Cursed Seas and Slashing Tides

Clash in the Desert: The Path to Rainbase

The Straw Hats stood in a dimly lit bedroom, preparing for the night.

"Let's sleep and build our strength for tomorrow! Good night!" Usopp announced energetically, only to be met with a pillow thrown squarely at his face by Zoro.

"You’ve been sleeping all day." Zoro grumbled, eyes narrowed.

"That's not fair! I'm only human! Not a monster like you!" Usopp shot back, throwing the pillow back.

"Besides, you get the prize for fainting, blue nose!" Usopp chucked the pillow at Chopper, who caught it clumsily.

"I'm adapted to the cold!" Chopper protested.

"Who are you trying to fool!?" Usopp’s next wild throw struck Sanji by mistake.

"Who threw that pillow! You've got a lot of nerve!" Sanji growled, his temper rising as he glared around.

"Don't you guys know the meaning of rest!?" Nami shouted from the corner, eyes blazing. Vivi, watching the scene unfold, couldn't help but chuckle at their antics.
…

Outside, the cold desert air surrounded Ryomen and Luffy as they watched the old man shovel tirelessly.

"So…why are you doing this?" Ryomen asked, confusion clear in his voice as he gazed at the aged figure.

"The king entrusted this place to me. I have to keep the oasis aliveYuba won't lose to the sand." The old man replied, his voice heavy with determination.

"That so? Well, I'll join in! Let's dig!" Luffy declared enthusiastically, using his hands to start digging in the sand like a child playing at the beach.

"Uh…you could just use a shovel…" Ryomen muttered, shaking his head with a small smile. Despite his comment, he grabbed a shovel and joined in.

The two dug until a deep, wide hole stretched out before them. After hours of effort, they collapsed into the hole, passing out from exhaustion. Above them, Toto gazed down with a grateful smile.
…

The next day, the crew bid farewell to Toto and set off once more. Not long after, they realized something was wrong.

"Luffy’s not here!" Vivi pointed back toward a dying tree where Luffy stood, leaning against it in the desert wind.

"What's wrong, Luffy?" Vivi asked, concern lining her face.

"I quit." Luffy simply said, his expression blank.

"Huh!?" The crew blinked in shock, exchanging puzzled looks.

"You…quit?" Nami repeated, trying to understand.

"Luffy, we don't have time for your whims!" Sanji barked, clearly annoyed.

"You’re going back, right?" Luffy asked, ignoring Sanji as he looked directly at Vivi.

"Of course! We need to stop the rebels before it's too late!" Vivi replied, her voice rising in urgency.

"It’s boring." Luffy replied bluntly, his usual carefree tone laced with seriousness. He then turned his gaze to Vivi. "Vivi…I wanna defeat Crocodile."

The crew stared at him, surprised.

"Stopping the rebels won’t stop Crocodile." Luffy explained. "If we’re gonna do this, we should go after the real enemy. We’re pirates—let’s fight him head-on instead of wasting time at Katorea."

“Sometimes, he actually makes a lot of sense.” Sanji remarked, causing Zoro to snicker.

"Where does his intelligence suddenly appear from?" Ryomen muttered, before stepping forward to support Luffy's point. "He's right, Vivi. Taking down Crocodile will expose the truth, stop the rebels, and save more lives in the long run."