After a day and a night of sailing on the going merry, Kai, Luffy, and the others finally arrived in Alabasta.
They reached Vivi's hometown and began their journey to the Kingdom of Alabasta.
As soon as they landed, everyone felt the special climate of Alabasta as a summer island.
Yellow sand filled the air, and dry, hot winds made it hard to open their eyes.
Under the scorching sun, the entire ground felt as if it had been baked hot; stepping on it, the fine sand was so hot it made them gasp.
Broken buildings leaned haphazardly, and cracks in the stone walls were filled with fine sand, as if they could turn to dust and disappear into this desert at any moment.
Occasionally, a few dead tree roots could be seen on the ground, twisted into painful shapes, telling of the life that once was and the despair that now existed.
Luffy looked around, rubbed his head, and grinned, "Oh, there's nothing here."
Vivi's expression was heavy, and she sighed softly, "That's right, this is already a ruined city.
But not long ago, this was a city full of greenery and vitality, known as the 'Green Oasis'."
Zoro kicked at the rubble on the ground, scattering dust, and frowned, "Just here, huh..."
Vivi nodded, her voice low, "Although it didn't rain often here originally, people would store every precious drop of rainwater to maintain the city's vitality.
But for the past three years, not a single drop of rain has fallen on this land."
Sanji's hand, holding his cigarette, paused slightly, the smoke dissipating in the scorching sun, and he frowned, "Three years? That long?"
Vivi's face was grim, with a hint of anger in her eyes:
"This situation has never occurred in Alabasta's history! The only exception is the capital, Alubarna, where it has rained even more than in the past."
Kai's brows furrowed slightly, sensing something amiss, and he asked in a deep voice, "Why does it only rain there?"
Vivi took a deep breath and continued, "Until one day, someone discovered a merchant caravan cart heading to the royal palace.
After the cart overturned, its contents scattered everywhere, and people saw... Dance Powder."
Kai was taken aback, "Dance Powder?"
Nami interjected, explaining, "Dance Powder, also known as Rain-Summoning Powder."
Chopper tilted his head, blinking curiously, "Summon rain?"
Nami nodded and continued, "I've heard that it was invented a long time ago by researchers in a severely arid country.
As long as Dance Powder is sprinkled into the air, it can quickly condense small clouds into rain clouds, thereby artificially creating rain."
Usopp crossed his arms, frowning in thought, "Wait, this thing sounds like a treasure, how could it cause this situation?"
Nami sighed softly, her gaze deepening, "It was indeed like that at first; the country that invented Dance Powder got rain, and people danced with joy.
That's why it was given this name. But... it has a fatal flaw."
Everyone looked at Nami, waiting for her to continue.
Nami slowly said, "Dance Powder doesn't create rain out of thin air; it just 'plunders' rain from other places."
Kai suddenly understood, and whispered, "So, it steals rain that was originally supposed to fall elsewhere?"
Nami nodded, "That's right. Dance Powder makes small cloud clusters in the air turn into rain clouds prematurely.
Therefore, clouds that were originally supposed to drift elsewhere are forcibly kept in the place where Dance Powder is used to form rainfall.
But this way, other regions become even more arid."
Usopp clicked his tongue, "So... this thing is a double-edged sword; it can bring happiness, but also disaster."
Vivi gave a bitter smile, her expression growing heavier, "When the news spread that a large amount of Dance Powder was secretly being transported to the royal palace, people across the country fell into despair.
Everyone believed that the King was using Dance Powder to steal the rain, turning their homes into deserts."
Upon hearing this, Luffy frowned and angrily pointed at Vivi, "What the! Vivi, this is your dad's fault!"
No sooner had he spoken than a foot kicked him hard on the head, making him stumble.
"Bastard! What nonsense are you spouting, you idiot?!" Sanji roared furiously, almost biting off the cigarette in his mouth,
"How could Young Miss Vivi's father do such a thing!"
Vivi smiled bitterly, "Of course not. My father had no idea how this Dance Powder got into the royal palace.
But... this means there are traitors even within the royal palace."
Kai's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a low voice, "It seems this matter is more complicated than imagined..."
The scorching sun still baked the earth, and the air was so dry it felt like it could crack a person's skin.
Amidst the yellow sand, a broken ruin snaked along, clearly once a wide road, but now mostly swallowed by sand, severely damaged.
Sanji stood by the ruins, tilting his head to Vivi, and asked curiously, "Young Miss Vivi, what was this road used for before?"
Vivi's gaze was complex, and she sighed softly, "This used to be a canal."
"A canal?" Sanji was startled.
Vivi slowly nodded, her gaze sweeping over the ruins before them, her voice tinged with helplessness and anger:
"This canal was originally an important waterway that drew water from the Sandora River into the city.
Because of it, this city was able to maintain its greenery year-round and was called the 'Green Oasis'. But... it was secretly destroyed."
Everyone frowned at this news.
Vivi continued, "Without the canal, the water supply could not be guaranteed.
Coupled with years of no rain, the city quickly withered.
People could only pray, hoping for heaven's mercy, but unfortunately—nothing changed.
Especially after the Dance Powder incident, the people's distrust of the King grew, and their resentment deepened..."
Zoro crossed his arms and said in a deep voice, "All of this... is Crocodile's plan."
Vivi gritted her teeth and nodded, "Yes. Later, war finally broke out.
Exhausted people, to escape the war and find water, left here one after another, searching for oases elsewhere.
Gradually, this city was abandoned and eventually withered completely..."
As she spoke, her voice already held a slight tremor.
Suddenly, a strange wind blew through the ruins, its wail desolate, as if carrying a bizarre sob, making one's hair stand on end.
"Woo woo woo—"
Usopp jumped in fright, backing away repeatedly, "Hey! It can't be Baroque Works chasing us, can it?"
Zoro tilted his head to listen, and calmly said, "No, it's just the wind."
Luffy's eyes, however, became serious, and he whispered, "No... that's a human voice."
Usopp completely panicked, looking around, his voice trembling, "It's coming from all directions... What do we do, what do we do?!"