Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
› Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
───────────────────────────
Chapter 123: The Encounter
Meanwhile.
Luffy had been sprinting in the direction Robin pointed out for a full half-hour. His speed was astonishingly fast; a distance that would take an ordinary person half a day to walk was nothing more than a warm-up jog for him.
Gradually, the outline of a city emerged on the horizon. It was an oasis city, distinct from the other desert settlements in Alabasta. Even from this distance, one could see towering buildings, lush vegetation, and the most conspicuous structure—a dark brown casino with a crocodile statue on the roof.
Luffy looked up and studied it for a moment, feeling excited. He figured if he maintained his current speed for one more sprint, he could enter that city. Compared to Zoro's lack of direction, Luffy was much better. At least when someone pointed him in a direction, he absolutely wouldn't go wrong.
"Alright, I'll just charge in like this and send Crocodile flying!"
He didn't know what Crocodile looked like. While on the Going Merry, he had occasionally heard Vivi mention the Warlord: A Devil Fruit user... a man... very tall. He didn't remember anything else, including the information Ganyu had privately told him about Crocodile's fruit ability.
"It seems to be Sand... Sand-something?"
Luffy scratched his forehead, his brain almost smoking from thinking, but he couldn't recall Ganyu's words.
"Ah, whatever! I'll find that guy first!"
"Robin said he's in a building with a crocodile statue. Sounds obvious. I should be able to find it as soon as I enter the city!"
After a brief rest, Luffy looked left and right and found a large rock half-buried in the sand nearby. His eyes lit up, and he immediately had an idea. He walked to the rock and grabbed both sides with his hands. Then, he began to stretch his body. His rubber arms elongated like elastic bands—one meter, two meters, three meters...
His body was pulled into an exaggerated bow shape, feet firmly planted in the sand. The whole person was like a drawn bow, ready to fire. Barring any accidents, as soon as he let go, the elastic force generated by his rubber arms retracting would launch him like a cannonball, flying straight into the city ahead.
Luffy took a deep breath, ready to let go.
But just then—
"Luffy! You're finally here!"
A voice, familiar beyond belief, came from the front left. The voice was so familiar that the moment he heard it, Luffy immediately turned his head.
On another sand dune about fifty meters away, a figure wearing an orange cowboy hat was standing there, waving at him vigorously. He was shirtless, wearing a string of red beads around his neck, and a bright, cheerful smile blossomed on his freckled face.
"A—"
Luffy's eyes lit up instantly. Almost subconsciously, he immediately released one hand to wave frantically in the air. But he forgot one thing. Because he let go of one hand, his stretched rubber body lost half its support, and naturally, he could no longer control his trajectory.
With a swish, as if vanishing into thin air, Luffy catapulted into the sky, tracing a high-speed arc through the air.
"Wai—Wait—Waaaaaaah!"
His scream echoed in the air but drifted further and further away until he, like the sound, disappeared from view.
"Uh..."
Ace froze in place, maintaining his waving posture. It took him a long time to realize that his brother, after just seeing him, had flown away. Ace sighed deeply, raised a hand to press against his forehead, and shook his head with a wry smile.
"That guy, he's still such a handful."
Thanks to his excellent vision, he could barely see Luffy turning into a small black dot, currently plummeting toward the city named Rainbase. That trajectory... if he wasn't mistaken, the landing point should be right in the city center.
"Which means, that guy is planning to challenge Crocodile?"
"Going over there alone? Without bringing a single nakama?"
Ace stood there pondering for a long time. Finally, his body transformed into flames, speeding toward Rainbase at breakneck speed.
...
At the same time, in a dune area several hundred meters outside Rainbase.
A group of Marines, cloaked to hide their blue and white uniforms, were marching. Among them, a female Marine wearing glasses happened to look up. Seeing something unknown, she shouted loudly to the white-haired man beside her, "Captain Smoker, there seems to be a ball of fire flying in the sky!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Smoker frowned, thinking his subordinate had been in the desert too long and was hallucinating from the heat. But when he looked up, his eyes instantly narrowed, the cigars in his mouth trembling slightly.
He stared at the ball of fire for a few seconds, his face gradually darkening. "That guy... looks like 'Fire Fist' Ace of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"'Fire Fist' Ace?" Tashigi covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes wide behind her glasses. "Why would such a powerful pirate appear in Alabasta? Shouldn't he be in the New World?"
Smoker didn't answer. He stared at the shrinking ball of fire in the sky, his expression shifting uncertainly. First Straw Hat Luffy, now "Fire Fist" Ace... exactly how many troublesome figures had this country attracted?
During their time entering the Alabasta Kingdom, they had learned of the country's current situation. They also accidentally discovered that an underground organization named Baroque Works was secretly endangering the nation. Seeing this, Smoker naturally wouldn't turn a blind eye and acted immediately. Following the clues, they finally discovered that the suspected headquarters of this organization was in a city called Rainbase.
Thus, they were preparing to enter Rainbase to investigate. They didn't expect to find another "surprise" just outside the city gates before even entering.
Smoker thought silently for a long time.
"Listen," he turned to his subordinates, his voice serious. "Continue to hide your identities and enter Rainbase normally through the gate. After entering, try to investigate the details of this Baroque Works from the shadows."
As he issued orders, his body began to turn into white smoke. "I'm going to keep an eye on 'Fire Fist' Ace. He must have some ulterior motive for coming to this country!"
As his voice fell, his entire body completely transformed into a dense cloud of white smoke. The smoke condensed and tumbled in the air, then surged upward, chasing rapidly in the direction the fire had vanished.
Tashigi and the others watched him leave, then obeyed orders and continued walking toward the city gate. However, just as they got within a hundred meters of the gate, Tashigi suddenly noticed something unusual.
A large group of people had gathered at the gate. They weren't ordinary citizens entering the city, but people wearing specific uniforms, scanning everyone approaching with vigilant eyes. They were obviously performing some kind of guard duty.
What made Tashigi's heart tighten was the two people standing in the center of the group. Two existences whose auras were completely distinct from everyone else around them.
"Conceal yourselves!"
Sensing the danger these two brought, she hurriedly pulled her subordinates and quickly hid behind a massive rock near the city gate. She crouched down, peeking through a crack in the rock to spy on the group at the gate.
The two standing at the very front were clearly the leaders. One appeared to be a bald, tall man with dark skin and incredibly exaggerated muscles, yet he wore a monk's robe. The other was completely different—dressed flamboyantly, wearing heavy makeup, and adorned with two swan wings on his back.
At this moment, the atmosphere between the two was clearly discordant; they seemed to be in a heated argument.
"Mr. 1, the Boss's order is to eliminate the Straw Hat Pirates. You won't listen to Moi's opinion at all, just standing here stupidly at the gate! Waiting like this, when will we ever wait for those people!" The man who looked like an okama shouted angrily.
"Hmph, idiot. Do you think you can find those few people in the desert?" The man called Mr. 1 crossed his arms. His voice wasn't loud, but his tone was laced with mockery. "The Boss's requirement is not to let this pirate crew affect his plan. We just need to ensure they don't enter Rainbase, and we naturally fulfill the Boss's request."
"Bastard! You dare insult Moi!" The okama man flew into a rage and suddenly raised his leg.
His movement was shockingly fast. Almost in the instant Tashigi blinked, he had completed a high-difficulty ballet spin, and his right leg lashed out like a whip, kicking toward Mr. 1's chest.
Mr. 1's body didn't move an inch. He simply raised his left arm casually and blocked the attack with ease.
"Do you want to die, Mr. 2?"
After blocking the strike, a chilling killing intent leaked from his eyes. His arms suddenly flashed with cold light, actually transforming into two steel blades.
"Do you think Moi is afraid of you?!!"
The okama man showed no fear. With another spin, he raised his left leg, intending to deliver another strike. But just then, the lower-level members of Baroque Works behind them finally reacted and rushed forward to break up the fight. Four or five people moved together—some holding Mr. 2, others blocking the space between them—making the scene chaotic for a moment.
"Two very strong people..." Behind the rock, cold sweat soaked Tashigi's back, and her eyes flashed with unconcealed horror. She felt that either one of these two could easily defeat her. Fortunately, she had ordered her subordinates to hide in time. Otherwise, facing this group without Captain Smoker, they would likely have been wiped out.
"They seemed to mention the Straw Hat Pirates just now..." Tashigi forced herself to calm down and began analyzing the information. "That means Baroque Works and the Straw Hat Pirates are enemies? The Straw Hats are in this country, and Baroque Works is hunting them?"
"Wait, their words implied that the Straw Hat Pirates would come here? Is that why they set up defenses at the gate?"
Tashigi fell into deep thought. She was thinking so earnestly that she didn't even notice her subordinates beside her turning into ice sculptures one by one, frozen in place.
Until a hand rested on her shoulder.
"Don't bother me, I'm still thinking of a plan."
Tashigi shook her shoulder, thinking a subordinate was joking with her again. But soon, she felt something was wrong. This hand was a woman's hand.
───────────────────────────
Support this fanfic by leaving reviews, comments, and Power Stones!
For advance chapters, visit:
› Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations