Albana and Rain Land, one in the east and one in the west, divided by the Saint Dorra River.
The crocodile wasn't as fast as the previous lizard, but much quicker than a camel. It reached the Saint Dorra River as night fell, and Sage even returned to the ship for a rest.
Such a vast desert left him drenched in sweat. Naturally, he returned to the ship to shower, change clothes, and have a meal before continuing the journey on the crocodile.
Not that he was always shirtless—his expensive coat was ruined after the battle with Ace—but over such a long time, he would certainly change clothes.
Fortunately, he protected that more costly fur cloak with Haki back then, or he'd probably be left without a cloak.
Clothes are easy to change, but he really liked this cloak and wouldn't know where to find another if it were gone.
Sage changed into a loose sandy-colored open-collar shirt, with black trousers on the lower half. Boots encased his pant legs as he set off with his freshly organized crew.
The crocodile is usable on both land and water, perfect for transportation, but unfortunately, it's Crocodile's pet and doesn't suit Sage's aesthetic.
As the crocodile crossed the river, Sage suddenly said, "Should we also get some signature means of transportation?"
Renedia thought for a moment and replied, "A motorcycle, I can build one right away."
"Should we have the crew shave their heads into Mohawks too? Stop joking, Rena," Sage rolled his eyes.
She often made quirky mechanical gadgets as experiments, focusing solely on functionality and not appearance, usually opting for rough designs unless strictly required to do otherwise.
The technique might be flawless, but seeing too many of these rough things always gives Sage a sense of wasteland style.
This is the Pirates theme, not an apocalyptic setting...
No need to even think to know what Renedia's motorcycle would look like, and if the crew sported Mohawks, he might as well be called Lord of Heaven instead of Disaster Pirates.
"Mohawks..."
Renedia's eyes lit up, "Sounds interesting, doesn't it?"
"Ah, wouldn't that make us a bunch of punks?" Marika chuckled.
Lily agreed, "But a unified outfit could become our Pirates' symbol."
"We'll talk about that later." Sage waved his hand, "You know the plan, stay away from Albana's central square; we'll head directly to the Royal Palace, where it's out of bomb range."
Regardless of whether Crocodile's bomb can destroy a Royal City, its power is undoubtedly significant. No need to take that risk as Sage is focused on the palace heist.
"A battle of a million people... Can Albana accommodate so many?" Lily found it hard to believe.
Alabasta's standing army is a million strong, and according to the intel from Crocodile, seven hundred thousand soldiers have become rebels, leaving only three hundred thousand for the King's Army. If they all gathered in Albana, it would be overwhelmingly crowded.
Lily recalled the scene in the East Sea when Sage faced two thousand soldiers alone; even then, their numbers felt overwhelming.
With a count of a million, she couldn't even fathom how many that truly was.
Sage supported his cheek with one hand, tilting his head slightly, and grinned, "Whether it can fit or not, just take a look yourself."
The crocodile crossed the Saint Dorra River, reaching the eastern desert and heading towards Albana. As the sun rose and it became daytime, they saw the massive structure.
Albana sits atop the desert, like a colossal island within the sea of sand, with giant steps surrounding it, extending upward to reach Albana.
The sheer size of those steps leaves no doubt; this city can accommodate a million people in battle.
Beneath the steps of the Albana West City Gate, a group awaited.
A muscular man, wearing bizarre heavy makeup, fake eyelashes, and a swan ballet costume, stared wide-eyed, tiptoeing in the sand while spinning around, producing a hoarse yet sharp sound:
"Will the princess really come? A brawl of a million people, trying to stop them—a true crazy Joker!"
Nearby, a disheveled woman in a spider swimsuit with a smoking pipe chuckled softly: "Isn't it better if she doesn't come? Though coming wouldn't help much, but compared to her, from what Miss Sunday sent, a prominent figure is on the way to be our savior."
"Prominent figure? How prominent, and who is it, is it Crocodile? Tell me quickly, I'm dying of curiosity!"
Miss Christmas spoke rapidly while stomping her feet.
Alongside, Mr. 4 was standing on a rock, looking with binoculars, displaying a slow but genuine smile.
"You'll know when the time comes, and that's not our task anyway."
The man leaning against the rock spoke coldly, "Our task is to eliminate the obstacles, especially you, stop jumping around, Mr. 2."
This person shaved his head completely, leaving no hair, dressed in an open Martial Monk-like outfit with a large '壱' tattooed on his chest.
Baroque Workshop's top-ranking special agent, Mr. 1.
"Hmm? Do you have a problem with me? Want to try my kicking techniques?! Wow yo!" Mr. 2 turned his head unkindly.
"Both of you, stop arguing and calm down." Miss·Two Fingers sighed, trying to mediate.
Just as the atmosphere was about to turn explosive, Mr. 4 on the rock put down his binoculars, slowly turned his head, raised his finger, and spoke slowly: "They, have, arrived."
Right after he spoke, a dozen crocodiles arrived in a cloud of dust, stopping in the open space below the steps of the West City Gate.
The cabin on the crocodiles was unloaded, and dozens of pirates led by Gin and Pearl stepped off, gathering together.
After they came down, the door on the crocodile at the front opened slowly.
A little girl with pink hair appeared on the crocodile's back. Like going down a slide, she slid off the giant crocodile's back, and then, dissatisfied, turned around and gave the crocodile a slap, shouting, "Your skin's too rough! You can't play slide at all!"
"This little girl..."
Miss·Two Fingers was slightly taken aback, "Renedia with a bounty of twenty-three million Belly?"
The Baroque Workshop also valued intelligence, and as the top-ranked agent's partner, she placed even more emphasis on this aspect. Basically, she handled the contact for the higher-level agents.
She was not unfamiliar with Renedia, as a little girl with a bounty of over twenty million was something worth noting in itself.
"Ah, I already told you, crocodiles can't be used as slides."
A woman with a smiling face jumped down from the crocodile's back, saying to Renedia with a cheerful smile.
Her gentle smile seemed similar to Miss·Sunday, but much softer.
"Marika..."
Miss·Two Fingers continued, "A bounty of thirty million."
Lily was the third to jump down, adjusting the thin sword at her waist. Upon seeing this woman, Mr. 1 showed a look of astonishment and subconsciously glanced twice.
This swordsman... seemed quite formidable.
"Bienta Lily, with a bounty of thirty-six million."
Miss·Two Fingers again looked towards those pirates, pausing for a moment at three of them, a fine sweat gradually appearing on her forehead, "Gin, Pearl, Mute, fifteen million, ten million, six million..."
"Apart from that swordsman, the others are just small fry."
Mr. 1 glanced at her, calmly saying, "What's so surprising, Miss·Two Fingers?"
"Haven't you read the newspaper?"
Miss·Two Fingers stared at the cabin on the crocodile's back, swallowed, and said, "These people are members of the Disaster Pirates. If they are all here, then this big shot..."
Someone walked out of the cabin slowly.
Their plush cloak stirred with the wind and sand, causing his white hair to flutter, and also casting a glaring light, making his face indistinct.
The jewels on his body shone under the sunlight.
"Is it you? The agents mentioned by Old Sand..."
A voice rose slowly from the crocodile.
Miss·Two Fingers stared hard at this person, and as the light faded, she saw that unrestrainedly arrogant face.
The bounties of those people were indeed not high, the highest being the same as hers, thirty-six million.
Miss·Two Fingers, Bola, was not a pirate, but there were not only pirates who violated the bans of the World Government and the local kingdom to sail on their own.
Whether someone had a bounty was different from whether they were a pirate.
But there was no doubt that this group were pirates, and great pirates at that, especially their leader...
"The Disaster! Norton Sage!" Miss·Two Fingers' voice trembled a bit.
At this moment, all the agents found themselves in a stupor, even Mr. 1 couldn't help but look solemn.
Unlike those millions and millions of bounty hunters below who saw high bounties and wanted to make a name for themselves by risking it all.
They understood that the higher the bounty, the greater the danger.
Although it didn't necessarily represent strength, no one would think someone was weak when it reached a certain height.
A bounty of two hundred and seventy million, to them, signified an absolute big deal!