There were less than ten hours left until Arabasta's grandest National Day celebration.
Night had fallen deep, and the air in the spacious underground library of the estate seemed to have solidified.
Under the dim gas lamps, a huge map of Alubarna, the capital of Arabasta, was spread across the wide table.
Crocodile bit down on his cigar, both hands braced against the table. The dim light made the long scar across his face look especially sinister, but his tone was surprisingly gentle and persuasive.
"Everyone, the ultimate moment that will decide this country's future has finally arrived."
Crocodile extended his hook-covered hand and heavily tapped the huge square marked at the center of the map.
"Tomorrow is National Day. That Queen Vivi will hold a grand National Day celebration in the central square of Alubarna. At that time, not only the guards of the capital, but countless civilians and nobles from across the country will gather there."
He turned his head, his cold, crocodile-like vertical pupils fixing on Koza, who was standing straight beside him, "This is when their defenses will be at their strongest, but it is also the best opportunity for us to tear apart this false prosperity."
Crocodile's voice became deeper.
"Koza! In front of everyone's eyes, with all the people of Arabasta watching, expose that woman's true nature. Use your legitimate claim to publicly force her to surrender the throne and openly take back the throne that should have belonged to you!"
Koza's breathing suddenly became heavy. His cheeks flushed red from intense excitement and a sense of duty, and he clenched his fists tightly.
"But!"
Crocodile changed his tone. A trace of regret and pain appeared on his face at just the right moment, and he sighed reluctantly, "Tomorrow, I'm afraid the few of us won't be able to accompany you onto that platform."
"Eh? Why, Sand Guy? Wouldn't it be better if everyone went together and toppled them?"
Luffy, who had been idly playing with a globe nearby, immediately turned around and asked loudly in confusion.
"Because we're pirates, Straw Hat."
Crocodile reached out and patted Koza on the shoulder, speaking earnestly.
"Koza, your uprising must be an absolutely pure and absolutely righteous restoration of the royal family."
"If a group of wanted pirates like us appears on the platform with you when you force her to surrender the throne, the World Government's propagandists will inevitably smear it as a pirate invasion."
"By then, your legitimate claim will instead be tainted. Our appearance would only make things worse."
He looked at Koza, his voice low, "So tomorrow's main battlefield can only be left to you, Koza. Are you ready?"
Hearing this righteous-sounding request, Koza's eyes immediately grew moist, "Mr. Crocodile!"
Koza suddenly brought his legs together and bowed to Crocodile, his voice trembling with excitement.
"You've actually thought so far ahead for the sake of Arabasta. Please rest assured! I'll leave everything tomorrow to me!"
"I absolutely won't let everyone down. Even if I have to die, I'll tear the crown off that false king!"
"That's the spirit, Koza! Go beat that woman flying tomorrow! I'm supporting you!"
Luffy, who had completely failed to understand the hidden meaning behind those words, immediately waved his arms excitedly from the side and shouted his encouragement.
Faced with this passionate scene of swearing an oath, Robin, sitting in the corner of the tea table, lowered her eyes slightly and expressionlessly turned a page of the book in her hands.
Meanwhile, Kuro, who was standing at the edge and pushing up his glasses, and Crocodile himself exchanged an extremely discreet glance from an angle Koza could not see.
Both their mouths curled into chillingly playful smiles.
Only the two of them knew the truth.
Whether Koza's attempt to force Vivi off the throne tomorrow would succeed, or whether Koza would be executed by Vivi on the spot according to the law, they did not care in the slightest.
To Crocodile, the practical value of Koza as a pawn was not even as great as that chattering Straw Hat beside him.
Because with Luffy's arrival and the expansion of this disturbance, Luffy's connections had already brought the most useful reinforcements.
Red-Haired Shanks had already quietly appeared with his fleet in the waters near Arabasta.
Not only that, Luffy's sworn brother, the famous second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Juste, had also secretly arrived in this desert nation.
With these monsters hidden in the shadows as a deterrent, Crocodile had absolute confidence in snatching the prize from the tiger's jaws.
No matter how powerful Vivi, the daughter of the god, was, facing this complicated mess, she absolutely could not claim that she would be able to walk away unscathed.
Most importantly, Crocodile's goal from beginning to end had never been to help Koza restore the throne.
In secret, he had already reached an understanding with Shanks and the others.
Sometimes, some sacrifices were necessary.
"Of course, Koza, it's impossible for us to really do nothing and watch you fall into danger all by yourself."
Crocodile suppressed the cold smile at the corner of his mouth and continued maintaining his heroic image, pointing at another location on the map.
"While you're drawing everyone's attention at the square, the few of us pirates will quietly infiltrate the Royal Mausoleum."
"That's where Arabasta's true historical text is hidden. We'll decipher the secrets inside before you take the capital."
"Whether it records an Ancient Weapon or the true secret of the royal bloodline, it will become the trump card you need to secure your rule."
"You're actually going to infiltrate such a dangerous royal forbidden area for my sake..."
Koza was overwhelmed with emotion, his voice choking up as he bowed again.
"Mr. Crocodile, everyone, you've already helped me far too much. The road ahead must be one that I walk with my own hands! Tomorrow, please look forward to my declaration!"
Watching Koza's spirited back as he walked out of the library, Kuro disappeared into the shadows, the reflection on his glasses concealing the bone-deep coldness in his eyes.
'Look forward to it? We only hope you'll buy us a little more time before you die,' Kuro sneered inside.
Although this play had not yet ended, Koza's miserable fate had already been completely decided the moment he stepped onto that platform.
Tomorrow, when he tried to force the Queen off the throne on National Day, Queen Vivi would not be stingy about using violence.
Moreover, Kuro understood the thoughts of the sand crocodile in front of him extremely well.
If they really obtained information about Pluton or anything else in the Royal Mausoleum, would they stay behind to help Koza secure his rule?
What a joke!
With Crocodile's nature as a ruthless ambitious man, once he got what he wanted, he would definitely slip away at the first opportunity.
Fighting a prolonged battle against the World Government, which possessed terrifying power, was something no one with even a little sense would do.
Even if they defeated Vivi, they still could not hold on to Arabasta against the World Government's endless supply of powerful fighters.
Arabasta had been a doomed pawn that could never be held onto from the very beginning.
On the other side of the room, Robin continued quietly reading, her expression unchanged.
Her thoughts were much simpler and purer than these schemes and plots.
Did she really care whether Koza lived or died? No.
Did she care whether she could find Pluton? Perhaps a little.
She simply wanted to give it a try.
Even if all the clues were far too coincidental, even if this journey of tracing the roots into the Royal Mausoleum was very likely a trap deliberately set by that person high above in the clouds of Mary Geoise.
Even if that man was sitting high in the heavens at this very moment, watching her with amusement like a white mouse running around blindly inside a maze, she still had to go.
Because no matter what the outcome was, as long as she kept moving forward, it proved that she was still resisting.
That was already the only lifeline her battered soul could grasp.
The library fell silent again in the dead of night.
Under the dim light, aside from the simple-minded Luffy, who was still excitedly cheering for his companions and thinking only about causing a huge commotion tomorrow, every person present was tightly clutching their own hidden schemes in the silent shadows.
———
The next morning, when the first rays of sunlight pierced through the thin mist over the sea and shone upon Rainbase Port, the entire city seemed to boil over.
Outside the estate serving as the rebel army's base, tens of thousands of civilians and rebel soldiers preparing to march to the capital had already gathered densely.
Koza had changed into a crisp desert leader's uniform, a longsword hanging from his waist and an emblem symbolizing the Arabasta royal family pinned to his chest.
They had made it themselves in secret.
He stood at the estate's entrance, like a hero about to head off to a holy war, accepting everyone's farewell.
"Go, Koza. Today, Arabasta's dawn will be opened by you."
Crocodile stepped forward and patted Koza on the shoulder, his face full of the pride and expectations of a mentor and close friend.
But only he knew that, beneath the shadows, those vertical pupils were looking at Koza as if he were a corpse about to be used to draw enemy fire.
"May you return victorious, Mr. Koza."
Kuro pushed up his reflective glasses, a flawless gentle smile hanging at the corners of his mouth.
"I hope history will remember the path you walk today."
Robin folded her hands in front of her and gave a slight nod. There was not a ripple on her beautiful face, because in her eyes, this was nothing more than a farce that was destined to end without results.
"Ohhh! Koza! Go beat that high-and-mighty woman flying! We'll be waiting for you at the Royal Mausoleum!"
Only Luffy was genuinely waving his arms, shouting excitedly with all his heart.
"Don't worry, everyone!"
Koza's eyes reddened slightly. He was so moved by his companions' sincere blessings that he could hardly contain himself.
He suddenly drew the longsword from his waist, pointed it toward Alubarna, and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Let's go! Take back the country that belongs to us!"
With his command, the enormous crowd surged forward like a raging flood, surrounding the rightful heir they trusted without question as they advanced toward the capital.
While this touching farewell was taking place in front of the estate's entrance, no one noticed that two men were standing atop the tower at the highest point of the estate's main building, silently watching everything.
The sea breeze blew through the wild red hair of one of them, while a black cloak flapped loudly in the wind.
It was Shanks.
Beside Shanks stood an extremely tall and heavily built young man. His facial outline and features bore an astonishing resemblance to Ace.
He was Juste.
The only difference was that Juste's bare upper body was covered in countless interwoven, horrifying scars.
They were all war medals left behind by blood and life during his frenzied battles in the New World, battles that were like meat grinders.
At this moment, Juste's face was as cold as iron, without the slightest unnecessary expression.
Shanks turned his head and looked somewhat worriedly at Juste's gloomy expression.
He had known this boy for a long time.
Back when he was in Foosha Village in the East Blue, he had seen Juste many times.
Back then, Juste had been cheerful and open, like a little sun.
When he learned that he was a descendant of the Pirate King Roger, he had even stood excitedly by the sea, shouting that he would inherit his father's will and overthrow Rosse, who was like a god.
But later, the cruel truth was ruthlessly revealed.
His identity was fake.
Roger's real child was Ace, not Juste.
He was nothing more than a replacement casually arranged by the World Government for some twisted amusement.
From that day onward, that pure smile had never appeared on the young man's face again.
Perhaps sensing Shanks's gaze, Juste withdrew his eyes and looked straight ahead, his voice low and hoarse, "Don't worry, Shanks. I've already moved past it."
His voice paused before he said self-deprecatingly, "If it weren't for that absurd twist back then, I might have died in some unknown corner a long time ago. Actually, I'm grateful that I had that opportunity. Without that false identity, I would never have had the chance to go to the New World, never had the chance to acknowledge Pops, and never had the chance to see how truly amazing this sea is."
"Then you..."
Shanks hesitated for a moment as he looked at Juste's still-tense profile.
If he had really moved past it, why did his eyes still carry such deep sorrow?
Juste gave a self-deprecating smile. He raised his hand and pointed toward Koza in the distance, who was advancing toward the capital in high spirits, surrounded by the crowd.
"Isn't he the same as me?"
Juste sighed, his voice carrying a deep weariness.
"He's just as fake. He's not Cobra's illegitimate son at all. It's nothing more than the World Government's indulgence and Crocodile's fabrication. But look at him. He firmly believes it, carrying a false dream and a false life as he moves forward without hesitation."
Juste turned his head and looked directly into Shanks's eyes, his tone carrying a hint of self-reflection.
"And now, this poor fool toyed with by fate is ultimately going to be used as convenient bait and mercilessly discarded by us, the very people who are resisting."
"Shanks, if we also casually toy with other people's fates and lives just to achieve our goals, then what difference is there between us and the World Government?"
[🙇🏻 You Can Support the Story Through P@tr3on—AmbitiousTranslator. It also has 40+ Chapters of all the novels and fanfics. Thanks for reading~]