One Piece: Blue Scale Admiral

"ember!"

"Big brother."

Jin arrived upon hearing the sound, his entire body shrouded in black leather armor.

"Pass down the order! Withdraw the troops! Return to Wano Country! Have the intelligence agents stationed in Paradise begin their operation, find out the whereabouts of that Mythical Zoan brat. And then..."

Kaido grinned maliciously as he stood up, clenching his massive fist so tightly that it crackled and popped.

"I'll personally take action!!"

Chapter 280 Vivi

Rolling sand dunes, towering coconut trees, exotic desert dancers, and people wearing headscarves, scarves, and long robes.

This is Alabasta, one of the few superpowers in the park.

In the heart of the boundless desert lies Rainland, the most prosperous city in the Kingdom of Alabasta. Like a green emerald embedded in golden sand dunes, it brings a bright touch of emerald green to this desolate and arid world.

"Sir, our Rainy Day Casino does not accept credit. Please settle your bill of 3112 million Berries at Rainy Day. This is our casino's VIP card. After settling the bill, you will be a VIP at Rainy Day from now on, and you will enjoy a 10% discount on all your future purchases here."

In the luxurious hall, the graceful and sweet-looking desert woman ignored the greedy gazes of the pirates before her and patiently persuaded them in a gentle voice to pay on credit.

The burly pirate slammed his rough hand heavily on the counter, his eyes bulging with rage:

"What do you mean? You think I can't afford 30 million Berries? Do you know who I am? I'm the 'Sharp Axe Sotok,' with a bounty of 55 million Berries! A mere 30 million Berries? I said I'd pay next time, so I'll pay next time. Say another word, and believe me, I'll wipe out this damn casino!"

Sotok pointed to the single-edged giant axe on his back, staring fiercely at the desert woman in front of him, his greedy eyes constantly scanning the woman's sensitive areas.

"Sorry, Rain Banquet Casino does not offer credit, please..."

The desert woman, with a touch of intellectual beauty, yet dressed in a wild crop top, still possessed a sweet and clear voice, and a stubbornness beyond Sotok's imagination.

"Captain Sotok! Why are you wasting your breath on her? Hundreds of us from the Axe Pirates are here. If you ask me, let's just rob this Rain Banquet Casino. It's obviously overflowing with wealth. Once we rob it, we'll buy a good ship in Water Seven and then head to the New World to find the One Piece!"

One of the pirates impatiently drew his long sword and looked around with a cruel gaze.

The other guests in the hall had already noticed the commotion.

Noticing the pirates' undisguised greedy gazes, many guests became restless and began to get up and walk outside, only to be blocked by the grinning pirates.

"Sir, please consider this carefully. Our Rain Banquet Casino is under the protection of Crocodile, the national hero of Alabasta and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea..."

Before the desert woman could finish speaking, the counter in front of her was shattered by a grinning Sotok with an axe, and then a rough, large hand reached out impatiently and roughly pulled her into his arms.

Sotok laughed loudly, raising his giant axe. "What kind of bullshit Shichibukai are you? You're nothing but lackeys of the World Government! Men, attack! Loot everything here! Beli, women, take them all!"

"Let's do it!"

"Hahaha, lambs, don't resist! Stand still and be good, we only want money, not our lives!"

The pirates drew their weapons, laughing loudly as they charged into the crowd, beginning to plunder the guests in the hall and the casino.

Soon, the chaos inside the casino spread to the surrounding towns, causing a huge commotion.

"Pirates! Pirates are causing trouble! Quickly, go and fetch Mr. Crocodile!"

The city's residents ran home in panic, leaving the long street in chaos with all sorts of items scattered on the ground.

"Hurry! Be quick! Although I'm not afraid of that so-called Seven Warlords of the Sea, there's no need to fight him to the death here. It would be a loss if we lost manpower."

Sotok, with the alluring desert woman in his arms, shouted and led the way out of the casino.

Bang!

As soon as he stepped out of the casino, he bumped into a passerby who was walking with his head down.

"Get out of here if you don't want to die, you eyesore of an idiot."

Sotok shoved the young man in front of him, who had a short knife at his waist, wore a yellow leather hat, and had freckles all over his face, causing him to stumble.

"I'm sorry! I was daydreaming." The freckled youth wasn't angry at being pushed; instead, he quickly bowed and apologized.

But Sotok didn't even glance at him before striding away.

Several bright red apples rolled down in the middle of the long street, attracting the attention of a few children hiding in a street corner.

"It's an apple. I've never eaten an apple before."

A little boy swallowed hard and licked his dry, cracked lips.

"I've heard that apples are sweet. What does sweet taste like?"

A dirty girl's eyes were full of longing.

They came from Yuba, the driest and most barren region of Alabasta.

Because of the lack of rain year after year, the land there has become cracked and desertified.

Most of their parents had already starved to death in the drought of the previous years.

The reason I risked my life crossing the desert to come to the Rain Country was because I heard that it is one of only two cities in Alabasta where it rains.

The other is Albana, the kingdom's capital.

Moreover, the children heard that this place was protected by the great desert guardian, Crocodile, the hero of Alabasta, and was the safest city in the kingdom.

"The pirates haven't arrived yet, I'll go pick up those apples!"

Suddenly, a girl who stood out from the other children in the crowd, with neat clothes, cute appearance, and sky-blue curly hair, spoke softly.

Then, without waiting for the children around her to react, she rushed into the fleeing crowd and ran towards the few apples that had rolled on the ground.

"Vivi!"

"Vivi! Don't go! There are pirates!"

The children shouted anxiously.

The girl named Weiwei was not very agile. As she rushed into the fleeing crowd, she was knocked down several times by the chaotic flow of people, and her white clothes were covered with a large amount of dust.

Some parts of my body were also sore from the fall.

But she still looked firmly toward the few red apples that had fallen to the ground.

Soon, she picked up the first apple, which was covered in dust.

Looking at the slightly damaged apple in her hand, Weiwei smiled.

She turned around, raised the apple in her hand, and waved it vigorously at her companion hiding in the street corner.

"Vivi!"

When the children saw the apple she was holding up, their eyes lit up with longing and excitement.

Suddenly, Weiwei saw a red apple being kicked away and rolling into a low-lying area not far away.

Her eyes lit up, and she quickly ran over there.

Fewer and fewer people were fleeing, and the streets became deserted.

Just as Vivi was relieved that there were few people around and she wouldn't get bumped, she bent down and reached out to pick up the larger-looking red apple. However, a large foot wearing a leather boot fell from above and crushed the apple to pieces.

The crisp sound of the fruit pulp being crushed, accompanied by the splash of sweet juice, left Weiwei stunned.

A huge shadow covered her small body.

I heard my companions scream in terror behind me.

"Weiwei! Run!"

"Don't be afraid! We're coming to rescue you right away!"

The children, dressed in tattered clothes and emaciated from extreme hunger, staggered toward Weiwei on the street despite their terrified expressions.

"Hehehehe, little girl, would you like to eat an apple?"

Vivi's body stiffened, and as she slowly raised her head, she saw a burly, bearded man with a rugged appearance, holding a large axe in one hand and holding a terrified dancer in the other, giving her a ferocious smile.

Chapter 281 Desert Guardian

On the long street, a scene of chaos, residents were fleeing in panic, and children came running breathlessly with terrified expressions.

The bearded pirate in front of her was tall and muscular, and in Vivi's eyes, he looked like a mountain of flesh.

Behind this pirate were hundreds more pirates in even greater chaos, grinning as they chased after some terrified women.

The pirates clutched large and small bags of valuables, their faces beaming with satisfaction.

"If you want to eat apples, come with your uncle to the boat. Your uncle has lots of apples, enough for you to eat your fill every day."

Sotok enjoyed the fearful looks from those around him.

He looked at the petite yet adorable little girl in front of him with the same gaze one would give a pet, and smiled.

This little girl was not as mature as the dancer in his arms, but she was a real beauty in the making and would definitely grow into a stunningly beautiful woman.

To everyone's surprise, the smile on Sotok's face froze the next second.

"Who would want to go on a ship with a damned pirate like you! You evil bastard, get out of Alabasta!"

The girl holding the apple didn't show the fear Sotok had expected; instead, she pointed at his nose and shouted angrily.

The little girl's stubborn and clear voice rang out abruptly through the chaotic street.

For a moment, the vast, chaotic street fell into an eerie silence.

All eyes turned to Vivi, who was angrily rebuking Sotok.

"You... rude brat!"

Feeling the numerous strange gazes around him, Sotok's old face immediately turned bright red.

He could not bear being humiliated like this by a little girl in front of so many people.

"Go to hell!"

He held the huge single-edged axe in his hand and swung it menacingly at the girl in front of him.

"No! Vivi!"

The children running from afar immediately showed despair and screamed in terror.

The sharp axe blade rapidly magnified in Vivi's pupils.