Another five days passed.
The Black Glory finally arrived at Alabasta.
The vast desert kingdom stretched before them once more.
As they returned, Robin looked expectant and asked Mio, "Captain, is our goal this time the historical text?"
"Yes," Mio nodded, rubbing Robin's head affectionately before turning to the Renee sisters. "Next, it's up to you two."
"Don't worry, sir." Renee nodded confidently.
Penny also waved her fist seriously. "We'll definitely surprise you, sir!"
"Then I'll look forward to it." Mio smiled. After handing over some items to the girls, they disembarked and headed toward the nearest port of Alabasta.
"Are we heading straight to the capital, sir?" Lilith, dressed in hot pants, a short-sleeved shirt, and a pair of blue high-heeled sandals, asked as she stroked her hair.
"No, not yet. We need to pinpoint the location first." Mio shook his head and snapped his fingers.
Immediately, the warriors of the Shadow Corps emerged behind him.
There were nine in total, each possessing unique traits. Among them, the Ninja Corps remained the most balanced.
"Find this man's location and report back to me," Mio said as he handed over a bounty poster of Crocodile.
One of the Shadow Corps warriors took the bounty and nodded. A shadow appeared beneath their feet, and in the next instant, the Shadow Warriors sank into it and disappeared from sight.
"Alright, now we wait." Mio stretched lazily, turned, and walked back to the cabin to fetch a bottle of whiskey.
Relaxing under a parasol on the deck, with a platter of fresh fruits cut and served by Erica, Mio found it hard not to feel content.
Gulp, gulp.
Mio took a deep sip of the whiskey and began to reflect on his current abilities.
Since arriving in this world, he had obtained many powers—though most were passive rather than active.
Warwick granted him the War Heart, Erica the Sword, Hanba the Sound of the Sea King, and Talos the Endless Life—all passive abilities.
Even the ghostly body obtained from Penny was a semi-passive ability.
His active powers included the replacement ability, Dragon Slayer Magic (Fire Dragon branch), Sharingan, the ability to summon the shadow army, as well as his personal mastery of swordsmanship and the three types of Haki.
Overall, Mio's abilities were not excessive in number, especially considering the summoning of the shadow army required little training.
For now, his main focus was on training his replacement ability and swordsmanship.
Dragon power was secondary, while Haki improvement had seemingly hit a bottleneck—it would take a significant opportunity to advance it further.
"If only I could replace the air…" Mio muttered, his gaze flickering. If he could manage that, it would be an incredible leap forward.
He could feel it was possible—the sensation lingered at the edge of his awareness—but he hadn't achieved it yet.
With a snap of his fingers, a white light circle expanded outward, covering the surrounding area.
This was his replacement field.
In theory, Mio could swap places with any non-living object within this field, even air. But something was missing—something crucial.
"It would be so much easier if the air had some kind of physical form," Mio muttered thoughtfully.
Then, a sudden idea struck him.
Immediately, he put it to the test.
Focusing, Mio activated his replacement ability.
Within the field, tiny white circles appeared, each about the size of a marble.
These circles, formed by the Replacement Fruit's power, enclosed small amounts of air—turning it into "objects" in Mio's perception.
Through a form of self-hypnosis, Mio regarded the air inside the spheres as tangible. And so, in his reality, they became real.
Without hesitation, he moved again.
One of the spheres instantly swapped places with Mio.
"It actually worked!"
A smile of delight spread across Mio's face. Although this wasn't a true enhancement of the Replacement Fruit's power, it was a major step forward in its application.
"It seems the master's ability has made real progress," Erica commented with a smile as she watched from her spot on the deck.
"Good progress indeed," Lilith added, her beautiful eyes glimmering. "Once the master develops his ability even further, I'll have a great excuse to ask him for personal instruction every day."
Robin, hearing this, rolled her eyes and returned to reading her book without saying a word.
At that moment—
On the deck—
A Shadow Corps warrior suddenly emerged from the shadows.
Mio's figure flickered and appeared before him in an instant.
"You found it?"
The warrior nodded and quickly pulled out a pen and paper, sketching a rough map at incredible speed.
Despite the rush, the quality of the map was impressive. From Mio's judgment, it detailed the capital city of Alabasta.
The Shadow Corps warrior circled a spot on the map and pointed directly to it.
Mio studied it for a moment before nodding. "So that's the place…"
"Got it."
With a casual wave, Mio dismissed the Shadow Corps warrior, who melted back into the shadows.
Putting away the map, Mio grinned and said, "Alright, everyone, let's go."
…
Meanwhile—
In the capital of Alabasta—
Inside the royal palace—
Cobra stood up sharply after reading the soldier's report.
"You said the Black Crow Pirates have appeared in Alabasta?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." The soldier nodded with a serious expression. "Should we issue a warning? Or notify the Navy Division Base?"
"No," Cobra said quickly, waving his hand. "We are no match for their strength. Issuing a warning would only provoke them. As for the Navy Division Base… forget it. If they learn it's the Black Crow Pirates, they probably won't even come to help."
Cobra was well aware of the realities of his country's naval division.
They had manpower, yes—but barely enough to serve as messengers, much less stand against a force like the Black Crow Pirates.
Even a random crew member from the Black Glory could likely overpower them with ease.
Moreover, after his last encounter with Mio, Cobra knew that Mio wasn't a pirate who killed indiscriminately. Compared to others, he was much easier to reason with.
Thus, Cobra wasn't panicking about his life—his concerns lay elsewhere.
"Go," Cobra ordered hurriedly. "Hide all the famous swords in the treasury. Move my study to a room with fewer books."
He paused, then added with urgency, "And find a place to hide the Devil Fruit stored in the treasury!"