Luo Chen looked at Crocodile's corpse, and a ripple appeared in his black right eye.
The corpse was swallowed by the twisting spatial vortex.
His consciousness sank into the Kamui dimension.
On platforms, Beri, gold, and treasures were piled high.
The corpses of Onigumo and Crocodile were placed on a separate platform.
Luo Chen could revive both of these men with Impure World Reincarnation.
Of course, Impure World Reincarnation had conditions to be performed.
First, it required a certain amount of the summoned person's flesh, i.e., corpse tissue.
Second, it required a living person as a sacrifice, to act as the container for the deceased's soul.
The physical strength of the living sacrifice would affect the strength of the summoned person.
For example, even if Luo Chen had the conditions to summon the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, if the living sacrifice's body was too weak, the summoned Roger would not possess the strength of his prime.
He might only have one-tenth, or even less.
'After being summoned by Impure World Reincarnation, combat abilities like Devil Fruit powers, Haki, and swordsmanship will all be inherited. To bring out Crocodile's full strength, I'll need a pirate with a bounty of at least one hundred million as the living sacrifice.'
Luo Chen thought to himself.
'There's definitely no shortage of living sacrifices. After entering the New World, the seas are full of pirates. I can grab them as I please.'
He left with Robin and Vivi.
Crocodile was dead, and the Alabasta affair was concluded.
The next stop was Thriller Bark.
The three left the Rain-Dinners casino and found Nami and Kalifa, who were out shopping.
Kalifa smiled slightly. "Thank you, Captain. I've already reported my safety to my friends."
"Good. You and Vivi go to the royal palace," Luo Chen nodded.
'Kalifa must have told the Five Elders that she has successfully infiltrated my side. Next, I'll have Robin, Kalifa, and Vivi go to the royal palace together to check the Poneglyph. As for me, I've decided to stroll around with Nami alone.'
The group split up again.
Luo Chen took the silent Nami and wandered around the city of Rainbase.
He smiled. "Remember the first time we came here? Back then, we ran into Admiral Aokiji in that desert. We were hunted by him and fled. I really thought I'd never see you again."
Luo Chen pointed at the vast desert in the distance.
Nami's expression wavered slightly, remembering the danger back then.
She pursed her lips, her fingers clenching tightly, and said, "Let's go check out that hotel."
Seeing Luo Chen's surprised look, a blush flashed across Nami's pretty face, and she turned her head away.
"I just... want to go see it."
Her heart was beating very fast.
Nami had hesitated for a long time over this decision.
After seeing what happened with Luo Chen and Hancock, she had been wavering.
Should she leave Luo Chen and return to the East Blue?
Or should she compete with Hancock, unwilling to show weakness?
She thought about the journey she had taken with Luo Chen to get here, and in the end, she couldn't let it go.
'What Boa Hancock can do, she can do, too.'
Luo Chen heard her and nodded silently.
'It seems the words I had prepared don't need to be said.'
The two returned to the hotel where they had stayed when they first arrived in Alabasta's Rainbase.
Unlike last time, they didn't get separate rooms.
Luo Chen only got one.
At this, Nami buried her head, said nothing, and silently followed Luo Chen upstairs.
After entering the room, Nami's nervous breathing was clearly audible.
She stammered, "I... I'll go take a shower first."
With that, Nami scrambled into the bathroom.
Luo Chen rubbed his nose and sat down on the sofa.
The "shhh" sound of water came clearly from the bathroom.
Luo Chen looked up and saw that the bathroom door was open a crack, dim yellow light spilling out.
The fragrance of shower gel also wafted through the gap to his nose.
"I should take a shower, too," Luo Chen muttered to himself, taking off his jacket and walking into the bathroom.
He refused to believe that Nami had just coincidentally forgotten to close the bathroom door.
He also didn't believe the bathroom door was coincidentally broken.
Before long, a suppressed, cat-like "song" drifted out from the bathroom door's gap, echoing in the luxurious suite.
...
Outside, the sun in the sky set and rose again.
A full cycle passed before Luo Chen and Nami left the hotel.
The two sat on the wood dragon's back, leaning against each other, gazing at the scenery of the desert kingdom as they headed toward the royal capital of Alabasta.
After arriving at the royal palace, Luo Chen and Nami met Robin and the others again.
At this time, Robin, Kalifa, and Vivi all had somewhat strange expressions.
Their frequent glances made Nami blush.
Robin chuckled lightly. "I didn't expect that looking at the Poneglyph would take a whole day and night."
Nami heard the teasing in her words, and feeling shy, she quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, alright, it's time for us to go."
Last night, Luo Chen had already told her that their next stop was the territory of the Warlord, Gecko Moria.
Their purpose in coming to the palace was to pick up Robin and Kalifa.
As for Vivi, she would definitely stay in Alabasta.
Before leaving, King Cobra and several guard ministers solemnly expressed their gratitude to Luo Chen.
They tactfully stated that due to the recent drought and the rebel infighting, the country was unable to provide a lavish gift.
Luo Chen didn't mind.
He had long known Alabasta was poor and hadn't expected any money.
'In any case, the Five Elders owe me one hundred billion Beri, and the gold from Skypiea isn't sold out yet. I have money to use for now.'
As for Vivi, she thanked him gratefully multiple times.
Thanking Luo Chen for dealing with Crocodile and helping Alabasta escape his clutches.
And, as Luo Chen had expected, Vivi did not leave with him.
"See you again if fate allows." On the wood dragon's back, Luo Chen waved to Vivi, Cobra, and the others.
Then the wood dragon took flight, disappearing over the distant horizon.
...
Atop the wood dragon, Robin asked with a smile, "Mr. Captain, not considering asking Princess Vivi to join us?"
Luo Chen knew she was joking.
Every time Robin joked, she liked to call him "Mr. Captain."
When she was serious, she called him by his name.
He shook his head.
'To be honest, Vivi is very pretty. But Luo Chen didn't want to deliberately pursue anything. He had Boa Hancock, he had Nami, and then there were Robin and Kalifa, whose relationships weren't yet defined. It was already enough to keep his body and mind busy.'
'Vivi can wait for later. We'll see if it's fated.'
'Black-haired Hancock and Robin.'
'Blonde Kalifa.'
'Orange-haired Nami.'
'Blue-haired Vivi, pink-haired Reiju.'
'Good grief, if I collected them all, the hair colors would be practically complete.'
Luo Chen recalled the more memorable beautiful characters.
Their hair colors were indeed all different.
'And there's the emerald-haired Kozuki Hiyori.'
'When I get the chance to go to Wano Country, I'll go for some "flower wine".'
Luo Chen pursed his lips.
He wasn't particularly interested in drinking, but "flower wine" was an exception.
...
Half a day later, a wood dragon charged into the Florian Triangle, in the first half of the Grand Line.
Dark, gloomy clouds covered the sky of this mysterious sea.
The light was dim, like an eternal night.
A thick fog permeated the sea's surface, making it impossible to see anything more than a few meters away.
The "shhh" sound of the waves, and a bizarre "Yohohohoho" laugh, rang out from time to time, making it extremely creepy.
Luo Chen sat on the wood dragon's back, his gaze turning toward the source of the strange laughter.
'Is that Brook?'
It sounded a bit like that skeleton's laugh.
But just in case Brook asked to see panties the moment he opened his mouth, Luo Chen did not steer the wood dragon to fly toward him.
Instead, he headed straight for Thriller Bark.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]