The Alabasta sun was merciless.
The desert sand burned beneath their feet, even through boots. The dry air cut into lungs like shards of glass. But the Straw Hat crew marched on — determined, vigilant.
Vivi led them, her blue scarf fluttering in the hot breeze. Her eyes were focused, but behind the calm, Vihaan could see the tension brewing.
"You okay?" he asked softly, walking beside her.
She hesitated, then nodded. "Just… memories. Yuba was where it all started for me. It used to be an oasis."
"What is it now?"
She took a breath. "A ghost town… waiting for rain."
By sunset, they arrived.
Yuba stood beneath a red sky, a handful of crumbling homes and tents surrounded by endless dunes. The ground cracked beneath their steps. Sand whipped across the remnants of what was once a thriving oasis.
"Looks abandoned," Zoro muttered.
"Not entirely," Vivi said, and ran ahead.
From one of the ruined structures, a hunched figure emerged — a man with goggles, coughing heavily as he poured a small bucket of water over the sand.
"Don't waste that!" Vivi cried, rushing to him.
He turned. "V-Vivi…?"
She ran into his arms. "Toto!"
It was Toto, an old family friend and one of the first to resist the rising corruption. He held Vivi tightly, tears in his eyes.
"You've grown so much… Are you still trying to stop this madness?"
She nodded, trembling.
"Koza is alive," Toto said, smiling faintly. "He leads the rebels now… but he doesn't know the truth."
Vihaan watched quietly from a distance, arms folded. This wasn't just a war. This was personal. A kingdom tearing itself apart from both sides.
They gathered in the old tavern — now filled with broken crates and empty barrels. Toto served what little water he had as he explained.
"Koza… he believes the king betrayed the people. Crocodile's lies have spread like poison. He's preparing to strike at Alubarna in four days."
"Four days…" Vivi repeated. "We don't have much time."
"Where is he now?" Luffy asked.
"In Katorea, preparing the march."
"We'll go," Vihaan said firmly. "But we'll need a map, supplies, and shade."
Toto nodded and fetched a battered map from beneath the floorboards. "I've waited for hope to return for years. Maybe now, the rain will come again."
The crew camped near the edge of Yuba. The fire flickered softly in the cool desert night.
Vivi sat alone, staring at the stars.
Vihaan approached, two mugs in hand.
"Cactus juice," he said, handing one over. "Barely tastes like poison."
She chuckled softly. "Thank you."
"You miss him, huh? Koza."
She nodded. "We were childhood friends. He always wanted to protect the people. And now he thinks my father's the enemy."
Vihaan sipped his drink. "War makes friends into enemies. It's our job to remind them of who they really are."
She looked at him, eyes soft. "You sound wiser than you act."
He smiled. "Don't tell Nami. She prefers me dumb and shirtless."
Vivi giggled — a real, rare laugh.
The night was quiet — save for the wind brushing over dunes like a whisper of the past. But Vihaan couldn't sleep.
He rose before the sun and stepped outside the tent. The stars were fading, and a pale blue glow had started to kiss the edges of the horizon.
To his surprise, Toto was already outside, silently digging into the cracked ground. His hands were rough and calloused, shoveling sand into small piles, his breathing strained with every movement.
Vihaan watched for a moment, his brows drawing together.
"You're still trying… even after all this?" he finally asked, stepping closer.
Toto paused, then nodded without looking. "If I stop digging, then this place truly dies. If I keep going… maybe, just maybe, the rain will come back."
Vihaan took a deep breath. "Then let me help."
He knelt beside the man, pressing his palm to the ground. Mirrors began forming — glass slivers twisting and fusing until they shaped into a spiraling, gleaming drill machine.
Its base floated, humming with energy, and the tip spun with precision. Vihaan adjusted the angle slightly.
"This will go five meters deep in minutes," he said. "It'll scoop and filter out the finer soil too."
Toto's eyes widened. "You can do that with mirrors?"
Vihaan chuckled. "I can do a lot with mirrors. Sometimes, I forget I'm not just a flirt."
He activated the device — and the machine whirred to life, digging swiftly into the brittle ground with smooth elegance. In a matter of moments, the first full scoop of untouched earth surfaced.
Toto stepped forward, staring at it — then back at Vihaan. "Thank you… You've given an old man hope."
Vihaan nodded, watching the desert horizon. "Let's dig deep enough to bring back the rain."
The first sunray broke through the clouds, and in the quiet of the morning, hope was no longer just a word — it was action.
The rest of the crew awoke shortly after, ready to continue their journey — unaware that the sands beneath their feet had just remembered the hands of kindness.
As the sky turned purple before sunrise, the crew prepared to leave Yuba.
Toto handed Luffy a canteen and Vihaan a suncloth. "Bring her back. Bring us back."
Vihaan placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "We will."
And with that, the Straw Hats marched again — toward Katorea, the rebels, and the storm Crocodile had brewed.