Along the way, Sal had many questions and seemed curious about everything, chatting idly with Batu.
"Speaking of which, Batu, when I arrived in this city during the day, I saw a place with many tents and people mostly carrying weapons. The atmosphere was very different. What's going on there?" Sal asked casually.
Batu's eyes immediately sparkled with excitement, and he said, "You saw it! That's the Rebel Army's camp! Isn't it cool! They are going to overthrow…"
He suddenly trailed off, his voice dropping, and he uncertainly corrected himself, "…is, no… I guess it should be…"
Sal looked at the somewhat contradictory Batu and then gently asked, "You seem to really like them. Is there something wrong with this country? Is that why the Rebel Army is needed?"
"Good… not good…"
Batu's small face wrinkled. He seemed very conflicted. "Because this country has no rain… The rainwater is… it should be in the King's hands, right? That's why the Rebel Army wants to…"
Compared to what he said when he first met Tomioka, Batu was now a bit hesitant. In his mind, the gentle yet weary face of King Cobra, whom he had met today, appeared.
Were those few words, that warm hand stroking his head, real?
Or were they faked to deceive him?
Perhaps, secretly, he was still a bad guy who didn't care if everyone died of thirst in the drought… Just then, they had arrived at Matar's doorstep.
Matar didn't open the door immediately. Instead, he turned to Sal, and unlike his strange tone when he returned, he now spoke with a rare firmness: "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the King."
"It's this country… it's enveloped by something, that's why it became like this."
He paused, his cloudy eyes filled with an indescribable worry and helplessness. "Don't be fooled by the rumors outside. If you've been to Alubarna, if you've been fortunate enough to meet the King, you'll definitely know that he is absolutely not the kind of person who would control the rainwater and disregard our lives."
This was a rare instance where he didn't scold Batu about the Rebel Army.
However, he still clearly conveyed his belief to this foreign traveler. He didn't want the King, whom he respected, to be slandered in the hearts of people outside this country.
Tomioka listened to all of this quietly from the side.
He touched the letter in his in my arms, which Cobra had entrusted to him to deliver to the leader of the Rebel Army. Now that Matar and Batu were home, he could go and carry out this mission.
"I'm going to walk around elsewhere," Tomioka suddenly said.
Batu and Matar both looked at him, and even Sal cast a curious gaze.
"Eh!? Big Brother Tomioka, where are you going so late?" Batu asked.
"To find the Rebel Army. I have something to give to their leader."
"Going now?" Batu was a bit surprised, then looked into the distance. The direction of the camp he knew no longer had the noisy sounds and lights.
"Now isn't really suitable, it's too late. Although there are people on night watch at the Rebel Army camp, their leader, Koza, might not still be at the camp. He probably rested long ago."
"Besides, you don't know the way, and you don't know what Koza looks like. How will you find him?"
Sal listened from the side, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
This taciturn, one-armed samurai was now going to deliver something to the Rebel Army? There must be something going on.
He didn't interrupt, just silently observed Tomioka.
Batu continued to persuade, "Tomorrow! Tomorrow morning, I'll take you! I know the way, and I've seen Koza a few times, so I can help you find him!"
"Just rest well tonight. Dash is tired too, you know."
Tomioka looked to the side and saw Dash, who was already exhausted and sprawled out by the door. He then looked at Batu's sincere small face and thought about how he indeed knew nothing about the Rebel Army's camp.
He was silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
"Mhm."
Matar also seemed to sigh in relief, simply taking out the key and pushing open the door.
The interior of the house was much better than the temporary lodging in Alubarna. Although still somewhat simple, it at least had a lived-in feel, with tables, chairs, and beds all present, and it was kept relatively clean.
Matar pointed to a relatively intact wooden chair inside and said to Sal, "You can sleep here tonight. It might not be very comfortable, but please make do."
Sal thanked him again: "It's fine, I'm already very grateful."
Matar nodded and then led Batu and Tomioka into the inner room, where there were two simple beds.
He quietly told Batu to take good care of Tomioka, then wearily sat on a stool, rubbing his brow, not immediately intending to sleep.
Tomioka carefully put the letter away again, then lay down with Batu.
Batu, exhausted from a day of excitement and travel, fell asleep almost as soon as he touched the bed, emitting even breaths. Tomioka, however, kept his eyes open, listening to the faint sounds from the outer room and contemplating his actions for tomorrow.
Only after Sal outside confirmed that everyone in the inner room seemed to be settled did he take off his hat.
This revealed his golden, wavy, center-parted short hair. He had a noticeable scar over his left eye, which he cleverly obscured partially with the slightly longer hair on his left side.
The relaxed traveler's expression on his face vanished, replaced by a calm thoughtfulness.
"Really… Mr. Dragon sent me to check, and it seems this place is even more complicated than I imagined," he sighed silently, taking a pipe from the inside of his long robe and leaning gently against the wall.
This man, pretending to be a traveler, mistaken for a thief, and using the alias Sal, finally dropped his disguise.
He was now the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army, the Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff—Sabo.
He recalled what he had seen today: a drought-stricken town, confused populace, a potentially slandered king, a powerful Rebel Army, and the presence of a Shichibukai stationed here.
"A foreign samurai… is actually delivering something to the Rebel Army? What's his purpose?" Sabo muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tapping his knee. "And that old man whose eyes kept darting around, he kept clutching his pocket."
His gaze turned to the doorway of the room down the corridor, where Tomioka was.
"Tomioka…"
Sabo murmured the name; he had learned it from Batu's address.
Over the years, traveling through different countries, observing countless people, and helping countless nations in dire straits, he had developed an intuition that by following this man tomorrow, he would make new discoveries.
And there were still ten hours until the Ideal Land project was launched.