Chapter 591: Landing on the Island! An Unexpected Powerhouse! [4/10 Subscribe]

Although the voyage over hadn't been too arduous,

the days at sea had still been quite tedious.

It had taken close to five days.

Maybe not quite,

but close enough.

Lu En had finally reached the destination of this journey!

Standing on the deck of the sailboat, he gazed far ahead at a massive continent.

The soil of the entire continent was a reddish hue,

just like the red-earth continent that Mariejois backed onto.

Its area was extremely vast.

Before Lu En had even gotten fully close, this continent had completely filled his field of vision.

Extremely massive,

this was the largest island Lu En had ever encountered.

This was no longer an island.

It was a continent.

Boundless and endless,

Lu En could not see the edge at a single glance.

Gradually,

the sailboat drew closer.

The distance to Alabasta grew nearer and nearer.

He wasn't sure if it was an illusion.

Lu En always felt that, the closer he got to Alabasta, the hotter the weather here became, as if it would roast the entire land until it cracked and crumbled.

"So this is Alabasta's unique climate?"

"Just a moment ago, more than ten kilometers out at sea, we ran into a storm."

"But here, not even a single drop of water can be seen."

"Truly a poor desert."

Lu En couldn't help but shake his head.

He deduced.

At this period in Alabasta29, it most likely hadn't yet been completely ruled and dominated by Crocodile.

Baroque Works hadn't been formally established either.

But even so,

Alabasta's environment was already this harsh.

When the time comes…

after being ruled by Crocodile, the environment here would likely be even more terrible.

A moment later,

the sailboat reached the harbor coast.

Drop anchor.

Take in sail.

After finishing all of the above, Lu En stepped forward and set foot on Alabasta's harbor.

Both feet landed steadily,

and he smoothly arrived at this reddish-soiled desert of Alabasta.

Looking out,

all of Alabasta was a barren desert.

Not even a single oasis could be seen.

No wonder the weather here was so harsh.

However…

to plant an oasis in the desert was no simple matter.

Arriving at Alabasta, the first direct impression it gave Lu En was—

it was very large.

Its area was vast and boundless.

Beyond that, there were no other sensations.

Apart from its vast area, Alabasta seemed to have no other features.

Standing here at the harbor, Lu En couldn't even see the shadow of a town.

This place was like an abandoned wasteland nobody cared about.

"It seems…"

"I'll have to take a proper walk around Alabasta."

To find Crocodile, he naturally needed to visit a town first and ask the residents there, getting the information he wanted from their mouths.

Otherwise,

relying on Lu En alone, finding Crocodile in such a vast Alabasta would be as difficult as fishing for a needle in the ocean.

In an instant,

Holding that thought in his heart, he immediately stepped forward toward the town of Alabasta.

Walking from Alabasta's port to the town center took about half an hour.

Of course.

This was because Lu En had not moved at full speed.

If he had used Six Powers at full speed, he could have arrived in just a few minutes.

Arriving at a bustling town, Lu En finally felt a hint of vitality in Alabasta, unlike the lifeless desolation elsewhere.

The Kingdom of Alabasta was home to no fewer than ten million subjects.

It goes without saying.

What a vast kingdom it was.

Unfortunately,

Due to geographical conditions, the people living in Alabasta endured extremely poor and miserable lives.

Crossing the busy streets, Lu En saw many emaciated elderly people and children.

The vast majority…

Had copper-toned skin.

Exposed to the sun all day, their skin turning copper-toned was only natural.

According to Lu En's understanding of Alabasta,

Within the kingdom,

There were altogether more than a dozen distinct town regions.

The royal capital, Alubarna, was where the royal family, the Nefertari clan, resided.

The Nefertari clan had arrived in Alabasta nearly a thousand years ago, established a kingdom there, and became its rulers.

In fact,

The Nefertari clan held another hidden identity.

They were, in truth, one of the twenty kings who founded the World Government eight hundred years ago!

However…

Later, the Nefertari clan refused to relocate to the sacred land of Mary Geoise, choosing instead to continue ruling Alabasta and withdrawing from the World Government's high-level decisions.

Over eight hundred years,

These facts had been preserved only in the Nefertari clan's archival records; the outside world had largely forgotten them.

"Perhaps…"

"It was precisely because of the Nefertari clan's illustrious lineage that Crocodile believed Alabasta must conceal information about the ancient weapon Pluton."

"Otherwise, Crocodile would not have chosen Alabasta as his place of rule."

Lu En pondered deeply.

Clearly,

Crocodile had somehow learned of the Nefertari clan's illustrious identity from eight hundred years ago, and upon investigation, discovered that Pluton seemed connected to this family.

Which led to…

Crocodile beginning to plot against the Kingdom of Alabasta.

The current ruler of the Nefertari clan was named Cobra.

At this stage,

Crocodile's plan was still in the initial period.

To fully rule Alabasta would clearly require a long time to prepare.

Not long after,

Lu En approached a fruit stall owner and asked about Crocodile's whereabouts: "Old man, do you know someone named Crocodile here?"

Upon hearing this,

The fruit stall owner thought for a moment.