"So fast!"
Just as the Cartel decided to launch another major attack on Alabasta, the members of the Straw Hat Pirates were riding in an off-road vehicle.
Its powerful engine let it race across the desert at high speed. The group rode in the vehicle Igaram had prepared earlier, trying to reach Alubarna in the shortest possible time.
Alabasta was a famous major power in the world. Even after Wano Country had driven the technological revolution across the world, it remained a reasonably wealthy nation. Although it had been isolated by the World Government, it could still obtain some reasonably advanced technological creations if it tried.
A desert nation like Alabasta especially needed vehicles capable of traveling smoothly through the desert. Even though the country itself was already poor, it would still try to acquire such vehicles whenever possible.
As the saying went, if you wanted to become wealthy, you first had to build roads. Roads existed to make transportation convenient. Alabasta could not build roads at present, but purchasing advanced vehicles could make transportation easier all the same.
Unfortunately, under the World Government's suppression, even the Nefertari family, who loved their people like their own children, had great difficulty managing the kingdom. The economic blockade prevented this country, which had suffered the battle between the Demon Lord and the Pirate King, from recovering. In the end, the domestic economy grew increasingly desperate.
Cobra knew what the World Government wanted. They wanted to learn the Shinigami's secrets. They wanted to obtain the Shinigami's power. More than once, they had even told him that if he shared the secrets of the Shinigami with them, they could allow the Nefertari family to become Celestial Dragons, and they would fully suppress the rebellion within Alabasta.
But Cobra also understood that once the Celestial Dragons of the World Government obtained the Shinigami's power, the world would fall into a dark abyss. Thus, he rejected the Five Elders' proposal.
His refusal was precisely why the World Government not only failed to aid Alabasta's post-disaster reconstruction, but also imposed an economic blockade.
With no other choice, the Lawless Zone appeared. Later, the people who gathered in the Lawless Zone founded the Cartel in order to survive.
The Cartel had been able to grow so quickly and act so lawlessly partly because the World Government itself had allowed it to happen. The Five Elders' relentless pressure had driven the Cartel into existence. Moreover, because they wanted the Cartel to pressure Alabasta, they had not wiped it out quickly, allowing it to expand at an astonishing rate.
It could be said that the World Government had contributed at least seventy percent of the Cartel's rapid development.
That was why Igaram had opposed Princess Vivi's decision to seek help from the Marines.
But at the time, there truly had been no other choice. If they did nothing, it would only be a matter of time before the Cartel breached Alubarna.
After fortunately escaping from Alubarna, Igaram had made preparations in many places along the route. This off-road vehicle was one of the things he had left behind earlier.
At that time, the Cartel had not occupied so many cities. After leaving Alubarna's encirclement, they could still enter some cities guarded by the royal army and purchase supplies. That was impossible now. Only a small part of Alabasta remained outside the Cartel's control.
Luffy was gnawing on a large piece of beef in the vehicle. He had eaten nothing but fish for a long time, so when he suddenly got beef, he naturally began devouring it with gusto.
"Uncle Igaram, how much longer until we arrive?"
Watching his crude table manners, Nami rested one hand on the window and spoke with some exasperation.
Eight people packed into one off-road vehicle was extremely cramped. Chopper did not take up much space, and Ben was still only a child, but the rest were all large men. Chopper was already being squeezed among them.
To make matters worse, Luffy was eating meat inside the vehicle. The smell of meat mixed with sweat evaporating in the intense heat, making Nami even more disgusted.
As a demon, Nami herself had no interest in so-called chicken, duck, beef, and mutton. Perhaps only human flesh would taste delicious to her, but she could hardly eat people.
"We're almost there! Almost!"
Igaram was driving anxiously and had pushed the engine to its limit.
But the distance from the port to Alubarna was not short, and there was nothing he could do about that.
"Oh no!"
He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly saw the area ahead grow dark. Igaram hurriedly looked forward and discovered something that appeared like a tidal wave. The only difference was that it was white...
Candles?!
Yes, candles!
The candles spread rapidly, roaring toward them like a tsunami!
"A tsunami in the desert?!" Luffy was still eating meat and did not understand at first. When he saw the white candles surging toward them, he instinctively said this, but Sanji quickly pulled him aside.
The people in the vehicle did not even bother with the rapidly moving vehicle anymore. They jumped straight out!
The next moment, the roaring white candles swallowed the off-road vehicle and quickly formed a white "lake" across the desert floor.
"What is this?!"
Although the group had dodged the candle tsunami rushing at them, jumping out of the vehicle had not improved their situation. Beneath the sand where they landed, another layer of white wax had already been spread!
After they jumped down, the white wax fully revealed itself and caused them to sink into it.
The wax stuck them to the ground like powerful glue, and it was rapidly hardening. For a moment, they could not break free.
"Hahahaha! I heard that you took out a fleet, so I thought you must be impressive. It turns out you're only this capable."
A man walked toward them openly from ahead. He had a topknot shaped like the number three and an average build. He looked so frail that a strong wind might knock him over.
The man wore glasses and had somewhat thick lips. He swaggered over while laughing at them without restraint.
"Who are you?! Ambushing people is despicable!" Luffy shouted when he saw the man approach.
"Despicable? You flatter me." The man actually looked rather pleased with himself. He walked up before the group. "Although I call it art, if you consider it despicable, then let's call it despicable art."
"Do you really think using such underhanded methods qualifies as art?" Nami's legs were also locked in the candles beneath her feet. The wax had completely solidified and fixed her in place.
She folded her arms and spoke to the man with disdain.
"Of course! Overcoming the strong while being weak is my art!" The man chuckled. "You are pirates who took down three armed helicopters and several destroyers. To deal with you, I set up several layers of traps. I never expected you not to make it past the first one. You've really disappointed me."
"Ambushing people doesn't prove anything." Usopp refused to accept it. "Is this all the Cartel's people can do?"
"Otherwise, how do you think we managed to grow so quickly right under the World Government's nose? We seize every opportunity! And even within the entire Cartel, our Baroque Works is famous for stopping at nothing."
"Baroque Works? You're with Baroque Works?!" Igaram was shocked.
"Oh? You know about us?" The man grinned. "Then you must know Mr. 3. Mr. 3, Gal Dino, is me! Wait a moment..."
Mr. 3 suddenly stared at Igaram for a while, then burst out laughing again. "I was wondering who it was. So you're the captain of Alabasta's Royal Guard. What, are these people the reinforcements you found?"
"Damn you, demon!" Igaram roared furiously, but his body was also trapped in the wax, and he could not even take a step.
Nami remained calm. She asked, "You didn't know Igaram was here before? Then why did you capture us?"
If they had not known that Igaram was with them, there was no reason for them to regard the group as enemies. They had immediately sent three armed helicopters and several warships, a force so powerful that it was hardly an appropriate response to a completely unknown pirate crew.
It made no sense!
"Who knows? Randylus already gave the order." Mr. 3 shrugged indifferently. "We have no interest in investigating the detailed reason behind a mission. Wouldn't that be exhausting?"
"What? I thought you were some big shot. You kept calling yourself Mr. 3, but you're only a little lackey who follows orders." Luffy spoke from the bottom of his heart. This was not sarcasm; it was his genuine opinion.
"Uh... that does seem to be the case." Nami added fuel to the fire. "I've never even heard of this Randylus, but he's still stronger than you, Mr. Third."
"What?!" Mr. 3 raised an eyebrow when he heard that. But although he had been furious, he suddenly calmed down. "You're trying to trick information out of me? You really won't give up. But so what if I tell you? Randylus is the commander of the Cartel's strongest assault force, a person second only to the leader!"
"And you are about to meet him!"
A sword made of wax appeared in Mr. 3's hand. "I'm the Wax Man who ate the Candle-Candle Fruit. You've fallen into my hands, so don't even think about escaping!"
"You talk too much." Before he could attack, Luffy suddenly punched him. Although Luffy's legs were trapped in the wax, he was the Rubber Man who had eaten the Gomu-Gomu no Mi, and his body could stretch freely!
His arm shot forward and stretched rapidly, punching hard toward Mr. 3!
But Mr. 3's reactions were fast. Just as Luffy's fist was about to hit him, he suddenly dodged to the side and mocked him again. "You think I didn't investigate your information? I'm an elite of Baroque Works, in every respect."
As he laughed, a hand suddenly came to rest behind him. "Oh? Is that so? An elite of Baroque Works?"
?!
A woman's voice?
Mr. 3 froze, then suddenly looked toward where Nami had been. He found that she was no longer there.
"How... how is that possible?!" Mr. 3 said, unable to accept it. "You were caught in my Candle Swamp. How can you still move?"
"Are you an idiot? If your feet are locked in the wax, then you only need to leave that part behind."
Nami mocked him as well. The reason they had not panicked when the Candle Swamp trapped them was that this method could not actually restrain them.
Even if Luffy the Rubber Man was unable to help, they still had Nami the demon!
All she had to do was sever her own feet, and she would naturally escape the wax's restraint. To Nami, body parts were merely consumable items.
Other people could not possibly do something like that, but for Nami, it was simply one kind of strategy.
She had not moved earlier only because she wanted to take the opportunity to question Mr. 3.
"You... you... how can you possibly?!" Mr. 3 was horrified. Looking at the spot where Nami had been, he saw a pair of severed feet. But could a human really do this? Even if someone could make the heroic decision to cut off a limb, how could they be so decisive? They clearly had not been driven into a desperate situation!
Nami's hand was clamped around his throat, and her long fingernails were as sharp as blades. The slightest movement from him would allow her to kill him instantly.
"What's so impossible about it, elite of Baroque Works?" Nami taunted. "What? Don't tell me you're that ignorant. I'm the Regeneration Man who ate the Regeneration-Regeneration Fruit. Losing a pair of feet is nothing to me."
Nami naturally did not say that she was a demon. That would practically be inviting the Black Order to come after her. Thus, they had already prepared an explanation for outsiders. Devil Fruit abilities were strange and varied, so they would simply blame everything on her Devil Fruit.
"Mr. Elite, tell us everything you know about the Cartel, or else..."
Nami spoke in an unmistakably threatening tone.
Mr. 3 trembled at first, but then chuckled. "You really are something. Still, if you were this easy to deal with, Randylus would never have sent our Baroque Works."
Nami raised an eyebrow. "You still don't seem to understand your situation."
"Honestly, I already told you. I'm Mr. 3, an elite of Baroque Works. Don't think you can control me just because you've done this." Mr. 3 snorted coldly.
Nami sensed that something was wrong. Mr. 3 did not feel quite right beneath her hand. She immediately sliced open his body with her fingernail, but no blood flowed out.
"Wax?!"
Nami looked at the Mr. 3 before her, who had turned completely white, and immediately understood what had happened.
That Mr. 3 had been cautious enough not to come in person. Instead, he had sent a wax clone. The reason this fellow had possessed color earlier was because...
"Paint?"
Nami's expression became strange. The Mr. 3 before her was clearly made of wax, yet he had looked exactly like a real person earlier. The reason was that he had not been wax-white; what she now realized was not clothing at all, but brightly colored paint.
"This should be one of the abilities of those people from Baroque Works." After seeing everything, Igaram could not help saying, "I never expected the Cartel to deploy them so quickly. It seems they take us very seriously!"
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