The Miracle of the Desert

On the day the 'Horn of Justice' arrived, the night in Nanohana was much more lively than usual.

Squads of marines traversed the desert-themed streets, led by Lieutenant Rogers, Lieutenant Simpson, and Senior Sergeant Weini, heading toward one clear objective after another.

Lieutenant Brandon was responsible for staying on the warship.

However, their military ranks will likely be significantly promoted once Bundy Byrnndi World is officially Impel Down.

As for now, he is under Vidal's orders to capture those who are hiding in the city and may be pirates.

It's possible because his Observation Haki can only sense the strength of an aura.

Before issuing the order, Vidal had spoken with Neisesi. Apart from those who were Alabasta's hidden guards, the remaining powerful individuals were most likely pirates.

Even if it isn't, we can just release it after we catch it!

But if you actually catch a few small fish, that's still a military achievement, better than just standing there watching.

And is Colonel Vidal really that lacking in prestige?

He's already here and he still hasn't left. Isn't that just pure provocation? You deserve to be arrested.

Of course, it's also possible that these pirates in 'Paradise' are unaware of the existence of Haki, let alone the effects of Observation Haki.

But who cares? They've paid the price for their recklessness!

When Vidal opened his eyes the next day, he washed up and received a report from Lieutenant Rogers.

Sure enough, last night they caught four pirates with bounties of one million Beli, and even a big fish with a bounty of ten million Beli.

They are Yamosi the Butcher (3.2 million Beli), Xiaoduode the Inazuma Whip (4.45 million Beli), and Fulida the Chicken Handsome (5.21 million Beli).

I heard that 'Chicken Handsome' Fulida is also a Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit user in Rooster form. Besides pecking people, he is also good at throwing a bouncy iron ball.

The last one with a bounty of ten million is Geda, the Undertaker of the Black Coffin Pirates, whose ability is the Paramecia Coffin-Coffin Fruit.

Not only can it turn any object it touches into a coffin for attack and defense, but if someone is trapped to death in a coffin, it can control their corpse to fight the next time the coffin is opened, including using its Devil Fruit abilities from when it was alive.

Unfortunately, it's said that it can only be used once, and only until midnight; after that, it will turn into an ordinary corpse.

As for how to trap someone to death, well. First, manipulate the coffin to find a way to lock the person inside, then use your abilities to sink the coffin underground, and bring the person back up after they die.

The most amazing thing is that he is a coffin man himself, so he can not only trap people inside his body, but also shrink other coffins and store them inside his body, releasing them when needed.

However, if too many coffins are stored, they will take up space inside the body and will no longer be able to trap people. Moreover, according to Rogers, it is not impossible to get out after being trapped; as long as you have enough strength, you can fight your way out.

Vidal asked him how he knew. It turned out that Weini had been accidentally locked inside, but he transformed into a polar bear, broke open the coffin, and escaped from inside the Geda.

After listening to Rogers' report, Vidal folded the hot towel he had used to wipe his face and put it on the shelf, then asked with his back to Rogers, "How is that Geda? Is he dead?"

"No, after he passed out, we threw him into the prison inside the warship."

"Devil Fruit truly lives up to its name," Vidal thought to himself.

But as long as he's not dead, that's fine. He has some ideas about this Coffin-Coffin Fruit.

"Separate him from the other pirates and don't report it to the authorities. I still have a use for him."

"Where are the rest of the Black Coffin Pirates?"

"If the captain is gone, what crew members are there?"

"I understand!" Lieutenant Rogers nodded, then silently left the room.

Vidal ignored him and walked to the window to look at Nanohana in the early morning. He had only been here a short time and was still feeling the novelty.

The exotic atmosphere always gave him the feeling of being a tourist.

Cobra and his group finished lunch at 11:00 AM and then waited until 2:00 PM before officially setting off, supposedly because it wasn't as hot from 2:00 PM onwards.

Riding a camel, Vidal glanced at Nanohana receding into the distance behind him and laughed, "Ah, so we're finally going to see the desert, huh? Haha!"

At this moment, apart from Lieutenant Rogers and Nacil, only Cobra and his group remained; all the other navy personnel stayed on the warship.

After all, this isn't a battle, and there's no need to bring so many people when traversing the desert.

"Is this Colonel Vidal's first time seeing the desert?" Cobra, though a prince, rode his camel alone, just like everyone else, and seemed quite skilled at it.

"It's not exactly my first time seeing it, but it's definitely my first time in the desert, so I'm really looking forward to the rest of the journey," Vidal said with a smile, stroking the gentle camel beneath him.

"It's just too hot here, and the wind is so dry." Nacil looked at her fair, delicate fingers, quite worried about them.

At this moment, Nacil had already taken off her white coat and pink cheongsam dress.

She changed into traditional Alabasta attire, consisting of a bikini top, a light white tulle skirt that revealed her fair and flat stomach, and a veil over her face.

To be honest, Vidal and the men around him were immediately struck by her stunning appearance; she looked like an exquisite desert dancer.

"Only in this kind of environment can a woman truly test whether she is naturally beautiful," Vidal said casually, in high spirits.

Wait, is that so? Ke Nacil really took it seriously. Thinking about it carefully, it does seem to make some sense. And it's not just a test for her own skin, but also a test for the secret formula 'Goryeo Newcomer'!

Vidal, Cobra six companions, along with two hundred elite soldiers from the Royal Guard —armed with long-handled axes, clad in brass scale armor, and wearing white cloaks—formed a large caravan and headed deep into the desert.

Let's stop here for a bit.

Just as the group had crossed three sand dunes, Vidal suddenly pulled his camel to a stop and called out to those around him.

"Colonel Vidal?"

Cobra asked in confusion, raising his hand to signal the group to stop. Igaram, Neisesi, and the others also looked over.

Vidal rolled to the ground, passed through the ranks, and squatted down to grab a handful of sand that was still hot to the touch from the midday heat.

"This should be a real desert area by now, right?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I'd like to test the Devil Fruit's power and see if it matches my expectations." With that, Vidal placed his palm on the sand.

The next moment, everyone saw that the palm emitted a pleasing green light.

Immediately about four meters away from Vidal, a sapling quickly broke through the gravel and then instantly grew into a towering tree six or seven meters tall!

The dense, lush green leaves that formed an umbrella-shaped canopy suddenly made Cobra and the others feel as if the light had dimmed.

They soon found themselves enveloped in a shady green space, and whether it was just their imagination or not, they felt instantly much cooler.

"This! This!"

Cobra jumped down with delight, walked quickly to Vidal's side, and looked up at the lush, leafy tree with a sigh.

"This is simply a miracle, a treasure in the desert!" After saying that, he even went over and touched the rough tree trunk.

Igaram, Neisesi, and the rest of the guard were overjoyed, each with an expression of amazement on their face.

However, Lieutenant Rogers and Nacil, having already witnessed it, didn't react much.

At this moment, Cobra felt it was all worthwhile; all the extravagance of the welcoming ceremony was worth it. He firmly believed that Vidal could help this country and its people!

But Vidal's expression wasn't good; his brow furrowed slightly as he said, "Don't be too happy yet, things aren't that simple."

Thank you so much, Tim Duncan II, for the 500-coin reward! You must be a new reader, thank you for the reward. I don't even know if you've read this far.

Hey big brother, you've tipped me another 500?! Your total tipping amount is now 14,500! Thank you so much for consistently ranking first on my book's fan list; it really adds to my prestige. Thank you! (bows)

Does anyone know why Vidal said things weren't that simple?