The Ultimate Mission

Chapt. 75

   ***Author's Note: I do not own One Piece, Oda does, I do own the characters I made up in this story (ex: Ivy, Cecily (Shadow), and any other made up characters throughout this story that I might create). Also, please do not copy this story and claim it as your own***

     Chapt. 75: The Desert Bandits, The Oasis, and The Return of Two

   "Despite how Luffy may act," Nami assured, walking over to Barbarossa, leaning against the ship's railing, standing next to him, and smiling up at him, "You can always count on him when you need him."

"I don't doubt that," Barbarossa agreed, never taking his eyes away from staring straight ahead into the distant, narrowing his eyes, and a look of worry on his face, "But he's not what I'm worried about."

"What do you mean?" Chopper inquired, looking up at Barbarossa with a puzzled look on his face.

"Your friend may be strong," Barbarossa explained, looking at them, and turning back to face forward, "But the desert is unpredictable."

"That's true," Usopp nodded, rubbing his finger to his chin, and narrowing his eyes, "We witnessed it firsthand."

"Yeah," Shadow nodded, walking over to them, and glancing up at the sky in thought, "It can be peaceful one minute, then a huge sandstorm comes the next."

"Right," Barbarossa nodded, glancing at us, and pursing his lips, "That isn't the only thing that can make the desert dangerous."

"What do you mean?" Sanji questioned, leaning against the ship's railing, and lighting a cigarette.

"I believe that the desert can sense the emotions of people," Barbarossa explained, looking out at into the distance, "And I can feel that people are restless."

"I don't believe in superstition and all that crap," Zoro grunted, leaning against the ship's wall, and his eyes closed, "But what I do believe in is Luffy and how he never lets us down."

"You are so lucky that Ivy wasn't here to hear that," Nami chuckled softly, shaking her head lightly in amusement, and glancing out into the distance, "You know how superstitious she is."

"That's for sure," Shadow laughed, only to frown upon seeing something coming towards them from the distance, squinting her eyes, and pointing towards what she saw, "What is that?"

"Huh," Chopper uttered, looking towards where Shadow was pointing, and scrunching his eyebrows together in confusion, "Why are there tons of people coming for us?"

"What are you talking about Chopper?," Usopp puzzled, tilting his head sideways, squinting his eyes at the place where Shadow and Chopper were looking, and widening his eyes slightly, "Well what do you know? There must be a 100 men riding horses and they're headed straight towards us."

"Men?," Barbarossa repeated, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, widening his eyes, and calling towards his men, "EVERYONE GET INTO YOUR BATTLE STATIONS!"

"I'm going to take a guess here and say those guys aren't friendly," Sanji guessed, a bored tone in his voice, puffing out smoke from his cigarette, seeing all the people on the ship rushing everywhere, and glancing at Barbarossa, "So who are those guys?"