Chapter 576: Passing the Stairs to Each Other
"I'm Bell, the vice-captain of the Alabasta Kingdom Guard." Bell introduced himself upon arrival, then asked, "Are you from Fishman Island?"
The word "friend" clearly delighted Princess Otohime and her companions. "Hello, Mr. Bell," she said, "I am Princess Otohime of the Ryugu Kingdom. This is Mr. Jinbei and my son, Shark Star. I'm sorry to hear your presence, but I wonder if His Majesty Cobra would be willing to meet you."
Jinbei and Shark Star nodded in greeting.
Bell returned the greeting and then said, "His Majesty is very pleased with your arrival. He was worried that you might be waiting anxiously, so he sent me to greet you first."
Everyone nodded in understanding that Mr. Bell's flying ability was very suitable for this kind of thing.
Bell continued, "Nahana is quite far from the capital. Would you please follow me by water to the port of Albana?"
Princess Otohime nodded: "I'll follow your arrangements."
Bell was invited to board the big ship of the Dragon Palace Kingdom. There was a huge eel under the ship. It was also Bell's first time to ride on a ship pulled by a giant fish, and it felt very novel.
"Captain Bell..." The guards on the shore were a little worried. The ship was full of fishmen, and there was also a Shichibukai. What if something happened?
Bell said, "Don't worry, these are our friends from Fishman Island. Princess Vivi has received a lot of care from them before. It would be very rude of you to do this."
The guards then realized that the island Princess Weiwei had mentioned, ten thousand meters below the sea, might actually be real. They all bowed their heads and said, "We're so sorry!"
"Everyone doesn't know much about fish-men, and they have some prejudices against the Seven Warlords of the Sea. I apologize ." Bell said sincerely, "I will teach them a lesson slowly from now on, so please don't mind."
"No, it's nothing. I'm actually quite surprised to see you." Princess Otohime said, "And how is Princess Vivi? Did she actually mention us?"
The big ship of the Dragon Palace Kingdom has started moving thanks to the efforts of the eels. This big deep-sea eel did not seem to feel uncomfortable at all when it reached the surface of the freshwater river.
However, the scorching sun in Alabasta forces it to dip its head into the water from time to time to get some moisture.
"The princess is doing well. She returned to Alabasta with the Amber Tour Group over half a month ago and mentioned Fishman Island in her speech," Bell said. "You came at the right time. The princess and Mr. Zhang Tatsuya are still here."
Princess Otohime said simply, "No, it's not a coincidence. We chose this time to come here after we learned that the Amber Tour Group had been staying in Alabasta for a few days."
If two countries that were originally strangers want to establish relations, there always needs to be an opportunity.
The actions of Princess Vivi, who has been to Fishman Island, and the Amber Travel Group, who are friends with both countries, are the best opportunity.
Bell understood this after a little thought and was slightly moved by Princess Otohime's honesty.
Jinbei tried to strike up a few conversation, which made Bell feel that this Shichibukai and Crocodile were indeed not the same kind of people.
Shark Star stood by and accompanied him, sitting upright. Although he was curious about everything, such as the sunshine, desert, oasis and town on land, he still tried to maintain the demeanor of a prince.
If his younger brothers and sisters were here, they would probably have started shouting.
The eels pulled the boat very quickly, and it didn't take long for them to reach the nearest port in Albania.
Cobra and Ikalem were already waiting nearby, while Gakka and a group of ordinary government officials and soldiers were waiting in line at the back, perhaps because if there were too few people it would seem that they were not taking it seriously enough.
Zhang Daye was also in the welcoming team, but the little girls all followed Weiwei to the rainy land and have not returned yet .
Princess Otohime, Jinbei, Shark Star, and the accompanying fish-man soldiers disembarked. Cobra stepped forward to shake hands and greet them: "Thank you for your hard work on the journey. Welcome to Alabasta."
"It's very rude of you to come visit us without permission," said Princess Otohime. "We are here to establish friendship with Alabasta. Please take care of us."
The two had a brief conversation, and Cobra invited Otohime and others to go to the palace for a detailed discussion, but before leaving, they all turned their eyes to Zhang Tatsuya.
Zhang Da was also looking at him and felt uncomfortable: "Have I done anything rude?"
Otohime said, "No, I'm just wondering why you haven't said anything today. Are you bothered by our sudden visit?"
"No, no," Zhang Da hastily denied. "It doesn't matter what we say in private, but today is a formal occasion concerning the diplomatic relations between your two countries. I don't understand your rules, so it's better for me to keep quiet."
Princess Otohime said, "But if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have the chance to stand together today."
Cobra also said, "Please don't be so reserved... I think it would be better if Ikarem were responsible for receiving the distinguished guests from the murlocs. However, we know very little about their customs, including their diet and travel. How about you take the lead and Ikarem serve as your assistant? What do you think, Your Highness?"
Otohime agreed, "It would be best if we could have someone familiar with Alabasta to help us understand it."
Zhang Da thought about it and agreed. When they were on Fishman Island, Jinbe and Otohime took them out to play many times. This time, it would be nice to use the territory of Alabasta to entertain them.
This time, Cobra and his crew brought not only camels and running ducks, but also carriages and amphibious turtles.
Because Zhang Da also considered that there might be mermen in the team, and riding camels would be inconvenient, so he gave a reminder.
This is indeed the case. After coming ashore, Shark Star took out the bubble coral and wanted to create a bubble to assist in his actions, just like when he was on Fishman Island, but he failed.
Bubbles can only be used in a few special places such as Fishman Island, Shabaodi and Marijoa, and obviously not in Alabasta.
Jinbe chose a fast-running duck that looked stronger, and Otohime also had a good impression of these Karui's kind and chose one that looked cuter.
Some of the other guards from Ryugu Castle rode camels, some took carriages, and a small number stayed behind to guard the boats and look after the eels.
Shark Star was in a dilemma. He wanted to ride a camel or a running duck, because he felt embarrassed that among the three leaders of the trip, he was the only one who chose to take a car because of the fish tail problem.
Uncle Long had to be relied upon at the critical moment. After noticing Shark Star's difficulties, he said a little exaggeratedly: "Wow, I've been wanting to ride this turtle car for a long time! Anyone want to join?"
After saying that, he winked at Zhang Da madly.
Zhang Da was a little slow to react, but he still said, "I'd like to try it, but we have to take care of the guests, and it's not good to occupy a car alone... How about Shark Star come with us?"
