Burning

Politics is a terrifying thing, after all.

Because in many cases, your opponent isn't an enemy on the battlefield, but some kind of invisible "formless entity" that you can't see or touch!

Fighting desperately against the unseen until your mind is distorted and your spirit is broken—

That is politics!

As one of the World Government's affiliated nations, Cobra had far too many things to worry about.

His people, his country, his family, his friends, the World Government...

He was a gentle man, but that didn't stop him from being resolute deep down.

No matter who his opponent was, even if it was the entire world, he would protect Alabasta!

This was the fate of royalty.

And it was precisely because of this fate that Cobra would be secretly killed by the Five Elders in front of Imu's throne in the distant future.

Time returned to the present.

The king was in his prime, so there was still much he could do.

He spoke with Dalton, learning the general situation, and then learned of the Donquixote Family's existence from Crocodile.

Afterward, Cobra began to formulate a strategy to deal with the situation.

Crocodile, meanwhile, was also thinking.

Doflamingo's methods were unpredictable and erratic; he had to be wary.

Alabasta was a base he had painstakingly established, and Crocodile did not want the World Government to notice it.

Fortunately, the Poneglyph was involved in this matter, so Cobra would not easily seek aid from the World Government.

Since that was the case, all he had to do was deal with that "arms dealer" from the Donquixote Family!

Crocodile made the decision to act forcefully.

This was one of the advantages of being a Shichibukai.

A mere "illegal" pirate would simply die and wouldn't involve the World Government's affiliated nations!

The only question was, who exactly was this mysterious "fourth party"?

"..."

"Hey, caveman!"

Crocodile turned to Ivan Lindsey beside him, trying to glean some information from him.

"What are your thoughts?"

"..."

Lindsey pondered for a moment, then blinked with a hint of confusion.

"Actually, I've always had a question."

"Hm?"

Crocodile and Cobra both paused, waiting for him to continue.

Lindsey went on, "Why do you all assume 'war' is the prerequisite?"

"What?"

Hearing this, Crocodile and Cobra both paused, not understanding his meaning.

Lindsey spread his hands and explained, "We already know now that the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes are the 'Donquixote Family' and the 'fourth party,' not Wapol."

"The former two are definitely intelligent people, so if the ultimate outcome was war, they would have attacked long ago."

"But the Donquixote Family chose to manipulate the Drum Kingdom, and the 'fourth party' has only been harassing us."

Lindsey sat cross-legged on the ground, tapping the floor with his finger, and said slowly:

"So, I believe their goal isn't war, but to use the opportunity of this conflict to force us into negotiations with them, and then they'll have their own agenda!"

"..."

"..."

As his words fell, Crocodile and Cobra fell silent.

Yes, why hadn't they thought of that?

Both of them could understand what Ivan Lindsey was saying, but they simply hadn't reacted in time.

Perhaps the former was too concerned with his people and country, while the latter was too focused on the Poneglyph.

Now that everything was clear, Cobra first offered his thanks and then continued to research further strategies.

Crocodile looked at Ivan Lindsey, surprised, and asked, "How did you know?"

Lindsey calmly replied, "The purpose of conflict is profit, but the current 'war' has no profit, so they must have other intentions."

"..."

Crocodile remained silent, even more puzzled. "Why can you figure these things out?"

Lindsey blinked and smiled.

"You taught me, and then I learned."

"..."

"Mm."

Half a day later, news arrived from the Drum Kingdom.

Everything was as Ivan Lindsey had said: King Wapol of the Drum Kingdom had sent a so-called "peace talk invitation" to Alabasta.

To emphasize its formality, Wapol had even used a written letter.

Cobra was already prepared, so he responded immediately.

Both sides agreed to hold peace talks two days later on a deserted island in the sea between Alabasta and Drum Island.

Although any discerning person could tell that the other party's purpose in proposing peace talks was far from simple, Cobra still intended to attend.

The reason was simple--

"Everything must have an end."

Cobra gently ruffled Vivi's hair, dispelling the worry in the little princess's eyes.

"Don't be afraid to move forward, because we must face the future."

Two days later.

Deserted Island.

It was a barren island, covering an area roughly equivalent to the port city of Nanohana.

Not large, but suitable for peace talks between two countries.

At this moment, two countries' warships were anchored on opposite sides of the deserted island.

One side was the Alabasta fleet, consisting of about a dozen warships and several smaller boats.

Alabasta was not enthusiastic about war, but it was, after all, a superpower with abundant military resources.

This operation had only mobilized a small portion of its garrison to form such a massive fleet!

In contrast, the Drum Kingdom had also deployed a lineup almost identical in scale to Alabasta's.

However, it was clear that the Drum Kingdom's army was a mixed bag.

Besides the original guard forces, there were many mercenaries from the underworld, and the warships were not uniform in specification.

Clearly, Wapol was no longer trying to hide his "backer."

After a series of tedious reception procedures, Cobra and Wapol boarded the deserted island from their respective ends and headed to the tent in the center of the island for peace talks.

Each brought two escorts.

On one side were Bepo and Jaka, both Zoan Devil Fruit users. On the other were Jace and Crocomon.

Alabasta had a large standing army, so Cobra made good use of this advantage.

In addition to the accompanying fleet, many fast ships were arranged to patrol the surrounding waters, guarding against any potential "fourth party."

Meanwhile, Ivan Lindsey and Crocodile were on a small boat, hidden within the Alabasta fleet, observing the situation.

Inside Bepo's robe, a connected Den Den Mushi was hidden, while the other was in Crocodile's hand.

Although it was against the rules, Cobra tacitly allowed their eavesdropping for the sake of Alabasta.

Presumably, Wapol's side was the same; the Donquixote Family was undoubtedly listening to the content of these peace talks.

But neither of them was here; instead, they were focused on the potential "anomaly."

Where was the anomaly?

The anomaly arrived!

RUMBLE!

A violent explosion sounded from far away, approaching from outside the deserted island.

"Huh?!"

Lindsey sensed something was off, his ears twitching as he turned his gaze toward the distant horizon.

Crocodile did the same, then froze in place for the first time.

Crimson light illuminated both their faces.

It was fire.

The sea was on fire!

Towering flames swept in, reducing several patrol ships to ashes.

The Alabasta King's Army members jumped into the sea to escape. Some of them took out Den Den Mushi, sending an alert to the fleet near the deserted island.

"A Dragon, it's a Dragon!"

"A Dragon flew over us, and everything caught fire!"