Takumi's use of Wind Release: Infinite Sandstorm Breakthrough affected even the nearby Yuba to some extent.
And Takumi's battle with Akainu was witnessed by Monet and Buffalo, who were just about to sneak out of Yuba.
Both of them were shocked.
Buffalo pinched his own cheek in disbelief, saying, "I think I just saw a kid fighting evenly with the Marine Admiral Akainu... Did I see that right?"
Monet's forehead was covered in a slight sheen of sweat. "You didn't see it wrong… I saw it too."
Buffalo turned to Monet, "Is that kid a Devil Fruit user?"
Monet shook her head, "I don't know, but he can summon a fire dragon... Could it be that he ate the Flame-Flame Fruit from yesterday?"
"That's right!" Buffalo suddenly felt it made perfect sense, "That's why Akainu chased after him—because that kid snatched the Flame-Flame Fruit… But what about the sudden sandstorm just now?"
Monet thought for a moment before speculating, "The desert climate here is unpredictable. A sudden windstorm isn't that unusual. Um, it's probably just the kid's luck that a storm happened, letting him escape."
"I see." Buffalo nodded in realization, "Then let's hurry back to Dressrosa."
Monet nodded, and the two quickly ducked into a side alley, sneaking away.
Takumi, riding on his camel, had already run far beyond Akainu's sight within those brief ten minutes.
After the sandstorm subsided, the system's notification sounded in Takumi's mind.
'Beep beep! Engaged in combat with Marine Admiral Akainu. Sign-in progress increased by 20%. Current total progress is 50%. Reward: Armament Haki level +1. Current Armament Haki level is Lv7.'
Feeling his physical strength increase significantly once again, Takumi couldn't help but smile.
He hadn't expected that engaging with Akainu would increase his sign-in progress, especially since last night's encounter didn't trigger it.
However, upon reflection, last night he intervened to save Shanks, which didn't count as a direct confrontation with Akainu, so it made sense that it didn't trigger the progress task.
Without thinking further, Takumi continued on his journey.
His camel carried him leisurely through the desert for over twenty days before they finally reached Alabasta's capital, Alubarna.
This was an even more prosperous and vast city than Yuba.
There were five grand gates just to enter the main streets of the city.
Takumi entered through the nearest gate in the southeastern district, leading his camel into Alubarna's bustling streets.
The air was filled with the sounds of merchants calling out their wares.
As he passed by a stall selling grilled meat skewers, the vendor, fanning the fragrant meat on the grill with one hand and sprinkling special seasonings with the other, called out to Takumi with a smile, "Hey there, young man with the camel! Want to try some of my grilled meat? It's really cheap, just one Belly per skewer, and the grilling technique and seasoning are my family's secret recipes handed down for generations. I guarantee you'll want a second skewer after tasting the first one. How about it? Want to buy a few to try?"
The smell was indeed tempting, reminding Takumi of the barbecue stall near his apartment before he was transported to this world.
Without much thought, Takumi handed the vendor five Belly.
The vendor immediately grinned and handed him five skewers of grilled meat.
Takumi took a bite of the meat in one hand, while holding his gourd of sake in the other, taking a sip of the fine wine after every few bites. It was pure bliss.
As for his camel, after nearly a month of traversing the desert, it had been completely won over by Takumi's strength. Now, even if Takumi didn't hold its reins, it would obediently follow him.
As Takumi turned a corner on the street, the previously lively and bustling street suddenly erupted into chaos.
A scrawny man with a rat-like face came running towards Takumi, clutching a lady's purse. He was shoving aside anyone who got in his way.
Behind him, a girl with blue hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a cream-colored dress, was chasing after him.
"Stop, you thief! Stop right there!" The girl shouted as she ran.
The thief had no intention of stopping and picked up speed.
"Move it!" The thief shouted as he pushed aside several people and quickly reached Takumi. Just as he was about to push Takumi aside, Takumi smoothly sidestepped, perfectly avoiding the thief's touch.
The thief, surprised by Takumi's agility, stumbled straight into Takumi's camel.
With a loud crash, the thief collided with the camel, letting out a pained scream as he fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, the girl had caught up, immediately snatching the purse back from the thief's hands.
"Daring to steal in Alubarna, you've got some nerve," the blue-haired girl said angrily, "I'll give you a chance to turn over a new leaf this time, but if I catch you stealing again, I won't be so lenient. Now get lost."
By now, a crowd had gathered on the street.
"Isn't that Princess Vivi? She's amazing, catching a thief like that."
"Princess Vivi, you're too kind to this thief. People like him will just keep stealing over and over again. You can't be too merciful."
"That's right, he shouldn't be let off so easily. At least put him in confinement for a few days."
"Yeah, Princess Vivi, if you let him go, he'll just make the same mistake again. Don't let him fool you."
The crowd buzzed with chatter.
The thief, sweating profusely, gritted his teeth, said nothing, and quickly fled, shoving his way through the onlookers.
The woman who had lost her purse hurried over.
Vivi handed the purse back to her.
The woman was extremely grateful, "Thank you so much, Princess Vivi."
"It's nothing," Vivi replied with a sweet smile, then turned to the crowd and said, "Thieves have their own hardships too, right? After all, no one is born a thief. I believe in giving him a chance."
After saying that, Vivi approached the camel that had helped her stop the thief, smiling, "Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I might not have caught up with that thief or gotten the purse back."
The little camel blushed and shyly hid behind Takumi.
Takumi: "…"
Vivi then looked at Takumi, who was eating meat and drinking wine. After a moment of surprise, she smiled and walked over to him, asking, "Is this camel yours?"
Takumi answered calmly, "Yes."
"It's really smart," Vivi said with a smile.
Just then, a man with long blonde curls rushed over. Seeing that Vivi was safe, he spoke between gasps, "Princess Vivi, you ran too fast… Phew, I'm glad you're alright. From now on, let me handle catching thieves, okay? It's too dangerous for you to do it yourself."
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