...
Three days later, in the afternoon.
At the "Desert Holiday" resort in a corner of the royal capital.
Under the shade of a parasol, Allen wore sunglasses, lying leisurely and comfortably on a lounge chair by the pool.
This was a resort exclusively for the wealthy. Even in Alabasta, which had endured years of drought where many commoners found an extra sip of water to be a luxury, this place still had an inexhaustible supply of fresh water to maintain year-round pool parties.
Across the pool, over a dozen sexily dressed showgirls danced on stage, their alluring movements sparking endless imagination. A group of pirates surrounded the stage below, hearts popping out of their eyes—which, of course, included a certain curly-browed lovestruck fool leading the passionate cheers.
Allen couldn't fathom how human genetics could twist into something like that.
The Alabasta incident had completely concluded. The Marines, led by Smoker and Hina, had arrested the remnants of Baroque Works and departed from the royal capital.
The Nyaban Brothers had also successfully beaten them to the punch, turning Crocodile's stronghold, Rain Dinners, upside down and bringing back the massive fortune they looted.
As for the reward fee Cobra had 'promised' him, the king would start sending one billion Berries every month starting next month until the debt was fully paid off.
Additionally, during these past few days in the royal capital, Allen had spent another four hundred million Berries contacting black market arms dealers to purchase a large batch of highly advanced weaponry.
This trip to Alabasta was absolutely a massive harvest.
Beside him, on a flattened lounge chair, Nami, wearing a sexy bikini and sunbathing on her stomach, propped herself up and checked the Log Pose on her wrist.
"Sigh, it's already the third day. I thought we'd get to see Luffy and the others before we left. Looks like we won't have the chance to catch up with them this time."
Nami sighed in disappointment. "There's only one day left before the Log Pose finishes recording. We still need to set aside time to cross the desert back to Nanohana, plus shopping, and preparing to set sail..."
"Forget it, let's just head out later. What do you say, Allen?" Nami cast an inquiring gaze toward him.
Allen shrugged, indicating he was fine with anything. He then lifted his sunglasses and turned to look at Gin, who was sitting on another lounge chair with several bandages wrapped around his body.
"How's your recovery coming along?"
"Yeah, it's nothing major anymore. I should regain my combat ability in the next couple of days," Gin replied with a nod.
To be honest, this recovery speed was faster than he had expected. Despite suffering such severe injuries, he felt as though he was healing just like he would from minor scratches in the past.
Furthermore...
Gin raised his hand and squeezed it into a fist with a bit of force.
For some reason, over the past two days, his body felt a little different than usual. *'Could it be because my wounds are healing...'*
He couldn't quite figure it out.
*'Maybe it's because of the Isshi-20. After all, the surgery was performed by world-class doctors. It's normal for things to feel a bit different than before.'*
Gin didn't dwell on it any further.
Allen cracked his neck, stretched lazily, and stood up from the lounge chair.
"Let's go. Get ready, and then we'll head back to the ship. We've rested long enough this time. We set sail first thing tomorrow morning."
...
Soon, the group packed their gear and left the royal capital. Upon entering the desert, they headed straight south toward the port city of Nanohana.
It was nearing evening, a relatively good time to travel through the desert. They would rest in the desert at night and continue their journey before sunrise tomorrow, aiming to arrive early in the morning.
Their ship was docked at the East Port. Before they left, the Nyaban Brothers had already used a Transponder Snail to have someone sail the ship over.
It was the perfect opportunity to head over early to purchase supplies, so they could set sail immediately once everyone gathered.
...
The next morning, after a long trek through half the night, Allen's group finally crossed the desert and arrived in Nanohana just as the sun came up.
After finding someone to take back all the camels, they gathered at the port, and the entire crew finally boarded the *Freewill* once again.
At the entrance to the mapping room on the third floor, Nami glanced down at her wrist and said to Allen, "Exactly seven days. The Log Pose has finished storing the magnetic field. We can leave whenever."
"Yeah."
Allen nodded, then looked toward the crew gathered on the deck. Grinning widely, he shouted, "Boys! Hoist the sails! We're heading out to sea!"
"Yeah!!"
Amidst enthusiastic cheers, the *Freewill* slowly left the harbor, sailing into the boundless ocean against the rising morning sun.
"What a shame. In the end, I didn't get to lay eyes on Princess Vivi's beautiful face one last time," Sanji said regretfully, looking down to light a cigarette.
*'Hah, now you're playing the melancholy prince.'*
Allen rolled his eyes at him. "You only met her once, so stop acting so deeply in love. If you've got nothing to do, go make breakfast."
"Shut up! Don't you know what love at first sight is?!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go daydream about your one-night stand." Allen waved him off disdainfully, turning around to head back to the captain's quarters.
Sanji rolled his eyes and glared furiously. "It's love at first sight, you bastard!"
"Sigh, he's hopeless," Nami sighed, facepalming. She turned and walked toward the stairs along the side of the ship, planning to head back to her bedroom.
As she passed a room in the corner, she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye and suddenly stopped.
"Strange, when did this place get turned into a library?" Nami looked puzzled as she peered through the glass on the door.
She saw that, at some unknown point, several rows of bookshelves had been placed against the walls of the originally empty room, neatly lined with a massive number of books.
The floor was covered with a rug, and there was a coffee table and other furnishings. Her line of sight couldn't reach further into the corner.
"Whatever, I'll go back and change clothes first. I'll come down and check it out later." Nami didn't think much of it and climbed the stairs, continuing toward her bedroom.
She had previously mentioned whether they should utilize the extra space on the ship to set up a library or some kind of recreation room. She hadn't expected Allen to actually listen and have it done so quickly.
*'I thought his head was only filled with Devil Fruits, Haki, weapons, and fighting. He can actually be pretty thoughtful sometimes.'* Nami smiled in satisfaction.
However, in reality...
"Hello? Bellamy, what's up?"
Inside the captain's quarters, Allen was on a call. After hearing the other party's words, he was so excited he nearly jumped out of his seat.
"What! You're saying there are four identified Devil Fruits? Hurry up and tell me the details!"
...
Meanwhile, inside the newly furnished library in the corner of the third floor.
Wisps of steam rose from a teacup. A gentle breeze blew in through the window, spreading the refreshing aroma of coffee throughout the room.
"This room makes for a nice library. I should set up a plant wall too, but it seems I'll have to wait until the next island."
On the sofa, Robin took a gentle sip of her coffee and set the cup down.
Looking at the golden sunlight shining through the window onto the floor, Robin smiled faintly, quite satisfied with the results of her decorating.
...
"Ahhh! Allen, there's a ghost on the ship!"
Nami's sudden scream echoed from the fourth floor. Having just ended his call with Bellamy, Allen looked baffled but still chose to step outside and take a look.
Outside, upon hearing the noise, Sanji immediately burst out of the kitchen and dashed up to the fourth floor, shouting, "Are you okay, Nami-san?! What's this about a ghost? Is it a male ghost or a female ghost?!"
At the same time, Gin from the infirmary and the Nyaban Brothers from the deck also leaped up to join them.
The group arrived on the fourth floor simultaneously. At a glance, they saw a panicked Nami on the balcony, her back pressed against the railing as she stared fearfully at a room.
"What does the ghost look like? Boss, hurry up and take a look."
"Wait a minute, what if it casts a curse on us?" Buchi and Sham turned green in the face, cowering and shivering behind Allen.
Allen: "..."
*'I can understand Nami being scared since she's a girl, but what the hell are you two doing?'*
*Bang! Bang!*
He kicked them down the stairs one by one. Exasperated, Allen stepped forward and opened the door. He saw that the originally empty room now looked lived-in, fully furnished with all sorts of furniture.
However, what was startling was that the entire room's layout and decor were in a dark gothic style, exuding a gloomy and eerie vibe inside and out.
"My, my. How can a boy just casually open a girl's bedroom door?" Robin walked up the stairs along the side of the ship, smiling faintly. "Does my room look nice?"
"Pfft—!!"
Seeing her appear, Allen and the rest of the crew nearly spat out a mouthful of blood, their eyes bulging out of their sockets.
"Why are you here?!"
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