Cobra waved his hand, cutting off Igaram's startled cry.
"With your knowledge and abilities, you must be familiar with the Ancient Weapons, aren't you?"
He fixed his gaze on Daren, his expression grave and hesitant.
Daren looked back at him quietly, smiling without a word.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Cobra's forehead. Gritting his teeth, he continued,
"Throughout this sea, tales of the Ancient Weapons have been passed down for generations. They are said to possess unimaginable power—enough to destroy an island with a single strike."
"The Poneglyphs record that in ancient times, there existed three weapons, each bearing the title of 'God,' capable of bringing ruin to the world: Pluton, the Lord of the Underworld; Poseidon, the Lord of the Sea; and Uranus, the Lord of the Sky!"
"And within the Kingdom of Alabasta lies a Poneglyph containing intelligence about Pluton, the Lord of the Underworld."
"To protect that Poneglyph—and to guard the secret of the Ancient Weapon Pluton—has been the sacred duty of the Nefertari family!"
After saying all this in one breath, Cobra exhaled heavily, his chest rising and falling as if all strength had left him.
Beside him, Igaram stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.
"That's the secret I know!" Cobra's bloodshot eyes locked onto Daren, his voice trembling but firm.
The carriage rolled on steadily. Inside, however, the silence was suffocating.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
"Impressive."
Daren suddenly chuckled, bringing his hands together in a soft clap.
"Your Majesty Cobra truly lives up to your royal lineage. If I didn't already know where the Ancient Weapon Pluton is, I might've been fooled by your little story."
He paused, then smiled faintly.
"No, that's not quite right—you weren't lying."
A thin wisp of smoke curled from his lips like a dragon twisting into the air.
"You revealed a less important secret to ease my doubts… hoping to conceal something far deeper."
Igaram blinked in confusion. A deeper secret? Wasn't the existence of Pluton already the greatest secret of the Alabasta royal family?
He turned instinctively toward his king—and froze.
Cobra sat rigid, as if struck by lightning, the color draining from his face.
This…
Igaram's eyes widened in shock. Could it be…
"I know where the Ancient Weapon Pluton is," Daren said with a calm smile.
"So I'm not particularly curious about the contents of that Poneglyph beneath your royal tomb."
Cobra's hand trembled violently, his face turning ashen.
Daren's tone was too certain—unmistakably confident. And though he had never set foot in Alabasta, he knew exactly that the Poneglyph rested beneath the ruins of the underground royal mausoleum.
That alone proved he was telling the truth.
This man… really knows where Pluton is!?
"How… how did you find out?"
A wave of dread surged through Cobra's chest, his throat suddenly dry.
He couldn't comprehend how a secret guarded by the Nefertari family for centuries had somehow fallen into Daren's hands!
That was Pluton—the ultimate weapon of legend, said to obliterate an island with a single shot!
If that madman ever chose to unleash it, the entire world would be plunged into an unimaginable war.
"That's none of your business."
Daren winked at Cobra and chuckled.
"Don't overthink it. For now, I'm not particularly interested in Pluton. After all, as you've likely heard, I'm not exactly short on weapons of mass destruction."
The words hung in the air as Cobra and Igaram froze in place. Their lips trembled slightly as they opened their mouths, yet found no rebuttal to Daren's words.
True… Perhaps the ancient weapon Pluton truly possessed the legendary power to obliterate an entire island with a single strike. But couldn't the World Government's "Public Enemy Number One" standing before them do the same?
And let's not forget—he also commanded the world's most formidable flying fleet. That invincible North Blue Fleet, if unleashed at full force against any island, might not match the Ancient Weapon's destructive might, but it would still strike terror into any nation or faction.
When it comes to destroying an island, whether it's reduced to ashes or wiped clean from the map, the difference hardly matters to those who perish.
"The Ancient Weapon Pluton isn't in Alabasta, so there's naturally no need for any so-called 'guardian.'"
"So, tell me something I don't know, King Cobra."
Daren slowly exhaled a smoke ring.
"What exactly was the reason your Nefertari family's ancestors never entered the Holy Land of Mary Geoise to reside?"
Faced with Daren's question, Cobra fell silent.
"Why should I tell you?"
After a few seconds of stillness, he suddenly spoke, his tone heavy.
"Daren, you are an enemy of the government. Alabasta, however, is a member nation of the World Government. Why would you think I'd reveal such secrets to you?"
"Because you crave the answer too. Or rather, because I might just be able to find that answer for you."
Daren replied calmly. Cobra froze.
"The World Government, the Celestial Dragons, even the Five Elders—what kind of trash these bastards are, I'm sure you already know, Your Majesty Cobra."
Daren continued.
"Honestly, I might be a real scoundrel—smoking, drinking, greedy, and lustful… but next to what the World Government and the Five Elders have done, I look like a saint."
The smile curling his lips grew colder.
"The Philseque massacre months ago, the God Valley twelve years prior—both were inhumane acts of genocide, orchestrated solely to satisfy the Celestial Dragons' twisted desires."
"And who can truly say how many nations, islands, and innocent people perished for the Celestial Dragons' amusement over the eight hundred years of the World Government's rule?"
"Alabasta managed to remain untouched only because it's a member state, dutifully providing Heavenly Tribute to the Government."
"But who can guarantee Alabasta will continue to prosper and remain safe?"
"The lives of Alabasta's millions shouldn't depend on such a fragile relationship."