Location: Nanohana, Alabasta Kingdom Year: 1522
The heat of Alabasta wasn't a temperature; it was a physical weight.
Hiroki stepped off his skiff onto the stone docks of Nanohana. The air shimmered. The sun was a white tyrant in the sky, bleaching the color out of the sandstone buildings.
[Environmental Hazard: Extreme Heat][Endurance Check: Active][Hydration Levels: Dropping]
Hiroki adjusted his new vest—crystal wolf hide was durable, but it didn't breathe well. He felt the sweat evaporating the moment it hit his skin.
"Welcome to the desert," he muttered.
Nanohana was bustling. Merchants shouted over the prices of perfumes and spices, camels groaned under heavy loads, and the scent of sizzling lizard meat filled the air. But beneath the noise, Hiroki sensed tension.
[Tactical Insight: Active]
Civilian Anxiety: High.Reason: Drought rumors. Dance Powder scandals.Observation: Multiple eyes watching from shadows.
He was being tracked. It wasn't subtle. Men in loose robes, pretending to inspect pottery, were coordinating his movements.
Hiroki didn't care. He was thirsty.
He walked into a tavern named "The Scimitar." It was cool inside, shaded by heavy drapes. He sat at the bar.
"Water," Hiroki ordered. "A pitcher."
The bartender, a man with a nervous twitch, slid a clay pitcher over. Hiroki stared at it.
[Tactical Insight]
Liquid Analysis: Traces of paralytic agent (Scorpion Venom).
Hiroki sighed. "Baroque Works really has no creativity."
He drew Umitsubame—just an inch, enough to expose the steel. He tapped the pitcher with the scabbard, knocking it over. The water hissed as it hit the floor, bubbling slightly on the wood.
"The service here is terrible," Hiroki said loudly.
The tavern went silent. Patrons scrambled for the exits.
From the back room, a man emerged. He was thin, wearing a blue and white glasses-shirt combo, and his hair was shaped into a peculiar "3".
"Candle... Lock!"
The man waved his hand. A massive deluge of white, viscous liquid shot toward Hiroki.
Hiroki leaped backward, kicking his stool into the path of the liquid. The sludge hit the stool and solidified instantly into rock-hard wax.
"Mr. 3," Hiroki acknowledged, landing on a table. "Igaram sent his report quickly."
Galdino (Mr. 3) sneered, adjusting his glasses. Beside him sat a small girl eating rice crackers and drinking tea, painting on a canvas—Miss Goldenweek.
"Mr. 5 is a brute," Galdino stated, his voice nasally and arrogant. "He thinks explosions solve everything. But art... art is about structure. Trapping the prey."
He raised both hands.
"Candle Champion!"
Wax poured from his body, forming a massive, mechanical battle suit around him. It looked like a robot made of birthday candles, complete with boxing gloves.
"This wax is as hard as steel!" Galdino boasted. "Your little sword won't scratch it!"
Hiroki stood on the table. He looked at the wax monstrosity.
Hard as steel?
Hiroki's lips curled into a rare, genuine smile. It wasn't a nice smile.
"Steel," Hiroki said, recalling the rain in Loguetown, "is my favorite thing to cut."
[Combat Mode Initiated][Opponent: Mr. 3 (Galdino)][Ability: Doru Doru no Mi (Wax-Wax Fruit)]
Galdino charged. The wax suit was surprisingly fast. He threw a punch—Champ Fight.
Hiroki didn't dodge.
Breath of All Things.Target: The Wax Structure.
He drew Umitsubame.
Ittoryu: Silent Sever - Iron Cutter.
The blade flashed.
SHING.
The wax boxing glove was sliced cleanly in half. The top half slid off and crashed to the floor.
Galdino froze inside his suit. "N-Nani?"
"You said it was as hard as steel," Hiroki said, flicking his sword. "You should have made it harder."
Galdino panicked. "Goldenweek! Help me!"
The little girl sighed. "You're so loud."
She dipped her brush into a paint bucket. "Color Trap: Betrayal Black."
She painted a symbol on the floor near Hiroki's feet.
Hiroki glanced at it.
[Mental Interference Detected][Willpower Check: Critical]
Suddenly, his arm felt heavy. His instinct to attack Galdino twisted into an instinct to attack... his own friends? No, he had no friends here. The betrayal command fizzled out, confused by his solitary nature.
"I work alone," Hiroki said.
He stepped over the paint trap.
Galdino backed away, shedding the damaged wax suit. "Wait! Wait! We can make a deal! I'm an Officer Agent! I have information!"
Hiroki appeared in front of him, the tip of Umitsubame resting against Galdino's "3" hair.
"Where is Crocodile?" Hiroki asked.
Galdino went pale. "Mr. 0? You... you know his identity?"
"Rainbase," Hiroki guessed. "The casino."
Galdino trembled. "If I tell you, he kills me. If I don't, you kill me."
"I don't kill the messenger," Hiroki said, lowering his sword. "I send a message."
He reached into his vest and pulled out the bounty poster of "Iron-Knuckle" Kargo—the first man he killed. He crumpled it up and shoved it into Galdino's chest pocket.
"Tell Mr. 0 that the 'Calculator' is in Alabasta. Tell him I'm not here for the princess. I'm not here for the rebellion."
Hiroki leaned in close.
"Tell him I'm here for his head."
He turned and walked out of the tavern, leaving a terrified wax-man and a bored painter behind.
Outside, the sun was setting, painting the desert in blood-red hues.
[Reputation Increased: Threat to Baroque Works][Bounty (Unofficial): Elevated within Organization]
Hiroki checked his status.
[Swordsmanship: 35.0 → 35.5][Observation Haki: 3.2% → 3.5%]
Cutting the wax had been easy. Too easy. His training in the Glass Garden had pushed him beyond the level of the lower Officer Agents.
"Now," Hiroki whispered, looking toward the vast expanse of sand dunes. "How do I cross a desert without a camel?"
He had declared war on a Warlord of the Sea. A Warlord who controlled sand in a desert.
It was the most illogical, uncalculated move of his life.
And for the first time since his reincarnation, Hiroki felt truly alive.
[Chapter 14 End]