Saintine Island, Alabasta Kingdom. On the Sandora River, which runs north to south and is about fifty kilometers wide, there was a three-masted sailing ship flying the Alabasta royal flag. Cobra stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the faintly visible distant shore, a thoughtful expression on his face. Pell, dressed in a white robe, frowned and said reflectively:
"His Majesty the King!"
No matter what, for you, as the king of a nation, to rashly head to Yuba, the headquarters of the rebel army, is simply too dangerous! If anything were to happen to you, the entire country would fall into turmoil and chaos!" Beside him, Chaka, dressed in a green robe, also spoke up to persuade him:
"Yes!
His Majesty the King, if it's really not possible, you could absolutely send someone to represent you in Yuba to negotiate with the rebel army..." Listening to their words, Cobra merely smiled and shook his head, not accepting their advice:
"I understand what you mean, but as the King of this country, I must possess the corresponding resolve and courage.
Regarding the rebel army, I must personally go to Yuba to properly handle this matter..." Yuba is an oasis city that connects the major cities in western Alabasta Kingdom. It is a bustling trade hub where many merchants come to conduct various commercial activities. At the same time, it is also the headquarters where the rebel army is stationed...
After Alabasta nationwide fell into drought, due to the various secret provocations by Baroque Works spies, the destruction of facilities like wells and canals, and Crocodile's frequent creation of sandstorms, Yuba completely fell into desperate desiccation and drought.
After the dancing powder incident in the capital Alubarna, the conflict between the common people and the Kingdom government escalated to an irreconcilable level, causing many enraged commoners to rise up, form the rebel army, and engage in several armed conflicts with the Kings Army, resulting in many deaths.
If Cobra hadn't immediately ordered all the Kings Army not to act rashly and proactively withdrawn the Kings Army from Yuba, where the rebel army was numerous, the conflict between the two sides would likely have intensified and escalated further. It was precisely because there was no Kings Army stationed in Yuba that more and more rebel soldiers gathered there and made it their headquarters.
However, some time ago, heavy rain began falling intermittently across the country, ending the drought that had lasted over a year. The number of rebel soldiers, which had been experiencing explosive growth, was instantly curbed and showed subtle signs of disintegration, with many people entertaining the thought of leaving the rebel army. But...
Rising up and rebelling is not something that can be simply wiped away by leaving the rebel army! After Alabasta Kingdom's rainfall resumed, many rebel soldiers who returned to their hometowns were arrested by Baroque Works spies lurking within the Kings Army, and even more bloody conflicts occurred.
Even though King Cobra himself stated that he wanted to pardon the crimes of the rebel soldiers, under the instigation of some ministers (spies) and generals (spies), many nobles, generals, and ministers felt that the rebellion could not be easily overlooked, and the Kingdom must impose appropriate penalties on the rebel army.
Otherwise, if the precedent of rebellion being crime-free were set, the nation's prestige would be completely lost in the hearts of the people, and it would bring greater turmoil and unrest to the entire Kingdom in the future. Under pressure from the Kingdom's powerful class, King Cobra had no choice but to abandon the idea of pardoning the rebel army without punishment.
After all, in the current situation, if one were to trace the root cause, the wrong party is clearly the rebel army, and the royal family itself is not at fault. Not imposing appropriate penalties on the rebel army would indeed be somewhat unreasonable. But... King Cobra also did not want to further intensify the conflict with the rebel army, leading to the entire country falling into turmoil.
Therefore, two days ago, Cobra issued an announcement to the rebel army in Yuba, stating that he would be going to Yuba for negotiations. He wanted to discuss and come up with a proper solution that could be accepted by both the Kingdom's powerful figures and the rebel army through peaceful negotiation.
Hence, Cobra is now crossing the river by three-masted sailing ship, preparing to head directly to Yuba, the rebel army's headquarters, after reaching the shore. Suddenly! On the river in the distance, a speedboat resembling a fish head, with the words "Mr3" on its side, sped towards the side of the three-masted sailing ship where Cobra was.
Mr.3, Mr.1 (Daz Bones), and Miss Doublefinger stood at the bow of the boat, looking aggressive. "Signal them to stop approaching the royal ship, otherwise we will open fire!" Pell looked up and shouted to the Lookout on the main mast. Soon, the Lookout raised the signal flag indicating 'Do not approach', but the fish-head boat continued to come towards the royal ship. "They mean trouble!
Protect His Majesty the King!" After roaring, Chaka transformed into his jackal human-beast form and drew the Saber from his waist. "Open fire!" Pell roared the attack order, and he also quickly transformed into his falcon human-beast form, preparing for battle.
Immediately, the sailors on the royal ship quickly manned the cannons on the side, lit the fuses, and fired round after round of dark, heavy cannonballs towards the fish-head speedboat, aiming to sink it. Seeing this, Mr.3 quickly raised his right hand, wax liquid surged from his palm, and with a fierce wave forward, he instantly constructed a wall of wax in front of the fish-head boat.
The next moment. Boom! Boom! Boom!... Cannonballs continuously struck the wax wall, causing explosions and spreading gunpowder smoke. However... The fish-head speedboat continued to charge towards the royal ship, cutting through the waves, and quickly closed the distance to only a little over ten meters. "Miss Doublefinger, let's go!"
Mr.1 Daz Bones said coldly, then leaped up, his figure like an arrow shot from a bowstring, darting onto the royal ship, with Miss Doublefinger (Zala) following closely behind. "Protect His Majesty the King!" Pell shouted, then swung the Saber in his hand, slashing at Daz Bones, who had already turned his entire body into blades...
On the other side, as soon as Zala jumped onto the ship, Chaka charged towards her. Not to be outdone, she grew spikes from her arms, swinging them like two meteor hammers to attack him. When the soldiers on the royal ship saw the enemies charging up, they quickly raised their weapons and surrounded the two assassins who dared to attack the King. Just at this moment.
Galdino, who chose to attack last, took advantage of the others' distraction, sneaked behind Cobra, and launched his attack. Wax Skin! Ropes of white wax liquid, flowing like liquid but extremely viscous, instantly shot out from Galdino's hands, covering the surprised Cobra and the surrounding soldiers, firmly binding them and preventing them from moving.
"If you don't want the King to die, then you all stop fighting!" Wax liquid surged from Galdino's right palm, instantly forming a sharp white wax longsword as hard as steel, which he held to Cobra's neck. Hearing this, Pell and Chaka, who were still entangled with Daz Bones and Zala, could only reluctantly stop their attacks and choose to surrender.
Since King Cobra's capture, the remaining Kingdom soldiers had no choice but to surrender. Galdino and his two companions swiftly bound them, rendering them immobile.
"Mission accomplished!" Galdino declared, dusting off his hands. "Time to inform Mr. 2's team they can move in."
He fished a den den mushi from his pocket, its shell gleaming faintly as he dialed the number. The quiet click of the rotating dial punctuated the tense silence.
Since King Cobra was captured, the other Kingdom soldiers also had no choice but to surrender obediently and were bound by Galdino and the other two, unable to move.