Pirates: Your emperor has returned!

“That Celestial Dragon will take my message back to Mary Geoise, and the World Government certainly won’t easily accept someone who died once eight hundred years ago.”

Rowan's fingers twitched slightly, and a chess piece flipped back and forth in his palm.

"Therefore, they will choose to test the waters first."

"The outcome of the test will determine whether the covenant is a worthless piece of paper or will continue to be in effect."

As soon as the words were spoken, Cobra and Crocodile's pupils trembled slightly.

They never expected that Rowan could have foreseen this much during their brief contact!

Is this the legendary emperor who led his massive army across the four seas eight hundred years ago?

Kobra paused, then said with a bitter and helpless tone, "Ancestor, when do you plan to ascend the throne again?"

Upon hearing this, it was Luo Wen who was puzzled.

He asked with some surprise, "What coronation?"

Cobra thought Rowan was testing him, so he honestly replied, "After you died in battle, our ancestor Neferutari ascended the throne as king according to your plan, and then changed the empire into a kingdom."

"Now that you have been resurrected...awakened, according to the agreement we made, the country of Alabasta should rightfully still belong to you."

At this point, Cobra seemed somewhat reluctant to part.

He was not reluctant to give up the throne, but rather his people.

Finally, Cobra bowed his head and pleaded:

"I hope you will treat this country well!"

But to everyone's surprise, Rowan waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, no, you should be the king of the kingdom. Everything will remain the same."

Cobra was somewhat surprised, and even Crocodile couldn't help but be curious.

"why?"

"I can't handle domestic affairs!"

Rowan scratched his head and smiled helplessly, "That's how it was back then. I mainly handled external affairs, while Neferutari helped me with domestic matters, which is why I felt comfortable handing the throne over to her."

“But…” Cobra wanted to say something more.

Rowan understood that the king before him had been uneasy about the Alabasta Empire being changed into a kingdom.

He feared that his emperor would be displeased and would then fly into a rage.

Luo Wen made a move and won another game.

He patted Cobra on the shoulder, stood up, and smiled:

"What Nefertari did was simply a difference in ideology; there was no right or wrong."

"besides--"

“I am the emperor of the empire, not a king, nor do I want to be a king.”

Cobra pondered the words of Rowan.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Ancestor, what should we do next?"

"Wait."

Rowan smiled and replied, "Wait for the World Government to send someone to probe, and then let the World Government take the initiative to 'remember' that alliance."

……

How long will it take?

Luo Wen estimated that, including communication and travel time, it would take at least three to five days.

But the very next day, Kobra suddenly received a report from the port town of Yaruja.

He also had the report delivered to Rowan.

The contents of the report were something Rowan never expected.

Outsiders have indeed come to Alabasta, but they are not from the World Government.

It was a refugee ship, filled with a group of refugees—

Fishman refugees.

[11. Chapter Eleven: Visitors at the Dock]

Yaruja, a port town.

Unlike the bustling port city of Rapeseed Flower, which is famous for its perfumes, Yaruja is just an inconspicuous seaside town, or even a village, with a permanent population of only a hundred or so.

This place is rarely visited by outsiders, and most of the residents make a living by fishing, leading peaceful and stable lives.

But on that morning, the people who were preparing to go out to sea to fish suddenly discovered something strange at sea.

Through their binoculars, they spotted a wrecked medium-sized sailing ship heading toward their port.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's with this big ship coming here?"

Is it a pirate ship?

"It doesn't look like it; there's no skull and crossbones flag on it."

"navy?"

"Don't joke around, that ship looks like it's about to sink, one of its masts is broken!"

"Could it be a refugee ship?"

"Possibly. In any case, it's better if they're not pirates. Let's go rescue them first!"

"..."

The people of Alabasta have always been warm and kind, and the fishermen of Yaruja are especially so.

They quickly steered the small boat away from the dock to make room for the medium-sized sailboat.

Then, two more experienced fishermen, holding flags, waved signals at the medium-sized sailboat to help the people on board reach the shore.

Guided by the fishermen, the damaged medium-sized sailboat was successfully brought to a stop.

The planks were lowered from the deck and placed on the dock.

A group of people, about ten in number, disembarked from the boat, looking disheveled but dressed in a very strange manner.

Including those who didn't disembark from the ship, there were a total of about thirty people.

They had clearly come from the sea, yet each of them wore a long robe, wrapping themselves up tightly, like travelers walking in the desert.

Moreover, those robes were clearly not proper clothing; they were tattered and worn.

At the same time, there is another point that the fishermen are also very concerned about.

Among these people were those of normal build, but some were excessively tall, their robust physiques deliberately concealed beneath their robes.

The townspeople were curious and gathered around.

The mayor of Yaruja was a highly respected old man with a long beard.

The old man approached and bowed slightly to the man in the long robe at the front.

"Young travelers, welcome to Yaruja in Alabasta. What trouble have you encountered?"

The man in the long robe removed his hood, revealing a tired and gaunt face.

"Hello, sir, we meant no offense."

"My crew and I were attacked by pirates. Our ship was on the verge of sinking, and all our supplies were stolen."

"We need supplies and materials to repair the ship—we'll pay you, please allow us to stay here for a short while."

Upon hearing this, the old town mayor breathed a sigh of relief.

The young man was very polite and was clearly not a vicious pirate.

Moreover, judging from their appearance, they had clearly been adrift at sea for a long time and had suffered a lot.

The old man nodded repeatedly, "Of course, children, you can stay here for a long time. Let your crew come down, and I'll arrange accommodations and food for you."

However, the young man repeatedly shook his head and refused.

"No, let's not trouble you. We'll just stay on the boat."

"Well... okay."

Seeing that the young man insisted, the old town mayor did not force him.

He then began discussing with the young man the need for supplies and ship repair materials.

Yaruja is just a small town, and the only lively place is the tavern. Therefore, many supplies and ship repair materials need to be purchased from the neighboring city.

……

Over here, the young man and the town mayor are having a discussion.

Meanwhile, the townspeople were curious about the strange guests who came from the sea.

A little girl sneaked over and came to the side of a tall, strange man.

The little girl was so small, and the tall, strange man was so nervous that his attention was entirely on the young man and the old mayor, so he didn't notice her presence.

Curious, she lifted a corner of the tall, strange man's robe and suddenly saw something.

"Wow!"

The little girl exclaimed in surprise, calling out to her mother beside her, "Mommy, this uncle's skin is so strange, it's blue!"

Swish!

These words immediately created an awkward atmosphere at the dock.

The tall, strange man hurriedly grabbed his robe and tried to run back to the ship.

The little girl wasn't paying attention and was pulled down by the robe, falling to the ground. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

"Ouch...it hurts..."

The tall, strange man turned around, seemingly wanting to help the little girl up.

The little girl's mother rushed forward and hugged her daughter first.