On the way back from the Rebel Army camp, the three of them looked at the chaos without saying a word. Tomioka walked in front, his silhouette stretching long in the sunlight.
"I wonder how things are with Koza," Sabo's voice came from behind, breaking the silence.
"Koza Big Brother is so amazing, he'll definitely be fine!"
Unlike when they arrived, Katorea's streets seemed to have taken on a different face. Panic filled the air, along with a stirred-up excitement.
"Did you hear? They're going to fight in Alubarna!"
"The Rebel Army and the Royal Army... will we be safer hiding at home?"
"I don't know, but Koza seems to be launching a full-scale attack!"
Fragmented words constantly drilled into their ears.
They could see some faces they had seen in the camp earlier, rushing past. Some were returning to the camp, while others were rushing back to their homes, emerging with pitchforks, or even a cooking spatula, in their hands.
Sabo quickly stepped forward and stopped a young Rebel Army soldier who was carrying a bundle of wooden sticks and preparing to run off.
"Excuse me, brother, what happened? What's going on with everyone?"
The young soldier's face was flushed, and he spoke extremely fast: "It's going to be a fight! Koza has already given the order to settle things with the Royal Army in Alubarna!!"
"A fight?" Sabo was already starting to feel uneasy. "What's the situation in Nanohana?"
Hearing Nanohana, the soldier's face showed some displeasure, "That Cobra, he actually led the Royal Army to open fire. Now Koza is beating them to a pulp!"
Before he finished speaking, another Rebel Army soldier ran from nearby, shouting to his companion, and seemingly to everyone who could hear:
"Don't go back for that junk! Go to Nanohana! Hurry to Nanohana!"
His shouts attracted everyone's attention.
"There's a cargo ship carrying weapons! For some reason, it crashed into the dock! The boxes on it are all new weapons and firearms! You can take whatever you want!"
The crowd instantly erupted in a greater commotion.
"Really?!"
"That's great! Finally, I don't have to carry this broken stick!"
The young soldier stopped by Sabo's eyes immediately lit up. He broke free from Sabo's hand and looked at Tomioka and the other two:
"Are you joining us too? Come with us to get weapons, then go to Alubarna! We'll never lack weapons again!"
He finished speaking and didn't linger, following the crowd rushing towards Nanohana. The people on the street were shouting and running, forming a chaotic torrent, all surging in the same direction.
Batu stood there blankly. His previous longing for the Rebel Army seemed to be fading away bit by bit at this moment.
"How could this be... This isn't... Shouldn't we find out the truth first..."
Sabo's face completely darkened. "Precisely at this time, a ship full of weapons appears..."
He almost gritted his teeth as he said, "This is absolutely planned, just to ensure this war can start, and be brutal enough."
Tomioka watched the running figures and listened to the fervent shouts.
Vivi's letter, Koza's trust yet still launching a full-scale attack, the soldier monitoring them, and the weapons they heard about... The giant wheel of war had been forcefully pushed, rolling forward. Individual efforts seemed so small and powerless in the face of a long-planned, massive conspiracy.
He stopped and said to Sabo and Batu:
"I'm going to Alubarna."
"Huh?!"
Batu looked up in surprise, his face full of confusion, "Big Brother Tomioka! Why are you still going there? Shouldn't we go stop Koza and the others?"
Tomioka's gaze turned towards Alubarna, looking at the city about to be engulfed in war.
"Someone told me Crocodile would appear there."
Sabo immediately understood his intention, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes, "I understand. As long as we can eliminate Crocodile, the mastermind behind everything, there."
"Even if we can't immediately stop the war that has already begun, it will be enough to shatter his plot to seize the country, and at least ensure this country doesn't fall into the hands of pirates."
Tomioka nodded: "Mm."
Stopping the war was no longer something a few of them could achieve, but destroying the source of the conspiracy still offered a glimmer of hope.
Just as they made their decision, a commotion suddenly erupted ahead, mixed with angry curses. A thick smoke with an unusual smell curled up, particularly noticeable in the dry air.
The closer they got, the denser the crowd and the louder the noise. They squeezed their way to the front of the crowd step by step, and the sight that greeted them made their hearts sink slightly.
In the center of the square, Matar stood there.
His body trembled slightly in the smoke, his face streaked with tears of old age. He stretched out his hands towards the indifferent sky, shouting with all his might:
"Rain! Please!"
"Hurry and rain! Make this damn war stop!!"
But his cries brought nothing. All those sacks of flour he had brought from home to Alubarna, he hadn't brought back a single cent, simply because he had heard from others that a certain place could exchange for a little Dance Powder.
The only response he received was not a refreshing rain, but the ignited fury of the surrounding crowd.
"It's Dance Powder! He's burning Dance Powder!"
"This old geezer is also a lackey of the King!"
Insults were hurled at Matar, word by word. He listened to these voices, looked at the motionless sky, then lowered his head to look at the pile of fakes at his feet that only smoked but had no effect. The last glimmer of light in his eyes completely extinguished.
He understood. He still hadn't managed to save anything.
"Grandpa!"
Batu rushed out of the crowd, shielding his grandfather. "You... you're not allowed..." He stood alone in front of everyone, and even the crowd's curses carried spittle that splattered on Batu.
"Batu... Grandpa made a mistake..." Matar looked at little Batu, tears streaming down his face even more uncontrollably. He had never dared to tell Batu that he had exchanged all the family's large stock of goods in Alubarna for that small bag of Dance Powder.
Not to mention... now, this bag of stuff... was completely useless.
Seeing that some people in the crowd had already rushed out and were starting to raise their fists, Tomioka could no longer hold back, "Stop."
"He's just trying to stop this war in his own way."
He easily caught the other person's fist with one hand. Sabo also came out to smooth things over, "Ahaha, yes, yes, everyone, it's all a misunderstanding."
"Isn't there still no rain at all?"
Perhaps it was fear of Tomioka and Sabo's strength before them, or perhaps it was seeing that the pile of powder didn't really look like Dance Powder, but different voices began to emerge in the crowd, "That's Matar, isn't it? I recognize him."
"I've known him for many years, he's definitely from Katorea, everyone please let him go..."
Although other familiar neighbors recognized him, the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Matar, still lost in thought looking at the powdered residue, and Tomioka, Sabo, and little Batu.
It was also at this moment that a familiar, slightly anxious quack of a duck came. Dash, having recovered his strength, rushed to them with all his might.
Tomioka looked at Matar and Batu, but he knew there was no more time to waste. If they didn't go to Alubarna soon, the tragedies in Alabasta would only continue to increase like this.
He then squatted down, looking at Batu, whose eyes were filled with tears, at eye level. He raised his left hand and placed it on Batu's shoulder, "Stay here, and take good care of your grandpa."
Batu stared at him blankly, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, he just nodded vigorously.
Sabo, standing nearby, also came over and ruffled Batu's hair, "Now is the time to show your worth. Don't let grandpa cry anymore, okay?"
Tomioka no longer hesitated. He exchanged a glance with Sabo, and the two of them deftly flipped over and mounted Dash's back.
"Ga!"
Dash also knew that every second counted at this moment. His strong legs constantly pushed off the ground, carrying the two on his back towards Alubarna.
Tomioka took one last look back. In his vision, there was a distraught Matar, and Batu, tightly embracing his grandfather. This kind of tragedy, which was likely still unfolding across Alabasta, made him feel even powerless.
The only thing he could do now was to prevent this country from falling into Crocodile's hands.
He looked towards Alubarna, his voice low as he murmured, "It will definitely be stopped..."
Sabo heard Tomioka's sudden remark, "Hmm?"