Pirates: Your emperor has returned!

Although not large in size, it is exquisitely crafted, fully equipped with all kinds of facilities, and is more than capable of ocean voyages, thus befitting Rowan's status.

As for the number of people accompanying him, Cobra originally wanted to arrange for over a hundred, but Rowan refused.

What's the point?

Looking at the slightly jubilant gravel around Rowan, Cobra realized he had asked a stupid question.

After all, if Rowan really wanted to, he could have a very large entourage—

It's so big it's exaggerated.

……

Set sail and embark on your journey.

……

At full speed, the ship would take two days and two nights to reach Drum Island.

It was the first time Weiwei had ever gone on a long sea voyage with so many people, and she was so excited that she couldn't sleep.

Rowan then had the little princess sit with him on the deck, enjoying the morning sea breeze, which was very pleasant.

Crocodile leaned against the mast and lit his new cigar for the day.

He watched as Rowan and Vivi chatted and laughed, a scene reminiscent of an old father taking his daughter on a sea voyage.

Upon closer reflection, I realized I was somewhat superfluous, which made me extremely unhappy.

Rowan noticed Crocodile's expression and chuckled, "You want to hear stories from the past too?"

Crocodile: "..."

Seeing that the other person remained silent, Luo Wen continued with a smile and asked, "Speaking of which, why are you following me?"

After all, there are no clues about Hades on Drum Island.

Crocodile took a puff of his cigar and chuckled darkly, "Hehehe, Hades won't run away, and going on this trip with you will definitely be a good pastime."

Rowan raised an eyebrow. "It's just a business alliance meeting. What's so interesting about that?"

"Hehehe, are you testing me, or are you just pretending to be stupid?"

Crocodile flicked his cigarette ash, looking rather annoyed, and said, "You can't possibly not know that the World Government is keeping a close eye on your every move."

"It's alright within Alabasta, but once we go out to sea, it will definitely attract the attention of the World Government!"

Crocodile pointed to the ship beneath his feet.

"If you had kept a low profile and gone out to sea in a small boat under the cover of night, that would have been fine."

"A medium-sized ship bearing the Alabasta insignia—such an obvious target. It's likely that the World Government spotted it the moment it set sail."

Upon hearing this, Rowan shrugged. "So, you're guessing there'll be fun?"

"I'm just curious what the World Government would do to an emperor from eight hundred years ago."

Crocodile's face darkened, then a smile appeared on his lips. "And what will that Emperor do to the World Government?"

To Crocodile's surprise, Rowan answered him directly.

"Anything."

"Ok?"

"We can do anything for each other, big or small."

Rowan's gaze remained calm as he slowly replied, "However, the party taking action must also be aware of the consequences."

……

Not right.

On the night of his departure, Crocodile felt something was wrong.

After taking a nap after the ship set sail, Vivi was pulled onto the deck by Rowan, who seemed to be talking to her about something.

The story of the past?

Will there be that many?

Crocodile didn't believe Rowan's story, but he was unlikely to ask him.

So he could only eavesdrop by turning to the side.

In a daze, Crocodile seemed to hear Rowan telling Vivi something, but he couldn't make out the details.

"Tsk, boring..."

Crocodile stubbed out his cigar and turned to go back to his room to rest.

……

Two days and two nights later.

The Alabasta ship continued forward, and white snowflakes drifted down from the sky, landing on the deck.

In the distance, an island can be seen, with several peaks shaped like magnetic drums.

Winter Island – Drum Island.

Vivi skipped out of the cabin, changed into a cotton coat, and wore gloves and earmuffs.

As for Crocodile and Rowan, Logia-type Devil Fruit users are highly adaptable to climate, so their clothing remained unchanged.

Black fur coat, gold lightweight armor.

Crocodile reached out and gently pinched a snowflake, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Snow……"

Rowan turned his head and smiled, "You don't like snowy days?"

"Of course, and you shouldn't like it either."

Crocodile frowned and said, "A brief contact is fine, but if the snowflakes melt into water, or you plunge headfirst into a snowdrift, it's no different from getting completely soaked!"

Crocodile was referring to the characteristics of the Sand-Sand Fruit's power: once it comes into contact with liquid, it will temporarily lose its ability to transform into an element.

Therefore, whether it's rain or snow, he doesn't like places where there is water.

Rowan didn't seem to care much about it.

After all, "being unable to elementalize" is fundamentally different from "being unable to use abilities" when one comes into contact with seastone or falls into the sea.

For Rowan, if he can't use elementalization, there are naturally ways to play without it!

Rowan exhaled a breath of white air, looked up at the shore, and saw that a large number of people had gathered there.

They were probably there to greet them.

Even before setting off, Cobra had arranged for his men to contact and make handover with the diplomats on Drum Island.

This is a necessary etiquette between countries.

"Ancestor, Your Highness, Mr. Crocodile, we are preparing to dock. There will be some rough seas, please be careful!"

Clack clack...

The anchor fell into the sea, and the sailors lowered the planks connecting the deck and the dock for everyone.

Vivi and the royal army stepped off the wooden planks, while Rowan and Crocodile transformed into two sandstorms, disappearing from the deck and reappearing on the dock.

Looking up, Rowan saw the representatives of the Drum Kingdom who had come to greet them.

Dalton, captain of the Drum Kingdom's guard, is a user of the Zoan-type Devil Fruit, the Bison Form of the Ox-Ox Fruit.

The captain of the guard team is highly regarded by outsiders.

Unlike that unruly king, Dalton was indeed an official who cared about his country and its people.

Friendly, honest, and kind.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to gather so many villagers who were happy to watch the spectacle.

Someday in the future, Dalton will take the initiative to rebel against Wapol's brutal rule for the sake of Chopper and the people of this country.

But that was a long time later.

Now, because of the old king's good treatment of him, Dalton still holds a glimmer of hope for Wapolshan, thinking that one day he might change his mind.

Upon seeing the visitors, Dalton bowed to Rowan, Vivi, and Crocdale.

“Welcome to the Drum Kingdom, three distinguished guests. I am Dalton, the captain of the Drum Kingdom’s guards.”

Dalton looked up and was taken aback to find that only a few Alabasta King's guards had disembarked from the ship.

"Excuse my boldness, but are these the only people accompanying you?"

Rowan smiled and said, "Isn't that enough?"

"No, that's not what I meant. It was just a bit of a surprise. Please forgive me."

Dalton waved his hands repeatedly, realizing that his question was somewhat offensive, but he couldn't help asking it anyway.

After all, in his imagination, the visit of the emperor and princess of a superpower should be a grand affair, but the current scene was like an ordinary outing.

At least, King Vapol of his own country always made a grand and extravagant trip, striving for the utmost luxury, even at the cost of exhausting the people and wasting a lot of money on futile efforts.

"It's alright."

Rowan shook his head, indicating that Dalton didn't need to worry about it.

Crocdale walked past Dalton.

As he gestured for the other party to lead the way quickly, Crocodile also chuckled softly and sinisterly:

“Hey, actually if you really want to see ‘a lot of people,’ believe me, there can be a lot.”

[Chapter 34: Guests from the Snow Country]

Whether it's a coincidence, a mutual influence, or that elusive so-called "fate," it could be anything.

The abilities of Devil Fruit users are often closely related to their personalities.

Dalton, the captain of the Drum Kingdom's guard, was one such example.

Zoan-type Devil Fruit, Ox-Ox Fruit, Bison Mode – This ability grants Dalton immense power, yet he retains his unique qualities.