Rain in the desert is a ferocious thing.
One might assume that since it rarely falls, the rainy season wouldn't be a big deal, but in reality, it comes down in torrential sheets, as if a bucket were being overturned from the sky. This causes the Sandora River to swell and flood, but the downpour itself brings its own kind of water damage.
"Our work is done, but it looks like the Royal Army is still stationed here, ready to move in case of an emergency."
"The payment documents are still here, too. They can't pay us until they get back to the capital, Alubarna."
With nothing much to do, Kanata and Georges chatted while listening to the sound of the rain. The heavy downpour made desert travel impossible, effectively trapping them on the island for two months. Their Log Pose had set during their two weeks of labor, and they could leave whenever they wanted… but not without their payment.
The two of them let out a sigh.
"I'm getting nervous, you know. If we stay here too long, the Marines are bound to find out."
"Don't worry, they already know."
"I see… Wait, WHAT?!"
When Kanata said "they," she didn't mean the Marines, but rather the upper echelons of Alabasta, like Cobra and Igaram. The truth was, she had fallen back into her old habits from her time as a merchant and had handled the negotiations herself. Now that she was a wanted criminal, it was inevitable that she would be recognized. She had worn various layers to protect herself from the sun, but she hadn't hidden her face, making any attempt at a disguise pointless.
Her complete lack of concern had apparently made them second-guess themselves, but based on her conversations with them on the first day, Kanata was sure they knew who she was.
"Then why haven't the Marines come after us?"
"I don't know. I thought they might be planning to use us as labor, then turn us in to the Navy without paying, so I've been scanning the area with Observation Haki… but there's no major movement."
Alabasta was vast, so she couldn't cover the entire country, but there were no signs of Marine activity within her range. In any case, she wouldn't have tried to earn money here if there were opponents strong enough to defeat her. The real danger was if they called for reinforcements. It would be a disaster if someone like Garp was summoned.
"I thought that after a year, the talk would die down and people would forget my face, but I was too naive."
"Well, yeah. Killing a Celestial Dragon isn't something people normally do," Georges pointed out.
It was an act that defied even the gods. For an atheist like Kanata, her only thought was, "What gods?" but there was no denying the immense power they held. Still, she had assumed that with no new sightings for a year, the topic would have faded away. The effect of the wanted poster must have been greater than she thought. She had gambled that only the Celestial Dragons themselves would hold such a long-standing grudge. Even considering Alabasta's status as a World Government member nation, being found out instantly was unexpected.
"...You're surprisingly thoughtless sometimes."
"I suppose so. If I'm going to do something, I might as well do something big enough to make the papers again."
"Please don't. The day you clash with a Marine Admiral is the day I prepare for death."
"Zephyr 'Black Arm'... I hear he adheres to a code of 'no killing,' even for criminals, but his true strength is an unknown."
"He's a Marine Admiral. Doesn't that mean he's stronger than Sengoku, the guy you fought?"
"The Navy's command structure is surprisingly messy... Just because Garp is a Vice Admiral doesn't necessarily mean an Admiral is stronger than him."
"...Yeah, you have a point."
Zephyr, Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru were likely all from the same generation. They were famous for a reason; their skills were exceptionally high. The thought that they had once come to burn Marx Island to the ground was enough to give her a headache. That was a force capable of more than just destroying a country.
Kanata, having fought him, knew Sengoku's strength best, and Junci, who had once traded blows with Garp, understood his power all too well. To hold the rank of Admiral above them, Zephyr had to be incredibly formidable.
"It's strange that Garp, the hero who ended an 'era' of pirates, isn't an Admiral... but he's an unpredictable man. It could be for a reason as simple as not wanting any more authority."
"No, no, no, there's no way he'd refuse to become an Admiral for a reason like that, it's just..."
There was. It was a well-known story within the Navy that every time Fleet Admiral Kong recommended him for the position, he would turn it down, saying, "I don't need a higher rank to do things my way." He was strong enough to corner even Roger at times, yet his rank didn't reflect it. Kong must have had a headache of his own.
"If the Marines don't come, all the better. I'd like to shove the invoice in their faces and get paid as soon as possible, but..."
"We can't exactly go and negotiate directly with Prince Cobra, can we?"
"He said to wait a few days, so maybe they have a way to cross the desert even during the rainy season."
They seemed to intend to pay. After all, they were signing payment documents because they didn't have the cash on hand.
"What if they've already requested backup from Marine Headquarters?"
"What would we do... By the time we find out reinforcements have arrived, it would be too late. We'd have no choice but to tuck our tails and run."
It would mean working for free, but their lives were more important. Neither Prince Cobra nor Igaram seemed like that kind of man, but Kanata's intuition could be surprisingly unreliable, so it was hard to say.
"So that's what it comes to... As the one in charge of the treasury, this was a really profitable job, too..."
"Whatever the case, all we can do now is wait."
There was nothing else to do. During this season in Alabasta, even travel between towns was impossible.
(...It's not that there's nothing that concerns me...)
There was something in the Sandora River, a presence that stood out as particularly strong even among all that Kanata could sense. It had been on her mind during the construction, but she had left it alone because it was sluggish and showed no signs of leaving the river. Now, it had become active.
With the heavy rain, the Sandora River would swell to flood levels. If that meant its range of movement would increase, it could be a problem.
☆
With Samuel holding an umbrella over her, Kanata stood on the levee, watching the flooding Sandora River. On the way here, she had been told it was too dangerous, but while other Devil Fruit users might be at risk, falling into a river wasn't a death sentence for her. The one in the most danger was Samuel, who was holding the umbrella. Still, with her there to rescue him instantly, he walked around without a care in the world.
"Hey Boss, why are we up on the levee?"
"There's something that's been bothering me."
The story was that a crack in the levee had been found about a week before their arrival. A crack in a levee reinforced with sandbags and bricks. She hadn't heard how big it was, but she would know it when she saw it.
She stopped and stared intently at the levee through the rain.
"...Look at this."
"What the..."
It was hard to see through the muddy, rushing water, but there was a crack in the levee. A massive crack in the very levee they had just finished repairing. Kanata placed a hand on her chin.
(This might be bad.)
It was unclear if it had been hit once or multiple times, but there was no doubt that somethingwas in there. Something powerful enough to put a huge crack in a levee reinforced with sandbags and bricks.
Did the Royal Army know about this?
"A cracked levee. The Royal Army mobilized for construction and still hasn't returned even after the rainy season began. A case that requires the prince himself to come to the site..."
Perhaps all these events were connected. If so, they should have been aware of something'sexistence before the rainy season started. But it was possible they hadn't gotten a clear look at it. If the cracks were appearing even before the rains, it meant the creature could move on land. The sighting of a suspicious shadow would be reason enough for the Royal Army to mobilize.
"Let's go. I have business with Prince Cobra."
With Samuel in tow, she descended from the levee and headed for the construction command post, which was still set up. The construction workers were gone; inside, Prince Cobra and the Royal Army were moving about frantically.
Igaram noticed them and hurried over, asking with a superficially pleasant smile, "Is something the matter?"
"There's something that's been bothering me."
"Bothering you?"
"I was just looking at the levee. There's a new crack. It's straight east from here."
Igaram's face paled instantly. He quickly relayed a message to someone nearby, then scurried to the back of the tent. After a short wait, Cobra emerged with him. He said he wanted to talk and spread a map of the area on a table in a corner of the command post.
"Can you tell me where the crack in the levee was?"
"If the command post is here... then it's roughly here."
"...I see. Then it must be..."
"Does the Royal Army know what's out there?"
At Kanata's question, Cobra hesitated, reluctant to answer. But he must have felt it would be dishonest not to. He slowly opened his mouth and answered, "A snake."
"A snake? Have there been sightings?"
"Yes. A giant shadow slithering along the ground has been spotted recently. Such a creature shouldn't exist in Alabasta. It must have washed ashore from some other sea..."
The Grand Line was a sea that defied common sense. Anything could happen, but no one would expect a giant snake to wash up. What's more, despite coming from the sea, it was now lurking in the Sandora River. And to top it off, it could move on land. It was hard to believe such a strange creature existed. At the very least, since it was moving through the river, they could determine it wasn't a Devil Fruit user, but that was about all.
"The Royal Army cannot let this be. I came to lead the subjugation effort myself, but... in the end, it never appeared during the construction."
"I see..."
She didn't know why it hadn't appeared during the construction, but the fact remained that the levee was cracked now. It would likely show itself soon.
This could be a business opportunity, Kanata suddenly thought.
"Prince Cobra, I have a proposal."
"A proposal?"
"If you can agree to our price, we will undertake the extermination of that monster."
It might seem greedy, but as captain, she had a duty to feed her crew. If she could earn money with her well-honed fighting skills, then so be it.
Cobra looked at a loss for how to respond—and in that instant, the earth shook.
BOOM...! A sound like something collapsing, and screams from outside.
Cobra and Igaram rushed out of the tent. Kanata, however, stayed behind, grasping the situation with her Observation Haki.
"It seems to have appeared. I thought this was a business opportunity, but at this rate, the Royal Army will take care of it."
"Can't we just beat it and demand money?" Samuel asked.
"They wouldn't pay without a contract."
In that case, it would just mean a bit of a squeeze on the ship's food stores. They had plenty of spare rooms since the crew was small, and they could turn one into a cold storage room to keep the meat for a while.
"Looks like a bust this time," she muttered, and followed the others out of the tent.
The moment she stepped outside, both she and Samuel couldn't believe their eyes.
"...It's huge. What is that thing?"
"Don't ask me. I heard it was a giant snake, but I never expected this..."
A massive white snake, easily two hundred meters long, was there. It looked like it could crush even a giant. Was it a type of Sea King? A creature that size could certainly demolish a levee with a single blow.
The Royal Army was fighting desperately, but against an enemy of that scale, it was like throwing water on a hot stone. There seemed to be two Zoan users among them, but their powers were likely a poor match.
"Shouldn't we help?"
"Protecting the country is the Royal Army's job. Not mine."
She said that, but if things continued, they would be caught in the crossfire. Muddy water was surging through the broken levee, and the giant snake was rearing its head, its tongue flicking in and out.
The question was whether this was a monster the Royal Army could even handle. She was tempted to sit back and watch, but this might not be the time for that.
"And just like that, they're in a pinch."
The Royal Army, their footing lost in the muddy torrent, was sent flying by the snake's charge. A falcon user attacking from the air and a jackal user on the ground were having little effect. With no idea where the snake would appear next, they couldn't establish a defensive position, and the heavy rain rendered cannons and other firearms useless.
And what's more—
"Run! It's dangerous here!"
"But my child is still inside the house!"
There were several houses a short distance from the levee. The people who had come outside to check on the situation after the tremor were now in a panic at the sight of the giant snake. Some were trying to flee. Some were separated from their children and were desperately searching for them. Others were falling into despair as they watched the Royal Army being swept aside.
It was none of her business, but it wasn't a pleasant sight.
Cobra was at the forefront, directing his troops, but the difference in scale was so vast that they didn't seem to be inflicting any real damage.
"Don't falter! The people we must protect are behind us!"
With Igaram by his side, Cobra brandished his sword, rallying the Royal Army.
The snake's eyes fixed on him. Seeing Cobra shouting orders from such a prominent position, it opened its massive jaws and lunged, intending to make him its first meal. It slithered across the ground with a speed that belied its size. In the split second that Igaram threw himself forward to shield his prince—
"—A prince does not belong on the front lines. It would be a problem for us if you were to die."
—Kanata caught the massive body with a single hand.
A sound like the air rupturing echoed as the impact shot through her, but she didn't budge an inch. She brushed her drenched black hair out of her face with an annoyed gesture and posed her question to Cobra again.
"This monster extermination, if it could be solved with money—what would you do?"
"...Yes. If money can save our lives, then there is no other choice."
"Then we have a deal."
CRACK—
In an instant, not only the giant snake but the entire surging torrent of muddy water was frozen solid, held in place. She had directed the ice with precision so as not to harm the Royal Army; only the snake and the area around the levee were frozen.
Her breath turned to white mist, and the extreme drop in temperature chilled their wet bodies.
"I've frozen it to the core. All that's left is to dispose of this snake and perform emergency repairs on the levee. It won't melt for at least a week if you leave it as is."
"Y-Yes..."
Having dispatched a giant snake comparable to a Sea King in mere seconds, she distastefully pinched her wet clothes and started back towards the ship with Samuel.
Behind her, she left an army that stared at her retreating back with a mixture of awe and terror.
***
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