Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Alabasta, an ancient and powerful kingdom, now stood on the brink of collapse.
A rebellion of over 100,000 soldiers was gradually turning its gaze toward the capital of Alabasta.
All that was needed was a single spark, and war would break out at any moment.
To prevent this disaster, Vivi and the Straw Hat Pirates traversed the scorching desert, determined to reach the rebel army's base as quickly as possible.
Days passed as they journeyed.
While food supplies had been depleted, they managed to sustain themselves by hunting desert creatures.
However, fresh water was another matter—once consumed, it was nearly impossible to replenish in the vast desert.
Despite Vivi's careful planning, drawing from her extensive experience traveling through deserts, there was one unpredictable factor she couldn't account for—a certain hyperactive young man named Luffy.
With roughly two days left before reaching the rebel base, their water supply had been entirely exhausted.
"I need water... I need water..."
Under the blazing sun, Luffy stuck out his tongue, weakly chanting his complaint.
"Shut up."
Nami shot him an irritated glance.
"I need water... I need water..."
Luffy ignored her warning and continued whining.
A vein bulged on Nami's forehead in frustration.
Meanwhile, Vivi lowered her head, biting her thumb in guilt. "It's all my fault. I should have packed more water... I wasn't thorough enough in my preparations."
"Yeah, there's no water left. It's all your fault, Vivi."
Luffy sighed, shaking his head dramatically before casually picking his nose.
Vivi's guilt deepened.
The others, however, glared at Luffy with murderous intent.
"You're the one who drank the most water!"
"Everyone else took small sips, but you? You chugged an entire barrel at once!"
"Idiot! If you hadn't poured our last supply over that dried-up toad, we wouldn't be dying of thirst right now!"
With the exception of Vivi and Bartolomeo, everyone abandoned their efforts to conserve energy and lunged at Luffy, delivering a merciless beatdown.
A dust cloud rose as fists and feet rained down on him.
Despite the commotion, each kick and punch landed solidly.
"I... was... saving the toad... and... it came back to life... after drinking the water..."
Luffy's feeble protest was quickly drowned out by the relentless pummeling.
Moments later, Luffy sat there, his face swollen and bruised.
The others, however, were now even more exhausted than before.
Only Vivi, accustomed to the harsh desert, and Bartolomeo, who hadn't exerted much energy, remained in decent condition.
"Senpai! There's a rock mountain up ahead!"
Bartolomeo, his sharp eyes scanning the distance, spotted a cluster of rocky hills.
Everyone's spirits lifted.
Where there were rocks, there was shade. And if they were lucky, maybe even a water source.
"Let's rest there for a while."
Vivi, acting as the guide, made the call.
The moment she spoke, Luffy bolted ahead.
"Break time!"
He yelled as he sprinted off.
The crew watched in stunned silence as Luffy, who had been on the verge of death just moments ago, ran faster than a rabbit.
This was their captain...
Ten minutes later.
The Straw Hats entered the rocky terrain.
Towering red cliffs flanked both sides, forming a narrow valley while blocking some of the sun's harsh rays.
"Ahh... so cool..."
The crew sprawled across the shaded areas, visibly relieved.
Vivi, however, stood up, glancing at the surrounding red rock formations. "I'm going to look around and see if there's any water nearby."
"I'll go with you."
Zoro, who had just sat down, got up.
Sanji immediately stepped in front of him, hands in his pockets, smirking. "Don't overdo it, moss-head. Just lie down and regain your strength."
Then, turning toward Vivi, his eyes sparkled with adoration. "Princess Vivi, allow me to escort you! If we run into a 30-meter-long giant lizard, I'll protect you!"
"Sanji, where in the world would you find a 30-meter-long giant lizard in a place like this?"
Usopp scoffed, rolling his eyes.
The moment the words left his mouth, a thunderous thudding echoed from the other end of the valley.
Everyone turned toward the sound, their expressions stiffening.
A massive, purple-blue lizard with an enormous mouth was charging toward them, kicking up a storm of dust.
"There's actually a 30-meter-long giant lizard?!"
The crew was stunned.
Bartolomeo immediately crossed his fingers, ready to summon his Barrier ability for protection.
"That's food!"
Luffy suddenly sprang up, his eyes glowing with excitement as he locked onto the lizard.
Just as the crew prepared to take down their next meal, the ground trembled violently beneath them.
"An earthquake?!"
They were caught off guard.
The trembling intensified.
From the towering cliffs on either side, a deep rumbling echoed—like the sound of massive stones grinding against each other.
The noise grew louder.
Before their eyes, the red rock formations shifted, as though molded like clay, slowly transforming into a colossal, crimson hand.
"What in the—?!"
The Straw Hats were stunned.
"A Devil Fruit user? Is it one of Crocodile's men?!"
Recovering from their shock, the crew quickly assumed battle stances.
The massive stone hand descended with force, slamming down on the giant lizard.
Boom!
The ground shook violently once more.
Moments later, the hand lifted, revealing a pool of blood dripping from its palm.
The once-mighty lizard had been crushed into a gruesome mess.
A chill ran down the crew's spines.
"I've been waiting for you, Straw Hat Pirates!"
A sharp, piercing voice rang out from within the enormous stone hand.
It was none other than Pica, the top executive of the Donquixote Family and the wielder of the Ishi Ishi no Mi—the Stone-Stone Fruit.
As his words fell, the towering rock formations on both sides rumbled loudly, rapidly converging and taking shape. Before long, they formed an enormous, humanoid rock giant.
Sensing danger, Luffy and the others had no time to mock the shrillness of the voice. They immediately leaped back to avoid whatever was coming next.
Then, looking up, they were met with the shocking sight of a colossal, towering rock giant, composed entirely of red stone, stretching hundreds of meters into the sky.
"What the hell is that?!"
The Straw Hat Pirates, who had only recently entered the Grand Line, had never encountered a monster of this magnitude before.
Even Luffy, usually oblivious to fear, couldn't hide his astonishment.
"Which one of you is Usopp?"
From within the rock titan, Pica's unmistakably high-pitched voice rang out once more.
Without hesitation, the crew collectively pointed at Usopp.
"Hey! What kind of friends do that?!"
Usopp's eyes widened in disbelief as he turned to his so-called comrades.
Zoro nonchalantly added, "Looks like they're after you again, Usopp."
"…"
Usopp was speechless.
"Yeah, it's an exact match with the wanted poster."
Perhaps due to the sheer size of his rock form, Pica took a moment to confirm Usopp's identity before raising his massive stone arm without hesitation.
The enormous rock palm came crashing down toward the Straw Hat Pirates, sending fierce gusts of wind surging along its edges as it descended.
"Somebody stop him, quick!"
Nami screamed as the overwhelming shadow loomed over them.
"How the hell are we supposed to stop that?!" Usopp yelled.
"I got this!"
The ever-spirited Bartolomeo dashed forward heroically—only to trip over a stray rock and fall flat on his face.
"Bartolomeo…"
"Can you stop messing up at crucial moments?!"
"We're screwed."
Despair filled Nami's face as the massive stone hand came crashing down.
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