Looking at Vivi's excited profile, Chrollo smiled.
Since he had planned to come to Alabasta to plunder reputation, how could he not be prepared for the drought problem?
It was just desertification...
That great nation in his previous life had too much experience and methods for dealing with desertification to learn from!
Building dams, diverting floods for irrigation, green governance, desert afforestation projects.
He was familiar with this!
The Black Whale, with the speed of an airplane, continuously flew over town after town in the sky...
Green City, once a desert oasis city, was now affected by Dance Powder and suffered from perennial drought. Almost all the young people had left, leaving only some emaciated elderly people, like a dead city.
Kadaha was one of the elderly. His lips were cracked, he was skinny as a stick, and the surroundings were full of Gobi desert. His eyes were numb and desperate. He couldn't leave here; he would slowly decay and die with this city...
Drip... drip...
"What sound..." Kadaha felt salty liquid dripping on his face. The next second, he looked up in disbelief, only to see that in the originally clear sky... an inverted ocean had appeared at some point.
"I must be dreaming..." Kadaha rubbed his eyes hard, but the ocean in the sky still didn't disappear. Instead, seawater began to fall...
Splash—
Torrential rain began to fall. The few remaining people walked out of their houses one after another, holding basins and clay pots, dancing and hugging in the rain, thanking the heavens for the gift...
Rain hit Kadaha's face, mixing with tears of emotion. He couldn't tell if it was rain or tears in the corners of his eyes. He only knew... this city was saved!!
Yuba, a city in western Alabasta.
Once the trading center of the west, it was gradually abandoned due to the three-year drought caused by Dance Powder, combined with sandstorm erosion and being buried by the oasis...
This was where the Rebel Army once rose up.
The formerly prosperous oasis trading center was now just a pale skeleton devoured by yellow sand.
Looking around, endless sand dunes were like yellow waves, having already flooded the streets and submerged the low earthen walls.
Many roofs had long collapsed, leaving only a few rotten wooden beams.
Now there was only one person left in this city... Toto, father of the Rebel Army leader Koza, but dramatically became the only person in this city who believed in King Cobra.
Relying on his own strength, he was digging sand futilely in the center of the town. He wanted to use this aged body to dig out groundwater, dig through canals, and save this city.
Toto straightened his sore back, stopped his movements to wipe his sweat, and then looked up in confusion.
"Eh? Why did it get dark?"
In mid-air, a huge black ship slowly passed by. Toto was astonished beyond measure!
Was he hallucinating from exhaustion? How could a ship fly in the sky?
But in the next second, something even more shocking happened. The one-meter pit he dug in front of him suddenly expanded. Sand and stones rose from the ground, flying backward into the sky like a heavenly road!
From that huge ship came a faint voice, "Nobu-Style: Earth Coil—"
Immediately after, Toto's eyes widened. More and more sand and stones rushed into the sky. The pit became deeper and deeper. Ten meters... thirty meters... fifty meters... one hundred meters... two hundred meters!
Fizz, a surging sound came from the deep pit. Then a stream of water shot into the sky, exploding in front of Toto, shining with a colorful rainbow!
"I said Mr. Cobra is definitely not a selfish monarch who only cares for himself as rumors say!"
Toto's face was full of tears, opening his arms as if to embrace the water flow. "Look—this is the proof!"
"A miracle... this must be a miracle!"
"Did God descend to save the world because he couldn't bear Alabasta suffering from the flames of war!"
Toto knelt devoutly towards the huge ship above his head, prostrating himself on the ground, bowing deeply and not getting up.
Katorea, an oasis located in the southeastern part of the Alabasta Kingdom. Because of its location near the port of Nanohana, it had strategic significance and became the gathering base for the Rebel Army.
This city was also gradually affected by Dance Powder and began to desertify.
At this time, Rebel Army leader Koza and a group of squad leaders were gathering in a shed, discussing the attack on Alubarna.
"Keb, take people to attack from the south of Alubarna, delay the return of the Royal Army for reinforcement. Remember, you must tie down the Royal Guard!"
"Okame, take people to attack from the north of Alubarna, disperse the enemy's firepower!"
"Erik, take people to ambush from behind the Royal Capital Alubarna, cut off Cobra's escape route!"
"Farafra, attack directly from the front with me. Our goal is only one, that is to capture Cobra, overthrow his rule, and make the evil thing Dance Powder never appear within our borders again!"
Koza stood at the front, assigning tasks to everyone.
"Yes—" Everyone was impassioned.
Just then, a Rebel Army soldier rushed in from outside.
"What is it, so panicked?" Koza asked.
"Not... not good. Directly above our base, a huge ship has appeared!" The soldier's face was extremely ugly.
"What!" Koza slapped the table, looking serious. "Could it be that our base was discovered, and Cobra sent people to attack in advance?!!"
"Go, follow me out to take a look—"
Koza rushed out the door, followed closely by a group of Rebel Army generals.
Everyone gathered in the square of Katorea and looked up. Sure enough, a huge black ship appeared in the distant sky, crossing the rising sun and rapidly approaching their direction!
Looking at the size of that ship, everyone was shocked and terrified.
"Damn it! How can there be such a big ship?!!"
"How can it fly in the sky?!!"
"Is this the Royal Army's secret weapon?!"
Everyone looked at each other, seeing the horror in each other's eyes. Such a large ship that could fly was simply an epic weapon!
The impact on the upcoming war was inestimable!
Koza's face became more and more solemn. Growing up in Alabasta for generations, Koza had also heard the legend of the Ancient Weapon Pluton in this country. Legend had it that Pluton was an incredibly huge super warship with the destructive power to destroy an island with one shot, hidden within Alabasta.
"So it also has flight capability..."
Did Cobra actually send people to bring it out...
"Damn it—"
Can we still win?
Could it be that Alabasta will continue to suffer from water shortages and oppression under Cobra's selfish rule until the country is destroyed...
Koza's eyes became more and more determined. No! It absolutely shouldn't be like this! Even if there was only a glimmer of hope... they had to take up arms and defend their country! Defend the interests most needed by the people!
"Pick up your weapons!"
"Follow me... attack!"
Koza roared resolutely, then charged towards "Pluton" first. The Rebel Army behind him followed closely with looks of death-defying determination!
...