"Varin!!!! HELP!!!!"
The scream cut through everything.
Stone and splintered around her, massive shapes looming too close, too many. Jagged clubs dragged across the ground, frost steaming where it met blood and heat. They were laughing. He could hear it, low and ugly, like rocks grinding together.
He tore his claws free from one of them and ducked as another swing went wide, ice screaming past his head. His chest burned, His arms shook. Their skin was wrong, thick, layered, like hitting packed stone. Slashes barely slowed them. He'd learned that fast.
Eyes, joints, and throats when he could get them.
He lunged, raking upward, and felt one eye burst under his claws. The thing roared and stumbled, but two more were already on him. One blow clipped his shoulder and sent him skidding across stone, half a breath ripping out of his lungs.
"RUNA!!" Varin shot upright with a sharp gasp, his hand locked over his chest like he could hold his heart in place. His vision swam with sand and moonlight. desert bleeding back into his skin, no ice, no monsters....No Runa.
He sucked in air, over and over, until the shaking slowed. His throat burned like he'd been screaming for days on end. He dragged a hand down his face, fingers trembling. Nightmare, it was just a nightmare. He told himself that even as the feeling refused to fade. Even as his fingers flexed uselessly into the sand.
"She's not here," he muttered, voice rough. "Hasn't been for years."
The words didn't help. They just sat there, heavy and useless, rattling around in his chest. The desert didn't care. The wind rolled on like it always did, dragging sand across broken stone, filling in footprints like they had never mattered.
He scrubbed a hand over his face and breathed out slowly, trying to force the lingering cold out of his bones. That was when he noticed he wasn't alone.
Varin glanced up as Toto emerged from the dim edge of the ruins, a lantern hanging from his hand. The light caught on skin stretched too tight over bone, on clothes worn thin by years of sand and sun. He looked like the desert itself had taken bites out of him and never bothered to give anything back.
"Ah," the man said gently, stopping a few paces away. "I didn't catch your name, sir… are you alright?"
Varin snorted quietly at the word sir. He waved a hand, the motion tired more than dismissive. "Aye. Aye, I'm fine. Just a nightmare." He hesitated, then added, "Not the first."
The old man didn't push. That alone earned him a bit of respect.
"Name's Varin," he went on after a moment, voice calmer now. "And don't call me sir. Makes me feel older than I am." He exhaled through his nose. "I'm… nineteen. Pretty sure. Let's go with that."
Toto's expression softened, the lines around his eyes deepening. There was real concern there, the kind that didn't ask for anything in return. "Nineteen," he repeated quietly, like the number itself carried weight. "That's too young to look so tired."
Varin glanced at him, a short laugh slipping out under his breath. "I'm not usually tired. Just a particularly bad memory." He shrugged one shoulder. "Figure you can relate."
Toto's mouth twitched, not quite a smile. "I can. And I know when it's best to leave such things be." He adjusted the lantern in his hand, the light swaying slightly. "So… to change the subject, if you don't mind. How has the Princess been?" His voice softened further. "She mentioned she's been with you lot for a few weeks. I hope you've taken good care of her."
Varin huffed, more genuine this time. "Ha. She's stronger than you give her credit for." He looked off toward where the others were sleeping, one of the non-ruined buildings. "But yeah. We've kept her safe."
He paused, then added, "I've personally been designated her guard dog while we're here." A corner of his mouth tugged up. "Though I'm fairly sure the redhead, our navigator, signed off on that less for Vivi's sake and more to keep me in line."
Toto let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. "Sounds like she's in good hands."
"Aye," Varin said simply. "Better than most."
"I might be out of place," Toto said, rubbing his chin, eyes glinting in the lantern light, "but if I know that girl as well as I think I do, she'll never tell you herself." He leaned in just a little, voice dropping, mischief threading through it. It was strange on a man so worn down by the elements. "She likes you. And I don't mean polite or grateful. I mean like, like."
Varin barked out a genuine laugh, sharp and surprised. "No offense, old man," he said, shaking his head, "but you're givin' her too little credit if you think she'd fall for somethin' like that." He spread his arms wide, gesturing at himself like he was presenting evidence. "Look at me. I'm all scar tissue and teeth. Hardly likin' material."
He scoffed, the humor still there but softer now. "That's a fairy tale you're talkin' about. Princess and barbarian. Doesn't end well." His grin turned crooked. "Hell, I scared her half to death when we first met. Knocked her unconscious, too. Real strong first impression."
Toto didn't laugh this time. He just watched Varin for a long moment, then smiled in that quiet, knowing way. "Fairy tales," he said calmly, "are usually written by people who don't look like heroes themselves."
Varin's laughter faded. He looked away, jaw tightening just a bit. "Aye. Maybe." He exhaled slowly. "Still doesn't change what I am."
"No," Toto agreed gently. "But it doesn't change what she sees either."
"You're insane, old man," Varin snorted, but the sound cut off halfway through. His expression shifted, humor draining out of it fast. He turned back toward Toto, a frown carving deep into his face. "Hell, if it wasn't for the fact…" He stopped. Head snapping up, shoulders going rigid as he stared at Toto. "…Loki?" he growled.
"Nope."
The voice came from above him, lazy and amused. "Though I am here."
Varin barely had time to register the weight settling on his shoulder before instinct took over. He threw himself backward, sand exploding beneath him as the pressure vanished. He rolled once, came up fast, claws half out, eyes snapping around the ruins.
There he was, perched on the edge of a half-buried stone building like it was a throne, legs dangling, hands braced behind him. Loki looked exactly as he always did. Too clean for the desert. Too relaxed. That same infuriatingly genuine smile stretched across his face, like he was greeting an old friend instead of haunting a nightmare.
"How is my favorite little pup?" Loki asked, hopping down with an easy grace that didn't match the height. Sand barely shifted under his boots as he started walking closer. "Believe it or not, I don't watch you twenty-four-seven. Especially after our last little chat."
Varin's lip curled. "Funny. Could've fooled me."
Loki chuckled. "I did catch some unsavory eyes after that. You know how it is." He waved a hand vaguely. "Nothing worse than being lectured by a bunch of self-important idiots about interference with Paradise. Long speeches. Same words. Every time."
"Why are you here?" Varin growled, stepping fully in front of Toto now, shoulders squared, stance wide. Protective without thinking about it. "I'm gettin' to Crocodile. Even if it's for Vivi. Even if it's because the captain says so. Either way, you can go, trickster."
Loki blinked once, then smiled wider, clearly pleased. "Well, I didn't plan on showin' myself," he said lightly, "but you called out, and it was far too perfect not to." He spread his hands, casual, like he was explaining a missed appointment. "I'm just watchin'. Waitin' for you to do as I asked and fight Crocodile. Even if you tell yourself you're doin' it for them."
Varin hated the smile on his face, hated how easy it looked, like this was all entertainment.
"So," Loki went on, tilting his head, eyes glinting, "I figured I'd drop by to say hi." He paused, then winked. "And to let you know I'm rootin' for you." Then he was gone. No flash, no sound, not even the sand beneath his feet was disturbed. One moment, Loki was there, the next, there was nothing but empty night and cooling desert air. Varin stood there, staring at the space he'd occupied, jaw tight, claws half flexed without him realizing it.
Varin flinched despite himself when Toto's hand closed gently around his arm. "Not a friend of yours?" the old man asked, voice careful, not accusing, just… wary.
Varin let out a slow breath, running a hand down his face. "No," he said flatly. "Not a friend, not an enemy either, worse than both."
Toto studied him for a moment, really looked at him this time. At the tension still sitting in his shoulders. At the way his eyes kept flicking back to the empty rooftop like something might step out of thin air again. "Looked like trouble," he said at last.
"Aye," Varin replied. "That's one word for it."
Silence stretched between them, thick but not uncomfortable. The desert night hummed softly around the ruins, wind whispering through broken stone. Finally, Toto withdrew his hand, nodding once.
"Well," Toto said quietly, "whatever that was… You stood in front of me without thinking. So I'll take that as proof the princess is in good hands."
Varin snorted under his breath. "Habit."
"A good one to have," Toto nodded, like that settled something important in his mind. He turned back toward the massive pit, rolling his shoulders with a tired grunt. "Reckon I've kept you long enough. Water doesn't come to those who sit around in this country." He laughed, light and genuine, like the desert hadn't already taken everything from him twice over.
Varin watched him for a second, the sound of the shovel scraping sand cutting through the quiet. Then he looked toward the pit, then back at the old man. "Want some help?" he asked. "Don't think I'm sleepin' again tonight anyway."
Toto paused, glancing back over his shoulder. "You don't have to do that."
"Aye, I know," Varin said. He flexed his fingers once, sand slipping through them. "But I've got a feelin' I'm very adept at diggin', and it keeps me busy till sunrise. Think of it as trainin'."
Toto studied him for a moment, then gave a small shrug. "Alright then. I won't stop ya. Afraid I don't have another shovel though," he added, glancing at the lone, battered tool in his hands.
Varin huffed a laugh. "Aye. Didn't need one anyway." He paused, then looked at the old man more seriously. "Don't scream. Or die. Vivi'll kill me if ya keel over from a heart attack."
Before Toto could respond, Varin stepped back and shifted.
Bones rolled and reshaped with a low, grinding sound, fur bursting through skin in a rush of ash gray. In a few seconds, the man was gone, replaced by the massive wolf, its shoulders past Toto's head.
"I can still talk," the wolf said, voice deeper, rougher, but unmistakably Varin's.
Toto froze. His eyes went wide, but not with panic. It was more like awe. He took a slow step back, then another, before stopping himself.
"Well, I'll be…" he breathed. "Just like the guardians." He let out a quiet laugh, half disbelief, half wonder. "Guess you bein' the princess's guard dog wasn't a joke after all, was it?"
Varin's ears flicked. "Don't get poetic on me now," he said, padding toward the pit. "I bite when people get too comfortable."
Despite the words, he lowered himself at the edge of the hole, massive paws digging in with ease. Sand moved differently for him now. What had been resistance before gave way, claws scooping and pushing, packing and tearing through layers with practiced precision.
Varin didn't know how long he dug.
Time blurred down there. Just claw, pull, shove, breathe. The rhythm settled into him until thinking stopped altogether. The desert went quiet sometime after Toto wished him good night, the old man's voice soft but stubborn, insisting he get some rest too. Varin only grunted back, not even looking up. He heard the scrape of sandals retreat, the pause where Toto probably looked back once more, then nothing, just him and sand.
So he kept digging.
The pit grew deeper than it had any right to. Deep enough that the stars were a narrow strip overhead, deep enough that sound felt swallowed the moment it left his throat. His paws burned, pads rough and raw from scraping the rough sand, his fur matted with the stuff. He really hoped it would disappear when he shifted back, or it would be an awkward conversation asking one of the girls to groom his fur, or chopper, he could do chopper. Still, he didn't stop. Not until something felt wrong. The sand under his claws gave a little; it was soft and damp.
Varin froze, heart kicking hard in his chest. He scraped again, slower this time, more careful. The sand clumped instead of flowing, darker and cooler against his pads.
"…water?" he muttered, more breath than word.
He shifted back, planting himself and looking at the walls of the hole. By now, even if he stood upright in his human form, his head wouldn't clear the edge. That fact settled in all at once, heavy and unwelcome. The walls weren't crumbling, but they felt close to it. He could feel the weight of the desert pressing in, waiting for a mistake.
He scraped once more, just enough to confirm it was wet sand smeared on his paw. That was when he stopped, not because he didn't want more, but mostly because he wanted to live. Varin backed up carefully, claws digging in for purchase, breath slow and controlled despite the way his instincts screamed at him to climb out now. Suffocating under sand was a stupid way to die; he wasn't giving the desert that satisfaction.
Once he was steady, he sat there for a moment, chest heaving, staring at the damp patch like it might vanish if he blinked. "…found it," he said quietly, to no one.
When he finally climbed out, hauling himself up with aching limbs and sheer stubbornness, the sky was starting to pale at the edges dawn was creeping in slowly. Varin shifted back to human form at the rim of the pit, muscles screaming in protest, hands shaking as he wiped wet sand off his palms.
Varin just sat there. He didn't really have much to do. He already had it, whatever it was, mastered wasn't the right word. That implied polish, something finished. This wasn't that; he could just… do it.
The idea had come from Zoro when he was talking to him, oddly enough. The swordsman hadn't meant to teach him anything, just talked the way he always did, blunt and half-dismissive, about how you didn't need to touch something to cut it. How a swing carries intent, weight, and force. How the air itself could be split if you put enough of yourself into it.
Varin had taken that and twisted it into something that fit him. Zoro said it needed a name. Varin hadn't overthought it, Tail Cleave.
That was all it was, nothing fancy. It was crude, just like he was. He swung his tail like a blade, more axe than anything if he was honest, and the air tore in front of him. It gave him reach, space, and a way to hit more than one thing at a time instead of relying on teeth and claws and getting too close when the situation called for it.
Varin wandered without any real purpose, boots tracing lazy paths through the sand. It felt familiar in a way most people would hate. Alone again, wasteland again, quiet that pressed in on the ears, there was comfort in it, and something ugly tangled up with that comfort, the kind you didn't like admitting to yourself.
He watched the others wake.
Nami was first, as usual. Habit as a navigator, and as a thief. He'd picked that up not long after joining. She noticed him watching, and he gave her a small nod. She returned it without stopping what she was doing, already moving, he almost wondered if she was poisoning the food, to punish Luffy if he ate it all, she's done it before.
Sanji followed soon after, like clockwork. The man barely acknowledged the world before throwing himself into breakfast, working with the remains of the sandora dragon like it was any other cut of meat. Knives flashed, and Smoke curled. The smell cut clean through the desert air. Varin just hoped it didn't attract anything else, mostly for times' sake, than anything else. So Varin stayed where he was.
It wasn't distance in the bad sense. He just didn't see a reason to get in the way. A nod here. A wave there. That was enough.
Toto eventually rose as well. The old man spotted the pit Varin had dug and immediately shuffled over, intent on doing… something. Varin didn't know the steps, so he didn't pretend to begin, either. He just watched, then looked away, letting the man work.
It wasn't long before they were ready to move out.
They left Toto behind. The old man pressed a waterskin into Varin's hands before they went, the water faint and precious, pulled from damp sand at the bottom of the hole Varin had dug through the night. It wasn't much, but it was life, and Toto treated it like a miracle. Varin didn't say anything about that. He just nodded and slung the skin over his shoulder.
They set off toward the rebels' new base.
Varin remembered Luffy's words from the night before. "If Vivi talks to you, don't say anything". He tried. He really did. But every instinct he had pushed back the moment Vivi laid her plan out properly, spoke it aloud, like saying it clearly would make it work.
It was exactly what he'd told her back on the ship. Every step was wrong, rushing in. Taking everything onto herself, trying to save everyone at once. That kind of thinking didn't save people; it got them buried.
He bit his tongue. Literally, hard enough to taste copper, just to keep himself from telling her to stop. To stop being so gods damn naive.
Luck intervened before he broke. Whether Luffy sensed the tension coiling tight or just decided the random tree they'd reached was a good enough excuse, he dropped down and declared he quit. Just like that.
The next few minutes were mostly Vivi kicking the absolute shit out of Luffy.
Varin watched it happen with a grim kind of relief. Better this than him opening his mouth. Luffy didn't dodge. Took it, right up until he didn't, and then he hit her back. Not hard, but hard enough.
Half the crew exploded at once, shouting that he'd gone too far. Luffy ignored them. Sanji, though, didn't; he moved, furious, and Varin stepped in without thinking, catching him before he could interfere. A silent line drawn in the sand, this wasn't their fight.
Luffy was pissed at Vivi. Varin agreed with him, mostly, but it wasn't just that she didn't trust her friends. There was more tangled up in it than that, and it showed.
When it was finally over, Vivi was on her knees, crying. Luffy stood a few steps away, grinning as if nothing had happened, blood still pouring out of his nose. Half the crew looked relieved, like they'd just watched a storm break without drowning in it.
"Capt'n," Varin said calmly, spitting the blood that had pooled in his mouth onto the sand. "Can I speak now?"
Luffy looked at him, nodded, and hopped to his feet. "Yep. Thanks for listenin', Varin." Same old grin, like the last few minutes hadn't happened at all.
"I can follow orders," Varin muttered, stepping past him. He ignored Sanji completely, especially the muttered comment about him being a good dog. He stopped in front of Vivi and dropped to one knee so they were level. "Look at me, lass," he said, his voice was rough, not soft; he wouldn't sugarcoat this, that wasn't how he did things.
Vivi lifted her head. The tears didn't stop, but the sobbing did ease, just enough for brown eyes to meet silver.
"Luffy already said most of what needed sayin'," Varin went on. "And honestly, he was kinder than I would've been."
Vivi's gaze started to drift before he was even done. "I said, look at me, Nefertari Vivi," Varin snapped, sharp enough to cut through the noise. She froze, eyes locking back onto his.
"Do you remember what I said on the ship?" Varin asked.
Vivi nodded after a moment, small and hesitant.
"You're stupid, lass. You're naive."
Someone inhaled like they were about to interrupt. Varin didn't give them the chance.
"But stupid isn't permanent," he went on, voice steady as stone. "You stay stupid if you never learn. You're stupid for thinkin' everyone can be saved. You're stupid for tryin' to carry it all alone. You're stupid for not leanin' on us when you already chose to trust us."
Vivi's hands clenched in her dress.
"You're only stupid once, Vivi," he said, softer but no less firm. "What matters is what you do after."
He caught her chin, forcing her to look at him, then lifted her to her feet like she weighed nothing. She squeaked in surprise, hands gripping his arm. "So here's what you're gonna do," Varin said. "You're gonna stop bein' stupid. You're gonna tell us where Crocodile is."
His eyes didn't waver. "People are already dyin'. They're gonna keep dyin'. And without proof, without stoppin' him at the source, the bodies will just keep stackin' up." He leaned down so she couldn't look away. "Do you understand me?"
Varin would deny he jumped when Vivi suddenly threw herself into him, her arms slamming into his chest like she was trying to hit him, though there was no strength behind it. Just shaking hands and uneven breaths.
"I'm sorry," she kept saying, over and over, like it was the only thing holding her together. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" It sounded less like an apology and more like a confession. Like she thought she'd done something unforgivable.
After a second that felt longer than it should have, Varin sighed and slowly wrapped his arms around her, careful and awkward, like he wasn't used to holding something that might break if he squeezed wrong. One hand rested between her shoulders, while the other stayed at her back.
He glanced over her head toward the rest of the crew, silently asking for help. He got none. Usopp was snickering. Zoro looked mildly amused. Nami had that knowing smile she got when things went exactly how she expected. Even Chopper looked relieved. Sanji, meanwhile, looked personally offended by reality itself, staring at Varin like he'd committed a crime by existing in the right place at the right time.
Varin huffed through his nose, tightening his hold on Vivi just a little. He'd remember this betrayal.
"You can let go now, lass," Varin said once her sobbing finally slowed, his voice low and steady; there was no edge to it anymore. "We can save more people the faster we move. So tell us where he is."
He loosened his grip but didn't step back, hands still on her shoulders, making sure she was actually standing. Making sure she wasn't about to fold in on herself again.
Vivi drew in a shaky breath, wiped at her face with the back of her sleeve, and nodded. She looked exhausted, like the weight she'd been carrying finally had somewhere to sit.
"…Rainbase," she said. "That's where Crocodile is. That's where Baroque Works operates from. If we go there, we'll be walking straight into his territory."
Varin gave a short nod. "Good," he said. "That's all we needed." He glanced back at the crew, silver eyes sharp again, the softness already gone. "Then we stop wasting time."