The Great Voyage: The Props Master on the Straw Hat Ship

"Hey, Luffy! You're making such a mess of this sea by wandering around like that. Not only can you not catch any fish, but neither can we!!" Usopp, who was also holding a fishing rod, turned around and expressed his dissatisfaction to Luffy, then paused in surprise.

"Luffy, what's that in your mouth?!"

"Fish bait?"

Luffy gulped down all the bait in his mouth. "It tastes pretty good. Do you want to try some?"

"No one would want to try that!!"

Usopp glared at him and said, "You ate all the bait, how are we supposed to fish?!"

"Why not just use Link's fishing rod?"

"That would completely ruin the fishing experience... And how do you know I'm useless?"

Usopp felt a little depressed when this was mentioned, "Before, I could occasionally catch a few big fish with the [Effortless Fishing Rod]."

"But recently, after entering this area, there have been fewer and fewer large fish, and it's become difficult for the suckers to hold onto them."

"That's it..."

Luffy said nonchalantly, "Then why don't we just let the fishing rod catch itself?"

Chopper, who was listening attentively to the lesson on how to fish, suddenly understood.

"So you can actually let the fishing rod catch fish by itself?!"

His expression of having learned something made Usopp feel quite a little pained.

"Hey, Chopper! Don't listen to Luffy's nonsense! How could a fishing rod possibly grab itself..."

Usopp originally wanted to condemn Luffy's behavior of deceiving and corrupting innocent children.

But when Luffy lifted the fishing rod, the part where the bait was attached was not the suction cup of the [effortless fishing rod]!

"Is that... a glove?!"

Usopp stared blankly at the white glove tied to the very tip of Luffy's fishing line.

"Ah, I just asked Link for this. It seems to be the best fishing rod out there, even easier to catch fish than the 'Effortless Fishing Rod'." Luffy grinned, gesturing with the fishing rod in his hand.

"Link told me this is called an 'automatic fishing rod'."

Item: [Automatic Fishing Rod].

Description: When cast into your hand, the white glove at the tip of the fishing rod will automatically search for the target in the water, lock onto the target, and bring it ashore.

This "automatic fishing rod" and the "effortless fishing rod" are completely opposite extremes.

The former means you don't need to fish yourself at all; you just wait for the white-gloved person to catch the fish, and then you can pull the fishing rod up yourself.

You don't need to fish, but you still need to exert effort to pull the rod.

The latter, on the other hand, has a sucker-like tip that waits in the sea for fish to take the bait. It cannot actively catch fish, but once it does, it can lift them up without expending any effort.

Overall, it has its pros and cons.

"So there's absolutely no need for bait."

As Luffy said this, he swallowed the last bit of bait that was still hidden under his tongue, and glanced at Usopp's bait with a hint of lingering desire.

Hua Hua Hua~

Suddenly, Luffy's fishing rod started to shake.

In the blink of an eye, a huge grouper was caught and pulled ashore by a white glove.

"I never thought it could be done like this..."

Usopp smacked his lips and glanced enviously at the fishing rod in Luffy's hand.

"Link really has all sorts of gadgets, even fishing rods, he has all kinds..."

As soon as Usopp finished speaking, Luffy's fishing rod began to shake violently once again.

"Wow! This is awesome!!"

Luffy was caught off guard and almost got swept into the sea along with the others.

"That looks like a big fish!!"

Luffy gripped the fishing rod firmly with one hand and adjusted his straw hat with the other, his eyes filled with surprise as he gazed at the fishing line swaying violently in the sea.

"Looks like a big fish, we'll help you!!"

Seeing that there was a new prey, Usopp put aside all his other emotions and joined Chopper around Luffy.

"Push harder!!"

Usopp hugged Luffy, and Chopper, who had transformed into a tall, standing human form, hugged Usopp as well. The three of them pulled together.

They were all so angry that their faces turned red and their necks bulged, and many veins stood out on their arms.

However, with the three people exerting so much force, the huge fish hidden beneath the sea surface finally couldn't resist and was dragged out.

A huge black shadow swept across the sea.

"feed?!!"

A loud meow echoed across the entire sea.

"This is... a cat?!"

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper stared at the sea king creature with one hand raised, resembling a lucky cat, plump and white, with vertical cat-like eyes.

The white glove at the tip of Luffy's fishing rod is gripping the paw of this sea king cat.

A group of people stared at the creature with their mouths agape, genuinely intrigued by its appearance.

"This is our Alabasta's mascot, named Sea Cat II!"

Vivi quickly came over and told Luffy to put away his fishing rod.

The sea cat fled in panic, only to be caught by someone, making it seem like this group of people were absolutely terrifying.

I feel like if I stay any longer, I might turn into a cat pie.

Seeing the sea cat escape, Luffy was quite reluctant to let it go, but thinking that he still had Bon Clay, he happily hugged the glass fish tank and chatted with Bon Clay.

"Seeing the sea lion means we have entered the waters of Alabasta and are not far from the coast."

With Weiwei's confirmation, everyone's spirits lifted.

Are we finally reaching our final destination?

Just as the Straw Hat Pirates were slowly approaching Alabasta.

In another direction, in a certain sea area, also heading towards Alabasta.

A warship with a seagull flag fluttering on its mast is cutting through the waves.

"The Straw Hat Pirates' prop master..."

At the front of the deck, a tall, silver-haired man with a fierce face and a deep-set gaze stood with three cigars dangling from his mouth, speaking in a suppressed and heavy tone.

Recalling the humiliation of being trapped in a small bottle that day, Smoker clenched his fists tightly, a memory that was both profound and unforgettable.

"They've gone to Alabasta, huh? Well, let's settle this properly there!!"

Smoker gazed intently at the vast ocean ahead.

"But, Colonel Smoker..."

Tashigi, the cute girl next to them wearing black-rimmed glasses, seemed a little hesitant.

"Alabasta is a member state of the World Government and one of the world's few powerful nations. Moreover, Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, is located there. We haven't received any orders or even spoken to them beforehand. Is it possible that we're just approaching it rashly..."

Tashigi stopped mid-sentence as she saw Smoker's deathly gaze fixed upon her.

"Alabasta is currently embroiled in numerous internal rebellions and is too preoccupied with its own problems. As for Crocodile, he's just a mere Shichibukai; there's no need for our navy to report our operations to him!"

Smoker genuinely disliked these Shichibukai, and since he had known Crocodile before, he was even less inclined to acknowledge him.

Seeing that her persuasion had failed, Tashigi could only remain silent and obey orders.

The warship slowly advanced toward Alabasta.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea, a small boat was also sailing along.

On the small boat sat a man who was shirtless, wearing only black shorts, and had some freckles on his face.

He was sitting there with a plate of grilled fish in his hand, and he had already brought the food to his mouth, but his mouth was wide open and bubbles were coming out of his nostrils.

"Huff? Huff huff?"

A series of snoring sounds came from his mouth.

Judging from the looks of it, it seems that it fell asleep while eating.

Snapped!

The bubble suddenly burst, and the freckled man's eyes opened as well.

"Oh, is she asleep again?!"

He rubbed his sleepy eyes, then lazily raised his arm and patted the cowboy hat on his forehead.

The blue circular laughing and crying face logo on the front of the hat looked so special in the sunlight.

"Are we almost there, Alabasta?"

The freckled-faced man opened his mouth and took a bite of the grilled fish, only to find that it had gone cold while he was asleep.

A flame instantly rose from his fingertips, enveloping the grilled fish once more.

"I wonder if Luffy and the others will go there too... It's been years since I've seen him, hasn't it? I'm actually looking forward to it." As if remembering something, the freckled man's lips curled into an optimistic and warm smile.

The small boat beneath our feet was also moving slowly towards Alabasta.

"You mean a hero?!"

Nami, confirming she hadn't misheard, stared at Vivi with a look of surprise.

"Crocodile is a hero of your Alabasta?"

As they approached Alabasta, no matter how much they strategically despised Crocodile, they still had to show this great pirate the most basic respect tactically.

After all, the other party is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

After asking Vivi for specific information about Crocodile, the result was quite unexpected for everyone.

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea are actually seven powerful pirates selected from the Navy by the World Government to increase its deterrent power and consolidate its rule, in order to keep the Grand Line in check." Seeing everyone's surprise, Link explained further:

"In other words, these seven great pirates can be considered as being recognized by the World Government. With the World Government's endorsement, the public will naturally believe them to some extent." Rather than saying that the public believes pirates are heroes, it would be more accurate to say that they believe people recognized by the World Government are heroes.

There is actually a difference between a simple pirate and a Shichibukai.

The Seven Warlords of the Sea are like those outlaws who were recruited by the imperial court and became military governors on a certain planet in Link's previous life.

They all relied on their strong army or powerful strength to gain amnesty and official positions.

However, no matter what, it doesn't change the fundamental fact that they are pirates at heart.

and……

"Even if he acts like he has a strong sense of justice, it's only been less than four years, right?"

Suddenly, Usopp, who had been listening the whole time, gave a slightly subtle look.

"A group of citizens would rather believe a pirate they've known for less than four years than believe the Alabasta royal family, who have treated them kindly for decades, even centuries..."

"Are these people really that stupid?"

Chopper, standing next to him, also blurted out his question.

Indeed, according to normal people's thinking, it's not unusual for pirates to become the heroes of justice. There must be some shady dealings involved, right?

Moreover, the Neferitaru royal family of Alabasta has been diligently and conscientiously managing the country for many years, bringing peace and tranquility to the people.

The result?

Centuries of sincerity couldn't buy a pirate's four years of disguise?!

To be honest, even Link couldn't describe what the people of Alabasta were thinking.

All I can say is that they are just too foolish... and too naive.

Most importantly, the Neferitaruru royal family did not notice anything amiss.