Pirate: I have a Hollow living inside me!

Brogy took a big gulp of his drink and made a satisfied sound.

Then he smiled and said, "Not to mention that you suit our tastes, just based on the drinks you brought, we would never refuse such a small thing."

Lox gained their approval and was regarded as a friend.

They naturally wouldn't refuse their friend's small request; it was just a trivial matter...

Rocks raised his glass: "Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome."

"No need to be so polite, come on, let's keep drinking!"

The two giants smiled and raised their glasses to Rocks, eating and drinking heartily, and both sides enjoyed themselves immensely.

In the days that followed.

The three-way battle began with the volcanic eruption as a signal, and several battles were fought in just a few days.

The main focus was on guiding the Lance of Lox Elbaf, so no clear winner was decided, and all matches ended in a draw.

During this period of practice, Lox's proficiency with the Elbaf Spear of Mighty Kingdom increased significantly.

There will be no situation where the target cannot be hit due to lack of control.

It's quite wasteful of swords; several of them broke.

These swords were confiscated from ignorant pirates in the East China Sea.

It's not a valuable sword or knife, and it's not worth much money.

It's been stored in the warehouse.

I never expected it to come in handy at a time like this...

As for improving the Elbaf Spear of the Kingdom, this cannot be accomplished in a short time.

Rocks needs to be more proficient in this move and also needs to improve it based on his own situation.

We can take it slowly later; there's no need to rush.

In terms of domineering presence...

Rocks' Armament Haki became increasingly refined.

Although we haven't quite grasped the tricks of external flow and internal destruction yet, we've made significant progress and are much "harder" than before.

Covering ordinary swords with this material allows them to withstand the pressure of the Elbaf Spear of Mighty Kingdom multiple times.

In general.

Rocks' personal strength has greatly improved.

After that, my chances of crushing Crocodile in Alabasta have increased considerably...

……

That noon.

After another banquet, Lox took his leave.

After spending five days in the little garden, it was time to head to the next destination.

As for where the next destination is?

Alabasta, of course!

The magnetic storage time of the small garden is one year, and it is impossible for Locus to stay here for a year.

So the permanent pointer to Alabasta that we found on Daz Bones earlier came in handy...

After saying goodbye, the ship set sail.

Heading towards Alabasta...

Nami, holding the Perpetual Pose, sighed deeply: "Are we really going to Alabasta?"

Rocks turned and glanced at Nami: "This is the fifth time you've asked this question, little Nami."

"The reason I asked so many times was to remind you that's Crocodile's stronghold. We'll definitely have to fight him once we get there, right?"

Nami pursed her lips: "That's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! Although you're very strong, Xiao Luo, the Seven Warlords of the Sea are famous and powerful figures!"

"Crocodile's bounty is... is it... oh, how much is Crocodile's bounty again?"

"You don't even know this? How dare you call the other party so famous?"

Rocks was speechless: "Their bounty is a whopping 81 million Berries!"

"yeah?"

Nami's forehead was filled with question marks, followed by astonishment: "A dignified Shichibukai with only an 81 million Berry bounty?"

"Perhaps Crocodile isn't actually that strong, and only became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea because he's a Logia-type Devil Fruit user?"

Rocks gave a vague, dismissive reply: "Everything can be done through back channels. Look at Rat and Smoker, both are naval captains, but their strengths are worlds apart."

First, plant the idea in Nami that "Crocodile isn't strong" to calm her down.

Don't keep saying discouraging things in his ear; if you hear them too often, he'll really want to hit you...

Chapter 88 What a coincidence...

Alabasta, rapeseed flowers.

This is a port city in Alabasta and an important region for foreign trade.

Merchant ships and travelers would choose to dock here and unload their various goods.

Some essential supplies will be transported to the kingdom's capital, Arubana, via the Santo River.

of course.

As a port city, it was inevitably plagued by pirates and other such creatures.

Fortunately, Alabasta has a "national hero," Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

His duty is to hunt down the pirates who cause trouble and maintain the stability of Alabasta.

Fearing Crocodile's reputation, few pirates dared to cause trouble in Alabasta...

at this time.

A two-masted sailing ship, without any flags or markings on its sails, and as clean as if it had just come from the factory, was docked in the harbor.

It was Rocks' ship.

Five days have passed since I left the small garden...

Rocks disembarked from the ship with Kuina and Nami, and immediately unleashed his Observation Haki.

Scanning the entire port, I sensed a familiar presence in one spot.

Locke was speechless: "It really is here. There's no need to look for it anymore..."

Nami scanned her surroundings, then asked nervously, "Who? Crocodile? Is he waiting for us here?"

"..."

Rocks gave Nami a look.

Nami understood Rocks's look and pouted unhappily: "What? Yes is yes, no is no. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Guina understood the implication in Lox's words: "Mr. Joak is here too?"

"Okay, let's go take a look."

Rocks, along with Kuina and Nami, headed towards the location of Yoak as they sensed it.

Not long after, they met the captain of the Joachic caravan, old Joachic, at another ship's anchorage...

"Although our trip was delayed by three days, there is no such thing as a smooth journey at sea."

At this moment, old Yoak's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

Looking at the slender, black-haired beauty in front of him, he argued forcefully, "It's already quite an achievement that the goods were successfully transported here."

"I can guarantee that the goods you requested to be transported will be completely undamaged. Isn't cutting the fee in half a bit excessive...?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just the president's secretary. I'm here only to inform you of his decision. I have no right to interfere with my president's decision."

The dark-haired beauty remained unmoved by Joak's questioning.

She gave a helpless look: "Besides, the failure to deliver on time has already caused considerable losses to our company."

"I was just acting in accordance with the previously agreed contract, so this loss can only be deducted from your payment..."

"..."

Yoak wanted to say something more.

However, he couldn't speak because of the "contract" the other party mentioned, and his face was full of melancholy and helplessness.

Two seconds later, he sighed dejectedly: "I understand, we broke our promise this time."

"Since this has caused you losses, then let's do it your way..."

He prioritizes integrity in his business dealings.

The trip was delayed by three days and the delivery was not completed within the agreed time; this was indeed their fault.

He smiled bitterly to himself.

The trip was delayed by three days, which isn't really their fault. Anyone would have their plans disrupted if they encountered two storms in a row...

You can only blame bad luck!

"Although you did not deliver within the stipulated time this time, as long as the goods are not damaged, we will have the opportunity to cooperate again next time."

The black-haired beauty smiled and said, "I still trust your Yoak caravan, and I hope we can cooperate happily next time."

Yoak could only blame his bad luck: "Then thank you..."

"We've finally found you, Mr. Joak."

Just then, Yoak heard someone call his name and couldn't help but look over.