A New Journey

Chapter 5: Getting Priorities Straight

"Hey Luffy, what did your brother give you?" Usopp asks.

"Dunno. Seems like a scrap of paper."

"A-Are you serious?"

"Keep it." You say. The crew looks at you. "It's important."

Nami hums, "Do you know something about it?"

Should I tell them?

"No." Not yet.

The paper in Sanji's hand gets blown away by the wind, and lands on the desert horse's mouth. What do you call that? A camo?

Luffy bonks the creature, successfully getting his paper back. Nami offers to sew it to his hat, seeing that it was important to him.

"Oh, great! Thanks!"

"Everyone, Yuba is just over those rocks. Just a bit more." Everyone brightened up at the news, hurrying their pace.

...

Yuba was in the distance. But, even from here, you could tell there was something off about the city. It was eerily silent. The princess only confirms your suspicions.

"The city doesn't look right!"

The closer you got, the more evident the sound of harsh winds. There was a sandstorm. It ended not too long after and wasted no time in inspecting the city. It was desolate.

"It's almost no different from that Erumalu City." Zoro comments.

"The oasis has been swallowed up by the sand..!"

Clanking metal broke through the silence, gaining the attention of the crew. "You must be travelers. Sorry. This town's a bit dried up, you see. But feel free to rest here." It was an old man, with scratches and sand all over his body.

Once Vivi mentioned the rebel army, the old man stopped his digging, turned to look at us with an unreadable expression burning in his eyes, and started throwing things at us. "Don't tell me you're hoping to join the rebellion!"

"They left long ago," The man adds, going into detail about the city. "They're in Katorea now."

"Where's that Vivi? Is it close by?" Luffy asks. The princess' effort to cover up earlier goes to waste with the slip of her name.

"It's an oasis next to Nanohana."

In short, we passed by it ages ago.

Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji began beating up the desert horse for not speaking up earlier about its story, only annoying them further seeing how nonchalant it was with the situation.

The old man slowly approached your group, "Vivi? Did you say, Vivi?"

Luffy panics, finally realizing his slip-up, making it all the more obvious. "Wait, old guy! Vivi isn't the princess!"

Zoro bonks him in the head, "Don't tell him that, idiot!"

The old man's strides became larger as his thoughts were confirmed. "Vivi-chan, is it really you? You're alive, thank goodness! I suppose I can't blame you for not recognizing me. I did lose some weight after all."

A brief sheen of recognition flashes Vivi's eyes, "... Toto-ojisan?"

"That's right."

Vivi's shock was muffled by her hand, but it was clear as day in her eyes.

"Vivi-chan, I have faith in his majesty." Those words stirred something in Vivi, tugging at her emotions. "He isn't someone who would ever betray the kingdom. Don't you agree?" He finishes, letting his tears fall. "This rebellion... is ridiculous!"