The flint of the lighter sparked, and the lit cigar released waves of smoke.
In the cool room, Crocodile drew back the curtains and gazed outside. The barren desert was filled with a lifeless silence, an environment that served as a natural battleground for him.
“The Desert Kingdom, Alabasta… Even after thousands of years of history, the towns in this desert still can’t escape its deathly silence. From the moment this country was born, it was already shrouded in death.”
Crocodile sighed at the lifeless desert. Even the locals who had lived here for generations could easily lose their way in the desert. But it was merely a sigh, nothing more.
Right now, he was the mastermind behind the Alabasta incident. The deaths in the desert, the dried-up oases—all of it was tied to him.
“Everything we need is just about ready, right?”
“More or less. But according to the latest reports, the ships carrying the Billions we sent to Nanohana were completely wiped out by an unknown person.”
“Those kinds of pawns are replaceable. Their loss won’t affect my plans. But, Nico Robin… haven’t you been making a few too many moves in secret lately?”
The name Billions sounded impressive, but they were nothing more than unremarkable foot soldiers of Baroque Works.
Street thugs, bounty hunters, ordinary pirates—any of them could serve as replacements. With Crocodile’s abilities, the first half of the Grand Line had an endless supply of such people, so he didn’t care about their death.
What concerned him more was Robin’s unusual activities. She was always gathering things that, in his eyes, were completely meaningless.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Heh, whatever. As long as you complete the tasks I give you, I don’t care what else you do. But let me remind you—I’m nothing like those fools you used to deal with.”
“Ara ara, I understand. I’ll take care of the tasks you assigned me.”
Robin acknowledged that Crocodile was indeed much stronger than the people of those organizations she had worked with before. But that was all. Two days ago, Yamato had sent her a message saying they had arrived in Alabasta. It seemed that Crocodile’s good days were numbered.
Crocodile had his plans. Robin also had her own. Vivi and the others had their plans as well. Even Yamato had arranged a special plan.
And when all these plans inevitably clashed, everything would return to the most primitive stage—where fists decided the outcome.
And without a doubt, Yamato’s fist was the biggest of them all.
……
At this very moment, the group with the biggest fists was traveling through the desert at a leisurely pace.
“Damn it, it’s still so hot! Yamato, make some more ice. This ice house is about to melt.”
Most people traveling through Alabasta’s desert relied on camels, but Yamato’s group was different. Right now, two massive lizards were obediently serving as their transportation.
Alabasta’s desert was home to many unique species, and the Sandora Lizards were one of them.
These giant lizards usually hunted in pairs. With their massive size, sharp fangs, and claws, they had long been at the top of Alabasta’s desert food chain. Among the local inhabitants in the desert, they were one of the most feared creatures. But at this moment, they had been forcibly turned into mounts.
The two large bumps on their heads said it all—Yamato had “persuaded” them in an extremely friendly manner to obediently carry them toward the royal capital.
To escape the heat, Yamato had also used her powers to build two ice houses on the lizards’ backs, greatly alleviating the desert’s scorching temperatures.
However, under the blazing sun, the ice Yamato created had a limited lifespan. Before long, it melted into iced water, much to the lizards’ enjoyment.
Ulti, in her Dragon-Human form, lay sprawled on the lizard’s back. The only reason she had taken on this form was to resist the sunlight. She didn’t want to get sunburned or tanned, but she also disliked Alabasta’s desert attire, so she simply relied on her dinosaur hide to shield herself from the harsh sun.
“Oh, okay, give me a second. Let me finish writing my post.”
“Make sure to block the people who need to be blocked. Though honestly, I don’t think it makes a difference. Kaido definitely won’t let you off.”
“Don’t bring that up! I finally managed to forget about it!”
Nami and Usopp weren’t the only ones deep in debt*—Yamato was in the same boat. She knew full well that until she could defeat her father in a fair fight, there were some things she simply couldn’t run from. [TN: Check out the previous chapter.]
To keep from ruining her touristy mood, she chose to temporarily “seal away” certain memories.
As for Page One, he was doing his best to minimize his presence. Before these two lizards had conveniently appeared, Ulti had been trying to convince him to serve as their mount.
A massive Garchomp—one that could fly, run, and burrow underground. Aside from swimming, it was practically the perfect all-terrain vehicle.
Page One could only hope that these lizards held out for as long as possible. Otherwise, if they couldn’t find another suitable creature, it would be his turn.
…….
On the other side, compared to Yamato, Ulti, and the others’ rather unconventional method of traveling, the Straw Hats’ group was moving in a much more typical manner. However, they had also encountered some troublesome opponents—Kung-Fu Dugongs.
Resembling a dugong but featuring a unique, tortoise-like shell, this amphibious creature inhabits the desert rivers and surrounding sea of Alabasta.
“‘If you want to land, then try to defeat me! If you don’t dare, then turn around and go back!’—that’s what it said”
Chopper, acting as the crew’s reindeer translator, conveyed the Kung-Fu Dugong’s words to Luffy and the others.
The first challenger, Usopp, had already lost to the Kung-Fu Dugong.
Luffy managed to defeat these dugongs, but in the process, he witnessed a brand-new technique.
“Whoa, their saliva is that strong?!”
Going Merry, which had gone through numerous experiences, suffered yet another wound—a powerful water arrow had pierced through the ship’s hull, leaving a hole that let sunlight shine straight through.
Even Luffy’s pants had been cut open.
“Master Lizard told them that if they could train to the point of piercing rocks with water, he would come back and teach them more. Since Master Lizard hasn’t returned yet, it must be because they haven’t trained hard enough.”
“If we’re going to the other side, could we help them ask Master Lizard if they’ve already met the standard? That’s what they said.”
From the Kung-Fu Dugongs, Chopper had just learned of a new name—Master Lizard.
Back then, Lizzi had tricked these Kung-Fu Dugongs with a simple Water Gun, using it as an excuse to get rid of them.
Ever since then, these Kung-Fu Dugongs had been repeating the same move. After years of training, they had actually developed their very own version of Water Gun.
Unlike Inteleon, they couldn’t store water internally, but they could hold river water or seawater in their mouths and spit it out like a bullet.
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