Pirates Begin with Refusing Red-Hair's Invitation

"Okay." Lin Mo nodded in reply.

The Small Boat carried him gradually away from Drum Island.

Once he left the snowy region and the surrounding temperature returned to normal, he took off the cotton clothes he was wearing.

At the same time, not far ahead of him, a vessel with half a ship and half a submarine, its hull painted with a pattern resembling a sun with a simple smiling face in the middle, was sailing toward him with half its hull exposed.

This was Luo's pirate ship...

When Lin Mo's Small Boat passed by the Heart Pirates' ship.

A white bear wearing an orange long-sleeved jumpsuit bared his teeth and yelled unhappily from the Deck, "Aah, the Captain is such a pain! He clearly said we'd leave after staying on Drum Island for two months, but he just called and said we're staying for another two months... Can the Captain really be this willful just because he's the Captain?"

"Hahaha, what can we do? He's the boss, after all. Bepo, the Den Den Mushi hasn't been hung up yet. The boss heard everything you just said."

"Ah!" The white bear named Bepo was startled. When he saw that the Den Den Mushi was indeed still connected, he immediately cowered, hurriedly bowing as he whispered, "Um... sorry, sorry. I didn't say anything just now. Uh, boss, just pretend you didn't hear anything..."

"Hahaha, the call's already ended. The boss didn't say anything, Bepo. You're done for. The boss must be furious now. Hahaha..."

"Damn you, Penguin! Aiyaiyai~ Yo, come on, let's fight to the death!" Bepo immediately struck a one-legged stance.

The man named Penguin couldn't help clutching his stomach and laughing.

It had to be said that the atmosphere in Luo's Heart Pirates was pretty good.

Lin Mo's lips curved slightly, but he said nothing.

The Small Boat carrying him quietly sailed past the Heart Pirates' ship and headed toward the next sign-in destination, Alabasta...

Alabasta: The Man Chasing Lin Mo

Unlike the Small Islands Lin Mo had visited before, Alabasta was a superpower with a vast territory.

Since its towns had all been built in the desert, anyone traveling through Alabasta had to stock up on enough drinking water.

Fortunately, Lin Mo's System Space was large enough, so he had no need to worry about drinking water.

However, he wasn't sure how long it would take to reach Alabasta by sea. Therefore, whenever he encountered a Small Island along the route, Lin Mo would dock and replenish the Supplies in his System Space.

After sailing at sea for nearly a month, a huge island covered in yellow sand finally appeared before him.

He brought the Ship close to the nearest shore and stopped, then jumped straight off.

The moment both his feet landed on the sandy shore, the long-awaited System Notification Sound rang out in his mind.

'Ding-ding! Congratulations, host, on successfully reaching the sign-in location, Alabasta. Sign-in progress +10%. Current total progress: 10%. Reward: New skill, Beginner-Level Wind Release: Infinite Sandstorm Breakthrough.'

Immediately afterward, information about Wind Release: Infinite Sandstorm Breakthrough flowed into Lin Mo's mind.

It was an ability from Naruto that could create a massive sandstorm covering an extremely wide area.

In Naruto, the person who used this skill originally had to be in Tailed Beast mode.

A Tailed Beast was a living entity formed from a huge mass of Chakra with tails, an embodiment of life.

But Lin Mo faced no such restriction. As long as he touched the sand with both hands, he could use it.

In a place covered in sand like Alabasta, this ability could essentially be considered an incredibly powerful skill.

Without thinking too much, Lin Mo immediately headed toward the nearest Small Town.

It was a fairly simple and quaint town. Everyone on the streets, men and women alike, wore headscarves or hats to ward off the blazing heat.

After all, Alabasta was a country built on a desert.

With Lin Mo's current strength, this level of heat posed no threat to him. But while being exposed to the sun for a short while was fine, staying under it too long would still be uncomfortable.

When Lin Mo passed a small stall selling hats, headscarves, and goggles.

The Shopkeeper immediately called out to him with a beaming smile, "Young man, judging by the way you're dressed, you're from out of town, right? Welcome to Narohara Town in Alabasta. Friendly reminder: it's easy to suffer heatstroke here if you don't wear a hat. Would you like to buy one?"

Lin Mo calmly stopped and swept his gaze over the Shopkeeper's stall.

Next, he wanted to go to Alubarna, the capital of Alabasta. He would have to cross a vast desert along the way, so he really should buy a hat.

After hesitating only briefly, Lin Mo chose a cowboy hat with a black crown and orange brim, then paired it with a pair of red goggles placed on the brim.

"How much?" Lin Mo put the hat directly on his head.

The Shopkeeper rubbed his hands together and smiled. "You're still just a kid, so I'll give you a discount. Ten Beli will do."

Ten Beli for a hat and goggles wasn't expensive.

Lin Mo took out ten Beli and handed them to the Shopkeeper, then asked, "How do I get to Alubarna?"

"You mean the capital, Alubarna?" The Shopkeeper cheerfully accepted the money.

Lin Mo nodded lightly.

"Alubarna is a long way from here." The Shopkeeper pointed in a direction and continued, "Just keep heading that way. But I suggest you buy a Camel to carry you. Otherwise, if you walk, it'll take at least two months to get there. Oh, right, you didn't come to Alabasta alone, did you? Where are your adults? Do they need hats too?"

Lin Mo ignored the Shopkeeper's persistent sales pitch and left the stall. He casually wandered around the small town, bought a Camel as a mount, and slowly set off toward Alubarna without any hurry.

Not long after Lin Mo left Narohara Town.

A pirate ship flying a Pirate Flag with two crossed swords on the back and three scars over its right eye stopped beside Lin Mo's Small Boat.

"Hahaha, that kid really did come to Alabasta."

On the Deck, a red-haired man bared his teeth in a grin.

Beside him, a slightly curly-haired man wearing a headscarf marked "YASOPP" said with apparent disgust, "Chief, enough already. You know we still have business to take care of, yet you insisted on coming here..."

"Hahaha... It's only been half a year since we last saw him, and that brat really made it to the Grand Line. Ah, I really want to know how much he's grown."

Red-Hair said this with a grin.

That's right. The group that had arrived was the Red Hair Pirates Lin Mo had encountered in Foosha Village in the East Blue.

"Having a boss who meddles in everything is such a headache." Lucky Roux, a man who never let go of his meat, took a huge bite of the bone-in meat in his hand and said with equal disdain, "Go on, keep messing around. If you don't meet that guy when the appointed time comes and he kills you, it'll be your own fault."

"But I really want to see Lin Mo." Red-Haired Shanks leaned against the railing at the edge of the Deck and stared at the Small Wooden Boat parked beside them. He continued, "Although this isn't the Ship Lin Mo sailed out of Foosha Village, I'm certain it belongs to him. I can already smell Lin Mo's scent!"

"Hahaha, boss, are you a dog? You can even smell him? Hahaha..." Yasopp, the man wearing the headscarf, doubled over laughing.

The other crew members of the Red Hair Pirates also burst out laughing.

Even Red-Hair laughed along with them. "Hahaha..."

"Do you really want to see him that badly?" asked the man beside him calmly. He wore a black shirt, had long black hair tied into a ponytail, a lock hanging over his left temple, a V-neck shirt and loose trousers, and Martin boots, with a cigarette held between his fingers.

Red-Hair looked at Beckman and grinned. "Of course. It took a lot of effort to get news that he was coming this way. If I give up this chance, I really won't know when we'll meet again. My sixth sense tells me that Lin Mo is looking forward to meeting me too."

In truth, Lin Mo wasn't looking forward to it at all.

Beckman gazed at Red-Hair's excited, eager eyes. After a moment of silence, he took a puff of his cigarette and said, "Fine. Ten days. We'll wait here for you for ten days, no more."

"Huh? Ten days? That won't be enough. Alabasta is so big..." Red-Hair muttered.

"Boss, you should be satisfied. Giving you ten days is already more than generous."

"Exactly. Only Beckman would indulge you like this. If it were me, I'd give you three days."

"Tch, three days? Aren't you underestimating our chief a little too much? I say one day is enough. Hahaha."

Red-Hair's crew members began heckling one after another.

"Ugh, what kind of people did I choose as my Crew Members..." Red-Hair hooked his lips into a smile, gazing at the nearby Small Town. Then he flipped over and easily jumped ashore. Looking back at everyone standing on the Deck, he waved and said, "Ten days it is. Take good care of the Ship and wait for me to return."

Alabasta: The Young Shopkeeper Who Judged by Appearance

After Red-Hair and his crew reached their ten-day agreement, they entered Narohara Town directly. They searched through the blazing heat, but failed to find any trace of Lin Mo.

When he passed the stall selling hats, the Shopkeeper called out to him just as he had called out to Lin Mo earlier. "Sir, you don't look like a local. Did you come from another island? If you plan to stay here for a while, you'd better buy a hat to wear. It can prevent heatstroke. Getting heatstroke in a place like this is very troublesome."

Red-Hair glanced at the Shopkeeper. Without thinking, he immediately came to the stall and asked excitedly, gesturing as he spoke, "I want to ask you about someone. Have you seen a kid, about this tall? He's not a local either. As for his features... Oh, right, he has a perpetually sour face, like everyone owes him money. Yes, that's it. Have you seen him?"

Seeing how agitated Red-Hair was, a few drops of sweat trickled down the Shopkeeper's forehead.

However, the kid this man was talking about seemed to be the one who had bought a hat from him not long ago.

"Well... I have seen him, but I don't quite remember where he went." The Shopkeeper deliberately rubbed his chin with one hand while rubbing the thumb and forefinger of his other hand together. "Perhaps I'll remember in a moment. Or perhaps I won't."

"So you have seen him!" Red-Hair asked in delight.

"Yes, I've seen him... So, you understand." The Shopkeeper smiled slyly.

Red-Hair nodded and laughed. "Hahaha, understood, understood. It's fine, take your time. I have time to wait here for you to remember where that kid went."

The Shopkeeper: "..."

Was this man an idiot?

Was his comprehension really that poor? Or was he pretending?

The Shopkeeper asked speechlessly, "Are you sure you really understand what I mean?"

Red-Hair scratched his head. "Didn't you say yourself that you might remember in a moment?"

The Shopkeeper raised his hand directly and rubbed his fingers together in front of Red-Hair. When Red-Hair showed no reaction, he continued rubbing them.

"Shopkeeper, what's wrong with your hand?" Red-Hair asked strangely. "Is it itchy?"

"Pfft..." The Shopkeeper nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Unable to hold back, he shouted, "You're absolutely doing this on purpose! I've made it this obvious, and you're still pretending not to understand. What exactly do you want?"

Red-Hair looked at him innocently, scratching his head as he smiled. "Don't get so worked up. Anger is bad for your health. Besides, it's so hot. Oh, are you too hot? Do you want some water? I have Wine. Want a sip?"

As he spoke, Red-Hair really did hand his flask to the Shopkeeper.

The Shopkeeper nearly sent the flask flying. "You bastard! My hand isn't itchy, I'm not hot, and I'm not thirsty! I just want you to buy a hat! Are you buying or not? If not, get lost and stop disturbing my business!"

"Huh? Getting so worked up isn't good, Shopkeeper. You should've said you wanted me to buy a hat." Red-Hair stroked his chin as he examined the hats on the stall, then casually picked up a Straw Hat and said with a grin, "I'll take this one. How much?"

The Shopkeeper's lips twitched. He said unhappily, "Five Beli..."

"That's pretty cheap." Red-Hair put the Straw Hat on his head and casually tossed five Beli to the Shopkeeper.

The Shopkeeper accepted the money, then pointed toward the direction of the capital, Alubarna. "The kid you're looking for went that way. You'd better buy a Camel and chase after him. It'll be hard to catch him on foot."

"Shopkeeper, your memory is pretty good. You remembered that quickly." Red-Hair bared his teeth in a grin. "Thanks."

With that, he ran straight in the direction the Shopkeeper had pointed.

Seeing him run off without buying a Camel, the Shopkeeper couldn't help sighing. "What a strange man..."

Not long after Red-Hair left.

A group of people suddenly appeared and surrounded the Shopkeeper's stall.

"Business is good, Shopkeeper." Beckman, at the head of the group, carried a long gun over one shoulder and stood before the Shopkeeper with a crooked smile.

Lucky Roux held a bone-in piece of meat in one hand and a gun in the other, pointing its muzzle at the Shopkeeper's head as he said with a grin, "My gun hasn't tasted blood in ages. Shopkeeper, will you sell me some of yours?"

"Hey, Lucky, lower your gun. Let me do it." Yasopp raised his own gun as well. He wiped the muzzle in front of the Shopkeeper, whose face had already turned ashen, curled his lips, and pulled the trigger.

There was only a click.

The Shopkeeper's legs went weak with fright, and he fell to the ground.

Yasopp put away his gun and said regretfully, "Oops, I forgot to load it."

"Hahaha..."

"Yasopp, are you any good? You even forgot to load the bullets."

The other members of the Red Hair Pirates all burst out laughing.

Only the Shopkeeper was left badly frightened. In a trembling voice, he said, "I-I'm sorry, gentlemen. I don't know what I did wrong, but please don't hurt me."

"You didn't do anything wrong." Beckman selected several hats from the stall and tossed them to the crew members behind him. Then he took out a bag of Beli and placed it in front of the Shopkeeper, smiling as he said, "That red-haired idiot isn't someone just anyone can bully or mock. Don't judge people by their appearance again, young Shopkeeper."

With that, Beckman led the members of the Red Hair Pirates back.

"Beckman, are we really not going to look after the chief?"

"He went off alone to fool around. Will he be okay? I fully acknowledge that his strength is formidable, but still."

"Ugh, we're all adults, yet sometimes he's still like a child. He's really something to worry about."

"How about we send two people to secretly follow the boss? I'm really worried he'll be sold off halfway there..."

"It's fine. Red-Hair knows what he's doing." Beckman curled his lips into a smile. "We'll just wait for him to return on the Ship."

Meanwhile.