"You don't understand, do you?"
Hailan's face showed complete confidence. "What is our mission here in Alabasta? It is to work with the royal army to maintain order and protect the royal family, not to capture a specific target.
Now, Sister Gion is stationed in Alubarna, the capital of Alabasta. With her there, the royal family is absolutely safe.
As for us? We just need to dock the warship here, showing that the navy is present. The pirates will naturally restrain themselves.
After all, unless necessary, pirates won't provoke the navy.
As long as the warship is docked here, this place is safe. The big pirates who dare to attack the navy directly are all in the New World."
Tina wasn't entirely convinced. "I understand what you're saying, but you can't overestimate the intelligence of pirates. Some of them aren't quite right in the head..."
Whoosh~
A black, round cannonball flew toward Tina's warship.
Tina swung her left hand, and a black fence, as soft as cloth, blocked the cannonball.
Boom!
The explosion covered Hailan's juice in soot, making him feel awkward.
The face slap came faster than a tornado.
So, there really are brainless individuals in this world.
Hailan suddenly remembered a saying: "With such a large population, you can't expect there to be no idiots. This isn't paradise."
Indeed, the predecessors didn't deceive me!
"Boys, sink that warship!"
On the pirate ship, a pirate with an eyepatch and a sailor's knife yelled from a distance.
Hailan only glanced at the pirate flag, and information about them popped into his mind: "The One-Eyed Pirates... Captain with a bounty of 44 million Berries..."
He then mimicked Aokiji, covering his eyes with a blindfold. "Tina, I'll leave this fool to your Black Gun Formation. I'll take a nap."
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki just praised you, and now you're acting more and more like Vice Admiral Kuzan."
"I'm giving you a chance to train your Black Gun Formation... No, wait!"
"No? What's wrong?"
"The weather is wrong!"
Hailan jumped up from his deck chair, his enhanced senses detecting changes in the air and the amount of dust.
Alabasta is a desert kingdom where sandstorms are common.
Hailan looked at a dust cloud on the horizon. "But there shouldn't be a sandstorm by the sea... That is... Crocodile!"
Crocodile, one of the earliest members of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Since becoming a "legal pirate" recognised by the World Government, this pirate, nicknamed "Sand Crocodile," had a bounty frozen at 81 million Berries, but his strength far exceeded that.
A Logia-type user of the Suna Suna no Mi (Sand-Sand Fruit)!
Before Tina could act, Crocodile, in his invincible Logia form, swept the foolish pirates into the sky.
A 44 million Berry pirate is as weak as a chick before an 81 million Berry pirate.
"Who... who is he?"
"Is he a guardian spirit from the desert?"
The nearby civilians were full of admiration and curiosity about Crocodile, who had suddenly appeared at the port.
The nearby warship seemed like a mere decoration.
The crocodile, clad in a black fur coat with a cigar in his mouth, exuded a strong boss aura.
Ignoring the murmurs of the civilians, he gathered the pirates' treasure into a sack, slung it over his shoulder, glanced at Hailan and Tina on the warship, and walked away step by step.
"Why is he in Alabasta? It can't be to attend Princess Vivi's centennial celebration, can it?"
Hailan kept his eyes on Crocodile while Tina watched Hailan's expression.
Seeing Hailan's regular expression, Tina finally breathed a sigh of relief. "The government has given them the right to legal plunder and tasked them with helping the navy fight pirates. He might have sensed an opportunity in Alabasta; there are plenty of targets for him to plunder legally here."
"Legal plunder" isn't limited to pirates; it includes all non-World Government member countries.
Watching the Crocodile's retreating figure, Hailan commented, "This Sand Crocodile seems to be a pirate hunter, interesting."
Tina added, "It's said he's well-regarded by the government, an ideal Warlord of the Sea."
"Buru Buru Buru..."
The Den Den Mushi in Hailan's pocket rang. The receiver's mouth suddenly widened. "Colonel Hailan, something big has happened!"
"Big? How big?"
"It's as big as the Navy Headquarters! You need to come back quickly!"
"Stop speaking in riddles and explain clearly!"
After a moment of silence, the Den Den Mushi imitated Buggy's conflicted expression: "It's... it's the pirate, 'Red-Haired' Shanks!"
"Red-Haired Shanks?"
"Red-Haired" Shanks, a pirate from the East Blue with a bounty of 60 million Berries.
Unlike the typically evil pirates, the "Red-Haired Pirates" seemed more like rare adventurers inspired by the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. Hence, their bounty wasn't too high.
But the "Red-Haired Pirates" were mighty, having defeated or evaded all naval attempts to capture them. Therefore, their bounty was not low either.
Though no navy personnel had ever died at the hands of the "Red-Haired Pirates," they were still considered a pirate group opposing the navy.
"Tina, I've found traces of the Red-Haired Pirates. I won't be dealing with the pirates defeated by Crocodile. See you later!"
Leaving these words, Hailan rushed to his warship.
He had long wanted to meet the Red-Haired Pirates, especially their sniper, Yasopp, who was highly praised by the navy.
Rumour had it that every marine who encountered Yasopp was shot by him, losing their weapon from a tricky angle.
According to the rumours, he even surpassed Kongming's sniper, Ganju.
Unlike brainless pirates, the "Red-Haired Pirates" had significant potential.
If left unchecked, they would undoubtedly become a significant threat to the Navy in the future.