The next morning, almost everyone woke up more rested and ready to head to Katorea, but before leaving, they went to say goodbye to Toto.
'This is terrible, I couldn't sleep at all,' thought Oliver, a bit tired.
"Luffy-kun, take this," said Toto, handing him a small barrel of water.
"It's water!" said Luffy with a wide smile, happy to have water.
"Water!" said Usopp, just as thrilled.
"Did some come out?" Luffy asked.
"Last night, after you fell asleep digging and after I got some rest, I reached a layer of damp sand. The water you have is the moisture I was able to extract from there," Toto explained.
"That sounds really complicated, but I appreciate it. I'll drink it carefully!" Luffy thanked him, holding the small barrel with care.
"It's genuine Yuba water! I'm sorry I can only give you that much..."
With that, the crew headed toward Katorea. Usopp wanted to drink some of the water, but Luffy wouldn't let him, while Vivi said goodbye to Toto, who waved her off.
The crew continued their journey, but suddenly, Luffy stopped, sitting down on the sand and leaning his back against a dead tree, causing everyone else to stop as well.
"Luffy! What are you doing?!" Usopp scolded him angrily, to which Luffy just grumbled in annoyance.
"Luffy?" asked Nami, confused.
"What's wrong, Luffy-san?" asked Vivi, worried.
"I quit," Luffy said calmly.
"HUH?!" everyone shouted in confusion.
"What do you mean you quit?" Nami asked.
"Luffy-san, what do you mean by that?" Vivi asked, also confused.
"Come on, Luffy! We don't have time for your tantrums! Get up!"
"Aren't we going back?" Chopper asked, unsure.
"That's right. If we don't go back the way we came and stop the rebellion, a million citizens will clash, and the situation will be horrible! This is for Vivi-chan! Let's go," Sanji said, trying to talk sense into him as he walked toward Luffy and grabbed his collar to lift him up, but Luffy threw him aside.
"It's boring," Luffy said stubbornly, which enraged Sanji.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Sanji shouted furiously.
"Vivi," Luffy said.
"Yes?" Vivi replied.
"I want to beat the crap out of Crocodile! Will stopping the people's rebellion stop Crocodile? There's nothing we can do in Katorea. We're pirates. It's better if we don't get involved," Luffy said seriously, surprising most of the crew.
"Sometimes he hits the mark without even trying..." Sanji commented.
"That's Luffy for you," said Usopp.
"T-That's..." Vivi tried to speak but no words came out.
"You don't want anyone to die in this war. Not your people, not us, no one. But even if we're going up against one of the Shichibukai, and a million people get involved, do you really expect everyone to make it out alive? Don't you think that's a bit naive?" Luffy asked seriously, making Vivi tremble and bite her lower lip.
"Hey, Luffy! Think about how Vivi feels!" Nami said, scolding him for being so insensitive.
"Wait, Nami-san," Sanji stopped her.
"But..." Nami muttered as everyone watched.
"What's wrong with that?! What's wrong with not wanting people to die?!" Vivi shouted indignantly at Luffy, who remained calm.
"People die," Luffy said plainly, which pushed Vivi over the edge and she slapped him in frustration.
"Stop talking like that! If you say that again, you'll regret it! That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid! The rebel army, the royal army, and the people of this kingdom are not at fault! Why do people have to die when it's Crocodile's fault?!" Vivi shouted, genuinely upset, until Luffy stood up and punched her in the face.
"Then WHY ARE YOU RISKING YOUR LIFE?!" Luffy yelled at her.
"Luffy, you're going too far!" Usopp shouted, worried.
"Damn you, Luffy!" Sanji said angrily, about to charge at him, but Oliver stopped him.
"Calm down. Let him finish," Oliver said, making Usopp and Sanji go quiet while he stared at Luffy. 'This is necessary.'
Vivi got up and quickly tackled Luffy.
"Just looking at this kingdom is enough for even me to understand," Luffy said as Vivi started slapping him in frustration.
"Understand WHAT?!" Vivi shouted angrily.
"What really needs to be done!" Luffy said, remembering Toto. "Do you think it's enough just to risk your life?!"
Vivi kept hitting Luffy while he didn't resist.
"Then what should I risk?!" Vivi shouted, thinking about everything they had been through.
Little by little, Vivi's strength gave out and she stopped hitting him.
"I have nothing else... Nothing left to risk..." Vivi said, feeling frustrated and powerless.
"Then at least let us risk our lives! AREN'T WE NAKAMAS?!" Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs, making her cry.
"So, you can cry like that..." Luffy said, noticing Vivi's tears streaming down her face.
"I know you're the one suffering the most and the one who wants to beat him the most," Luffy said, brushing the sand off his hat as everyone went quiet.
Vivi tried to hide her tears under her hood while Nami walked over to console her.
"Tell me... WHERE IS CROCODILE?!" Luffy asked, determined to end him.
A few minutes passed for Vivi to calm down and let her emotions out.
"Guys... Luffy-san is absolutely right. I've decided. We're going to see Crocodile!" Vivi said, resolute.
"Yeah," said Luffy with a smile.
"Looks like that's the shortest shortcut," Nami said, now more optimistic.
"So this annoying trip where we kept going in circles is finally over, huh?" Zoro said, stretching a little.
"It would've been complicated if we had to retrace everything," Oliver said with a smile. "Now we just need to go after Crocodile."
"Where is that bastard Crocodile?" Sanji asked as Vivi pulled out a map.
Vivi showed them where Alubarna was and where the rebel army was, which was heading directly to the capital.
"So we need to take care of Crocodile before that," Sanji said.
"This is the oasis called Rainbase, where Crocodile is. Just north of Yuba. It'll take us a whole day walking through the desert to get there," Vivi explained.
"Vivi, is there water in Rainbase?" Chopper asked the princess while looking at the little bit of water Oliver had given him.
"Yes, there's no problem there. It's a gambling city that has practically nothing to do with the revolt," Vivi answered, catching Nami's attention.
"Gambling?!" Nami said excitedly, imagining how many Berries she could win if she played.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Zoro asked her, knowing she was dangerous when it came to money.
"Looks like even Alabasta has some carefree cities," Sanji said.
"Ignorance is bliss. There's nothing we can do about those people," said Oliver.
Luffy was trying to keep Usopp from taking the water Toto had given him.
"Gimme! Gimme!" Usopp said, trying to snatch it away.
"That dried-up old man spent the whole night digging for this water! We can't just drink it like it's nothing, idiot!" Luffy scolded Usopp angrily.
"Even you can be self-controlled sometimes..." Nami said in disbelief.
"Of course I can, how rude! You're so rude!" Luffy said, offended, while Usopp was still breathing heavily and crying.
"Oliver, give me water," Usopp pleaded.
"I already gave you a lot and you drank it in one gulp. If I keep giving you more, we won't have enough. So hang on until we reach Rainbase," Oliver said, making Usopp fall to his knees in defeat.
"Alright, let's get moving," Zoro said, walking off in the wrong direction.
"Zoro, that's not north," Oliver pointed out.
"I knew that," Zoro said, turning around and walking in the right direction.
Everyone got ready and set off straight toward Rainbase.