"A World to Store"

The Desert Journey

author note:

so i want to add that i don't realy remember this arc clearly so forgive if i change bit of the story 

The crew sailed into the warm winds of Alabasta, and the stark contrast from the open seas to the unforgiving desert was almost comical. Luffy stretched and grinned. "I can't wait to find out what's going on here!"

Yuki, who had been quietly observing, let out a soft laugh. "You're always excited, aren't you? How do you never get tired?"

Luffy's eyes sparkled. "I just do! I'm gonna be Pirate King!"

"Right. Because that makes total sense," Yuki muttered, rolling her eyes.

Ace, walking beside her, grinned. "Don't mind him. You'll get used to it."

As they made their way to the palace, Luffy couldn't stop talking about how he was going to help Princess Vivi. "We've gotta help her! She's in trouble, and her country's in danger. Crocodile's the one causing all the chaos!"

Yuki raised an eyebrow. "A pirate causing a country's problems? That's ridiculous." She turned to Ace. "Why would a pirate want to rule a country? Sounds like he has another agenda."

Ace shrugged. "You're asking the wrong guy. Pirates are weird."

Yuki snorted. "Tell me about it."

Luffy interrupted their conversation with an enthusiastic yell. "Let's go save the princess!"

The crew trekked across the blistering desert under the scorching sun. The heat made the air shimmer, and the dust was unbearable.

"I hate this place already," Yuki muttered, adjusting her cloak to shield herself from the sun.

Luffy, on the other hand, seemed unaffected by the harsh desert conditions. He was happily devouring a big bag of meat. "This is awesome! I love the desert! It's so warm!"

Yuki shot him an incredulous look. "Of course you do."

Ace, trying to keep up with Luffy's weird energy, grinned. "I'm starting to think you're just happy because there's food everywhere."

After a few hours of walking, Luffy suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Water! I need water!"

Chopper pulled out a water flask and handed it to Luffy, but Luffy, in his usual clumsy way, knocked it out of his hand and sent it rolling across the sand.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled, exasperated. "You're a mess!"

"I didn't mean to!" Luffy whined as he chased after the flask.

While the crew was busy chasing after the water, Yuki sighed. "I can't believe this is what I've signed up for." She turned to Ace. "At least you don't get distracted like him."

Ace laughed. "You clearly don't know me well enough. I get distracted way too easily."

As they all gathered the water, an eerie feeling hung in the air. Yuki was the first to notice it. "Do you hear that?"

Before anyone could respond, a massive scorpion appeared in their path.

"Whoa, look at that thing!" Luffy shouted, pointing at it excitedly. "It's huge!"

Yuki stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "Don't touch it."

Luffy immediately reached out to grab it. "I'm gonna catch it!"

"No! Luffy, no!" Yuki shouted, but it was too late. The scorpion swiped at Luffy, knocking him back with a force that sent him flying.

"Ow!" Luffy groaned, rubbing his head.

"See? I told you," Yuki said, crossing her arms. "Don't mess with it."

The crew laughed as they watched Luffy act like nothing happened. "Are you seriously okay, Luffy?" Nami asked, looking concerned.

"I'm fine!" Luffy said, grinning. "I'm tougher than I look!"

Yuki rolled her eyes. "Tough or just lucky."

As they continued their journey, they met some shady characters. One of them was a so-called pirate hunter who claimed to have captured Blackbeard.

"Liar," Yuki muttered under her breath.

The crew listened intently as the pirate hunter tried to impress them. "I've captured the infamous Blackbeard! He's the one who's been causing trouble in the Grand Line!"

Ace raised an eyebrow. "Blackbeard? Huh, never heard of him."

"I'm telling you, I captured him!" the pirate hunter insisted.

"That's odd," Ace said, giving the pirate hunter an unimpressed look, "because Blackbeard hasn't been caught by anyone."

The crew exchanged knowing glances, realizing the pirate hunter was just after attention. Yuki leaned in and whispered to Ace, "What's with these idiots?"

Ace grinned. "Who knows. Pirates like to exaggerate."

They kept walking until they finally came across some members of the Revolutionary Army. Yuki, eyeing them warily, muttered, "Revolutionary Army, huh?"

Ace turned to her. "Yeah, they're a pretty big deal. Don't get on their bad side."

Yuki nodded, still unsure. "I wonder if they're just as stupid as everyone else we've met."

Finally, they arrived in Alabasta's capital, where they met up with Vivi and learned more about the rebellion in the kingdom. Vivi explained that Crocodile had been plotting to overthrow the government and was using his position in Baroque Works to manipulate everything.

Yuki, once again unimpressed, crossed her arms. "Crocodile's trying to rule a country. What's his deal? This is absurd."

Luffy grinned and nodded. "That's what I've been saying!"

Vivi looked serious as she explained the situation further. "Crocodile has been causing chaos to push the country into civil war. He's manipulating both sides for his own gain."

Yuki frowned, considering it for a moment. "Sounds like Crocodile has more than just ruling a country in mind. But, whatever. Let's take him down."

Luffy gave her a thumbs-up. "I like you! You're just as crazy as I am!"