Half a month later.
The first half of the Grand Line, the major nation of Alabasta Kingdom.
The port city, Nanohana.
The moment Aiden stepped onto this land, he felt the unique heat of this country.
The sun beat down from above without cover. Sunlight poured over the streets, making the air shimmer.
The heat pressed down on every person walking through the city.
Because he was on an escort mission this time, Aiden chose to come alone for efficiency rather than take a G-17 Branch warship.
He first boarded a merchant ship, then transferred to a spice cargo ship midway, going through several stops before finally arriving at Alabasta's largest port city: Nanohana.
As the gateway city to Alabasta, Nanohana looked surprisingly rich and busy.
The massive port received and sent out goods from all over the world. Countless merchant ships with different flags moved in and out of the docks.
Aiden did not wear his obvious Marine coat for this trip. Instead, he blended in, changing into a local white sun robe. He wrapped a thick windproof scarf around his head, exposing only his eyes behind his sunglasses. Carrying a simple bag, he walked alone through the busy port market.
Unlike the gloomy, damp air of Water 7, everything here was dry, hot, and bright.
As a major nation ruled by the bloodline of the original Twenty Kings, Alabasta was currently in its golden age.
On both sides of the street, large piles of spices gave off a strong spicy smell. Colorful silks flapped in the hot wind. Caravan camels were everywhere, heavy copper bells hanging from their necks and ringing with crisp ding-dong, ding-dong sounds.
What surprised Aiden the most was that in this desert country, which should have been short on water, fountains spraying clear fresh water could be seen everywhere on the streets of Nanohana. Even the beggars on the roadside could freely take water using clay bowls.
"So this is the country governed by the Nefertari family, who rejected the status of Celestial Dragons..."
Behind his sunglasses, Aiden looked at the citizens around him. Many of them looked confident and well-fed.
This prosperity was not fake. It was the result of centuries of wealth and order.
At the docks, dockworkers casually stacked crates of heavy gold jewelry like they were moving rocks. In the market, vendors used giant copper ladles to scoop clear fresh water from wooden barrels, splashing it onto the ground to cool the heat.
There was no hunger here, and no drought.
There was money, trade, and life everywhere.
"No wonder..."
Aiden sneered in his heart.
"No wonder an ambitious man like Crocodile would target this place. Compared to those small islands that rely on looting and never know where their next meal is coming from, this is a rich country worth stealing."
Thinking about the future he knew, where the country was dying from drought and civil war when Luffy and his crew arrived, and then looking at the busy streets before him, Aiden's disgust for pirates deepened.
It was just that Crocodile had not targeted this place yet.
Otherwise, Aiden would not mind casually turning him into a large amount of Sin Points.
"The World Government has lost their minds, too."
Aiden kicked away a piece of gravel by his foot.
"To actually come up with such an obviously stupid system like the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Letting pirates keep pirates in check? In the end, all they raise is a bunch of pirates with legal permission to steal countries."
Without staying too long, Aiden passed through the noisy market and arrived at the city's animal rental station.
Traveling from Nanohana to the royal capital, Alubarna, required crossing a vast desert. Walking the whole way without a mount was definitely not smart.
"What? The Super Spot-Billed Ducks are all gone?"
Aiden looked at the station owner.
"I'm truly sorry, customer!"
The owner wiped sweat from his forehead and explained apologetically.
"I don't know why, but there have been way too many merchant caravans rushing to the capital from all over recently! The Super Spot-Billed Ducks, which are fast and have good stamina, were completely booked out half a month ago! The next group won't be back until next week."
"Then what else is there to ride?" Aiden asked. "As long as it can move, it's fine."
"Uh... there is still one left."
The owner pointed to the farthest corner of the stable, looking a bit awkward.
There, a yellow duck, one size smaller than a normal Spot-Billed Duck, stood there blankly. Its eyes were empty and unfocused, and a trail of unknown liquid hung from the corner of its beak. It tilted its head, staring at a wooden post.
It did not look very smart.
"This one... its brain doesn't work too well, but it doesn't affect its running. Its stamina is decent, and it has a pretty mild temper..."
The owner rubbed his hands together. The more he spoke, the lower his voice became, as if even he felt embarrassed trying to rent out this kind of duck.
"If you're in a hurry, how about waiting for a camel caravan instead?"
Aiden walked over and waved a hand in front of the duck's eyes.
It took a full three seconds for the duck to react. It let out a "Quack," not even bothering to dodge.
"I'll take it."
Aiden did not mind. He directly tossed over a bag of Berries.
"If it's slow, it's slow. It just so happens I want to see the desert scenery anyway."
"Alright! Safe travels, customer!"
The owner caught the money bag and weighed it in his hand. Feeling that the weight was off, he quickly opened the bag. Seeing the Berries inside, he quickly called out,
"Oh my! Customer! This is too much! This money is enough to buy two Super Spot-Billed Ducks! I'll get your change right away..."
"Keep the change."
Aiden had already climbed onto the duck's back. Facing away from the owner, he waved his hand casually.
"When I get to the capital, I can just return it to the station there, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes! As long as you see a station with our merchant guild's flag, you can return it anytime! Have a safe trip!"
The owner held the money bag and smiled widely. He bowed so low his waist almost touched the ground.
"Giddy up... uh, let's go."
Aiden patted the duck beneath him.
"Quack?"
The duck froze for a moment, as if it needed time to understand the command. After a long pause, it slowly took one step and wobbled out of the station.
As the man and duck gradually went deeper inland, the city behind them became blurry.
The voices, camel bells, and market shouts faded little by little.
At some point, when Aiden crossed a massive sand dune, all the noise was gone.
Before him was an endless desert.
The dunes stretched into the distance, reaching all the way to the clear blue sky.
Only two colors remained.
Gold and blue.
"Quack... Quack..."
Although the duck beneath him did not run fast, it was surprisingly steady. It walked with its toes pointed outward, crossing the hot sand one footprint at a time. Behind them, the wind quickly buried their tracks.
Aiden did not rush it. He let it carry him slowly through the quiet desert.
For a while, Aiden stopped thinking about missions and orders.
There was only the wind.
Whoosh...
The hot wind kicked up a thin layer of sand from the ground. It hit his white robe and made a soft rustling sound.
Aiden took off his sunglasses and looked into the distance.
The sunlight stung his eyes, but he did not look away.
In a place like this, people felt very small.
Pirates, nobles, Marines, kings.
In front of this desert, they were all small.
Aiden felt like he was seeing this land without any noise around him. No orders. No politics. No enemies. No system panel.
Only the empty desert.
For the first time in a long while, he felt strangely calm.
In that silence, his Observation Haki spread on its own.
He heard sand rolling in the wind. He heard a desert lizard crawling out from under the ground a kilometer away. He heard the duck's slow heartbeat beneath him.
Everything was far away, yet everything was clear.
Something inside him shifted.
Before this, he had always calculated each step to become stronger in this broken world.
But here, alone in the desert, he suddenly began to think about something else.
The top.
What did it mean to stand at the top?
Was it just having more power?
Was it just an awakened Devil Fruit?
No.
Aiden raised his hand and looked at his palm under the sunlight.
To stand at the top was not only about strength.
It was will.
A will that refused to bow, even in front of something far greater.
Hum...
The wind around him stopped for a breath.
Without warning, a force spread from Aiden.
There was no lightning, no sound, and no visible attack.
The duck beneath him suddenly stopped.
Its empty eyes became clear for a moment. Then it lowered itself into the sand, burying its head deeply and refusing to move.
Aiden paused, then came back to his senses.
The wind blew again.
The sand kept moving.
Everything looked the same as before.
But Aiden knew something new had awakened inside him.
It was the seed of Conqueror's Haki.
In this ancient desert, on an afternoon no one else saw, it quietly broke ground.
"Heh..."
Aiden let out a soft chuckle. He did not get carried away by what had just awakened. He just reached out and patted the shivering duck beneath him
"Get up, buddy. We still have a long way to go."
"Quack?"
The duck tilted its head, seeming to not understand what had just happened. But it obediently stood up and resumed its strange outward-stepping walk.
The shadows of the man and the duck stretched long across the sand. In the wide desert, they looked alone, but steady.
Two days later.
When Aiden crossed the final massive sand dune, the royal capital built upon a giant plateau, Alubarna, finally appeared at the edge of his vision.
It stood tall, its round domes reflecting bright light under the sun. Massive city walls protected the oasis.
Unlike the empty desert outside, the inside of the city was shaded by green trees, with white buildings neatly arranged. The wide streets were filled with traffic, and countless residents and vendors in brightly colored clothes moved through them. The noise could faintly be heard even from a distance.
This did not look like an isolated desert city at all.
It was a green city in the middle of yellow sand, full of life.
Aiden pulled the reins, looked at the capital, and straightened his collar, which had been messed up by the wind and sand.
He let the quiet feeling from the desert fade.
Now, he was Rear Admiral Aiden, the Reaper, again.
Aiden rode the duck through the city gates.
The streets inside the city were even wider than Nanohana's. On both sides were neat stone buildings covered in colorful flags welcoming merchants and travelers.
Following the location given by the station owner, Aiden first found the merchant guild's station in the city.
"Quack!"
The duck seemed to know it was home and let out an excited cry.
Aiden jumped off the duck's back and patted his slow companion, who had carried him for two days.
"Alright, buddy. Your mission is done."
He walked to the station counter, casually pulled out a few large-denomination Berries, and tossed them along with the reins to the attendant.
"This is a duck rented from Nanohana. Take the money and buy it some good feed. It worked hard these past two days."
"Yes! Yes! Sir!"
The attendant took the money. Looking at the large bills in his hand, and then at the duck still tilting its head and pecking at the sand, he stared in silence for a moment.
Having finished with the small details, Aiden looked at the royal palace at the end of the street and the long flight of stairs leading to the main hall, then took a step forward.
Above those stairs was the center of power for this country, and the destination of his trip.
Aiden walked up step by step along with the crowd of visitors, his white robe flapping in the wind.
"Then..."
"Let's go meet that kind king."
To Be Continued
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