Zoro patted his sword hilt, his gaze calm: "Don't panic, this is just the wind blowing through the ruins, hitting the broken buildings, causing that hollow sound."
Vivi stood in the wind, looking at the distant ruins, her expression sorrowful: "There's no mistake... this city is crying."
As soon as she finished speaking, a small whirlwind suddenly swept up yellow sand and quickly enveloped everyone. The strong wind howled, making it impossible to open one's eyes.
"Woo woo—"
In the hazy sandstorm, Luffy seemed to see a blurry figure.
But the whirlwind was fleeting, the yellow sand quickly settled, and the shadow disappeared with it.
Usopp patted his chest, letting out a sigh of relief: "Damn it... what kind of wind was that?"
Nami frowned, then her eyes suddenly narrowed, pointing not far away: "Wait, there... it looks like there's something?"
Luffy followed her gaze, his expression immediately changing: "It's a person!"
He rushed over without hesitation.
Vivi also followed in surprise: "There's actually still someone in this city?"
Everyone quickly gathered around. However, as they got closer, they saw clearly the "person" in front of them—it was a mummified corpse.
It had been blown out of the sand by the recent whirlwind. The corpse was in rags, already shriveled into a skeletal form, seemingly having slept in the yellow sand for many years.
Vivi looked at the corpse, her eyes filled with pain, and she murmured softly: "Father... and the people of Alabasta... what did they do wrong?"
Her fists clenched tightly, her voice trembling with anger:
"We were born in the desert, fighting against the harsh environment, struggling with all our might to live... But those who desperately survived are forced to endure such pain... By what right does that guy do this?!"
She suddenly looked up, her eyes burning with fury:
"Crocodile! That guy, under the guise of being a 'Shichibukai,' calls himself a hero of the people, but in reality, he's manipulating everything behind the scenes, deceiving the entire country!
Yet, not a single person could see through his scheme...!"
She bit her lip hard, tears welling in her eyes: "I will never forgive that man!"
"Bang—!!"
A loud bang startled everyone, and they all turned to look.
Luffy stood to the side, his face full of anger, his fist smashed into an abandoned stone tower.
That single punch had directly shattered the stone tower, sending dust flying.
Luffy turned his head, looking at Vivi with a determined gaze, and shouted: "Vivi, let's go quickly!"
The anger on his face burned even more fiercely: "I can't take it anymore! I'm going to crush that Crocodile!!"
Nami also stepped forward, gently taking Vivi's hand, and said softly: "Vivi, let's go."
Vivi nodded, taking a deep breath: "We need to find the rebel army, find their leader, and persuade them to stop the rebellion within the country."
Kai said in a deep voice: "Persuade?"
Vivi looked at him, her gaze firm:
"The disaster in Alabasta was all caused by Crocodile! I must reveal the truth; I can't let people sacrifice themselves needlessly anymore!"
Zoro nodded: "Understood."
The scorching sun hung high, and the hot wind, laden with yellow sand, howled past Yuba—this once prosperous oasis city.
It was also the location of the rebel army, according to Vivi, but now it was just a silent ruin.
Houses had collapsed, and streets were covered in thick dust.
Occasionally, strong winds would sweep through, stirring up sand everywhere.
Vivi stood outside the city, looking at the scene of destruction caused by the sandstorm, her eyes filled with disbelieving shock.
Her voice trembled as she murmured: "How could this be... here... this was clearly an oasis..."
Zoro looked around, glancing at the collapsed houses and sand-filled streets, and said calmly:
"It's too terrible here; there's no difference from that ruined city we just saw."
Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, frowned, his tone carrying a hint of disbelief: "Young Miss Vivi, isn't this an oasis? How did it turn into this?"
Vivi lowered her head, sadness flashing in her eyes, her voice filled with helplessness: "The sandstorms caused the sand to accumulate, raising the ground level... the oasis was swallowed up like this..."
Everyone fell silent for a moment; they could feel the city's past glory and imagine the despair as it was gradually swallowed by the desert.
Just then, a figure appeared among the ruins.
It was an old man with white hair, laboriously wielding an old shovel, clearing the ruins in front of him.
The sunlight shone on his face, revealing deep wrinkles, his face weathered, but his eyes were still resolute.
Hearing footsteps, the old man stopped shoveling, slowly turned his head, revealing a weathered face, and smiled faintly, saying hoarsely:
"Are you travelers? The journey in the desert must be very tiring..."
His voice was gentle, as if he didn't consider the ruins before him to be anything out of the ordinary.
"I'm sorry, this city... it's a bit desolate now, but if you want to rest, you still can."
His tone was calm, even with a hint of humor, as if the dilapidated ruins before him were still the oasis city it once was.
Vivi stepped forward, looking at the old man with a complicated expression, her tone slightly urgent: "Excuse me... I heard that the rebel army is stationed here."
When the old man heard the words "rebel army," his expression immediately changed, his eyes instantly becoming wary, and he frowned: "What do you want with the rebel army?"
He scanned everyone, his expression vigilant, and said in a low voice: "You... you're not planning to join the rebel army, are you?"
He suddenly snorted coldly, shook his head, his tone full of dissatisfaction and anger: "Those fools left this city a long time ago."
"What?!"
Everyone exclaimed in unison, their faces full of shock.
The old man stood in the sandstorm and sighed, his voice old and helpless: "For three years, the sun has scorched the desert; the sand is terribly dry.
Sandstorms followed one after another, and the entire city was continuously buried. The former oasis... no longer exists."
He paused, then reached out and patted a half-buried broken wall next to him, his tone tinged with bitterness:
"Supplies couldn't get in, and merchant caravans detoured, making Yuba a dead place.
Of course, the rebel army couldn't fight a prolonged war either; a few months ago, they moved their base to Katorea."
"Katorea?" Vivi froze, frowning, clearly surprised by this news.
Luffy, next to her, tilted his head and asked directly: "Vivi, where's that? Is it far from here?"
Vivi snapped out of it, glanced at Luffy, and explained: "Katorea is an oasis near Lohara."
Hearing this, the old man suddenly paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone, seemingly processing some information he had just heard.
He frowned and slowly spoke: "Just now... what did you call her?"
His gaze locked onto Luffy, a hint of shock in his eyes: "You just... called her Vivi?"
The old man's face suddenly changed, and he hurried forward a few steps, staring at Vivi, his eyes showing an unbelievable light, his voice trembling:
"You are... Vivi? Right?"
Vivi was stunned for a moment, her gaze meeting the old man's, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity in her heart.
The old man looked at her excitedly, the wrinkles on his face trembling slightly due to his emotions, and he couldn't help but laugh: "That's great! You're still alive! That's great!"
He looked at Vivi, his eyes filled with unspeakable joy and excitement, and said with a smile:
"What? Don't recognize me? That's understandable, after all... I've lost a lot of weight compared to before."
Vivi stared blankly at the old man, then suddenly seemed to remember something, her eyes widened slightly, her mouth slightly agape, revealing a look of disbelief:
"You are... Uncle Toto!"