Chapter 334: Revisiting Alabasta
Roy stood on the high platform with his hands behind his back, looking down profoundly at the vast royal capital.
He had followed Nefertari Lili back to her country and gradually learned about the landscape of this era from her.
In this era—powerhouses gathered like clouds!
Whether it was the legendary Ancient Weapons or the powerhouses standing at the very apex, they all gave Roy a long-lost sense of slight oppression.
There were some existences that even made him feel a genuine "threat."
"This era..." Roy whispered secretly in his heart, his gaze growing even deeper.
Nefertari Lili originally wanted to continue explaining more details to him, but was interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps.
"Your Majesty! Urgent military report!!!"
The messenger was covered in sweat, kneeling on one knee, handing over a sealed parchment scroll with both hands.
Lili reached out to take it, quickly unrolling it, her face turning deathly pale in an instant.
"...What?!"
Roy's gaze focused, asking in a low voice: "What happened?"
Lili pursed her lips, her voice trembling with a hint of anger: "The other nineteen kingdoms have decided to jointly dispatch their troops!"
"They are inviting me to go and discuss—the crusade against Joy Boy!!!"
Roy's pupils shrank sharply, his heart suddenly clenching—
"Is it finally... about to begin?"
...
Grand Line · Alabasta · Port City Nanohana
The blazing sunlight reflected on the golden sand, and the sea breeze blew against their faces carrying a dry heat.
As the warship slowly docked, before the people on the deck even had time to stretch, a plume of white smoke violently shot into the sky!
"Bastard pirates!! Get your asses out here right now!!!"
Smoker's furious roar echoed in the sky above the port, startling the merchants and travelers on the pier into immediately scattering and fleeing, the streets instantly falling into chaos.
Luffy leaned over the ship's rail, his eyes bulging out: "Whoa—Uncle Smoker really exploded this time!!"
Ace had his hands in his pockets, smiling with a very punchable expression: "Of course, it is the only stain on his life, after all~"
Nami and Nojiko walked down from the warship. The blazing sun shone on them, their light garments fluttering gently, their auras carrying a bit of the desert's unique flavor.
Nami looked around, narrowing her eyes and sighing in admiration: "So this is... Alabasta?"
Nojiko raised a hand to brush the fine sweat from her forehead, her smile gentle: "I heard there's a very famous casino here—'Rain Dinners'. It seems quite luxurious."
Ace turned his head and blinked at them, saying easily: "Anyway, Chief of Staff Tsuru said to let Uncle Smoker make a fuss, so we might as well treat this as coming here for a vacation~"
Hearing this, Luffy immediately raised both hands high, his face full of longing: "Oh yeah!! I'm going to eat all the delicious food here!!"
Nami suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Ace: "Oh right, isn't there a Warlord of the Sea here? What was his name again... Crocodile?"
Hearing this, Ace froze for a moment, then burst into loud laughter: "Oh—that Sand Crocodile! If you hadn't mentioned him, I would have almost forgotten!"
He cracked his knuckles, a trace of nostalgia in his eyes: "The boss behind the scenes of the 'Rain Dinners' casino. Back when I came here with Big Brother Roy, I even beat him up once!"
Luffy tilted his head, his face full of innocence: "Crocodile? Nani? Does it taste good roasted?"
"Idiot!!"
Nami flared up in anger, directly smashing a fist onto Luffy's head. "Sand Crocodile is a nickname!!"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch—it hurts!!!" Luffy rolled around clutching his head, tears welling in his eyes.
Nojiko couldn't help but let out a giggle. Shaking her head, she followed Ace off the warship.
The port city of Nanohana before them had wide and bustling streets. Peddlers' cries, camel bells, and drum music intertwined. The air was filled with the smell of roasted meat and spices, full of exotic flair.
Nojiko's gaze swept over the bustling crowd, saying softly: "The people here all look very peaceful."
Ace nodded slightly, his tone becoming a bit more serious: "Ever since Crocodile was taught a lesson by Big Brother Roy, he has hardly engaged in any conspiracies.
In addition, the king here advocates that 'the country is its people,' and always prioritizes the citizens in his governance, so he is deeply loved and supported."
Hearing this, Nami nodded thoughtfully, while Luffy had already had his soul hooked away by the aroma of the food stalls, having long since grabbed Nami's hand and clamored:
"Hurry up, hurry up! Give me money! I want to go eat roast meat!!!"
The four of them thus walked toward the center of the city in the noisy and enthusiastic desert metropolis.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city.
BANG!!
The doors of a certain tavern were kicked open, crashing heavily against the wall, startling the drinking customers so badly they dropped their glasses on the floor.
Smoker, a cigar clamped in his mouth, had a gloomy face. His gaze swept over everyone like a blade, his voice low yet carrying towering fury:
"—Effort Pirates! Get your asses out here right now!!!"
The tavern instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone exchanged glances, at a loss for what to do.
Finally, a slightly braver burly man spoke up cautiously: "This... Lord Marine, this 'Effort Pirates' you speak of is...?"
Smoker violently rushed in front of the burly man, veins popping, gnashing his teeth, his voice practically squeezed out from his throat:
"A trash pirate captain who shouts 'Effort' every day, leading a group of even trashier pirate crew members!!!"
"Daring to slip out of my East Blue and cause trouble on the Grand Line?! I'm absolutely going to slaughter them!!!"
The burly man nodded repeatedly in terror, his face deathly pale, his lips trembling as he was just about to speak.
Just at this moment, a weak voice came from the corner: "U-Um... Mr. Marine...
The 'Effort Pirates' you mentioned seemed to have caused a huge ruckus over in Rainbase a few days ago..."
Smoker's pupils shrank, and he abruptly turned his head, cold light shooting from his eyes.
"Rainbase?!"
The next second, his body transformed into white fog and rushed out the door!
At the same time, on the other side.
Ace, Luffy, Nami, and Nojiko were sitting leisurely in an open-air restaurant.
Piping hot roast meat was sizzling and dripping fat over a charcoal grill.
The juice was refreshingly icy, dispelling the heat waves of the desert.
Luffy's eyes were already shining. With his mouth stuffed full of food, he mumbled indistinctly: "Mmph, mmph, mmph!! This meat!! Is! So! Delicious!!!"
Nami facepalmed and rested her chin on her hand, sighing: "Eat slower... don't choke to death..."
Nojiko took a light sip of her juice, looking at the pedestrians coming and going on the street with a smile, a bit of novelty in her eyes: "The atmosphere of this city is quite nice."
"I rarely get to come out and walk around~"
Ace leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head. A smile on his lips, he looked toward the horizon and spoke leisurely: "I can bring you out to walk around more often in the future~"
"Speaking of which... Uncle Smoker should be fuming with smoke from anger right about now, right?"
With a gulp, Luffy swallowed the entire piece of meat and looked up excitedly: "Hahaha! Should we go take a look?"
Nami immediately put her hands on her hips, rejecting the idea categorically: "No! Absolutely not! I don't want to get dragged into that kind of trouble!"
However, before her voice even faded—
BOOM!!!
An earth-shattering boom suddenly came from the distance, accompanied by a slight tremor of the ground, even causing the juice on the table to shake slightly.
The four of them abruptly turned their heads, only to see that on the horizon at the other end of the city, fierce winds had kicked up yellow sand, and a massive sandstorm accompanied by white smoke was shooting straight into the sky!
Ace abruptly sat up straight, his gaze instantly turning incredibly sharp.
"That's... Crocodile's ability!"
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