"Saint Dorra Giant Lizard!"
Lily grasped the hilt of her sword, calmly saying, "They never fight alone; they always appear in pairs..."
Regarding Sage's journey to Rain Land and Albana, as the Navigator, her role was naturally to gather local intelligence.
The desert of Alabasta is not so safe, even for locals. They wouldn't easily traverse unknown areas and always stick to a fixed route.
But to be fast, they took an unfamiliar path, equivalent to crossing the desert.
She knew about the Saint Dorra Giant Lizard and their habits, and even prepared some precautions.
However, these preparations failed before they could be implemented.
This lizard was huge, its pupils as tall as a person, with enormous fangs dripping saliva. If it took a bite, not just the camels, but the people would be swallowed by the lizard.
But it's not unbeatable...
Just as the lizard opened its massive maw to rush forward, Lily was about to draw her sword, White Thunder, when she suddenly froze.
"Get down!"
Buzz!!
The sky suddenly darkened, and the blowing sand and the nearby roaring river came to an almost complete stop.
The two giant lizards, poised to attack from left and right, lowered their heads at that moment, their entire bodies pressed to the ground, even trembling upon closer inspection.
"Now, Plan B of the Rain Land crossing plan, without camels, we'll use the lizards."
Sage walked up to a lizard and said, "Give me a ride, take me to Rain Land, can you do that?"
In those scarlet eyes, a red gleam stared at the lizard, making the giant creature nod with a surprisingly human-like understanding, and it sank most of its body into the sand, leaving a part of its back exposed, seemingly inviting them to climb on.
"Very good..."
Sage nodded, standing on its head protruding from the desert, addressing the others, "Come on, let's switch to another mode of transportation to get to Rain Land."
Sage had prepared alternative plans, especially after hearing Lily's findings about strange creatures in the desert, which expanded his options.
Camels were the first choice. Once they were eaten, then they would find the creature that ate them. Whoever ate them was responsible!
With the Supreme King's presence, such audacity was natural!
Even if this strange creature had a brain as small as a pea and lacked the deep emotions of a Sea Beast, as long as it could feel the pressure, it was enough. Sage never expected to use them for long, just enough to reach Rain Land.
As for how to return...
Rain Land would provide a way!
In the desert, the subordinates nervously climbed onto the lizard's back. As for the other lizard, although no one interacted with it, it dared not leave, and instead looked longingly at its partner.
These creatures always appeared in pairs, dying together if necessary.
Sage didn't care about that. Seeing his subordinates all seated on the back, he looked down, saying, "Head to Rain Land, go west. I won't let you stop, even if you die running, you can't take a break!"
Rumble!
The massive purple lizard resurfaced its body onto the desert, swiftly stretching its four legs, kicking up a plume of dust as it dashed through the desert, quickly vanishing from the guard's sight.
This was much faster than a camel.
High-speed movement inevitably brought inertia. Without something to hold onto, one would surely be blown away. The subordinates clung to the nodules on the lizard's back, preventing themselves from being thrown off at high speed.
Sage, arms crossed, stood atop the lizard's head, indifferent to the gusts of sand and wind, letting them blow through his hair and fur cape, leaving everyone with an upright silhouette and earning more admiration from his subordinates.
No wonder he was Captain Sage!
Lily even walked from the mountainous and knoll-like back to the top, facing the sandstorm, saying to Sage, "Sage, at this speed, we'll reach Rain Land in one to two hours."
No one responded.
Lily turned to look at Sage, finding him solemnly gazing ahead without a word.
Is there something ahead...?
Instinctively, Lily looked forward. The endless desert was so vast that it seemed to have no end. Walking here, even with direction, would likely lead to stagnation and confusion due to the endless expanse.
As a desert region, it's naturally sparsely populated. Otherwise, with such an area, it wouldn't have millions of people.
"Sage, I've heard that the standing army here has a million soldiers, with one out of ten people becoming a soldier. If there are too many, does your Supreme King ability..."
It's fine for a few thousand people, but against an army of a hundred thousand, would the Supreme King really be effective?
Such numbers are overwhelming.
If they enter Albana and get entangled with the soldiers, even with just dozens of people, fighting against so many would eventually wear down their strength.
Sage's eyes shifted, glancing at Lily, with a calm gaze that seemed to convey he didn't bother with the numbers, no matter how large.
Lily smiled faintly: "That's so like you, having only alternatives for plans, never failures..."
"Huh?"
Sage curiously said, "The sandstorm is too loud, can't hear you, what are you saying, Lily?"
She had been muttering to herself, unafraid of the sandstorm filling her mouth.
Lily was taken aback, her previously serious, fair face now flushed as if roasted by a fire. Her cheeks turned red, and she gritted her teeth, clutching her sword hilt so tightly that veins bulged, she quickly turned back to the back.
Pearl thought there was some danger ahead and leaned against the nodule-like bump on the lizard's back, ready to speak, "Master Lily..."
"Shut up!"
Lily glared fiercely at him, "The sandstorm is so huge, don't talk to me! Or I'll throw you off!"
"Yes!" Pearl, startled by the glare, felt a chill running down his spine, unable to help shivering.
During the high-speed movement, no one spoke. Due to Lily's imposing presence, they didn't even dare to drink water, just silently waiting.
Considering the inconvenience of returning, although having lizards, he didn't increase the number of people. If he remembered correctly, there should be crocodile mounts in Rain Land, but it would be troublesome if there weren't enough, so maintaining the current number of people was better.
After about two hours, the lizard's speed gradually slowed down, and in front of them appeared the outline of a city. As they got closer, the leading giant lizard stopped next to the city, and the following lizard also stopped, quietly watching Sage.
This city in the desert appeared far more magnificent than Nalohara, especially with a huge, pyramid-like structure at its center, topped with a golden crocodile symbol.
This is the headquarters of Alabasta's hero, Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
It's also home to the biggest casino in Rain Land... the Rain Banquet.