Pirate: I Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki First, Since I Can't Die

Ivy grew curious and kept sniffing.

"Here, this is for you."

Xia Le took a bottle from a nearby stall and tossed it to his aide behind him.

Ivy fumbled as she caught it, her cheeks burning red. "Th-thank you, sir."

Then she carefully tucked it into her clothes.

It was the first gift her superior had ever given her. She would treasure it for the rest of her life.

She gazed silently at the tall, sturdy figure ahead of her, his back blocking everything else from view. A thousand feelings stirred in her heart.

By her reckoning, they had been together for roughly eight years.

She had grown more mature over the years, but Xia Le had not changed at all since the day he arrived at G-18 Fortress.

It was as though time had frozen around him.

In those same years, Ivy had become keenly aware that she was aging. A woman had only a few years in her prime, and once they passed, they were gone.

Does Xia Le not age?

And me? What will I look like in ten years? Twenty?

Will I still be able to stay by his side then?

The thought left Ivy tangled in anxiety. She even felt an inexplicable fear.

Xia Le, walking ahead, noticed none of his aide's thoughts. He pointed toward the camels up ahead.

"Let's ride those to Alubarna!"

Ivy blinked, then quickly came to herself. "Yes, sir!"

The dozen or so members of the group donned dust cloaks and mounted camels. With a guide leading the way, they set off for Alubarna.

Alabasta was a desert kingdom with little rainfall, a dry climate year-round, and high temperatures.

"Alabasta is a major power in the First Half of the Grand Line."

"It covers over ten million square kilometers