Alabasta:
The Royal Capital of Alubarna... the Royal Palace.
"Hmm…"
King Nefertari Cobra stood by the arched palace window, his silhouette framed against a horizon that looked far older than its years. His brow was a map of deep furrows, his eyes shadowed by the weight of a crown that felt heavier with every passing day.
"Igaram… where is he now?" Cobra asked in a low voice.
"According to the latest intelligence, Your Majesty, he should enter the royal capital within half an hour," Igaram, Captain of the Royal Guard, replied solemnly.
Standing beside Igaram were two others: the vice-captain of the Royal Guard and the King's personal bodyguards, Pell and Chaka.
"Very well." Cobra nodded lightly. "Then I should begin my preparations as well."
At these words, the expressions of the three guards darkened.
"Your Majesty... are you truly intent on meeting this 'guest' personally?" Igaram couldn't keep the worry from his voice. "Forgive my bluntness, but a man of unknown origin, displaying such... unnatural power, is a threat. I strongly urge you to let the three of us vet his intentions first..."
He stopped mid-sentence. Cobra had raised a hand, quietening the room.
"Threat?"
The King's eyes never left the view outside the window as he spoke softly.
"Look, Igaram."
The King turned his gaze back to the window. In the distance, massive, bruised rain clouds were rolling in, the first real clouds Alubarna had seen in an age. As if on cue, a sudden downpour began to lash against the palace stone.
To anyone else, it was a miracle. But to Cobra, those raindrops were not just rain.
They were the countless reports he had heard over the past seven months.
The drying Sandora River.
Withered crops.
Panicked, displaced citizens.
Every piece of news had pierced his heart.
Yet Cobra was powerless.
Across all of Alabasta, only Alubarna still received rain, and the rainfall of a single city was nowhere near enough to sustain an entire nation.
He could sense a conspiracy lurking beneath the surface, but he no longer had the luxury of investigating it.
All he knew was that Alabasta had already been gripped by seven months of drought, plunging this ancient kingdom into an unprecedented disaster.
And not long ago, he had heard about the arrival of that 'guest'.
No one knew who he was or where he had come from. But wherever he went, torrential rain followed him.
When he stopped to rest, the rain would temporarily cease.
When he resumed his journey, the downpour would resume.
Along his path, he had nearly made the people of Alabasta believe they were witnessing a miracle.
And today, he would enter the royal capital.
Cobra did not know the man's identity. Nor did he know his purpose. But there was one thing he understood clearly:
"If the drought continues, then he may be the people of Alabasta's hope. He comes to the royal capital to meet the king of this country, and I am supposed to hide away because of so-called 'unknowns'?"
He turned to look at his loyal guard captain.
"Igaram, the King you serve is not a man of such small courage."
This was something he had to do.
Even so, judging from the descriptions of the man's attire in the rumors, they had nearly guessed who, or what, he might be.
But for the sake of Alabasta, he had to meet him.
Hearing this, Igaram and the other two exchanged glances.
In the end, overwhelmed by emotion and helplessness, they knelt down together.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Cobra smiled.
"Let's go, let us meet this guest, and see this so-called 'miracle' for ourselves."
"Yes!" ×3
Just as the four of them were about to head downstairs to welcome the guest at the palace gates...
"Tap." "Tap." "Tap."
... accompanied by crisp footsteps, a girl with blue hair, a graceful figure and a beautiful face pushed open the door.
"Hah… Hah…"
Sweat still clung to her face as she gasped for breath; she had clearly rushed there.
"Princess Vivi!?"
At that moment, Igaram stared at the most noble princess of the kingdom in shock.
"Your Highness, why are you…"
"I'm going too, Father!" Vivi took a few steadying breaths, then spoke with determination. "I also want to meet the one known as the 'Rain Summoner'!"
"Eh!?" ×3
At her words, the three guards' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Princess Vivi, this isn't a joke!"
"Princess Vivi, that person may very well be the one from not long ago…"
"Exactly, how could something like this possibly…"
They fumbled over their words in panic, and Igaram's golden curls practically stood on end. But Vivi simply looked at her father.
"Hmm…" After hearing her, Cobra rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"All right."
"Eh!?" ×3
Ignoring the three men whose jaws nearly dislocated, Cobra turned to his daughter.
"You are a princess, and the future queen of Alabasta. I originally planned to let you wait a few more years before involving you in state affairs. But now, it seems that might not be a good idea."
There was both warmth and resolve in his eyes.
As the King of Alabasta, and as the ruler of one of the 'Original Twenty Kingdoms' that founded the World Government, he knew all too well how dark the world could be. He truly had intended to let Vivi grow up a few more years in innocence and happiness.
But this devastating drought, the conspiracy hidden beneath it, and the recent changes within the country had made him realize…
Perhaps the time had come.
"Just remember, this time, you're only here to listen."
"Yes." Vivi nodded firmly.
Over these seven months, she had personally witnessed the changes in the country.
She was anxious and distressed, yet powerless to do anything. It wasn't until today, when she saw the torrential rain outside the window, that she finally made up her mind.
As a princess, she might not be able to change everything, but at the very least, she should try to do something.
"Your Majesty." At that moment, a guard outside the door delivered a report. "The guest has entered the royal capital and is heading toward the palace."
Cobra and Vivi exchanged a glance.
The group immediately made their way toward the palace gates.
By the time they arrived at the square in front of the palace, they could already see a sea of Alabasta's citizens. They were packed together shoulder to shoulder, gazing eagerly into the distance.
"It's the Rain Summoner!"
"It's really raining!"
"How could it be fake? I followed him all the way from Yuba!"
The crowd instinctively parted, forming a path.
Through it, Vivi could just make out the figure at the far end.
The mysterious long robe and imposing dragon-head mask matched the rumours exactly. He approached step by step, entering the palace grounds under the vigilant watch of the guards.
Finally, when he was close to King Cobra, he stopped at the foot of the stairs.
From beneath the mask, his eyes turned towards Cobra and Vivi.
"Welcome, honored guest who has travelled a long distance." Cobra straightened his posture and raised his hands slightly.
'I am Nefertari Cobra. On behalf of Alabasta, I welcome you. May I ask how we should address you?"
As he spoke, Pell, Chaka and Igaram at his side tensed their muscles, ready to respond to any threat.
Contrary to expectations, however, the figure within the curtain of rain did not make a move.
He merely looked at Cobra.
Then, a deep voice sounded, low enough that only those standing on the stairs could hear it.
"I am 'Dragon'. I have come here to discuss a transaction with Your Majesty. One that directly concerns everything about this country."
"Whether it will face destruction or rebirth."
(End of Chapter)
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