Seeing Luffy and Tashigi like this, Nami, worried about misunderstandings, quickly gesticulated and explained, "Yes, but his current state has nothing to do with us; it's all that Crocodile's doing!"
Her eyes turned into Berries, and she even made a small joke, "Without us, he wouldn't have been able to get out of there. This isn't something pirates do, you know, Miss Marine. Shouldn't you give us some money?"
Tashigi ignored Nami's taunt for a moment. When she clearly saw the blackened wound on Smoker's shoulder and his cracked lips, she couldn't help but gasp, "Seven Warlords of the Sea… Crocodile…"
Vivi stepped forward, her expression serious: "I am the princess of this country, Nefertari Vivi. I can prove that what these pirates are saying is true; this Marine was severely injured by Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit ability!"
"Ah! That's right!" Chopper remembered this most important thing and immediately pulled a water bottle from his small backpack. "Luffy, quickly put him down!"
Listening to the ship's doctor, Luffy gently laid Smoker on the ground, one hand supporting his shoulder.
Chopper knelt beside him, first gently feeding him some water, then unzipped Smoker's jacket and carefully examined the wound on his shoulder. His small hooves gently pressed around the wound, then he leaned down to listen to Smoker's heartbeat.
"The situation is very dangerous."
His expression was solemn as he continued, "The toxins already show signs of spreading, and he is also severely dehydrated." He then quickly pulled out three different herbs from his bag, rapidly ground them in a small mortar, mixed them with water until smooth, and carefully fed the concoction into Smoker's mouth.
In just a short while, a miracle occurred.
Smoker's ashen face began to regain its color, and his shriveled body slowly became fuller.
"It worked!" Seeing the patient's condition improve, Chopper happily jumped up. Nami watched this miracle unfold from the side and couldn't help but exclaim, "Amazing, Chopper!"
"Colonel Smoker!" Tashigi knelt on one knee, nervously observing Smoker's condition.
Smoker's lips moved slightly, emitting an almost inaudible sound.
Luffy tilted his head, looked at his still somewhat shriveled and speechless state, and suddenly realized, "He must need water!"
Without another word, he directly took out the bucket of water that Mr. Toto had given him in Yuba and poured it down Smoker's mouth with a gurgling sound.
"Not like that!" Chopper shouted in alarm, seeing Luffy's reckless behavior.
However, unexpectedly, this crude method actually worked. Smoker choked on the water and coughed violently. A large amount of water drenched his entire body, but it also helped him regain more consciousness.
He spoke breathlessly, his voice weak but still audible: "Why…", "Why did you save me… Straw Hat?"
But for Luffy, this was no problem at all, just a perfectly normal thing. Luffy, with his signature smile, said, "You're not a bad guy, so of course I had to save you."
Smoker fell silent.
He lay on the cold ground, looking up at the ceiling of Rain Dinners, his heart in turmoil.
He hadn't expected to be defeated by Crocodile in just a few rounds, and even less had he expected to be saved by the pirates he had sworn to capture.
Just then, Tashigi's Den Den Mushi rang in her pocket.
"Report, Sergeant Tashigi, currently, the entire Royal Army of Alubarna is ready for battle on the city walls, and we've received intelligence that the Rebel Army has launched a full assault on the capital. The battle is about to begin."
Listening to her subordinate's report, Tashigi's eyes widened in shock: "What! What! How could this happen!"
Vivi, standing nearby, heard the news and painfully covered her mouth. Although she had already learned of this situation from Crocodile, receiving confirmation from the Marine once again struck her hard.
Vivi immediately calculated the travel distance in her mind, "From here… to Alubarna, it's still…" But as she spoke, her voice grew more and more desperate, "We won't make it…"
At the doorway, Luffy clenched his fists and began stomping his feet, snorting loudly: "Argh! We're going to Alubarna right now to punch that Crocodile!"
Zoro leaned against the wall, turning his head to look into the distance: "That guy has already gone far. At our current speed, it will be difficult to catch up."
An unexpected voice spoke up:
"I'll give you a ride…"
Smoker used all his strength to prop up his upper body, his face still pale, but his eyes had regained a hint of their former sharpness, "I don't want to owe this life."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Vivi's worried face: "Moreover, this country cannot end like this."
Chopper hastily supported his swaying body, saying worriedly, "You can't move around! Your injuries are still very serious!"
Smoker merely gently pushed Chopper's small hooves away and struggled to stand up: "It's fine, I'm not dead yet." He looked at Chopper, his voice unusually gentle: "Thank you."
Chopper immediately started wiggling, his small face flushed: "Even if a Marine praises me, I won't be happy~~"
Smoker said no more and walked directly to Billower, his unique motorcycle, parked at the entrance of Rain Dinners. He swung himself into the driver's seat, and the engine let out a low rumble.
"I can still fit a few people here," Smoker looked back at the Straw Hat, "If you really want to stop that guy, then come."
Tashigi covered her mouth in disbelief, seeing Smoker actually invite pirates, "Are we really going to cooperate with pirates?"
But Smoker had already gripped the handlebars, his gaze fixed in the direction of Alubarna: "Although this is a situation I despise, this country cannot be given up on yet."
He turned to Tashigi and gave an order: "Tashigi, you go contact the Marines nearby now. It would be best if you can find someone named Hina; she will come to help."
However, Tashigi stood her ground, her hands clenched into fists, her voice filled with unprecedented resolve: "Colonel Smoker, please let me go with you too! It's too dangerous for you to go alone with them!"
Smoker frowned deeply: "This is an order, Tashigi."
"Even if it's an order, no!" This was the first time she had so directly defied Smoker's command. "Your condition hasn't fully recovered yet, and we don't know what the situation in Alubarna is like. I can't let you go alone!"
Smoker was silent for a moment, looking at Tashigi's determined eyes, and finally grumbled, "Suit yourself."
A flicker of joy passed through Tashigi's eyes. She immediately turned and ran towards the unit that had been on standby behind them. She quickly issued instructions to the leading officer:
"Immediately contact all nearby Marine branches, especially Colonel Hina! At the same time, report the situation here to headquarters and request reinforcements for Alubarna!"
"But Sergeant Tashigi, where are you going…?"
"Execute the order!" Tashigi sharply interrupted, then turned and ran back to the motorcycle.
By this time, Luffy had already jumped onto Billower, and Vivi followed closely. Zoro was about to get on when he saw Tashigi running back, and he raised an eyebrow:
"It's already full, Copycat Woman."
Tashigi glared at him, puffing out her cheeks: "What nonsense are you spouting again! I'm not overweight!" She said, squeezing onto the vehicle as well.
Watching this scene, Smoker shook his head helplessly: "Hold on tight, prepare to depart."
Tashigi nimbly found a spot and firmly gripped the handrail of the vehicle. Seeing this, Zoro could only turn his head away and settle down beside her.
Sanji, at the entrance of Rain Dinners, took a drag from his cigarette and said to Zoro, "If you lose, I won't respect you."
Zoro just smiled and didn't reply.
Smoker took one last look at this group composed of pirates, a Marine, and a princess, took a deep breath, twisted the throttle, and began to activate his Smoke-Smoke Fruit ability.
The engine roar suddenly intensified, and Billower shot out of Rain Dinners, raising a long trail of dust in this city of dreams, heading straight for Alubarna.