In the old days, overthrowing a tyrant meant having enough to eat.
But in Arabasta now, overthrowing a monarch who had governed the country like heaven on earth not only carried a high chance of getting oneself killed, even if they actually succeeded, their lives might not become any better than they were now.
Since their lives would not get any better, there was not the slightest point in risking their heads to rebel.
Of course, there are all kinds of birds in a big forest.
Arabasta had a population of tens of millions, so there were bound to be some opportunists.
These people were like flies that had smelled blood. They chose to follow Crocodile, proudly raising the rebel flag that symbolized the restoration of legitimate rule.
What was strange was the government's response.
Normally, when faced with rebels openly challenging royal authority like this, Vivi absolutely had both the right and the ability to send the Royal Guards to crush them into a pulp on the very first day they showed themselves.
But Arabasta at this time really was, just as it had always advertised and promoted itself to the outside world, a country that supported the rule of law and freedom of speech.
And Crocodile really did take advantage of this loophole. They never took any substantive violent actions such as smashing, looting, or burning. They simply kept submitting applications to the municipal governments in various places, requesting permission to hold legal marches.
Since they were engaging in a battle of words, there was naturally no legal basis for suppressing them by force.
What was even more unexpected was that the municipal government of Rainbase Port, as well as the local governments in several other major cities, did not reject Crocodile's applications for marches at all.
Every time they applied, the municipal government stamped its approval.
Not only did they approve their marching routes, they even went so far as to send traffic officers to clear the streets for the rebels and maintain traffic order at the marches.
The government's indulgence, as though it were watching a clown show, not only left many civilians standing on the sidelines completely baffled, it even made the rebels themselves feel that something was strange.
But the most direct consequence of this indulgence was that it greatly reduced the risks of participating in the rebellion.
Once people discovered that as long as they did not pick up weapons and kill anyone, they could simply hold up signs and curse the Queen without getting arrested, and even enjoy themselves while doing it, more and more people who had originally only come to watch the spectacle, or who simply had nothing better to do, excitedly joined Crocodile's ranks and took part in this massive carnival of a march.
For a time, the streets throughout Arabasta were filled with crowds shouting, "Restore the rightful ruler!" and "Queen Vivi step down!"
Seven days remained until the National Day ceremony.
This desert nation, regarded as a model for the world, seemed to be finally on the verge of completely descending into a frenzy that would shake the world, all according to Crocodile's script.
Sunlight passed through the shutters, casting several alternating bands of light and shadow across the secret room on the second floor of the estate.
Outside the window, the deafening noise of the march on the streets of Rainbase Port could be heard.
Kuro stood by the window and gently pushed up his reflective glasses with his index finger.
He looked down at the rebels holding banners and immersed in a kind of false revelry, then turned his head toward Crocodile, who was sitting in the shadows.
"Mr. Crocodile, forgive me for speaking frankly. We've made such a huge spectacle of this that we're practically pointing at that Queen's nose and cursing her. Aren't you really afraid that the high-and-mighty daughter of the god will lose patience and directly use that power of hers, which is capable of erasing everything, to punish you on the spot?"
In his eyes, for the weak to jump around like this in front of the strong was simply courting death.
"Hehehehe..."
Crocodile exhaled a thick cloud of cigar smoke. His scarred face wore an extremely confident and mocking smile.
"Afraid? Why should I be afraid? I'll bet you she absolutely won't make a move against us at a time like this."
"Why?", Kuro frowned.
"Because we're pirates who will do whatever it takes to achieve our goals, but Vivi isn't."
Crocodile stood up and walked to the window, looking down at the countless people below.
"She represents the World Government. She represents the royal authority of Arabasta. She represents absolute law and order. Some people, once they sit upon that sacred throne, are bound by the rules they themselves establish from the moment they are born. If she wants to rule the people through law, she must first become a slave to the law herself."
At this point, Crocodile turned his head and stared quietly at Kuro.
"Brother Kuro, you're an old hand in the East Blue. You should know very well that back in the old days, when pirates faced a large force of Marines bearing down on them, if they didn't have the strength to resist head-on, what was the most effective and commonly used way to escape?"
Kuro froze for a moment, then the corner of his mouth curled into an extremely cruel and nostalgic cold smile.
As the Hundred Plans Kuro, who had once used his brains to run circles around the Marines of the East Blue, the answer to this question was practically carved into his bones.
"Of course, hide among the civilians and use them as cover."
There was a chilling matter-of-factness in Kuro's voice.
"As long as you drag those innocent civilians over to use as human shields, most Marines will immediately be forced to hold back. They won't even dare to fire."
"After all, for those soldiers wearing the coat of justice, failing to catch a pirate at most means they were incompetent. But if large numbers of civilians die because they were trying to capture pirates, that is a monstrous sin against justice."
"Even after that iron-blooded Fleet Admiral Sakazuki came to power and loudly proclaimed that capturing the most evil criminals was a greater achievement of justice than civilian casualties, there were still very few lower-ranking Marines who could truly harden their hearts and carry out such orders."
Kuro coldly analyzed the weakness of human nature.
"Especially in this new era, when the sea has already become peaceful. In these artificially created greenhouses of the East Blue and the first half of the Grand Line, those with ambition and ruthlessness had long since gone to the New World to make a name for themselves, or simply carved out territory for themselves."
"Those still willing to stay here and collect a dead salary as Marines are more or less fools who have retained a little of that laughable moral conviction deep down."
Crocodile spread his arms and laughed wildly.
"Hahahaha! Exactly! That's how it is! This privileged class that calls itself righteous cares most about that shiny outer layer!"
"That Queen Vivi publicly promotes freedom of speech. As long as we don't take up weapons and massacre civilians, and merely hold a legal march in this city and express different political opinions, she won't be able to find any legal grounds to make a move against us no matter what!"
A trace of cunning flashed in Crocodile's eyes.
"If she dares to ignore everything and massacre unarmed civilians in the streets, the legal system she established will collapse in an instant. This is the open strategy that gives me the courage to provoke a god!"
Inside the room, the two conspirators in suits looked at each other and burst into laughter that signified their agreement.
———
At the same time, at the center of the march outside, the protagonist Crocodile had pushed to the forefront, the leader of the rebel army, the former king's illegitimate son, Koza, was standing on a makeshift platform, drenched in sweat as he delivered his passionate speech.
Luffy sat on the edge of the platform, holding a piece of grilled meat he had gotten from somewhere in one hand and waving the other excitedly. He had no idea what Koza was talking about and simply shouted along with the idle people below.
"Ohhh! Well said!"
In reality, if one put aside the atmosphere, Koza's speech would sound unbelievably hollow to the truly poor at the bottom.
Someone who had never experienced genuine hunger could not understand what life was like at the bottom.
But the people of Arabasta who followed him were not actually from the bottom either.
Naturally, hearing the words they wanted to hear was enough.
"Fellow countrymen! Look at Arabasta now!"
Koza pointed at the magnificent buildings and smooth streets around them with deep anguish.
"Yes, that usurper Vivi has indeed given every one of you a decent monthly allowance, and she has indeed made it so that you don't have to pay for medical treatment! But have you ever thought about what the price behind all this is?"
Koza's eyes were filled with indignation.
"The price is our dignity! The price is our freedom! She is raising our proud desert nation like a pet in a cage! Our great desert warriors have now become beggars wagging their tails for handouts beneath the royal palace. Don't you feel humiliated?"
Some idle punks who were already full of themselves immediately shouted along from below.
"That's right! We want dignity!"
The more Koza spoke, the more agitated he became, even picking out some extremely devious angles.
"Not only that! Look at these past few years. The World Government has constantly sent construction teams and major trading companies to Arabasta, along with countless workers from elsewhere, and Arabasta has refused no one."
"Those outsiders, relying on the royal family's indulgence, have taken away job opportunities from us native Arabastans! Our traditional handicrafts are withering away, our young people are working in those foreign-funded factories like soulless machines, and we can't find our place."
"This is exploitation! This is cultural invasion!"
"We must take back the jobs that belong to the people of Arabasta. We want true independence! Even if we have to go hungry, we must straighten our backs and become the true masters of this desert!"
These kinds of words, spoken by people who were well-fed and knew nothing of hardship, nevertheless stirred up a group of hot-blooded young people.
But in reality, among those who truly struggled to get by in this world every day, who would care about that bullshit called dignity?
The era when you couldn't even eat your fill was what was truly humiliating. Now, as long as you obediently listened, you could support your whole family and keep them well-fed and healthy. Who would care which country those construction teams came from?
———
[At the Same Time, in Arabasta's Capital, Alubarna]
[Inside the Magnificent Royal Palace Garden]
Soft sunlight fell across an exquisite white jade table, while the fragrance of top-quality black tea filled the air.
Vivi wore an elegant silk dress worthy of a goddess and casually brushed aside the blue curls beside her ear.
She was holding a teacup gracefully, entertaining Sanji, Nami, Zoro, and the rest of the Straw Hat crew.
In front of them stood a huge projection screen from an Den Den Mushi.
On the screen, the scene at Rainbase Port was being played with crystal clarity: Koza's flushed face as he delivered his frenzied speech, along with the marching crowd shouting along with him.
Watching the scale on the screen grow increasingly out of control, even showing faint signs of turning into a riot, Nami could no longer sit still. She put down the delicate pastry in her hand and asked worriedly, "Queen Vivi, you've been watching for quite a while. The scale is getting bigger and bigger, and that guy called Koza has been personally attacking and spreading rumors about you the whole time. Aren't you worried? Why don't you order their arrest?"
Zoro also frowned, "With your strength, you could take those thugs out in seconds. As long as you show up, or send the Royal Guards, you could tear down that platform in no time, right?"
Vivi put down her teacup, and the porcelain made a crisp sound as it touched the table.
Faced with everyone's questions, she showed no anger at being offended. Instead, her beautiful eyes were calm.
"Nami, Zoro. Do you think...", A faint smile curled at the corners of Vivi's lips, "Would a lion sitting high upon its throne care about a few ants frantically provoking it at its feet, or even trying to move its toes?"
Her tone was calm, yet full of confidence.
Everyone froze, stunned by the aura of treating all living beings as ants.
"The ants' provocations really are nothing."
At this moment, Sanji, who had been standing silently to the side, smoking and watching the screen, exhaled a smoke ring and took over the conversation with a complicated look in his eyes.
"But Vivi, don't forget. What these ants are inciting are the sheep you're raising in your pen. If you keep indulging them like this, some of the sheep who don't know the truth may be incited into following them out of the pen you've established."
As someone on the same level as Vivi, Sanji's words hit the nail on the head.
For people like them, there truly was no military force on this sea capable of threatening them.
But if a ruler's own subjects all ran off to join the rebels, wouldn't the foundation of that rule become a joke?
"Hm?"
Hearing Sanji's question, Vivi turned her head. Her eyes, as gentle as ever, fixed steadily on her younger brother.
Then a somewhat cruel smile blossomed across the face of this beautiful angel-like Minister of Justice.
"Those restless sheep being incited to jump out of the pen? Isn't that great?"
Vivi smiled as she extended her slender fingers and picked up a silver table knife from the table. Without much thought, she cut the cherry mousse in front of her into two halves, and red juice flowed out like jam.
"The sheep that are incited to leave the pen can happen to serve as the lion's extra meal tonight."
Vivi's voice was gentle, yet like the low murmur of the Grim Reaper, echoing through the quiet garden.
"And when the rest of the flock watches with their own eyes as those fleeing companions are savagely torn apart bite by bite by the lion, that bloody scene will be the best deterrent for the rest of the flock."
She raised her head. A light of imperial control, identical to that of the man who ruled the world, flashed across that breathtakingly beautiful face.
"Sanji, you need to understand. The people of Arabasta have it far too comfortable. Having benefits that are beyond reach, without absolute power that makes their souls tremble, is far from enough to make order eternal."
A cold wind blew through the garden, scattering the heat rising from the black tea.
Nami, Zoro, and even Sanji, who had seen his share of life and death, all fell silent, feeling a chill run down their backs.
There was no room for rebuttal, nor was any explanation needed.
At this moment, everyone present became acutely aware of one thing.
Crocodile, who was trying to use the rules to bind a god on the screen.
Koza, standing on the platform and talking endlessly about idealism.
Even the tens of thousands of civilians following behind them, hoping to take advantage of the march and vent their dissatisfaction.
In Vivi's casual smile, they had already been dead for a long time.
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