Chapter 115: Rapeseed City Pirate Attack
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Smoker walked into a room and plopped down next to Sanai.
"We'll be in Alabasta in two days. Still thinking about your sister?!"
Sanai, who was chewing, paused at the question, gave a soft "hmm," and continued eating.
The two were not traveling by navy warship.
Drum Kingdom was a medical powerhouse, and Alabasta was a civilized ancient country. There was a very stable shipping route between the two nations.
Through Dalton's arrangements, the two boarded a merchant ship bound directly for Alabasta.
Seeing Sanai somewhat distracted, Smoker asked curiously, "What's wrong? You seem off!"
Sanai nodded and put down his chopsticks.
"Over the years, the slave traders have formed their own black markets and auction houses, making it very difficult for outsiders to enter."
"Especially since you and I are a navy officer and a pirate hunter, we'll find it nearly impossible to move an inch in such places!"
"I have some friends in Alabasta. I'll ask them to help gather information and, most importantly, secure entry..."
Sanai understood that regardless of who was organizing the auction, they wouldn't be afraid of the navy investigating since they dared to release the information so openly.
Although Smoker was a navy commander, his assistance would be limited.
Smoker smiled and pulled a gold-embossed card from his pocket.
"Stop worrying. Here, for you..."
"What's this?"
Sanai took it and nearly popped his eyes out.
It was an invitation to the auction, a VVVIP one...
Sanai was so shocked he couldn't speak properly.
"This... how did this happen?! How do you have this invitation?!"
Smoker chuckled.
"Don't underestimate the navy!! We don't just send letters and official documents. We know the ins and outs of the underworld too!"
Smoker had already found out.
As the controller of the only legal slave auction house, Zen was one of the partners in this auction, a kind of qualification outsourcing!
With her status and position, she could get a stack of these invitations.
Sanai fiddled with the golden invitation, then suddenly smiled.
"Smoker... honestly, this is the first time I've felt so close to my sister!"
Smoker nodded.
"Don't worry, you'll definitely reunite with your sister!"
Two days later.
Smoker and Sanai finally arrived in Alabasta.
They landed in the famous port city of Nanohana (yes, that's its name).
They didn't go directly to the dock. Instead, they flew there on Griffin, who was hiding nearby.
Perhaps it was the devil fruit's effect on development.
After eating the Lion-Lion Fruit, Griffin grew from a cub to a young adult, nearly as big as his mother, and carrying Smoker and Sanai was no problem.
The two looked down at Alabasta.
The country resembled the Arabian Peninsula of their past life, with endless yellow sand, scorching sunlight, and scattered oases.
Smoker didn't rush into the country's interior.
The slave auction was still some time away, and the slave traders were sure to have their share of conflicts. He didn't need to get involved.
So, he had Griffin hide while he and Sanai entered Nanohana City.
It was a port city in the southeastern part of the Alabasta Kingdom, famous for its perfumes.
The city's open-air shops were packed together, bustling with activity, and tourists and merchants from other islands were everywhere.
Sanai bought a map.
"The location of the slave auction is Yuba..."
"Looking at the route, we need to cross the Sandora River, go to Erumalu first, then Yuba, and finally reach Yuba!"
"This whole journey is through the desert, Mr. Smoker. Don't you really want Griffin to take us?!"
Why look for trouble when you don't have to...
Smoker nodded.
He wanted to survey the country along the way, gather information, and especially try to establish contact with the Nefertari royal family.
Alabasta was a veritable great power.
If a country of this scale established cooperation with the navy, it could greatly alleviate the navy's pressure!
"Sanai, let's split up. You find transportation."
"In the desert, the main modes of transport are camels or moving crabs, and there's also a fast-running duck, which is very fast but not suitable for long journeys."
"I'll gather supplies. We'll meet here in three hours!"
Sanai naturally had no objections: "Okay, no problem!"
The two went their separate ways in Nanohana City.
Initially, Smoker was very curious about the city, but after a while, he found it rather dull.
At least compared to the modernized, tech-enhanced desert cities of his previous life, it had little to offer in terms of sightseeing.
So, he focused on gathering supplies.
With the power of money,
he quickly bought enough supplies to last them both a year, even if they threw half of it away.
The shopkeeper even thoughtfully included two camels, which made Smoker both amused and annoyed.
Stroking the camels, Smoker couldn't help but think of Lashes from the original story.
In the Alabasta arc, the perverted camel Lashes was a memorable supporting character who helped the Straw Hats a lot.
And the ending was also quite good, successfully getting an official position and government salary.
After finishing his tasks, seeing that there was still time, Smoker led the two camels around.
Suddenly, an explosion came from the distance.
"Artillery?!"
Smoker quickly tied up the camels and rushed towards the direction of the artillery fire.
The road was full of people running with large and small packages, and there were faint cries and screams.
Smoker's face darkened.
He was too familiar with this scene. Pirates had landed...
At this moment, a pirate ship was docked at the pier.
Dozens of pirates were looting and smashing shops.
A dozen people lay in pools of blood, motionless, not knowing if they were dead or alive.
The leading pirate wore a suit and formal attire, with elaborate makeup on his face, and held a giant rose as tall as a person.
He walked straight to a house, and with a wave of the rose, he smashed a wall.
It turned out that the rose was a steel war hammer.
The pirate grabbed a crying and struggling girl from the room.
The girl wore a veil, but her figure was graceful,
Although she couldn't compare to the likes of Boa Hancock or Nami, she was still eye-catching.
When the pirate saw the beautiful woman, his eyes turned into hearts, but his hands didn't show any mercy, grabbing her neck and pinning her against the wall.
"Kuhahaha, what a beautiful girl, you've successfully stirred my heart!"
"I am Groom, the captain of the Marriage Proposal Pirates. Will you accept my proposal?!"
The subordinates shouted together.
"Oh, oh, the captain is proposing again!!"
"Say yes, the captain is a great pirate with a bounty of 60 million beli, hahaha!"
"No! I don't want to marry a pirate!!"
Although the girl was terrified, she still refused.
Groom's face instantly turned gloomy.
"Very well, there's only one fate for a woman who dares to refuse me!"
He threw the girl to the ground.
"In that case, become a slave, hahaha! A high-quality product like you will definitely sell for a lot of money!!!"
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