The Green City, Elumalu

A large, desert-dwelling turtle wearing a hat and a saddle is pulling a covered carriage across the sandy landscape. A text box identifies the creature as "Baroque Works Transport-Turtle for Officer Agents 'Banchi'". Sound effects "DO DO DO DO" and "UII" accompany its heavy footsteps. Inside the shaded carriage, Crocodile sits comfortably, smoking a cigar. Across from him sits a woman with voluminous curly hair, wearing a revealing top. A voice says, "They should be heading here to Rainbase right about now..." and "I sent Banchi to pick them up so they should arrive here by... Early morning tomorrow." Crocodile remarks to the woman, "I never would've imagined you'd be Ms. Double-Finger, Paula!" The woman, Paula, smiles and replies, "Haha... Well, I never said I 'wasn't,' did I?" Mr. 2 Bon Clay is also visible sitting in the carriage next to Paula. The turtle continues its steady march across the desert dunes.

Crocodile continues speaking from inside the carriage. "How are you sending out my orders to the billions stationed at Nanohana?" he asks. "I figured waiting for the Unluckies to come back would delay our schedule, So I went with something else." The scene shifts to show several frilled lizards running rapidly across the desert, each carrying a rolled-up scroll in its mouth. A text box introduces them as "Baroque Works Immediate Delivery Service 'Muffler Runners'". Sound effects "DO TA DO TA DO TA DO TA" and their cries of "EH!" fill the air as they sprint. A voice explains, "I sent out the orders using the 'Muffler Runners'..." Crocodile takes a drag from his cigar, exhaling smoke, and says, "I see... Then everything is progressing on time as planned..." The lizards continue their fast-paced journey across the sandy dunes, kicking up dust behind them.

Luffy stands with his hand shielding his eyes from the bright sun, a wide, excited grin on his face. He wears a desert cloak wrapped around his head and shoulders over his usual clothes. A text box notes the time: "Earlier that day during noon". Luffy cheers enthusiastically, "Alright! We're here at Yuba!" The view expands to reveal a sprawling, desolate city of domed buildings and minarets, completely ruined and half-buried in the sand. The wind howls through the empty streets with a "HYUUUUU..." sound effect, emphasizing the emptiness. Luffy stands before the dilapidated structures, his excitement fading into disappointment as he takes in the sight. "Wow..." he says, looking at the barren landscape. "This place is the dumps!"

The Straw Hat crew stands near the banks of a river, their ship docked nearby. Vivi is looking at a map while Luffy, eager to move, says, "Now let's go look for this leader! Where is he again?" Vivi corrects him, "Actually Luffy, this isn't Yuba. We still have to walk Northwest across the desert for half a day." Usopp reacts with shock, "HALF A DAY!?" A close-up of the map shows their route, with text boxes labeling "Destination YUBA-OASIS", "Present Location ELUMALU", "SANDORA", "KATOREA", and "Port Town Nanohana". Vivi points to the map and explains, "Here, look at the map. We just crossed the Sandora River and docked here at the green city, Elumalu." Vivi looks down with a somber expression, adding, "...Nowadays, yes..." Luffy looks around in confusion, his face scrunched up. "The green city? But there isn't anything green out here..."

Suddenly, a creature bursts from the water with a "ZAPAA" sound effect. It looks like a seal with a turtle shell on its back. Usopp points in alarm, "WHOA! WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!? A TURTLE? OR A SEAL!?" The creature cries "KUOO!" Vivi identifies it: "That's a Kung-Fu Dugong!" Luffy is intrigued, "Kung fu?" Vivi urgently warns, "NO, USOPP! DON'T GET CLOSE TO IT!" In the next panel, Usopp is shown battered and bruised on the ground, smoke rising from his head after a swift defeat. The Dugong stands proudly with its arms crossed. Sanji observes, "They're very strong." Usopp groans, "UGHH..." The Dugong scoffs, "Pathetic." Luffy steps up, cracking his knuckles. "We got a winner over here." Vivi yells, "DON'T BEAT THEM EITHER! It's their custom for the loser to become the victor's disciple." Zoro smirks, "A very martial species, huh."

Luffy has apparently defeated the Dugong, and now a massive flock of them are bowing to him in reverence. The lead Dugong cries "KUOO!" Luffy, taking his new role seriously, instructs them, "No, your stance should be more like this!" Usopp yells, "HOW MANY DISCIPLES DO YOU HAVE ALREADY?" The crew begins to walk away, with Chopper carrying a large barrel on his back. Luffy says, "Alright, let's go to Yuba then!" Usopp complains, "We lost a lot of our food supplies because of you!" Sanji adds, "What would you have done if it weren't for Chopper!?" Luffy defends himself, "They kept saying they'd accompany us so I had no choice but to convince them with some food." Vivi looks back and asks, "Then I'd just bring them along. What's the problem?" Usopp retorts, "How on earth do you expect to walk into any city if we have a huge flock of dugongs with us? Learn some sense!" Sanji notes, "In any case, it's quite odd to see dugongs living in the river, Vivi." Vivi replies, "No, they live in the sea."

Vivi explains the ecological changes affecting the area. A diagram shows seawater pushing up into the riverbed. "For ages past, Sandora River has nourished the lands of Alabasta," she says. "But in recent years, The river has lost its vigour and is now being driven inland by the ocean." Zoro understands the implication, "So then the mouth of the river where the Dugongs were... Yes, it's actually seawater. You can't use it to irrigate the lands around here." He asks, "Is that why this town dried up?" A wide shot shows the ruined, sandy streets of Elumalu. Vivi clarifies, "...No, not quite. This town has managed to get by, Via storing the occasional rainwater. Even just a few years ago, this place was still a lively town full of plant life." A skeletal figure is seen half-buried in the sand in the foreground. Luffy asks, "Really?"

Chopper and Luffy examine a human skull found in the sand. Vivi continues her grim tale. "Yes, but then... Starting 3 years ago, our country has been suffering from a severe drought. A drought so severe that no place in Alabasta has received a single drop of rain ever since..." Chopper points out, "But that port town we visited earlier seemed to be doing fine." Vivi explains, "Nanohana's a special case, as it receives its water from the neighbouring oasis town Katorea." Vivi's expression hardens. "This country's been through droughts before but to receive not a single drop of rain was unheard of in the several thousand years of our history. However, there was one place in Alabasta that somehow still received rainfall, and in higher amounts than it would normally get. That place is Alubarna, The capital city of Alabasta where the King resides." The scene shows a ruined building with a hangman's noose dangling from a wooden beam. "For a while, the people thought of it as the King's miracle. But that all changed after a certain incident..."

A flashback begins, labeled "2 years ago" at "Port Town Nanohana". A large merchant ship is docked at the bustling port. A voice commands, "UNLOAD THE SUPPLIES!" Workers are shown pulling a heavy wooden cart loaded with a massive, tied-up sack. The cart rumbles along the stone streets with "GARA GARA" sound effects. Suddenly, the cart hits a bump or loses balance. The massive sack begins to tip over. Panic erupts among the workers and bystanders. "AHH! WATCH OUT!" someone yells. "IT'S GONNA FALL OVER!" another cries. "GET OUTTA THE WAY!" The sack crashes to the ground with a loud "DOSHAAAN!!" and a "CRACK!"

The massive sack has burst open upon impact, spilling a huge mound of fine green powder across the street. People gather around, coughing and checking on each other amidst the dust. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" "IS ANYONE INJURED?" A man inspects the spilled substance and panics. "OH CRAP! THIS IS BAD! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GET THIS DELIVERED TO THE KING AT ALUBARNA...!" Another person asks, "...What is this anyways? Wait, this green powder is...!?" Realizing the danger, the workers who were transporting the cart start to sweat and back away. "UHH... WELL, THAT'S, UHH... W-WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" one stammers. "WE WERE ONLY FOLLOWING THE KING'S ORDERS... ORDERS TO DELIVER THIS THING, WHATEVER IT IS! THAT'S ALL WE KNOW!" They turn and flee, shouting, "R- RUN FOR IT, GUYS!"

A man in the flashback scoops up a handful of the green powder, letting it sift through his fingers. He recognizes it with horror. "This is... Dance Powder...!" In the present, Vivi's eyes are wide with lingering shock as she recalls the event. "WHAT!?" Luffy and Nami listen intently. Luffy asks, "They were delivering dance powder...!?" Nami confirms, "Yes..." Luffy turns to her, "Huh? You know what that is, Nami?" Nami looks serious as she explains the substance's reputation. "It's commonly known by its nickname, 'The powder that calls forth rain.'"

Nami continues her explanation to the crew. "A powder that calls rain? It was invented in some country where rain was very rare. What it does is stimulate the formation of ice particles in clouds at sub-freezing temperatures to later have it released as rain. If you send it up to the atmosphere as a mist of powder," Luffy grasps the concept, "In short, it's a powder that artificially makes rain." Nami nods, "That's what dance powder is." Luffy smiles, "Ohhh, I get it. So it's a 'magic powder,' eh? So you're saying it makes rain fall." Usopp chimes in, "Hm? Wait, if that's the case, isn't that exactly what your country needs right now?" Nami replies grimly, "That's what anyone would think at first. As the name 'dance powder' implies, The people first danced with joy when it was invented in their country... But behind the blessing it calls forth lies a great pitfall..."

Nami holds up a finger to emphasize her point. "And that pitfall is a drought in lands leeward! Can you understand what I'm getting at?" A diagram illustrates her explanation, showing Dance Powder being sent into clouds, causing them to rain prematurely before reaching their natural destination. "Dance Powder is something that artificially stimulates premature rain clouds, To make them rain much earlier then they should, thereby..." Usopp realizes the implication, "Ohhh, I get it! The rain clouds that normally drift leewards would now rain much sooner, so it'd be like stealing rain from your neighbouring countries!" Nami confirms, "Exactly... Once people realized that, Wars were started and countless of lives have been lost... And that's why the World Government has officially banned producing or owning Dance Powder. So it's a powder that can be both a blessing or a tragedy, depending on how you use it..."

Vivi looks down, her face shadowed by the memory. "Once that huge amount of dance powder was uncovered at the port of Nanohana, The entire nation finally realized, The truth behind the capital's abnormally abundant rainfall... I guess it's only expected, That the people would suspect the king, after an incident like that..." Luffy reacts with typical outrage, yelling at Vivi, "HOLY CRAP, VIVI! YOUR DAD IS EVIL!" Sanji immediately kicks Luffy in the head, shouting, "YOU IDIOT! HE WAS OBVIOUSLY SET-UP! THERE'S NO WAY HE'D ACTUALLY DO SUCH A THING!" Nami adds thoughtfully, "Thinking about it now, Crocodile's plans must have already been well under way back then..." The crew walks past more ruins, including the hanging noose. Vivi continues, "My innocent father was completely dumbfounded by the incident, But the fact remained that a large amount of Dance Powder had been somehow delivered to the Royal Palace."

A flashback panel shows chaotic silhouettes of people fighting with swords and pitchforks amidst flames. Vivi narrates, "It was all a trap laid out by Crocodile... And just as he intended, a rebellion arose! The start of a bloody conflict between the angry citizens who had lost their homes to the drought, and the innocent government...!" In the present, Vivi clutches her head, tears streaming down her face as she screams in anguish. "The country's peace, its trust in the King, the rain, People's homes and even their lives... All of it were stripped away because of one man! BECAUSE OF CROCODILE! WHAT GIVES HIM THE RIGHT TO DO SUCH A THING!?" The ruined city of Elumalu stands silently around them. Close-up panels show Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji listening to her painful outburst, their expressions hardening with resolve.

A tight close-up on Vivi's face shows her gritting her teeth, tears flowing freely as she makes a fierce vow. "I WILL... NEVER FORGIVE THAT MAN!" The crew stands quietly behind her, taking in her determination. Zoro mutters, "Hmph... Bunch of kids..." The group then resumes their trek across the desolate, sandy landscape, leaving the ruins of Elumalu behind them.

The crew walks in silence across the dunes. Suddenly, Nami and Vivi stop, looking surprised. "Hey," Nami says. "Just what're you guys thi-" The final panel shows a close-up of Luffy. He has pulled his cloak tight and is punching his palm with a determined, serious expression. "Let's hurry up and get a move on," he says firmly. "My fists are getting antsy."

No description for this page.