History, Charm

"Oh, Butler, what is it?"

"Lord Rody, a CP0 agent just sent word through a Transponder Snail that the World Government has agreed to your request."

"It's just that delivering the Devil Fruits will take around three to four days. However, the World Government hopes to announce tomorrow that you killed Crocodile and became the new Shichibukai." Butler Mike respectfully reported the message from CP0 to Rody.

"Oh, they agreed that quickly? They really have ruled the world for eight hundred years—the number of powerful Devil Fruits they have stored away must be considerable!" Although Rody was somewhat surprised that the World Government had agreed to his demand so quickly, he merely assumed it was the foundation they had accumulated over eight centuries of ruling the world.

But he had forgotten that Zoan Devil Fruits possessed wills of their own. As the strongest and rarest type among Zoans, Mythical Zoans were even more spiritual than ordinary Zoans and chose their own owners. Once someone ate one of the few the World Government had collected, it would be extremely difficult for the World Government to retrieve it, even if they wanted to.

"Fine. Tell the World Government that I agree." Rody nodded and accepted directly. He then had Mike bring Windfire Wheel over while he went to find Alabasta's king, Cobra.

"Lord Rody, are you telling the truth?"

"Of course. Alabasta won't need to pay the 1.5 billion Beli. You only need to help us build a good ship," Rody said with certainty.

"Thank you very much, Lord Rody. Rest assured, we will use Alabasta's finest shipbuilding materials to build you an excellent vessel," Cobra promised Rody confidently.

"Captain, you wanted to see me?" Windfire Wheel walked into the meeting room where Rody and Cobra were talking and asked curiously.

"Yeah. We're going to build a ship in Alabasta. By the way, Windfire Wheel, do you know how to build ships?" Rody asked curiously.

"Hehe... well! I know a thing or two," Windfire Wheel replied with a confident grin.

"Oh? Why is that?"

"I remember there weren't any ship-type Vehicle Clan members in your Machine Beast World, right?"

Rody could understand Windfire Wheel knowing how to build cars. Although Windfire Wheel himself was only a motorcycle, he lived in Time City, a place filled with cars, and the Vehicle Clan members around him were all car types. It was hardly surprising that he understood the structure of cars and could build them.

It was also understandable that he could build helicopters and fighter jets. After all, there were helicopters and fighter jets among the Vehicle Clan, and Windfire Wheel had a fairly good relationship with them. But knowing how to build ships truly confused Rody. In Rody's memories, there had been no ship-like robots in the Machine Beast World.

"Hehe... Captain, as the second most important figure in Time City, I studied a great deal of Vehicle Clan knowledge besides combat. In the history of our Vehicle Clan, there were once ship-type robots. It's just that they died out long ago for reasons no one knows." Windfire Wheel sounded somewhat saddened as he spoke.

However, Windfire Wheel quickly recovered his spirits and said confidently, "Captain, the knowledge passed down by the Vehicle Clan records many powerful weapons used by ship-type robots. Once I make them and install them on the ship, our ship will definitely become the greatest ship in this world!"

"Alright, then I'll be looking forward to seeing the birth of the greatest ship in the world!"

"Don't worry, Captain. I won't disappoint you." Windfire Wheel patted his chest and assured Rody.

"Alright. Tell King Cobra whatever materials you need. He'll cooperate fully."

"That's right. Lord Windfire Wheel, just tell me whatever materials you need. Alabasta will fully cooperate," Cobra said. He was actually completely confused by the Vehicle Clan, Machine Beast World, and everything else Windfire Wheel and Rody had discussed, but Cobra did not care about any of that. As long as he fully cooperated with the robot called Windfire Wheel, that was enough.

After settling the matter of shipbuilding, Rody left the meeting room and headed to the lounge to see how the three women were getting along. When he pushed open the lounge doors, he found them leisurely drinking tea and getting along quite harmoniously.

Night.

Inside a spacious guest room high up in the royal castle, Rody sat before a large floor-to-ceiling window. A bottle of red wine rested on the small table beside him as he looked out over the nighttime scenery of Alubarna, Alabasta's capital.

After dinner, Vivi had taken Nami somewhere, though Rody was not worried. Vivi was now the user of the Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit. In all of Alabasta, aside from Rody, no one could pose any danger to her.

Thus, Rody could only drink red wine alone and watch the city's nightscape. Cobra had already quelled Alabasta's civil unrest. Rody did not know how the people elsewhere felt, but the citizens of the capital, Alubarna, came out in great numbers to celebrate and drink even in the night's enormous temperature drop. Their smiles were simple and sincere, as though they were filled with hope for the future.

"The happiness of the weak, unprotected by strength—today's laughter may become tomorrow's despairing pain."

Rody shook his head. Eight hundred years ago, Alabasta had joined Imu in overthrowing the Great Kingdom. Its territory was vast and its population immense; its royal family held the historical text recording Pluton's location, and its history stretched back several thousand years. Yet not a single truly strong person existed in the country. One Crocodile had nearly made its people unable to live in peace.

"How is the night view of this city built a thousand years ago?" Robin pushed open the bedroom door and entered. She sat in a chair beside Rody, used her Flower-Flower Fruit ability to pour herself a glass of red wine, crossed her right leg over her left, took a sip, and smiled as she asked Rody.

"Not bad. Everywhere I look is filled with the weight and tranquility of history, as though it has endless stories to tell."

"Is that so? How surprising. I thought someone with your personality would say that this city built a thousand years ago is now a fragile antique that could be destroyed with a wave of your hand." Robin took another sip of wine, her eyes gleaming as she looked at Rody as though she were getting to know him anew.

"It can indeed be destroyed with a casual gesture now. But it is still a city that has endured the erosion of a thousand years of history. Naturally, it has its own charm." Rody slowly drained the red wine in his glass. Beside him, petals gathered into a pair of fair arms and refilled it.

"That is the charm of history..."

"Oh? Then can you let me experience the charm of history?"

"Of course..."