The Black Prince of Pirates

"I'm sorry, Cobra, Alabasta is too far away from our country. A large-scale expedition is not an option our country can afford, and there is still that guy here. If it fails, it will be a devastating disaster. ·······”

"...The war in our country is not over yet. Even if I want to help you, the actual conditions do not allow it. I am really sorry, Kobra."

"That crocodile is not someone to be trifled with. Our country cannot afford to provoke that kind of enemy."

Refuse, apologize, send away... Continuous visits did not yield any results. The kings of many countries that had received favors from Alabasta kept emphasizing their respective difficulties, either directly or tactfully. , but they all unanimously rejected Kobra's request for help.

The reasons are not exactly the same. Generally speaking, they have two things in common. One is that the distance is too far. The harsh climate changes of the Grand Line make long-distance large-scale expeditions extremely risky. In addition, there are troubles in supplying along the way. There is a price to pay for naval bases and ports... Not everyone can learn the mobile territory of the Germa Kingdom.

The second is that they are afraid of the King Shichibukai who stays in the Kingdom of Alabasta. That cold-blooded, cruel, clever, and legal crocodile makes many people unwilling to be enemies with him. He can fight with Kobra. Not all kings who are friends may be equally kind, but at least they are all qualified rulers.

With their eyesight, they can naturally see that the real trouble in Alabasta is not the rebels. The crocodile that has declared neutrality and does not support the rebels or the king's army is the challenge facing the Neferutali family.

Helping Kobra is equivalent to standing on the opposite side of [Sand Crocodile].

Rejection and shirk became the natural answer.

Although this is an expected result.

But...it still makes people feel deeply disappointed and exhausted. Kobra sat on a bench in the park to rest, his eyes wandering over the villas in the distance, his eyes particularly Loneliness and unspeakable depression shrouded his heart like a cloud.

The inability to find a helping hand that can compete with the crocodile means that the Kingdom of Alabasta can only rely on its own strength to deal with it...but this way there is no chance of victory.

The Kingdom of Alabasta is a large country with a standing army of 60.

It is an ancient country with a long history of 800 years.

However, this cannot conceal the current dilemma of the Kingdom of Alabasta, which lacks available top-notch military force. The 60 well-trained standing troops combined cannot defeat the Sand Crocodile alone... This is the dilemma of Alabasta today.

800 years ago, the ancestors of the Neferutali family and 19 other people overthrew the disobedient people in the world and established a world government. 800 years later, the superpower Alabasta could not find even one person who controlled domineering power. Master.

Of course, this does not mean that the kings of Alabasta do not pay attention to the training of their subordinates.

Dating back to Cobra's father's generation, the Kingdom of Alabasta still had masters who could rival the Vice Admirals of the Navy to resist the big pirates at sea. As a result, the world changed and the Rocks Pirates rose. Gathering the strong men on the sea to the new world, the powerful men from all walks of life who were originally scattered across the sea gradually gathered together.

Afterwards, Roger used his own death to officially open the era of great pirates, turning the already brutally competitive new world into a battlefield for gods to fight.

The pressure on the world and the paradise has since become much smaller. Although the paradise has been harassed by pirates, most of the pirates hanging out in the paradise are newcomers. Strictly speaking, the pressure from various countries is actually much smaller than before. Just look at the fact that today’s Alabasta can’t even find a master who can control domineering...

Strong men are tempered on the battlefield, and it is difficult to make greater progress just by bullying some weaklings.

For example, Bell, who is following Kobra at the moment, is the adjutant of the kingdom's guard, and is named 'Bell of the Falcon'. He and another companion called 'Jaka of the Jackal' have become The two strongest people in the Kingdom of Alabasta are rare flying-type animal-type devil fruit ability users. They have one of the "six world-recognized flying abilities." Originally there were five, but with Elus's record, As it spread, it became six types.

This talent is not bad, but it lacks strong opponents to train him.

He wasn't even a match for Robin.

The Blossom Fruit is quite weird, but Bell was easily subdued by Robin... Not to mention other people with animal abilities, even the Mouse Fruit can greatly increase the strength of people with abilities. I can only say that Robin Too strong?

"Your Majesty, if you are tired, why don't you go back and rest for a while?"

Bell looked at Kobra, who had a depressed expression and was sitting on the bench in a daze for a long time, and couldn't help but persuade him.

"Can not be done!"

Cobra sighed, "The World Conference will be officially held tomorrow. Then there will be no time to deal with this matter. Try again." He said this, but no matter how he activated the consciousness in his mind, he couldn't find it. Someone came out who could be called upon for help.

He is familiar with nearly half of the kings participating in the meeting, but most of them are not as comprehensive as Alabasta in terms of national strength!

We have gone to almost all the people we can seek help from, but unfortunately to no avail.

"call!"

Cobra felt like his brain was aching from overthinking.

At this moment,

"Hey, Kobra, why are you sitting here?"

"...Your Majesty Wojuke?"

"Hey, why are you so polite? I'm not the king anymore, just call me by my name." The tall and sturdy old man waved his hand carelessly. He was the previous king of the Kingdom of Ekmundo, Sokaki. O. Warwick.

"How can this be done, Mr. Woyouke?"

Kobra stood up.

Say hello to Wojuk who came up surrounded by a group of guards and maids.

He was not very familiar with Woyok, they only met at the World Conference, because Woyuk and his father were of the same generation, and they had a good relationship. His father once proposed the abolition of the slave law at the World Conference. Wojke was one of the few who voted in favor.

This is not to say that Woyouk is so kind-hearted. The main reason is that the coffee plantations in the Kingdom of Exmundo are used to using captured pirates to work. Compared with the slaves who have to spend money to buy, those who are not guilty of death The pirates don't have to spend a single penny. Anyway, no matter whether they like it or not, there are always many pirates coming to look for trouble.

The pirates in the New World are just like the fish and shrimps in the sea, they are endless.

If you are lucky, you can catch thousands of pirate coolies who come to your door at one time. Moreover, thanks to the clever methods and outstanding eyesight of the kings in the past, they have not provoked those hard problems that they cannot afford. In addition, the rule is also difficult. It's not too much, and it won't attract those weirdos among pirates who like to seek justice.

All in all, because Voyuk had supported Cobra's father, the relationship between the two old men was good.

But later, Cobra's father died young and Voyuk abdicated. There was really no friendship between Cobra and Bowell, so they hadn't been in contact with each other for many years. However, Cobra and his father were [-]% similar in appearance. The resemblance was so great that Woyouk recognized it at a glance from a distance.

"You look just like your father. You get upset when you look at others." Voyuk came over and looked at Kobra, who had a worried look on his face. The smile on his face disappeared, "Look at you sitting here. Sighing, what's bothering you? Could it be that the illegitimate child has come back to fight for the family property?"

"You are joking, I only have one daughter."

Cobra smiled bitterly.

This...father's friend still speaks so casually after all these years.

"Is that because of the domestic rebellion?"

"...that's it."

"The civil war has been going on for a year, right? What's the situation now?" Wojuk asked bluntly, without being tactful at all. The expressions on the faces of Bell and other guards beside him suddenly didn't look good. How can one directly touch other people's scars like this?

Kobra also felt a little embarrassed.

After all, this is not a glorious thing. It is really uncomfortable to be pointed out to someone like this, especially when the other person is more or less an elder. The Kingdom of Alabasta was so peaceful and peaceful when his father ruled it. , but when he took the throne, a civil war broke out, something that the Kingdom of Alabasta had not encountered in 800 years.

It can be regarded as a precedent.

Thinking of this, I felt mixed emotions in my heart, and the embarrassing emotions were overshadowed by emotions such as self-blame, guilt, and depression.

"It's my incompetence!" He took all the blame on himself. "If I hadn't allowed the crocodile to enter the country, this would not have happened." At this point, he was indeed Regret it.

Back then, Crocodile asked to be allowed to settle in Alabasta on the condition of helping deal with pirates. He hesitated for a long time before agreeing, thinking that with the title of King Shichibukai, he might be able to intimidate those who looked like him. In the summer, pirates kill like flies on a butcher's stall.

As a result, it attracted the wolf into the house.

After Crocodile used a large number of pirate heads to establish the title of 'National Hero', he could not even think about expelling Crocodile.

"Is the situation already so bad?"

Voyuk's eyes widened in surprise.

His main focus these days was on family affairs. He was worried that Elus would cause a big disaster, and he didn't pay much attention to other things. If Kobra's father was still alive, he might still Pay attention to things in Alabasta, but unfortunately there are not so many ifs.

"My statement was not accurate. The situation in the country is not optimistic, but it can still be sustained. The rebels are not difficult to deal with, but they are the people of Alabasta after all. Because there has been no rain in their hometown for a long time, they cannot survive. That’s why I did such a thing, I didn’t want to hurt them.”

"...Your temper is really the same as your father's."

It's hard to tell whether Woyouke's words are a compliment or a sarcasm.

But to Cobra himself, this was the highest praise.

"And if we don't solve the problem of climate anomalies and expel Crocodile from the ground up, even if this wave of resistance is quelled, more resistance will soon appear across the country. This wave of resistance is good or bad. It’s really just a group of people who can’t survive. The next wave of guys who get involved in the troubled waters will be the real disaster. The current civil war... is actually not very intense.”

Cobra continued. He was also very depressed because of today's many setbacks. He didn't hide it at this moment and directly spoke out about the plight of the Kingdom of Alabasta.

"That's it!"

Woyuk nodded.

Although Kobra is merciful, this consideration is not wrong. If he does not fundamentally solve the problem and deal with the source of the sand crocodile problem, using a butcher's knife to deal with the resistance will only destroy hundreds of Neferutali's family. The good reputation accumulated over the years.

"After all, the most important question is which King Shichibukai?"

"That's right."

Cobra nodded.

"It's a pity that the World Government can't help you." Wojuk was also a little helpless. "Your father proposed the abolition of slavery, which angered many big shots in the Holy Land. Everyone below has been warned, including the navy. Anyone who asks for help from Alabasta, you can only ask for help from other countries..."

Having said this, he looked around.

Realizing that this place was not close to the base where the Kingdom of Alabasta settled, he suddenly understood, "You have already tried it? So... no one is willing to help in times of need?"

Kobra opened his mouth.

But after thinking about it, he closed it again. He was not used to criticizing others behind their backs. He resented others because they refused to help him. He couldn't do such a thing.

Woyuk frowned.

If he hadn't met Kobra, he probably wouldn't have taken it to heart even if he knew what happened today. But now that he met him in person, it would be a bit embarrassing to choose to avoid him...

"Your Excellency Woyuk, if you have something urgent, please go ahead and get busy! I also have friends here who have arranged to meet, so I won't waste time." Cobra never thought of asking Woyuk for help. The Kingdom of Alabasta He didn’t have a deep relationship with the Kingdom of Exmundo, it was just that his father had a personal relationship with Wo Xue Ke. With just this past relationship, he still couldn’t shame himself and used his deceased father as an excuse to ask for help. .

He took the initiative to say goodbye to Woyouk.

Looking at Kobra's figure hidden behind a group of guards, Voyuk frowned deeply. He thought for a while, did not reach out to stop him, but continued to move forward, and soon came to the nearby Kingdom of Ekmundo. Station, I found Elus sitting under the pavilion in the garden chatting with Gaji, who was visiting for the second time.