The Sandora River cut a pale ribbon through the desert, sluggish and silent, as if even the water had grown tired of fighting the land.
The Going Merry drifted along its surface, sails loose, hull scraping softly against the river's shallows. The desert sun hung overhead like an unblinking eye.
Luffy sat on the upper rear deck, one leg hooked over the railing, straw hat tilted back just enough to keep the glare out of his eyes. Beside him, Ace leaned casually against the mast, arms folded, eyes scanning the horizon. Zoro sat cross-legged nearby, half-asleep but unmistakably alert.
Below, the ship lived.
Johnny and Yosaku argued loudly from the crow's nest about whether something in the distance was a mirage or just Usopp lying again. Usopp himself laughed from the main deck, mug in hand, while Chopper clung to Karoo's neck as the duck waddled proudly in circles. Nojiko kept a steady grip on the helm. Nami and Vivi knelt near a spread-out map, their heads bent close together, voices low but focused.
Luffy watched them for a moment.
Then he stood.
"So," he said, walking toward Vivi, "why are we stopping at Eremalu?"
Vivi looked up, surprised, then pointed to the map. "We're still on the Sandora River. We'll dock at Eremalu, then continue to Yuba on foot."
Luffy nodded once.
Ace tilted his head. "Yuba?"
Vivi blinked. "You know it?"
"That's where Teach was last sighted," Ace said calmly.
Luffy smiled faintly. "Figures."
Ace grinned. "Mind if I tag along?"
Luffy snorted. "You're already here."
Vivi hesitated, then spoke with quiet resolve. "Yuba is the rebel army's base. If I can talk to their leader… if I can tell them the truth about Crocodile… I believe we can stop the war."
Her voice held hope.
Luffy studied her.
"We'll end it," he said simply.
The ship continued upriver.
---
The Messenger
An hour later, Vivi approached Nami again, papers clutched tightly to her chest.
"Nami… can we stop the ship?"
Nami frowned. "Why?"
Vivi turned toward Karoo, who puffed his chest proudly. "I have a mission for him."
Moments later, the Going Merry docked at the riverbank.
Vivi knelt, fastening the documents into Karoo's pouch. "This contains everything Igaram and I uncovered about Crocodile and Baroque Works. Take it to Alubarna Palace. To my father."
She placed both hands on Karoo's head. "Be careful. Conserve water."
Karoo saluted.
Then ran.
Luffy watched him disappear into the sand. "…Good choice."
---
Eremalu — The City That Was
Two hours later, the ship docked again.
The girls emerged from below deck wrapped in desert robes, faces shaded, skin protected. Sanji visibly wilted.
"My heart—"
Luffy chuckled.
Nojiko handed folded robes to Luffy and Ace. "Put these on. You'll burn."
Ace changed immediately.
Luffy disappeared into his quarters.
Inside, thunder hummed softly as his cloud followed him. He secured the Devil Fruit chest into the cloud itself, then his captain's coat. When he stepped back out, he wore desert robes layered over black, lightning necklace visible, eyes sharp.
Eremalu greeted them like a corpse.
Collapsed homes. Dead trees. Sand swallowing stone.
"This was the City of Green," Vivi said quietly. "Dance Powder… drought… Baroque Works."
No one spoke.
They walked through it in silence.
---
Punishment
The desert stretched on.
Minutes became hours.
Chopper collapsed first.
Luffy lifted him without comment and carried him on his shoulders.
"Can't you just fly us?" Usopp pleaded.
"No."
Groans.
"This is punishment," Luffy said.
"For Little Garden."
Silence followed.
Ace smiled to himself.
---
Nightfall
They camped among rocks.
Stars flooded the sky.
Chopper stared upward in awe. "I've never seen this many stars."
Ace stretched. "Devil Fruit."
Luffy nodded. "Devil Fruit."
Chopper grinned. "Fluffy fur."
Later, while the camp slept, Luffy made a call.
"Find the Dance Powder," he told Gem. "Steal it."
---
Yuba
They arrived.
Or rather—
What remained.
Sand. Ruin. Silence.
"This isn't an oasis," Sanji muttered.
An old man dug alone.
"Toto," Vivi whispered.
The truth spilled out.
The rebels were gone.
To Katorea.
Back the way they came.
Luffy stared at the night sky.
I won't make them walk again.
---
The Argument
The next morning, Luffy stopped beneath a dead tree.
"I quit."
Shock.
Anger.
Vivi shouted.
Luffy let her hit him.
Then spoke.
"You have our lives to put on the line."
Silence.
Decision.
"Where's Crocodile?"
"Rainbase."