noise of awe.
"Do you know a lot about the stars, y/n-san?" Vivi questioned the goddess with a smile.
"Of course. They're like my brethren and my home." Y/n smiled back. "I hope that the night sky can be my grave and I can live among the stars in the afterlife, if I were to ever die and not rebirth..." Y/n's smile faltered. "Just like me, these stars have lived through so much, they've seen so many things as history passed...Sometimes, you can only wish to sink into the darkness for a while."
"Y/n-san..." Vivi trailed off. Y/n took a glance at the crew, noticing their concerned expressions. She turned her expression stoic, scoffing slightly.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm over 1000 years old, I can handle myself..." She huffed. The others sweatdropped at her sudden change of attitude, putting their focus back on whatever they were doing before, Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro stealing Chopper away from her for his warmth.
"So, 1000 years old?" Ace came and plopped himself down next to y/n.
"Yeah." Y/n answered simply. They sat there for a while in silence, Ace watching his brother and the others fighting over the food, y/n going back to gazing at the night sky. "Y'know, I was surprised." Y/n said suddenly, capturing Ace's attention.
"Hm?" He raised a brow. Y/n didn't stop looking at the sky as she continued.
"Luffy. At first, he really doesn't seem like such a reliable guy, nor does he seem like the kind of person you'd respect..." Y/n finally pulled her eyes away from the stars, turning her gaze towards Ace. "But when it comes down to it, he's strong and has good morals. It may not seem like it all the time, but his crew appreciates and respects him." Ace chuckled shortly and nodded, looking back at his now snoozing brother.
"Yeah, that's how he's always been. He's always been able to attract people towards him..." Ace trailed off as y/n scooted closer to him, leaning slightly against him. He began to smirk, but it instantly dropped as he caught y/n's glare.
"Don't get any wild ideas. They stole Chopper from me and I'm cold now. You're like a walking heater, so shut up and let me sleep." Y/n hugged herself, closing her eyes. Ace watched as her breathing slowed, her consciousness fading. He smiled slightly before drifting off to sleep himself.
-
"Hey! I found a shrimp!" Y/n groaned as she awoke from her slumber to the sound of Luffy's energetic voice. She then heard a startled gasp from Vivi.
"Stop, Luffy-san! Throw that away! That's a scorpion! They're small but extremely poisonous!" Luffy frowned.
"Oh, so it's not edible?" He pouted. He then smiled, walking over to y/n's form. She opened her eyes slightly, only to see a scorpion right next to her face. She shot up from her laying position, about to yell at Luffy, but all time stopped as her lips crashed into the rubber man's.
They both sat there for a while, silently staring into each others wide-open eyes, before y/n pushed Luffy away harshly, sending him flying.
"You bastard!" She yelled, wiping her lips furiously. The others snickered at the sight, Luffy sitting up slowly with a confused expression on. Before he could say anything, Chopper hopped on top of a rock, staying silent as his ears flicked and twitched, catching distant sounds.
"Something's coming!" He informed the group. Vivi squinted her eyes, looking into the horizon. She then gasped, turning towards the group.
"Everyone! Hide behind the rocks! It's a sandstorm!" She shouted, running behind one of the nearby rocks, the others following her lead. "I forgot to mention it, but sandstorms are one of the desert's dangers!" Vivi exclaimed over the raging winds as it hit them.
"Mention these things sooner!" Usopp cried out. Slowly, the storm passed, leaving the crew scattered around the area. The first to come to was Ace, who quickly got up from the ground, running over to y/n who was half buried beneath the sand, helping her up before going over to Vivi to do the same for her.
"What the hell was that?" Zoro groaned as he sat up from the sand.
"Can't people get some rest?" Sanji groaned, helping Nami up. Everyone got up, unburying themselves from the sand.
"It seems we've been out for a while..." They all looked up to see that the sun was a lot higher than before.
"We should get moving." Vivi stated, looking around to see if everyone was ready to go on with their journey. As they all started walking again, Luffy couldn't help but start whining again.
"Sanji, I'm hungry! Let's have lunch!" He begged, trying to get the chef to give him his food.
"Not yet, not until Vivi-chan says so!" Sanji grunted, pushing Luffy away from him.
"Come on, Vivi! Let's eat! I'm out of strength." Luffy went over to Vivi, giving her an innocent smile.
"But we're only one tenth of the way to Yuba, Luffy-san." Vivi told him, making his smile falter.
"Vivi, haven't you ever heard the proverb, 'if you're hungry, eat'?"
"Quit makin' stuff up!" Usopp panted, obviously having a hard time walking in the heat.
"Alright. How about we take a break at the next rocks we find?" Vivi offered.
"Alright! Rocks! Guys! Let's hurry to the next rocks! Whoever wins jonkenpo has to carry everyone's stuff!" Luffy shouted out.
"Quit deciding things!" Usopp spat.
"Shouldn't the loser carry the stuff?" Sanji raised his brow.
"Jon-ken-po!" They all threw out either rock, paper, or scissors, Luffy throwing a slow hand, allowing himself to win. "I won!" He cheered, but no one complained, as he was the one who had to carry all of the stuff now. "Heavy...So hot...And so heavy..." Luffy groaned, walking slowly with the large amount of cargo he was hauling behind him.
"Just shut up and haul." Y/n walked next to him slowly, not wanting him to fall behind or get lost, being the one with all of their necessities.
"Rocks spotted a short ways ahead!" Usopp shouted out, using his goggles to see further up ahead.
"For reals?!" Luffy's once tired and panting form was now full of energy. "Break time! Food!" Luffy sprinted forward, leaving y/n and the others behind in the dust he kicked up.
"Whoa! He's fast!" Usopp watched in shock as Luffy's form quickly disappeared. The group continued on, approaching the rocks at a slower pace than Luffy. Suddenly, the rubber man came running back, shouting for help.
"Bad news!" He shouted out. "There's a lot of hurt birds that can't move! Chopper!" The reindeer got off of the sleigh, getting up so he could go help heal the birds.
"Birds?!" Vivi thought. "Wait, Luffy-san! Don't tell me these birds-!" Vivi gasped, running forward, the rest of the group following suit.
"All of our stuff is gone!" Zoro exclaimed, the group witnessing the empty cargo sleigh that Luffy was once dragging, along with white feathers scattered around the scene.
"It's the truth! There really were dying birds here!" Luffy yelled out.
"I'm sorry! I should've mentioned it earlier. The birds that you saw were Warusagi birds, known as the 'desert bandits'. They trick travelers and steal their belongings..." The princess informed.
"They tricked me?!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Is that all you have to say for yourself, Luffy?!" Sanji grabbed the rubber man by his collar. "There were three days worth of provisions in there! How're we supposed to cross the desert without food or water now?!"
"It wasn't my fault! They tricked me!" Luffy said simply.
"Is your brain less than a bird's?!" Sanji spat, Luffy instantly retorting. The two started to fight, Zoro trying to stop them, only to sigh and give up as Ace told him to let the chef and captain fight it out.
"Let's just take a break. It's the heat that's got us all riled up." Zoro sighed once more, sitting down on one of the shaded rocks. Sanji and Luffy then stopped fighting as they all heard quiet chuckling coming from the other side of the shaded area. Looking towards the sound, the group spotted the Warusagi birds, drinking and eating their provisions with a smirk on their faces.
"Give us back our stuff!" Luffy began to chase the birds, the rest of the group protesting.
"That idiot!" Y/n groaned, not bothering to chase after him, sliding down the side of a rock in exhaustion. Everyone mimicked her, sitting down and fanning themselves, trying to relax.
"What's taking him so long?" Usopp asked after a few minutes passed by.
"He's really a lost cause." Zoro stood up.
"You can say that again." Sanji also stood up, walking with Zoro to go and find Luffy. They stopped as Ace spoke up.
"Sorry. For my little brother's ineptness. I apologize for the trouble." Sanji and Zoro smiled at the older brother, advancing once more, only to stop short again as the ground began to rumble. Everyone started to stand up, looking in the distance to try and figure out what was causing the rumbling. Luffy's yells could be heard from afar, large clouds of sand being kicked up behind him as something chased him.
"It couldn't be..." Vivi muttered.
"Why is he on a camel?" Nami inquired, seeing that Luffy was holding onto a camel that looked to be scared to death.
"What's that chasing him?" They all squinted, trying to see through the thick cloud of dust. Suddenly, a large creature emerged from the sand, it's figure resembling a large lizard.
"It's huge!" Chopper and Usopp shouted out, their jaws dropping.
"A sandora dragon!" Vivi exclaimed. "They're the largest of reptiles in the desert, and they wait for their prey under the sand! They have large, sharp teeth and claws, but they hardly ever use them as they swallow their prey whole!" She explained.
"He really is like a magnet for trouble." Y/n huffed, crossing her arms. Zoro and Sanji ran forward. Once they got close enough, they and Luffy went to attack the sandora dragon, defeating it with ease.
"When the monster trio is fighting together, you almost pity the enemy..." Nami said, Usopp nodding in agreement. The huge beast collapsed, the desert falling quiet once more, until another one emerged behind them.
"More?!" Nami shrieked.
"I forgot to mention it, but the sandora dragons hunt in pairs!" Vivi quickly informed them.
"Mention these things!" Usopp and Nami deadpanned.
"You wanna do it? Or shall I?" Ace turned to y/n. The goddess just sat back down, waving him off.
"Go ahead." She said simply, Ace smirking and jumping up. The sandora dragon snapped it's jaw shut, trapping Ace in it's mouth. After a short moment, it's body erupted in flames, y/n sighing in annoyance as it got extremely hot. Ace emerged from the sandora dragon's fallen, burnt body, ignoring the shocked looks coming from Nami, Vivi, Chopper, and Usopp. Zoro came back over, slicing up both of the sandora dragons, Sanji skewering chunks of it's meat before setting it down on some of the rocks exposed to the sunlight.
"Check it out, these rocks are natural frying pans!" He and Chopper watched the meat cook while everyone else simply waited for it to be ready.
"So, what's with the camel?" Zoro asked Luffy, staring at the animal before him.
"I dunno." Luffy said around a chunk of meat that was already cooked. "It was getting eaten by a mystery plant while I was chasing the birds..." He trailed off, taking another bite of meat.
"It doesn't look like a wild camel..." Nami said, referring to the saddle on it's back. Chopper ran up to the camel, looking at it with curiosity. Both animals looked at each other in recognition.
"I knew it!" Chopper exclaimed. The camel huffed, speaking to Chopper in it's own language. "Oh? Is that so? Good for you!"
"You two know each other?" Luffy walked up to Chopper and the camel.
"Yeah! He gave me a ride when I escaped from Katorea!" The reindeer told them.
"That's great! We can ride it?! That'll make things easier!" Usopp cheered.
"Camels do go hand-in-hand with deserts." Zoro added.
"Then I'll be first!" Luffy tried to get on the camel, only to receive a bite from the animal. "What was that for?!" Luffy whined, holding his head where the camel bit. The animal began to grumble, Chopper translating what he was saying to the group.
"I am a freedom-loving, hard-boiled, compassionate camel! Thanks for helping me out of that pinch. I can give you a lift, but no men allowed!" Chopper finished, Usopp, Sanji, and Luffy beginning to kick and punch the camel.
"This guy's a punk!"
"Yeah! You let Chopper ride you!"
"Quit being stupid!"
"Why you-!"
"I'm so sorry!" Nami walked up to the camel, it's eyes turning into hearts as she stroked it's chin. "My crew mates are so ill-bred! You're a good boy! What should we call you?"
"Idiot!" Luffy suggested.
"Moron!" Sanji added.
"Doofus!" Usopp nodded.
"Lashes it is then!" Nami said after climbing onto the camel.
"That's the weirdest one of all..." Zoro sweatdropped.
"Okay! Get on, Vivi!" Nami had the camel walk up to the princess.
"What about y/n-san?" Vivi turned to the goddess.
"No thanks." She liked cute animals, but not perverted camels. Vivi smiled at her before getting onto the camel behind Nami.
"This should help us reach Yuba at a quicker speed. We need to stop the rebel army as quickly as possible." Nami put on her hood, the rest mimicking her action. "Giddyup Lashes!" The camel huffed and started forward, leaving everyone else behind.
"Hold on!" They all yelled after her.
-
"Shit, this is bad." Ace muttered, carrying y/n on his back. She had tried to toughen it out, but her body couldn't keep up with her determination, and she passed out from dehydration. "Do you guys see Nami?" He asked, only to receive no answer. Looking up, he saw that Luffy and the others were no were to be found. "What?!"
Y/n groaned, but didn't regain consciousness. Ace looked at her over his shoulder with a concerned expression. He continued walking, hoping to find a village soon. As he took a step forward, a large scorpion-like creature emerged from the sand.
"Another desert beast?" Ace sighed, gently putting y/n down so he could blast the beast with fire without burning her. The oversized scorpion fell to the ground, it's outer shell sizzling. Ace wiped his brow before moving to pick y/n back up. Once she was comfortably on his back, he started on his trek again, only to be stopped by a lizard in his way.
They both stared at each other blankly, the lizard's eyes bulging and cockeyed. Ace took a step to the left, the lizard taking a step to the right to block his way. Ace stepped to the right, but the lizard took a step to the left, still blocking his way. The male's eye twitched.
"You wanna get in my way too?" He growled out lowly. "I have someone who's in critical condition and I'm not going to play nice if you're going to stop me from keeping her alive..." The lizard caught sight of the very burnt and very dead scorpion not to far off behind Ace. It's eyes began to spill tears from fear. It quickly turned around to run away, but Ace got an idea. He jumped onto it's back, allowing it to carry him swiftly through the desert. "Wow, this thing's fast!" He held onto the lizard's shoulder with one hand, supporting y/n's weight with his other hand. "Luffy! Where are you?!" He shouted out, receiving no answer.
The lizard kept running through the desert, only sand could be seen around them. After a while of running around aimlessly, a village could be seen in the distance.
"Yes!" Ace smiled. It wasn't Luffy's or Nami's group, but at least he'd be able to get some food and water, especially water for y/n. As the lizard entered the small town, it slowed down it's pace. Walking into a building, it came to a stop, Ace hopped off. "Stay here." He smirked as the lizard began to silently cry in fear again, not daring to disobey. Ace walked further into the building with y/n on his back. "Jackpot." He smiled and snuck into the room with a large amount of food in it, without anyone noticing.
"Hey, y/n." He laid y/n down on the floor next to the table, setting her head on one of the pillows that were scattered around. "Y/n, wake up." He shook her slightly, making her groan and open her eyes.
"Fuck...." She drawled out, holding her head. Ace picked up a small canteen, taking a whiff of it's contents. After concluding that it was water, he scooted closer to y/n.
"Here, drink this." He sat her up slowly, bringing the canteen full of water to her lips. She downed the liquid, drinking hastily as her thirst overwhelmed her. Some water ended up escaping out of the corner of her lips, but she kept on drinking, taking the container from Ace. After it was emptied of it's contents, y/n exhaled deeply, wiping her mouth and chin clean of water. "Better?" Ace asked, not a hint of teasing in his tone, only pure concern. It kind of annoyed y/n.
"I'm fine." She muttered, putting the canteen down. She then sighed, realizing that this man just saved her. "Thanks..." She offered him a small smile.
"No problem!" Ace smiled back, turning towards the table full of food.
"Looks like it's a feast, huh?" He snickered.
"Who the hell are you?" Ace nor y/n bothered to pay much attention to the four men behind them, just focused on eating.
"While walking through the village, I heard that you guys were part of the rebel army. I thought that maybe you'd help me and my friend, but it turns out, you're all just a bunch of cowards, eh?" Ace said around the food in his mouth.
"Mind your own business!"
"When did you get in here anyway?!"
"Food thief!" Ace narrowed his eyes before standing up, moving over to give the three men a beating, leaving who he assumed was the leader to stand alone in shock. Ace downed more food, placing some meat and vegetables on y/n's empty plate.
"Eat." He said simply before downing more food. "This place has good food..."
"Just like your brother." Y/n watched in amusement, and slight disgust, at the sight of Ace swallowing bowl after bowl of food. She took small bites of the food on her plate, humming. This food really was good.
"I'm sorry!" The leader bowed down. "I now realize how strong you really are! As you can see, we're no match at all against sand pirates! Please lend us your help!" The man pleaded.
"Hmm...I'm not against the idea. I'll do it, but on one condition." Ace held up a finger.
"Yes, yes! Anything!" The leader smiled up at Ace hopefully.
"Give us provisions." Y/n cut in, already knowing that was what Ace was going to ask.
"Of course!" The man then scrambled to get together a large amount of food along with a large barrel of water.
"Alright then, we'll be on our way now." Ace sighed, thanking them for the meal and provisions.
"Make sure to beat up those sand pirates!" The man clasped his hands together, praying to god that Ace and y/n wouldn't just walk off without carrying out their promise. Ace had y/n climb onto his back, y/n doing so reluctantly, before hoping onto the lizard that was still waiting outside for them, the sled carrying provisions tied tightly to it's torso.
"Leave it to us! Let's go!" Ace told the lizard, the creature immediately following his orders, not wanting to end up like that scorpion Ace killed back in the open desert.
"When'd you get a pet lizard?" Y/n asked him, Ace only now noticing how close her face was to his, her breath fanning his ear as she talked.
"It's a good thing I found him." Ace smiled. "Or you probably would've been dead." He chuckled.
"I'm surprised I'm not dead simply because I was stuck alone with you to help me." She sneered, not wanting to admit that she was really thankful for his help.
"Hey look! It's Luffy and the others! Hey!" Ace called out to the group, catching their attention.
"Ace! Y/n!" Luffy smiled and ran up to his brother and y/n.
"Ah, so you're the sand pirates they were talking about." Ace got off of the lizard, lettting y/n back on the ground.
"Huh? What'dya mean? We just left the sand pirates."
"Oh, really? Well, whatever." Ace shrugged. "Anyway, look! Me and y/n got a lot of food and water!"
"Ah! Much appreciated! Y/n-swan~! You're truly amazing!" Sanji cooed.
"Wow. Big brother is so much more reliable than a certain little brother we know." Nami said while getting off of Lashes.
"You can say that again." Usopp sighed. Everyone from the group gathered around to get some water.
"Um, Ace-san, y/n-san?" Vivi called out their names, also getting off of Lashes. "I'm assuming you didn't have all the money for this. Please don't tell me you stole it from the village..." Vivi approached them.
"Nothing of the sort! The rebel army gave it to us!" Ace told her.
"The rebel army?!" Vivi gasped.
"More like clearly-fake, cowardly rebel army soldiers." Y/n crossed her arms.
"Fake?" Vivi questioned.
"They call themselves rebel soldiers and were hired to protect the village in exchange for food and drinks." Ace explained.
"If they're fake and cowardly, then wouldn't they be found out as soon as someone attacks the village?" Nami asked.
"Apparently the mere mention of the rebel army has bandits fleeing with piss soaked pants." Y/n told her. Vivi looked down, her hood casting shadows over her eyes.
"Rebel soldiers are not cowards, nor is that title meant for decoration..." She clenched her fists.
"Vivi-chan, should we teach them a lesson?" Sanji asked, but Vivi didn't respond for a while.
"Now that the kingdom can't keep watch over every little place, there's nothing wrong with villages upholding public safety on their own in whatever way possible..." Vivi looked up at the crew. "No. I want to test them first."
"Test?" Nami questioned.
"If these imposter rebel soldiers truly wish to protect the villagers, I don't think it matters much what they call themselves." Vivi said.
"So you want to test what's in their hearts, huh?" Y/n smiled softly, uncrossing her arms.
"Yes. So I hate to ask, but there's something I'd like you all to do." Vivi looked at the crew.
"No sweat, Vivi-chan." Sanji told her. Luffy smiled widely, throwing his hands up into the air.
"Alright! Things are about to get interesting!"