One Piece: Power-Power Fruit

Chapter 112 Guardian Gods: Jackal and Falcon

Chapter 112: The Guardian Jackal and the Falcon

Arubana, the capital of the Kingdom of Alabasta, is home to more than half of the kingdom's population. Due to the prolonged drought in recent years, many towns have become desertified, forcing the people to migrate to more habitable locations.

"Hey! Crocodile has already been defeated, so why is the air here still so dry? It's really uncomfortable, Robin!"

After leaving the palace, Mu Chong and Robin didn't rush back. Instead, they strolled through the streets of Alubana, enjoying the beautiful sunset.

"Hehehe! Because the land here has been completely desertified, even without the influence of Crocodile, it cannot recover its original landscape in a short time. The dryness in the air will probably require a heavy rain, but with the current air quality, that's not easy!"

Robin, who had been walking beside Mu Chong, had a thoughtful look on his face. He looked up at the sky and slowly said to Mu Chong.

"Tch! Sha Crocodile is truly incompetent! He's ruined a perfectly good country like this, what a disaster!"

As Mu Chong walked, he picked his nose and berated Crocodile. Then, as if he had just remembered something, he looked up at the sky, a smile appearing on his lips.

"Hahahaha! Need rain? That's easy to solve! Hmm, when we get back we'll have Enel and Slade make some rain, it's so annoying being dry!"

"Huh? Is it really possible?"

Robin's expression faltered slightly upon hearing Mu Chong's mutterings, and he then asked...

"Ah! No problem! Hahahaha!"

The two then walked and chatted happily until they stopped in front of a statue.

"This is a statue of a falcon, one of the guardian deities of the Alabasta Kingdom! It is said that Bell, the vice-commander of the Kingdom's Guard, possesses the Zoan-type Devil Fruit, Falcon Mode! On the other side, there is a statue of a jackal! And another vice-commander of the Guard, Jakka, possesses the Zoan-type Devil Fruit, Jackal Mode! They have protected the Alabasta Kingdom for generations!"

Seeing that Mu Chong had stopped, Robin offered to explain the origin of the statue to him.

"Tch! Two guardian deities? And yet the entire kingdom has turned into this state. What are they protecting? The royal family or the common people? Trash!"

Mu Chong scoffed at this, saying that if someone is hailed as a guardian deity but has failed to fulfill their responsibilities, how can they have the face to erect a statue?

"Hehehe! It's said that this is a tradition of the Kingdom of Alabasta, where the guardian deities of each generation are a jackal and a falcon, hence the creation of these two statues!"

Seeing Mu Chong's disdainful expression, Robin covered her mouth and chuckled softly, then patiently explained...

"Huh? Robin, you mean that every generation of guardian spirits is made up of two animals: a jackal and a falcon?"

Upon hearing Robin's words, Mu Chong's eyes lit up instantly; he seemed to have grasped a crucial point.

"Hmm? Yes!"

Although Robin hadn't quite figured out what exactly interested him in the wooden splinter, he still replied...

"Hahaha! This is interesting! A nation of one of the Twenty Kings, with a guardian deity possessing the ability to pass on its heritage. It seems that Nefit D. Lily brought back quite a few good things back then!"

Mu Chong's eyes were fixed on the statue of the guardian deity, Falcon, and the smile on his lips grew wider and wider. Thank goodness Robin explained; otherwise, he would have missed such an interesting thing.

Thinking this, Mu Chong turned to Robin and gave him a satisfied smile, leaving the latter completely bewildered.

The scorching sun finally set, and the cool night air dispelled the daytime heat.

When Mu Chong and Robin returned to the Yoba City inn, Slad and Baku were already showing off their achievements to Enel and the others.

"Meow!!!"

"captain!"

When everyone saw Mu Chong walk in, they all stood up to greet him, and the white cat Mu Mu immediately pounced on his side.

There were six people in the room: four people and a cat from Slard's group, and a bald man sitting silently on the sofa.

Meanwhile, Vivi, who had worked with Slad to quell the rebellion, had already led the kingdom's people back to the palace.

"Hey! Hahahaha! Everyone's here! Perfect, let's have a feast! Hahahahaha!"

Standing in front of the door, Mu Chong looked around the house and, seeing everyone there, happily opened his arms and shouted.

"Hahaha! It seems the captain has encountered something happy! Let's have a feast!"

Slad was slightly taken aback, then joined in the shouting. He didn't care why there was a banquet; he just did what the captain said.

"Hahaha! How stupid of you, Slade!"

"Who are you talking about? You stupid boatman!"

And so, amidst the playful laughter and banter of the crowd, Mu Chong and his group, along with everyone from the Baroque Works, inexplicably began a banquet.

At first, the arrogant sand crocodile was unwilling to participate in the banquet. However, after Mu Chong removed its sea stone handcuffs and engaged in a friendly exchange, the sand crocodile finally gave up struggling.

At the banquet, everyone was united, and amidst the abundant food and delicious rum, the two groups chatted and laughed, getting along very well. Glasses clinked and laughter filled the air; in that moment, only freedom and peace coexisted.

The banquet lasted until late at night, and everyone present was thoroughly satisfied, their faces beaming with a lingering sense of contentment.

During this time, Mu Chong had another long talk with Sha Crocodile, and the crocodile finally seemed to have come to terms with reality. However, it would probably take some time before he could completely change.

However, to Mu Chong's satisfaction, Sha Crocodile abandoned his plans for the Kingdom of Alabasta and decided to recuperate for a period of time before setting sail again.

In the hotel, in Mu Chong's room, the crew of the Freedom were all sitting, their smiles still lingering.

"Hey, Enel, Slade, I'm giving you two a mission. The people of this country desperately need a downpour to end the drought. You two are lightning and cloud, respectively! It'll be easy for you!"

Mu Chong leaned back on the sofa, looking at Enel and Slade who were resting with their eyes closed, and slowly began to speak.

"Hmm? Rain? Hahaha! No problem, Captain!"

Slad was taken aback, then looked at his right hand, which had transformed into a cloud, a bright glint in his eyes, and confidently said...

"Tch! To make me, a god, cooperate with that idiot Slade is an insult to the name of Thor!"

Enel picked his nose, his expressionless face full of disdain, and as he spoke, he stood up and walked outside.

"Fool! Boatman! Who are you talking about?"

Slade was instantly enraged, got up and chased after Enel, cursing all the while.

"Hahahaha! Baku, Aisha, and Mumu, you three get some rest early, get ready to set sail tomorrow!"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Meow!!!"

After the two left, Mu Chong slowly walked to the window, feeling the dark clouds gradually gathering in the sky. The expression on his face changed from satisfaction to solemnity.

"Hehehe! Then let's go visit Cobra again. The method of passing on Devil Fruits is quite interesting, isn't it?"

Mu Chong looked at the crescent moon obscured by dark clouds, his lips twitching slightly as he murmured to himself.

Click!

Rumble!

A thick bolt of lightning struck from the sky, illuminating the entire earth. Immediately afterwards, a deafening clap of thunder resounded throughout the island, followed by continuous thunderclaps.

Whoosh!

Just when everyone was confused about what was going on, the rain poured down.

At this moment, the entire Kingdom of Alabasta erupted in excitement. Every citizen rushed out of their rooms, and even though it was late at night, nothing could stop everyone from wanting to embrace the rain.

Everyone was shouting and laughing loudly, running freely in the rain, sharing this long-lost happiness with one another. Some even knelt in the rain and wailed.

In a lavishly decorated bedroom in the Alabasta royal palace, Cobra felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders, now that the rebel problem was resolved, and so he went to bed early that night.

But Cobra had only been asleep for a short while when he was jolted awake by a deafening clap of thunder. Lying in bed, Cobra quickly got up to check, but when his gaze fell on the window, a wave of immense fear instantly washed over him.

"Who...who are you?"