Pioneers of the Stars

Chapter 16: Sands (Prologue)

The first thought of every ruler was the welfare of the people. This was the basic rule.

But, although a King could apply decisions according to the course of the various economies, he could not do much against the planet itself which was able to sweep away entire crops and bend people to death with its fury.

Cobra Nefertari, Ruler of the kingdom of Alabasta, knew this very well.

His kingdom was neither the most powerful nor the richest. It was a sandy moor where it was hardly possible to cultivate something normally, much less with the drought that had affected the kingdom.

People were dying of hunger and thirst and the country was on the verge of a civil war, accusing it of keeping water all to itself. The truth was that all the water he had was distributed equally but he didn't care as long as his daughter Vivi wasn't involved in the riot.

"How long can you maintain a state of apparent calm?" Cobra turned and, surprised, remarked Merlin. "Oh, rest assured. This is just a dream. What we say here stays here," Merlin reassured.

On the other hand, even the walls had ears and he was "on a mission".

"I am here on behalf of Captain Drake and Gordon," Merlin declared. "I am here to secure a harbour and trade relations with Alabasta."

"Trade? Secure harbour? I don't think that's possible," King Cobra replied with a hint of suspicion.

"If you work for a pirate, it's hard for someone to trust. And even if you were honest, only Alabasta would get paid. As you can see, drought is raging in this kingdom so we would only have to gain."

"I said it. Captain Drake is interested in having a secure harbour to dock in," Merlin repeated calmly. "More than a pirate, she calls herself a traveller. But she has a bounty of 100 million, so it makes it hard to dock for supplies or even rest."

"So, if she solves the drought problem, she wants to be able to dock freely?" King Cobra asked, still suspicious.

Merlin nodded.

Merlin was already aware of the cancer that was spreading in Alabasta: the Baroque Works, the criminal organization led by Crocodile of the Seven Warlords of the Seas. The problem was that they were seen as heroes and he was protected by the World Government.

"Hmm... this Captain Drake is the famous woman who has set up a small fleet in four years?" King Cobra looked suspiciously at Merlin. "How could I trust pirates who are tormenting the seas?"

"Oh well, she just accepted them, but she doesn't control what they do or care to know," Merlin said, pinching his cheek. "Rather, are you sure that Mr.0's actions and his Baroque Works are for the sake of Alabasta?"

Merlin's gaze became stern as the palace was replaced by a dark room where eccentrically dressed and gangster men were gathered. At the head of the table was a man with a scar on his face and a large hook instead of his left hand.

"Some might say that I'm trying to convince you, yet that's just the truth," Merlin said in a harsh, almost threatening tone. "As you said, a scum remains a scum. Tell me. Since when did the problem of drought start?"

Cobra became thoughtful and then remembered that it all started when Crocodile arrived in Alabasta. And his power came from Suna Suna no Mi, the Devil Fruit that allowed him to control the sand. Cobra didn't mean the drought was his fault, but the rising of the desert and the destruction of the little harvest they had could have been caused by him.

"Well, the offer has been made. The choice is yours now," Merlin said, allowing his illusion to fade away.

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"What the hell is on that woman's mind?" Mordred whimpered. "How dare she let me sail on a tub?!"

"If you don't like it, you can always swim back," Yuto replied, rising from the hold.

"I don't understand. Why is Drake so interested in a kingdom like Alabasta?" Mordred asked.

"I suppose it's opportunism," Yuto answered. "If we help them, the King will owe us."

It was Gordon's suggestion to make Elegia habitable again. Their island didn't have much so creating commercial relationships could help. Unfortunately, no ruler would agree to open their ports to dock.
They were pirates after all. They were the enemies of the World Government.

"I don't understand why Merlin would point us in this direction," Yamato said, perplexed. "We met nothing but ships of the Baroque Works."

"He probably wanted us to eliminate the small fry," Yuto said, looking at the bodies around them.
According to the information Mihawk had given them, Baroque Works was the true cause of the drought that had hit Alabasta, and the subsequent problems of the kingdom were also caused by them.

"Anyway, couldn't he have sent Karna?" Mordred asked.

"A short-tempered woman, one who preaches Oden as if he were a religion and a flashy magus... I would say that we are best suited to attract attention," Yuto said casually.

"Hey!" Mordred and Yamato shouted indignantly.

Yuto laughed. It was the truth.

That was the plan after all.

"Let's look on the bright side. Now we have enough food and money for quite a while," Yuto jokingly commented.

Anyway, that was their goal.

"Well, this is true. Food and money are never enough after all," Mordred nodded. "But why didn't we attack their base directly?" she asked. "It would have been easier and quicker. We go in, we behead them and everyone will take us to a triumphal pedestal in Alubarna."

"It is exactly the opposite," Yamato replied immediately. "According to Mihawk, in the wake of what happens in Alabasta, Crocodile's reputation is skyrocketing. He's seen as a hero."

"If we kill him before we expose all his criminal acts, we'll be seen as enemies," Yuto added.

Mordred pouted. "What a bore! How can I make my name known if I don't get noticed!" whimpered rolling on the ground about herself. "I want to fight! I want to be famous!"

"Then you'd better join the Colosseum at Dressrosa." Yuto lazily stared at Mordred.

Joking aside, the crew of which they were part was stronger than the Baroque Works. While most of them were human, the senior officers were Karna, a demigod of unshakable will, Jack, a loli wraith who was capable of killing with the same naturalness as breathing, Yamato, Mordred and Yuto.

"Rather, do you know why Captain Drake is so interested in Alabasta?" Yamato asked.

"There seems to be a Poignee Griffe leading to an unimaginable treasure," Yuto replied. "I can think of nothing but that."

Although for the inhabitants of Elegia and her crew, Francis Drake was a kind of liberator, she was also a woman known for her infamy. During her life, she had enriched herself on people's shoulders through slavery and plundering. Definitely, after Blackbeard, she was the most famous pirate in Yuto's world.

"I don't think we'll leave these seas until we've conquered all they have to offer, but I don't see the problem in that." Yuto lit a cigarette, pulled it and exhaled right after, then stared down. "We know nothing about this world." he sighed ironically. "Well, I say we should greet the guests, should we?"

Yamato and Mordred blinked, confused.

"That bastard." Yuto smiled ironically. "That's why he wanted us here."

Yuto walked and stared at the caravel on the horizon. A skull with a straw hat was clearly visible on the mast sail.

"Are you perhaps-?" the boy standing on the figurehead blinked in surprise.

Mordred grinned. "Yeah!" she greeted. "It hasn't been long, Luffy!"