Not long after Jabba and the others departed, White River and his crew set sail as well. As they left, Dorry and Brogy saw them off at the harbor, their eyes filled with reluctance to part.
Even the centipede White River had been taming—the one that had been put through the wringer—crawled out of its cave and made its way to the harbor, watching them grow more and more distant. Its perpetually anxious heart and jittery nerves finally settled down.
"In the end, it's just the two of us again," Brogy remarked to Dorry.
"Don't worry, it won't be long before they come back to pick us up. When that day comes, we'll once again be the Giant Warrior Pirates, ruling the seas."
Just then, the centipede crawled up beside them.
"What's this, you want to set sail with the two of us, too?" Brogy asked offhandedly.
To their surprise, the centipede actually raised its body and nodded.
The sight made both of them freeze, and then they burst out laughing together. "Fine! When we head out to sea, we'll definitely bring you along."
"Still, right now we'd better figure out how to deal with the Marines who'll be coming."
White River and Jabba had sailed off, but they had left a whole mess behind. When the Marines arrived, it would be Dorry and Brogy who'd be in trouble.
"Isn't it a bit dishonest of us to just leave like this?" Jorah asked White River once they were on the ship. He felt pretty bad about Dorry and Brogy.
"Staying there would have been the real disservice to them," White River replied.
"The fact that we were on that island with two giants would have changed the kind of forces the Marines would send. If we'd stayed, we might have put them in even greater danger," Eurythine explained to Jorah.
"I get that, but what if they end up in real trouble?"
"Relax, we'll still be around. If worst comes to worst, we'll just go rescue them again."
White River believed Dorry and Brogy would be fine. They had been on that island for over eighty years—there was no way the Marines didn't know they existed. And even if the Marines wanted to capture them, ordinary warships couldn't even bear their weight.
What White River and the others didn't know was that after they left, the two giants had become close friends with that centipede. If the Marines came searching, they could easily hide inside the centipede's cave. Worst case, they could just send the centipede out to deal with the Marines.
"Moll, what's the next island?" Eurythine asked.
"The next island, according to the log, has a kingdom called Alabasta. It's a desert kingdom. From Little Garden, it should take about two days."
"The next island is actually a kingdom? Interesting," Jorah remarked with some surprise. Kingdoms were rare on the Grand Line, after all.
The crew all seemed intrigued. A nation worthy of being called a kingdom was no ordinary country. It would have formidable military power and likely be exceptional in every respect.
"Alabasta, huh?" White River murmured to himself. The country that guarded the legendary ancient weapon, Pluton.
Over a decade from now, Crocodile's main goal in coming to this country would be to find Pluton. White River had no interest in it. It was a hot potato. Sure, it had the legendary power to obliterate an island with a single shot, but in White River's eyes, it wasn't half as practical as a famous blade.
Besides, White River and his crew didn't yet have the strength to protect Pluton. If the world learned he possessed it, both the World Government and every pirate crew would see them as a target.
After two days of sailing, White River and his crew were finally approaching Alabasta.
"Captain, there are several warships up ahead," Eurythine, serving as the lookout, reported.
"Warships? Have the Marines set their sights on us?"
"No, they don't look like Marine warships. They seem to belong to this country's own military."
"Alabasta's own military, then. Let's not make any sudden moves. Let's see their attitude first. If they attack, we'll respond in kind. No rush."
"Understood, Captain."
The image of Alabasta in White River's mind was still that of the country twenty years later, under Crocodile's control—torn by civil war, with revolutionaries stirring up trouble everywhere. But the Alabasta of now had ample firepower and troops; it was one of the most famous superpowers on the Grand Line.
The kingdom's soldiers showed no fear when they spotted White River's ship. Instead, they slowly encircled them, forming a ring as if to keep them under surveillance.
"These people are pretty arrogant," Jorah said, a note of surprise in his voice.
"Well, it is one of the Grand Line's superpowers. A little attitude is normal," Salar commented, his perpetually squinting eyes cracking open just a fraction. Clearly, the surveillance was making even him uncomfortable.
"Captain, are we just going to let them watch us like this?"
"Would you rather start a fight with them? They're practically begging us to make a move—that would give them a perfectly legitimate reason to drive us out."
"But it's not like we can't beat them. Those guys are just small fry."
"And do you still want to make port in this country or not?"
The people monitoring them right now were not a real threat; they could wipe them out at any moment. But doing that would mean making an enemy of the entire nation of Alabasta. No matter how you looked at it, they couldn't match the military power of a superpower—not unless they ran.
Jorah let out a frustrated "Tch." Eurythine, however, took it in stride. He saw no problem with it and had already reframed it in his mind as a kind of protection. Look, we have three warships escorting us. How impressive is that?
When they reached the harbor and disembarked, a squad of soldiers strode straight toward them.
"What is it? Do you have business with us?" White River asked.
The squad leader, expression stern, said, "I know who you are. But do not cause any trouble here. Otherwise, don't blame us for being unfriendly."
"Don't worry, we won't cause you any problems."
"That would be best." With that, they stepped aside and cleared the path.
"Captain, why did you let those pirates pass so easily?" one of his subordinates asked, confused.
"They are not people we can afford to provoke. A show of force is enough. Making enemies of them would cause enormous damage to our country."
He didn't believe their nation would lose in a head-on fight, but it felt like a battle with more cost than gain. And with the king's grand wedding just days away, they absolutely could not stir up trouble now.
/-\
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