As Tereza approaches Sandy Island at high speed, Alex feels the climate changing by the second.

The temperature gets warmer and warmer, the fresh breeze now feeling no longer unpleasant, but instead acting like a convenient way to cool off.

Tereza has only taken two small breaks and sped through the entire journey. Despite looking tired, her recovery has been swift. She really did a lot during this mission... I’m really grateful.

This is looking good... we made it. Back to this shitty desert hell.

Approaching the island from the South-East, Alex can barely spot the edges of Katorea, and a little while later, Nanohana as they fly over land.

“Straight North to Alubarna?” Tereza asks in her deep voice, briefly pulling Alex out of his thoughts.

“I... I’m not sure?” Alex stammers. “We don’t even know if this is the canon timeline or what the fuck is even happening. Let’s go to Alubarna, but... we need to keep a low profile. That means we use our disguises, like Benezia suggested before we left Water 7. These damn new bounties will attract a lot of attention, especially combined with their hatred after I took down two of their head guards. Come to think of it, I’ve weakened the Kingdom of Arabasta by doing that... and we have been supporting Baroque Works and the Rebellion as well.”

Recognizing the effects and consequences of their unintentional actions, Alex wonders, “How many players are even left? Aside from those five assholes, there should be more that are still alive. Some must be with the Straw Hats, a few more with the Kingdom.”

“I think so too,” Tereza yells.

Princess Jewel is not so sure! Peasants are Peasants. Even if they join the Knights, they’ll just be expendable Peasants. Nobody needs Peasants.

“Wow, you are expanding your choice of words. Now it’s not only Peasants, but even Knights,” Alex says, his voice slightly satirical.

Thank you, Soulmate. ❤️

“You...I...” Alex tries to complain, but just shuts up, deciding it’s not worth arguing with Jewel.

“Just forget it,” Tereza yells, losing interest in Jewel’s distraction. “Benezia? To Alubarna?”

“Yes, child,” she says, enjoying the cool breeze, ignoring Jewel’s banter.

Princess Jewel wants to visit the Spider's Cafe!

“...”

“...”

“...”

Why...?!

“Let’s see if you have learned anything, Alex,” Benezia snickers, her mood surprisingly positive. “Surprise me.”

“...”

Soulmate? We’re flying to the Spider's Cafe, right?

“Hell no!” Alex yells, causing Jewel to slump on his head. “And don’t throw a tantrum either.”

A short while later, Alubarna comes into view.

“Water 7 looked nicer,” Alex immediately comments at the sight of the city. “It looks vaguely similar from a distance, but I really didn’t miss this place. Come to think of it, I did nothing here besides hanging out with a gang and looting and burning down a place. This causes my blacked-out memories to resurface, what a drag....”

Tereza skillfully flies a huge arc around the city before reaching a certain distance, making sure to approach from the side of the sun, thus lowering the risk of getting discovered.

With that added layer of protection they, similar to last time, do not land outside the gates, but instead land in the outer regions of the city, near the wall, choosing a different district than last time.

“Why aren’t we going back to that gang?” Alex asks, as Benezia directs Tereza. “At least we know the place.”

“Because this is the shortest distance from the wall. Since Tereza approached from the direction of the sun, it makes no sense to now fly through the entire city—that will get us spotted immediately. Also, it’s best to avoid places we have been to. We shouldn’t risk it, gangs can’t be trusted, whether they act on Omega, the outer Wards of the Citadel, or on this desert island.”

“Fine,” Alex replies, agreeing with her. “Omega sounds surprisingly preferable to his place, though. I’d like a cool blue or green drink as long as it’s not prepared by a nasty Battarian. Maybe I could meet the owner of the Afterlife.”

“You shouldn’t mingle with that ancient and corrupt temptress,” Benezia comments. “When I was born, her reputation was already permanently sullied. Let us not talk about something unpleasant, especially when we are about to land. The mission takes precedence.”

“Fine,” Alex agrees.

Princess Jewel thinks Benezia looks older than Ari—

“Silence!” Benezia yells, her body glowing in Biotic energy.

“That one was really mean, Jewel... especially after the changes that happened to her once she entered the Realm. It’s also not true,” Alex defends Benezia, worried about Jewel getting flung off his head.

Ignoring the rambling, Tereza lands on a small roof, allowing the group to land without much attention and survey the scene at the same time.

As they land, Alex immediately summons Menchi.

[Summoning Supporter Menchi

Remaining Time until summoning: 18 Minutes, 08 Seconds

Warning: If the player leaves the vicinity of the current town, the summoning process will be cancelled.]

“Almost like last time,” he comments after seeing the system screen in front of him. “I guess since the distance between Alubarna and Water 7 is the same, it makes sense.”

Trying to hide himself, Alex immediately grabs [Jack’s Spare Silvery Mask] and wears it. He also puts on a loose and comfortable brown robe, which covers his entire body, including his weapon and armor, which he kept in his inventory.

With his mask, he is completely unrecognizable, at the cost of making him look somewhat suspicious, especially at first glance.

Meanwhile, Tereza also wears a robe—a more colorful red-and-white one—with a facemask covering her lower face, hiding some of her features.

Benezia also wears a similar black robe, opting for a full veil, obscuring her features almost as effectively as Alex’s [Jack’s Spare Silvery Mask]. However, despite that, her robe is a little tight, and her curvy body is standing out, contradicting her modest clothes.

Reminds me of those games on F95 with the sexy nuns that... no. Not the right time.

Despite feeling a little tense, Alex can’t help himself, and he carefully looks at her anyway.

Tereza does the same, and her gaze meets Alex’s. “Do we... tell her?” she asks.

“I... don’t think so,” he replies. “Let’s just ignore it... she can’t suddenly become less thick, right?”

“I guess so,” Tereza responds, unable to disagree. “I hope she doesn’t draw too much attention to herself.”

Funny for her to talk like that with her red-white robe.... Whatever.

Only Princess Jewel and Soulmate are dressed modestly. How obscene!

I have to agree with you, though you are not wearing anything.

The group carefully lingers around, deciding to stay on the roof, just observing for now.

This is boring. Princess Jewel wants to leave already.

“You know why we are doing this...” Alex remarks. “I am completely sure, you do.”

“Yes, she does...” Tereza adds. “She’s getting more and more spoiled. After this mission, she deserves a timeout. A long one.”

“I have to agree...” Alex mutters, sounding tired.

Princess Jewel is being framed. How mean.

A short time later, Menchi suddenly appears, already properly dressed in another robe, choosing to wear a brown one like Alex.

“That’s a little bland,” Tereza immediately says.

“I don’t want to draw attention to myself. Yours looks beautiful, but it’s a little tight, and the red color is too eye-catching. Men will stare at you,” Menchi explains.

“I... didn’t think of that,” Tereza admits, looking embarrassed. “I think colorful robes are not too much, though.”

“I guess so,” Menchi says. “It should be fine. Benezia is actually worse,” Menchi adds, grinning.

“Whatever do you mean?” Benezia asks. “I can’t imagine dressing myself more modestly.”

“Your... robe is a little tight around the bottom,” Tereza explains. “Sorry, I ... didn’t have the guts to tell you right away.”

“The robe’s size is not an issue,” Benezia states.

“Maybe we can look for another one,” Menchi wonders, still eyeing it.

“It is not an issue,” Benezia repeats, this time more forcefully, leaving no room for discussion.

“... let’s just move on, please?” Alex asks, looking uncomfortable. “The mission timer ends soon, and I want to at least get a feel for the city. We know the mission timer, but not where we are in the timeline—or even if things play out the same. We need to learn what’s going on in this city.”

With Alex in the lead, the group walks toward the door leading off the roof, only to find it locked.

“Locked...” Alex says, trying to open the door. “We could jump down the roof or we could...”

Suddenly, Jewel jumps down from his head and carefully inserts her legs into the keyhole. After just a few seconds, Alex hears a clack, and the door slowly but surely opens.

“You are... quite skilled,” Alex admits. “Good job!”

❤️

Walking through the door, the group quickly makes their way across the stone floor, descending a couple of floors in a hurry.

They then walk into the bustling city.

Thanks to their disguises, nobody recognizes them, and under the smoldering sun, they slowly but steadily head toward the city center.

“This is easier than I thought,” Alex notes, a confident smile forming behind his mask.

Thankfully, people are used to wearing these kinds of clothes here.

Suddenly, a troupe of rough-looking men carrying huge sabers appears. They yell at each other, looking excited, but also slightly impatient, like they’re in a rush.

One of them suddenly stumbles, letting go of a paper. A soft breeze carries it forward until it slaps right onto Alex’s mask, the wind keeping it stuck there.

“...”

“...”

A second later, the clumsy man walks over and peels the paper off.

“Sorry there, man,” he says, looking embarrassed. “We are bounty hunters, and we are looking for a big catch. Have you heard about it? The famous butcher, with his bounty of 169 million Belly, is rumoured to appear in Alubarna shortly. Of course, my crew will catch him and retire in one go!”

“Good luck with that,” Alex comments. “I’ll pass. That sounds too scary.”

“Hehe, I guess so!” the man says, laughing. “A wise decision. Only someone of my skill should try these risky tasks. If I catch him, I’ll buy you a drink, mask guy. See you.”

“Bye...” Alex whispers. “Idiot.”

A little further ahead, with Menchi in the lead, Alex can’t help but notice that she, without saying or indicating anything, has led the group toward the city center—where a lot of market stalls are currently built, carrying all sorts of goods, especially food and ingredients.

“No way! It’s him!” he hears Menchi yell, pointing toward a man accompanied by two women.

“Who?” Alex asks, looking in that direction.

In the distance, he sees a blond man around Alex’s height holding a lit cigarette, one of his eyebrows curled up in a weird manner, one half of his face blocked by his hair. The women are wearing colorful, yet skimpy, dresses with exposed bellies. One of them has short orange hair, while the other one has shiny blue hair styled in a ponytail.

Looking at them, Alex, who for once does not focus on the girls' bodies and curves, but on their identities, immediately becomes wary.

“That’s Sanji, Nami, and Vivi...” Alex states, whispering to the others. “Let’s move on. It’s best if we don’t draw attention to ourselves—”

“Sanji!” Menchi suddenly yells, smiling wildly, charging forward.

“Hm?” Sanji wonders, looking toward Menchi.

“I challenge you to a cook-off!” Menchi declares, pointing at him, removing her robe and revealing her usual skimpy outfit—and her knives underneath her robe.

“The fuck?!” Alex yells.

We only have around an hour of time before the mission ends? What is she doing?

Sanji, his face turning bright red, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he looks at Menchi with a perverted expression, immediately mutters. “Of course, my lady.”