"Cobra… Cobra… what a spectacle this is."
Xiao lounged lazily within the royal palace; a palace dancer draped across his lap. He casually raised his wine cup, savoring the finest liquor unique to the desert kingdom, his posture relaxed to the point of insolence.
"It's only been a few years since we last met. Back then, you kept talking about becoming a wise king within the World Parliament. And now look at you—reviled by the masses, branded a tyrant everyone wants beaten to death."
His mockery was sharp, merciless.
Cobra could only let out a long sigh.
"That… is a long story," he said bitterly. "One that's difficult to put into words."
He sat beside Xiao, shoulders slumped, his face lined with exhaustion. The king of Alabasta—once admired, now cursed—looked nothing like a tyrant. Only a man crushed beneath the weight of misunderstanding.
Faced with the overwhelming rebellion outside the capital and the endless accusations hurled at him, Cobra felt nothing but grievance.
He had explained himself countless times.
He had sworn, again and again, that he had never used Dance Powder in the capital.
But at this point, no explanation mattered.
Dance Powder "accidentally" discovered at the ports.
Rainfall increasing unnaturally over the capital.
Relentless drought strangling the outer regions.
Every piece of evidence pointed toward him.
As though reality itself had been arranged to condemn him.
His eyes were dim, filled with sorrow and helplessness.
Cobra knew—he had always known—that a shadow lurked behind Alabasta. A mysterious force, manipulating events from the darkness, nudging the kingdom toward chaos.
He didn't know who they were.
He didn't know what they wanted.
But he was certain of one thing—
They were deliberately provoking civil war.
For years, Cobra had searched in secret, trying to uncover the truth. Yet no matter how deeply he dug, the mastermind remained hidden.
What hurt him most was this: no matter how hard he tried to clarify the truth, the people only ever saw the disasters placed before their eyes.
One "accident" after another.
One tragedy stacked neatly atop the next.
Until, finally, he had become public enemy number one.
In the eyes of the people, the king had betrayed them—stealing their rain, condemning them to death.
Rebellion became their only choice.
At that moment, Xiao casually patted Cobra on the shoulder and laughed loudly.
"Hahaha! Relax. We're allies, aren't we? Leave it to me—I'll support you with everything I've got!"
His tone suddenly turned fierce.
"How dare those scoundrels' rebel? I'll mobilize my army at once and crush them in a single sweep!"
Cobra stared at Xiao's youthful, almost childish face.
Isn't this guy over thirty already? he thought darkly. Old enough to call himself my brother? I'm old enough to be his father…
For a fleeting moment, Cobra truly wanted to slap him—hard enough to knock out every smug white tooth in his mouth.
But reality forced him to endure.
He still needed Xiao's help.
So, he swallowed his anger and forced a smile.
"Wapol… I didn't invite you here to suppress the rebellion."
Cobra shook his head, his voice firm despite the chaos outside.
"My people have been deceived. Manipulated. As long as the truth comes to light, they'll retreat. I'm certain of it."
Even with rebel forces nearly at the gates, Cobra still believed that once the true culprit behind the Dance Powder was exposed, the people would stand down.
Xiao nodded along—while silently cursing in his heart.
Naive. Utterly naive.
A rebellion wasn't a dinner invitation.
Once war began, it couldn't simply be canceled.
Even if the leaders wanted to surrender, the soldiers would never agree.
Hatred that had fermented for years couldn't be washed away by "truth."
In the later stages of war, no one controlled the tide—not kings, not generals.
Try to surrender, and your own troops might kill you first.
But Xiao didn't say any of this aloud.
The crueler the war, the more he stood to gain.
So instead, he leaned back and changed the subject.
"Then why call me here at all?"
He suddenly grinned, eyes glinting mischievously.
"Oh—by the way. Princess Vivi should be of marriageable age now, right? Where is she? Didn't see her earlier."
He stroked his chin theatrically.
"Father-in-law, what do you think of me?"
"Absolutely not!!"
Cobra slammed the table so hard it shook, veins bulging on his forehead.
"I refuse!"
He had seen shameless people before—but never someone with skin as thick as a city wall. This man could switch to calling him "father-in-law" without the slightest hesitation.
And Vivi? Marry this scoundrel?
Impossible.
Everyone knew Wapol Xiao had never appointed a queen—not because of restraint, but because his lovers were as numerous as carp crossing a river.
"My dear father-in-law, don't be so quick to judge," Xiao laughed. "Maybe Princess Vivi happens to like my type?"
He spoke lightly—but not without calculation.
With Vivi's personality—always placing the nation above herself—if Xiao could truly save Alabasta, she might actually agree.
"Enough nonsense," Cobra snapped. "Vivi's future is hers to decide. Alabasta will never trade her happiness for salvation."
He forcibly cut off the topic and turned serious.
"I called you here for one reason only."
Cobra met Xiao's eyes directly.
"I want to use your intelligence network. Help me find the force manipulating Alabasta from the shadows. The one misleading the people and pushing this nation toward ruin."
His voice was heavy.
"Please."
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