Bab 158: Chapter 158
"Land ahoy!" Elly exclaimed from her spot at the black pearl's crow nest, and I immediately opened my eyes as I got up from my meditative posture, heading towards the ship's bow.
Though I didn't get anything from meditation alone, it still helped me relax, and it was a great way to pass the time, so I still meditated whenever I had the chance.
But it looks like I won't have much time for meditation anymore as we already seem to have arrived at our destination.
I smiled at the sight of two sandy landmasses split in half by a great river. The view was both nostalgic and surreal at the same time, not just because I saw it in the anime, but because it reminds me of some of the historical landmarks in my country from my past life.
I wasn't a stranger to the scorching sun and dry, hot winds either.
"This is gonna be fun," I muttered to myself, a broad smile on my face as Laffite began steering us towards the right, heading to Nanohana, Alabasta's central port town.
Nanohana handled all imports coming into Alabasta and all exports leaving the kingdom, so I imagine we'll find many fun and exciting things there.
"Oh! We're already here!" Lucky Roux said as he approached me with a smile. "Just in time too! Those railings are starting to look really tasty!" he jokingly added while patting the Black Pearl's railing.
I just laughed at his joke, shaking my head without bothering to reply. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get my eyes off the expanding silhouette of Nanohana as we continued to approach it at a steady pace.
Nanohana resembled a typical middle-eastern desert town, following the conventions of Islamic architecture. It looked crowded and thriving, as was expected of a port town.
Nanohana is the principal entrance of Alabasta, so I imagine it's a pretty popular target for pirates attacks. But on the bright side, it's probably unaffected by the droughts since it gets water from the neighboring oasis-town Kotorea.
"Thanks for the ride, Johnny," Lucky Roux said, patting on the shoulder and snapping out of my daze. "I owe you one, but I'll have to get going," he added, jumping into the water and disappearing immediately.
And I don't mean he disappeared from my sight. He completely vanished from the area as I couldn't even hear him anywhere near the ship, despite hearing even the fishes swimming 50 meters beneath the Black Pearl.
"Whatever, thinking about it will only hurt my brain," I murmured, shaking my head as I began walking towards the captain's quarters.
I quickly reached my destination and took a seat as I took out my transponder snail, dialing a number.
"Hey, boss! I was just about to call you, but what can I do for you?" Came Fukurou's voice from the transponder snail as the call connected.
"We're currently in Alabasta, docked at Nanohana to be more specific," I replied, feeling curious as to why Fukurou wanted to call me. "I'm just calling to inform you of that. What about you?" I added as I paused, waiting for him to reply.
"I already know about your arrival, boss," Fukurou said, causing me to frown. "That's why I wanted to call you..." he added, trailing at the end of his sentence.
"Crocodile is aware of your arrival, and he might be plotting something against you," Fukurou added in a neutral tone. "though what exactly? I don't know," he apologetically concluded.
"That's fine. I'm sure we can handle whatever Crocodile throws at us," I replied in a careless tone, shrugging my shoulders.
"That's not all, boss," Fukurous remarked after a second's pause. "I'm not entirely certain this is true, but I heard the marines are planning something as well," he added in a hesitant tone.
"Well, that slightly complicates the matter," I said with a sigh, scratching my head. "Anyway, keep an eye out, and let me know if anything comes up," I concluded, hanging up the call.
I didn't come to Alabasta looking for trouble, but I expected it. I didn't want to waste too much time here if I could help it, as I needed to get to the Florian Triangle as soon as possible.
But Crocodile was the kind of guy to walk around with a chip the size of the grand line on his shoulder, and a somewhat famous rookie pirate crossing his territory was bound to make him react somehow.
However, I was 99% certain, Crocodile had nothing to do with whatever the marines were planning if they were planning something, that is.
Crocodile might be a megalomaniac and an asshole, but he was confident in himself, perhaps overly so, not to mention he was as arrogant as they came.
I can't for the life of me imagine him cooperating with the marines to ambush me, a rookie pirate, as that doesn't fit his style.
Don't get me wrong; Crocodile wasn't above targeting inexperienced pirates. It's quite the opposite, in fact. Targeting weaker pirates was precisely how the bastard made a name for himself and established himself as a warlord and the hero of Alabasta.
At any rate, I need to stay alert and tell my crewmates to do the same. It's only a matter of time before we figure out what Crocodile, and the marines are plotting one way or the others, as both parties aren't exactly known for their patience.
I exited the captain's quarters and nodded as I noticed my crewmates unfurling the sails as the Black Pearl came to a halt on Nanohana's docks.
"Alright, everybody, listen up!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands to get everyone's attention, and they obliged, stopping whatever they were doing and giving me their attention.
"Alabasta is the territory of Crocodile, a veteran pirate and one of the seven Sea Warlords," I flatly explained, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
"He may or may not try something against us, so keep that in mind and stay alert when you're out," I added, waving my hand to the side. "The marines might also be scheming something, so be extra careful," I severely cautioned, pausing and waiting to see if my crewmates had any questions.
"What kind of person is this Crocodile? Is he strong?" Wilson said with an eager grin as he jumped down from the mast, rubbing his hand together.
"He's strong," I replied with a nod. "He ate sand-sand logia fruit, so normal attacks wouldn't work on him unless he gets wet," I added, trying to explain Crocodile's power.
"Not only that, but he's physically strong as well and more than capable of taking a hit," I remarked, punching my palm. "If he comes after any of you, then try to get him wet and get away as far away as possible," I added in a severe tone.
"His devil fruit is rather strong and dangerous, so leave him to me, or Laffite," I concluded in a firm tone that brokered no arguments.
"Why is Laffite the only one who gets to fight him?" Wilson asked with a scowl, glaring at the navigator.
"Because Laffite can create rain clouds and make Crocodile's devil fruit useless," I replied with a sigh, shaking my head. "But Crocodile does have a lot of goons, so you can keep yourself busy with them," I added with a shrug, and Wilson began grumbling in dissatisfaction under his breath but nodded nonetheless.
"Now then, if you'll excuse," I said with a smile as I saw no one else had any objections. "I've got some sightseeing to do," I concluded as I jumped off the ship and into the busy docks of Nanohana.
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