Chapter:117 Pell the Falcon
Smoker and Sanai looked up and saw a black shadow approaching rapidly in the sky.
"Huh? Why is Griffin here? Didn't we tell it to stay in the oasis?!"
"I don't know, maybe it was bored..."
"Is Griffin's speed... really this fast?"
Sanai's eyesight was excellent, otherwise he wouldn't be a sniper.
He shaded his eyes with his hand and squinted.
"Griffin is wearing clothes? And holding a gun?!"
Smoker suddenly realized, "I see, that guy isn't Griffin!!"
As they spoke, the eagle had arrived overhead, flapped its wings a few times, and landed on the ground, turning into a young man wearing a turban, robes, and face paint.
The young man looked around, and seeing the mess, his face darkened.
"Damn pirates, I'm too late..."
When he saw Smoker and Sanai, he noticed their demeanor was different from the others.
He frowned and walked towards them cautiously.
"Gentlemen, I am Pell, the deputy commander of the Northwest Military Region of Alabasta. What happened here?!"
Sanai looked at Pell with curiosity and envy,
After all, who wouldn't like the feeling of an eagle soaring in the sky!
Smoker's gaze was more subtle,
like admiration, or doubt, or joy...
[Tsk tsk, this is the number one tank in One Piece, a bomb with a 5-kilometer blast radius couldn't kill him!]
[In Naruto, he'd be like Patrick Star tanking Deidara's C4...]
Smoker was satisfied with Pell's attitude.
This was a normal person's first reaction,
at least he knew to ask what happened instead of assuming they were pirates.
Smoker briefly explained the situation and revealed his identity.
There was no point in hiding at this time...
When Pell learned that Smoker was a staff officer and vice admiral of the Navy Headquarters, he was shocked.
This was a big shot!
Although the member states and the Navy Headquarters were not in the same system,
in reality, a vice admiral's status was higher than most kings.
Although a great power like Alabasta had a higher status, the king would still be very polite to a vice admiral.
If Smoker was here on official business, even if King Cobra welcomed him personally, it wouldn't be considered an over-the-top reception...
Pell was in a dilemma.
He wouldn't care if he didn't know Smoker's identity, but ignoring him now was too rude.
But if he took care of him, what about the wounded...
Smoker saw Pell's difficulty: "Commander Pell, I'm on vacation, not on official duty."
"You don't have to worry about me, go take care of everyone!!"
Pell was relieved and bowed slightly.
"Thank you for your understanding, Sir Smoker, then I'll take my leave!"
He hurriedly left to organize the rescue and fire extinguishing.
Smoker didn't stand idle either, using his powers to help extinguish the fire and treat the wounds of several dying people.
Half an hour later, the royal army arrived late.
They were all panting and lined up in front of Pell.
"C... Commander Pell, wheeze, the Third Battalion of the Northwest Military Region... wheeze... reporting to you!"
They were panting and sweating, having run a long distance.
Pell didn't blame them, just nodded.
"The fire is out, the wounded are basically taken care of, continue cleaning up the scene, and remember to protect the people's property as much as possible!"
"Yes!"
The royal army went to work.
Pell then had time to deal with Smoker.
"Sorry, Sir Smoker, you must be laughing at us. We failed in our duty and caused innocent people to suffer..."
Smoker shook his head.
"You're too modest. I can tell you're a disciplined army!"
In fact, the royal army's response was very fast.
But with such a long coastline and so many pirates, they could only put out fires here and there.
Alabasta was considered good, the royal army actually did something.
Most kings just waited for the pirates to wreak havoc and then cleaned up the mess.
Some were even worse, just letting it happen.
Pirates just want money and women, give it to them, they won't attack the palace!
Come on, keep the music playing and the dance going!
Those pirates will leave when they're done!!
Pell bowed deeply to Smoker.
"Sir Smoker, thank you for saving those wounded people! The doctor said they would have died without your help!"
"You're welcome..." Smoker quickly helped him up.
"A commander bowing for the common people, your country's people are truly blessed!!"
Pell shook his head with a wry smile.
"As a soldier, it's my duty to protect the people. It's our failure that they were attacked by pirates."
"It's just that pirates keep popping up, hitting and running, we're overwhelmed and can only try to minimize the damage!"
"If it weren't for you and Crocodile, that child would have died!"
Smoker looked to the side, where Gary was sitting obediently next to his sister, meeting Smoker's gaze and giving him a sweet smile.
Smoker smiled and nodded, sighing inwardly.
Even in a military power like Alabasta, even with a wise king and loyal officials, they still suffered from pirates...
"Pell, don't blame yourself, you've done very well..."
He was able to arrive so quickly because he happened to be here.
Crocodile was also fast because of Baroque Works' intelligence network.
Pell arriving within ten minutes of the attack was already very fast...
After all, this was a feudal army, you couldn't expect them to be as fast as a modern police station...
Pell shook his head with a wry smile.
"Although I inherited the power of the guardian deity passed down through generations in Alabasta, it's still not fast enough..."
Sanai was curious.
"The power of the guardian deity? Are you talking about a Devil Fruit?!"
"That's right, the falcon and the jackal are our guardian deities of Alabasta!"
Smoker immediately seized the key point.
"Wait, passed down through generations? Are you saying that every user of the Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Falcon, is in Alabasta?"
Pell nodded.
"That's right, every user seems to serve the Nefertari royal family."
"I was also qualified to eat this fruit and become the 31st guardian deity after joining the royal army and going through selection."
Smoker's eyes rolled.
"Don't just stand there, Pell. A loyal and brave soldier like you is rare! I feel a special connection with you!"
"Let's not stand here, let's sit over there and have a drink!!"
They came to a hotel entrance, and Smoker ordered a few drinks, insisting on paying, and poured several drinks for Pell.
They chatted and drank, and when the time was right, Smoker asked the question he cared about most.
"Pell, how is your Devil Fruit passed down? Why does it always appear in your country?"
Although he could seize fruits, the process was complicated,
especially needing to capture pirates alive, which brought high risks to the navy soldiers.
He wondered if Alabasta had a faster way.
Pell shook his head.
"Hic... I don't know either, that's a royal secret, on the same level as the Hero Water..."
"Hero Water?"
Smoker perked up, how could he forget this good thing?!
"I heard that drinking Hero Water greatly increases strength? Do you know how to make it?"
Although Pell was drunk, he was surprised.
"Hic, as expected of a staff officer from the headquarters, you even know about this?"
He only heard about this after becoming a commander.
"Brother, tell me, how is that stuff made?!"
"Uh... Brother Smoker, hic, I really don't know..."
Smoker was disappointed,
but he believed Pell wouldn't lie to him.
Such an honest person didn't have such a complex mind...
In fact, Smoker was also very confused...
This was the secret of Devil Fruit transfer.
In the New World, without a Yonko guarding it, no one could keep it.
But now it was just in Alabasta, even a dog knew these two fruits were passed down through generations, and no one thought of researching it?!
Especially Crocodile, who was in Alabasta.
How could he be so stubborn, caring only about Pluton...
And that Hero Water.
Such a good thing, didn't the World Government think of researching how to reduce the side effects?!
If it succeeded, it would be a battlefield miracle drug.
The admirals could drink a bottle before fighting, fearing nothing from the Yonko, they'd even defeat the Pirate King...
Smoker took a few deep breaths,
wanting everything,
but couldn't show it too obviously...
At this moment, Pell suddenly spoke: "Brother Smoker, do you have any business coming to Alabasta?"
"If you have something, just say it, don't be polite..."
"Oh, I'm on vacation and wanted to travel around. But I do have something to ask you, I heard Alabasta is holding a slave auction?!"
Smoker was curious, how could King Cobra hold such a thing?!
As expected, Pell's face turned ugly.
"It's the Celestial Dragons' order!"
"Initially, the World Government approached us, saying the Celestial Dragons wanted to buy slaves and see the desert scenery, so they demanded a slave auction here!"
"King Cobra naturally refused, but he couldn't refuse the Celestial Dragons' order!"
At this point, Pell slapped his thigh.
"Holding such a disgusting auction is an indelible shame for Alabasta!!"
Suddenly, he realized something, sobered up, and quickly stood up.
"Sorry, Sir Smoker, I misspoke..."
He was sweating, what had he said, criticizing the Celestial Dragons in front of a headquarters officer...
Smoker waved his hand, signaling him to sit down.
"It's okay, I didn't hear anything..."
"It seems this slave auction is causing you a lot of trouble..."
Pell relaxed and nodded.
It was more than trouble...
The surge of pirates and heavy defense pressure made the whole country suffer.
"Pirates are rampant near the slave auction, the security pressure is huge. We were supposed to reinforce them, but we encountered this..."
Smoker's eyes lit up: "Then why don't we go together?"
Having a commander as a guide was better than wandering around.
Pell agreed.
He had just asked the king, and King Cobra, unable to leave, instructed Pell to accompany them.
Although King Cobra didn't like the World Government,
he knew he had to maintain a good relationship with the navy!
He knew that despite Alabasta having 600,000 soldiers, they were no match for the powerful pirates!
King Cobra put down the newspaper, which had the story of Crocodile defeating pirates and being called a hero by the people.
[Pirates... heroes...]
[Crocodile, are you a savior or a sugar-coated poison...]
[No, we can't let pirates undermine the country from within...]
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