Pirates: Your emperor has returned!

Page 81

For example, in the navy, there are upright sailors who are wholeheartedly devoted to serving the people, as well as tyrannical warlords who dominate a region and act as local emperors.

Among pirates, there are adventurers who defy the World Government's control, as well as villains who simply want to burn, kill, plunder, and make a fortune.

……

As a renowned superpower in the first half of the Grand Line, Alabasta's nearby ports have all faced threats from pirates.

King Cobra was quite troubled by this, but he could only deploy the royal army to garrison various docks and defend them at all costs.

However, as the saying goes, "small devils are hard to deal with," and Alabasta's coastline is so long that the King's army cannot cover all the small villages.

This situation only eased after the Four Seas Alliance was established and gained a certain deterrent force in the surrounding waters.

In addition, with the Four Seas Alliance ships constantly patrolling the surrounding area, even if some reckless individuals try to force their way in, the Royal Army can arrive in time to provide support.

So when the lookout spotted the pirate ship with ill intentions, he immediately prepared to sound the alarm and call for support from the royal army.

But a sudden, rough voice interrupted his actions.

"Don't be afraid, everyone. I have something to tell you!"

"I'm a navy officer, I'll persuade them!"

The crowd looked in the direction of the voice and saw the burly man standing on the dock shouting.

Putting that statement aside, just looking at his fierce appearance, everyone would have thought he was an inside man for those pirates.

"What the hell..."

The lookout muttered something, but quickly sounded the siren anyway.

Beep... Beep beep!

The alarm from the loudspeaker Den Den Mushi quickly spread throughout the area around the dock, and the Royal Army soldiers stationed nearby immediately began to assemble and head towards the dock.

A small team ran quickly across the street, passing a dessert stand.

Suddenly, the squad leader seemed to catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, and immediately slammed on the brakes and turned to look.

Several familiar figures were sitting in front of the stalls nearby.

"First...Master Ancestor?"

The squad leader looked at Rowan and asked in surprise, "When did you get here?"

"Just arrived."

Rowan waved his hand, indicating, "You all go do your things."

"Yes!"

The squad leader saluted and continued leading his team toward the dock to provide support.

In an instant, five well-equipped squads of Alabasta King's Army assembled and stood ready on the dock.

Barlow gazed at the scene before him, slightly amazed.

He had been to many countries, but he had never seen any country's army assemble in such a short time for the sake of civilians!

However, Barlow persisted in his decision, turning back to shout at the squad leaders:

"You all step back and avoid any unnecessary conflict. Leave this to the navy!"

The squad leaders exchanged glances upon seeing this, all showing signs of confusion.

Where did this silly goose come from?

That looks really fierce!

One of the squad leaders thought for a moment and decided to go up and negotiate with the burly man who was shirtless, at least to find out what the "navy" he was talking about actually meant.

"This...sir?"

The squad leader tentatively said, "Our Four Seas Alliance has a complete contingency plan for this situation. There won't be any problems. You can rest assured and leave it to us."

Barlow was getting anxious. Seeing the pirate ship getting closer and closer, he could only continue to try to persuade them.

But before he could finish speaking, the soldiers suddenly changed their attitude, stepped back slightly, and put their weapons away.

Phew, they listened to me, that's great!

Barlow thought to himself, but soon realized something was wrong.

The soldiers didn't seem to be doing this because of him, because their eyes were fixed on those around him.

Several tiny black shadows drifted past Barlow's eyes; his keen eyesight allowed him to recognize them as grains of sand—

Black sand.

He looked in the direction the black sand was drifting and saw a completely black "person" appear beside him.

He was clad in black armor, and even his face beneath it was black, like an abyss, devoid of light.

Barlow immediately recognized the black color.

Armament Haki!

Is he a master who can use Armament Haki all over his body?

Do not……

That thing isn't human!

Unlike ordinary soldiers, the black-armored soldier had a hunched back, resembling a tall, thin, and hunchbacked person, and his body trembled unnaturally from time to time.

Two sharp curved knives were tucked into his waistband.

There was no scabbard; the sword was plunged directly into his own body!

It was some kind of "thing" whose entire body was covered in Armament Haki.

Barlow immediately became alert.

Was it those pirates who did this?

Just then, shouts came from the deck of the pirate ship.

"Hahahaha, bring out the gold coins and fine wine! We're willing to risk our lives for money!"

……No.

This kind of thing couldn't possibly have come from the hands of ordinary pirates.

Moreover, judging from the situation, the soldiers of this country seem to recognize this thing, and have even completely let their guard down.

Barlow tentatively approached it and asked, "Excuse me, who are you?"

"Giggle...shh..."

The black soldier shook its head, changing angles several times, but instead of answering, it emitted strange friction sounds.

It doesn't have a mouth?

Barlow could no longer comprehend what was happening before his eyes.

However, the Alabasta soldiers around him recognized it; some of them had seen Rowan's fighting style before and knew it was one of Rowan's moves.

They had never seen such strange-looking gravel soldiers before.

The squad leader, who had previously been in contact with Rowan, called out, "Hey you big navy guy, don't just stand there, you're one of us!"

It seems the soldiers in this country are very familiar with this kind of thing?

Barlow stared at the gravel soldier, who was covered in armor, and the gravel soldier tilted his head like a bird, showing curiosity.

"Can you...hear me?"

The gravel soldier nodded, making a scraping sound to indicate his agreement.

"Alright, I don't think those pirates mean any harm. Please don't let a conflict break out. Let me try to persuade them. I'm very good at persuasion."

Barlow said earnestly, "If they are just young men who have just set sail, I will persuade them to go home; if they are guilty, I will persuade them to turn themselves in."

"Absolutely, absolutely! We'll avoid fighting if we can avoid it. Fighting can lead to bloodshed and even death!"

Looking at Ballow, whose face seemed to say "I'm determined to convince you," the gravel soldier nodded.

"Crackling sounds..."

Barlow thought that this meant the other party had agreed.

So he strode over to the pirate ship that had just docked.

……

The pirate ship's first mate jumped off the deck, carrying a machete, and approached Balo.

Although Barlow was a large and imposing man, he looked no different from a militiaman because he was shirtless and filthy. So the first mate was not afraid.

"Hey, you think you're in charge among them?"

"I'm not."

Barlow scratched his head and then said, "I'm here to persuade you."

"Persuade us?"

"Yes, those who are guilty should turn themselves in, and those who have not committed any crimes should go home immediately."

Barlow said earnestly, "You must admit your mistakes and correct them."

"..."

The entire audience was stunned; for a few seconds, only the sounds of the sea breeze and waves could be heard.

Then came the pirates' bursts of laughter.

"Hahahaha, brothers, look! This guy's an idiot!"

"I told you the Four Seas Alliance was all hype, it just got more and more outlandish with each passing tale!"

"..."