Rain Land, located on an oasis in the northwest desert of Alabasta, perhaps was named with high hopes for this place initially. But ever since Crocodile built a casino here, it has frequently rained, living up to its name.
After resting for two days and throwing two consecutive banquets, the rotating team members had a lively time. The injured were treated, and as long as they changed the bandages on time, after two days, some of the team members could move around.
Seeing that everything was fine, Sage set out directly, leaving Nalohara and heading toward Rain Land.
This time, in addition to replenishing some supplies, there were dozens of camels added on the deck.
Their ship was large enough that even a few dozen camels didn't take up space.
Renedia looked at the camels from the balcony on the second floor and asked curiously, "What's with buying so many camels? Are we adopting pets? But camels look so ugly and always chewing..."
"Not as pets, but as a means of transportation."
Marika smiled gently, "The place we're heading to requires us to cross a section of the desert."
These camels, of course, were ordered by Sage for his subordinates to buy. Alabasta is vast, and without any means of transport, walking with just the body would take too much time.
He didn't originally plan to buy these camels. He wanted faster creatures, but those weren't available in Nalohara, only the most common camels were there in abundance, so he had to buy them.
The terrain of Alabasta was too expansive, and walking, even reaching the slightly closer towns, could take a day and night, let alone far-off places like Rain Land.
Even so, camels weren't good enough, but actually, this group of camels wasn't slow at all.
In this world, you certainly cannot judge based on the common sense of the previous life. Even though Sage lived for twenty-two years and kind of got used to it, sometimes he still felt confused.
Not only are the camels fast, but normal ships too sail faster than what he remembers of the sailboats in his past life. Although the sea is vast and the world is big, with ships having high speed, it's actually quite normal.
As always...
The sea is quite the wonder, isn't it?
Lily was looking at a map of Alabasta. As a harbor city, of course, this place had such a thing. Although not all locations were marked, a few major cities were pointed out.
Such as the harbor city Nalohara, the Land of Dreams Rain Land, and the Royal Capital of Alabana.
"We need to head west, sail into the Saint Dorra River, stop at the western end, and then ride camels to Rain Land. I've asked around, and it should take about two days to get there."
Whether reaching Rain Land or going to the capital Albana, sailing to the Saint Dorra River was the most convenient option, much more convenient than staying in Nalohara.
"Eh? Crossing the desert... sounds interesting." Renedia said with anticipation.
"Raise the sails!"
Seeing that the personnel were almost ready, Lily ordered, pulling out the White Thunder and pointing it at the sky, "Set sail!"
Under the Starry Sky Skull Flag, the black canvas with the same flag pattern unfolded, and as the crew steered, it slowly sailed away from the shore, heading west.
For this short distance, sailing along the coastline, there was no need to pay constant attention.
The climate in the sea area belonging to this island was basically normal.
The three of them walked into the captain's cabin, only to see Sage leaning on the back of a chair with one hand on his chin, looking pensive, "Strange..."
"Sage, what's strange?" Lily asked.
"Why is no one willing to come with me? I'm paying quite a bit of money, right?... Lily, is it so troublesome to want a troupe of dancers? It's not like I want them to be pirates and rob. They're a bunch of weaklings, not even qualified to rob." Sage looked towards Lily.
"Lily: "..."
Besides buying camels, Sage also wanted that group of dancers to follow him onto the ship. For this, he even offered a salary and just asked them to play music and dance occasionally.
But no one agreed.
"Not everyone wants to venture out to sea. The people here... their lives are not bad." Lily said.
Although there was turmoil, and they viewed Crocodile, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, as a hero, many people seemed to have a good impression of the King as well, believing Cobra to be a good king.
The inability to rain is a matter of destiny, not human fault.
"Forget it, I'll eventually find a troupe that can come on board to play music and dance for me."
Sage straightened up halfway, poured a glass of wine, and said to everyone, "How long to reach the Saint Dorra River?"
"About half a day, we should arrive around noon." Lily thought for a moment and said.
"Too slow. Make them speed up. Renedita, head to the power room and tell the crew to push harder. I want to be docked by the morning and have a rock-grilled lunch in the desert by noon." Sage said.
"Understood."
Renedia went straight up the stairs from the captain's cabin to give the orders.
"Sage, there's something I need to mention. We didn't manage to buy a Log Pose; this harbor city didn't have one." Lily said.
"Rain Land has it!" Sage waved his hand.
"We don't have enough water either. Even though it's a harbor city, it lacks water too. Once we succeed in our heist, I'm not sure if we can store enough to sail to the next island..."
"Rain Land has it!" Sage waved his hand again.
"We..."
"Rain Land has it!" Sage didn't give Lily a chance to continue speaking, "Anyway, whatever we don't have, Rain Land will have! If Rain Land doesn't have it, Crocodile will!"
An ability like the Seven Warlords of the Sea, no matter how long they stay in the desert, they won't forget sailing. All necessary items can be found there.
Seeing Sage's decisively confident look, Lily suddenly felt exhausted for a moment...
...
After the crew in the engine room increased their speed, they reached the endpoint of the Saint Dorra River, which was initially estimated to take half a day, in just over three hours.
Sage appeared on the deck at this time, looking at the gathered crew, and said: "Gin, Pearl, Mute, you three follow me. Gin, select fifty people to be the main force for this operation."
There weren't many camels, so it was impossible to bring all the crew along. Given the long journey ahead, only a select few could be chosen.
"Yes, Captain Sage!"
Gin responded, beginning to select from the crew.
As the Combat Commander, he also needed to understand the combat abilities of the crew, which was his responsibility.
Captain Sage didn't pay much attention to his crew's combat situation. Although he taught them to train, so far, only a few had learned the Six Styles.
The crew's willpower was indeed commendable, but some things required more than just strong willpower. Only those who truly stood out could catch his attention.
For example, Mute, though he was a mute, gained recognition in Logue Town due to his strong physique, earning a bounty and catching Captain Sage's attention.
He is now also a Combat Captain on the ship.
Boom!
As Gin was selecting, the massive river, said to be fifty kilometers wide, suddenly erupted with a splash. A giant catfish, half the size of their Black Ship, surfaced from the water, opened its tooth-filled mouth, and roared at the people on the ship, spreading a fishy odor.
The giant catfish caused a look of fear to appear on the crew's faces.
"It's stinking!"
Renedia's temple throbbed with a vein, and the Mechanical Hammer quickly extended in her hand. The hammerhead, which was supposed to be a Sheep Horn Hammer, extended from the center and revealed a cannon barrel.
Fizz!
"Power Cannon Attack!!"
Sparks in her small hand spread to the Mechanical Hammer, launching a cannonball swiftly. With a boom, it exploded on the catfish's head, creating a cloud of black smoke. The catfish let out a wail, collapsed on the river's surface, and sank back in.
"As expected of Lady Renedia!" The crew shouted excitedly.
The three high-ranking officers on the ship had steadily secured their positions in the crew's hearts over time.
Renedia was an Ability User, not only with an irreplaceable Power Ability on the ship, but her own strength also surpassed that of others.
Marika, though still gentle, served as the ship's warm-hearted big sister, bringing a gentle breeze to the crew. However, with her high status as the head chef and her monstrous strength, she gradually became revered.
Lily, back in the East Sea, seemed equal with Gin, but perhaps due to her potential, her strength improved rapidly. By the time they were in Logue Town, she had already surpassed Gin, and on the Grand Line, after mastering Iron Cutting, she became even more prominent.
In contrast, Gin, despite his hard training, still fell short compared to these three.
It's not that he was weak; he was much stronger than in the East Sea, mastering 'Kami-e' and 'Soru' of the Six Styles proficiently. However, compared to the three high-ranking officers' brilliance, his glow seemed dimmer.
But he understood his role clearly—just a Combat Commander. As long as he diligently followed the captain's steps and earnestly executed the captain's orders, that was enough.
After quickly selecting fifty people, they all descended the lowered gangway, leading camels into the arid desert. The desert heat made the air seem to shimmer.
"Tsk, it really is hot... Why isn't there a storm at this time?"
Sage looked up at the sky and clicked his tongue, eyed the scorching sun, and was about to mount a camel.
Rumble...
Just then, the desert ground suddenly heaved and quickly advanced toward them. The distance was already close, and upon reaching them, it directly submerged the newly led camels.
The sandy surface opened, swallowing the camel herd whole, as a giant purple creature leaped out from the depression with an open mouth, devouring the camels.
Boom!
Its massive body landed in the desert, first revealing a pair of vertical pupils the size of ordinary people. It focused on the crew, emitting a dangerous aura.
It was a giant purple-skinned lizard!
No, wait!
The opposite side of the lizard saw the desert rise again, and another lizard of the same size burst forth, surrounding Sage and his group.
Two of them...
"Scraps!"
Sage's face darkened, gritting his teeth, "Do you want to make me walk on foot? Huh?!"
Just when he mentioned there wouldn't be a storm...
Something like this had to appear!