Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece

As soon as I stepped onto the stone path on the shore, a wave of scorching heat hit me. The stone path was burning hot under the blazing sun, and walking on it felt like walking through a scorching veil.

The roadside stalls are filled with all kinds of fruits. The stall owners wear large straw hats and their faces are wrapped in cloth. They shout loudly, and the air is filled with the rich aroma of dates, mixed with the salty smell of the sea breeze. This is Alabasta.

Rangiku had only taken a few steps when she couldn't help but jump up: "It's so hot! This ground is hot enough to fry an egg!"

As she spoke, she quickly ran to the shade of a tree by the roadside, taking deep breaths of the relatively cool air. Kanna, held in Bai Yu's arms, her little face flushed from the sun, reached out and grabbed Bai Yu's collar, whispering, "Bai Yu..."

"What's wrong, Kanna?"

"It's hot... Kanna needs water."

"Okay, let's go prepare some water first."

Unohana took out several straw hats she had prepared in advance from her storage bag and distributed them to everyone: "Wear these to block the sun and avoid heatstroke. Then we'll go buy some sun-protective clothing."

She then gently placed the straw hat on her head, the brim covering most of her face, revealing only her soft jawline and a faint smile at the corner of her lips, her plain white clothes fluttering gently in the warm wind.

Robin put on his straw hat and looked around with some curiosity: "The architectural style here blends desert features, which is very interesting."

Her gaze swept over the roadside stalls selling colorful carpets, and the vibrant patterns and intricate designs on the carpets made her stop and take a second look.

"This pattern seems to be quite common in Alabasta."

"Let's find a hotel to settle down and rest, and also ask around about Alabasta, since we're completely unfamiliar with this place."

Bai Yu's gaze swept across the end of the street, where a road leading inland could be vaguely seen stretching into the distance.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Bai Yu and his companions heard a great commotion outside and immediately got up. They had a lot to prepare for the day.

When I got up, the rapeseed field was already very hot from the scorching sun.

Two turns south of the dock lead to the unique livestock market of Alabasta, where rough hemp tents are set up on both sides. The camels, either drooping their heads and chewing hay, or swishing their tails to shoo away flying insects, are either tethered to the market. Most of the stall owners are burly men with thick beards and headscarves.

Upon seeing unfamiliar faces, they all raised their voices to solicit business. Their rough voices, mixed with the low whinny of camels, created a noisy cacophony in the sweltering air, which did not give a pleasant impression.

Bai Yu led the way, with Kanna clutching his collar with her little hand and holding a half-empty bottle of chilled coconut juice in her other hand. She would occasionally lick the bottle opening with her little tongue, her round eyes curiously fixed on the tall camels. She gently poked Bai Yu's cheek with her finger: "Bai Yu, those big dogs are so tall, and they have little houses on their backs."

Everyone was amused by her description.

"Kanna, these are the vehicles of the desert. Without them, we wouldn't have made it to Albana. I just don't know if these guys will behave themselves and leave us stranded in the sand halfway."

"It's alright, Rangiku-neechan, Kanna can fly everyone over there..."

"Choose one with sturdy limbs and even breathing. Look at these few, their coats aren't particularly shiny, but their hooves are thick, so they should be able to walk a lot."

"This lady has excellent taste and knows her stuff. These are my best desert camels, each capable of carrying two to three hundred pounds. Five guests, right? Hmm, young lady, you can sit with your older brothers and sisters. I'll pick out four of the strongest ones for you. One price, 100,000 Berries each!"

One head costs 100,000 Berries, so five heads would cost 500,000 Berries. That's an outrageous price in Alabasta.

Robin was squatting to the side looking at the woven ornaments around the camel's neck. Hearing this, he looked up and gently twirled a stray hair behind his ear with his fingertips: "Boss, your price is not honest. We just came from the dock. We've done our research. These camels usually cost 50,000 each, but they're sold to local merchants in Alabasta for about 45,000."

Nico Robin has traveled extensively and is an expert in bargaining. She speaks with a gentle smile, yet every word hits the nail on the head.

The stall owner's face stiffened for a moment, then he rubbed his hands together and chuckled twice, trying to explain, "That's different! My camels are purebred, high-quality desert camels, much more capable than those mixed-breed camels next door. Those are all sickly, they'll give up halfway! I can give you 48,000, that's the lowest I can go. You can't even buy them at that price in Rapeseed Flower Harbor!"

"The camels of Rapeseed Flower Port don't have to walk through the quicksand of Alabasta."

Bai Yu spoke, putting Kanna down and letting her hold his hand. His gaze fell on a brown camel that the stall owner had tied up. This camel was of medium size, not as robust as the others, but it had gentle eyes. When it saw Kanna looking at it, it gently shook its head: "We want a gentle and durable one."

"No problem, I'll bring you some more fruit."

"make a deal."

Bai Yu nodded, took out some Bailey from his pocket and handed it to the stall owner. The stall owner took the money and immediately beamed. He turned around and took out some coarse hemp thread and cowhide from the tent. He squatted down and quickly mended the saddle, while also giving a long, rambling instruction: "Feed these camels with lightly salted water, not sweets. When walking in the desert, rest every two hours. Don't force them. They are wary of strangers. Touch their necks often, and they will behave."

Retsu Unohana crouched down and gently stroked the neck of the brown camel. The camel rubbed against her palm gently.

The group led the camels, testing their gait. All four camels were quite docile, not jumping or leaping around. Bai Yu lifted Kanna onto one of the light yellow calves. The little girl gripped the saddle handle, excitedly swinging her legs: "Wow, Kanna's gotten taller!"

Rangiku also climbed onto a camel and laughed, "I didn't expect there to be so many tricks involved in buying a camel. Luckily, Robin and Shiraha were here, otherwise we would have been ripped off by this boss."

"It was just following the rules of the market."

Robin gracefully mounted the camel, sitting on the saddle without any sign of discomfort, her gaze fixed on the desert: "Next, the real desert journey begins, but we still need to prepare our supplies."

Bai Yu, leading Kanna's camel, walked at the front: "Let's go buy supplies!"

The supplies you need to buy are actually quite simple. The most important things are water in leather bags, dry food that can be stored for a long time, sun-protective clothing and tents, and finally some hay for the camels.

As for these things, Bai Yu's puppets are already on standby. As nuclear-powered oxen and horses, these puppets are tireless.

As for why they rode camels instead of dolls...

When you travel to a new place, don't you ever try to experience the local specialties?