"Mr. 2 von Clay!"
A group of men dressed in the Royal Army uniforms stood in neat rows, saluting "Cobra" in front of them.
At this moment, Von Clay paid no attention to their thoughts; his mind was racing, trying to figure out what to do!
Although the man said he wouldn't get involved, he didn't say he wouldn't kill anyone afterward!
What should I do?!
With Cobra's face on his head, he frantically banged his head against the wall.
"Lord von Clay, according to the plan, the royal palace should have succeeded. It's time for us to make our move!"
As the sun rose higher and their leader remained unresponsive, the soldiers of the Kingdom behind them grew increasingly anxious.
"Are you kidding me?"
Von Clay grabbed his subordinate by the neck, veins bulging on his face. The latter pounded on his arm, already struggling to breathe.
"If this isn't handled properly, you know I'll be in big trouble, right?!"
It's not an option to not do it; Mr. 3's fate is still fresh in our minds.
Even if we actually did it, it wouldn't work; the fate of Mr. 4 and Miss. Merry Christmas is still fresh in our minds.
"Are you kidding me? My Okama path isn't over yet!"
Just as he was letting out a long howl, a child passing by caught his attention.
Is it really reliable to entrust all of Narohara's affairs to Mr. 2 alone?
After the large ship landed, Bora and Daz set off for the capital, the former with some worries.
"That guy is Mr.2, after all. He shouldn't make mistakes on such a small matter."
Daz, on the other hand, was much calmer. Since the other party wanted him to cause a ruckus all by himself, he was happy to have some peace and quiet.
"What did you say?!"
Inside the palace, the real Cobra had already received the message from Narohara.
They actually claimed that they appeared there to apologize to the people and that this caused a riot by the Rebel Army!
"It was the work of Devil Fruit User!"
Cifer, who was playing chess with Nolan nearby, was quite relaxed.
"Mr. Cifer! The Rebel Army is already closing in on the capital. Are we just going to let the Royal Army clash with them like this?!"
"If I had come forward to clarify things right now, things wouldn't have escalated to that point!"
First, they had someone pretend to incite public outrage, and then, coincidentally, a huge amount of weapons appeared.
This is clearly an attempt to start a war, but those are his own people!
He would rather fight Crocodile to the death than see his people kill each other.
If I step in now to clarify things, I might still be able to stop it all.
"This is the result we wanted. If the Rebel Army continue to lie low, it won't be good for Alabasta either."
"Why not bring them all to this capital and resolve all the troubles at once!"
Cifer's words already conveyed the air of a general.
The Rebel Army suddenly received sufficient military equipment, and in their extreme anger, their fury was simply impossible to quell without a good fire retardant.
The way of war is to strike with full force at the first drumbeat, then weaken at the second, and exhaust it at the third.
Let them vent their anger, as long as they can break through!
"How could you?!"
Cobra thought that Cifer wanted to kill all the Rebel Army, so he might as well just hand over the palace!
"What era do you think this is? This is war! It's impossible to have no casualties!"
Cifer's eyes sharpened.
It is a good thing to love the people like one's own children, but at critical moments, one must know when to give up and when to make sacrifices.
If the royal palace is surrendered to protect the Rebel Army, who will guarantee the future of this country?!
If we don't take this opportunity to resolve all the problems, even if Crocodile is defeated, there will still be a thorn in the side of the Rebel Army.
"If we want to minimize casualties, we should temporarily dismiss all the Royal Army today and keep the people of the capital indoors."
"You don't need to worry about what happens next."
Will Cobra heed his advice? Cifer didn't know; the decision was in his hands.
I'm here to help, but only if the other party is obedient.
The best way to minimize the number of deaths in a war is to completely defeat one side of the conflict.
What does it have to do with Enel if Cifer takes the money but doesn't do anything?
"It will probably take more than half a day for the Rebel Army to reach this city. Excuse me."
"The rest is up to you."
Anyway, there's still time, so he might as well go to Rainland and make some more money. Besides, there's someone else he needs to see.
There's no point in him staying here if he doesn't make a move; as his second-in-command, Enel has never let him down.
"Understood."
His squinting eyes seemed listless, but he was overjoyed: it seemed he was about to become God of another country!
With a wave of his hand, Cifer vanished without a trace.
"Mr. Ulquiorra! The boss did instruct us that we would pay you whatever you won if you came to gamble, but this casino really doesn't have any money left..."
A man in a suit was frantically wiping the sweat from his forehead and explaining to Cifer.
The larger casinos in the Rainland are all supported by Crocodile, so they all received his orders yesterday.
If this man comes to gamble, don't cause trouble. Give him whatever he wins, and if he runs out of money, just tell him to get lost.
But how could the casino manager dare to kick someone out if the boss was afraid of him?
"What a pity, we should have ordered more at Rain Dinners last night..."
Cifer forgot that the Straw Hat Pirates would ruin the Rain Dinners, leaving him with no choice but to wander around other casinos today.
After visiting several casinos, he only earned 700 to 800 million, which is less profitable than saying a few words at Rain Dinners.
"Consider it a tip for your boss, though he probably won't need it..."
As dusk approached, Cifer decided not to linger any longer.
After returning the winnings to the palace, Cifer disappeared again without a moment's hesitation.
"Mr. Cifer... did he rob some super-rich man...?"
Looking at the treasure scattered on the ground, Cobra fell into deep thought.
"Look! It's water! There's so much water!"
In the desert, amidst the ruins of a city ravaged by a sandstorm, a frail old man with white hair and beard stands in a deep pit, calling out.
"Water is gushing out continuously!"
Even though it was just a slightly larger pool, his tears still fell uncontrollably.
"Thump!"
He knelt on the ground, his hands trembling as he scooped up a stream of clear water from the pool and put it in his mouth; it was a sweetness he hadn't experienced in years.
"I told you, Luffy ~ This is a resilient land~"
"Yuba is still alive!"
The old man laughed heartily, this was one of the happiest moments of his life.
Looking up again, another massive sandstorm was approaching.
"What's this? If we can get through this sandstorm, maybe it'll rain. I'm used to it by now..."
"No matter how many times... no matter how many times! Bring it on!"
"Yuba could never lose to the sand!"
The old man stood firmly beside the pool, leaning on his cane, his eyes fixed on the sandstorm that threatened to engulf the entire city, unwavering in his resolve.
The swirling sand kept slapping against his thin face, making it hard for him to keep his eyes open, but he didn't take a single step back.
"Old man, at your age, it's not a good thing to act tough!"
The pressure of the sandstorm suddenly became negligible. The old man suddenly opened his eyes wide, and the tall figure in front of him actually drew the long sword from his waist towards the sandstorm.
"Young man! Get out of here right now! This sandstorm is no joke!"
The old man was very anxious and wanted to persuade the man to leave, but he ended up witnessing the most unforgettable scene of his life.
"Savage Dragon Break!"
A dazzling blade of light flashed, and the sandstorm vanished, replaced by a scorching sword mark that stretched to an unknown distance on the ground!