The desert is very dangerous, and the desert in Alabasta with no people is even more so.
During the day, people walking aren't just facing the hot sun and high heat, but also wild animals hiding under the sand!
Even the king's army has to be very careful when moving in the desert.
If they're not careful, they'll pay a big price!
To quickly make the situation at the oasis station of Shandana more stable, King Cobra chose to lead the king's army across the desert.
This should have been a dangerous trip, but it was changed by someone showing up unexpectedly.
...
In the endless desert.
An army is moving forward in a grand way.
The way this army is made up is special.
Around the outside, there's a defense line made of ten thousand sand soldiers.
Inside that, there are about a thousand of the king's soldiers, who should be ready for anything but are actually relaxed.
Because the sand soldiers are there, the king's soldiers are able to relax in a way that's rare for them.
The sand soldiers give off a strange feeling, which makes the wild animals nearby calmer and less likely to attack.
This is why Rowan called the sand soldiers ahead of time.
In the king's army, Bell and Chaka are walking in front to clear the way, and Rowan, Cobra, Vivi, and Crocodile are in the back.
They're walking on foot, just like the king's soldiers.
Cobra and Vivi want to share the hard times with the king's soldiers.
And for Rowan and Crocodile, since they have the Sand-Sand Fruit power, walking in the desert is actually easier for them.
As for why Crocodile is allowed to walk near the royal family.
Cobra doesn't care much about rules, and Crocodile is a hero of the country, so he just lets it happen.
Feeling the energy from the sand soldiers, Crocodile frowns.
It's Conqueror's Haki.
A huge amount of Conqueror's Haki that's special and so finely controlled it's amazing!
It scares away the wild animals without hurting them too much.
The animals lower their heads, and it's more like they're giving in than being afraid!
Once the army has passed, the animals can go back to their lives right away.
...
"Alabasta actually has a monster like this hidden away..."
Crocodile says quietly, his eyes moving slightly.
Rowan notices Crocodile watching him, but he doesn't care.
Right now, he's talking to Cobra, learning about what happened after he died.
Ryan Rowan died in battle in year 719 of the sea calendar, and the World Government was formed by twenty kings in year 720 of the sea calendar.
That means he died right before the World Government was created.
After he died, since he didn't have any family, his close friend Nefertari took over the Alabasta Empire, just like Rowan wanted.
But without Rowan, the Alabasta Empire was only one of the better countries, not one of the very best.
In the same year, because the other nineteen countries put pressure on her, Nefertari had to change the empire into a kingdom and help create the World Government.
But she refused the chance to live in the holy land of Mary Geoise and become a Celestial Dragon, choosing to stay in Alabasta.
After that, Nefertari used her own name as a family name and created the Nefertari family, which has continued to this day.
Nefertari Cobra became the twelfth king of the Alabasta Kingdom!
...
After listening to Cobra's story, Rowan reacts in a surprising way.
Cobra thought that the emperor from eight hundred years ago would be very angry, thinking that Nefertari had wasted the empire he had built, but Rowan doesn't seem to feel that way.
He can't help but clap and laugh loudly.
"Of course, that's just how Nefertari would do things!"
Cobra is surprised. "Ancestor, aren't you angry?"
"Angry? Why would I be angry?"
Rowan reaches out his hand.
Sand rises from the ground, seeming alive, and flows slowly around his fingers.
"It's just a difference in ideas, it's not about right and wrong."
"My ideas created the Alabasta Empire of the past; Nefertari's ideas have allowed the Alabasta Kingdom to continue to this day."
Rowan holds a grain of sand between his fingers and looks into the distance.
"I can feel it, even though there are still some problems, this is a very good country, and you've done a great job."
Cobra smiles and nods, looking very pleased.
But Vivi, standing nearby, looks a little unconvinced.
"Of course, Father is a very powerful king!"
Hearing that, Rowan smiles, picks Vivi up, and holds her so she can sit on his shoulder.
Rowan is a little taller than Crocodile, about two meters and eighty centimeters, so Vivi can see a pretty good view.
She looks past the sand dune and points ahead.
"Ancestor, I can see Shandana!"
The group comes to the top of a hill and looks down at the oasis station that's been taken over by rebels.
The captain of the king's army who was in charge of guarding the station comes to report.
Cobra waves his hand and orders, "All troops, get ready!"
But Rowan reaches out to stop him. "No need, let the king's army stand down, I'll take care of the rest."
The captain who just arrived doesn't recognize this strangely dressed man and can't help but find it a little funny.
"Sir, there are thousands of rebels. Even Mr. Crocodile can't guarantee that none of them will get away, right?"
If even a small group of rebels escapes and goes to other cities, it will definitely cause harm to the people, which is one of the reasons why the king's army doesn't choose to attack by force.
But Rowan shakes his head.
"I'm not alone."
He holds Vivi on his shoulder with one hand, and raises his staff with the other hand, pointing it towards Shandana.
In the captain's shocked eyes, the army of ten thousand sand soldiers, moves forward from behind the sand dune.
Click! Click! Click...
Sand hits sand, making "footsteps."
Their movements are extremely well-coordinated, and they slowly get closer to Shandana.
Rowan smiles gently and asks the little princess on his shoulder:
"Vivi, do you know which direction the capital of Alabasta is in?"
"Yes, I do."
Vivi nods and points ahead, past Shandana. "It's over there!"
The capital of Alabasta, Alubarna.
There, stands a palace with a long history, built as early as four thousand years ago.
There are countless secrets about this palace.
Rowan also lived there for a very long time.
"I miss it a bit, I want to go back and take a look."
Rowan says for no clear reason, looking at Shandana.
There, the rebels are panicking because of the sand soldier army that suddenly appeared!
The staff hits the ground, and the sand soldiers move even faster.
Until - they charge!
"So, you guys..."
Rowan raises his head, swings the staff, and the sand surges.
That unquestionable voice echoes in everyone's ears -
"Don't stand in the emperor's way!"
...
The rebels who have taken over the oasis station are now starting to panic.
They don't know what's happening, they just see the king's army leave, and then the sand soldiers suddenly appear and charge towards Shandana!
After a moment of panic, they barely get their team back together.
There's a reason why the rebels chose to take over this place.
Shandana, as an oasis station, is an important transportation hub for trade routes in Alabasta.
It has a lot of supplies and is easy to defend.
The king's army doesn't dare to destroy this station, which gives them enough to bargain with.
They want King Cobra to support their great "revolution," or at least, to have Alabasta protect them from being chased down by neighboring countries.
Having failed to start a rebellion, they can't think about whether their plan will work, and they can only try anything.
But now, a strange army has suddenly appeared and is charging at them!
"Fire, fire!"
The rebel leader orders quickly.
The gun team comes forward, takes control of the only road, and pulls the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...
Lead bullets shoot out, hitting the sand soldiers charging in front, but the bullets go right through their bodies.
"A Logia?!"
The rebel leader knows a little, so he's even more unwilling to believe it.
He knows that the Warlord of the Sea, Crocodile, might be in this country, but he's never heard of Crocodile being able to call up thousands of sand soldiers!
A sand spear breaks through a shield, and the first line of defense falls apart in an instant!
The rebel leader looks in hopelessness at the sand soldiers, kneels on the ground, and opens and closes his mouth.
"What is this?!"
...
On the sand dune.
Crocodile looks down at the battlefield, narrowing his eyes.
In his eyes, the sand soldiers are being controlled by Rowan and attacking the rebels' lines from different directions.
Normal people can't fight against Logia Devil Fruit users.
Soon, the sand soldiers in front break through the rebels' formation.
Sand spears wave and pierce any enemy who dares to stand in their way, and the battlefield is completely one-sided!
It's an almost amazingly perfect way to control the battlefield.
Crocodile suddenly feels that Rowan's look as he looks down at the battlefield is like a chess player.
The battlefield is his chessboard!
As he continues to watch, a cold smile suddenly appears on Crocodile's face.
He says quietly:
"Hehehehe, is that so? Looks like I need to find a chance to check it out..."
...
About ten minutes later, this city attack that was sure to happen ends.
The rebels are defeated.
Rowan doesn't want to wipe them out, but many rebels still die or are injured.
Cobra orders the king's army to go clean up the battlefield.
After that, Bell the Falcon, who has the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Falcon power and is in charge of finding out what's going on, returns from the sky and changes from animal form back to human form.
He brings some bad news.
"Your Majesty, a small group of rebels has found a gap and escaped to the southeast."
Cobra is about to arrange a pursuit, but Rowan suddenly laughs.
"I'll go after them."
He puts Vivi back on the ground, and sand moves around them.
After a few breaths, Rowan turns into a sandstorm and disappears.
Vivi claps happily, "Ancestor is so amazing!"
But Cobra, as the king, frowns slightly.
He's very kind to the people, but he's also a tough guy who can argue with other kings at the world meeting, so he can naturally hear what Rowan is really saying.
Rowan wanted to take care of something, so he let a small group of rebels escape as an excuse.
So, what does the ancestor want to do?
Cobra turns his head back and is surprised.
Because someone else has also disappeared -
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile.