Chapter 49: Alabasta – Yuba Rescue & the Rebirth of an Oasis
The next morning, before dawn, everyone packed up and set off again while the sun was still down. Vivi and Nami rode on Eyelashes' back, guiding the way. They finally reached Yuba around noon.
Looking at the sky-darkening sandstorm not far away, Vivi's face paled in shock. "A sandstorm… Is Yuba's oasis being hit by sandstorms now too?"
This western Alabasta trade hub, once a lush oasis, had turned into this.
Zoro looked at the sand-covered city. "Isn't this the same as the Eruma town we passed earlier?"
"Isn't this supposed to be an oasis, Vivi?" Sanji looked left and right—it looked completely like an abandoned ruin.
Vivi stared at the scene. "There's too much sand—the ground level rose and swallowed the oasis!"
No cooking smoke. No market calls. Not even a single human voice.
Yuba, the legendary oasis, was now nothing more than a half-buried empty shell.
Wind carried sand grains across ruined houses, producing a mournful whine, as if lamenting this dead city.
Vivi stood frozen at the town entrance, trembling. "How… how could this happen…"
She rushed into the city, calling a familiar name. "Kosa! Where are you? Answer me!"
Only hollow echoes answered her.
At that moment, a faint digging sound came from the town center. Everyone followed it and saw a gaunt old man futilely shoveling sand in a dried-up riverbed with an iron spade.
Vivi hurried forward, her voice trembling with urgency: "Uncle, where is the rebel army now?"
The old man's spade suddenly stopped. His cloudy eyes sharpened instantly. "Why are you asking about that?" He violently threw a sand-filled wooden bucket toward them. "Are you trying to join those fools?"
The old man continued shoveling sand, voice low. "Those idiots left this city long ago."
"What?!"
"How could that be?!"
The old man kept digging. "Didn't you just see the sandstorm? But that's not recent. Three years ago, after constant sun exposure dried out the land, sandstorms started hitting here regularly. The oasis was gradually buried, turning into what you see now."
"Supplies no longer flow through this town. The rebels couldn't hold a prolonged battle here, so they moved their main base to Katleya."
"Katleya?!" Vivi's voice rose sharply.
"Vivi, where's that? Is it close?" Luffy scratched his head and leaned in.
"It's near Alubarna," Vivi answered Luffy.
"Wait—you just called her… Vivi?" The old man suddenly turned. His cloudy eyes locked onto the blue-haired girl.
Luffy immediately stepped in front. "Hey, old man—there's no 'Princess Vivi' here!"
"Idiot!!" Sanji and Usopp lunged at the same time to cover his mouth. The three tumbled into a heap.
The old man trembled as he approached. His twig-like fingers gently touched Vivi's shoulder. "It really is you… thank goodness…" His voice choked. "It's me… do you still recognize me?" He gave a bitter smile, touching his sunken cheeks. "I guess not… I've gotten so thin…"
"Uncle Toto!" Tears streamed down Vivi's face. She finally remembered who this man was. The round face from her memories overlapped with the wrinkled one before her. She covered her mouth, tears dripping onto the dry sand.
Toto patted Vivi's shoulder. "Vivi, I… I believe in the King. I believe he would never deceive this country!"
"Those rebels causing all this chaos are completely out of line. Vivi, you're the only one who can stop this now. Please—you have to stop them! They've been driven into a corner. They're preparing to make a final stand in the next attack—they're ready to die!"
After listening, Vivi took out a handkerchief and handed it to Toto. "Don't worry, Uncle—I will definitely stop the rebellion!" She gave him a reassuring smile.
Under the blazing noon sun, everyone followed Toto to a dilapidated inn to escape the heat. While Sanji was busy in the kitchen, he suddenly realized the Sol brothers were missing.
"Nami, have you seen Sol and the others?" Sanji poked his head out from the kitchen.
"Sol was just…" Nami looked around in surprise—they really were gone. "Weird—they were here just a minute ago."
Chopper raised a hoof: "I saw the three of them go out together!"
Nami stepped outside to search. As soon as she left the inn, she heard Sol and Luffy shouting in the distance. Suddenly, a massive water column shot skyward from the nearby riverbed, refracting rainbow light under the sun.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
"Rubber Rubber Rocket Cannon!"
It turned out Sol and Luffy had worked together near Toto's digging spot to blast open an underground river. Clear water gushed out, quickly forming a small fountain.
"Hehehe! Now the old man's town is saved!" Luffy laughed joyfully at the surging water.
Ace had appeared beside the water column at some point. He scooped up a handful and tasted it: "Mm—drinkable fresh water. Nice job, Luffy."
"You went to scout Blackbeard's trail earlier? Any sign?" Sol asked.
Ace shook his head: "Probably fake intel—likely one of Teach's smoke screens. I'll keep searching after we eat."
"Be careful of his Dark-Dark Fruit," Sol said gravely, recalling Blackbeard's abilities from the original story. "He can pull people toward him from a distance, and by touching ability users with his hand, he can temporarily nullify their powers regardless of type. But…"
"But what?"
"He can't turn intangible to avoid damage like other Logia users—instead he takes double the pain. You can use that to catch him off guard."
Ace nodded, not asking how Sol knew these details. Trust between brothers needed no extra explanation.
"Hey! What are you two whispering about? Let me hear!" Luffy suddenly stretched his neck between them.
"Nothing—we're done." Ace laughed and pushed his brother's head away, heading back toward the inn.
Sol waved at the approaching Nami. Luffy followed behind them like a tail, persistently shouting: "Come on! Tell me already!"
The fountain's spray fell onto the parched ground and was quickly absorbed by the thirsty sand. But the endless flow of water would eventually bring life back to this dead oasis.
At the table, Vivi excitedly grabbed Luffy's wrist: "So you two went to help Uncle Toto open the water source?"
Before Luffy could answer, Nami smiled and picked up the story: "I stepped outside and saw a water column shooting into the sky! By the time we finish eating, there should already be a small pond over there."
Toto trembled as he grasped Sol's hand. Tears welled in his cloudy eyes: "With this… Yuba will definitely be reborn… become that vibrant oasis again…" The old man choked up, unable to continue, but his rough palm conveyed the most sincere gratitude.
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