Chapter 48: Alabasta – Desert Heat, Kung-Fu Dugongs & the Rock Oasis Rest
The blazing sun continued to scorch the desert. While Luffy was lying on the ground resting, he suddenly spotted a group of injured birds collapsed not far away.
He immediately jumped up and ran back in a panic to find Chopper and Sol: "This is bad! Chopper! Sol! There are several badly injured birds over there—come with me to save them quick!"
Vivi's face changed dramatically when she heard this: "Wait, Luffy!" But it was already too late. By the time everyone reached the rock formation, the luggage Luffy had been carrying was nowhere to be seen.
Vivi pressed her forehead and sighed: "Those are Fraud Birds—thief birds that specialize in desert rock areas. They pretend to be injured to gain travelers' sympathy, then steal their luggage while they're distracted…"
Sanji's cigarette nearly fell from his mouth. He grabbed Luffy by the collar and roared: "Luffy! That luggage had all our stuff—three days' worth of food and water! It's all gone now—how are we supposed to cross this desert?!"
"Can you blame me?" Luffy struggled defiantly. "I was tricked too! Who knew those birds would fake being injured to scam people!"
"You're even dumber than the birds, you idiot!"
"What did you say?!"
While the two argued, the group of Fraud Birds actually came flying back. They hopped around triumphantly in the distance, carrying the stolen luggage on their backs.
The leader was especially arrogant—it tilted its head back to drink from their water canteen, deliberately giving Luffy a provocative look (¬‿¬).
"Damn it!" Luffy's hair practically stood on end with rage. He was about to charge forward to take back the luggage when Sol suddenly stood up. His gaze sharpened, and an invisible wave of pressure exploded outward. The Fraud Birds were struck as if by a hammer—every single one rolled its eyes back and collapsed instantly.
Even more shocking: a giant lizard that had been lurking behind a distant sand dune was also affected and collapsed unconscious with a boom.
"Conqueror's Haki!" Ace instantly recognized the aura Sol had just released. He just hadn't expected Sol to control it with such precision that even a lizard so far away was knocked out.
Soon, the Fraud Birds and the giant lizard became delicious desert barbecue. Sanji skillfully skewered the meat chunks and set them on the scorching rocks: "Whoa—natural grill plate. Perfect temperature."
On the other side, Nami and Vivi were taking inventory of their supplies.
"Good thing—aside from some water being drunk, nothing else is missing," Nami sighed in relief.
"I found a camel!" Luffy excitedly dragged over a fainted camel at that moment. "It was lying right next to the lizard earlier!"
Not long after, the camel slowly woke up.
Through Chopper's translation, it raised its head proudly and said: "I'm just a passing camel. I was being chased by that lizard and suddenly fainted. Thank you for saving me, but—" It paused, giving Luffy and the others a disdainful look. "I'm a no-men-riding-ist. That's my translation."
"Hah?!" Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji instantly exploded.
"What the hell does 'no-men-riding-ist' even mean?!"
"What's a mere camel acting so arrogant for?!"
"I'm gonna turn you into camel steak!"
The three immediately pounced and gave the camel a thorough beating. The camel screamed in pain until it finally changed its tune: "Wait! What I meant was… I can let people ride, but never men!"
"What's the difference?!" the three roared, fists raining down again.
At that moment, Nami elegantly stepped forward and gently stroked the camel's cheek: "Sorry—my idiot family is too rough." She smiled tenderly. "Good child, what should we name you?" Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji immediately crowded around with suggestions:
"Dumb!"
"Idiot!"
"Stupid!"
Nami rolled her eyes and completely ignored them: "Decided—you're 'Eyelashes' from now on." With that, she nimbly mounted the saddle and sat steadily on the camel's back.
Eyelashes obediently nuzzled her hand—its earlier arrogance completely gone.
"Hey! Why is it so obedient to you?!" Luffy shouted in frustration.
Nami gave a smug smile: "This is the charm of women, you idiots~" Successfully abducting a mount.
Desert hot winds carried the aroma of grilled meat. Luffy tore into roasted bird viciously, mumbling through a full mouth: "Good thing Sol stepped in—otherwise those thieving birds would've really screwed us!"
Zoro swallowed a bite of meat, then looked toward Sol: "Hey—what was that move earlier? Ace called it 'Conqueror's Haki'?"
Sol—who had been in an "eating contest" with Ace—suddenly stopped. His throat moved as he swallowed a mouthful of roast meat.
He wiped the grease from his mouth; his expression turned serious: "It's the third type of Haki—different from Observation and Armament. A talent only one in millions possesses—known as the 'Qualification of a King.'"
For a moment, everyone subconsciously stopped eating.
Sol's voice rang especially clear in the vast desert: "Those with Conqueror's Haki can intimidate enemies purely with their presence. If controlled well, it can even make the weak faint instantly." He paused, then suddenly pointed at Ace. "This guy has it too."
"Cough cough!" Ace nearly choked on his roast meat. He quickly gulped water. "My Conqueror's isn't as precise as yours—compared to you, I'm way behind."
Sol frowned slightly: "Looks like you got too comfortable in Whitebeard's crew." His sharp gaze swept over Ace. "These past few years you weren't just focusing on developing your Flame-Flame Fruit, were you?"
"No way!" Ace protested indignantly. His arm instantly coated in pitch-black Armament Haki, faint air currents swirling around it. "My Armament has already reached emission level. It's just Conqueror's…" His voice lowered. "I haven't made much progress."
Sol looked thoughtfully at Ace. He seemed to understand something—Conqueror's Haki strength depended on the owner's spirit and ambition.
And the current Ace… perhaps because he had found a place to belong, that kingly ambition had been softened by brotherhood.
Zoro nodded in understanding. No wonder when he felt that burst of aura from Sol earlier, the birds suddenly collapsed unconscious. So that's how it works.
The group put the little incident behind them, filled their stomachs, and decided to rest here until early tomorrow morning before heading to Yuba.
The desert night was silent and bitterly cold. The daytime heat had vanished, replaced by bone-chilling wind.
Everyone found the most comfortable resting position they could to resist the extreme temperature change.
On one side, Nami curled up in Sol's arms, wrapped tightly in a blanket. The desert night was freezing, but Sol's body temperature was like a heater, letting her sleep especially soundly.
Eyelashes lay obediently nearby. Vivi leaned against its thick fur and gradually fell asleep.
Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji huddled around Chopper like warming penguins, pressed tightly together. Chopper complained "It's so crowded~" through his mouth, but his fluffy body became a natural heater, letting the four sleep deeply and sweetly.
Ace lay alone on a flat rock. As a Flame-Flame Fruit user, he wasn't worried about cold at all and slept soundly.
In this quiet desert night, only the occasional sparks from the dying campfire flickered, illuminating everyone's peaceful sleeping faces.
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