Chapter 210: An Unexpected Joy

Within the Bastan Realm.

As far as the eye could see, there was only endless yellow sand; the wind, mixed with gravel, cut against the face like a knife, easily leaving streaks of blood.

Gao Wen and his party rode a Moving Crab exceeding twenty meters in size, advancing toward Alubarna.

That place was the capital of Bastan, and also one of the few oases within the Bastan Realm.

They traveled the entire way in silence.

Very soon.

A small town appeared in everyone's line of sight; before they could even approach, earth-shaking cries of killing already rushed into their ears.

Gao Wen leaped up, crossing a distance of several hundred meters in an instant, and landed steadily on a building at the outskirts of the small town.

Through this, he also gained a clear view of the figures on both sides of the battle.

Both sides wore clothing typical of the Bastan style.

One side was well-equipped, wearing matching sets of armor and holding flintlock guns or spears; they advanced and retreated with method, clearly regular soldiers, yet their numbers were less than one-fifth of the opposing side.

The other side consisted mostly of civilians whose clothes barely covered their bodies and whose figures were dry and thin; their eyes carried an indescribable hatred and despair, and relying on sheer ferocity, they forced the opposing side into a relentless retreat and defeat.

"Local guards, and... the rebel army led by Koza?"

Gao Wen's brows furrowed.

This was already the third small town they had passed, yet all had fallen into internal chaos at the same time.

Gao Wen had long known about the existence of a rebel army within Bastan, but for it to have reached this scale at this point in time truly exceeded his expectations.

"So it really is a cornered dog jumping over a wall?"

Gao Wen lowered his gaze, having already seen through the reality of the situation.

Crocodile had just retreated, and immediately afterward, continuous disturbances erupted within the Bastan Realm.

If one said there was no trickery involved in this, Gao Wen would not believe a single word of it.

"His purpose is likely to use this to tie down the Bastan military, or even my own footsteps, buying himself time to locate the Poneglyph."

"Pity that even if you truly find the Poneglyph, in the end it will only bring you despair."

Gao Wen murmured softly, then shifted his gaze to the two sides still slaughtering each other in the distance:

"This meaningless war does not need to continue."

As soon as the voice landed.

A circle of invisible Conqueror's Haki expanded outward with Gao Wen at its center, sweeping across the entire battlefield in an instant.

Gulp—!

Both fighting sides came to a halt; everyone present lost consciousness in an instant, with some even foaming at the mouth.

However, compared to losing their lives in this meaningless war, this was already the best possible outcome.

A few minutes later.

Vivi and the others finally arrived within the small town; looking at the crowd of unconscious people before her eyes, she could not help but let out a long breath.

"Has the war here been stopped by Mr. Gao Wen again?"

She had grown accustomed to similar scenes over the past few days and knew this was Gao Wen's Conqueror's Haki.

At this moment, the gratitude in Vivi's eyes was almost impossible to hide, accompanied by a sense of relief.

Relief that such a person stood on her side.

Otherwise, facing such power, Bastan would have absolutely no possibility of turning the tables.

"Don't get your hopes up too early."

Gao Wen shook his head:

"Judging by the current situation, Crocodile is most likely preparing to capture Bastan within a short period, or at the very least, to achieve his objective as quickly as possible and withdraw safely."

"Moreover, there is Shiki, whose whereabouts are unknown; if that fellow is also heading for Bastan, things will become difficult to handle."

This was also what Gao Wen was truly worried about.

He naturally did not fear Crocodile, and if he were to face Shiki in an area rich in ley line energy, he also had confidence in maintaining an undefeated stance.

But here was Bastan; as far as the eye could see, it was all desert, the ley line energy was nearly exhausted, and the environment was inherently unsuitable for the Red Dragon to exert his power.

"Then what should we do now?"

Vivi swallowed hard, obviously realizing the severity of the problem, and what worried her even more was the safety of her father, Cobra.

To control a nation with the fastest speed, there is no better choice than controlling the king.

From last night until today, her several attempts to contact Cobra had yielded nothing, making the unease in her heart grow increasingly intense.

"We will split up and act."

Gao Wen's gaze passed over Vivi and landed on Miss Kalifa and the others:

"Vivi and I will depart first and head to Alubarna; the situation there can no longer be delayed."

"Miss Kalifa, you bring the rest of the people to catch up."

"Understood, Captain."

Miss Kalifa nodded.

Igaram looked at the small town in the distance, a trace of reluctance flashing through his heart:

"As the captain of the guard for this kingdom, I cannot stand by and watch these civilians die in this meaningless war."

"Mr. Gao Wen, I leave my lord Vivi in your hands."

He knew clearly that with his own strength, even if he reached Alubarna, he would likely be of no help.

It was better to take this opportunity to organize the surrounding guards and end this meaningless war; besides, with Gao Wen protecting Vivi, there was no need to worry about safety issues even if they encountered Shiki.

"In that case, let's do this."

Gao Wen commanded directly:

"Miss Kalifa, Roubo Luqi, you and the crew on the ship follow Ikalem and end this war as quickly as possible."

"Don't give me orders so casually!"

Roubo Luqi's face darkened with anger, yet he had already walked over to Ikalem's side—clearly, his body was far more honest than his voice.

"Damn it!"

The Owl and Wēiqǔ also silently followed beside him.

Then Gao Wen transformed into his Red Dragon form, placed Vivi on his back, and shielded her entire body with his scales to protect her from the wind and sand.

Whoosh—!

The Red Dragon flapped its wings and slowly rose into the air, vanishing in the distance in the blink of an eye.

After Gao Wen departed.

Ikalem, who knew the internal situation of Alabasta well and served as Alabasta Kingdom's Guard Captain, became the leader of the team.

In an emergency, one must act decisively.

As Alabasta's Guard Captain, Ikalem naturally understood this principle.

Therefore, he did not pursue any conciliatory or persuasive approach, but directly used the military strength of Roubo Luqi and others to suppress both sides.

In just half a day.

The rebels and guards in the town were brought under Ikalem's control, and organized efforts began to rebuild the town—all moving in a positive direction.

After finishing the battle, Roubo Luqi and the other two had no time to rest, so they took over the task of distributing supplies, now moving among the crowd to deliver water and food to refugees.

"Lord Owl, thank you—you are the great savior of this place."

"Without you, even if this war ended, we would all have died here."

"That's right!"

……

Amidst the waves of gratitude rising from the crowd, Roubo Luqi and the other two worked even harder, their steps growing noticeably lighter.

"Lord Roubo Luqi, thank you~"

A young girl took a bottle of water and a loaf of bread from Roubo Luqi's hands, her eyes sparkling like crystal.

"Shut up!"

Roubo Luqi's face flushed red, yet he couldn't help slipping half a chocolate bar from his bag into the girl's hand before turning away slowly.

But a wolf's tail had somehow risen behind Roubo Luqi, swaying constantly in the air, drawing glances from everyone around.

The Owl, watching this, couldn't help stifling a laugh; he grabbed Wēiqǔ's shoulder:

"Clearly, Roubo Luqi's ability isn't wolf—it's dog! When have you ever seen a wolf wag its tail like that?!"

"I wholeheartedly agree!"

"That's enough!"

Hearing their whispered remarks, Roubo Luqi flew into a rage, transforming into a ferocious wolf and lunging at them; the three tumbled into a rough playfight.

A few minutes later.

Roubo Luqi and the other two lay sprawled on the floor, gasping for breath.

"This feeling… isn't bad!"

"Ah."

The Owl closed his eyes, hands resting on his chest; for once, no one pulled up his zipper—he could speak freely.

Yet he scoured every word in his mind and found no precise adjective to describe his current emotion.

"Chaba ba~"

Wēiqǔ froze, surprised by the Owl's silence—he was unaccustomed to it.

"Why aren't you talking?"

"Chaba ba~"

"All is understood without words."

Suddenly.

Before Roubo Luqi's eyes, the image of Roubo Luqi reappeared—he couldn't help asking:

"Do you think, when Roubo Luqi boarded Gao Wen's ship, he felt the same as we do now?"

"No!"

The Owl shook his head firmly:

"It couldn't have been better than this—the feeling of helping others, rather than being a killing tool~"

"Chaba ba~"

"I won't tell you that a boy gave me a gift just now."

"What?"

Roubo Luqi's eyes flared with anger, yet that stubborn streak within him dissolved into nothing as he recalled the sparkle in the girl's eyes; a faint smile curled his lips as he said:

"I received the best gift too."

"I wish we could stay here forever."

The three fell silent abruptly, remembering their identities.

CP9 agents.

This identity granted them privileges, yet also shackled them like chains, leaving no possibility of escape.

At this moment, their newly risen dream shattered.

"Sometimes I'm even envious of that bastard Roubo Luqi—he can let go of everything and chase what he wants."

"But… will the World Government really let them go so easily?"

The only answer to the three people's questions was the howling wind and sand in the air.

In the distance.

Xiang Keluo was handling the resettlement of refugees in the surrounding area; as he issued order after order, the scene quickly became orderly.

He also had time to breathe a sigh of relief.

But looking at the Alabasta residents before him, whose hopes had been rekindled, he felt that everything he had done was worth it.

"However... Mr. Gao Wen's words were not wrong."

"This country is indeed very poor; what can we offer to repay him..."

As Xiang Keluo pondered, he saw a guard walking toward him.

He was slightly startled and was about to speak when the guard spoke first:

"My lord Xiang Keluo, we found this object at a fruit stall in the surrounding area."

As he spoke.

The guard placed a strangely shaped fruit on Xiang Keluo's desk.

Xiang Keluo lowered his head; what met his eyes was a fruit whose skin was covered in blades, these blades intertwined with each other, forming a fruit that rose like a whirlwind.

"This is... a Devil Fruit?!"

The existence of Devil Fruit was not a secret in Alabasta.

Xiang Keluo's two lieutenants in Alabasta, namely Bell and Jango, were Devil Fruit users.

He had also seen top-tier users as powerful as Gao Wen, Crocodile, and even Jin Shizi.

When he saw this fruit, only one thought occurred to Xiang Keluo:

"Although Mr. Gao Wen did not intend to ask for a reward, surely this object should be enough to prove our gratitude?"

"No!"

"Compared to the debt this nation owes that man, this return is less than one ten-thousandth."

"But they are destined to continue sailing, Towards the New World; this object should be able to help their voyage."

Time passed in a flash.

Several days later.

Alabasta Wang Gong.

This place had fallen under Crocodile's control several days ago; the soldiers guarding the palace perimeter had been replaced by members of Baroque Works.

"Has Cobra not yet spoken?"

"No, that guy's mouth is harder than we thought; we've used every trick, with no effect whatsoever."

"Worthless."

Crocodile frowned tightly.

He shoved aside the Baroque Works member in front of him and strode quickly into the basement.

Quickly.

Crocodile found Cobra deep in the basement, covered in wounds and on the verge of death.

"Tell me the whereabouts of the Poneglyph, and I will leave this country immediately."

"Dream on!"

Cobra spat a mouthful of saliva; recalling what Crocodile had said earlier, he felt an indescribable irony:

"Is this what you call building an ideal utopia in such a country being more meaningful?"

"Such things are irrelevant."

Crocodile lit the cigar in his mouth, his expression gradually becoming impatient:

"If you don't want your daughter to die, cooperate with me properly; after all, that thing called a Poneglyph is a hot potato for Alabasta, isn't it?"

Cobra was stunned; his eyes instantly turned red:

"What did you do to Vivi... No!"

Suddenly.

Cobra realized.

If Vivi were truly under Crocodile's control, he would not appear so urgent, nor would he have seized control of Alabasta in such a brutal manner.

This conflicted with this man's previous step-by-step planning.

"Vivi is not in your hands at all."

"In fact, your plan has encountered some resistance; perhaps from the Marines, perhaps from pirates. Oh right... Knight Gao Wen!"

Cobra's gaze fell on Crocodile's arm.

He remembered clearly that there should have been a golden hook there, but now it was wrapped in bandages, the bandages even bearing traces of blood.

"You were defeated; you were defeated by Knight Gao Wen."

"And because of this, you were forced to accelerate your actions, even if it might cause the Marines to take notice and make you lose your Seven Warlords of the Sea title."

"Hahahaha..."

Watching Crocodile's face grow darker and darker, Cobra wore a gratified smile on his face; this traitor who usurped the throne actually had such a day?

I only regret believing your lies, causing countless civilians to die and be injured!

"Are you finished speaking?"

Xiang Keluo's voice grew cold:

"You are right; I have lost, and Vivi is not in my hands, but the people of Alubarna are."

"Choose for yourself: a cold historical text, or the lives of the entire city!"

(End of Chapter)