Chapter 168 The Player's Fishing
Lying in the room that Beckman had specially prepared, Vera stared at the ceiling, recalling the intelligence she had gathered that day.
The background story of this game world is far more complex than she imagined.
The owner of that Void Throne is one, and the owner of that final island is another; both are mysteries that are very worthy of investigation and have aroused her curiosity.
She originally thought that the final island possessed some kind of ability that continuously reduced people's sanity, which caused Buggy and Shanks to faint from headaches. However, she didn't expect Shanks to say that when their headaches were at their worst, a white phantom creature suddenly appeared and attacked them.
By the way, Shanks mentioned that although the island radiates a cool, moonlit glow, it actually has a distinction between day and night. However, their headaches gradually worsen during the day and improve considerably at night. Also, those white, shadowy creatures tend to appear and attack them more during the day.
This is the exact opposite of the rule that a drop in sanity triggers an attack by shadow creatures.
This made Violet, who had never been interested in the final island, want to find an opportunity to go there and take a look.
However, after Roger's incident, the World Government may have planted many spies along the road to the final island, making it not so easy to bypass them.
Well, the news that she disrupted the Whole Cake Island wedding, fought Big Mom, and successfully kidnapped Katakuri has spread throughout the entire sea thanks to Morgans's propaganda. Although it's unclear why Linlin didn't chase after her to retaliate, her main goal has been achieved—to make the World Government take her current strength seriously and stop thinking of treating her as an easy target.
If the World Government, knowing her strength, still chooses to attack her with the Pacifistas, it means that the person behind the rose pattern has completely set their sights on her.
I exchanged information about the rose pattern and the eye with Shanks. It's a pity that I can't take the [Fragile Rose] out of my backpack, otherwise I could have Shanks identify it and see if I could get more information.
We'll arrive in Elbaf in two days, and the last [Mysterious Marble Statue] will be collected.
The ancient map, marked with ancient script, was deciphered and translated by Robin, and surprisingly, it pointed to a place that was not unfamiliar to Violet—Alabasta.
Alabasta is the home of Nefertari D. Lily, the only one of the twenty families that formed the World Government who did not choose to become a Celestial Dragon. Furthermore, the only underground cave entrance that Violet has discovered is guarded by a descendant of that family. The map of Alabasta is particularly special, so it is not too surprising that the [ancient map] ultimately points to that place.
Law is the backbone of R'lyeh's fighting force, and she must leave him in R'lyeh to guard against potential attacks from the World Government.
Therefore, Luo cannot be taken there with her. After all, who knows if she will be unable to escape for a short period of time after the [Historical Feast] event starts? But if she is alone, the level of danger will increase dramatically, and her mobility will be severely lacking.
Wait a minute, Shanks loves adventure, and judging from his expression, he's also very curious about those statues buried in Elbaf and that rose pattern. Hmm... if we whet his appetite and curiosity a little, maybe a free, cough cough, generous helper will come along.
Yes, that's it. Pay attention to your acting...
As she recalled the various novels and films she had read and absorbed the lessons, Violet closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep under the flickering torchlight by her bedside.
After Violet and Ro finished cutting the statues in Elbaf, they had obtained all 150 statues from the four locations.
Although the items placed in the backpack would defy physics and not add any weight to the backpack, when Violet glanced at the pile of [marble fragments] inside, she still felt an unusual heaviness in her mind.
With a bulging backpack on her back and carrying the big fish she had just caught, named Redhead, Vale set off for Alabasta.
This was a secret operation, so the Red Firth, which had long been on the top watch list of all parties, and Violet's signature armored ship could not be used.
Using bamboo and vines cut from a corner of Elbaf, Violet created a very simple and basic bamboo raft to prepare for crossing the Grand Line!
Looking at that simple bamboo raft, Shanks: ...
He suddenly recalled the scene of his first meeting with Violet. When the Red-Haired Pirates crew docked and anchored, they seemed to have accidentally broken a similar bamboo raft.
At the time, Violet seemed to have said that it was her ship, but neither Shanks nor the other crew members believed that a child like Violet could cross the sea with such rudimentary tools, and they just took it as a joke.
At that moment, facing the bamboo raft that Vale had placed on the shore, Shanks suddenly looked up at the back of the Red Fury in the distance, and had an urge to shout, "He regrets it, he's not going!"
...Never mind, he's not a Devil Fruit user anyway. Back then, Vice-Captain Rayleigh could swim across the Calm Belt, and he's no less capable now.
“Don’t worry.” Violet glanced at Shanks and smiled. “I don’t hold grudges.”
"Sigh—" Shanks lowered his head and stepped onto the not-so-handsome bamboo raft. "I hope I don't have to go out to sea to rescue you."
Hmph, you underestimate her, she's a surfing expert!
Val decided to show Shanks a little something to broaden his horizons.
Although they didn't set sail during the hurricane season when the winds and waves were at their worst, the large waves in the deep sea were still enough for Val to give Shanks a thrilling experience of speeding across the water.
Ah, although the combination of propeller, sail, and walking stick is the fastest, the joy of surfing is irreplaceable when you don't need to rush.
The emerald bamboo raft, facing the giant blue and white waves, was lifted high above the sea by the spray. The splashing, foamy seawater shimmered in the sunlight, like countless colorful neon lights adorning the surroundings. Just as the wave reached its highest point and was about to crash down, Violet bent down, grabbed the very tip of the bamboo plank, and lifted it upwards. The raft carried the two of them straight into the sky, tracing a full arc against the backdrop of the horizon before sliding back down to the water.
Shanks: ? ? ?
Shanks: !
Wow, that's so cool!
This is much more interesting and exciting than swimming across the doldrums. Why didn't the first mate think of such a cool way to travel?
Shanks no longer felt that the bamboo raft beneath his feet was simple; in fact, the simpler it was, the more it highlighted Violet's superb skills!
He saw it, he experienced it, and he wanted to learn it!
Shanks asked with great enthusiasm, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Vera thought for a moment, then rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a brightly colored floral umbrella: "Hold this for me."
...This is not what he wanted.
Moreover, it's really lame of him to be a great pirate with a bounty of nearly several billion, standing behind Violet, holding an umbrella for her, and watching her sail away.
“I want to try speeding across the sea. I’ve always wanted to try speeding across the sea. I even thought about getting a sea king to tie to the front of the Red Furs and take us across the sea, but Beckman has always refused!”
Raising a Sea King to pull a ship? Shanks has quite an idea, doesn't he? Not bad, it suits her taste perfectly!
Violet looked back at Shanks, who was laughing behind her, with a suspicious gaze: "You're not going to sink us into the sea, are you?"
"Definitely not!" Shanks patted his chest and assured him, "If the ship sinks, I'll use Shave to get you to your destination!"
This is much more tiring than swimming. Shanks dared to make such a boast because he was confident that he would not have any problems.
Although he had never surfed on a bamboo raft before, it didn't matter. He had just watched Violet operate it. He was the youngest of the Four Emperors and a combat genius. He could learn surfing after watching it only once.
"You go to the back!" Shanks confidently tossed his head. "Stand still and hold on tight to my cloak!"
"Set off!"
——
Inside the royal city of Alabasta, Kobra is keeping Princess Vivi by his side, teaching her how to handle various affairs within Alabasta.
Since Violet came to Alabasta a few years ago and joined forces with Crocodile and the Kingdom Guard to deal with the antlions that were rioting in the desert, sandstorms and sinkholes in Alabasta have basically disappeared. This has finally given Cobra and the local people, who are still struggling with drought, a little breathing space.
On precious rainy days, the people of Alabasta would take out earthenware pots and various oilcloths, using every possible method to retain the rainwater. With the snowball launchers that Violet had left in Alabasta last time, they managed to accumulate some food and water, and in preparation for the upcoming celebration, they would cheer up, forget the troubles of reality, and focus on this once-a-year day of relaxation.
But Cobra, as king, could not relax like his people.
A week ago, the Kingdom Guard delivered a report to him that terrified him.
It was a summary report on the frequency and amount of rainfall in different regions of Alabasta over the past few years. After converting that survey information into the most precise and straightforward figures, a terrifying conclusion appeared before Kobra's eyes.
The area where the Royal City is located has received the most rainfall in Alabasta in recent years. In contrast, the area surrounding the Royal City has received almost no rainfall in recent years. As one moves further away from the Royal City, the rainfall gradually increases, but even the area with the most rainfall is far less than the Royal City area.
Cobra was a very diligent and pragmatic king. Upon seeing this data, he didn't think about ancestral blessings or that it was proof of Nefertari's innate royal blood.
Cobra immediately thought of a material that was absolutely forbidden in Alabasta—dancing powder.
It's a green powder that increases rainfall when used. Long ago, the people of Alabasta regarded Dancing Powder as a divine gift to help them survive droughts, and named it after the scene of people cheering and dancing in the rain.
But soon, Alabasta scholars discovered that the dancing powder did not create a high-humidity cloud out of thin air to bring rain; it actually drew all the clouds in the area around where the dancing powder was used to achieve the effect of artificial rain.
Therefore, such materials that harm others for personal gain have long been banned in Alabasta.
But looking at those numbers, Cobra became increasingly suspicious that this was the result of the dancing fans.
Whoever used the dancing powder near the capital city is definitely causing unrest in Alabasta right now!
"dad?"
Sensing the oppressive atmosphere emanating from Cobra, Vivi looked up at him and asked, "Are there any problems with the numbers I calculated?"
Kobra, who was teaching Vivi how to determine which areas in Alabasta would be self-sufficient this year based on the region's rainfall and which areas would require their assistance, snapped out of his reverie, concealed the worry in his eyes, and gave Vivi a gentle smile.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
A member of the Kingdom Guard rushed over and gasped for breath under the surprised gazes of Cobra and Vivi.
"Pirates are coming!"
Pirates?!
Cobra's face darkened: "Which pirate is it? What kind of pirate flag is it?"
"No, I don't know, they don't have a pirate flag."
He opened his eyes wide in horror.
"However, the one rowing that pirate's ship was none other than Shanks, one of the Four Emperors!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Guard member: I don't know who the one sitting on the boat is, I only know that the one rowing the boat is one of the Four Emperors!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com