Ever since Ryuuto had set foot in Alabasta, he had seen nothing but suffering people. Walking along the road from the coast to the town, the ground was cracked and dry. Desperate people stared at the crops in their fields, which had all withered, guaranteeing a failed harvest.
"Captain, the people here are in such a miserable state," Nami said, covering her mouth, unable to bear the sight.
Ryuuto nodded grimly, saying nothing as he continued to walk forward in silence.
Crocus muttered to himself, "What is the royal family doing? To think it's changed so much over the years!"
[Ding! The host's compassion has been detected. Quest triggered: Save Alabasta!]
[Side Quest 1: Turn the desert into fertile fields.]
[Side Quest 2: Defeat Crocodile.]
As he walked, Ryuuto listened to the new quests appearing in his mind. This time, the mission was different. It wasn't just about defeating Crocodile; it clearly came with a farming component as well.
"Nami, Crocus, Nanohana is just ahead. When we get there, we'll split up. Nami, you go buy a map. Crocus, get some food supplies. I'll go rent a few camels."
"We'll meet back here in four hours, and then we'll head straight for Erumalu," Ryuuto commanded, a captain's authority in his voice as he looked at the desert port town in the distance.
"Right, Captain!" Nami and Crocus responded.
The three went their separate ways. Ryuuto headed directly for the vehicle rental area, but the moment he stepped inside, he was hit by a powerful stench. The overwhelming smell of camel dung filled the air. Seeing no other option, Ryuuto quickened his pace, hoping to get his business done quickly.
"Huh, aren't those Moving Crabs?"
Before he could even pick out a camel, his eyes fell upon several giant hermit crabs, large enough to carry people or cargo on their shells.
"Boss, how much to rent one of these Moving Crabs for a day?"
"A standard one is 10,000 Berries a day. A deluxe one is 20,000."
"I'll take the deluxe one, then."
Ryuuto agreed without hesitation. The deluxe Moving Crabs were far more comfortable, not only featuring a covered carriage for shade but also equipped with an accelerator. He casually tossed a small bag of Berries to the owner and selected the largest crab of the lot. After another quick look around, he guided the giant crustacean toward their meeting spot.
Not long after Ryuuto arrived, Nami and Crocus appeared.
"Captain, what is this? It's so cool!" Nami's eyes sparkled as she threw herself onto the Moving Crab.
*Kaka~*
Unexpectedly, the Moving Crab turned out to be a lecherous one. It seemed to revel in Nami's embrace, and countless little hearts began to bubble up from its shell.
"Nami, Crocus, get on," Ryuuto said, feeling a bit speechless at the scene.
"Leave it to me, Captain!" Nami declared, standing in the driver's seat with a map in one hand and the reins in the other.
Meanwhile, Ryuuto and Crocus settled down in the carriage.
"You wouldn't believe it, Captain. Nami was finding Berries all along the road. The look on the faces of the passersby was priceless!" Crocus said with a laugh, recalling the scene when he'd run into her earlier.
"Hahahaha, our navigator is quite the Lady Luck!" Ryuuto chuckled, a mental image of a grinning, money-obsessed Nami scooping up coins from the street popping into his head.
Sand blew in from the coast, sweeping deeper into the continent. The further they traveled inland, the stronger the sandstorms became. The town of Nanohana was built on an oasis. If the land there could be described as dry and barren, the landscape here could only be called a true desert. Along the way, the three of them didn't encounter a single traveling merchant.
They continued on until Ryuuto finally spotted a town shrouded in sand. It was Erumalu.
"Captain, the drought here is even worse!" Nami's somber voice drifted back into the carriage.
When Ryuuto came outside, he saw corpses hanging from withered branches along the road. As far as the eye could see, there wasn't a speck of green in the entire town.
"A calamity of both nature and man," Ryuuto murmured, finding the sight hard to stomach.
"This house is empty. We'll stay here for now," Ryuuto said, stopping in front of a two-story cottage. Nami and Crocus went inside to put away their things.
Ryuuto, meanwhile, began to examine his system interface. "I still have over 500 Reputation Points. Let's see what I can redeem." His actions back in Loguetown had earned him another 300 points, bringing his total to 535.
His eyes scanned the list. First were the seeds from the Boin Archipelago, an island full of dangerous flora whose seeds could instantly sprout into offensive or defensive plants. That wasn't what he needed. He scrolled further down the list.
"Found it!" The moment he saw the plant's description, Ryuuto's eyes were glued to the screen.
[Super Rice: With sufficient water, can bear fruit in three days!]
[Note: This is a low-level plant from the Boin Archipelago. Lacking any offensive capabilities, it sits at the bottom of the food chain and has thus evolved the ability to double its yield.]
[Super Rice Seeds: 500 Reputation Points!]
"Redeem!" he commanded silently. A flash of white light later, a small bag of rice seeds appeared in his hand. Opening it, he saw that every seed was plump and full, emitting a rich golden glow.
"Just looking at them brings a sense of a bountiful harvest," he mused. "I choose you!"
Having found the seeds he needed, Ryuuto's expression finally relaxed.
"Nami, Crocus, come on out!" Ryuuto called to them, holding the bag of Super Rice seeds.
"After I summon the rain, we'll plant all these seeds in this field," he explained, pointing to a 500-by-500-meter area of the desert he had marked out earlier, which was the exact range of his Rain-Summoning skill.
"Captain, want me to help?" Nami asked eagerly, brandishing her Clima-Tact.
"Sure, Nami, you can join in!" Ryuuto had no reason to refuse.
Crocus watched them, his expression filled with the pride of a senior watching two exceptional successors.
Ryuuto tossed the bag of Super Rice seeds to Crocus and said with a sharp cry, "Let's begin!"
"Rain-Summon!"
Standing in place, Ryuuto focused his mind and began to commune with the clouds in the sky. Nami didn't stay idle either. With a deft twist of her Clima-Tact, a thundercloud fifty meters in diameter floated out from its tip.
A few moments later...
*BOOM! BOOM!*
A tremendous roar echoed from the heavens, and then raindrops as large as beans began to fall. The thundercloud Nami had summoned also began to produce rain.
*Whoosh!*
The downpour grew heavier and heavier. The rain hammered the sand, kicking up clouds of dust that were immediately captured by the deluge and driven back into the earth. Slowly, the water began to soak into the thirsty ground.
"The Captain is so strong!" Nami said, looking a little dejected as she realized the area of Ryuuto's skill was a hundred times larger than her own.