Two days later.
Alabasta.
Alubarna, the Royal Palace.
Crocodile tossed the report of his trip onto Rowan's desk. It included a summary of when they were attacked by a group of dangerous pirates.
Rowan opened the report, read through it, and understood what happened.
"Oh, you were attacked by pirates. That's very dangerous."
"It was extremely dangerous."
Crocodile lit a cigar and tried to joke with Rowan, but it was clear he wasn't serious.
Everyone knew what was happening, so there was no need to pretend to be so proper.
After all, how could that old guy not see what I was up to?
Rowan smiled helplessly and warned, "Remember to act within the 'rules' of the Four Seas Alliance. We need to follow the rules we set ourselves."
Crocodile clicked his tongue but nodded.
On the sea, agreed-upon rules are very important.
For example, in Water 7, almost no pirate dared to rob the "world's shipyard" port, except for a few reckless fools, because both pirates and the Marines need ships.
Anyone who harms the common interests of both sides will face a terrible end, and no one will feel sorry for them!
…
Crocodile smoked his cigar.
Rowan quietly read the documents on his desk.
A week has passed since the route to Skypiea was opened.
Because there are no other drivers, only Habu's balloon octopus airship travels between Skypiea and Alabasta. Each trip takes about four days, a total of eight days round trip.
This means that the first group of merchants to go to Skypiea, who left Alabasta, are still on their way back and have not yet returned.
However, because adult balloon octopuses can carry a lot of weight, the slow travel speed is not the main issue.
Many young navigators are following Habu on this route, and Habu promised Rowan that he would teach them, just like his teacher taught him.
Rowan could tell that Habu, who isn't good at meeting new people, was overwhelmed by the sudden addition of a dozen "students." He advised Habu to start by teaching one or two first.
But Habu stammered and refused Rowan's suggestion, saying, "If my teacher saw that so many people were interested in her books, she would be very happy!"
Hearing this, Rowan had no reason to refuse and let Habu do as he wanted.
Although balloon octopus airship drivers don't need to know as much about weather as Habu does, they must spend a long time learning specific skills for the safety of the passengers.
Combined with their existing knowledge of weather, it is estimated that the first group of airship drivers will be able to make their first test flight in about two months.
This is the key problem.
…
It's not just about the airships.
Among the first batch of goods imported from Skypiea to Alabasta was a large number of "Dials."
This batch of Skypiean specialty dials wasn't large, but the variety was amazing.
One one hand, the people of Skypiea use various dials in their daily lives, which makes their lives much more convenient.
On the other hand, when it comes to using special dials for combat, no one is more qualified to speak than the Shandians, the original inhabitants of Upper Yard.
They have developed many combat methods using various dials, arming themselves to the teeth, and were able to fight the Skypiean guards, who outnumbered them many times over, to a draw.
Now that Skypiea has joined the Four Seas Alliance, God Gan Fall of Skypiea has taken the initiative to make peace with the Shandians and even returned the land that originally belonged to them.
In fact, Gan Fall has long wanted to end the long, cruel war between the two sides.
But the feud between them had built up too much, and both sides couldn't "stop".
The threat of Enel alone wasn't enough, but adding the Four Seas Alliance was enough to cool their hot heads.
The great battle on Upper Yard became a key turning point in the stalemate.
As a result, with Gan Fall's strong efforts, Upper Yard is no longer an "Island of God" that ordinary people can't access, but an ordinary island.
Soil?
Since the fixed route has already been opened, balloon octopus airships can go to the Blue Sea at any time. You can get as much soil as you want there.
Some Skypieans who saw "Earth" as a precious treasure realized that the world is really big.
What they consider precious may be common in other places, and vice versa.
Conflicts and wars over soil have no meaning anymore.
Skypiea has finally ushered in a long-awaited true peace and is beginning to recover.
Wiper, nicknamed "Demon Ghost," as the representative of the Shandians, has also agreed to join the Four Seas Alliance.
The first airship port city will be built on the edge of Upper Yard!
Before leaving, Rowan and Wiper discussed many things about "Dials."
It's true that mastering the use of dials requires long-term training, but...
A team armed with dials can also unleash unimaginable power in battle!
How strong?
The Shandians have a small population, but their small guerrilla forces can fight back and forth with the entire Skypiean guard.
Their elite forces can even compete with Enel's four priests.
And Alabasta's regular army is about 600,000.
…
So, the Four Seas Alliance isn't lacking people.
What the Four Seas Alliance needs most right now is "time."
Time to organize and digest all the resources at hand!
…
Rowan rubbed his temples, planning to discuss it with Cobra and the others later.
Cobra is better at and more likely to make progress with this kind of detailed internal affairs work.
He calculated the time.
"The octopus airship should arrive tomorrow. I'll go to Nanohana."
Nanohana is one of Alabasta's famous port cities, famous for its perfumes and already a bustling commercial center.
Now, thanks to the establishment of the Four Seas Alliance, Nanohana is even more prosperous than before.
Crocodile frowned unhappily and said in a deep voice, "Count me in."
"You want to go too?"
"I want to go to Skypiea."
Hearing this, Rowan was surprised. "Is there a girl waiting for you?"
Crocodile: "…"
To prevent rumors from spreading, he decided to tell the truth, "I want to see the Poneglyph there."
There's no need to hide it because Rowan would bring it up even if he did.
Although Crocodile can't understand the writing on it yet, he hopes to find some clues about the Ancient Weapons.
Rowan nodded, but his eyes showed a hint of regret.
"So you're more concerned about the Poneglyph..."
Crocodile: "…"
Thinking about it, he decided to change the topic.
"Speaking of which, there should be a crazy person in Nanohana who arrived before us. Didn't you get the news?"
"No."
Rowan shook his head, thinking, "If he's crazy, contact Doctor Kureha. She also studies brains."
"That's...an adjective."
Crocodile's eyes twitched. He picked up a teacup, intending to drink a few sips to calm his anger.
He then asked, "By the way, why did the Marines suddenly send people here? What are they planning?"
"Oh, you weren't here at the time. You went to Drum Island."
Rowan replied, "The Marines want to set up a Marine branch in Alabasta."
"Hehehehehe, the Marines are dreaming!"
Crocodile laughed grimly and picked up his tea.
While drinking, he thought to himself.
The Four Seas Alliance has the military potential to dominate the first half of the Grand Line!
Isn't this the "military power" I've been dreaming of?
There's no way the Marines can get involved in this cake now!
Rowan nodded. "Yeah, I agreed."
Crocodile: "Pfft!"
He spat out the tea he'd just put in his mouth.
Purple Pen Literature
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