Chapter 92: The Wind and Sand are Too Strong for Talking
Chapter 92: The Wind and Sand are Too Strong for Talking
"Sandorra Lizards!"
Lily gripped the hilt of her sword, her voice calm as she said, "They never hunt alone; they always travel in pairs."
As the navigator, it was Lily's duty to gather intelligence about their destination when she heard Sag was heading to Rainland and Alba.
The deserts of Alabasta were treacherous, and even locals would not dare to traverse unknown territories. There were fixed paths that were considered safe.
However, in their haste, they had chosen an unfamiliar route, essentially crossing the desert.
Lily was well aware of the Sandorra lizards and their habits, and she had even made some precautionary preparations.
But before she could put those plans into action, they found themselves in a dire situation.
The lizards were massive, their pupils as tall as a person, and their huge fangs dripped with saliva. One bite, and not just the camels but they themselves would likely perish.
Yet, they were not invincible.
Just as Lily was about to draw her White Thunder, she paused, sensing something amiss.
"Get down!" she shouted.
Buzz!
The sky suddenly darkened, and the wind and sand, along with the nearby tidal river, seemed to still in that moment.
The two lizards, poised to attack, lowered their heads and pressed their entire bodies against the ground. If one looked closely, they could even see them trembling.
"Now, Plan B for crossing Rainland is activated. Without the camels, we'll use the lizards."
Sag approached one of the lizards and said, "Give me a ride to Rainland. You can do that, can't you?"
The reddish glow in those eyes seemed to understand Sag's command, and the massive lizard nodded very humanely. It sank most of its body into the sand, leaving only a portion of its back exposed, as if offering them a convenient platform to step on.
"Good."
Sag nodded in satisfaction and stood on the lizard's back, addressing the others. "Come on up. We're changing our mode of transportation to Rainland."
Sag always had backup plans, especially after hearing about Lily's findings regarding the strange creatures in the desert. Her intelligence had given him even more options.
"Camels were the first option. If they get eaten, we find something that eats camels, and whoever tames it takes responsibility! With my Conquering King's Haki, it's a breeze! These strange beasts might have brains the size of a bean, but it doesn't matter if they don't have the same level of emotions as sea beasts. As long as they can feel my overwhelming pressure, that's enough. I wasn't planning on keeping them for long anyway; we just need to get to Rainland."
As for the return trip, well, they'd figure that out when they got there!
The crew members, filled with trepidation, climbed onto the lizard's back. The other lizard, though untouched, did not dare to leave. It simply watched its paired companion with hopeful eyes.
These creatures always traveled in pairs, and they died together as well.
Sag didn't concern himself with such sentiments. Once he saw that his crew was settled, he looked down and said, "Head to Rainland, then go west. I won't let you stop until we get there. Run until you drop, and don't you dare rest!"
Rumble!
The massive purple lizard lifted its body out of the sand and quickly moved its four limbs, kicking up a cloud of dust as it sped across the desert, soon disappearing from the ship-watchers' sight.
This was much faster than camels.
The high speed generated a lot of inertia, and without something to hold on to, they would surely be blown off. The crew members grabbed onto the lumps on the lizard's back to secure themselves during the rapid movement.
Sag stood tall, his arms crossed, unbothered by the oncoming wind and sand. His hair and fur cloak billowed in the wind, leaving an impressive silhouette for his crew, who admired him even more.
Unsurprisingly, it was Captain Sag's doing!
Lily even climbed from the lizard's back, which resembled a hill, to its head, facing the wind and sand. She said to Sag, "At this speed, we'll reach Rainland in an hour or two, Sag."
No one responded.
Lily turned to look at Sag and found him solemn, silent, just staring ahead.
Was there something ahead?
Lily looked instinctively. This endless desert was so vast that the horizon was invisible. Even with a sense of direction, one might fall into stagnation and confusion in this boundless expanse.
As a desert region, the area was sparsely populated. Otherwise, given its size, the population wouldn't merely be in the millions.
"Sag, I heard that the standing army here has a million soldiers. One in ten people becomes a soldier. If there are too many people, will your Conquering King's Haki..."
It's one thing to deal with a few thousand, but what about facing hundreds of thousands of soldiers? That's just too many.
If they entered Alba and were still harassed by soldiers, this group of a few dozen people wouldn't be able to fight against such a large number, no matter how skilled they were; they would eventually tire.
Sag's eyes flickered, glancing at Lily, and the nonchalance in his eyes seemed to tell her that he didn't put numbers into consideration.
Lily smiled and said, "So, it's your style after all. For a plan you've decided on, there are only alternatives, never failures."
"Huh?"
Sag asked curiously, "The wind and sand are too loud. I can't hear you clearly, Lily. What did you say?"
She had been chattering away by herself since the beginning, unfazed by the wind and sand blowing into her mouth.
Lily paused, the serious look on her fair face turning crimson as if it had been grilled. She twitched her mouth, and the veins on her sword-holding hand bulged. She immediately turned around and returned to the lizard's back.
Palu, who thought there might be danger ahead, was about to speak, "Lady Lily..."
"Shut up!"
Lily glared at him fiercely. "The wind and sand are too loud. Don't talk to me! Or I'll throw you down!"
"Yes!" Palu felt a sharp pain all over his body, and he shivered.
During the high-speed journey, none of the dozens of people spoke, and because of Lily's terrifying aura, they even dared not drink water. They just waited quietly.
Considering the inconvenience of the return trip and the temporary use of the lizards, Sag did not increase the number of people. If he remembered correctly, there should be crocodile mounts in Rainland, but just in case there weren't enough, it would be troublesome. So, he decided to maintain the current number of people.
After a little over two hours, the lizard slowed down, and ahead of them, the outline of a city appeared, gradually coming closer until they reached the city's side. The leading giant lizard stopped, and the one following behind also halted, quietly watching Sag.
This city in the desert looked much more luxurious than Rohara. Especially at the center, there was a huge building resembling a pyramid, and at the top was a symbol of a golden crocodile.
This was the headquarters of Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the hero of Alabasta.
It was also the largest casino in Rainland, the Rain Banquet.
Sorry, I'm a bit late; I had something to take care of. I'm still writing, and the next chapter should be ready by dawn, and there will be another one after that. Today, there will definitely be three chapters.
(End of Chapter)
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