Sherlock sat upright on Pell's back, streaking rapidly across the cloudless sky.
Although the Magic Carpet formed from the Fivefold Mirror Fusion also possessed the ability to fly—and in terms of pure speed, was even superior to Pell—its ruinous energy consumption meant Sherlock couldn't sustain flight for long. Thus, for this trip, he still had to rely on this kind-hearted Guardian Spirit of Alabasta.
(Judging by Robin's reaction at the time, Crocodile has indeed bewitched the Royal Army into launching the first strike. This is the worst-case scenario. I hope Luffy and the others can get to Alubarna quickly.)
Sherlock pushed up his glasses. Although everything occurring so far was still within his control, he felt a faint sense of anxiety, as if he had overlooked something important.
"Um, Sherlock," Pell, transformed into a large falcon, asked with some seriousness. "Are you truly certain the Royal Army is already on the way to [Katorea]? Also, how exactly do you intend to stop an army of 300,000?"
Ever since becoming convinced that Sherlock was Princess Vivi's companion, Pell had felt that this handsome, bespectacled young man was extremely trustworthy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so obediently at his disposal. Yet, even so, upon hearing that Sherlock intended to stop an army of 300,000 single-handedly, he couldn't help but voice the worry in his heart.
"Have you ever heard of a [Mirage], Pell?" Sherlock answered with a seemingly irrelevant question.
"A mirage?" Pell paused, clearly not understanding the Sorcerer's meaning.
"Yes, a mirage." Sherlock nodded, speaking with profound implication. "That natural illusion created by the distortion of light... who knows how many desert travelers it has led astray."
Pell was even more confused. As someone who grew up in the desert, he was naturally quite familiar with mirages. But what connection did that have with stopping the Royal Army?
"If it were anywhere else, I wouldn't dare guarantee it, but in the desert..." Sherlock looked at the sun in the sky and the boundless sea of sand on the ground, smiling confidently.
"The desert isn't just Crocodile's 'home court'!"
"..." Pell remained silent. He flapped his wings forcefully, and amidst the whistling wind, his flight speed increased once more, cutting across the sky like a streak of white-and-brown lightning.
Nanohana
Buildings engulfed in flames emitted the crackling sound of burning wood; the injured lying on the ground let out miserable howls of pain; children who couldn't find their parents stood in place, weeping heart-wrenchingly. Shouts, screams, and roars combined to compose a symphony titled "Human Tragedy."
When the leader of the Rebel Army and Vivi's childhood friend—Koza—led a group of rebels to Nanohana, it was already too late.
Koza sat on his horse, his pupils contracting to the size of pinpoints. He stared blankly at the scene before him. His brown sunglasses reflected the raging fire—a fire burning so wildly, so rampantly—and at that moment, it felt as if a similar fire was burning within Koza's heart.
"Hey..." Koza dismounted, his face expressionless, and addressed a dusty, ash-covered resident nearby. "I'm asking you... Pirates did all this, right?"
Although he already knew the answer in his heart, Koza didn't want to admit it.
"It was the Royal Army... The Royal Army did all of this..."
The last shred of hope shattered. Koza's eyes were instantly cast in shadow. He grabbed the resident by the collar and shouted like a man possessed, "I said! Pirates did all this..."
Bang!
With a muffled groan, a ferocious straight punch knocked Koza to the ground.
"Wake up! Koza!" Retracting his fist, Koza's adjutant took a deep breath as he looked at the fallen rebel leader, speaking in a raspy voice, "Stop doubting it! The King is no longer the King of the past..."
"This country is already dead!!!"
Hearing his adjutant's final words, Koza's eyes snapped open. He slowly sat up, covering his face with one hand in grief and indignation.
"I know... I knew it all along! But... we didn't rebel just to get this answer..." Thinking of his father, who was still holding out in Yuba and fully trusted Cobra, Koza was instantly consumed by rage.
"King! How can you justify this to the people who have always believed in you by doing this?!"
The adjutant and the rebels behind him fell silent. The native resident of Nanohana even covered his face and cried aloud.
After all, nothing was more heartbreaking for people who loved this country than being betrayed by the monarch they trusted.
Just then, a man on horseback galloped quickly toward them.
"Leader! Bad news!" The man shouted to everyone, out of breath. "Latest intelligence: 300,000 Royal Army troops are marching toward Katorea. They have declared war!"
Boom! This news instantly caused the rebels to explode into an uproar. Even Koza, who had already resolved to fight the Royal Army to the death, felt his expression change drastically.
They all knew very clearly that although the Rebel Army outnumbered the Royal Army, they were severely lacking in equipment and were no match for the well-equipped, well-trained Royal Army. If a full-scale war truly broke out, the Rebel Army would undoubtedly be defeated.
After all, if rebelling against a country were that easy, Dragon's Revolutionary Army would have overthrown the World Government's rule long ago.
"Have you finally revealed your true colors? King..." Koza let out a long breath, then turned his head to look at his subordinates. They all looked back at their leader silently, every face wearing an expression of viewing death as a return home.
"We have no way out!" Koza announced loudly. "But we will absolutely not yield, and we will absolutely not retreat! We will seize back the rain that belongs to us, the oasis that belongs to us, from the King!"
"Notify the entire Rebel Army. Evacuate all civilians in Katorea and construct fortifications."
Steeling himself, Koza raised his fist high.
"We will fight the Royal Army to the death!!!"
Due to the turmoil in Alabasta over these years, countless pirates swarmed in like sharks smelling blood. Unfortunately for them, most of these pirates ended up being sucked dry by a certain "Guardian Spirit," while the lucky survivors were transported to the nearest Marine base: G-17.
The G-17 Marine Fortress, located on a small island north of Alabasta, was a rather "pocket-sized" base. The total number of Marines inside didn't even reach two hundred, yet the pirates imprisoned there numbered several times the Marine force. Furthermore, pirates who could survive escaping from Crocodile's grasp were naturally no small fry.
By all rights, Marine Headquarters should have immediately dispatched reinforcements to guard such a situation strictly, lest a prison riot occur. Yet, they did not. Instead, they were unusually at ease, and the G-17 Fortress had remained peaceful all these years, as if that massive group of pirates didn't exist.
The reason for all of this was the commander of this fortress—Vice Admiral Sword Siso.
You might assume that this "Pillar" of G-17 must be an extremely reliable, capable elite Marine. However, when you actually stand before Vice Admiral Siso, you would definitely retract your previous thoughts and toss them beyond the highest clouds.
At this moment, Shuraiya held exactly that thought. A few days ago, seeking revenge against General Gasparde, he had secretly infiltrated the latter's flagship, the steamship Salamander, planning a desperate assassination attempt.
Before he could act, a Marine warship suddenly popped out from nowhere. Immediately after, a Marine with naturally curly blonde hair, wielding a wooden sword, instantly one-shotted the 95,000,000 Berry bounty pirate. The remaining pirate fodder was dealt with effortlessly, and all were captured alive.
Shuraiya himself was mistaken for a pirate by that group of Marines and brought back to the G-17 Fortress.
After several days of investigation, Shuraiya finally proved his identity, and the Marines allowed him to leave. However, this vengeance-driven young man did not depart, because his goal had not yet been achieved.
"Please let me kill that man with my own hands!"
In a spacious office, Shuraiya bowed deeply to the decadent Marine slumped in a chair, loudly slurping strawberry milk.
Finishing the last gulp of strawberry milk, Siso wiped the corner of his mouth. A pair of lifeless, unmotivated dead-fish eyes drifted toward the brown-haired young man before him, and he spoke lazily:
"No can do. I've told you, no matter how high the bounty of the pirates here, after a while, they are all sent by special ships to Enies Lobby for a 'Just' trial, and then thrown into Impel Down. Private executions are not allowed."
When mentioning the word "Justice," the blonde natural-curl with a face full of stubble gave a self-deprecating, bitter laugh before continuing, "Those are the rules. They absolutely cannot be violated."
"You have to learn to control your emotions, young man."
Shuraiya was initially shocked by Siso's decadent, uncle-like appearance—he truly hadn't expected the powerful Marine who had descended like a god back then to look like such a bum in daily life. But when Shuraiya heard the latter's final sentence, his emotions instantly spiraled out of control, and he roared:
"Justice! Justice! You Marines are always full of talk about Justice! But when pirates invaded my home island, where was your Marine Justice?! When my parents were murdered by that scum Gasparde, where was your Justice?! Tell me!"
"Telling me to learn control... what do you know? How could you understand the feeling of having everything taken away by pirates? I..."
"I understand..." Siso quietly interrupted Shuraiya's roar.
"Eh?"
Ignoring the suddenly stunned Shuraiya, the blonde natural-curl sat up and swayed unsteadily toward the refrigerator in the corner.
"I can understand your desire to slay your enemy with your own hands..." Opening the fridge door, the densely packed rows of strawberry milk inside silently expressed this decadent Marine's obsession with the high-sugar beverage.
"...Because, back then, I was just like you." Saying this, Siso took out a carton of strawberry milk, tore it open, and chugged it down, head tilted back. His pair of cloudy, dead-fish eyes were filled with the vicissitudes of time, as if this decadent man also possessed a past riddled with scars that he couldn't bear to look back on.
At this moment, if Siso—this mature, handsome uncle with a story—were to light a cigarette or pour a glass of whiskey, he could instantly capture the hearts of a large swathe of girls with uncle complexes. However, his image of frantically chugging strawberry milk with a sorrowful face was truly somewhat undignified, perhaps even dissonant to the extreme.
"You... could it be that you also..." Shuraiya didn't notice these details. His originally ferocious expression gradually softened, and he felt a sense of commiseration in his heart.
Without giving Shuraiya time to ask questions, Siso took another sip of milk and continued, "Your parents have already passed away, but didn't you find your long-lost sister?"
"Take good care of your sister. Don't let hatred occupy your entire life." Mentioning a sister, the lazy blonde natural-curl raised a smile full of warmth, then spoke one word at a time:
"Otherwise, you will certainly regret it for the rest of your life in the future..."
"..." Shuraiya lowered his head, remaining silent, his thoughts unknown.
Gulp, gulp... The sound of large mouthfuls of strawberry milk being swallowed.
Ignoring Shuraiya, who was contemplating life, Siso drained another carton of strawberry milk in one go, then let out a refreshed hiss.
"Sure enough, strawberry milk should be downed in one breath~ Although I still think the strawberry milk from Strawberry Village tastes the best, Alabasta's strawberries aren't bad either."
rubbing his stubbly chin, Siso threw himself back into the chair. That decadent, lazy posture looked nothing like what a Marine Vice Admiral should have.
"By the way, I heard there's something called [Desert Strawberry] in Alabasta. I wonder if the strawberry milk made from it tastes good..." Siso muttered to himself.
Just as his voice fell, a few crisp knocks came from the office door. The person knocking didn't wait for Siso to respond; they pushed the door open on their own and walked in gracefully.
Shuraiya subconsciously turned to look and found the newcomer was a beautiful young woman with short blonde hair. Her neat, well-fitted Marine uniform, combined with her cool and elegant face, perfectly embodied the heroic spirit of a woman who could put any man to shame.
"Sister!" Siso leaped up from his chair like a spring, shedding his lazy demeanor instantly. "My precious sister, what brings you here? Are those bastards in the prison itching for a beating again?"
Siso turned to look at Shuraiya, then pulled him over, pointing a finger at the blonde female Marine before them. He spoke in an extremely proud tone, "Hey, you there, look! This is my precious sister! Sword Pearl. How about it? Super pretty, right?"
(Is this guy... showing off that he has a sister? What a bizarre brother...)
Shuraiya didn't reply. Watching Siso's face, now piled high with smiles, his eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock.
Does this Vice Admiral have multiple personalities? How can he be decadent one moment, heroic the next, and then a total goofball the next?!
"Vice Admiral Siso!" The blonde female Marine saluted with an unchanging expression, then spoke strictly, "In front of outsiders, please use a more formal address."
"Formal address?" Siso pondered for a moment, then asked confusedly, "Pearl-chan?"
"It is Major Pearl! Vice Admiral Siso." Pearl's face instantly darkened with annoyance. She was truly speechless regarding her idiot brother, so she went straight to the main topic without hesitation:
"Colonel Hina has escorted the heavy criminal: Demon Child, Nico Robin, to G-17 Fortress. Please prepare for the handover matters immediately."
"So fast?" Siso blurted out in surprise, but then realized G-17 was very close to Alabasta and relaxed. "The Black Cage, huh? I haven't seen her in a long time..."
Nodding, Pearl continued, "By the way, Vice Admiral Siso, the Desert Strawberry is not a strawberry, but a type of poisonous spider that looks very much like a red strawberry. If eaten by mistake, one will die from the poison after a few days, and the corpse will emit an infectious virus within hours. It is extremely terrifying."
Saying this, the blonde female Marine looked at her older brother-cum-boss and said solemnly, "Of course, if you wish to try it, I will order someone to find one."
Listening to Pearl's tone, she seemed to quite hope Siso would taste that so-called Desert Strawberry...
(Okay, this sister isn't a normal person either.) Shuraiya grimaced, silently roasting them in his heart.
(My little sister can't be this black-bellied!) A certain decadent Marine wept streams of tears in his heart...
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