Yukiko was up on deck watching the waves with Pachi with a smile.

"Never thought that we'd be sailing with pirates to end up helping a princess rescue her country. Huh, Pachi?"

"PA, chu." Pachi sighed in contentment.

Unknown to them, Luffy was Yukiko then hid as she looked back.

Luffy had some red on his cheeks, as he was thinking over the 'talk' he just had with Ace.

Though he remembered what Ace said.

'Bro, if you really want to be with this girl, ya gotta let her know soon. Otherwise other guys will be interested.'

Luffy got ticked at that remark, but he knew Ace was right. Yukiko is very pretty and she doesn't need the makeup that Nami would wear sometimes. Plus she's smart, a good cook, has amazing Pokémon, she's very talented, helpful, resourceful, tactful and nice.

Any guy would want her as a girlfriend.

Well, maybe when he finds the right time, he'll tell her.

But first, he'll stay by her side.
--------------

Docking at Erumalu definitely got off to a rocky start. Just before the crew dropped anchor, they had last minute preparations, but those preparations weren't appreciated by everyone…

"Ahhh! Nami! What happened to your dancer outfit?!" Sanji cried as Nami came down wearing a full body robe. Sanji was dismayed even further when he spotted Vivi and Yukiko wearing the same thing. "Vivi, you too!" he exclaims. "Why are you wearing that?! And Yukiko, why aren't you wearing the outfit I got you?!"

"Because any exposed skin will get sunburned." Vivi explains. "You have to cover up in the desert."

"Besides, wearing hot baggy clothes beats skin cancer any day." Yukiko added as she helped Pachi get a robe on.

Unfortunately, Sanji still doesn't agree. "But those outfits...were so sexy…" Sanji whined as he rolls on the ground like a burrito.

Luffy at first wondered what she would look like with that outfit on, but thought Sanji would get in the way.

After dropping anchor, Luffy, Pachi, and Yukiko went ahead and leap onto the shore, only to sense movement under the water. Suddenly, a bunch of weird seal-turtle hybrids, leap onto the shore and block the path. "Those are Kung Fu Dugongs!" Vivi exclaims.

"Huh?" Yukiko asked.

One that seems a bit bigger than the others comes right up to Luffy and Yukiko. Chopper comes up to the railing and translates what he's saying, "If you want to come ashore you have to beat me; but I doubt that'll happen you coward!"

"Be careful!" Vivi warns from the ship. "Kung Fu Dugongs are really strong!"

As if to prove her statement, the leader rushes forwards to give Yukiko a hard punch to the face. But Luffy intercepts. "Back off you jerk!" He said as he punched the Dugong out cold.

"Ha! They're not so tough!" Luffy laughs.

"Beating them is bad too!" Vivi exclaims.

"What?" Yukiko asked.

The Dugong gets up and bows to Luffy; then all the Dugongs look at him with large eyes, glittering with admiration.

After making a deal with them, they head off.

They walk for a good while until the group stumble across what looks like the remains of a town. "Is this Yuba?" Luffy asks.

"No, this is Erumalu, also known as The City of Green." Vivi answers, sadness coming to her voice.

Vivi explains how the people here made use of what little rain they got and actually managed to make gardens, palm trees, and lots of other plant life grow, hence the name. However, rain hasn't fallen in Alabasta for over three years now; and with all the damage Baroque Works has been doing all this time. Even though rain was scarce, it fell in Alabarna, the country's capital more than most; the King's Miracle, they called it. However, everything went downhill when the people discovered that the King was supposedly being delivered massive amounts of Dance Powder.

"Really? Dance Powder?" Nami asks.

"Oh, you've heard of it?" Luffy asks.

Nami nods, "Yeah, it was supposedly developed by a researcher in a country where it never rained; it basically gives you the ability to make rain right on the spot when it's burned."

"Hold on." Usopp says, halting the conversation, "Wouldn't stuff like that be perfect for a desert country like this?"

"You would think so," Nami says. "As the name suggests, the people who developed it were happy enough to dance; but the catch was that their neighboring country had a drought."

Nami explains that Dance Powder artificially makes small clouds into rain clouds. Those clouds would've become rain clouds, but only after they had traveled for a while. So the stuff basically steals the rain that was supposed to be heading for another area.

"So thats why the stuff is illegal. Tampering with Nature always has consequenses." Yukiko said beginning to think the king was being framed.

Then a loud gust of wind rushes through the area with a low moaning sound is heard throughout the air. "There's no danger." Ace said. "It's just wind blowing and echoing off all the old buildings."

"It's like...the city is wailing over what's happened to it." Vivi says.

Yukiko did not like any of this. It made her sad to think people are suffering and declaring war over such a simple thing as the others find the remains of a poor soul and give him a proper burial.

Luffy spotted Yukiko's expression and didn't like it when she was upset.

He pat Yukiko's shoulder to give a silent message. That this Crocodile guy will pay.
---------
Normally, Vivi would expect a long trek from across the desert.

But Yukiko had an idea.

"Alright guys, come on out!" Yukiko said as Melborne, Mystic, Koraidon, and Relica came out, ready for action.

"Whoa! Cool!" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper said.

Cue Sparks.

"Flygon the Mystic Pokémon
Flygon whips up a sandstorm by flapping its wings. The wings create a series of notes that sound like singing. Because the “singing” is the only thing that can be heard in a sandstorm, this Pokémon is said to be the desert spirit.

Koraidon the Ancient King Paradox Pokemon
The ecology and other data about this Pokémon are unknown. It was named Koraidon by the professor who discovered it. It has similar characteristics to a creature described in an old book as the Winged King.

Aerodactyl the Fossil Pokémon
AERODACTYL is a POKéMON from the age of dinosaurs. It was regenerated from genetic material extracted from amber. It is imagined to have been the king of the skies in ancient times and goes for the enemy’s throat with its serrated, sawlike fangs.

Roaring Moon An Ancient Paradox Pokemon
It is possible that this is the creature listed as Roaring Moon in an expedition journal that still holds many mysteries. It's been believed that Salamence once looked like this Pokémon in the past."

Ace whistled at the info. "Luffy wasn't lying when he said your Pokémon are interesting."

"Thanks. And don't worry. They are all adapted to travel long distances. Especially in the desert. Now, let's mount up. Vivi, you know where Yuba is so lead the way." Yukiko said as Luffy, Pachi and Chopper mounted Koraidon with her.

Zoro and Usopp got onto Melbourne, Vivi and Nami chose to ride on Mystic, to Sanji's dismay of not riding with them, settling him and Ace with Relica.

"Alright, let's go!" Vivi said having Mystic fly.

"Koraidon, glide mode!" Yukiko said.

Koraidon nodded as they took to the air and flew off along with the others.

"Wow! I can't believe it, we are really flying on dragons!" Chopper said as they moved at an incredible speed.

"Yeah! Crocodile's gonna be sorry he messed with us! He won't know what hit him!" Usopp shouted.

"Let's go! To Yuba!" Luffy shouted.
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