After dropping off Jabra and a company of Marines at the port of Nanohana, the warship continued west. Upon reaching the mouth of the Sandora River, the ship turned and sailed north along the waterway. In less than half a day, they would reach their destination.
"Rear Admiral, we have received the latest intelligence from Alabasta."
"The Straw Hat crew was attacked while in Yuba. After defeating the attackers, they continued north and arrived at Rainbase two days ago."
"Following that, they were captured by Crocodile at a casino in Rainbase, though some of his companions managed to escape."
"However, as of yesterday, Luffy was rescued by his crew. His current whereabouts are unknown!"
'Well, I guess it was destiny for that kid to be caught by Crocodile at least once,' Sean thought. It was only natural. Given Luffy's current age, it would be a miracle if he didn't lose in a clash with Crocodile—even if Crocodile's strength was mediocre by Sean's standards.
"Once we arrive, have Kalifa and the other three enter western Alabasta to locate and monitor the Straw Hat crew," Sean ordered. "And I'll go with them. If they run into Crocodile, they won't be able to handle him since they don't know Haki, and he is a Logia user!"
"Kaku, you stay with the remaining two companies and guard the ship."
"I will head to Alubarna first to meet with Cobra. I'll arrange the rest of the operations after that meeting."
After a brief moment of contemplation, Sean finalized his plan.
"Yes, Rear Admiral!"
'''
The following day.
Alubarna, the capital of Alabasta.
A massive crowd of civilians had gathered outside the royal palace, blocking the entrances. Although the Royal Army was doing its utmost to keep them at bay, the atmosphere inside the palace was one of utter chaos.
"Impossible! I haven't even left the palace today!"
"Your Majesty, we are well aware of that. But the people do not know. Even if we go out there to explain, they won't believe us."
Three hours ago, countless residents of the capital had witnessed something shocking. A man appearing to be Cobra, accompanied by a squad of royal guards, had appeared in a market. He had demanded that all citizens kneel before the King and announced that the right to water now belonged solely to the crown. He declared a new water tax: ten thousand Belly per month for every citizen.
What?
Demanding that they kneel was one thing—almost every kingdom had protocols for showing respect to their monarch. While Cobra had never demanded such things before, the people could have accepted it.
But a tax on drinking water? That was beyond absurd.
Protests erupted immediately, and the "King's" guards responded without hesitation, attacking the crowd with brutality. The ordinary civilians were no match for trained soldiers; many were injured, and several were killed.
This violence only served to ignite a fire of rage. The three thousand people gathered in the market erupted into a riot.
Outnumbered by over a hundred to one, the guards quickly realized the situation had spiraled out of control. They grabbed the "King" and fled the scene as fast as they could.
News of the incident spread through Alubarna with terrifying speed. Within three hours, more and more people gathered in front of the palace, demanding an explanation for the new tax law. Those who had been at the market were the most fervent, carrying over a dozen corpses and laying them prominently at the front of the crowd.
Cobra was completely bewildered. He hadn't stepped foot outside the palace all day, so how had this happened?
"Your Majesty, the priority now is to disperse the crowd. At this rate, more than half the capital's population will be here within a day," Igaram urged. "We are talking about over a million people. Alubarna only has a thousand royal guards and fifty thousand regular army soldiers. This will become uncontrollable!"
Igaram knew exactly how this worked. Whoever had framed Cobra wouldn't stop here. Once the crowd reached a critical mass, someone would inevitably stir the pot, turning the protest into a full-scale assault on the palace by a million angry citizens.
Even though they were civilians and the fifty thousand soldiers could hold them off for a while until reinforcements arrived from other regions, the cost would be catastrophic. How many would die? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Perhaps even a million?
But that wasn't even the worst part. If the situation escalated this way, the rebels in Katreya would likely use the chaos to rapidly expand their influence. Moreover, Cobra would be branded as a tyrant in the eyes of his own people.
Whoever was behind this had played a vicious hand.
"No, we cannot suppress them! They are the people of Alabasta. I will go out there and explain everything myself!"
"Your Majesty... we can instruct the army to avoid lethal force during the dispersal, but we cannot waste any more time!" Igaram pleaded.
Explain? Would that even work?
Seeing is believing. Thousands of people had witnessed the "King" in the market with their own eyes. Why would they believe words over their own sight?
It was clear that while their King was wonderful in every other way, he was far too merciful. Such a temperament was a blessing during times of peace, but in the midst of turmoil, it was a liability.
"It seems you're in quite a bit of trouble," a voice suddenly rang out.
"Who's there?! Quick, protect the King!" Igaram snapped into a state of high alert.
This was the royal palace of Alabasta, guarded by over fifty thousand soldiers. How had someone managed to sneak in, and what were their intentions?
The elite guards reacted instantly. One group formed a tight circle around Cobra to shield him, while another group surrounded the intruder, weapons raised.
As the dust settled, Igaram finally saw the newcomer.
It was a youth, perhaps sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing the "Justice" coat of a Marine officer. In his right hand, he carried an unconscious man.
There was only one officer that young who fit this description. And that person had indeed sent word that he would be visiting the King in the next few days.
"You are... Rear Admiral Sean Campbell?"
"That's me. Can you tell them to put their weapons down now?"
"My apologies!" Igaram waved his hand, and the guards immediately stepped back.
"Rear Admiral Sean, we can discuss our previous business later," Cobra said, his voice strained. "Right now, we have a crisis that requires immediate attention."
Although Sean had come to discuss the matter of Crocodile, the riot outside the palace was clearly the priority.
"King Cobra, your current situation is actually not that difficult to resolve."
"What do you mean, Rear Admiral Sean? Are you also trying to persuade me to crack down on my own people?"
"No, no. What I mean is that you're in luck, King Cobra. I happened to cross paths with a certain group of people on my way here, and I've already captured their leader."
Sean shook his head. Then, he gripped the man in his right hand and slammed him onto the ground.
"You... this is..."
"This is the man who has been impersonating you in the market. I ran into them just as they were leaving Alubarna, so I decided to nab him."
"What?!"
Cobra and Igaram were instantly shell-shocked.
This was the man who had impersonated the King and incited chaos in the capital? And Sean had simply happened to run into him and picked him up on the way?
If this was true, the entire crisis could be resolved effortlessly.
"Rear Admiral Sean, may I ask who this man is?"
"Bon Clay of Baroque Works, codename Mr. 2. His Devil Fruit is the Paramecia-type Clone-Clone Fruit, which allows him to transform into anyone he has touched. Impersonating you, King Cobra, would be an elementary task for him."
"Baroque Works..."
"Correct. Do you know who the president of Baroque Works is?"
"I am not sure. Although we have conducted investigations into this organization, we still know very little," Cobra replied, shaking his head.
"Their president, codename Mr. 0, is actually one of the Warlords—Crocodile!"
"Crocodile... could it really be him? But why?"
Although Igaram had mentioned that Crocodile's behavior was highly suspicious, Cobra had never been able to fathom the motive. Even if Crocodile were like Doflamingo and desired to seize a kingdom, Alabasta shouldn't be the target.
It was a large country with a massive population, but it was impoverished!
"King Cobra, Crocodile's goal isn't your country, but rather the secrets recorded on that Poneglyph."
"Furthermore, within Baroque Works, Crocodile's partner is a woman named Nico Robin. Now that I've mentioned her, I believe you understand."
'The Poneglyph...'
'Nico Robin...'
Cobra's eyes widened in shock.
If the Poneglyph of Alabasta fell into Crocodile's hands, and with Nico Robin there to read it, Cobra knew exactly what the result would be.
So... this was the truth. That was why he had targeted Alabasta.