Any traveler with experience knows that the desert at night is completely different from the desert during the day.
After night falls, the temperature in the desert will quickly drop below freezing.
For ordinary people, without enough preparation, this temperature difference is enough to be deadly.
But now, two men are walking in the desert at night, wearing only thin, normal clothes.
They walk slowly, going over dune after dune.
The cold night wind blows on them, but neither man seems bothered at all.
One is wearing a set of light golden armor with dark purple ribbons and carrying a scepter.
The other has a thick beard, is wearing a Marine uniform, and has the Marine cape of justice on his back.
Rowan and Garp are taking a walk.
They have been together since they left the palace, but strangely, they haven't said a word to each other the whole way.
It wasn't until they were far from the city of Alubarna that Garp spoke first.
"What a coincidence, you're taking a walk too?"
"Indeed, a coincidence."
Rowan smiled and nodded, then asked a strange question:
"Right here, or should we keep walking?"
"Let's keep walking." Garp scratched his head and grinned, "It's still too close here."
Rowan agreed.
So the two of them continued walking side by side in the desert.
They went over a dune and saw the ruins of something mostly buried in sand.
Rowan had looked into the geography of Alabasta, and that should be a palace that was built a hundred or two years ago.
Time had passed, and the once magnificent palace had been ruined by the wind and sand, leaving only broken walls.
The two men walked through the ruins, and Rowan lightly touched a broken wall.
He smiled at Garp and said, "I think this place is good."
Garp looked at the shadows not far away, as if noticing something. He scratched his head in dismay and said, "How about we walk a bit more? If we destroy too many ancient ruins, I'll have a huge report to write!"
Hearing that, Rowan couldn't help but make a joke.
"If we're talking about ancient ruins, I should be the oldest one here."
"Oh, right!"
Garp realized and exclaimed, "Wow, to think I'd be chatting and walking with someone from eight hundred years ago. This sea is truly amazing!"
The two men walked onto another dune, and finally stopped.
All around them was nothing but sand and ruins. All they could hear was the howling wind.
Rowan and Garp stood there, facing each other.
...
In the shadows in the corner of the ruins in the distance, Grandma Tsuru leaned quietly against a pillar, wearing her justice cape.
She looked up and watched what was happening on the dune.
Suddenly, Grandma Tsuru noticed movement beside her and coughed softly.
"Come out, young punk. I'm not blind yet."
As soon as she finished speaking, the sand around them moved and a figure wearing a black fur coat slowly appeared from the sand.
Crocodile, with a cigar in his mouth, nodded to Grandma Tsuru and said with a smile, "As expected of the Marine Headquarters' top strategist!"
Grandma Tsuru glanced at Crocodile. "Save your compliments, Crocodile. You didn't really want to hide, did you?"
"Hide? Why would I hide?"
Crocodile put on an innocent expression. "I'm one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, recognized by the World Government. I've helped get rid of a lot of pirates. The Marines should be thanking me."
Grandma Tsuru didn't answer, but her deep blue eyes stared straight at Crocodile.
He suddenly felt like she could see right through him and couldn't help but shiver.
"You think you're so clever, but you'll slip up eventually."
Tsuru turned her attention back to the dune and said calmly,
"You're not our target this time, but if you want to try your luck, I don't mind playing with you a little."
Crocodile scoffed quietly. He was annoyed, but he didn't dare to provoke the old woman in front of him.
As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile knew how scary Tsuru really was!
He didn't want to get into a battle of wits with a top strategist of the sea, and he was more interested in what was happening on that dune anyway.
Rowan and Tsuru could talk about many hidden meanings and communicate through words.
But what could Rowan and Garp "talk" about?
...
"Marine reports are so hard to write!"
Garp said with a sigh, "I usually have Tsuru-chan help me, but this time Tsuru-chan has to write a report too, so I have to do it myself."
Rowan thought for a long time and couldn't figure out how to comfort him.
Garp looked sad. "Can you understand?"
Rowan shook his head. "Nefertari usually gives me the battle reports she's written. I don't write them myself."
Garp: "..."
He rubbed his temples and sighed. "That's why I hope I can write a shorter report this time."
This time, Rowan understood what Garp meant.
"So... you're not going to fight?"
"No, Sengoku specifically said that the pressure from the Celestial Dragons is too great, and we need to give them an explanation."
Garp stroked his beard and tried to remember. "According to Sengoku, it was something about 'respect' and 'force'?"
Rowan guessed, "Respect first, then force?"
"No, not that."
Garp waved his hand repeatedly, then suddenly slapped his head and laughed, "It's - both respect and force!"
"I see, I understand."
Rowan nodded and suddenly asked, "How much?"
It was a strange question, but Garp understood what Rowan meant immediately.
"Ahahaha, you're such an understanding emperor."
Garp stroked his chin, thinking. "It's a rare opportunity, so ten percent?"
Rowan laughed and refused. "Hey, I don't want to tear Alabasta apart. Besides, your report would be a hundred pages long."
"Hmm, that's true."
Garp nodded and asked tentatively, "Seven percent?"
"Still too much, it'll affect Alubarna."
"Five percent!"
"About ten pages of report."
"How about three percent?"
"Close to one page report."
"Okay, it's settled then!"
Garp clapped, confirming the final decision.
Their conversation was loud, so it was easy to hear from the ruins.
Crocodile couldn't help but wonder, "What are those two talking about?"
"They're discussing how much force to use in the fight."
Grandma Tsuru sighed helplessly. "Those two are always making trouble for others!"
How much force to use?
Crocodile thought for a moment, and then, connecting it to their previous conversation, he realized what Tsuru was saying.
Tsuru and Garp were ordered to come to Alabasta to communicate with Ryan Rowan, but they had different missions.
Tsuru's communication with Rowan was like a game of chess. They said a lot of strange things, but they understood each other's hidden meanings.
But for Garp, his way of communicating was much simpler and more direct -
A fight.
Both using three percent of their strength, a fight.
Tsuru would witness the results of the fight and then, based on her judgment, report the results to Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who would ultimately decide the Marine's attitude towards Ryan Rowan!
...
The moonlight dimmed.
It was still a long time before Crocodile put his original plan into action. The dancing powder hadn't been used yet, so it would occasionally rain in different parts of Alabasta.
But today, the clouds were particularly thick, hanging low and blocking out the moon.
Two black figures stood on the dune.
The two powerhouses lowered their bodies, and the wind howled even louder.
A storm was coming, about to break out!
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