Chapter Text
Elumalu, the green city. Vivi told them. Or it was.
Now all Billy could see was crumbling buildings and wilting plants slowly buried under the waves of sand.
As Nami explained the thing that was the ‘powder that calls forth rain’, Billy could see Luffy held up a human skull with a childlike joy. Billy's stomach twisted.
“Something that made artificial rain…” Billy mused instead. “So what’s the trade off? Does it increase the temperature or speeded up the water cycle?”
Nami shook her head. Admittedly, even under Nami’s teaching Billy still didn’t have that solid of a gapse on the science behind weather fermoninons (mostly because five minutes in Nami realized that Billy had the math knowledge of a first grader and changed the subject of teach.)
“It's much worse. Dance power brought drought in the lands’ leeway since it stimulated premature rain clouds to make them rain much earlier than intended.”
“Ohh, so the rain that clouds that would normally drift leeward would now rain much sooner.” Usopp finished for Nami before wincing. “Geezed. No wonder this stuff was banned. It’s basically stealing rain from your neighbor.”
“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.” Vivi said solemnly, shadows from the veil covering her face. She knelt before the skull Luffy had found, placing it against her forehead as she knelt down.
“With a setup like that…” Billy trailed off. He took in all of Elumalu again and felt bile rising up his throat.
There were lives here once, hundreds of people living their lives, making a home despite the harshness of the desert and the sea working against them. Then Crocodile came with this powder and now there were none.
How many lives had been lost because of Crocodile’s plan? How many more will this man take?
(Did he wanted something from Alabasta or was this just some sick-)
Vivi screamed her anger to the winds.
Dust devil rolled in on the horizon but faded quickly the moment Billy glared at them.
Suddenly Vivi was grasping his hand. She was still holding onto the skull, she was still kneeling, there were still tears in her eyes.
“Can you - You created wind. Can you make it rain?” She (begged) asked, her voice strained.
Billy understood what she was asking of him.
He helped her to stand up and quietly nodded.
Stepping into an empty spot, Billy drew runes and symbols into the burning sand using the point of his umbrella. The Straw Hats watched silently on the sideway.
Once the preparation was done, Billy laid his umbrella onto the sand and stepped into the circle.
(Captain Marvel tamed storms before, Billy unleashed wind and lightning before. Neither of them had even brought rain to a country)
He chanted, letting magic dripped from his throat toward the slowly darkened sky. Clouds of red robbed Elumalu off its sun and quickly spread past the vast deserts of Alabasta. Wind blew around Billy as droplets of water fell.
One or two at a time first before more and more showered the land.
The scarlet cloud rained and rained and rained as Billy’s chants burned and burned an-
“STOP!”
Rubbery arms wrapped around Billy and all of the sudden the rain stopped.
“Luffy, what are you-” Vivi’s scream died in her throat but all Billy would feel was the whiplash from the spell.
His hands burned, lightning scars that had faded somewhat now glowed gold, the residual magic from his spell. And Billy could feel magic burning around his eyes.
Billy gasped and coughed for air, his legs were like noodles now. Still he struggled to get out of Luffy hugged.
He got two steps away before he stumbled into the sand. Slowly he reached for his umbrella and used it to help him stand up again. Wet sand clung onto his coat and pants as he stood.
This was a humbling experience. He wasn’t the Champion any more, didn’t have the Rock of Eternity blessing. He might have known the spell but it seemed like his body couldn’t handle it. Guess he had to turn to do more runes.
Still he smiled at Vivi who had frozen. “I’m sorry Vivi, I tried but I don’t think I can make that much of a difference to Alabasta.”
“No, no, I shouldn't have asked this of you.” Vivi moved to help him walk but Billy held up a hand to stop her.
“Vivi, I chose to do this. Just as much as I chose not to make it rain gold for Nami.” He told her.
“You denied Nami of treasures? ” Luffy gasped behind him, Usopp and Chopper shared his shocked look. “ How are you alive?”
Ignoring them he reassured Vivi. “Sides it’s good that I figured out my limit now and not in the middle of a fight.”
She didn’t look any less guilty. “Will you be fine? Yuba is half a day away and it’s not going to be easy going through the desert.”
“I’ll walk it oOOOFF! ZORO PUT ME DOWN!” Billy yelped as he was once again thrown over the man’s shoulder like a bag of potatoes.
“You look like shit, brat.” Zoro told him bluntly, crouching down to pick up the rope tied to a small sleigh that held part of their supply.
Chopper chimed in. “You should take it easy, Billy. Zoro keep carrying him, doctor’s order.”
That was a phrase that both Zoro and Billy became very familiar with ever since they started training together. Apparently Chopper thought that they took ‘no pain no gain’ much too far so he decided to exercise some ‘bedside’ manner tips Kureha taught him.
“You heard the doctor.” Zory said dryly but Billy could feel the amusement in those words.
“I’m gonna stab you in the back one of these days.” Billy mumbled as Zoro walked off.
“Sure, your will.”
“I have the knives.”
“Uh huh.”
“Those nature's knives of yours aren't going to protect you, Zoro.”
“Swords, just say swords, brat!”
(The sun and heat returned but in the mind of everybody in Alabasta was the blood red storm. The omen of things to come)