Just as Carlmand and Behrens were about to embark on a new adventure, Kazu stopped them.
"Let's go later. Someone's coming soon, and since you're also part of the Blond Hair Pirates, it'll be more appropriate for you to appear together."
Kazu's Observation Haki and Space-Space Fruit ability had already detected the information in advance; the enemy was rapidly approaching from the direction of the royal palace and would arrive soon.
"No problem."
When Carlmand heard that there was something fun to be had, he didn't refuse.
They randomly picked a beverage shop and ordered some juice, coffee, and dessert.
"Please sit here for a while."
The three of Kazu devoured their desserts, Robin took a sip of her coffee, then quietly read a book, while Makino looked around, admiring the surrounding street scene.
About half an hour later, a commotion arose as a thousand-strong force led by Cobra headed straight for Kazu and his men.
"You wait here; Pell and Chaka will accompany me."
Hearing that His Majesty the King had brought these two warriors, Igaram felt somewhat relieved.
"Yes, sir."
Cobra and his two companions walked, and were now about ten meters away from Kazu and the others.
Kazu picked up his glass of orange juice and downed it in one gulp. Then he put down the glass, looked up at Cobra and the others, and slowly said, "Ah, King Cobra has arrived."
Kazu's companions were also sizing up King Cobra. As a crew member of a pirate with a bounty of billions, he could act so recklessly.
When power reaches a certain level, it becomes something that cannot be controlled by authority.
As the king of one of the few superpowers in the pirate world, Cobra has been featured in newspapers many times. It's no surprise Cobra Kazu recognized him at a glance.
"Mr. Her Kazi, I Cobra, on behalf of the Alabasta Kingdom, welcome you."
"If you need any help while you're here, just let me know, and I'll do my best to meet your needs."
Cobra immediately made his sincerity clear, and his words implied that Kazu and his group were there for leisure, making the relationship between the two sides appear more harmonious.
As it turned out, Kazu and his crew really were there for sightseeing; it's just that Cobra was overthinking things.
It's no wonder he's like this; any country would be uneasy if suddenly given a living father with billions in bounties.
"Hahaha, King Cobra is indeed generous! I, Kazu, love having friends like you the most."
"Since you've put it that way, how about this: although this wasn't my original intention, you'd probably feel uneasy if I didn't accept it."
"Just give me a token amount, like 1 billion Beli, as expenses for our Blond Hair Pirates's travel around here."
"After we've had our fun for a while, we'll leave Alabasta."
Good heavens, Carlmand and the others standing nearby were all taken aback.
It has to be the captain, even extortion has to be done with such a high-sounding facade, claiming it's for the other party's good.
And he asked for a billion Beli right off the bat; robbery really is the fastest way to get rich.
Carlmand and Behrens were also somewhat excited; they had been spending the money Kazu gave them, and the wealthier Kazu, the more secure their lives were.
"What!!"
"Ten billion Beli!!"
"This isn't just spending money on sightseeing, it's outright robbery!"
Chaka was shocked; he hadn't expected this bastard to be so ruthless right from the start.
"Your Majesty, you must not agree to this!"
Pell quickly tried to dissuade King Cobra, fearing that the king might mistakenly agree to give the money in a moment of confusion.
Although Alabasta is a superpower, it would still be a huge strain for them to come up with so much money all at once.
Cobra was a benevolent monarch who did not rob the common people of their money and even promulgated many policies that benefited the people.
This resulted in Cobra not having much money to spare.
If he were a greedy, corrupt king who exploited the common people, he probably wouldn't even bat an eye at a billion Beli.
" Kazu Kaz, one billion Beli is indeed too much; I don't have that many Beli to come up with at the moment."
Cobra showed a rare hint of embarrassment.
Good news, he achieved his goal; the other side really did agree not to cause trouble in Alabasta.
The bad news is that he doesn't have that much money to spare right now.
Cobra was embarrassed, but Kazu was quite satisfied.
This is enough to show that he, as king, was benevolent and loved his people. In such a large country, he, as king, could not immediately come up with this amount of money.
However, this also indirectly shows that he, as king, was at least not very good at managing the economy.