"You two gave Luffy a beating?"
After Tom and Chopper returned to the carrier crab, they heard Nami and Sanji talk about what had happened earlier. Tom asked in surprise.
It turned out that after Luffy ate a round cactus, he became extremely excited and delirious, charging wildly through the desert alone.
Zoro and Sanji had been arguing fiercely when they suddenly saw Luffy charging toward them. Both were delighted.
But soon, they realized something was wrong.
Because as Luffy charged at them, he was shouting "Crocodile!" and other unintelligible words.
Before Zoro and Sanji could ask what had happened, Luffy started attacking them fiercely. At first, Zoro and Sanji tried to reason with the frenzied Luffy. But no matter what they said, Luffy only attacked them wildly.
In the end, they couldn't take it anymore. They联手 (joined forces) to beat the crazed Luffy soundly, which finally calmed him down and restored his senses.
According to Chopper, Luffy had eaten a cactus that was originally used to make stimulants. Eating a whole one would naturally make him act like a madman.
After learning that Luffy had been thoroughly beaten, Tom and Chopper looked at each other. The two, who had both been unintentionally screwed over by Luffy earlier, simultaneously felt much better.
It was on this day that Chopper finally understood something: a captain could be beaten by his crewmates.
After landing on the sand bandits' ship, Luffy chatted with their captain for a bit and somehow turned enemies into friends. The two were happily discussing what to eat later.
When the sand bandits learned that Luffy and the others were pirates, they released Usopp from the mast and sincerely apologized.
These sand bandits were from the Barubaru Bandits, and their captain was named Barubaru—a bearded, tall, fat middle-aged man.
The reason these sand bandits operated in this area was because their hometown had been buried under the yellow desert sands over two years ago. Homeless and with no other options, they had rallied around Barubaru, the most respected among them, and formed this bandit group.
Their purpose was twofold: to prevent people from senselessly dying, and to find a way to survive themselves.
However, as they grew more active in the desert, word spread that they robbed passersby of their goods, food, and water. Because they only robbed people without killing them, the news spread quickly. But this also made more and more people fear the desert, afraid to set foot in it.
With fewer people entering the desert, the sand bandits' lives grew increasingly harder. They couldn't even find proper wood to repair their ships.
These sand bandits survived by robbing those who entered the desert of their food and water, while simultaneously driving away those trying to cross. This approach was like drinking poison to quench thirst. But they did it anyway.
In their view, even saving one person from dying in this merciless desert was worthwhile.
"They're a lot like you."
Tom looked at the sand bandits—except for Barubaru, all of them were thin as sticks—and said to Vivi.
Vivi was taken aback, then understood what Tom meant. These sand bandits had endured in this scorching desert for nearly three years, most days seeing no one from dawn to dusk, all to prevent more sacrifices.
In a way, their desperate desire to save people was the same as hers.
"Did you tell them you're not an ordinary person, but a pirate?"
Tom asked Usopp, who was checking his bag to see if anything was missing.
"I did. But they didn't believe me."
Usopp said to Tom.
"What did you tell them?"
"I told them I'm the great Captain Usopp, commander of eight thousand elite troops, a famous pirate of the four seas. I said it more than once."
"And then?"
"Then they tied me up."
Tom and Usopp quickly ended their conversation.
"Don't you think this camel is weird? Especially its eyes."
Sanji looked at the camel following behind Nami and Vivi and said.
"To be honest, I feel the same way."
Tom, who had just walked over, agreed.
"Stinky fisherman, I didn't expect you to share my opinion."
"Pervert cook, take a good look at its eyes. Just like yours, they're almost squinting shut. And its friend, the crab, is the same."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Don't you think they're the same species as you?"
After exchanging just a few words, Sanji and Tom started fighting, throwing punches at each other.
"I like beautiful women, and so does it, which is why we became friends."
Chopper translated what the camel, its eyes fixed on Nami and Vivi, had said. As he spoke, the carrier crab behind him had both eyes turned into hearts, staring intently at Nami and Vivi.
"See? They really are just like you."
Tom didn't forget to taunt Sanji even as they traded blows.
"Pervert camel! Pervert crab! Don't look at them with those eyes!"
Sanji stopped fighting Tom and ran toward the camel and crab.
"So they're the same species as Curly-brow. No wonder I feel uncomfortable."
Zoro glanced at Sanji and the camel, then lay down on the carrier crab, yawned, and prepared to sleep.
Just as Sanji was about to settle accounts with the pervert camel, they heard Luffy shout loudly, "Everyone, come here! We're having a party!"
"A party?"
"At a time like this?"
"Why suddenly?"
"But the sun's almost down. It's not really suitable to keep traveling."
"If we're really having a party, we probably don't have enough food."
"What's a desert party like?"
"Chopper, do you know who I am? I'm the man who never misses a party!"
"Will I be able to paint good scenery at night?"
Tom, Zoro, Nami, Vivi, Sanji, Chopper, Usopp, and Miss Goldenweek all had different reactions to Luffy's words.
The sun was gradually setting in the west. Soon, dusk would arrive. If they were really having a party, now was the time to prepare.
"We haven't held a party in years. If we really have one, it'll be lively tonight."
Barubaru said to Luffy. Not just him, but even the sand bandits' eyes showed a hint of longing.
The reason was simple: if they had a party, they would finally get a good meal. For people who had lived in extreme poverty for years, this was an extravagant luxury.
"Alright, it's decided! We're having a party in the desert tonight! If we don't have enough food, we'll find more."
Luffy asked Tom, "Right?"
"I can handle the food, but water is a problem."
Tom said to Luffy, "We still have to keep going through the desert. Without enough water, it's dangerous."
"That's not a problem. We haven't stored much food over the years, but we've managed to save some water."
Barubaru, with a small red parasol over his head, said to Tom.
"In that case, it's not a big issue."
Tom felt that if the water problem could be solved, everything else could be worked out.
"Stinky fisherman, you need to bring back as much food as possible. Otherwise, we'll be in trouble for the rest of our journey."
Sanji reminded Tom. If Luffy ate all their food at the party, they'd be in a real bind.
"Leave it to me."
Tom nodded to Sanji.
"But Ace hasn't regrouped with us yet. Is it really okay to have a party without him?"
Chopper asked Usopp.
"Don't worry. Once we start the party, Ace will easily find us. But he really is troublesome—getting separated from us like that. Hahahaha!"
Luffy scratched his head and laughed proudly.
I'm pretty sure it's because of you that Ace got separated from us in the first place.
Tom and the others looked at Luffy, all thinking the same thing.
Even though Ace hadn't returned, everyone had seen his strength firsthand, so they weren't worried. They happily began preparing for the night's party.
Since the mast of the Barubaru Sand Bandits' ship was broken, they needed to return to their base to find suitable wood for repairs. Barubaru brought out a sand sled.
This sand sled, designed for speed across the desert, was made of lightweight wood. It looked somewhat like a small boat with an extra side bracket for transporting wood.
Riding this sand sled, they could quickly reach the nearby Merias Oasis, which was currently the Barubaru Sand Bandits' base.
Tom was partly responsible for breaking the mast, so he decided to accompany them to Merias Oasis to fetch wood while also scouting for prey nests along the way, so he could hunt on the return trip.
But the sand sled looked simple in structure—similar to a small sailboat with a fallen mast—and Tom had never operated anything like it before. He hesitated.
"This thing is easy. Watch me."
Luffy jumped onto the sand sled with interest, pulled up the fallen mast, and unfurled the sail. A gust of wind blew, and the sled shot forward at astonishing speed.
In the blink of an eye, Luffy disappeared from sight on the sand sled. But a moment later, the sled came back.
Not because Luffy had learned to steer it, but because he had pushed it back. Then he collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
Clearly, Luffy had just wasted his remaining energy.
"If you want to play with this sand sled, it's yours."
Tom figured that with his own lack of skill, he probably wouldn't do much better than Luffy. Having seen Luffy's example, he didn't want to have to push the sled back himself. So he said this to Luffy.
"You're the one who broke the mast. You should go."
Luffy waved his hand at Tom.
"If I hadn't acted, you would have broken the mast anyway."
"But you're the one who actually broke it. So it's your responsibility."
After a brief exchange, Tom and Luffy reached a conclusion.
Sanji thought steering the sand sled looked physically demanding and offered to go with Tom.
But just then, a sword flew diagonally from above toward Vivi, who was standing blankly by the sand sled. Tom quickly reacted, knocking the flying scimitar away with his rod.
Then Tom and the others saw a woman with blue-purple hair standing on the broken mast. She glanced at Vivi, jumped down from the ship, flipped through the air a few times, and landed gracefully. Her movements were very agile.
This woman's name was Rasa. According to Barubaru, she was the best in the sand bandit crew at steering the sand sled.
A small pink parasol was tucked into her hairpin as decoration. When she landed, the little parasol popped open. She had a pointed chin—a classic oval face—and was fairly pretty. When she turned around, her large, dark eyes looked at Vivi with a hint of hostility.
"The others all seem to be outsiders. Only you are from here."
Rasa said to Vivi, her tone cold, as if she disliked Vivi.
"You're quite the猜 (guesser)."
Luffy said to Rasa.
"Do you know her?"
Tom whispered to Vivi. "Or does she know you?"
"She seems very familiar, but I can't remember where I've seen her."
Vivi whispered back.
"You should know how to use a sand sled, right? You go with him."
Rasa glanced at Tom and said to Vivi.
"We can't let Vivi do something so dangerous!"
Sanji was the first to object to Rasa's words.
"Right. That's too reckless."
Nami also felt uneasy.
"It's fine. I do know how to steer a sand sled. Let me do it."
Vivi said to Tom, "I'll go with you. Is that okay?"
"I don't mind. But why don't we take the crab? Wouldn't that be more convenient?"
Tom asked Vivi.
"Because carrier crabs can't go in water. On the way to Merias Oasis, there's a lake. If we detour, we might not make it back by nightfall."
Vivi explained to Tom.
"So you remember that place."
Rasa's expression softened slightly upon hearing Vivi's words. Whether intentionally or not, she said this.
"A crab that can't go in water?"
Tom looked at the squinty-eyed carrier crab and muttered, "It really is just like the pervert cook—a strange creature."
And so, Tom and Vivi set off for Merias Oasis. Before they left, Nami pulled Tom aside and said directly, "Take off your clothes."
"Pfft!"
Tom had just taken a sip of tea from Miss Goldenweek. Startled by Nami's words, he spat it out. "What are you talking about? Our relationship is good, but we can't do something like that in public!"
"Idiot. I just meant take off your outer robe and give it to me. While it's not dark yet, I'll mend it. Look how torn your clothes are."
Nami's lovely eyebrows twitched. She thought that since dusk was approaching and the weather wasn't as scorching, taking off the outer robe wouldn't cause sunburn. She wanted to fix his clothes during this time.
Besides, the party was definitely happening tonight, and there probably wouldn't be time later.
"We still have to travel tomorrow. If your robe is still this torn, you'll get sunburned easily. And at night, the desert gets much colder than during the day. Your robe can't keep you warm right now."
Nami took the tattered, hole-filled robe from Tom and said seriously, "When you go out with Vivi this time, don't cause any more trouble. If something happens, don't rush in recklessly. Be careful, okay?"
"Got it. If we run into trouble, I'll be the first to charge in and deal with it. That way I can get back quickly."
Tom answered cheerfully. His words left Nami speechless.
Did this guy understand a word I said?
As Tom and Vivi set off on the sand sled with Rasa and her companion toward Merias Oasis, the sun began to sink slowly into the sea of sand. The afterglow of the sunset painted the vast, boundless earth in shades of orange.
In the distance, rolling sand dunes stretched endlessly, golden in the fading light. Under the warm glow, an orange-haired girl sat to the side, a serene smile on her pretty face, focused on mending the robe in her hands.
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T/N :
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