A Moderate Faction?

Moderate faction?

King Cobra found it somewhat absurd.

He was not a king renowned for his personal combat prowess, but he at least understood what the events just now represented.

Alabasta's most elite guard unit had been completely helpless before Dragon.

His opponent had barely even moved, yet the battle had already ended in silence.

He was clearly demonstrating his strength.

But without a doubt, King Cobra was not the sort of king who would be cowed by such a threat.

So he cleared his throat and prepared to speak.

But before he could.

"An organization? You have an organization? And even a leader?"

Vivi's voice rang out ahead of his.

The princess clearly had not been frightened by what had happened. Instead, she asked with both wariness and curiosity.

"Vivi!"

King Cobra rarely scolded his daughter, but he did so now. "You promised me earlier that you would only listen from the side."

Of course, he was worried about his daughter's sudden actions. Although the question Vivi had asked was precisely what he wanted to ask as well, speaking rashly before a monster like this was dangerous in itself.

"That's right, Your Highness."

To King Cobra's surprise, however, Dragon's attitude toward Vivi could be considered gentle.

"Our organization is called the 'Twelve Zodiacs.'"

"As for the leader..."

At that point, Dragon's tone turned solemn, as though he held that 'leader' in great respect.

"I can't tell you anything about him. But in any case, we sincerely wish to cooperate with your side. We mean no harm."

As he spoke, he casually set down the empty cola cup in his hand.

"If I truly meant you harm, I wouldn't have chosen to land at Elma. I would have come directly to the capital."

"The rain along the way is my 'sincerity,' King Cobra."

The metal cup in his hand seemed to melt under intense heat, sending out waves of white smoke. It then became a mass of scarlet molten iron that fell, instantly punching through the ground.

It seemed to silently tell everyone present that if he wished, he could easily storm the royal palace and even kill the king and princess.

"."

The guards' expressions darkened with anger.

King Cobra, meanwhile, fell silent.

Yet shock was plainly visible in his eyes.

Only after a long while did he speak. "Two things."

"First, you said you want to cooperate. Then I need to know what you want to obtain from Alabasta."

"Second, you still haven't provided sufficient evidence, so I still can't trust you. The story you told would remain just as plausible if the 'mastermind' you mentioned were replaced with your organization."

He seemed utterly unafraid of the power Dragon had displayed. Instead, he remained composed.

"Unless these two matters are clarified, even if you take my life here, I will not agree to anything."

As he spoke, he glanced slightly toward Igaram and made a subtle gesture with his hand.

Igaram naturally understood what it meant: if the situation turned bad, he was to protect Princess Vivi's escape at all costs.

"."

Igaram's expression grew even more solemn.

But after hearing King Cobra's words, Dragon instead praised him. "As expected of Alabasta's wise king. Your will and courage are worthy of respect."

"However, I told you. I'm a businessman."

"I will naturally answer each of your requests."

He leaned forward slightly and raised a finger. "Your first question: what do we want?"

"The answer is simple—we want Belly."

The moment he said this.

King Cobra's expression changed instantly.

"Belly? You only want Belly?"

The king asked in disbelief.

He had imagined many possibilities. Perhaps the other party wanted to force Alabasta to sign some agreement, or wanted Alabasta's land, or perhaps the long-hidden secret within the 'Royal Tomb.'

But he had never imagined that the other party only wanted Belly.

That was not to say Belly was unimportant. It was simply that money would not usually be the most urgently needed resource for certain organizations.

"Only Belly. Of course, we also accept other treasures of equivalent value in exchange."

Dragon smiled. "I'm a straightforward man, so I give clear prices. I can make it rain over Alabasta, covering one city at a time. Each rainfall costs two billion Belly."

"Beyond that, I'll resolve the mastermind behind this incident. I'll price that at five billion Belly. What do you think?"

What did he think?

"That price is a serious problem, Lord Dragon."

King Cobra responded decisively.

"Two billion Belly for a single rainfall is far too high. Even transporting water directly from nearby countries would cost much less."

"The most I can accept is three hundred million Belly per rainfall."

"And as for the mastermind, although I don't know who he is, five billion Belly is too much. You can't possibly tell me that Whitebeard is hiding in Alabasta, can you?"

"The most I can offer is two billion Belly."

He spoke firmly.

Hearing this, Dragon slammed his hand on the table. "Ridiculous! Three hundred million Belly? Using my ability takes stamina too. It has to be at least seven hundred million Belly per rainfall."

"As for the mastermind, he may not be Whitebeard, but he's still a troublesome fellow. Besides, this concerns the fate of an entire country. You pay more than ten billion Belly in Celestial Gold every year, yet you're only willing to spend two billion to save the country?"

King Cobra refused to back down and likewise spoke in a low voice. "Since you know about Celestial Gold, you should also know that we only paid it this year. The treasury was already nearly emptied. Not to mention the problem of resettling the refugees after this matter is resolved."

The two of them argued back and forth, each insisting on his own position.

In the end, they finally settled on a plan.

According to their final agreement, Dragon would bring rain to Alabasta's cities at a price of five hundred million Belly per rainfall.

As for resolving the mastermind behind this incident, Alabasta could offer a bounty of three billion Belly.

Only after the exact figures had been finalized did King Cobra look at Dragon. "However, Lord, although we've settled the terms, you still haven't given me any evidence."

He spoke with a solemn expression.

Hearing this, Dragon smiled.

"That won't be difficult, King Cobra."

He held up a second finger and pointed at himself. "I can bring rain. That's a fact known throughout Alabasta, and it's something the mastermind absolutely cannot tolerate."

"So I only need to remain in the royal palace while you spread the word that 'Alabasta is about to receive rain.' He'll naturally send someone to kill me. At that time, you'll see the evidence for yourself."

His tone was relaxed, even carrying a hint of excitement.

King Cobra's expression froze, and his gaze toward Dragon grew solemn.

Clearly, he had not expected Dragon to use himself as bait. "Are you sure?"

"Of course."

Dragon answered calmly.

Within his field of vision, he could see the information displayed on the Light Screen.

[Loi Amos (Slice Clone—Dragon)]

[Fruit Slot: 3]

[Currently Equipped Fruits: Magma-Magma Fruit Lv. 3, Freeze-Freeze Fruit Lv. 3, Slice-Slice Fruit (Unavailable)]

"I'm sure."

With those words, the agreement was concluded.

King Cobra said no more and immediately ordered Igaram to arrange a place for Dragon to stay in the royal palace.

He then quietly watched the mysterious guest leave.

After Dragon departed.

"Father."

Vivi had kept her eyes wide open from the beginning, her face full of disbelief. Now she could not help looking at her father.

She had never seen her father look like he had just then. He had seemed less like a king and more like a shrewd merchant.

What was more, she still could not understand it.

"His identity and purpose still can't truly be confirmed, and his companion is a wanted criminal who robbed the 'Celestial Gold.' We're an affiliated country of the World Government. Why would you be willing to cooperate with him?"

King Cobra looked at his daughter.

She was brave enough, but still far too inexperienced.

"Vivi, I want to teach you something."

"Sometimes, when judging a person, don't focus only on what he says. Look at what he does."

The king spoke earnestly.

"What he does?"

Vivi furrowed her brows slightly.

King Cobra spoke softly. "He really did bring rain, resolving Alabasta's urgent crisis."

"He really does possess enough power to kill you and me with ease, yet he hasn't made a move from beginning to end."

"Most importantly, he could have threatened me with the entire country and forced me to agree to a higher price. Although the treasury really is empty, if we forcibly taxed the entire country, we could still squeeze out some money."

King Cobra said softly, "But he didn't. Vivi, why do you think that is?"

"."

Vivi was silent for a moment before naturally reaching a conclusion. "A lot of people would die."

After seven months of drought, Alabasta's harvest this year was already in an extremely difficult state.

If they forcibly taxed the people again, widespread famine and death would be almost unavoidable.

At this point, Vivi understood.

"If he and the Twelve Zodiacs he belongs to really were the culprits behind the country's lack of rain, then he definitely wouldn't care about the people's lives."

"But he chose to yield at this point, so... he isn't the mastermind?"

Vivi asked in surprise.

King Cobra looked at his daughter with relief.

But Vivi soon grew worried again. "But what about the World Government—"

"We are the kings of Alabasta, Vivi."

King Cobra spoke softly but firmly.

"We chose to remain in this country, so we only need to be responsible for the people of this country."

"You only need to remember that."

Reader Q&A:

The core theme of this novel is Devil Fruit Abilities, not Haki.

The protagonist will strengthen his body because it benefits the use of Devil Fruit abilities.

But Haki belongs to another category of power. The protagonist will not obtain it through normal training.

However! However! However!

That doesn't mean the protagonist won't have Haki in the future.

What does that mean?

In other words, even if the protagonist eventually possesses Haki, it will definitely be because of a Devil Fruit ability that he obtains it. (laughs)