Arrival in Alabasta!

March 27, 1493 (Sea Circle Calendar), around 9:00 AM.

Eight warships flying the Alabasta royal flag cleared two-thirds of the central area of the 'Nanohana' port and then placed them on both sides under martial law.

By royal decree, martial law will remain in effect until midnight at the latest, but will end early if Vidal Colonel ahead of time.

By this time, the area near the port was already teeming with people. Gradually, more and more people gathered, surging in from the city shoulder to shoulder. Even the surrounding houses had people standing or sitting on them.

Sweating profusely, soldiers of the Royal Army maintained order; their task was to ensure a clear road once Vidal arrived.

As for stampedes, the world has no experience with that, and such accidents are very unlikely to happen.

After all, the physical constitutions of people in different parts of the world are not the same.

Time passed slowly, and as some people noticed it was approaching eleven o'clock, Prince Cobra emerged from the inn with Igaram and Neisesi behind him.

Their appearance made everyone realize that an important guest was about to arrive!

Yes, Cobra just received news that the warships have entered the port area and will arrive in about twenty minutes.

However, Yixiao and Brook were no longer by his side.

For Yixiao, who doesn't yet want to appear on the world stage, it's best to stay away from such occasions.

[Waaah--]

As the warship's mast came into view of the port crowd, hundreds of the Royal Army soldiers on the decks of the warships on both sides sounded their horns.

All of this was arranged by Igaram. After all, it was already quite difficult for Cobra to agree, so it was unrealistic to expect him to do these things personally.

You, Vidal, were called the 'Horn of Justice' by the World Economy News Paper? Then let's welcome you with a hundred horns!

Not enough?

There's more!

As the No. 404 headquarters-class warship slowly entered the harbor amidst the resounding bugle calls, the eight warships on both sides suddenly opened fire on the empty sea.

[Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!]

This brought a pleased smile to Vidal's face as he stood at the bow of the warship, facing the wind. He hadn't expected them to prepare a salute; not bad at all.

The moment the horns and cannons sounded, the atmosphere became lively, and with the huge crowds at the port, his persona of enjoying grand occasions and extravagance was firmly established!

In the future, I can visit more kingdoms and do these things, and collect some money along the way.

[Crack!]

A shutter clicked in the noisy environment, and Vidal's spirited face was captured.

Once the warship was anchored, strong, muscular marines, with shields on their left arms and long swords or spears in their right hands, rushed down and dispersed in all directions.

Cobra saw Vidal coming down with a man and a woman, he strode over and flashed a hearty, warm smile.

"Colonel Forrest Vidal, a warm welcome to Alabasta!"

"It is my honor to be personally greeted by the prince of the Nefertari clan. I look forward to your guidance over the next few days," Vidal said gently, shaking hands with him.

This surprised Cobra and his two companions, who had initially thought that Vidal would be even more arrogant and Colonel.

I didn't expect him to behave so normally?

On the other side, Vidal glanced intentionally or unintentionally at the dark-skinned, muscular man behind Cobra, who was only a head shorter than him, wearing a loose long coat and a light green overcoat.

This person was clearly a guard or a general. The reason I noticed him was because I could sense an aura of Haki emanating from him!

It's worth noting that in the original story, the lieutenant and acting captain of the Royal Guard more than thirty years later, known as Chaka, didn't possess any Haki whatsoever.

Now it seems there's only one explanation: Chaka is too weak, his talent is too poor, and he still hasn't mastered Haki at forty-one years old.

What other explanations are there?

It would be laughable to say that Alabasta, a kingdom with a history of thousands of years, even longer than the World Government, lacks training materials on Haki.

It seems that the inheritance of the Jackal Fruit and the Falcon Fruit is not determined by who is stronger, but rather by selecting the recipient in other ways.

Or is it that Alabasta's talent pool is so severely depleted that the strongest players in the country are only Kaga and Bel?

The moment Vidal stepped into Alabasta, his mind was racing; he wasn't here to play around.

After exchanging pleasantries, Vidal walked ahead with Cobra without any hesitation, which made Igaram realize that the naval Colonel was only polite on the surface, but his actions were full of arrogance.

And isn't that woman next to him the ship's doctor of the World Pirates?

Ever since the World Economy News Paper reported on the great battle between Vidal and Byrnndi World, he had made a point of researching the World Pirates.

To dare to show up in public with a pirate, this Colonel Vidal is truly something else!

However, considering Vidal's status as a disciple of Admiral from the Sengoku, Igaram felt he could guess the source of Vidal's confidence.

Looking at the female ship's doctor again, it seems he's discovered another of Vidal's preferences: beautiful women!

This made him hesitate, wondering if he should find some pretty waitresses later, but what if Prince Cobra always valued his people, found out?

With Igaram deep in thought, the group, surrounded by countless onlookers, walked through the avenue that had been carved out by the Royal Army and entered the best hotel in the city.

Thus, today's welcoming ceremony has officially come to an end, but for Vidal, it's just the beginning.

"Hey, isn't Izuru here?" Vidal asked Prince Cobra as he entered the top-floor room.

He was quite eager to see Yixiao and that Brook as soon as possible.

"Mr. Yixiao said it's inconvenient for us to meet at 'Nanohana', Alubarna," Prince Cobra said with a smile as he sat down on the sofa.

"Oh well."

Vidal thought about it and agreed. The place was a mixed bag, and if he and Yixiao had too much contact, they would definitely attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.

"Vidal Colonel, are you satisfied with our welcome in Alabasta?" Cobra asked softly.

"Not bad, it would be even better if there were some more beautiful women with Alabasta flair in the procession," Vidal laughed.

Prince Cobra's smile faltered.

Igaram sighed inwardly, thinking, "As expected," while Neisesi, the current vice-captain of the Royal Guard, directly showed his displeasure.

Lieutenant Rogers was a little surprised; so his Colonel liked these things after all.

Think back to when he fought the Leopard Cat Pirates and dismantled Ward's ship; Vidal always made sure to pack the ship's treasure into wooden crates and take it with him.

It seems my direct supervisor, besides loving ostentation and beautiful women, is also quite interested in treasure.

Nacil, on the other hand, was somewhat hurt. "So you like beautiful women, huh? Then why have you been ignoring me these past few days? Is it really because I'm too old?"

She suddenly began to doubt her own charm. Was age really that important?

At this point, Vidal continued, "I wonder if Yixiao has told you that I'm charging a fee for helping Alabasta this time, and it's not cheap."

"I've heard about it. How much are you planning to charge?"

"That's not certain yet. We'll discuss it further after we've observed the site. However, it will definitely be in the hundreds of millions, and payments must be made annually. You should be prepared for that."

A bright smile spread across Vidal's handsome face. "Besides that, I have a few more things I'd like to ask Alabasta for help with."

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