Thanks to Oliver slicing the lizard in half, they were able to use it for food, although they ran into problems when Luffy ate a cactus.
After many hours of crossing the desert, night had already fallen, and almost everyone was exhausted.
"There! Can you see that light?" said Vivi.
"Have we arrived in Yuba?" asked Nami, who was now traveling with a new companion—a camel.
"I couldn't tell you. There's too much sand, and I can't see clearly," said Luffy.
"I can see it a little, though I don't think it's good," said Oliver, seeing that everything was covered in sand.
"Something bad is happening!" said Vivi. "A sandstorm!"
The crew could only stand and watch as Yuba was struck by an immense sandstorm, unable to do anything but witness how it raged on.
After a few minutes, the storm finally passed, leaving Vivi stunned by Yuba's condition.
"This is impossible," said Vivi in disbelief.
"This is terrible. It's no different from what happened to Erumalu," said Zoro while carrying Usopp.
"Is there water?" asked Luffy, parched.
"You see how everything looks, and you're asking if there's water?" said Oliver, noticing even the trees weren't spared from being dried out. "It's impressive that anyone lives here."
"Vivi-chan, is this really an oasis?" asked Sanji, doubtful due to the terrible state of the place.
"The sand began to pile up, and the oasis got buried..." said Vivi, devastated by the situation, until she saw an old man digging.
"Travelers, are you? You must be tired from your journey through the desert. I'm sorry. This town is dry. But you're welcome to rest here if you like," said the old man kindly, turning to face them, and Vivi covered her face.
'I think this old man's name was Toto,' thought Oliver, recalling the elder.
"There are many inns here. After all, they're the pride of this town," said Toto as he kept digging.
"Um... we came because we heard the rebel army was in this town," said Vivi, covering her face, which made Toto angry.
"What do you want with the rebel army?! Scoundrels! Are you saying you want to join the uprising?!" said Toto angrily, immediately starting to throw objects.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" said Luffy, dodging the things he threw—except for a barrel that nearly hit him if not for Oliver.
"And he looked exhausted," said Oliver, shielding himself from another barrel.
"If you're looking for those fools, they left a long time ago," Toto told them, surprising the crew.
"WHAT?!" shouted Luffy in disbelief.
"No way..." said Vivi, unable to believe their whole journey had been for nothing.
"A sandstorm just wiped out the city, but I assure you it wasn't the first. The land dried up after three years of drought, and sandstorms have become frequent since. Little by little, the oasis of the past was buried, and all that remains is what you see now. Now that the city's supply flow has vanished, even the long struggle of the rebel army would have failed. So they moved their base to Katorea," he said, alarming Vivi.
"KATOREA?!" said Vivi, shocked.
"Where is it, Vivi? Is Katorea near here?" asked Luffy curiously.
Vivi stayed silent for a few seconds and then answered.
"It's an oasis next to Nanohana."
"NANOHANA?!" almost everyone shouted upon hearing it.
"WHAT?! SO WE CAME ALL THIS WAY FOR NOTHING?!" yelled Zoro as Toto approached.
"Vivi? Did you just say Vivi?" said Toto, surprised, making everyone nervous.
"WAIT, OLD MAN! VIVI'S NOT THE PRINCESS!" shouted Luffy, clearly lying.
"DON'T TELL HIM, IDIOT!" yelled Zoro, hitting him with Usopp's body.
"Eh... I..." said Vivi nervously, not knowing what to say to hide her identity.
"Is it you, Vivi-chan? You're alive! Thank God! It's me. Don't you recognize me? I'm not surprised. I lost some weight," said Toto, which made Vivi realize who he was, leaving her stunned.
"Toto-ojisan?" asked Vivi, startled, covering her mouth with her hand.
"That's right," said Toto, tears forming in his eyes, while Vivi remembered him as a more plump man.
"Vivi-chan, I have faith in His Majesty. That man would never betray his kingdom. Right? This revolt is ridiculous! Please, I beg you! You have to stop those fools! You're the only one who can!" he pleaded on his knees, feeling sorrow as tears streamed down.
"Toto-ojisan?!" said Vivi, even more shocked.
"What does it matter that it hasn't rained in just three years? I believe in His Majesty. In fact, most of the country still does. Many times... I tried to stop them many times. But they refused to listen. The rebellion won't stop. They've reached their limit too. They want to end everything in the next attack. They're cornered. They're ready to die. Please, Vivi-chan. Stop those idiots," Toto pleaded through tears, trembling.
"Don't worry, Toto-ojisan," said Vivi, handing him a handkerchief.
"Vivi-chan..." said Toto, looking at her.
"I'm going to stop the rebellion!" said Vivi with a reassuring smile as the crew watched in silence.
--
--
The crew settled into an inn to rest and be well-prepared to travel the next day—everyone except Luffy, who stayed outside.
"Great job today, guys! Let's get some sleep to recharge for tomorrow! Good night," said Usopp with a smile as he lay down and tried to sleep.
"You've been sleeping the whole time!" yelled Zoro, annoyed that Usopp was acting like he had walked the entire way.
"Bastard... Don't compare me to monsters like you guys!" said Usopp angrily, throwing a pillow in Zoro's face, making him close his eyes from the impact.
"You'll regret that!" said Zoro.
Both started a pillow fight that involved Chopper, who just wanted to get some sleep.
"Sanji-san, that's my bed," said Vivi to Sanji, who was lying on her bed.
"I thought maybe you'd have trouble sleeping alone..." said Sanji, only to be met with a pillow smacking him in the face.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" yelled Usopp at him.
"You've got some nerve. Who wants to fight?!" said Sanji with an irritated face and a bulging vein, thus starting the pillow war.
"Do you not understand the meaning of taking a nap?!" asked Nami angrily, and just as she finished speaking, she got hit in the face with a pillow, which she immediately threw back.
"Alright! Now you'll see!" said Sanji, cracking his knuckles before jumping back in, while poor Vivi got hit in the face with another pillow in the crossfire.
Afterward, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper all joined the fight. Nami watched them in irritation for not letting her sleep, but Vivi, watching them, couldn't help but feel safe and comfortable being with them. It was as if all her worries vanished just by seeing them.
They tried throwing a pillow at Oliver, but he was already fully covered, and no matter how much they threw at him, he didn't even flinch.
After a few hours, everyone was asleep—except for Oliver, who was staring at the ceiling.
'As if I could sleep with that scream in my head,' thought Oliver, a bit tired.
He opened his status and stared at his combat styles.
'Now that I think about it, unlike the others who can only grow through training, I'm limited by how much money I spend on the Gacha Machine. What's the limit?'
[Would you like an answer?]
'Sure, why not. It gives me something else to think about.'
[There is none. As long as you're alive and have money, you can keep getting stronger.]