The Blind Brawler [ Roronoa Zoro X OC]

Chapter 37

The sun had fully set as we made our way over the final stretch of our three-and-a-half-day journey. A full moon began to rise behind us and the stars started to gleam brightly in the cloudless sky. After the harsh heat of the day, the cool evening air was refreshing. However, the temperature continued to plummet and the winds grew stronger with an icy chill.

I looked at my crewmates to see how they were holding up. Chopper seemed to have recovered most of his strength now that the sun was not blazing down on his furry body. Usopp was hobbling along, leaning heavily on a walking stick. Luffy, Ace, and Sanji were all walking at a quicker pace, no doubt spurred on by Vivi's declaration that we were close.

The princess was so antsy that she had given up her seat on Eyelash to walk alongside us. Nami and Kaori were riding the camel, talking in hushed tones to each other. Both women had stern looks on their faces, but I did not care much about what they could be talking about.

Vivi suddenly let out an elated cry and pointed forward, "Look up ahead! I see a light!" I followed her outstretched hand and indeed saw a twinkling yellow light just up ahead. There was something odd about how it sputtered, however. My brow furrowed as my nerves went on edge.

"Does that mean we reached Yuba?" Luffy asked, hopeful but tired, "I can't see with all this sand blowing everywhere."

The princess's voice mirrored my concern, "Something here doesn't feel right," She fell silent for a moment as she studied the silhouette of the oasis town. Her voice grew stern, "There's something wrong down there, I can tell!"

Without warning, she started jogging forward, passing over the next dune in a rush. I looked at the others and nodded as we silently followed the blue-haired woman's lead.

She stopped after a moment, surveying the scene before her. Her voice was urgent and concerned, "Oh no!"

I reached the crest of the dune next to her and looked toward the town. My stomach clenched at the sight of the furious winds ripping through the darkened buildings. Dried palm trees were bending and whipping around. The air was so choked with sand that I could hardly see the streets.

"The entire city is being stuck by a sandstorm," Vivi whispered with a horrified voice. She looked ready to bolt towards the town, panic in her eyes.

Sanji must have seen it too. He quickly came up next to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, holding her steady, "Easy, Vivi. Running into that mess won't help anyone. We'll wait a moment until it passes."

The desert princess looked up at him with pleading eyes, "But what if someone wasn't able to find shelter?! I should-"

"You should what?" Kaori interrupted her with a firm voice. The blind woman slid off the camel and walked over to the panicking girl, "Run in there and get lost or hurt in the middle of a storm? Use your head."

The princess bit her lip as she looked from the blind woman to the cook. She did not argue and bowed her head as we waited for the storm to pass. I looked to the town and watched as the winds were already seeming to die down. Nami confirmed my observation with a hum, "By the looks of those winds, we got here near the end of the storm. It shouldn't be very long now."

Vivi did not answer the navigator as we waited in solemn silence. Nami's prediction rang true and the storm passed the town and continued towards our right. As a group, we all quickly made our way up to the edge of the town. I did not see any other lights in the windows as we grew closer and the uneasy feeling in my gut only grew worse.

The buildings were half-buried in sand, and it did not look like the work of the single storm we had just witnessed. The palm trees were bent and wilted. The streets were sandy ditches between rows of empty buildings. It looked abandoned.