The sun was blazing.
Chaka, who could turn into a jackal, handed the little princess a water bottle.
Vivi thanked him and took a few big gulps, finally feeling better.
…
Far away.
From behind some sand hills came the faint sound of explosions.
It wasn't like a desert storm, but more like bombs going off.
The King's soldiers were confused.
With the first king who conquered Santana with a wave of his hand, and Crocodile, how could any rebels stand a chance?
Why was there such a commotion?
Only Cobra narrowed his eyes, guessing what had happened.
…
Ten minutes later, the explosions faded.
A few more minutes passed.
Two figures came over the sand hills, walking toward Cobra and the others.
It was Rowan and Crocodile.
As they got closer, everyone noticed something strange.
Crocodile's clothes were dirty, covered in dust.
His usual slicked-back hair had some strands hanging down, and he looked a bit of a mess.
Cobra was curious, but he didn't ask anything, knowing his daughter would satisfy his curiosity.
Sure enough, Vivi asked, "Mr. Crocodile, were they strong?"
Crocodile's personality wouldn't allow him to admit he was weak, so he and Rowan exchanged a look and decided to make up an excuse.
They spoke almost at the same time.
Crocodile said, "No, I just tripped."
Rowan said, "No, we went sand surfing."
The two of them: "…"
They looked at each other again, then spoke again at the same time.
Crocodile said, "Yeah, we went sand surfing."
Rowan said, "Right, he tripped."
Vivi: "?"
Everyone: "…"
After a few seconds of silence, Cobra coughed a few times, trying to ease the awkwardness.
"Anyway, thanks to our ancestor and Mr. Crocodile, the rebels are gone."
Rowan nodded along, smiling. "Let's go back to the capital, Alubarna. I have a lot I want to know."
But he didn't expect that his words would change everyone's expressions, making them look troubled.
Even Crocodile lit another cigar and took a long drag, trying to relieve his annoyance.
Rowan was confused.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, Ancestor,"
Cobra said, scratching his head and sounding bitter, "we didn't need this many people to take care of the rebels. We came out here to get away from something."
"Oh?"
Rowan was even more curious, and asked Cobra to go on.
Since the ancestor was from 800 years ago, Cobra wasn't sure if Rowan would understand what he was about to say.
He could only try to explain:
"There's a Celestial Dragon in the palace in Alubarna right now."
…
On the way back to Alubarna, Cobra was explaining to Rowan what a "Celestial Dragon" was.
Of course, Rowan knew what a Celestial Dragon was.
But he couldn't act like he knew everything, so he just listened and sorted through the useful information.
It turned out that a Celestial Dragon named Saint Gudjoa had come from Mary Geoise for a trip, passing through Alabasta.
His ships needed supplies, so he decided to stay in Alabasta's palace for a few days.
By the second day, Cobra and the others couldn't stand it anymore.
The Nefertari family had always been kind to their people, treating the palace servants like friends.
But the Celestial Dragon was outrageously arrogant, yelling and hitting the servants if they didn't serve him perfectly.
Luckily, the Nefertari family had a special position, and Cobra and the others tried to talk him down, which made Saint Gudjoa calm down a bit, but he was still annoying.
Everyone couldn't take it anymore, so they left the head of the Royal Guard, Igaram, in charge and made up an excuse to go out and deal with rebels.
Anyway, the Celestial Dragon wouldn't be able to stand the heat in the desert, so they didn't have to worry about him going out and hurting the common people.
They just had to stay away for a day or two, and Saint Gudjoa would get bored and leave on his own.
Crocodile wasn't interested in fighting with a Celestial Dragon.
But the sudden return of Rowan ruined everything.
Rowan understood the situation and didn't change his plans, still wanting to take everyone back to Alubarna immediately.
Seeing this, Crocodile sneered a bit.
"Heh heh heh, it looks like you don't understand how those guys act after 800 years!"
Rowan smiled helplessly and said, "I thought you'd leave."
Crocodile took a drag of his cigar, sneering.
"Pluton is close, and I don't want to start over. Besides, I can use your confidence."
Rowan paused. "Do you really have to be so direct?"
Crocodile raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You don't care anyway, do you?"
Hearing this, Rowan burst out laughing.
"Alright, welcome to Alabasta!"
…
The capital, Alubarna.
The palace.
Staying behind was Igaram, the head of the Royal Guard with the curly hair, and his wife, Therra-Cotta, who looked just like him.
They had served the Nefertari family for many years, but now they were in big trouble.
In the dining hall.
Cobra and the others had underestimated how rude and unrestrained Saint Gudjoa was.
Even though Igaram and Therra-Cotta had treated him with respect, Saint Gudjoa had still found a reason to make a scene.
Now, the Celestial Dragon, wearing a bubble suit, fat, and with a big mustache, was sitting at the table and sweeping the food onto the floor.
Crash!
"This makes me so mad! So mad!"
Saint Gudjoa waved his arms.
"I wanted to try your country's food, but you gave me this trash! Are you trying to rebel?"
Hearing this, Therra-Cotta, the head of supplies, couldn't help but argue, "Sir, these dishes are all special to Alabasta…"
As soon as his wife spoke, Igaram knew something was wrong.
His wife, who had spent years in the kitchen, didn't realize how big of a crime it was to argue with a Celestial Dragon!
Sure enough, Saint Gudjoa's expression turned dark.
He waved his hand, and a Celestial Dragon guard handed him a gun.
The gun was pointed at Therra-Cotta.
"It's an honor for you Alabastans that I came to your country!"
Saint Gudjoa's face turned purple with anger.
"Is this how you Alabastans treat your honored guests?"
"You dare to argue with me, your honored guest!"
He opened his mouth wide, yelling, "Death! Death! Death!"
Bang!
Igaram watched in horror as Saint Gudjoa pulled the trigger.
A lead bullet shot out of the gun.
Igaram was the head of the Royal Guard, but he was just a normal person, unable to stop a gunshot at such close range.
But he still jumped in front of his wife without thinking.
He hugged his wife, closing his eyes tightly!
…
A few moments passed, but the expected pain didn't come.
Igaram opened his eyes and saw his wife staring wide-eyed at something behind him.
Igaram turned around to look too.
He saw a tall man wearing golden armor with purple ribbons and an eagle-shaped helmet standing there.
His left thumb and forefinger were holding a small but deadly lead bullet.
With a "snap," the man crushed the lead bullet to dust.
Rowan looked up, his eyes under the helmet looking at the fat Celestial Dragon.
He shook his head.
"You're a guest, but you're not honored."