Pirates: Your emperor has returned!

Rosinandi paused for a moment, then nodded.

"It is reasonable for Alabasta, as the dominant party, to send guards to accompany them."

Rosinandi nodded again.

"The Sky Island tour group's plan to go out for weather observation is reasonable."

Rosinandi: "?"

Not quite right.

Luo Wen continued, "There are many Devil Fruit users on this voyage, and it's reasonable for the Fish-Man Underwater Rescue Team to accompany them."

Rosinandi: "..."

Rowan boarded the ship, sat down with his back against the mast, and looked up at the distant sea.

He said with a smile:

"In short, everything makes perfect sense."

Purple Pen Literature

[Chapter 87. Stand Tall and Proud]

"Phew, let's go too, Luo."

Rosinandi let out a long sigh, took the boy's hand, and boarded the ship.

"I will make sure you live..."

……

A fleet of four large ships set sail for the North Sea!

Although Rowan had nearly a thousand men accompanying him, it was a drop in the ocean compared to Alabasta's standing army of 600,000.

For a "war," the number of these thousand or so people would naturally be even smaller.

But the key to this team lies in quality, not quantity.

After all, even if the journey to the Red Earth goes smoothly, it will still take at least a month to reach the North Sea.

If a large army is deployed, both the rear defense plan and the establishment of supply lines at the front will be thorny problems that need to be solved.

If they act rashly, the four-sea alliance's painstakingly constructed three-dimensional defensive line will soon be exploited by those omnipresent pirates.

Therefore, Rowan chose to take away a portion of the elite forces within the Four Seas Alliance, while leaving the Four Seas Alliance's navy to remain in place to deter those with ill intentions.

More importantly, the more than 1,000 people on this voyage are all top-notch athletes!

The elite Alabasta King's Army, led by Bell;

The merfolk warriors led by Hoka;

Elite fighters of the Sky Island Sandia guerrilla force, led by [War Demon] Vepa;

The Drum Island guard, led by Dalton;

The Drum Island medical unit, led by Kureha and Hiruluk;

In addition, there's Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Even without Luo Wen's personal strength, this team would be able to conquer the capital of a country in a very short time!

……

Time flies, and half a month has passed.

The Four Seas Alliance fleet successfully arrived at the designated area on the Red Earth Continent.

Once you cross this red land, you will reach Beihai!

If the people on a ship want to cross the Red Line and travel between the Grand Line and the four seas, there are usually three ways:

One option is to abandon the ship, land on the Red Earth, buy a new ship on the other side of the Red Earth, and continue the voyage.

Secondly, the ships are coated and travel through special underwater passages, such as Fishman Island beneath the Sabaody Archipelago, or simply through the Red Earth continent from the seabed.

The latter is too dangerous and is usually suitable for adventurers who are unwilling to abandon their ships, or pirates who dare not land on the Red Line to change ships.

The former, on the other hand, offers convenient transportation, and as long as money is paid, the crossing can be completed safely, making it a suitable choice for long-term shipping routes.

The third option, which is also Rowan's current choice, is...

In certain locations on the red earth continent, many special "dams" have been built.

By repeatedly intercepting and releasing water, the dam can create an effect similar to an "elevator," transporting large ships onto the red earth continent.

After that, you only need to pay a certain amount of money to transport your ship directly to the other side of the Red Earth.

This method is well-suited for royal families and nobles who do not wish to choose civilian ships, or for naval warships.

Of the three methods, this one costs the most, but the former doesn't matter, and the latter is free, so it doesn't really matter either.

However, a very small number of people who are not wanted choose to spend this large sum of money for various reasons.

Rowan chose the third option.

He had no intention of changing ships.

At the same time, assuming that trade with the North Sea will be established in the future, a large number of merchant ships will not be able to risk traveling through the undersea passage and will only be able to travel through the Red Earth Continent.

Once the air route is fully opened, the third method can be abandoned, and the most efficient, cheapest, and most sustainable first method can be chosen instead.

……

Beneath the red earth continent.

Rumble rumble rumble...

After initial contact, the massive elevator gate of the dam in front of us slowly opened.

The helmsman steered the ship inside, and then began a long wait.

The gates opened and closed, and the incoming water raised the four ships higher and higher. This process took about an hour.

……

On the main ship.

Rowan stroked his chin, observing the working elevator gate of the dam with great interest.

This is... the technology of Water Seven?

It seems that the reputation of "the world's shipyard" is well-deserved, and it can handle not only shipbuilding, but also such complex engineering projects.

As Rowan continued to observe, he suddenly caught a glimpse of something to the side out of the corner of his eye.

There, the merman Hoka was calling to his merman brothers, who were draping themselves in robes to conceal their bodies and faces.

Luo Wen was a little curious, so he went closer.

"What are you doing?"

"Mr. Rowan."

Hoka nodded slightly, leaned closer, and whispered:

"As you know, our identities are rather special. If the World Government discovers them, it will cause you trouble."

Rowan instantly understood the meaning behind Hoka's words.

They were originally slaves captured by slave traders and sold to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.

The Holy Land of Mary Geoise is located on the Red Line.

Because of the "Mary Geoise incident" caused by the fishman hero Fisher Tiger, Hokka and his friends finally had a chance to escape that hell on earth.

In other words, Hoka and the other fish-men are escaped slaves of the Celestial Dragons and wanted criminals by the World Government.

Now that they have returned to the Red Line, if the World Government discovers their whereabouts, and given Rowan's conflict with the Celestial Dragons, the World Government is very likely to use this as an excuse to obstruct Rowan's actions!

Hoka did not want the emperor who had taken him in to have his plans thwarted because of these people.

So, Hoka gritted his teeth and had all the warriors of the fishman village prepare a robe, intending to put it on when passing through the Red Line and then hide in the cabin.

As long as the World Government doesn't find out, that's fine.

But to Hokka's surprise, after Rowan finished listening to his words, the look in Rowan's eyes made him feel a little scared.

Hoka shivered involuntarily.

"Mr. Rowan..."

boom!

Rowan punched Hokka in the chest.

That was the location of his heart; the blow was extremely severe, and even with the merfolk's resilient body, it still caused Hoka a dull ache.

But Hokka didn't retreat even a step, because he felt the emotion contained in Rowan's fist.

That was something "unquestionable".

“Listen up, Hoka.”

Rowan's voice drifted over slowly, echoing across the deck.

“I can’t do things like sneaking around, and I don’t want to.”

“You are no longer slaves on this red land, but members of the Four Seas Alliance.”

"No one should feel ashamed of their past."

"Because—we are creating the future."

boom!

Rowan punched Hokka in the chest again.

Hoka remained motionless.

"Look at what a great body!"

Rowan raised his head, looked at the fishmen behind Hoka, and said in a deep voice, "Stand up, stand tall!"

……