Summary:
After leaving Erumala, the straw pirates and Ace continue through the desert and face many dangers. Vivi and Nami explain what Dance Powder is and what it did to Arabasta.
The Straw Hats are on their way to Yuba. Luffy is tired and thirsty so the crew let him drink a mouthful of water but he fills his cheeks full so Nami hits him. During the night at their camp, Vivi starts talking to Ace about Luffy. Ace then tells Vivi that Luffy has always been like this since childhood and that he hasn’t changed one bit. He also tells her that he has always had charisma and makes friends with the people around him. Luffy finds an extremely poisonous scorpion in the morning, but mistakes it for a shrimp. When Vivi wakes up and sees Luffy holding the scorpion, she yells for him to leave it alone as the sting is extremely poisonous.
They continue their journey and Luffy suggests lunch as he is hungry. Vivi tells him that they are only a tenth of the way and Luffy makes up a proverb about food. He then tells Luffy that they can eat when they reach the other rocks and Luffy runs ahead. Later, Luffy invites the crew to play rock, paper, Hasami, and whoever wins gets to carry all the gear. He wins and starts wearing the gear, but then complains that it’s unfair since he won the game. Usopp notices more stones and after telling the crew, Luffy runs forward extremely fast. As they enter the rocks, a bird lands on one of them. He starts hearing noises so he gets further to the place, he sees a lot of birds on the ground and moans. He grabs one of them and tells him he’s going to get the doctor and rush to get Chopper.
The crew returns to the site only to find the birds missing and their belongings gone. Vivi explains that the Warusagi are bandit birds that use travelers to steal their belongings. The birds are in front of them, showing off the things they got from them. Luffy starts chasing the birds and Vivi tells him not to but he continues anyway. As he chases them, a bird falls and carnivorous plants begin to emerge from the sand. One of the plants eats Luffy, but he manages to break free. He then sees a camel being eaten by a plant and saves it after asking it for help. Then something big starts moving behind them. Ace apologizes for all the trouble his brother always brings, but the crew thinks it’s okay. Usopp spots Luffy in the distance speeding toward them on a camel. They wonder what’s chasing him until Vivi remembers that there are giant lizards waiting for their prey under the sand. Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy manage to defeat it, but another one appears behind Ace. The lizard is able to grab Ace in its mouth, but then it explodes with fire inside and Ace comes out. The Straw Hats eat the meat of a giant lizard and Nami names the camel Matsuge. The camel is then willing to carry her and Vivi across the desert. Everyone then continues on their way.