In Alabasta, within the endless desert, the blazing sun hung high in the sky, pushing the temperature in the desert center up to fifty degrees. In this desolate, rootless wasteland, a massive boulder appeared to be moving on the horizon.
It wasn’t exactly a mountain, but a gigantic sand-covered rock, estimated to be over a hundred meters tall, with an unmeasurable weight.
Next to the enormous rock was a smaller stone. A yellow duck, tongue hanging out, looked despondently at the horizon, resembling a hopeless beggar with a numb expression.
“Phew… Phew…”
Panting heavily, Foxy was drenched in sweat. His exposed, scarred upper body was darker than before, as he dragged the giant rock across the sand with a makeshift rope.
“Plop…”
Nearby, Donald Duck couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed, tongue out, looking quite miserable with a significantly slimmer rear end.
Foxy stopped and looked at Donald Duck with some amusement.
“Go fetch water! I’ll wait for you up ahead.”
“Quack…”
As soon as Foxy mentioned fetching water, the previously exhausted Donald Duck sprang up energetically, saluting Foxy with his wing before slipping out of the harness and darting off, disappearing in a flash.
Watching Donald Duck vanish, Foxy bent down, grabbed the rope Donald had been pulling, and continued dragging the two rocks toward the desert’s center alone.
It had been a month since they arrived in Alabasta. The first half was spent recovering from injuries, and the second half was dedicated to non-stop training.
Now, Foxy could skillfully use Soru, Geppo, and Shigan. He continued to develop his Devil Fruit abilities at night and doubled down on his basic training.
Step by step, Foxy moved towards the sun, aiming for the giant crabs’ habitat.
He originally planned to head to the nest of the Sandora lizards, but yesterday, not a single lizard was there.
Unbeknownst to him, the Sandora lizards were almost wiped out due to his presence in the desert. The few remaining lizards had already moved elsewhere.
It wasn’t just the Sandora lizards; even the giant crabs had vanished. Foxy was destined to return empty-handed this time, as the crabs had long since abandoned their ancestral home to avoid extinction.
After five or six hours, Foxy arrived at the crab habitat with both rocks in tow. Coincidentally, Donald Duck reappeared with a wooden bucket filled with water hanging around his neck.
“If I remember correctly, it used to take you only a few minutes to fetch water. Why did it take five or six hours this time? Your speed hasn’t decreased, has it?”
Foxy asked, watching Donald Duck, who looked away guiltily. Donald Duck wouldn’t admit that he had intentionally slacked off to avoid pulling the rock.
Without pressing the matter, Foxy took the bucket and asked, “Did you drink?”
“Quack.”
Donald Duck nodded, indicating he had drunk his fill.
“Alright, see if you can find us some dinner. They’ve gotten smarter and aren’t attacking me anymore.”
Foxy pointed to the desert, drinking the water in big gulps.
Nodding, Donald Duck trotted into the desert, occasionally scratching the ground with his claws. After several minutes with no response, Foxy realized there were no creatures in the area.
Using Soru to move swiftly through the air, Foxy found that there were no life signs within a radius of several kilometers.
Landing, Foxy’s face darkened. The giant crabs had disappeared just like the lizards. Had he hunted too aggressively?
“Quack… Quack…”
Donald Duck ran back to Foxy, frustrated after realizing the problem.
“Alright, they’ve fled. It’s been a month; time to check out Alabasta’s capital and maybe find a Log Pose.”
After a moment of thought, Foxy decided to visit the capital city. It was time to return to Marineford.
Hearing they were going to Alabasta, Donald Duck hesitated.
“No time to waste, let’s go!”
Patting Donald Duck’s head, Foxy mounted his back. Surprisingly, he hadn’t visited any of Alabasta’s towns in the past month, focusing solely on desert training.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing Donald Duck stand still, Foxy thought he might still be upset.
“Quack.”
Shaking his head, Donald Duck sprinted off faster than ever before.
Yuba Town, one of Alabasta’s oasis towns, had gradually turned into a desert since Crocodile became a Warlord of the Sea and arrived in Alabasta.
Despite most of Alabasta being desert, the kingdom was bustling and prosperous, just like Yuba Town.
Half an hour later, Foxy and Donald Duck reached the town. But as they prepared to enter, an unexpected event occurred.
Riding on Donald Duck, Foxy saw ten ducks blocking their path. The leader wore a horned hat and was twice the size of Donald Duck.
The group included both male and female ducks, ranging from adults to ducklings.
For some reason, Foxy felt these ducks were disdainful of Donald Duck and quite hostile.
Donald Duck trembled, wanting to approach but also scared.
Foxy frowned. Over the past month, he had come to see Donald Duck as an important partner.
Every evening, he noticed Donald Duck staring into the distance, looking forlorn. Foxy had asked, but Donald Duck never explained.
If Foxy remembered correctly, Alabasta’s ducks usually moved in flocks. But Donald Duck had been alone since they met, with no other companions.
It seemed the root of Donald Duck’s daily melancholy was here.
“Have they been bullying you?”
Foxy landed on the ground, looking at the aggressive ducks.
“Quack… Quack…”
Donald Duck shook his head, seemingly making a big decision as he slowly approached the group.
It was unclear what was said, but Donald Duck soon lowered his head as the leader duck-slapped him to the ground. The other ducks then began to kick him with their claws.
Donald Duck lay there, covering his head without fighting back.
“What the hell?”
Foxy was initially stunned. When he regained his senses, he roared in fury.
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