he sky wasn't fully bright yet, and the desert's chill hadn't been dispelled by the rising sun.
Tomioka had already opened his eyes. Although it was a rare opportunity to sleep on a bed on land, the country's crisis was imminent, and there wasn't much time for him to lie there enjoying the softness of the pillow.
He quietly sat up, glanced at Batu, who was sleeping soundly on the adjacent bed, and then reached out, gently pushing his shoulder.
"Ugh… Big Brother Tomioka?" Batu rubbed his sleepy eyes as he sat up, muttering softly.
"It's time to go."
Tomioka's voice was as calm as ever, though it carried a hint of urgency.
The two tiptoed out of the inner room. Passing through the hall, they found Sabo already awake, sitting against a chair by the wall, seemingly waiting for them.
When Sabo saw Tomioka and Batu emerge, he immediately stood up, his face showing that perfectly natural curiosity a traveler might have.
"Good morning. Are you… heading to the Rebel Army?" Sabo initiated the conversation, asking in a natural tone, "I'm quite interested in the situation here too. May I come along with you?"
"Oh, yes, yes!"
Batu immediately perked up, answering before Tomioka could. "I'll take you to see it! Koza and the others are really amazing!"
This person isn't that simple.
Tomioka could sense that beneath Sabo's relaxed exterior, he might be more than just a traveler, but he didn't expose him. He simply nodded and said to Batu:
"Let's go."
His gaze swept to the corner. Dash was still sprawled there, emitting soft snores, his chest rising and falling with his breath.
"He snores too," Batu squatted down curiously to look, whispering, "He must have been really exhausted yesterday."
Tomioka looked at the exhausted Fast Run Duck, a flicker of guilt in his heart. He didn't like the feeling of troubling others, and even if it was just a duck, he didn't want to bother it so much.
They were only going to the camp, and the journey wouldn't be far. Let him rest a bit longer.
So, the three left the house and stepped into Katorea's chilly streets.
In the early morning desert town, the air carried a clean coolness.
The sun had just peeked over the distant horizon, its light illuminating the earthy-yellow buildings, casting long shadows. There were few pedestrians on the street, only a few early-rising vendors arranging flatbreads and steamed buns, preparing to sell breakfast.
The entire city had not yet fully awakened from its slumber, and this silent feeling was like the calm before a storm.
The closer they got to the Rebel Army's camp, the more palpable the sense of oppression became.
Clusters of makeshift tents began to appear in their vision, and they could see more and more people in various attire moving about.
Some were wiping their weapons, some were conversing in low voices, and many more were silently tidying their gear, all in preparation for today's decisive battle.
When Tomioka and the two other obvious outsiders appeared at the edge of the camp, they immediately drew countless gazes.
Some were merely curious glances, some were undisguised suspicion, and some, even, were scrutinizing gazes tinged with faint hostility.
Tomioka could feel that several pairs of eyes remained fixed on the three of them, never once leaving.
"They're all staring at us," Sabo said, walking beside him.
"Ah, ha ha ha, of course they are!"
Little Batu didn't mind these stares. He just didn't like being watched by the Royal Army. He puffed out his small chest, "We're not the Rebel Army, so it's good enough that we can get in! Luckily, I know some people here!"
Tomioka walked in silence, letting Batu lead the way and greet the occasional acquaintances. They passed through layers of tents, eventually arriving at the central area of the camp.
The crowd here was noticeably larger, everyone carried weapons, and the atmosphere was even more tense.
A tall man with a severed right arm blocked their path. "Stop! What are you here for?"
"Heh heh, Big Brother Farafra! It's me, Batu!" Batu immediately jumped out, his face beaming with excitement and a smile. "We're here to see Koza! We have something very important to give him!"
"Something? What something?" The man called Farafra frowned slightly. He didn't relax his guard just because this was a child he had seen on the street.
But little Batu actually didn't know what it was. He subconsciously turned to look at Tomioka. "What is it, Big Brother Tomioka…?"
Tomioka took out the carefully preserved letter from his embrace, handed it over, and said, "Princess Vivi's letter. Your leader will know."
As soon as these words were spoken, the people present were instantly surprised.
"Vivi?!"
"Did that guy say 'Princess'?"
"Are these guys from the Kingdom?!"
Several Rebel Army members nearby even began to slowly surround them, and some had already gripped their weapons tightly. The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Batu also looked very surprised, gazing at the letter in Tomioka's hand. "So it's Princess Vivi's letter! Did the King give it to you?"
Just then, the tent flap was pushed open, and a person emerged.
He had short, choppy dark brown hair, a noticeable scar over his left eye, and wore a reddish-brown trench coat cinched by a dark green belt, with orange gloves on his hands.
"Koza!"
After their leader came out, the people around immediately quieted down a bit.
"It's him, it's him! He's Koza!" Batu excitedly whispered to Tomioka and Sabo.
Koza's gaze swept over everyone present, finally resting on Tomioka, who held the letter, and he said, "I am the leader here, Koza. Hello."
"Hello, Mr. Koza."
"Hello, hello! Big Brother Koza!!" Batu excitedly waved his hands. These past two days had truly been like a dream for him; he had entered the palace, which he had never been to before, and now he could even meet the Rebel Army leader he had always admired.
Tomioka didn't speak, he just extended the hand holding the letter further forward.
Koza glanced at Tomioka, then reached out and took the letter. His gaze lingered on the envelope for a moment, as if identifying something, then he said to the three, "Come inside."
The furnishings inside the tent were very simple: only a rough wooden table and a few chairs, and an extremely long sword leaning against the wooden table.
"Conditions in the camp are limited, so I have no tea to offer you. My apologies."
Koza pulled up some stools next to them, gesturing for them to sit, then opened the letter and began to read its contents.
Silence fell within the tent, broken only by the faint rustling of paper as Koza read the letter.
Tomioka just sat quietly. He knew that this matter could not be reversed or changed by him alone, but required this leader to clearly judge the true nature of the situation.
Sabo, meanwhile, casually surveyed the tent's surroundings, but in reality, the corner of his eye never left Koza. Little Batu beside him, however, couldn't sit still, looking from one thing to another, his small face full of anticipation and nervousness.
As time passed, Koza's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and his fingers gripping the letter paper subtly tightened.
"…This…"
He finally looked up, his voice a little hoarse, his gaze complex as he looked at Tomioka.
"The handwriting and tone of this letter are indeed Vivi's… But the letter says that everything in Alabasta, the drought and the civil war… are all due to an organization called Baroque Works intervening from behind the scenes, and their mastermind… is Crocodile?"
Koza swallowed, his throat tight, his expression as if he hadn't yet accepted this truth.
"Crocodile, he may be a pirate… but usually… this is just too…"
"What?! Mr. Crocodile??? The mastermind?!" Batu suddenly jumped up when he heard this, his voice particularly loud, even carrying a bit outside the tent.
"What is all this?! Impossible!"