The Logia Brothers Chapter 31 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of The Logia Brothers! Arrival in Yuba! The Straw Hats meet someone and spend the night! The old man has a story to tell and information to pass on.

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So without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 31 – Yuba

The wind had begun to pick up a bit ago. The travelling pirates didn’t think much of it at first, too focused on dealing with the frigid cold of the nighttime desert. Chopper was now the one dragging Usopp behind his regular reindeer form on the sled that Zoro had carried him on most of the day. The chilly night air in the desert was reminiscent of Drum Island and its climate. The reindeer Doctor was in perfect form as he trotted along while letting Usopp rest from the trek through the desert.

“Is it just me or is the wind getting worse?” Sanji questioned as the wind wasn’t dying down at all. If anything the breeze had been gaining strength over time.

“We should be seeing Yuba shortly!” Vivi hollered back over the wind as they trekked over another sand dune.

“I hope so! This is almost like a sandstorm already!” Nami grimaced as she kept her face covered. The sand wouldn’t get in her mouth and nose that way.

“I think I have sand in my everything!” Usopp complained over the wind. The Gunman also had his face covered to make it easier to breathe in the sandy winds.

“We’re almost to the top of the dune, just keep going!” Zoro marched on against the gusts and swirling sands.

The group did indeed crest the dune in the next minute, but what they saw from atop the mountain of sand wasn’t encouraging. It was a rather large village, the architecture was a bit different from Erumalu, but it was clearly the town they were looking for. The buildings consisted of towers and various circular structures built upon square foundations. Posts seemed to stick out of most of the buildings and they all had large square windows or small circular ones. There were palm trees dotted all around the darkened village as well. The most notable thing though was the large swirling storm burying the village in sand.

“SANDSTORM!!!” Vivi cried out in both warning and dismay. “Yuba’s being hit by a sandstorm!”

“Shouldn’t we take cover?!” Mikita questioned from atop the luggage sled with the other two women.

“I’ll protect you Miki-darling!” Sanji had his heart-eye as he rushed forward.

“I’m really tired of sand…” Luffy grimaced as the Straw hats huddled up around the luggage sled he’d been pulling for the last half a day.

It took several more minutes before the sandstorm died down. Yuba was wind-blown, dry, and barren. Several of the dried out palm trees had snapped in the strong winds. Vivi felt her heart break even more as she saw the state of Yuba. It had once been a bountiful oasis as well, but now the small river that had once run through it was dry and filled with sand. There were many buildings damaged by the storm and some had been left in complete disrepair.

“This is terrible,” Zoro noted as the group looked around. “It’s almost as bad as Erumalu was.”

“Is this oasis dead too?” Sanji worried as he saw the piles of sand half-burying several buildings.

“The sand is accumulating,” Vivi’s saddened reply pulled at the hearts of her friends. “The desert is swallowing Yuba.”

“Who’s he?” Luffy pointed down into the sand-filled riverbed they were walking beside.

“Travelers?” The man guessed as he dug into the sand with a shovel. “You must be exhausted from your journey.” He dug out another shovelful of sand and tossed it aside. “I’m sorry, but Yuba is all dried up.” The man halted his digging to turn and face the pirates. He was an older man with a bushy, white mustache; his body was thin and weathered from a harsh life in the desert after three years of drought. “Feel free to stop here and rest. The city has many inns. We’re famous for our hospitality.”

Vivi covered her face a bit with her cloak to prevent the man from recognizing her, just in case. “Um…we heard that the rebels were here?”

“What do you want with the rebels?” The old man’s gaze hardened into a glare. “You don’t want to join them do you?!” The old man roared as he tossed whatever objects he could grab at the group.

“Hey, watch it!” Usopp cried out as the various objects flew at them.

“Those fools have left Yuba.” The old man went back to his digging in the sand.

“What?! That can’t be!” The group cried out in shock.

“This wasn’t the first sandstorm to hit Yuba.” The old man tossed another shovel of sand aside. “Three years ago, the land began to dry and the sands began to blow. The desert is at war with Yuba! And little by little, the oasis is losing ground.” The man tossed another heap of sand to the side. “When the city ran out of water, the rebels abandoned it. Katorea is their base now.”

“Katorea?!” Vivi exclaimed loudly.

“Wait…didn’t you say that was near Nanohana, Vivi?” Luffy questioned the princess. He vaguely remembered her mentioning it back in Erumalu.

“Doesn’t that mean we came all this way for nothing?!” Usopp’s jaw dropped in shock.

“Vivi?” The old man turned to look at the group again. “Did you just say ‘Vivi’?!”

“Oh crap…” Luffy muttered while everyone -except Vivi- stared at him for saying her name so loudly.

“Is it really you?” The old man approached her shakily. “Are you really princess Vivi?”

“I...um…” Vivi didn’t know what this man’s reaction would be to her.

“You’re alive!” The man gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “Thank goodness! Don’t you recognize me?” He asked with tears in the corners of his eyes. “I know I’ve lost a bit of weight since the last time we saw each other.”

In Vivi’s eyes the weathered old man was superimposed with some girth and a rounder face. She felt tears come to her eyes as she recognized the man. “Old Toh-Toh?”

“Toh-Toh?” Luffy tilted his head to the side at the unfamiliar name.

“That’s right!” Toh-Toh nodded to Vivi with a smile. Vivi covered her mouth at the state of the man she knew as a child. “Princess, I still believe in the King! He would never betray his people!” He collapsed to his knees before her and punched his fist into the sand. “The rebellion is idiocy! Those blasted rebels! Please! You must stop them! Only you can save us now!”

“Toh-Toh…” Vivi felt her heart break at the state the once joyful man had been reduced to.

“So it hasn’t rained in three years. What of it?!” Toh-Toh sat back in the sand with a huff. “I have faith in our King! So do most of his subjects!” The man’s tears began to run down his wrinkled cheeks. “So many times…I stopped them so many times. But it was hopeless. No matter what I said, I couldn’t talk them out of this rebellion. But now they’re exhausted as well.”

“No…” Vivi felt her stomach drop at Toh-Toh’s words.

“The next battle will decide everything. They’ve been driven into a corner!” Toh-Toh’s tears flowed heavily now. “They’re ready to die for their cause!” Vivi nearly dropped to her knees at those words. “Please, Princess Vivi…stop those fools.”

“Toh-Toh…” Vivi steeled herself as she handed the old man a handkerchief to dry his eyes. “Please don’t worry…”

“Vivi…” Toh-Toh looked up at the princess with hope.

“I’m going to stop the rebellion!” Vivi declared as she removed pulled back the hood of her cloak and let her long, blue locks get caught by the passing breeze. She projected as much confidence as she could with her smile to reassure the man that still believed in her father and their kingdom.

The rest of the Straw Hats looked on silently. They knew Vivi was ready to do anything to save her Kingdom. They gave her all of their silent support. The crew’s gazes were unwavering as they watched Vivi pull Toh-Toh to his feet.

In a short amount of time the group was led to an inn. The place had clearly been vacated in a hurry since it was still fully stocked with pillows, linens, and mattresses. While who slept where was being worked out, Luffy went back to Toh-Toh. The young Captain watched the old man dig for a while before he spoke up.

“You think there’s still water here?” Luffy asked Toh-Toh curiously.

“Sure there’s water…” Toh-Toh smiled as he threw aside another shovelful of sand. “Yuba oasis is still alive. Yuba will never surrender to the sands.” He tossed more sand out of the hole he was digging. “I’ll dig as long as it takes. The King himself entrusted this place to me!” He dug up another heap of sand and threw it aside.

“Mmm…alright then!” Luffy nodded before picking up a shovel that was leaning against a nearby building. “I’ll help you out!” With that the Lightning Man started digging. The monstrous strength that toppled enemies moved sand like a machine! In a very short time the hole Luffy was digging was already a few meters deep.

Toh-Toh could only smile at the young man’s help as he continued digging as well.

“Rock?” Luffy’s shovel bounced off a solid layer deep beneath the sand.

“Hmm?” Toh-Toh’s head leaned over the edge of Luffy’s deep hole. “That’s sandstone, Luffy, it’s a good sign.”

“It is?” Luffy looked up at the old man in confusion.

“Sandstone forms when sand is compacted together with water.” Toh-Toh explained to the pirate. “If you’ve hit sandstone, then that means that water exists in the area!”

“So the water is below here, huh?” Luffy grinned at the sandstone beneath his feet. He set his shovel against the wall of his hole and cracked his knuckles. With a Haki-infused punch the sandstone shattered like spun glass and was reduced back to sand. The ground rumbled slightly from the impact and Toh-Toh’s eyes couldn’t be any wider if he tried. “Back to digging!” Luffy declared and took up his shovel again. Several dozen more buckets full of sand were removed with help from Toh-Toh and a rope before Luffy felt his sandal-clad feet become wet.

“Luffy?!” Toh-Toh balked as the young man leapt straight upward out of the well he’d dug and landed on the sand beside him.

“Look!” Luffy’s wide grin made Toh-Toh curious as the Captain raised his foot. Both his foot and sandal were dripping with water.

“You struck water!” Toh-Toh exclaimed brightly as a smile formed on his face.

“Shishishishi!” Luffy laughed as he looked over the edge of his hole. “It started bubbling up from the sand and forming a pool at the bottom, so I jumped out.”

“A pool?” Toh-Toh looked like he couldn’t believe it. The old man dumped out the bucket on a rope they’d been using to move sand from Luffy’s hole. He quickly tossed the empty bucket down the hole and listened. Tears fell from his eyes when he heard a splash as the bucket reached the bottom. “You must have struck the top of the aquifer that feeds Yuba!” Toh-Toh quickly reeled the bucket back up, noting the weight, and cried out in joy when he saw the water within.

“What’re you crying for?” Luffy cocked his head to the side.

“This isn’t a mere hole anymore, Luffy.” Toh-Toh smiled up at the pirate. “It’s a well! One full of water! This proves that Yuba is alive to anyone that doubts it!”

The two men were quick to scoop out some of the cold water from the bucket and take a long, refreshing drink. Both sighed as their dry throats were soothed and their thirst sated. The two spent some time just looking up at the moon together before Luffy stood and headed for the inn that his crew was staying in for the night.

“We were about to go to sleep,” Nami told Luffy as her lover walked back into the abandoned inn. “Were you helping Toh-Toh dig?”

“Yep,” Luffy grinned happily. “We struck water and my hole became a new well.”

“You dug a new well?!” Vivi gasped in pleasant shock.

“Uh huh, Toh-Toh said we must’ve struck the top of the aquifer.” Luffy repeated what the old man had told him. “He says that Yuba is still alive.” He wasn’t expecting to suddenly be hugged by Vivi, but he returned the hug all the same.

“Thank you, Luffy.” Vivi buried her face into his chest as happy tears fell from her eyes. “Yuba means so much to Toh-Toh, to me, and to Alabasta…I can’t thank you enough!”

“It’s fine,” Luffy smiled as he rubbed her back. “The old man’s dream is to save Yuba. I just wanted to help him.”

“What is it with you and helping people with their Dreams?” Mikita chuckled as she walked over to place a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“Shishishishi!” Luffy chuckled as Vivi slowly left his arms.

“Time for bed!” Nami called out to everyone as she and Mikita wrapped their arms around Luffy’s and dragged him to a room separate from the large one that the men of the crew were sleeping in. Vivi took her own room as well and the group was asleep in short order.

-Rainbase ~ Beneath the Rain Dinners Casino-

The Officer Agents sat around a resplendent table in a fancily decorated room. They were waiting for the Boss to finally show himself and explain the operation to all of them. While they bickered among each other, Miss All Sunday slipped into the room unnoticed. The first to notice her approaching the table was Mr. 1.

“I guess it was too much to expect you all to get along.” Miss All Sunday shook her head with a grin. “But that’s fine, you don’t really need to, I suppose.”

“Where’s the Boss, Miss All Sunday?” Mr. 1 questioned the second-in-command of Baroque Works.

“Allow me to introduce him to you,” Miss All Sunday smiled at the assemble Agents. “Up until now I’ve acted as both his face and his mouthpiece to you all. But that is no longer necessary. The time has come…”

The chair at the head of the table (which had been facing away from them since they got here) made a sound as if someone had just dropped their full weight into it. Naturally all of the Officer Agents’ heads whipped around at the sudden noise. None of them had seen anyone else enter the room. There had been no footsteps at all on the marble floor. Whoever had sat down had done so without alerting anyone to their presence until they’d wanted to.

“Operation…Utopia,” Crocodile turned the ornate chair around to face the Agents. “This is Baroque Works ultimate plan.”

“Sir Crocodile?!” All of the gathered Agents jerked back from the Warlord of the Sea in shock. Not a single one of them had ever expected their Boss to be one of the Seven!

“I see you recognize him.” Miss All Sunday had an easy-going smile on her face. She was clearly amused by their collective reaction.

“Recognize him?!” Pola, aka Miss Doublefinger, burst out. “He’s one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!”

“That’s a big name that just showed up!” Miss Merry Christmas gawked at the infamous pirate.

“Don’t tell me were henchman to a pirate!” Mr. 2 exclaimed with a look of confusion on his face.

“You’re our Boss?” Mr. 1 questioned the Warlord flatly.

“Disappointed?” Crocodile questioned with his eyes slightly shadowed. His gaze was colder than the desert at night. Every Agent felt a chill go up their spines at that single look from the man.

“Not disappointed…” Miss Doublefinger spoke up for the group after a moment. “Just confused. Why would one of the Seven Warlords create an organization like this?”

“I’m not interested in money or status,” Crocodile lit up a cigar with a golden lighter inlaid with jewels. “What I want is military might.”

“Military might?” Mr. 1 raised an eyebrow at the pirate.

“I will now reveal to you my true aim…” Crocodile exhaled smoke into the air. “The ultimate goal of Baroque Works.” The Warlord then proceeded to tell them of his goal to seize the Ancient Weapon known as Pluton for himself. “The operation begins at seven in the morning, the day after tomorrow.”

“Right!” The Agents acknowledged in unison.

“You have your orders. Complete your tasks without fail.” Crocodile stared all of them down. “I pray for you success.” The underlying threat in those words was not lost on anyone in the room.

-Yuba ~ Morning-

“Vivi, I hope you’ll forgive me for the disgraceful state that Yuba is in right now.” Toh-Toh apologized to the princess.

“Don’t apologize,” Vivi shook her head and gave the old man a smile. “I know you’ll bring Yuba back to life! I believe in you, Toh-Toh!”

“Princess,” Toh-Toh looked on the verge of tears again at Vivi’s kind words and encouragement. “Please, I’ve prepared water for your continued trip!” He motioned towards the barrels that the Straw Hats had brought with them. “All filled to the brim with genuine Yuba water from the new well!”

“Alright!” Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy cheered at having their water refilled.

“We’ll be going now, Toh-Toh.” Vivi shared another smile with the man.

“I know you’ll stop this senseless rebellion, Princess Vivi.” Toh-Toh waved as the women climbed on top of the luggage sled and Luffy picked up the handles.

“Yes, I will, I promise!” Vivi waved as Luffy started walking forward and the group moved away from Yuba.

“We’re heading north to this Rainbase place, right?” Luffy questioned as Yuba became a smaller and smaller dot on the horizon.

“Yes,” Vivi explained their route that they’d decided on over breakfast. “With the rebels on the other side of the Sandora River in Katorea, we have no way to reach them before outright war breaks out according to Toh-Toh.” She clenched her fist at the thought of her people senselessly killing each other for Crocodile’s schemes. “So, instead of trying to get to Katorea, we’ll head straight for Crocodile at his Casino in Rainbase!”

“Rain Dinners, right?” Mikita asked her fellow, former Agent with a look.

“Yes, the largest casino in the city.” Vivi confirmed with a nod. “Crocodile set it up when he landed here in Alabasta just over three years ago.”

“Then we have our target.” Nami nodded sharply. “Usopp, did you finish that weapon we talked about, you’ve been working on it for a while.”

“Sure did,” Usopp grinned as he rummaged in the satchel at his waist. The Gunman pulled out three blue pipes and presented them to the Navigator. “I used the shock staff as a base for the power system, then I used heating elements in this one, this one has a really basic cooling unit, and then this one…” Nami listened on as Usopp explained his creation and couldn’t help the smile on her face. It was everything she’d asked for.

“How long did you say this trip was going to take?” Zoro questioned as they continued to walk through the desert.

“From here to Rainbase is almost a full day.” Vivi replied to the swordsman. “We should get there tomorrow morning if we keep up our pace.”

“You’re holding up better than yesterday, Chopper.” Sanji praised the reindeer.

“I’m toughing it out.” Chopper replied in his reindeer form as he walked. “I’m going to help Vivi!”

“Thank you, Chopper!” Vivi beamed at him. If Chopper had been in his usual hybrid form he’d have started doing his happy dance.

“This water is good.” Luffy slurped up some of the Yuba water that Toh-Toh had given them from the personal barrel he carried.

“Luffy…” Vivi called down to the man dragging the luggage sled, along with all of the women, through the desert. “I owe you more than I can say too. I’m not sure how I can possibly repay you for this.”

“Feed me.” Luffy looked over his shoulder with a smile.

“What?” Vivi blinked at the Captain.

“After I crush Crocodile’s face, feed me until I explode!” Luffy grinned widely at the bluenette.

“It’s a deal.” Vivi beamed at him with genuine happiness. “You have my word!”

-Alubarna Palace-

“Silence! I said ‘No’!” Nefertari Cobra declared from his throne. He was a man that stood at 182cm in height. He had a few wrinkles on his face, a tied-off beard, and long, curly, black hair. He normally wore a green robe with yellow edging, an orange and beige sash around his waist, and a purple coat. He also wears sandals and a necklace. All of which was made from the finest materials that Alabasta Kingdom produced. “They hit us, so you want to hit them back?! This isn’t some squabble between children!”

“But, your Majesty, the Kingdom is in peril!” Chaka, the acting Head of the Royal Guard, spoke up. Chaka was a tall, imposing, dark-skinned man with medium length black hair and a long broad nose resembling that of a jackal. He wore a long, light-green tunic, revealing his muscular chest, and had two belts around his waist. Around his neck he had a necklace consisting of large golden beads, and he wore a dark-green coat draped on his shoulders like a cape. He carried a massive sword, with a blue hilt and sheath, on his right hip.

“What of it?!” Cobra denied the man. “Are you suggesting we attack our own subjects without even knowing the cause of the unrest?!” He spread his arms wide as he spoke. “Then Alabasta would truly be lost! The people are the Kingdom!” Both of the Royal Guards standing before him bowed their heads at his words. “Ever since that Dance Powder incident, someone has been stirring the people towards rebellion. That is who we must fight!”

“But we have no idea who this person is!” Chaka responded to his King. “They hide in the shadows! We will be overthrown by them if we do not take the offensive! Sire!”

“No…” Cobra shook his head. “I cannot…” He would not attack his subjects. He wouldn’t be swayed in his desire to protect the people.

In the outer balcony off the throne room, Chaka and Pell spoke after being dismissed by the King.

“His Majesty refuses to allow us to attack. We can only fight defensively.” Pell spoke with a tone of worry. He was a tall man with a purple line under each eye that ran down the sides of his face, making him resemble a falcon. He wore a long white robe with brown star-like motifs on it and a matching hat. Underneath these robes, he was fairly muscular, and had two large, star-shaped scars on his torso. He wore a fairly large orange necklace around his neck, and also had striped socks under a pair of normal shoes. He carried his sword on his right hip, implying that he might be left-handed. “We can’t do anything…our soldiers grow restless.” The man sighed heavily. “If only Igaram was here.”

“Let it go, Pell.” Chaka turned to look over the Capital City from the balcony. “He would never betray the Kingdom. He has a plan…as does Princess Vivi.” He thought back to the simple note that had been left behind by the Head of the Royal Guard and the Princess almost three years ago.

“Well, he could’ve told us about it! Doesn’t he trust us?!” Pell questioned from his seat on the railing.

“Lord Chaka! Lord Pell!” A soldier ran up to the two men frantically. “Carue has returned!”

“What?!” Both members of the Royal Guard exclaimed before rushing after the man as he beckoned them to follow.

A short time later and both of the Royal Guards were staring at a letter from Vivi in shock. Cobra had his head in one of his hands as he thought of the implications of what he’d read. How could this be happening?

“Sire, this is…” Pell finally got his wits together after the shock of what the letter revealed.

“Yes, that’s Vivi’s handwriting, I’d never mistake it.” Cobra had some sweat running down his forehead and face. “This…is a terrible shock. Crocodile’s treated as a Government Official because of his place among the Seven Warlords. I’d never have suspected that he was behind all of this.”

“You did well to bring us this information, Carue.” Chaka praised the Super Sonic Duck. “Your wing is bandaged, are you injured?” He moved to inspect the wrapping but Carue waved him away with the opposite wing and a few quacks. He would not allow anyone to remove the sign of his fellowship with the Straw Hats.

“Chaka…at last we know our enemy.” Cobra looked out the window as he spoke. His voice was firm and strong. “Ready our armies to march at once! Vivi and Igaram’s three years of sacrifice will not be in vain! March onto Rainbase! Crocodile must be stopped!”

“Sire, Rainbase is too far away!” Pell tried to reason with his King. “The enemy may not even have any intention to fight us at all!”

“The hearts of the people are with Crocodile; forgive me Sire, but perhaps even more than they are with you.” Chaka explained to his King.

“If we march on Crocodile that could incite the rebels to action.” Pell brought up another point. “If the army is marching to Rainbase then Alubarna will be completely unprotected!”

“I don’t care if this palace is taken!” Cobra stated powerfully and both Royal Guards straightened up instinctively. “The people are the Kingdom! Until Crocodile is dealt with they will never be safe! If we fight the rebels we’ll be playing into Crocodile’s hands!”

“Your Majesty…” Pell was at a loss for words from the sheer dedication in Cobra’s words.

“You’re serious…” Chaka felt his heart beating in his chest.

“Even if there is only a small chance, we must take it! Crocodile must die!” Cobra had a thunderous expression on his face. It was the look of a King ready to go to war. “Chaka! Summon my Officers and devise a plan of attack! Pell, go on ahead and scout the enemy’s position!”

“But Sire,” Chaka worried for his King. “Your condition…you shouldn’t join this campaign!”

“While I can still move, I will fight for my people!” Cobra wouldn’t hear of any complaints. His sickness may have robbed him of the strength he’d had in his youth, but he was still the King! “We march at dawn! Send every last soldier to Rainbase!”

“Yes, Sire!” Chaka and Pell both kneeled and bowed their heads. Truly Nefertari Cobra was a King worth following. A Leader worth risking one’s very life for!

‘I pray that these friends that Vivi has brought to aid us can make a difference.’ Cobra thought to himself as Pell and Chaka left to fulfill their orders. He looked at the Wanted Poster that had initially been folded up with the letter. He had kept it from Pell and Chaka for now. ‘Monkey D. Luffy, with a Sixty Million Beri Bounty, will you be the one to turn the tide of this country’s future?’

-End Chapter-

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Luffy helps re-establish a water source in Yuba! The Straw Hats get full water barrels for their next trek across the desert! That should help speed things up a bit!

Crocodile begins his Operation Utopia!

Carue gets Vivi’s letter to the King and the truth is revealed! Now the Alabastan Army is preparing to march on their true enemy!

We’re heading for one hell of an Ass-Kicking Fiesta!

Lightning vs Sand!

What will be the outcome?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!