Just as Rorschach was bringing Vivi towards the capital, outside the towering walls of Alubarna, the capital, hundreds of thousands of rebel troops had already arrived at its gates.
Above the mottled city walls, which had stood for thousands of years, Nefertari Cobra, wearing the king's crown and Alabasta royal robes, pressed his gaunt hands against the ancient bricks of the wall. His expression was weary and haggard as he overlooked the boundless sea of people below.
"Why has the kingdom's situation escalated to this? How much more does this damned Baroque Works want to devastate this country before they'll let go, let go of these poor people!"
With a thud, Cobra's tightly clenched right fist slammed heavily against the bricks in front of him.
The angry blow instantly scraped the skin off his palm on the rough brick surface, drawing crimson blood.
"Your Majesty!"
Behind him, Bell and Chaka, the two deputy commanders of the royal guard standing to his left and right, showed deep concern on their faces when they saw this. They wanted to step forward to examine Cobra's hand but were stopped by Cobra's gaze.
Upon seeing Cobra's weary eyes, Bell and Chaka both shuddered violently, involuntarily clenching their fists until their knuckles cracked.
His eyes, usually filled with wisdom and benevolence, were now brimming with pain and sorrow.
Cobra was blaming himself and grieving for the troubled Alabasta Kingdom and its people.
Bell and Chaka, along with others, also cast their gaze towards the towering city walls below.
The capital, Alubarna, was a majestic city built on a prominent rock in the middle of a vast desert.
On the already high and steep rock face, several wide, sloped stone stairways had been carved, leading to the city walls that encircled the capital.
And at this moment, looking down from the towering city walls at the top of this steep rock face, one could see a dense mass of people, like a surging, roaring tsunami, spreading and crashing from the horizon of the yellow sand, gradually engulfing the empty desert and transforming the vast land as far as the eye can see into an ocean of humanity.
When the numbers exceed ten thousand, they become boundless.
Moreover, at this very moment, below the rock face of Alubarna, over three hundred thousand rebel troops had gathered from all over the country.
The angry knight leading the rebel army galloped at the forefront of the ranks, his heavy horse hooves striking the boiling yellow sand, as if sounding the war drums of this ancient kingdom. Footsteps, horse hooves, and roars tore through the yellow sand and air, echoing to the city walls, making the royal guards stationed at the top of the walls pale, their foreheads beaded with sweat, as they instinctively clutched their long spears and sharp swords.
These boundless rebel troops were loosely organized, with no discipline or formation whatsoever.
Ninety-nine percent of them, the so-called warriors, were all emaciated, hollow-eyed, shriveled commoners.
They were ordinary people from the lowest strata of the kingdom who could no longer survive the continuous severe droughts in Alabasta in recent years.
The main reason these people suffered so greatly and became displaced was the widespread use of Dance Powder in recent years.
Dance Powder's name sounded beautiful.
Its effect was to create smoke when piled up and burned, rising into the sky to attract rainfall.
This special item, capable of summoning rain, would naturally make people cheer and dance in a desert kingdom like Alabasta.
However, there was a reason why this substance was listed as contraband by the World Government.
The use of Dance Powder had a severe side effect: when it was used in one place to summon a large amount of rain, other surrounding areas would experience prolonged water shortages and drought.
This was equivalent to temporarily diverting water resources from other regions.
Consequently, many countries in the world had previously caused discontent among neighboring nations due to the illegal use of Dance Powder, leading to wars between kingdoms.
In recent years, other regions of Alabasta had suffered continuous droughts.
Yet, the capital Alubarna received heavy rainfall every now and then.
Over time, rumors spread throughout Alabasta that King Cobra was unjust, ignoring the suffering of his people, only caring about the comfort of the royal family, and constantly using Dance Powder to bring rain to the capital.
Those who had lost everything due to the drought, and were even struggling to survive, instigated by ill-intentioned individuals, finally broke their silence and chose to gather, heading to the capital.
They intended to drag King Cobra, who ignored the lives of his subjects, from his high throne and confront this once kind and benevolent ruler, demanding to know why he had become this way, why he had made their lives unbearable.
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered together, even if they were all emaciated refugees, even if individual combat strength was incredibly weak, their collective momentum was utterly terrifying.
One could imagine that if the Nefertari Royal Family could not quell the rebels' anger, a vast war that could result in hundreds of thousands of casualties would inevitably occur.
No.
It should be said that the war had already arrived.
The Eve of Battle
Rumble!
As the leaders at the forefront of the rebel army pulled their horses' reins, the advance of hundreds of thousands of people slowly halted.
Rolling yellow sand transformed into surging, enraged dragons, swirling and flying at the feet of the crowd, causing the faces of countless royal guards on the city walls to change.
At the very front of the rebel army's formation, a youthful figure with a scar near his eye, looking almost too young, stood atop a warhorse. He took a deep breath and roared towards Alubarna's towering city walls.
"King Cobra!! If you still consider yourself the ruler of this country, if you still care about this country, and if you still believe yourself innocent, then come out and meet us!"
The young man's voice echoed like thunder across Alubarna's royal city, enraging countless loyal warriors serving the royal family.
Some warriors had even already raised their bows, crossbows, and flintlock guns, just waiting for their commanding officer's order to directly shoot down the impudent madman below.
"It's Kohza."
Cobra stared blankly at the young man below, standing resolute on his warhorse, alone before hundreds of thousands of people. A strong sense of emotion welled up within him.
Just moments ago, he had only spoken those words, never truly believing that Cobra, as the King of Alabasta, would actually open the city gates and risk his life to meet them, the rebels.
But now, he had truly come!
And he only brought two guards, without making a grand show of force, simply descending step by step, approaching them.
Countless eyes in the rebel army converged on the figure on the stone steps.
The previously surging clamor, the furious curses, and the resentful questions gradually subsided.
Cobra, under the complex gazes of countless people, walked step by step to Kohza, arriving at the front of the rebel formation.
He slowly looked up, using his eyes filled with sorrow and pain to gaze at his ragged, emaciated subjects before him. His eyes reddened, and he spread his arms wide, saying loudly in a hoarse, aged voice, "My people! People of the Alabasta Kingdom! I have come! I, Nefertari Cobra, have come!"
The crowd was silent. Countless people were deeply shaken as they looked at Cobra, at the King of Alabasta, momentarily unable to utter their previous angry words.
Bell and Chaka's muscles were tense. They stood three or four meters behind Cobra, their eyes fixed on the crowd in front of Cobra, guarding against any unexpected events.
They had already resolved that if the rebel army suddenly attacked, they would sacrifice their lives to take His Majesty the King away.
Kohza dismounted from his warhorse, his face complex, and walked alone towards Cobra.
When he was three meters from Cobra, Kohza stopped.
He looked at the aged man before him, whose face was weary and filled with sorrow. Seeing the compassion on the other's face, Kohza suddenly felt an urge to cry, to weep bitterly.
But remembering his duty as the leader of the rebel army, Kohza forcefully suppressed this urge.
He was not a fanatical warmonger, nor did he truly wish to overthrow Cobra's throne and become the king of this country himself.
Kohza simply wanted to find a way out for the common people behind him, who, like him, had been driven to desperation and could no longer survive.
If Cobra was truly as corrupt and unjust as the rumors in the kingdom suggested, neglecting the lives of his entire country for his own selfish desires, then he would unhesitatingly be the first to attack this decaying royal family.
Even if this familiar old man before him was the father of Vivi, his best childhood friend.
"Kohza, I've come. Ask what you wish," Cobra said deeply, looking at Kohza.
Kohza remained silent for a moment, then resolutely spoke: "King Cobra! I wish to ask you, have the droughts that have occurred throughout the nation in recent years been caused by your orders to frequently use Dance Powder in the capital? Please give us a clear explanation, why does the capital receive heavy rain every few days, while other areas outside the capital have not a single drop of rain?"
Cobra's face showed deep remorse. He looked directly at Kohza, and at the eyes of the rebel citizens behind him, and said in a hoarse, deep voice, "I swear by the thousand-year glory of the Nefertari Royal Family, I, Nefertari Cobra, have absolutely never done such an abominable thing! Our royal family has long known the dangers of Dance Powder; how could we knowingly commit such a transgression? If it truly were I who, out of selfish desire, haphazardly used Dance Powder in the capital, it would never have been used so frequently! This is illogical!"
Hearing Cobra swear by the thousand-year glory of the royal family, many of the people immediately showed emotion, and the anger and resentment accumulated in their hearts began to soften.
Cobra had not come with a large army, and his words were sincere and earnest, showing no trace of arrogant disdain.
This completely contradicted the tyrannical and unjust rumors.
"Then how do you explain the murder of a child in Rainbase?! Many people saw it with their own eyes! Even Mr. Crocodile was present! Cobra! You hypocrite, are you still trying to squirm your way out of this?!"
Suddenly, from the crowd behind Kohza, a white-haired old man, with a sorrowful expression, asked in a hoarse, mournful voice.
The old man's face was gaunt, his body skeletal, clearly suffering from long-term malnutrition.
Commoners like him, who lived hand-to-mouth, were the main force making up this rebel army.
Now, upon hearing the old man's mournful question, the rebel army, whose anger had subsided considerably due to Cobra's sincerity, immediately became agitated again.
"Yes! I saw it with my own eyes! You shot that innocent child in the street! That child's parents starved to death because of the drought in Yuba! You were in Rainbase, transporting Dance Powder with the royal guards, and when that child exposed you, you got angry and killed him! Is that how you treat your people?! You liar!"
A scantily clad girl, covered in mud and dust, cried and sobbed.
"Cobra! You hypocrite! Give us an explanation!"
Cobra listened to the noisy voices, raised his hands, and said in a hoarse voice, "I haven't left the capital recently, I haven't been to Rainbase, nor have I transported any Dance Powder, nor have I killed any innocent children... ."
"Excuses! All excuses! Don't try to deny it anymore! You haven't been to Rainbase, yes, of course you wouldn't leave the capital. You stay in a wealthy place like Alubarna, at the top of these towering walls, with no regard for us worthless commoners! You talk about 'my people,' bah! If you truly considered us your people, then why didn't you save this country? Aren't you the king? Isn't it your duty to save this country? Boohoohoo, my children, they all starved to death, my grandchildren, they died too..."
The gaunt old man cried uncontrollably, his body swaying as he fell to the ground, his sobs so mournful that many empathetic people around him also broke down and shed tears.
Listening to the old man's questions, Bell and Chaka, standing behind Cobra, felt their hearts burn with anxiety.
Why did this old man keep saying such hurtful things, when King Cobra had already been so honest?
But this old man's sorrowful weeping and emaciated appearance didn't seem like he was deliberately trying to stir up the emotions of those around him.
And precisely because of this, the previously calm scene became chaotic once again.
Listening to the old man's and the girl's choked questions, Cobra's face grew even more sorrowful.
Suddenly, he performed an action that stunned everyone present.
Cobra knelt down.
This King of Alabasta, a descendant of one of the twenty kings who founded the world, knelt before the people before him.
"King Cobra... ." Kohza's lips trembled as he stared blankly at Cobra, who was on his hands and knees, letting his golden crown, a symbol of royal majesty, slide from his head, allowing his greying hair to touch the yellow sand. The shock in Kohza's heart was inexpressible.
"My people! Oh, my people! I am guilty!" Cobra pressed his forehead to the sand, his voice hoarse and choked.
"No matter how I prove my innocence, no matter whether I truly did those things you speak of, I am guilty! As the king of this country, I have failed to bring this nation a life of peace and prosperity, I have failed to give you all a good life. This is a sin that I can never wash away. Being unable to change the cruel reality of this country, being able only to watch it slide into the abyss, immersed in self-reproach and pain yet powerless—this is my incompetence!"
"But! Everyone! I implore you all, I implore you to lay down your weapons, and not turn on your fellow citizens. This country cannot afford any more deaths! I will distribute all remaining supplies, food, and water from the capital. I ask you all to hold on, give me a little more time. I will seek help from neighboring countries, I will request humanitarian aid from the World Government, I will do everything possible to save this country! Please stand with me, let us save this country together! Everything will get better! As long as we work together, as long as we persevere, I firmly believe that Heaven will not abandon us, will not abandon our Alabasta Kingdom! Please lay down your weapons, and give me a little time."
Cobra's hoarse voice, at that moment, overshadowed all the clamor, reaching the ears of many.
At this moment, many people remembered from a few years ago, the king they knew as benevolent and generous, who loved his people.
It was this old man before them who preferred to collect very little tax, unwilling for his people to suffer because of the heavy Heavenly Tribute.
Of the five billion Berries in Heavenly Tribute annually, the Nefertari Royal Family bore the vast majority.
Cobra himself was not a luxurious or dissolute person.
Princess Vivi was even more beautiful and kind-hearted, frequently traveling throughout the country to help and rescue those suffering.
Thinking about it carefully, if not for the droughts of recent years, their lives in the Alabasta Kingdom would actually have been quite good.
At least compared to their war-torn neighbors, they could eat and dress warmly, and avoid pirate incursions; they were truly fortunate.
Many people, including Bell, Chaka, and Kohza, had tears in their eyes, moved by Cobra's words.
"Your Majesty! We... we are willing to believe you!"
Among the rebel ranks, many refugees suddenly choked out.
Bell and Chaka looked proud, standing tall and straight.
Look!
This was His Majesty Cobra, this was the King of the Alabasta Kingdom!
"Your Majesty Cobra, we are willing..."
Kohza's chest heaved, his heart surging. He stepped forward, reaching out to help Cobra up.
But at that moment.
Bang!
A crisp gunshot rang out, and Kohza, who had just taken two steps, was struck as if by lightning, his body falling backward!
(End of Chapter)
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