Summary:
Ace decides to travel with the Straw Hat Pirates for a while as he searches for the man known as Blackbeard. The group arrives first in the “Green City” of Erumal, only to find it abandoned in the desert. Vivi and Nami explain what Dance Powder is and what it did to Arabasta.
Citizens gather in front of Alubarna’s palace to see the king. The guards start to pressure them when Nefertari Cobra comes out and tells them that anyone who wants to talk to him can go in. He can’t solve their problems now, but he can hear them and empathize with them. He then tells the people that he will make the kingdom great again, even if it costs him his life. He then goes with Pello, wondering where and what Vivi is doing.
In Going Merry, Luffy and Usopp play with wet rice and Sanji beats them and tells them not to play with food. Then he says that if they have nothing to do, they can wash the dishes. He says he has to pack lunches and Ace tells him he can help but Sanji declines since Ace is a guest. Usopp and Luffy start washing the dishes, but Sanji scolds them for using mop water to wash the dishes. Zoro trains while Chopper feels the breeze created by his swings. Vivi asks Nami if they can stop because she has an important task for Karoo. They are outside the ship on the shore, and Vivi asks Karoo if she can deliver a letter for her father, even if he has to cross the desert alone. In this letter she wrote all the diagrams of baroque works. Karoo accepts and quickly leaves. Aboard the ship, Ace suggests to Zoro that Crocodile might have a deeper goal than usurping the throne.
Crocodile lights up a cigar and talks about his views on Arabasta, the kingdom of sand, when Miss All Sunday starts walking towards him. He then informs Crocodile that the Billions of ships that were in the port city of Nanohana were all destroyed by a single person and that they are confirming the information as he speaks. Crocodile tells Miss All Sunday that they have more volunteers in the billions, but if anyone tries to get in his way, she should crush them. Miss All Sunday replies that she has already sent the Erimaki Runners to contact the others.
The Straw Hats arrive in the desert and Chopper comments that he bet it’s going to be hot. Nami replies that it is over 50°C in the desert. Sanji sees that Nami and Vivi are now fully clothed and is annoyed that they changed. Vivi tells him that any exposed skin in the desert will cause sunburn. Sanji then starts rolling on the deck as the second head to leave the ship. Zoro is about to drop anchor when he sees figures in the water. The Kung-Fu Dugongs come out of the water and Luffy thinks they are seals, but Vivi yells what they are. Usopp tries to fight one of them but is defeated. Luffy defeats one, but Vivi explains that if you win, they will become your disciples. Luffy starts training with them and they then want to follow him, but Vivi tells him that they can’t cross the desert. Chopper comes up with the idea of giving them food to stay ashore. When he pulls out a piece of meat, all the Kung-Fu Dugongs take over Chopper. Afterwards, the Kung-Fu Dugongs drum their goodbyes and Sanji gets pissed because Luffy just reduced the Straw Hats supply. The pirates arrive in Erumal. Vivi explains how it used to be known and why it is now a ghost town. Dance powder was used for rain in Alubarna and people called it a royal miracle. A load of powder was then sent as if the king had ordered it, making it appear that the king was causing a drought in the surrounding towns. Luffy gets angry and destroys the building with his fist, then tells Vivi that he wants to complete their mission. They all then head towards Yuba.