The Seven Warlords of the Sea served as an organization directly affiliated with the world government.
Lius and Ace, who had just entered the Grand Line, received recruitment offers from the world government. This clearly showed that their potential had been officially recognized.
It was a widely known fact.
Every current member of the Seven Warlords was a great pirate of the Grand Line, possessing catastrophic power capable of rivaling an entire nation.
They operated as legally licensed pirates.
They casually engaged in schemes to overthrow and destroy entire countries. For the small-time pirates of the four seas, such feats were simply unimaginable.
There was absolutely no reason to refuse a position among the Seven Warlords.
Yet now.
Lius had refused.
The first to react were the four weaklings standing behind him.
Princess Vivi widened her large eyes. For a fleeting moment, Lius's back appeared incredibly tall and imposing in her vision.
Igaram found the situation utterly bizarre.
He could not fathom any reason why a pirate who had just entered the Grand Line would reject the massive benefits of becoming a Warlord.
"Gasp!"
The bomber Gem and the weight-altering Mikita drew in sharp breaths.
They were already shocked beyond measure.
Only Nami, who truly understood Lius, wore a relaxed and breezy smile on her youthful face.
"If I become a Warlord, I'll have to take orders from the world government. What kind of freedom is that?" Lius said.
Ace clenched his fists, igniting his arms in roaring flames that radiated intense heat.
He was clearly ready for a fight.
"Oh, so you're already prepared to go to war with us. No wonder you rejected the world government's recruitment so decisively."
Hina clamped a cigarette between her lips, smiling at Lius's serious face. "What an audacious brat!"
She pulled off her purple gloves with slender fingers as she spoke.
"Wait!"
Right at that moment, Momousagi suddenly raised a hand to stop Hina, fixing her eyes on Lius as she declared in a low voice, "Since you refuse, you may leave!"
"But the next time we cross paths, your so-called freedom will come to an end!"
Swish!
Finishing her words, Momousagi turned gracefully and leaped from the warship's bow down to the main deck.
Observing this from the adjacent warship, Hina's eyes flashed. A knowing smile curled her full lips as if she had just realized something.
Like Momousagi, she turned around and leaped off the bow.
They treated Lius and his crew as if they were completely invisible.
"Aha, are they scared of us?"
Seeing the two female marine officers completely ignore them, Ace spoke with brimming confidence and a touch of disbelief.
"No, I didn't sense any boring emotions like fear from them!"
Lius shook his head and narrowed his eyes.
"Even though I don't know the reason, it's best we leave first!" He released his grip on the sword hilt and slowly raised his hand to wave them forward.
Seeing his signal, Gem, Mikita, Vivi, and Igaram immediately scrambled into action on the deck.
The sloop started moving again, sailing slowly toward the nearby coast.
Lius remained standing at the bow. As their ship brushed past the naval vessels, his gaze suddenly sharpened. He instantly noticed Momousagi and Hina watching them in return.
Meeting their eyes, he could faintly discern a look of pity in their gazes.
Lius almost suspected a marine ambush was waiting for him up ahead.
But thinking about it, that seemed impossible.
Rather than waiting to ambush them after they made landfall, it would make far more sense to leverage the warships' maritime advantage and launch a full-scale bombardment.
He had no doubt about the firepower configuration of Momousagi and Hina's warships.
A single encounter would be enough to sink their vessel into the depths of the sea.
However.
If there was no ambush, what was the meaning behind that pitying look?
"What weird women!"
Lius stroked his chin in deep thought, unable to figure it out for the time being.
But since they didn't have to go through the trouble of fighting, he couldn't be bothered to dig into it any further.
"That was a close call. The marines of the Grand Line really give off a huge sense of pressure!"
Nami let out a long breath of relief behind him as their ship distanced itself from the marines.
"Yeah. Even though they're women, they feel incredibly strong compared to the marines in the East Blue!"
Ace noted, looking slightly grim.
Before long.
The sloop rocked gently, finally arriving at the coast of Alabasta.
As far as the eye could see, the desolate desert rolled like ocean waves.
"Let's go. We need to find something to eat first!"
Lius leaped ashore first with a wave of his hand, turning to face Gem and Mikita. "As for you two, you're free to go. I'll give this ship to you!"
It was true.
This ship they had snatched from other pirates was already worthless to them.
With their crew growing, they naturally needed to seize a larger and more luxurious vessel.
"Princess!"
Igaram's eyes filled with excitement.
"Yes, we're back!"
Vivi nodded, staring at the sky full of yellow sand as a dazed look washed over her youthful face.
It had been less than half a year since she left the kingdom.
In the blink of an eye, she had returned.
Moreover, she had brought outside help to save her country.
This made the girl feel as though she were living in an unreal dream.
It was important to note the sheer strength of these two powerful allies.
Just moments ago, they had actually rejected the world government's recruitment into the Seven Warlords. What an absolutely shocking feat that was!
"We will definitely be able to drive Crocodile away!"
Vivi clenched her small fists as a firm, fearless resolve settled in her eyes.
"Let's go. Just don't forget to let us browse your kingdom's treasury for half a day!"
A gentle hand rested on Vivi's shoulder as Nami flashed a brimming, confident smile.
However, her large eyes had already morphed into the shape of beli symbols.
"Finally, we're free!"
Watching Lius and the others venture deeper into the desert, the bomber Gem suddenly felt a wave of melancholy aboard the ship.
"But why do I feel like leaving the side of these two monsters who are qualified to be Warlords doesn't make me happy at all? Instead, I feel a sense of loss!"
Mikita, the stylish blonde beauty wearing a hat, smiled bitterly.
Hearing this.
Gem couldn't help but feel the exact same way.
........
Out on the sea facing the coast, the two warships remained anchored in place.
Hina traversed the air using the Moonwalk technique, landing squarely on Momousagi's warship.
"To think that Lius and Ace managed to find companions so soon after entering the Grand Line," she remarked, raising an eyebrow around her cigarette.
Looking toward the shore, the pirate ship had already docked.
They watched as Lius and his crew disembarked, stepped into the desert, and eventually vanished from sight.
"Ah, I've been thinking. That young girl with long blue hair on Lius's ship earlier seemed somewhat familiar!"
Momousagi frowned deeply, a contemplative look crossing her beautiful face.
Upon hearing those words.
A sudden gasp of surprise erupted from beside them.
"I remember now! That little girl looked just like the princess of the Alabasta Kingdom, Nefeltari Vivi!"