The port outside the Nanohana.
Mr. 11, captured by Smoker, saw that there wasn't a single navy officer on the ship and thought that something important must have happened in the city.
Whatever it is, this is a good opportunity for him to escape.
Looking down at the rope wrapped around his waist, he was wondering how to get rid of it when several men who didn't look like naval personnel appeared on the deck.
"Mr. 11," one of them called out his code name.
Mr. 11's face lit up with delight, and he said in a condescending tone, "You actually know this code name? You must be the Millions. Come here and untie me."
The man, whose clothes bore the words "Perfect" on them, stood with his hands on his hips and a leisurely expression, saying, "We are indeed members of the Baroque Works, but not the Millions, but the Billions!"
"We're all reserve commanders, and in terms of ability, we're not much worse than someone like you who barely managed to become a commander."
"Is that so? I'm so sorry, Billions, please untie me first."
Mr. 11 quickly changed his attitude. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he was still unwilling to believe it, hoping for even the slightest possibility that they had a bond of friendship.
Clearly, this thing doesn't exist in Baroque Works right now, at least not at the lower levels.
One of them pulled out a gun and laughed, "Don't talk nonsense. We need you to give up your command position."
"Wait." Mr. 11 still wanted to struggle.
Bang.
One shot ended all his words.
"Get on the ship? Are we leaving this island?"
As Usopp ran, he looked somewhat surprised. In his mind, leaving the island meant leaving Alabasta.
He hadn't been to enough places and didn't have a clear understanding of the size of the Kingdom of Alabasta.
This is a superpower capable of supporting an army of over two million.
"We've come to the Nanohana fields to replenish our supplies. Next, we'll follow the inland river all the way to the desert."
Vivi explained that she didn't intend to land here; she was only here to replenish supplies.
If you don't encounter the navy, you should return to your ship and leave; if you do, it's best to run away as soon as possible.
"Hurry, hurry, the navy is coming soon! Everyone, get on the ship and weigh anchor!"
Nami shouted.
Everyone was in a hurry, but Luffy ran backwards, completely unconcerned, watching the flames rise in the sky, "Haha, I didn't expect Äs to be here."
" Luffy, hurry up and get on!" Usopp urged.
"Ah." Luffy turned his head, not yet having figured out how to answer.
Vivi, standing nearby, grabbed Karoo and said with a serious expression, " Karoo, I have something important to entrust to you."
As she spoke, Vivi took out a letter for her mount, the Land Duck.
"This is the result of my investigation with Igaram. It records all the conspiracies of the Baroque Works. Head north back to Alubarna and give the letter to my father; he will then know everything."
Can you cross that desert?
"Quack!" The clever land duck Karoo, then took off flying north, taking a sip of water along the way.
"Cherish the water!" Vivi shouted angrily. If they drink all the water so early, they'll probably turn into roast duck in the desert.
"You too!" Sanji kicked Luffy on the back of Luffy head as Luffy was gulping down a bucket of water.
"This water was so hard to buy," Usopp, looking at the water leaking onto the deck with a pained expression.
Nami then asked, "Speaking of which, do you know the person who just stopped the Marines for us?"
"Yes, he's my brother." Luffy casually stated this fact.
"Huh?!" Nami looked shocked.
Zoro seemed quite calm, and Luffy had never mentioned being an only child, so it wasn't surprising that he had an older brother. "Why is he also on the Grand Line?"
"He's a pirate, and his target is the One Piece."
Luffy replied with a smile, " Äs is three years older than me, so he set sail three years earlier than me."
"I didn't expect you two brothers to have eaten Devil Fruit."
Sanji, a cigarette dangling from his lips, thought of the Vinsmoke Family. Those bastards were probably an exception in the family and couldn't be used as a reference for brothers in a normal family.
"Yeah, I was startled too. I couldn't beat him before he ate Devil Fruit."
Luffy crossed his arms. "Right now, I should be able to beat him."
"Who do you think you can beat?"
A gentle voice rang out, Luffy was pushed to the ground, but he wasn't angry. He turned around and said excitedly, " Äs ~"
"Hi." Äs greeted him with a smile. He had short, black hair, a calm gaze, and freckles on his cheeks.
He wore an orange cowboy hat with two badges, one smiling and one sad, pinned to the brim.
He also wore a skull tag, a red beaded necklace, and his bare upper body was muscular and well-proportioned.
He wore shorts and a dagger on his belt.
Äs bowed politely, "Thank you all for taking care of my brother."
"Indeed," they all bowed in unison.
Looking back on Luffy, it's truly heartbreaking.
Luffy didn't seem to care at all, and chuckled, " Äs, what are you doing in this country?"
"Hmm, didn't you receive the message on Drum Island?"
Äs looked quite surprised, then quickly put aside that unimportant matter, "I came here for some other things, and just happened to see you."
"Oh, right, Luffy."
Äs extended an invitation to Luffy, who was standing in front, and said with a smile, "Would you like to join the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"I can introduce you to the team."
"I don't want to!"
Luffy shook his head and refused outright.
I knew it.
Äs just smiled. He knew his younger brother well; it was just a casual question.
"Would you like to come in for tea and a talk?" Sanji asked.
Äs shook his head and said, "No need, it's just a small matter."
Nami glanced around and said, "The Marines haven't caught up."
"Yeah, I've got it sorted out," Äs said casually.
Nanohana.
Smoker sat there with two cigars dangling from his lips, as bad news kept piling up: he lost the Straw Hat chase, and Mr. 11 was killed.
And there's also Fire Fist Äs.
" Alabasta is huge; once you lose your target, it's hard to run into them again. Damn Fire Fist."
Smoker wasn't concerned about Fire Fist's movements.
Second Division Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, he was difficult to control no matter what he wanted to do, and he was at a significant disadvantage in terms of strength.
However, Straw Hat Luffy cannot be let go so easily.
Loguetown is Dragon, Nanohana are Fire Fist, and that kid seems to be shrouded in a kind of fate, forcing Smoker to do everything he can to resolve it.
Lost in thought, the girl wearing glasses ran over. "Mr. Smoker, I'm late."
" Tashigi, where did you run off to?"
Smoker looked puzzled.
"I ran in the wrong direction," Tashigi explained, mistaking a soldier for Smoker.
This wasn't the first or second time this had happened, Smoker, too lazy to explain, asked, "What do you think is going on? Princess Vivi of a kingdom is actually hanging out with Straw Hat?"
"Princess Vivi?" Tashigi looked surprised.
Smoker, with those thoughts in mind, said, "Speaking of which, there's another guy in this country that I hate. You should know I hate the Seven Warlords of the Sea, right?"
" Sand Crocodile," Tashigi explained, adjusting her glasses. "However, from a standpoint of position, the Seven Warlords of the Sea are allies of our government and the Navy."
"That guy has always been a ruthless pirate; how could he possibly obey the government's orders?"
Smoker didn't believe it, his face darkening as he said, " Tashigi, you better remember this: a pirate is a pirate!"
"Take it, I came here to give you this."
Äs tossed a small piece of white paper to Luffy.
That's Äs's Vivre Card, also known as the Vivre Paper. It's a special item found only in the New World, and it's neither afraid of water nor fire.
Made by mixing one's own fingernails into the material, this paper represents the owner's vitality. People usually tear it up and give it to a relative or friend who is about to be separated from them, and the torn pieces are said to be attracted to each other.
The Vivre Card can also reflect the owner's condition; it will wither when sick and burn when injured.
They will die when they burn out completely.
Äs didn't say these things, knowing Luffy wouldn't remember them all. He just needed Luffy to remember one thing. "You must always carry this piece of paper with you; it will guide you to meet me again."
"Oh." Luffy nodded.
Äs laughed and said, "You don't want it?"
"I want it." Luffy put it away.
Äs turned to Zoro and the others, "I have a stubborn and clumsy younger brother, and as his older brother, I'm very worried about him."
"You're the same, aren't you?"
As he spoke, he bowed deeply again, saying earnestly, "I'm entrusting Luffy to you all."
After saying that, he turned around gracefully.
"Ah, you're leaving so soon?" Luffy leaned against the ship's railing, a hint of reluctance in his expression. He wanted to talk to Äs more about their crew, their adventures after they parted, and there was so much he wanted to say. "Stay a little longer, it's so rare for us to meet."
"Didn't I tell you? I have important things to do, and seeing you was just a side trip." Äs also wanted to have a good chat with Luffy; after ten days and ten nights, he felt there would be endless topics to discuss.
But he couldn't do that; he was hunting down one of his own men, Blackbeard Teach. "That guy committed the crime of murdering his comrade, and I cannot tolerate him continuing to live in this world."
That was a disgrace to the Whitebeard Pirates.
Luffy didn't continue saying anything willful.
Äs smiled and said, "The next time we meet will be at the pinnacle of pirates!"
Luffy smiled.
Nami looked on in surprise, covering her mouth with her hand and saying, "You're kidding, right? Someone with such a calm mind is actually Luffy- nii!"
"I thought he was even more stupid than Luffy," Usopp said, spreading his hands without any mercy.
"What a loving older brother he is!" Zoro chuckled.
"The sea is truly an incredible place." Sanji smoked a cigarette, then thought of his brothers; their brotherhood was all a sham.
Vivi broke out in a cold sweat, feeling that what they said was really too much. Seeing the ship of the Billions, her face turned panicked. "Oh no, it looks like it's heading this way, and it's going to affect Mr. Äs."
"It's alright," Luffy said with a smile, stopping them from trying to help. " Äs is very strong."
The raging fire burned through the five ships in an instant, and the seawater began to boil, accompanied by screams of agony.
Vivi was dumbfounded.
Luffy turned around, glanced at everyone present, and then his eyes widened in shock, " Shiraishi is missing?!"
Nami punched him on the head. "You found out too late. Mr. Shiraishi and Ms. Unohana are probably somewhere in Alabasta."
In the center of a luxurious pool in the Rainbase, there stands a massive pyramid-shaped building, adorned with a carved Banana Crocodile.
This is a notorious money pit in Alabasta, with inexhaustible fresh water, beautiful women, aristocratic treatment, and exorbitant prices.
If you have money, you can experience what paradise on earth is like here.
Far from all the difficulties currently faced by residents in the country.
Based on the information from the glasses, Shiraishi left the Straw Hat Pirates's ship and continued using the Steel Tempest forward until he reached the entrance to the Rainbase.
The people at the entrance didn't stop him from going in. Anyone could enter as long as they weren't like beggars, whether they were pirates or marines, they were all welcome.
Shiraishi stepped inside and soon saw Retsu Unohana, dressed in desert-style attire, approaching with a bottle of sake. "How are Luffy and the others?"
"It was incredibly lively," Shiraishi replied, taking the wine glass from his hand and asking, "What are you doing here?"
Retsu Unohana chuckled and said, "I cooperated with Robin and also talked to Crocodile. Tsk tsk, that guy's strength is much greater than Luffy. Do you want me to help deal with things afterwards?"
"No need, you have to trust Luffy's fighting ability." Shiraishi shook his head.
Crocodile is powerful now, but he lacks the most important spirit in the pirate world. He places his hopes on external forces and hopes to use the power of Pluton to achieve his plan to dominate the seas, which is too naive.
Later, Luffy will make Crocodile realize this: he doesn't want to meddle in other people's business, asking, "Is there any trace of Aizen?"
" Crocodile wants to know more, and I think Robin does too. How much to reveal is up to you." Retsu Unohana shrugged.
Shiraishi frowned slightly and asked, "What did Kisuke Urahara say?"
"He didn't want to interfere too much with the normal operation of another world, believing that if he did, the difference between us and Aizen wouldn't be that significant. Mayuri Kurotsuchi was the opposite; finding Aizen was the most crucial issue, and everything else could be put aside for the time being."
Retsu Unohana told the truth.
When he left, to be on the safe side, he gave his main glasses, which were the ones that could communicate with Soul Society visually, to Retsu Unohana. This prevented him from making any contact with Soul Society, so he was unaware of their opinion.
After listening to Retsu Unohana's words, Shiraishi fell into deep thought, his feet still on the ground.
Following Retsu Unohana to Crocodile's office, they met the famous Seven Warlords of the Sea.