The journey had not been especially difficult.
Still, life at sea was dull.
After nearly five days of sailing, perhaps slightly less, Kai had finally reached his destination.
Standing on the deck, he looked toward the enormous land ahead.
The soil was reddish-brown, somewhat like the Red Line behind Marineford.
Its size was immense.
Before Kai had even drawn close, the land already filled his entire field of vision.
It was huge.
Far larger than any island he had seen before.
No, calling it an island no longer felt accurate.
This was a continent.
A vast stretch of land that seemed to have no end.
Gradually, the sailboat approached.
Alabasta came closer and closer.
Kai did not know whether it was an illusion, but the closer he got to Alabasta, the hotter the air became. It felt as though the land itself was being roasted until it cracked.
"So this is Alabasta's climate?"
"More than ten kilometers away, the sea was still being battered by a storm."
"And here, there isn't even a drop of water."
"What a poor desert country."
Kai shook his head.
At this point in time, Alabasta likely had not yet been fully infiltrated and manipulated by Crocodile.
Baroque Works probably had not been formally established yet.
Even so, the environment here was already harsh.
Once Crocodile truly began interfering, life here would only become more miserable.
A short while later, the sailboat reached the harbor.
Kai dropped anchor and lowered the sail.
Once everything was done, he stepped onto the port.
His feet landed steadily on Alabasta's reddish desert soil.
Looking around, he saw wilderness and sand in every direction.
There was almost no green in sight.
No wonder the weather here was so brutal.
Of course, growing greenery in a desert was never simple.
Kai's first impression of Alabasta was that it was enormous.
Other than its size, there was not much else to feel from the harbor.
The place looked like abandoned wasteland.
There was not even a town visible from here.
"Looks like I'll have to walk around a bit."
If he wanted to find Crocodile, he would first have to reach a town and ask the local residents.
Otherwise, searching for one man across a kingdom this large would be no different from finding a needle in the sea.
With that in mind, Kai left the harbor and headed toward the nearest town.
Walking from the port to the town took about half an hour.
Of course, that was only because Kai did not move at full speed.
If he used the Six Powers seriously, a few minutes would be more than enough.
When he entered the town, Kai finally felt some life in Alabasta.
The streets were lively, though the poverty was obvious. Thin old people and children could be seen everywhere.
Most of the residents had bronze skin, naturally darkened from years beneath the harsh sun.
According to what Kai knew, the Kingdom of Alabasta was divided into more than a dozen towns and regions.
Its capital, Alubarna, was where the royal family lived.
The Nefertari Family had ruled this land for nearly a thousand years.
In truth, they had another hidden identity.
They were one of the twenty royal families that had founded the World Government eight hundred years ago.
However, unlike the other nineteen families, the Nefertari Family refused to move to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. They continued to rule Alabasta and no longer participated directly in the highest levels of World Government authority.
After eight hundred years, such secrets had long faded from the world's memory.
Only the Nefertari royal records likely still preserved traces of that history.
"Perhaps that's exactly why Crocodile believes Alabasta hides information about the Ancient Weapon Pluton."
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen this country as his target."
Kai thought quietly.
Crocodile must have learned something about the Nefertari Family's ancient status and discovered that Pluton was somehow connected to this kingdom.
That was why he began plotting against Alabasta.
The current ruler of the Nefertari Family was King Cobra.
At this stage, Crocodile's plan had probably only just begun.
If he wanted to fully seize control of Alabasta, he would need a long time to lay the groundwork.
A short while later, Kai stopped in front of a fruit stall and asked the owner, "Old man, do you know a man called Crocodile?"
The fruit seller thought for a moment.
Then he looked at Kai strangely.
"Why are you looking for him? Crocodile is a good man. Not long ago, he helped our kingdom deal with a group of bandits who tried to invade Alabasta."
"He defeated those vicious bandits by himself and drove them out of the kingdom."
"To us, he is a great benefactor."
Kai's expression turned odd.
Crocodile was a good man?
That was new.
He had not expected Crocodile to have already built such a reputation just to take over Alabasta.
At this point, the people of Alabasta had no idea what kind of man Crocodile truly was.
Nor did they know what kind of disaster he would eventually bring to this country.
"Do you know where he is?"
Kai suppressed the thoughts in his mind and asked again.
"He seems to have been invited to the palace in Alubarna by His Majesty King Cobra."
The fruit seller answered honestly.
"Alubarna Palace?"
Kai's eyes flashed.
"Thanks."
He casually tossed the fruit seller a stack of berries, then turned and headed toward the direction of Alubarna.
Since he had already learned where Crocodile was, there was no need to waste more time here.
But just as he left the busy street, Kai sensed several unfriendly gazes locking onto him from the shadows.
Malicious eyes stared at him from different corners.
Kai had expected this.
He simply did not care.
He was not in the mood to deal with small fry right now.
So he prepared to move at full speed and reach Alubarna as quickly as possible.
He needed to find Crocodile.
But at that moment, his steps suddenly stopped.
"Hm?"
Kai raised an eyebrow and looked ahead.
A massive man was walking away down the street.
The reason he drew Kai's attention was simple.
The man had strange reddish skin.
He did not look like an ordinary human.
More importantly, Kai sensed a familiar kind of fierce aura from him.
It was similar to his own.
An intense violence hidden deep within the body.
Kai could feel it clearly.
The man's body radiated a brutal aura without the slightest attempt to hide it.
Because of that, everyone instinctively avoided him wherever he passed.
No one dared approach.
His presence was too strong.
It was like facing a prehistoric beast.
His huge body was like a small mountain, exuding overwhelming pressure.
He was nearly four or five meters tall, his body packed with dense muscle, every inch of him seeming to contain terrifying strength.
He looked like a volcano.
Or a barrel of gunpowder.
A single touch might set him off.
"Interesting."
"I didn't expect to run into an unexpected powerhouse in Alabasta."
"Could his target also be Crocodile?"
"If so, things are about to get even more interesting."
Kai narrowed his eyes, his gaze thoughtful.
For some reason, that towering figure gave him a strange sense of familiarity.
And anyone who could make Kai feel familiar…
Was definitely not ordinary.
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