Arrival at Alabasta

The day after leaving Drum Island, the Going Merry sailed as usual on the calm sea.

After leaving the climate zone of Winter Island, the weather began to clear up. Chopper quickly integrated into life on the ship. Besides being looked after by the two girls, he also got along well with Luffy and Usopp and was currently chatting with Karoo.

On the stern deck, Vivi and Nami sat in lounge chairs, holding a newspaper. It seemed to contain some shocking news, as both their expressions were grim.

"Is this... is this true?"

"What's wrong?"

"Look." Nami sat up from her lounge chair, unfolding the newspaper and turning it over.

Reiner, who had been exercising nearby, saw this, put down his barbell, walked over, took the newspaper, and sat cross-legged on the deck. He lit a cigarette and began to read slowly.

In the most prominent position in the upper left corner was a picture of a battle. Judging by the scale, there were hundreds of people on both sides. The headline boldly read: Battlefield Vanguard: Latest Information on the Alabasta Civil War.

As Reiner read through the details, his brows gradually furrowed.

"How did the Royal Army lose over 300,000 men in just one month?"

The original Royal Army of 600,000 against a Rebel Army of 400,000 had, in the blink of an eye, turned into a Rebel Army of 700,000 against 300,000.

Reiner had never seen a war on the scale of a million people, nor could he imagine it. This number was far beyond his comprehension.

He couldn't help but glance at Vivi. She must be incredibly anxious right now.

"This is still news from a few days ago. I'm afraid the decisive battle in Alabasta isn't far off."

"Reiner, can't you say something more encouraging? Vivi is already upset enough," Nami snapped, glaring at him.

This kind of thing can't be solved by just saying nice words, Reiner waved his hand, saying, "However, Sanji talked to Crocodile on the phone earlier. According to his information, we should be able to arrive before the decisive battle breaks out."

"That's right, Vivi, don't worry too much."

"Mm, I'm sorry, I made you all worry."

Vivi raised a hand to wipe her face, forcing a smile. "Everyone is already doing their best to help me make time. Even if I'm anxious, the ship can't go any faster."

"I'm going to wash my face." With that, Vivi stood up and walked towards the front of the ship.

"This kid, she still won't ask us for help."

Nami looked in the direction Vivi had left, a worried expression on her face, then turned back to Reiner: "We'll help her when the time comes, right?"

"Isn't that something everyone has already tacitly agreed to?"

Reiner picked up the barbell from the ground. Although Vivi's request was simply to take her to Alabasta, everyone had already implicitly accepted her as a crewmate.

"Anyway, it's that Seven Warlords of the Sea guy, right? We'll just cut him down when the time comes," Zoro, who was also exercising nearby, chimed in.

"Don't say it like it's that simple, you idiot! That's a Seven Warlords of the Sea we're talking about!" Nami said, hands on her hips, fuming.

A little while later, Usopp and Sanji came from the back of the ship. "Reiner, Zoro, can we start?"

"You're just in time." Reiner put down his barbell, pulled the towel from around his neck, and wiped off his sweat.

Ever since Little Garden, Reiner had begun practicing Haki using the method taught by the two giants. His progress, however...

...was almost nonexistent. He definitely wouldn't be able to master it in time for the battle in Alabasta.

But this kind of thing isn't achieved overnight. On the ship, he, Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy all had sufficient physical conditioning to begin Haki training, so starting early meant learning early.

The method was simple, exactly like how Rayleigh taught Luffy in the original story. This was the training method for almost all pirates: being blindfolded and getting hit.

They would train Observation Haki and Armament Haki simultaneously. During the process, they had to sense the opponent's vital signs while imagining an invisible armor covering their body.

It sounded vague, but once they actually tried it, they understood its meaning.

Usopp pulled out three black blindfolds and tied them over the eyes of Reiner, Zoro, and Sanji, who were sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"Ready? Here I go."

Saying this, Usopp took out a wooden stick and swung it twice. The whooshing sound of the air sent shivers down Nami's spine.

"You guys train. I'm going to find Vivi." With that, Nami hurried away.

"I'm ready."

"Come on, Usopp!"

The reason they chose Usopp was because, according to the giant uncles, if they didn't attack seriously, these novices wouldn't be able to sense the opponent's vital signs at all.

But if they were to attack seriously, the only ones they could consistently withstand were Usopp and the two girls, Nami and Vivi.

Clearly, the two girls had no interest in this. As for Reiner's Undead, there was nothing to be done; Undead didn't have vital signs.

Thwack!

"Ow!"

"Ah, ah, ah, sorry, Reiner."

"It's fine, Usopp, keep going."

Soon, sounds of impacts and cries of pain echoed from the back of the ship.

Luffy, despite having the highest physical conditioning, couldn't train for now. The blows didn't threaten him, so he couldn't get into a defensive mindset. They couldn't exactly use real swords to cut him, after all.

"Huff… huff… I'm done for."

After a good while, Usopp ran out of energy, and Reiner and the other two were so dizzy and disoriented from being hit that they couldn't focus anymore, so they ended their training.

"Hiss… that hurts. It's about time, I'll go make dinner first." Sanji rubbed his head, shook it, and got up to leave.

The remaining three lay directly on the ground, each staring at the sky as if life had lost all meaning.

"You guys are like monsters, so strong. Compared to you, I'm no different from an ordinary person."

"What are you talking about? You shouldn't say that out loud. I'm very weak."

"Keep pretending, then," Usopp said scornfully, then paused before continuing, "Reiner, Zoro, can you teach me how to get stronger?"

Upon hearing this, Reiner couldn't help but glance at Usopp. "Why the sudden interest?"

He had never believed in forcing others to train. Whether it was self-practice or being taught by others, to truly get stronger, the most important thing was to have the determination to improve oneself. Otherwise, it was just a waste of everyone's time.

Even the usually carefree Luffy had trained himself diligently since he was young.

"Our opponent this time is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. I really hope I can be of some help."

Usopp looked at the sky and spoke dismissively, but a flicker of determination flashed in his eyes. Only he knew how bad it felt to be the weakest link.

Moreover, he was the crew's sniper, joining as a combat member, yet his strength was inferior to that of a logistics member, and a proper one at that, doing odd jobs.

"However, even so, everyone's path is ultimately different," Reiner said calmly.

"I don't know any way to quickly improve your strength in a short amount of time. Or… have you considered a Devil Fruit?"

"A Devil Fruit, huh?" Usopp turned to look at him, pondered for a moment, and said, "Let's not. If there are too many Devil Fruit users on board, we won't be able to save them if they fall into the water."

"Is that so? In that case, let's start with physical training first." Reiner chuckled lightly, sat up, and said, "No matter which path you take, a strong physique is an indispensable foundation."

"Okay, let me join your training from now on too."

"Sure."

"Welcome aboard."

And so, time passed with daily training.

On the fifth day after leaving Drum Island…

"Land ho, everyone!"

From the Going Merry's crow's nest, Reiner shouted down to the deck, then looked forward.

Saintine Island, home to the super-power with tens of millions of people—

—Alabasta.

From afar, the entire island appeared as an endless expanse of crimson land, scorched by the blazing sun. As soon as they entered the nearby waters, the air began to grow heavy, causing an involuntary sense of irritation.

Hearing the sound, everyone emerged from the ship's cabins. Vivi, in particular, rushed to the bow impatiently, gripping the railing and gazing out.

"Where are we docking, Vivi?" Reiner jumped down from the crow's nest and came to Vivi's side.

"Nanohana. It's a port city; the Going Merry can dock there." Vivi pointed in a direction.

"Got it."

The Undead began to operate the rudder and sails, and the Going Merry gradually shifted, sailing in the direction Vivi had pointed.