Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece

Bai Yu and his companions followed the gravel road into the interior of Alabasta. In less than half a day, the shade of the roadside trees and the hustle and bustle of the market were completely left behind. All that could be seen was the endless yellow sand, like surging golden waves, stretching all the way to the horizon.

The hot wind, carrying fine sand, stung her face. Kanna, who had initially found it novel, now buried her face in Bai Yu's chest, revealing only her round eyes. Her little hands gripped his clothes tightly, and she even forgot to lick the coconut juice from her mouth.

"It's so hot, Shiraha."

Connor felt very hot, and the sun was making her uncomfortable, giving her a burning sensation.

"Then just hide well, I'll use Ice Release to cool you down."

"Yeah, Bai Yu, you're so kind..."

The sand beneath their feet was scorching hot, and the camels' hooves made a slight crunching sound as they stepped on it. The four camels moved slowly forward, their breath steaming in the air, their heavy eyelids drooping. Only when they occasionally flicked their tails to drive away the sandworms that clung to their bodies did they show a bit of vitality.

Retsu Unohana walked on the left side of the group, her white robes fluttering in the hot wind. She was also somewhat unaccustomed to this kind of climate, as the climate of the Soul Society's Seireitei was relatively good.

She pulled the brim of her straw hat down further, covering her eyebrows and eyes, revealing only her soft jawline. Her fingertips occasionally brushed against the neck of the camel beside her, smoothing its tangled fur. The brown camel seemed particularly affectionate towards her, nuzzling her palm with every step it took, very docile.

As for Rangiku, she couldn't keep up her usual boisterousness in this weather. The excitement she had when she first set off was long gone. She wrapped a thin sun-protective veil around her head, leaving only her almond-shaped eyes exposed. She held a palm-leaf fan in her hand and fanned herself weakly: "The desert is really tough. The sand can't even cover my neck with a scarf. I need to add another layer."

As she spoke, she reached out to add a scarf, only to find her fingertips covered in fine sand. She couldn't help but frown and pout.

"How annoying."

Compared to the restless Matsumoto Rangiku, Robin sat on the camel with her elegant posture. She tied a sun-protective scarf around her neck, and the edge of it was blown by the wind, brushing against her cheek. Her gaze was fixed on the sand dunes in the distance.

Sunlight spilled onto the sand, refracting dazzling light, and the outlines of the dunes constantly changed under the sculpting of the wind: "The Alabasta desert is more unbearable than I imagined. I hope the harvest of the historical texts will outweigh the hardships of the journey."

Not long after Robin finished speaking, Bai Yu pointed to a clump of dead trees not far ahead, where several tattered water bags were scattered, along with camel skeletons half-buried by the wind and sand. Small pieces of cloth were stuck in the gaps between the skeletons, presumably left behind by passing travelers.

"This is already like this, even in the desert near the edge."

Bai Yu's voice was calm: "Ordinary people need to prepare supplies for several months in advance to cross the desert, and they also need to gather enough people to travel with them. Even so, many people still perish on the way, either dying of thirst, being swept away by sandstorms, or encountering wild animals in the desert."

Everyone's gaze fell upon the skeleton, and a wave of sorrow washed over them.

Kanna looked at the withered trees, seemingly understanding but not quite. Her little brows furrowed, and she reached out to tug at Bai Yu's sleeve. "Bai Yu, do they have no water to drink?"

Bai Yu rubbed her little head and nodded, saying, "Yes, water is very important in the desert environment. If we don't fly there, we should cherish the water we have and not waste it."

Kanna nodded vigorously.

"But there's no need to worry too much, the dolls have plenty of water and food on them."

Bai Yu and his companions walked for about two hours. The sun gradually moved to its zenith, and the sunlight was so scorching that it felt like it would melt people. The temperature in the air was getting higher and higher, and even breathing felt like being burned.

The yellow sand by the roadside was scorching hot. Occasionally, a lizard would emerge from the sand, dart quickly to another dune, leaving a shallow sand trail that would be smoothed over by the hot wind in the blink of an eye.

Rangiku was fanning herself rapidly with the palm-leaf fan, beads of sweat streaming down her face. She looked at the water pouch in her hand and took another big gulp.

Water Release techniques are difficult to use in the desert, and the same goes for Ice Release techniques. That's why people cherish ice.

Retsu Unohana took out several bottles of plum juice from the doll's bag, added ice cubes from Shiraha, and then distributed them to everyone. The cool liquid slid down their throats, instantly dispelling some of the heat.

Rangiku took a sip, couldn't help but squint her eyes, and exclaimed, "Hana-nee, this tastes amazing!"

Unohana Retsu smiled faintly but didn't say anything. She simply handed a bottle of plum juice to Kanna, who sipped it slowly. The cool liquid made her squint her eyes, and a satisfied expression appeared on her face.

Just as everyone was taking a short rest and preparing to continue their journey, the sky in the distance suddenly darkened. The once azure sky was shrouded in a layer of yellowish-brown mist, and the wind suddenly became violent, whipping up yellow sand and making a howling sound like the roar of a wild beast. Bai Yu looked up and his brows furrowed instantly: "It's a sandstorm!"

Before the words were even finished, a fierce wind swept in, carrying a vast expanse of yellow sand. Everything in front of us was completely obscured, leaving only a dim yellow haze. The sand grains hit us like small pebbles, stinging painfully.

"Everyone, gather around!"

Bai Yu shouted and reached out to hug Kanna, but even so, fine sand still seeped in through the gaps, making it hard for her to open her eyes.

The camel was agitated by the sandstorm, shaking its head and emitting low brays as it pawed at the sand with its hooves. Rangiku gripped the saddle tightly, her body swaying from side to side in the gale, and shouted, "This sandstorm is too fierce! We need to find a good place to hide!"

Robin leaned against the camel, one hand gripping the saddle, the other holding her straw hat to prevent it from being swept away by the gale. Her gaze swept across the dim sandstorm, and she said in a low voice, "This sandstorm came suddenly, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon. We need to find a sheltered place!"

Bai Yu nodded, his eyes quickly searching the surroundings. Soon he saw a sunken sand dune not far away, like a cave hollowed out by the wind and sand.

"Earth Release - Earth Prison Hall Without End!"

Earth Release: Earth Prison Hall is a type of Earth Release ninjutsu.

The effect of the technique is not complicated; the practitioner uses earthen walls to create a closed earthen prison, trapping the opponent inside.

The caster can stand on one side of the earthen prison and fill it with chakra, allowing the earthen walls damaged by enemy attacks to quickly recover. This technique was modified by Uchiha Hakuba, and it is quite suitable for resisting sandstorms.

Everyone immediately collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.