Five days after Gojo's ship sailed away from the Drum Island area, it reached the sun-bleached shores of the Alabasta Kingdom. Heat shimmered above the desert coastline, and waves lapped lazily against the hull as it slowed.
At this time, Gojo was in his usual dress—dark blue jacket, dark blue pants, and brown shoes. Under the jacket, he was wearing a white shirt. And he was wearing his sunglasses, not his blindfold. The sunlight reflected faintly off the dark lenses as he stood at the bow, looking toward the approaching shore of Alabasta.
Vivi looked at Gojo, who was wearing such full clothes, and said, "Don't you feel hot while wearing such full clothes, that too in such a weather?"
Gojo shook his head lightly. "No, I don't. Because of my devil fruit ability, I am impervious to any climate change. If I want, I can feel a weather; if not, then that weather can never reach me."
A dry breeze passed over the deck, tugging at his jacket—but it was clear it meant nothing to him.
As soon as Vivi heard this, she was amazed at the ability of Gojo's devil fruit. But knowing just how powerful Gojo is, she wasn't that surprised. There was always something absurdly overwhelming about him.
Vivi said, "Now that we are closing in to the shores, we should change our course slightly so that we can dock the ship at an unknown location. Because if we directly dock our ship at Nanohana town—if we dock there, then we will be spotted by the men of Baroque Works, and they will definitely attack us and try to capture me."
Gojo did not even hesitate. "You don't have to worry about any attacking or anything. Till I am here, nothing will happen. First, I will take you to the capital of your kingdom, take my money, and then leave. Depending on if Crocodile, the head of Baroque Works, knows his place—if he continuously provokes me, then I might have to fight with him."
His tone was casual, almost indifferent, as if he were talking about weather rather than a Warlord of the Sea.
As soon as Vivi heard this, she knew that Gojo was not going to change his decision. He would definitely follow through with what he was saying—that is, Gojo would dock at Nanohana town and would not listen to her suggestion. He has already decided…
Soon, Gojo's ship—with its sail marked by two blue eyes very similar to Gojo's Six Eyes—approached the docks of Nanohana and came to a steady stop. The ropes were cast, wood creaked against wood, and the gangplank was lowered.
Many workers on the dock, when they saw such a ship, were confused. The vessel did not have any official logo on it or anything written on it—just two eyes drawn on the sails and nothing more. The eyes seemed almost alive under the sunlight, watching everything. But as long as this ship did not belong to pirates, there was nothing for the workers to fear, and so they returned to their tasks after a few curious glances.
Soon Gojo came down from the ship, followed by Vivi and Igaram. The smell of salt and heated stone lingered in the air. Igaram and Vivi walked behind Gojo, who was holding a bag on his back and walking casually, as if he were merely strolling through a marketplace. On his back, his sheathed sword was also present, resting diagonally, its presence quiet but unmistakable.
As Gojo walked with Igaram and Vivi, he found something odd after walking a few meters, once they had crossed the dock and gotten closer to the town. The lively murmur of Nanohana's streets seemed normal—but something else brushed against his senses.
As he walked, he suddenly came to a halt.
The movement was subtle, yet absolute.
He tilted his head slightly and looked toward the sky. Slowly, he slid his sunglasses downward just enough to reveal a glimpse of his eyes, confirming something as he stared upward. The sunlight caught in his gaze for a brief second.
Then he pushed the sunglasses back into place.
This action of Gojo—looking toward the sky—did not go totally unnoticed by Vivi and Igaram. If it had been some ordinary person glancing upward and then looking back down, she would have ignored it as a casual movement or simple distraction. But the person standing in front of her was no ordinary man; he was Gojo Satoru. Most of his actions were deliberate and had meaning behind them.
So she could not ignore it.
She was curious about what exactly made Gojo stop and look toward the sky. The desert wind brushed against her hair as she asked, "What happened? Is something there in the sky?"
Gojo, after listening to Vivi's question, chuckled softly. "Your kingdom is really in a dire state. I mean, someone is deliberately controlling the weather of your kingdom— not letting the rain fall, zapping all the moisture from the atmosphere."
He tilted his head slightly upward again, as if sensing invisible threads in the air.
"I mean, it's not like your kingdom is totally hopeless. There are clouds in the sky of your kingdom. They are ready to rain; they are pregnant with rain. But due to interference from someone, the rain is not falling on the ground of your kingdom."
He adjusted his sunglasses with one finger.
"You told me that Crocodile's fruit is a Devil Fruit ability that controls sand, correct? Interesting… very interesting."
After saying this, Gojo continued walking forward as if he had merely commented on the scenery.
Both Igaram and Vivi stood there like they had been struck by lightning. The sounds of the busy port seemed distant for a moment. Now, finally, the pieces were falling into place—why the rain was not falling in their kingdom, why people were dying out of hunger, why villages were drying up, why citizens were running away in desperation. All of it.
From the words of Gojo, Vivi and Igaram were not fools; they could deduce this much. They understood the implications of his statement. It was Crocodile who was behind all of this. Using his Devil Fruit powers, he had zapped the moisture from the atmosphere of the Alabasta Kingdom, not letting the rain fall on the ground. And because of that, the people of Alabasta Kingdom were suffering.
So it was him all along…
After walking a few steps ahead, Gojo turned around, noticing they were no longer beside him. "Hey, why are you both stopping and spacing out? Follow me. We will have to take a vehicle or something to travel to your capital, right? Let's get going. I don't have time to waste on you both."
His tone was casual, almost impatient.
Vivi and Igaram came back to their senses immediately and hurried after him. As Gojo walked forward through the streets of Nanohana, from time to time he glanced toward his right, sometimes toward his left. The corners of his mouth curved upward into a faint smile.
"Interesting," he said lightly. "It seems that a few rats have spotted us."
His steps never slowed.
While walking, Gojo muttered to himself, barely audible above the murmur of the crowd, "Just don't make it boring. Give me some kind of adventure."
Soon, they bought all the necessities required for desert travel—water supplies, protective clothing, and transport arrangements. The heat was oppressive, the air dry enough to sting the throat. Finally, when everything needed for the journey had been acquired, Vivi spoke again.
"We cannot take the official path from Nanohana Town to Alubarna, the capital of the Alabasta Kingdom," she said. "Because that path has been blocked by the Rebel Army and the Imperial Army. We will face a lot of difficulties just to reach Alubarna."
Gojo looked toward her, his expression unchanged. "If the road is blocked by the rebels and the Imperial Army, then so be it. I don't care. If they come in my way, they will be destroyed."
His words were simple, spoken without emotion.
As soon as Vivi heard this, she stepped forward urgently. "No! You can't do that. You can't kill everyone on every single turn. This is my kingdom and my people. I cannot let them die needlessly."
Her voice trembled—not out of fear for herself, but for her country.
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