Alabasta.
"Yuba"
At a remote location far from the harbor, Moses and the others disembarked.
Ripples shimmered across Crow Dabao's body as the Little Bear, still in the seawater, was stored into the central clearing of the "Taming Zone.Bird Nest" within the Castle Space.
"Dabao, release your little brothers and have them gather intel in this port city," Moses said, looking at Crow Dabao who had just finished storing the ship and now perched on his shoulder. "Make sure they stay safe."
"Caw, Crow understands," Dabao replied.
After a few seconds, a flock of crows emerged from Crow Dabao's chest and scattered into the sky, flying toward Yuba.
As they walked in the direction of Yuba, Moses glanced at his companions, particularly Robin, who was wearing a cap and sunglasses, and nodded. "We're not strong enough yet, so you'll have to disguise yourself for now. Sorry about that."
Robin chuckled softly and shook her head. "It's fine if it means avoiding trouble. I don't want to strut around attracting attention—it wouldn't do any of us any good."
"Sigh! So envious. Among us, only Robin is famous. Unlike Peipei, who has no reputation at all," Perona teased, trying to lighten the mood. Robin burst into laughter at her words—their relationship was strong, and she had long stopped minding such playful jabs.
Wearing small sunglasses and a brown long-sleeved shirt with a cartoon print, Moses led the group through a few alleys before emerging onto Yuba's main street.
The surroundings instantly became bustling and noisy.
With Crow Dabao perched on his shoulder, Moses turned to the others. "I'm going to buy fresh ingredients. What about you? If you want to explore, go ahead."
Kureha said coolly, "Then we'll go shopping. Might as well pick up some desert-style clothes." She extended her hand toward Moses.
Blinking, Moses shook her hand firmly and gave it a playful shake. "Alright, alright, handshake done. Go on, acting like a kid."
Kureha's face darkened as she yanked her hand away. If not for her sunglasses, Moses suspected her expression would have been quite amusing.
"Who wanted to shake hands with you, you little brat? Give me money," she scolded half-jokingly.
Moses grinned and started pulling out a stack of Belly from his shoulder bag, handing it over. "Why don't you ever bring money when you go out? You know where it's kept."
Taking the money, Kureha gestured grandly at Perona, Robin, Bear Cub, and Chopper. "Let's go. Big Sis is taking you shopping."
Watching Kureha's childlike enthusiasm, Moses smiled warmly. "Getting younger by the day. That's nice." He turned to Crow Dabao. "Let's go too."
Moses handed a passerby a hundred Belly to ask for directions to the food market, then headed straight there.
The streets were filled with all kinds of people.
This era had its fair share of "specialties."
Moses had an excellent memory and had seen all the wanted posters in the leisure area. Along the way, he spotted several groups of pirates.
Strolling leisurely and sampling the desert kingdom's unique delicacies, Moses soon arrived at the street where he could purchase ingredients.
He browsed shop after shop.
Whenever he found delicious fruit, he bought it.
A variety of stuffed flatbreads that could be stored—buy.
Specialty alcoholic drinks—buy.
Rice, flour, oil, meat, eggs—buy.
Drinking water—buy, though it was somewhat expensive. Considering this was a desert nation, Moses gritted his teeth and bought some anyway.
But not too much, as Moses had discovered that he could use "Disguise" to synchronize his Breath frequency with the ocean's fluctuations, gathering moisture to condense into water droplets.
Little by little, it could serve as a freshwater source.
He strolled around, buying as he went.
The quantities weren't small, but with Crow Dabao around, it wasn't much trouble.
Then, not far away, a large crowd had gathered in a circle, cheering and bustling with excitement.
Curious, Moses walked over, squeezing through the crowd until he reached the center of a wide-open space.
In the sandy arena, dried corpses lay strewn about haphazardly—pirates, judging by their attire. Meanwhile, waves of cheers erupted.
"Ahhh! It's Mr. Crocodile! The real Mr. Crocodile!"
"So handsome! Look, look—the way he holds that cigar, that slicked-back hair, and that big, shiny golden hook!"
"Hero! Hero! Hero! Hero! Hero!!!"
Deafening cheers rose and fell, shaking the sky.
At the center of the arena stood a rather dashing man, his face twisted in annoyance. "Shut up, you fools! Who the hell's a hero? Get the hell out of my way!"
His low, gravelly voice dripped with disdain and arrogance.
Yet the crowd only roared even louder in response.
A few pretty young women clutched their faces as if they were about to faint.
Clearly, his popularity here was sky-high.
And this was far from the first time he'd done something like this.
The Alabasta guards on the sidelines exchanged glances, though a few joined in the cheering.
Such was his influence.
Moses watched this unexpected encounter with mild surprise, though it wasn't entirely shocking. After all, Warlord Crocodile was widely known as a great hero who loved cracking down on pirates—something frequently reported in the "World Economic Journal."
This Mr. Crocodile was quite the celebrity in these waters.
To reach such heights as a pirate was truly remarkable—arguably the most diligent among the Warlords.
A man who actively responded to the World Government's calls, treating the eradication of his peers as routine.
Currently, he was in the midst of accumulating his initial capital.
From his demeanor, it wasn't hard to tell he was a master at self-packaging.
Just then, an official-looking figure approached him with what appeared to be a contract, and the two began conversing.
Amid the noisy crowd, Moses faintly caught words like "deed" and "Rainbase."
Not dwelling on it, Moses turned and squeezed back through the crowd, leaving the scene behind.
"Monsters and demons putting on a show," Moses mused as he returned to the streets. "Inviting gods is easy; sending them away is hard."
But it wasn't his concern.
With the supplies he'd bought earlier mostly accounted for, there was no need to linger.
Expanding his Observation Haki, he sensed their locations and headed in their direction.
No need to rush—women's shopping enthusiasm knew no age limits.
Moses ambled leisurely through the crowd, stopping to buy tasty snacks when he saw them and pausing to watch anything interesting.
Before long, Moses and a crowd gathered to watch two lavishly dressed dancers. Their red gauzy garments barely covered their bodies, adorned with colorful agate jewelry.
Exceptionally alluring and seductive.
They swayed their pale, serpentine waists with joyful abandon, dancing passionately with exotic flair.
The Desert Dancer Troupe.
Moses held a bowl of chilled jelly noodles, slurping loudly as he listened to the critiques from the self-proclaimed connoisseurs around him.
The dance ended!
Many male artists rushed forward for autographs, photo ops, and even some hand-holding—creating a scene more lively than the performance itself.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Moses made an early exit. Soon after, he spotted Kureha and the others in a clothing store.
Munching on some crisp, sweet desert dates, Moses entered. The shopkeeper approached, but Moses gestured toward Kureha's group, saying:
"We're together."
Perona noticed him and happily skipped over to snatch a few of the bright red dates from his hand.
Crunch! Crunch!
The crisp sound of teeth breaking through the skin.
"So sweet," Perona giggled with delight. "Hara hara, Moses, you always find the best snacks."
Then, a pair of longing eyes caught Moses' attention. He turned to see Chopper, clad in brown-gray shorts, staring eagerly. Moses smiled and beckoned.
"Come here."
Chopper hesitated—but only for a second—before trotting over. Moses handed him a few dates.
Crunch crunch!
"So tasty, so sweet! Thanks, Moses!" Chopper's eyes crinkled with happiness as he munched away.
Moses glanced between Perona and Chopper. Noticing this, Perona blushed and muttered:
"Fine, I'll say it properly. Thank you, okay?"
"Haha, you're welcome."
Another delicate hand reached out. Moses rolled his eyes as Robin took two of the remaining three dates.
Crunch!
"Delicious," Robin remarked cheerfully.
Left with just one date, Moses spotted Kureha approaching and respectfully offered it to her.
She took it effortlessly and grinned. "At least someone's got manners."
Moses chuckled.
"Moses, what about me?" Bear Cub, sporting his new black-and-white striped shorts, stared pleadingly. "Dates? Aww, I'll just grab some myself."
Sighing, Moses watched as Bear Cub dug into his own bulging pockets and pulled out a handful.
"You really don't hold back, huh?"
Kureha smirked. "Go try this on—we got you something too."
She handed him a brown-gray desert robe embroidered with intricate cactus patterns. "Nice," Moses said, taking it to the fitting room.
Surprisingly, it fit perfectly—comfortable fabric, excellent craftsmanship.
Kureha gave an approving nod, paid, and the group headed out.
Time flew as they enjoyed themselves, filling their bellies before departing.
...
On the endless ocean.
In the distance, an unusually vast stretch of land came into view.
The total area is said to be a super island of at least ten million square kilometers—this is Alabasta.
Unimaginably vast.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, during which they passed several islands, some uninhabited and others with people living on them.
On this day, gazing at the land appearing not far away, Moses looked at the Eternal Pose in his hand and compared it with the nautical chart, thinking to himself:
"We've arrived at Jaya Island."
Looking up at the sky, he saw nothing but clouds, though the Sky Island was undoubtedly there.
"Da Bao, fly up and check between seven thousand to ten thousand meters in the air. See if there are any white Island Clouds floating around."
Crow Dabao, perched on the mast, let out a "caw" and flapped his wings, soaring upward.
Moses continued sailing toward Jaya Island.
Mock Town.
Harbor docks.
After finding a spot to moor the Little Bear, Moses jumped down from the deck, stretching heavily with a smile on his face:
"Feeling solid ground underfoot is still the most comfortable, though I don't dislike the sea anymore these days."
Since learning to swim and growing stronger, Moses no longer resisted the ocean.
Especially now, as he often dived deep into the sea for training.
Indeed, human fear only applies to things they cannot resist.
Conquering it is also a kind of romance!
"Moses, catch me!"
At that moment, Perona leaped from the railing straight toward Moses. Watching her descend closer and closer, Moses calmly took a step to the side.
Peipei landed steadily on the ground.
She crouched slightly to absorb the impact, then straightened up and stared expressionlessly at Moses:
"Why didn't you catch me?"
Moses pinched her cheek and tugged lightly, sighing. "Stop reading those cheesy romance novels Robin has. Only fools take those stories seriously."
Perona's face flushed red, and she hastily averted her eyes, protesting, "Don't talk nonsense! I didn't read those books—Robin did! I just happened to glance at them while playing with her."
"Ara~ Peipei, I can't pretend I didn't hear that," Robin chimed in, leaning over the railing with an amused smile. "Can you honestly say you haven't been hiding under the covers reading them late at night these past two days?"
Perona suffered a friendly betrayal from her best friend.
Her eye twitched violently.
Then she let out a loud "Hmph!" and stomped her foot.
She stepped forward, turned around, and plopped down onto Moses' foot, leaning her back against his knee. The next moment, half of her Spirit Body emerged, and she aimed her palm at Robin's chest. "Negative Spirit."
Four Hollow Dolls appeared and swiftly pierced through Robin's chest—impossible to dodge.
The next second, Robin collapsed onto the deck in an orz position, her voice utterly despondent:
"I'm so sorry for being born human. Someone as scheming as me... in my next life, I want to be a puppy."
Moses gave Robin a strange look. A few seconds later, Robin stood up and hurried away amid the sound of footsteps. He then looked down at Perona, meeting her gaze.
Perona's lips curled into a smug grin as she laughed cheerfully.
"Hahahahaha! Robin admitted she's scheming! She ran away embarrassed just now!"
Moses chuckled, looking at the girl sitting on his foot, clutching his leg, and staring up at him with bright eyes.
"You two really have a great relationship, constantly teasing each other daily."
Perona grabbed Moses' pant leg and stood up, then noticed a group of shady-looking people observing them from a distance.
"That group over there is watching us. They don't seem friendly, but they don't look like pirates either?"
Moses turned to look, but as soon as he did, the men immediately put on smiles.
They began walking toward them.
Soon, five greasy-looking delinquents with nose rings and earrings approached. The leader grinned at Perona and said:
"Little girl, are you new around here?"
Moses watched curiously
as Perona curled her lips and waved them off. "Get lost. I don't want anything to do with you."
The young man's smile stiffened, and he forced alaugh. "Don't be like that. Big bro knows some fun places—want me to show you around?"
As he spoke, he reached out to touch Perona's face.
Moses' eyes turned cold. Watching the approaching hand, he pivoted his body, raised his right leg, and delivered a vicious kick straight to the man's crotch.
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