Arbitrator of the Dark Night, Felix

King Azka's words exploded like a thunderclap on level ground, startling the other royal nobles into rising from their seats in panic and shock.

While it was no great matter for royalty to hire pirates, contacting pirates to plot the murder of other royal family members—and even Marines—was an act of madness that was enough to be defined as rebellion.

No matter how insane the King of Alabasta was, he could not possibly dare to openly provoke a behemoth like the World Government, could he?

Not only the other royals and Marines, but even the nobles who had come with the King of Alabasta and Cobra looked at him in disbelief, hoping to hear him deny it.

Yet the King of Alabasta merely sighed and shook his head. "Since you already knew all this, why expose me? Longinus's words had nearly moved me, but now, I have no choice but to kill all of you."

"When you reach hell, make sure to repent for your stupidity!"

Even after receiving the King of Alabasta's admission, the other royals and nobles still could not believe it.

"What? King of Alabasta, you really committed such madness? Aren't you afraid of the World Government's punishment?"

"Father, what are you saying? You're dragging Alabasta into the abyss!" Cobra desperately tried to dissuade him as well.

"Hmph! What do you know?" Upon hearing Cobra's words, the King of Alabasta, who had been watching coldly all this time, finally showed a flicker of emotion. "You always tell me that Alabasta has reached the edge of a cliff, but do you think I don't know that?"

"I understand Alabasta's situation better than anyone!"

"Then... then why, Father..."

"Alabasta is a runaway carriage, with a cliff that keeps collapsing behind it. If we keep running, there may still be hope. But if we stop expanding, we'll fall off the cliff and be smashed to pieces!"

"The only way to save Alabasta is through plunder—unceasing plunder. Even though I know the kingdom's army no longer has the strength to fight, we still have to sustain the war by other means."

"As for punishment from the World Government? Hmph! If everyone here dies, who will know we did it?"

"Vicious pirates destroyed the royal families and the Marines, while the brave and fearless King of Alabasta stepped forward to save everything. What a perfect script!"

"You're mad. You're truly mad!" King Hisca felt a chill run through his entire body as he repeatedly shouted, "Guards! Guards, seize this madman at once!"

However, a deathly silence hung outside the hall, so quiet that it made people panic and shudder.

"Where are the guards? Why hasn't a single guard come in?" King Hisca cried out wildly.

"Stop struggling. My men have already taken over this palace. Now, all you need to do is enjoy the opera known as slaughter as it takes the stage."

"King Azka, since you knew of his scheme long ago, you must have made thorough preparations, right?" King Crete looked hopefully toward King Azka, who seemed like a detached bystander.

"Of course. If I hadn't prepared, how could I have been foolish enough to walk into a trap?" King Azka calmly took a miniature Den Den Mushi from his cuff and smiled in satisfaction. "I've recorded all the lies. No matter what happens next, the World Government shouldn't suspect me anymore!"

King Azka's words left everyone somewhat confused, yet also gave them the feeling that he was no better than the rest.

"King Azka, wh-what are you saying?" King Crete asked tremulously.

"What do you mean?" The King of Alabasta also began to feel that something was wrong.

"What do I mean? Hahaha, let the mighty Captain Felix tell you the answer himself!"

Amid King Azka's wild laughter, a man shrouded in darkness, his features impossible to make out and his body radiating a bloody aura, walked in through the main doors. Behind him followed numerous fierce-looking pirates, gazing at the people in the hall as though inspecting merchandise.

"Felix, y-you betrayed me?" the King of Alabasta asked in disbelief.

"King of Alabasta, don't make it sound so ugly. We were only partners to begin with. Since someone offered a higher price, surely it's understandable that I changed partners midway?" Felix said helplessly, spreading his hands.

"You... you..." The King of Alabasta clutched his chest, his face deathly pale, as though rage had triggered a heart attack.

"Father! Father, don't scare me!" Cobra was utterly at a loss after this series of upheavals.

"Hahaha! That's why one must be more generous in life. Otherwise, the one who loses out in the end is still oneself!" King Azka bragged arrogantly. "Now this is even more perfect. If the King of Alabasta dies from excessive agitation, it should better prove everything recorded by the Den Den Mushi!"

At that, the King of Alabasta managed to recover somewhat, though he still glared at Felix with fury and resentment. "Don't you want that thing? I can give you more..."

"It's too late. If you had agreed to my demands earlier, King of Alabasta, it wouldn't have come to this." Felix led his pirates down the steps one by one, like a king with everything under his control. "What I want now is no longer those things, but everything you have."

"With that thing, I'll have a foundation to establish myself even in the New World. And if it truly comes to it, I can offer it to the real Big Shots in exchange for even greater advancement. King of Alabasta, leaving that thing in your hands is simply too wasteful!"

"As expected, I should have listened to Cobra's warnings sooner. Greedy pirates like you can never be satisfied. Even if today's events had not happened, sooner or later you would have betrayed and turned on me. King Azka, just wait. Before long, you'll end up just like me. I'll be waiting for you in hell!"

"I say, aren't you people looking down on the Marines too much? A Great Pirate with an 80 million bounty may be powerful, but he is far from impossible to deal with!" Commodore Adkin said in an unfriendly tone.

"Those Marine commodores in the New World may indeed have the formidable strength to capture pirates worth over 100 million on their own, but a Marine commodore from Paradise like you is still far lacking." Felix said disdainfully.

"Of course, I also know that a Marine commodore is not someone I can casually look down upon. That's why I made thorough preparations to deal with you—and for that, I must thank the King of Alabasta for his gift."

"It's over. It's all over. My kingdom, my power, it's all over!" Seeing everyone's eyes turn toward him, the King of Alabasta said miserably, "It's Seastone powder. The commodore is a Devil Fruit user. In my original plan, I intended to use Seastone powder to deprive all Devil Fruit users of their ability to resist."