"Alright, let's get back to the main topic."
Tina still seemed a bit nervous, so Taro could only change the subject. "So, are we going to that A... uh, that desert country now?"
Taro had forgotten the country's name.
Tina breathed a sigh of relief and lit a cigarette to calm her nerves. "Desert country?"
She rested her right wrist, holding the cigarette, against her forehead, thinking. "Ah, are you talking about Alabasta?"
"That used to be an oasis country!" Tina said seriously.
Taro: "..."
Why are you so serious about such a small detail, older sister figure?
"Yes, Alabasta. Are we going there?" Taro scratched his head.
Tina said strangely, "Why would we go there? Smoker is on the route from Drum Kingdom to Small Garden. We're supposed to rendezvous with him."
"No, Colonel Tina." Taro quickly waved his hand. "We're just going to Alabasta."
He remembered that Smoker and the protagonist group arrived in Alabasta one after another, meaning Luffy and the others were still on their way.
"Why?" Tina frowned. "I agreed with Smoker to rendezvous on the route, but now..."
"Tina is very confused."
Taro's eyes darted around a few times. "I heard that Alabasta has very beautiful scenery. We can go sightseeing first."
Alabasta is all sand now; what's there to see?
Could it be that Lieutenant Taro meant, "the two of us" could go sightseeing first? Is this a date invitation?
After Taro finished speaking, he looked at Colonel Tina with hopeful eyes, only to see Tina first frown, then become shy, her face reddening slightly.
Tina noticed Taro's expectant gaze, and her face grew even redder, a flush spreading across her fair neck.
"Hey, hey, Colonel Tina, did you misunderstand something?" Taro waved his hand in front of Tina's eyes, his tone a bit anxious.
What the heck is going on?
Something's wrong. This older sister figure's behavior is too strange; there must be a problem.
Colonel Tina was startled awake by Taro. "Ah? I agree!"
Hmm? Why does that answer sound so strange?
But Taro didn't have time to think much. He confirmed with Tina, "Really?"
Worried that asking this way might still be ambiguous, he quickly added, "Do you mean you agree to go to Alabasta first?"
Colonel Tina looked at Taro's somewhat eager expression, feeling a surge of joy in her heart. She nodded heavily. "Yes, I agree!"
Taro clapped his hands in surprise, smiling happily. "Great! Thank you, Colonel Tina!"
Colonel Tina looked at the elated Taro and nodded shyly. "Thank you too, Lieutenant Taro. Please guide me."
"Tina is very happy!"
Taro was immersed in the joy of being able to go directly to Alabasta and didn't notice anything wrong with Colonel Tina's response. He casually waved his hand, "No need to be polite, no need to be polite. We'll guide each other."
Colonel Tina's entire face and neck instantly turned crimson.
When Taro came to his senses, he was startled by Colonel Tina's appearance. "Hey, Colonel Tina, are you really okay?"
"Are you sure you didn't misunderstand anything?"
Colonel Tina was startled awake by Taro, and a burning sensation came from her fingers. She flinched and put out the cigarette butt in her hand.
"No, nothing, I'm fine." Tina fanned herself with her hand beside her cheek. "It's just too hot in the room."
Taro looked at Colonel Tina suspiciously for a while longer, feeling that the redness in her face seemed to have worsened. "If you're not feeling well, notify the ship's doctor as soon as possible."
He pushed open the door and walked out. "Let's go to the deck for some fresh air."
"It would be even better if we could reach Alabasta quickly."
Colonel Tina, who was following Taro out, paused, her blood surging, almost fainting.
Seeing Taro and Colonel Tina appear on the deck, Fumbudhi and Jango both shrieked, then glared at Taro.
"Bastard, you bastard, how could you do such a thing to Young Miss Tina?"
"Unforgivable! How dare you desecrate Young Miss Tina!"
They saw Colonel Tina, following behind Taro, with a flushed face, and were enraged. They screamed and charged at Taro.
"You two, get out of my sight!" Colonel Tina raised her leg and kicked both of them away. Looking at the two unconscious men, she said, "Tina is very disappointed."
...At the same time, on the route from Drum Kingdom to Small Garden Island.
"Colonel Smoker, Colonel Smoker!" A Marine Soldier called out to the warship's commander. "We just picked up a very interesting radio wave."
Colonel Smoker, who was simultaneously smoking two Cigars on the deck, stood up from his chair. "Hey, Tashigi, come here for a moment."
"Tashigi, did you hear me, you Sword Fanatic, come here quickly!"
Immediately after, the room door was violently flung open, and a short-haired girl wearing glasses stumbled out, holding a sword.
"Splat!"
The girl fell onto the deck, and her excellent grade sword, 'Kashu', one of the Fifty Ryo Wazamono, flew out of her hand, spinning several times in the air before embedding itself beside her face.
Colonel Smoker looked at his subordinate named Tashigi, his eyebrow twitching involuntarily. He roared, "Come here quickly and listen to this!"
A black den den mushi was placed on the table; this was a den den mushi specifically used for eavesdropping.
"Colonel Smoker, Sergeant Tashigi, this is a conversation between two men that we just intercepted," the Marine Soldier reported. "I'm going to play it now."
After a burst of static from the microphone, the intercepted conversation began to play.
"I am Mr. 0. Princess Vivi and the Straw Hat crew..." followed by another burst of static.
"The mission is complete," the second man in the conversation said.
"Future instructions will be via directive, as usual. That's all."
After that, it was all static.
Colonel Smoker sat back down in his chair. "The guy we arrested was codenamed Mr. 11, and now there's a Mr. 0. This is a criminal organization that refers to each other by codenames."
Sergeant Tashigi looked at the sword in her hand. "I confiscated this excellent grade sword, Kashu, from Mr. 11. It seems this criminal organization is very powerful."
"Mm," Colonel Smoker crossed his arms and nodded. "Princess Vivi, I remember she's the princess of the Alabasta Kingdom. She should currently be missing."
Tashigi exclaimed, "Isn't Alabasta currently experiencing a coup? Did the Straw Hat crew and this criminal organization get involved in this coup?"
"I don't know," Smoker took a puff from his Cigar, "but right now, this is the only information related to the Straw Hat crew."
"Then, we, next..."
Colonel Smoker stood up and ordered the Marine Soldier, "Give the order: Destination, Alabasta."
The Marine Soldier saluted. "Yes, sir!"
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