The Damned Cobra (Please Collect and Recommend)

Longinus's expression froze slightly as he stared at Cobra, who looked like a superfan, unable to react for a moment.

Is this guy really the future king of Alabasta? Although Longinus was doubtful inwardly, he still maintained a warm smile as he said, "Prince Cobra, I..."

"No, absolutely do not call me Prince Cobra!" Cobra said excitedly. "You can call me Cobra, or Little Cobra, but please don't use honorifics!"

Longinus's body trembled slightly, and he nearly suspected that this fellow was gay. However, his powerful self-control allowed him to say calmly, "All right! Let's both take a step back. I'll call you Cobra, and you can stop saying 'you' so respectfully. Just call me Longinus!"

"Is... is that really all right?" Cobra's entire body trembled, his face filled with excitement. His appearance made Longinus suspect that he might faint at any moment.

Only after seeing Longinus nod discreetly did Cobra take a deep breath and say, "Major Longinus, I truly admire you. Two years ago, when I saw what you said in the newspaper, that famous line you spoke after defeating the Blood Blade Pirates, 'Power should be the servant of justice,' I..."

"After that, I finally found the meaning of my existence amid those bewildering days. It was to use the authority granted to me by the people to seek greater happiness for them!"

Longinus instantly switched to his Kind Personality and said earnestly, "You're absolutely right. Power and authority are monsters that must not be released from their cages. Only by restraining them with justice and truth can we prevent their abuse."

After receiving Longinus's approval, Cobra became even more excited, though a trace of gloom appeared amid that excitement. "Unfortunately, my father refuses to listen to my advice. The country has been at war for years. Although our status and influence have continued to expand, the economic situation has long since fallen below freezing point. The people's anti-war sentiment has also reached its peak. Alabasta is now like a bomb at the edge of a volcano, and it could explode at any moment, blowing this country to pieces."

"So, you mean..."

"I hope you can help me save this country, which could be destroyed at any moment, Major Longinus!" Cobra said hurriedly.

"You want to seize power from your father?"

"Huh? No, Major Longinus, you misunderstood!" Cobra hurriedly waved his hands and explained, "I hope you can use the ideals of justice to enlighten my father, whose eyes have been blinded by war and destruction!"

"Enlighten..." Longinus's mouth twitched speechlessly. According to Commodore Adkin, Alabasta's current king was a sinister and cunning old schemer. For someone like that to be "enlightened" by the ideals of "justice" was practically a dream.

However, Longinus did not directly deny him. Instead, after a brief hesitation, he asked, "Do you have any more detailed intelligence that could give me an advantage in the negotiations to come and make your father abandon his plans to continue the war out of 'guilt'?"

"Make my father feel guilty? Does contacting pirates count?" Cobra asked innocently.

Seeing Cobra suddenly drop such an explosive bombshell, Longinus could not help but suck in a cold breath. This fellow really was exceptionally good at throwing his own father under the bus!

Although it was impossible to bring down a king merely by hiring pirates, if handled properly, it could still become a useful bargaining chip at the meeting.

Longinus said calmly, "Fine. Tell me everything you know in detail."

"All right. As I said before, the people's anti-war sentiment has reached its peak, causing the army's combat strength to decline drastically. At the beginning of the war, we were actually at a disadvantage. So my father secretly contacted the Frenzied Pirates, the Heart Pirates, and the Flag Pirates, allowing those pirates to disguise themselves as soldiers and participate in the war. That was the only way we managed to reverse the situation of repeated defeats."

"Cooperating with pirates is no different from making a deal with a tiger," Longinus said concisely.

"Mm! That's what I think too. Those insatiable pirates will eventually set their sights on Alabasta, this country that looks powerful on the outside but is actually already in ruins!"

Because of the women's war that kept erupting during the banquet, the dinner soon ended in a sorry state.

The negotiations between the four countries, which should have taken place tomorrow, were moved to that very night at the fervent request of the King of Alabasta.

Inside the spacious, open hall, the political figures and nobles of the four countries stood behind their respective royal families. The Marines, represented by Commodore Adkin, sat at the front of the palace, directly facing the four royal families.

"All right, everyone, let's speak freely. Although the Marines' position is to remain neutral, for the sake of peace, I still hope that all of you kings can reach a reconciliation."

The King of Alabasta, seated toward the left, swept his gaze around the room before lifting his chin slightly and saying, "Since everyone is being so silent, allow me to start the discussion. To launch this war, our kingdom invested a tremendous amount of manpower and resources. To end this war, we must at least recover our losses!"

"So, Alabasta's demand is very simple. The three of you will compensate us with ten billion Beli. As for how that ten billion Beli is divided, that's your concern."

"Ridiculous! Ten billion Beli in war expenses? I think you have no intention of negotiating in good faith at all!" King Crete slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily.

"Don't be so impatient. I haven't finished yet. Given our absolute advantage in the current war, ending it now would cause us to lose a large portion of our acquired benefits. Therefore, I have the right to demand that, in addition to retaining the territories we have already occupied, each of your kingdoms cede one province to us as war spoils."

"After all, with the situation so favorable, ending the war now would place a tremendous burden on me, even as king!"

"However, to demonstrate my generosity, I won't designate the provinces. I'll let you choose freely. Yes, you may now praise my benevolence to your heart's content!"

"Honored King of Alabasta, I truly cannot see any sincerity regarding peace talks in your words." King Hisca also frowned and said forcefully, "If you truly came with peaceful intentions, we would offer you fine wine as we would any honored guest. But if you intend to threaten and provoke us with another war, the brave people of Hisca will also raise their hunting rifles and drive away the jackals!"

"Heh heh! Two kings, faced with the choice between survival and dignity, I believe you will make the right decision."

Seeing that the peace talks had fallen into a fierce deadlock from the very beginning and seemed about to turn into a prelude to war, Commodore Adkin hurriedly called for help in a low voice. "Longinus, get up there quickly! I can no longer control the situation!"

Longinus took a deep breath. When did you ever control the situation? Why don't I know anything about it?

"Everyone, please hear me out. The key to peace talks is to seek common ground while setting aside differences. Since all of you have come here for peace, please be a little more patient and allow me to analyze the current situation." A faint spiritual pressure radiated from Longinus, giving him the bearing of a superior. Everyone instinctively wanted to hear him finish, and the restless atmosphere once again settled into calm.

Thanks to Panghu for the 588 tip. Please give me some recommendation votes. This new book's first recommendation seems to have been completely crushed by the big shots publishing at the same time, and I'm inexplicably starting to panic! (ノΔ)ノ