Pirates: Your emperor has returned!

"Also, immediately notify all personnel to be on high alert, especially those patients!"

Upon hearing this, Rowan immediately flicked his finger, and the sand surged, with countless sand soldiers rising from the ground throughout the camp, conveying Kureha's warning to everyone.

At the same time, Rowan was also somewhat puzzled, "What did you discover?"

"This is not a 'poison' similar to platinum lead poisoning, nor is it even a disease!"

Kureha's face was extremely grim. "This is a biological virus, or rather... a biological weapon!"

boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, a thunderclap suddenly resounded in the sky.

Rowan and Kureha, who were inside the room, sensed something and turned to look at the door.

There, lightning flashed, casting the shadow of a hunched figure.

It was that sick old man.

His body was hunched over, and his silhouette, illuminated by the electric light, was covered with many unnatural little bumps.

……

Ships of the Four Seas Alliance.

Habu looked up at the sky and reached out to feel the wind around him.

"It's going to rain heavily..."

Purple Pen Literature

[Chapter 91. Deep into Aden]

Half a day ago.

Accompanied by two elite Alabasta soldiers, Hiruluk departed from the dock town and headed into the Kingdom of Aden to conduct an investigation.

On the way, Hiluluk kept expressing his feelings to the two soldiers.

"Hahaha, Aden Kingdom, the weather is so nice!"

"Oh! The scenery is beautiful, quite different from Winter Island, it has a unique charm!"

"I wonder what kind of local specialties this place has."

"Hey, look over there..."

"..."

Facing two unfamiliar soldiers, Hiruluk acted quite familiarly, even to the point of being "noisy".

The two young soldiers could only shake their heads and smile wryly as they followed Hiruluk.

After all, who could dislike a doctor who is witty and warm-hearted?

—Although everyone calls him a "quack doctor".

……

They continued along the main road, deeper into the Kingdom of Aden.

It must be said that, if we disregard the fact that there is an "unknown infectious disease" spreading in the country, the Kingdom of Aden is truly a beautiful place in terms of scenery alone.

Unlike the snowy scenery of Drum Island, the exotic charm of Sky Island, or the rugged desert of Alabasta.

The Kingdom of Aden is filled with a pleasant pastoral landscape.

Everywhere you look, there are lush green wheat fields, simple houses built with white bricks and tiles, and even a few windmills turning in the wind in the distance.

The only drawback—

It lacks a certain "vitality" here.

According to the old man, after the outbreak of the unknown infectious disease, the royal family of the Kingdom of Aden immediately abandoned their country and fled to sea for refuge.

Before setting sail, they even destroyed all other ships capable of voyages except their own, under the guise of "preventing those with ill intentions from taking advantage of the situation to harm the world."

Unable to sail out to sea for help, the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Aden had no choice but to stay indoors and self-isolate, trying to delay as much as possible in order to find a cure.

In their minds, they had contracted platinum lead poisoning, which is "highly contagious".

Therefore, when the Four Seas Alliance announced that it would send a medical team to aid platinum lead poisoning patients in the North Sea, they finally saw hope.

After much waiting, the ships of the Four Seas Alliance finally docked.

And that's how the scene at the beginning came about.

……

As the journey continues.

Soon, the three became acquainted with each other, and their conversations became increasingly in-depth.

A soldier asked curiously, "Mr. Hiluluk, I heard that you hope to invent a 'panacea' that can cure everything?"

Hiluluk smiled and nodded. "Yes, and there has been a lot of progress recently!"

"A cure-all medicine couldn't possibly exist, could it?"

The other soldier seemed somewhat incredulous.

“If you’re using an analogy, we understand. For example, you could become a great doctor who can cure all diseases, but…”

The soldier paused for a moment, then said, "Even a layman like me knows that the pathology of each disease is different, and the treatment methods will also be different. How could there be a single medicine that can cure everything!"

Upon hearing these words, Hiruluk suddenly moved closer to the soldier, staring intently at him, feeling a chill run down his spine.

Oh no, it seems I... offended the doctor?

But then, Hiruluk laughed and patted him on the shoulder, comforting him, "Don't worry, I've heard you say that too many times, I'm used to it!"

The soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Hiluluk changed the subject and emphasized, "But I still have to say, you're wrong!"

The soldier scratched his head, looking somewhat confused.

Hiluluk pointed to the "beautiful" yet "desolate" scenery before him and slowly said, "I ask you, what do you think is the 'disease' that has appeared in this country?"

The soldier shook his head, looking embarrassed. "Um... I don't know anything about medicine, I can't tell."

No, you should have noticed.

Hiluluk narrowed his eyes and explained, "Because this 'country' itself is sick!"

"Ok?"

The two soldiers were even more puzzled upon hearing this.

Hiluluk continued, "Imagine what would happen if this infectious disease broke out in the Four Seas Alliance—or even within Alabasta itself?"

The soldiers thought for a moment and replied, "In any case, it's impossible for our ancestor and His Majesty Cobra to desert their posts in the face of battle, is it?"

"That's right, because that's just who they are."

Hiruluk then asked, "If the emperor and king are like this, what about the officials? Will they run away?"

The soldier confidently replied, "No, Ikaram, Bell, Gaka, and everyone in the guard would never abandon their country!"

"Next question."

Hiluluk said slowly, "If—I mean if—Mr. Rowan left with the royal family as quickly as possible, what would you think?"

The two soldiers pondered for a moment, then answered almost simultaneously:

"We will choose to believe them!"

"Yes, that's it."

Hiluluk nodded and said, "Faced with an unknown disease, choosing to confront it head-on may be a reckless act, but at the very least, the rulers should not abandon their country, and the people of this country should have the confidence that they will not be abandoned!"

"But now, look here..."

Hiluluk looked around and saw that the beautiful pastoral scenery was deserted.

His brow furrowed, and he said:

"Within the Kingdom of Aden, the royal family fled, and the surviving commoners chose to stay indoors, waiting for outside rescue!"

Hiluluk's fists clenched tighter.

"This country itself is sick!"

He pointed to his chest—the location of his heart.

"There's something wrong here."

After speaking, the three who had been chatting idly fell into a brief silence.

Both soldiers were pondering Hiruluk's words, and they seemed to finally understand why the man before them, despite his lack of medical skills, could get along so well with the highly skilled Kureha.

As Hiluluk said, what he wanted to heal was people's "hearts".

……

The three continued on their journey and finally arrived at a fairly large city at dusk.

Traces of life can still be seen in the city, but it is still deserted.

"Ah, it looks like I'll have to sleep on the streets tonight, or maybe I should just make do outside the city for the night?"

Although there were people inside, none of the three intended to knock on the door. After all, in a country where infectious diseases were rampant, it was best to be on the safe side.

The three planned to take a tour of the city, investigating and searching at their own pace.

If there isn't a suitable place, we'll go outside the city and find a secluded corner to rest.

But just as they turned a street corner, they witnessed a scene they had never expected—

A group of people gathered together, kneeling on the ground, rustling softly.

One of the soldiers couldn't help but be curious.

What are they doing? Eating?

"Something's not right, stay alert!"

Another soldier gripped the scabbard at his waist and stepped forward slowly.