One Piece: Starting by Refusing Shanks

Just as Enel mentioned, twenty minutes later, a massive desert-covered island appeared before the trio.

This was Alabasta...

Takumi recognized it instantly. Though he'd been here once before, it had only been to complete a system task.

As a superpower located in the Grand Line, Kaku had some knowledge of the place, even though he'd never visited.

"Why is it all just sand on this island?" Enel stood at the railing, looking at the small town in the distance, visibly displeased. "With just this one shabby town, how are we going to buy enough supplies?"

"Alabasta is a vast kingdom," Kaku explained. "The prosperous towns and cities are further inland. We should bypass this little port town."

"Alright then..." Enel didn't argue. Seeing Takumi nod in agreement, he controlled the ship to continue its journey deeper into Alabasta's desert interior.

As they flew over the small port town, many onlookers noticed them. Most wore expressions of surprise.

"A flying ship? Amazing..."

"How did that ship get airborne? That's so cool!"

"Wait, I remember that the ship of Takumi's crew, wanted by the World Government, is also a flying ship. Could it be... was that just now Takumi's crew?"

"Hey, don't scare us like that. I've seen Takumi's crew's ship in the papers—it looks completely different from that super awesome one that just flew by!"

"Oh, right. So it's not them. Good, good... I'd love to meet the people on that ship, though."

The port town's residents all looked enviously towards the ship that had already flown far away.

Not long after, the ship landed just outside a lush city called Erumalu.

After they disembarked, Enel casually asked, "Is it okay to leave the ship here?"

"No problem," Kaku said, suddenly taking out a remote control and pressing a button with a smirk.

Immediately, a light blue, semi-transparent dome covered the entire ship.

"The Germa folks might have been weak, but I've got to admit, their technology is impressive," Kaku continued. "This semi-transparent shield is charged with two million volts of electricity. Anyone trying to get close would be fried instantly. Besides, we're just here for a meal and to buy some supplies. We won't take long. With this shield in place, the ship is safe."

"Only two million volts?" Enel scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "What a joke."

Kaku shook his head with a chuckle. "Two million is enough to deter most people. Not everyone's like you, you know? Alright, let's go—we've got a lot to buy, and we don't have much time. Look, the captain's already leaving."

Seeing Takumi walking towards the heart of Erumalu, Kaku and Enel quickly followed.

The three casually found a small restaurant and enjoyed a hearty meal before Kaku began assigning tasks.

"We've got a lot to buy... We need to split up. I don't trust Enel to buy things on his own," Kaku looked at Takumi and asked, "Captain, should Enel come with you or with me?"

Takumi replied casually, "Go with you."

"Hey! Long-nose, who are you calling unreliable?" Enel snapped.

Ignoring him, Kaku continued, "Since he's coming with me, we'll handle the bulk of the shopping. Captain, can you take care of buying the liquor and beverages?"

Takumi nodded.

"Alright, it's settled then." Kaku laughed, giving Enel a hearty slap on the back. "Let's go, big guy."

"Hey! You wanna fight, huh?!"

"Hahaha, calm down. If you want a fight, let's do it back on the ship. No need to harm innocent people here—they're just regular folk."

"You idiot, long-nose! Don't forget you used to be an assassin!"

"That was in the past," Kaku shrugged indifferently. "Back then, I killed to survive and complete missions. Now it's different. Unless absolutely necessary, I'd rather not stain my hands with blood again."

Enel stared at Kaku for a moment, then waved dismissively. "Whatever, that's boring. Takumi, Captain, we're off."

With that, he swaggered out of the restaurant.

Kaku assured Takumi, "I'll keep an eye on Enel to make sure he doesn't cause trouble," then followed after.

Takumi didn't linger either. Leaving the restaurant, he strolled along Erumalu's bustling streets under the warm afternoon sun. Before long, he found the largest liquor store in the city.

From what Takumi knew of Alabasta, at this point in time, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile—the "Desert King"—should already be here.

Crocodile's apparent reason for being in Alabasta was to establish Baroque Works and create his so-called utopia. In reality, his true goal was to find information on the ancient weapon "Pluton" in order to gain more power.

This "Pluton" was the same blueprint, Kaku, back when he was in CP9, had been tasked to find in Water 7.

Had Crocodile known that the "Pluton" blueprint was in Water 7, he likely would have abandoned Alabasta and caused trouble there instead.

Crocodile's "Utopia Operation" involved using a substance called Dance Powder to create artificial rain.

Dance Powder, also known as "the powder that calls the rain," appears as a green powder. It was invented a long time ago by a rainless country. When burned, it produces smoke that forms clouds and creates "artificial rain." The name came from the hope that the people would dance with joy at the rain. However, using Dance Powder has a fatal consequence—neighboring regions downwind would suffer droughts. This led to wars, and so the World Government banned the production and possession of Dance Powder.

Crocodile's plan was to use Dance Powder to create droughts in Alabasta, causing internal strife. He would then pose as a hero and gain the people's trust.

This so-called "Utopia Operation" was to prepare for kidnapping the king, inciting chaos, and supplying weapons to the rebels. Both the royal army and the rebels were just pawns in his game.

However, at this stage, Crocodile's "Utopia Operation" should still be in the planning phase and likely wouldn't be implemented for another year.

In any case, Crocodile was a meticulous planner.

He also possessed the powers of the Sand-Sand Fruit, a Logia-type Devil Fruit. In a place filled with deserts like Alabasta, he was in his element. Facing him here would indeed be troublesome.

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