Preparations Before Departure

The fires of war in Alubarna had long been extinguished by the heavy rain, but the entire city still basked in the lingering relief of surviving the catastrophe.

Beside a patch of ruins in the palace square, Bellemere, vice-captain of the Royal Guard, had just been bandaged by a military doctor. He sat slumped against the broken walls without a shred of dignity, gasping for breath. His uniform was in tatters, and every muscle in his body spasmed uncontrollably from utter exhaustion.

Half an hour earlier, he had transformed into Falcon Form and flown ten thousand meters into the sky with a five-meter-wide super-sized bomb in his arms, fully prepared to die.

Yet when he reached his limit and braced himself for the blaze of death, he suddenly discovered that what he held was not a bomb at all, but an entire solid block of wrapped Granite.

What made his blood boil even more was the half of a wanted poster wedged inside the cannon barrel when he returned, bearing an infuriating message. To throw that massive stone into the distant sea far from the capital, Bellemere had nearly drained every last bit of strength before barely managing to fly back.

"Step, step, step..."

A set of steady footsteps came to a stop before the ruins.

Bellemere laboriously raised his head. The moment he saw the black-clad young man in a dark gray asbestos cloak, his right arm wrapped in bandages, several veins bulged on his forehead.

"You bastard..." Bellemere gritted his teeth and glared at Rain. "Do you know how I felt? I flew ten thousand meters into the sky ready to be blown to pieces, only to carry a rock for tens of thousands of meters! That thing almost broke my wings!"

Seeing the usually solemn and loyal "Guardian of Alabasta" so furious, a rare, malicious sneer appeared on Rain's otherwise expressionless face.

He walked over to Bellemere and casually tossed him a flask of clean water, his voice carrying a hint of mockery.

"Your Alabasta army hunted me all over the desert for so long, calling me a heinous criminal and hounding me everywhere. If I didn't take the chance to mess with you, would you think Grayrock was some soft persimmon you could bully?" Rain looked down at him. "You should be thanking your lucky stars I didn't really blow you into fireworks, birdman. Call it even."

Bellemere caught the flask and froze for a moment. Looking into Rain's cold yet not bloodthirsty eyes, the anger in his chest suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon.

Though he had been made to look foolish, this man in black had indeed saved the lives of a million citizens.

"Tch... a savior of the nation with a rotten personality." Bellemere snorted, unscrewed the flask, and gulped down the water. "Either way, I owe you one."

Rain did not reply. He merely lowered his hood and turned toward the outskirts of the city.

Alubarna Palace's council hall.

King Cobra had changed into clean royal robes. Though his body remained weak, the dignity of a monarch had returned to his gaze.

"Sir Rain." Cobra pushed aside his guards, descended from the throne in person, and gave Rain a deep bow. "Thank you for everything you have done for this country. I have already investigated the matters involving Golden Sands City and the towns along the way. Those officials' deaths were the punishment their crimes deserved. From this day forward, every wanted poster for 'Grayrock' Rain within Alabasta shall be withdrawn. You are no longer a criminal, but Alabasta's honored guest forever."

"There's no need for pleasantries." Rain pulled a wrinkled receipt from his coat, his tone exceedingly practical. "Since you have investigated the matter, I hope you will truly fulfill the role expected of a king from now on."

Rain's dark eyes met Cobra's directly.

"Of course, the main reason I came to see you was to ask for a favor. My ship ran into some trouble on the way to Alabasta, and I still need a good vessel that can carry me across the seas. This is the bounty I exchanged Sand Crocodile for. I hope to trade it for a good ship."

Cobra paused, then burst into hearty laughter.

"That is a small matter. To thank you for preserving Alubarna, I will pay you one hundred million Beli as a reward." Cobra waved his hand grandly. "And Alabasta's finest royal shipyard will always have its doors open to you."

Alabasta's coastline.

The Going Merry had already raised its sails and was ready to depart.

"Hey! Big Furnace! Look over here!"

Rain had only just reached the harbor when he heard that exceptionally piercing voice. Luffy sat atop the sheep's head at the bow, wildly waving his rubber arms.

The Straw Hat Pirates were all there. Zoro rested a hand on the swords at his waist. Though he still retained a swordsman's instinctive vigilance, the hostility in his eyes was gone, replaced by a trace of recognition for a strong opponent. Nami was calculating the next leg of their voyage, while Princess Vivi stood onshore, tears streaming down her face as she waved farewell to her companions.

"You're leaving?" Luffy jumped from the ship and rushed up to Rain in a few strides, curiously staring at his bandaged right arm.

"Crocodile has already been taken into Marine custody. There are no more prey left in this desert for a hunter." Rain answered coldly, his gaze sweeping over these idealists charging recklessly through the seas. "The Grand Line ahead will be a hundred times more dangerous than this place. Don't let someone take your heads before you even reach the New World."

"Hehe, I'm the man who'll become the Pirate King!" Luffy laughed carelessly. Then he lowered his voice and leaned closer with a mysterious look. "Um... bounty hunter bro, if we get caught next time, can you not sell us?"

Rain's mouth twitched. This was the first time he had been rendered completely speechless by someone's train of thought.

"That depends on how high the price on your heads gets." Rain snorted and turned his back to the sea. "Get lost already, pirates."

"Goodbye, Big Furnace!"

Amid Luffy's laughter, the Merry slowly sailed away with the current. Vivi cried out from the shore, the "X" on her arm symbolizing friendship gleaming brightly beneath the sun.

Rain leaned against a wooden piling on the dock, watching the little ship gradually shrink into a white dot. Such pure bonds truly were a luxurious fairy tale in the cruel world of pirates.

Half a month later, at the docks of Alabasta's largest shipyard.

A medium-sized sailing ship constructed entirely from precious timber and specially made steel rested quietly on the water.

The ship's design was exceptionally rugged. Its hull was covered in thick mixed armor of high-density Granite and obsidian, while its prow bore the head of a roaring stone gargoyle. Most astonishing of all, during its construction, Rain had personally used the Rock-Rock Fruit's power to perform high-density material assimilation on the hull and main mast, allowing it to withstand extreme currents and cannon bombardments.

As long as he stood aboard it, this ship would be an absolutely unsinkable mobile fortress upon the sea.

Standing on the dock, Rain tossed the heavy remaining bounty payment to a nearby shipwright. As he looked at this warship that belonged to him alone, satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

"I'll call it the Stonewall."

He stepped onto the deck and slowly unwound the fireproof bandages around his right arm. The Flame Demon Arm, black and abyssal, with dark red lava flowing through it, radiated a faint pressure in the sea breeze.

Rain raised the sails, glanced back at the desert capital fading into the distance, and set off alone toward the depths of the turbulent sea.