Bell still looked puzzled. "Your Majesty, is this really necessary? Alabasta is one of the major powers in the Grand Line. You don't need a marriage alliance to secure your position."
Cobra was quiet for a long moment before he answered slowly, "Alabasta's situation is far more complicated than you think."
Bell might be Alabasta's guardian, but he wasn't royal blood. He didn't know the kingdom's deeper secrets. Take yesterday, for example. Oguro suddenly showed up with a woman, Nico Robin, the one they called the Demon Child. She came asking to see Alabasta's copy of the history text. Cobra had refused outright at first, but Oguro's next words turned his blood to ice.
"It's just records about the Pluton's whereabouts, right? What's there to hide? The World Government can't do anything about it. Someone's actually guarding the Pluton blueprints right now."
Oguro said it as if he were mentioning the weather, and then dropped two bombs that could shake the whole Grand Line. Cobra and Robin were blasted by the news. Whether it was the Pluton's location or the existence of its schematics, either one could unleash a tidal wave across the seas. How could Oguro toss such things off like trivia?
"How do you know what's in it? Do you read ancient script?" Robin asked, stunned.
"I don't read ancient text," Oguro lied smoothly. "I just know some intel. History isn't always transmitted only by the old texts."
He couldn't exactly tell them he'd read the original timeline. Robin accepted the answer for now. "If it's only Pluton-related, I don't have to see it personally. My goal is finding the truth of history, not chasing the Pluton."
Cobra, however, surprised everyone and shook his head. "No. Since you're here, let them see the history text. I want to know whether anything else is recorded besides the Pluton."
He wasn't the only one curious about the past. Cobra himself wanted to learn certain truths about Alabasta's history. After that, Robin met with Cobra privately for a while. What they discussed is unknown to others.
Back to the present, Cobra spoke with a heavy tone, "Alabasta may be a superpower in the Grand Line, but facing someone like Crocodile, our sixty thousand standing army meant nothing. If not for his desire to make his coup appear legitimate, Vivi and I might already be dead."
"If Vivi can form a marriage alliance with Oguro, that would be perfect. If not, having an ally like him at least guarantees Vivi's safety should disaster strike." Cobra remembered how Oguro had introduced Soifon, the captain-class Reiatsu presence. The numbers made his decision easy. Oguro had shown him a Captain-level Powerhouse, and that meant there could be a dozen such officers under Oguro's banner. Even if half were weaker, that still left more than the Navy's available admirals. The scale of Oguro's backing was terrifying. Better to secure that power now than regret it later.
Thinking of Soifon and the others, Bell had no argument left. The sea is a lawless world, and having powerful protection changes everything.
Oguro stayed in Alubarna just one day. Once the Navy learned his location, a fleet sailed to capture him and to transfer Mr. 2 to Impel Down. Oguro had been right. Bon Clay's ability was too dangerous; the World Government would rather lock him in Impel Down forever than risk his ability causing another disaster.
At the dock, Vivi handed Oguro a Permanent Log Pose for Jaya. She also presented a newer, larger ship as a gift, christened Desert Rose. "Mr. Oguro, please continue to watch over Alabasta," she said sincerely.
Cobra added, "Though we couldn't bring Alabasta under your banner, we've confirmed an alliance."
Cobra even found a hidden place in the palace where Oguro could anchor the portal coordinates. Seeing the portal work for the first time shattered Cobra's worldview. Instant travel across thousands of miles, technology like that didn't exist even for the World Government. It strengthened his resolve to cling to Oguro's favor.
"Rest assured. If Alabasta is in danger, we will not stand idly by," Oguro promised solemnly.
A soldier came running up, breathless. "Your Majesty! Navy ships closing in!"
From the horizon Oguro saw a warship bearing a fierce-faced officer with a twin-dragon helmet standing on its bridge. Oguro recognized him at once. "Vice Admiral Onigumo," he said.
Onigumo was one of the Navy's hawkish leaders, known for ruthless tactics, the sort who would sacrifice subordinates without a second thought. The arrival of such a man meant the Navy intended a show of force.
"We should leave now, before he finds an excuse to make trouble for Alabasta," Oguro said.
They boarded Desert Rose and set sail for Jaya. On the Navy ship, the lookouts reported straight to Onigumo. "Report, Vice Admiral. We've spotted the bounty-two-hundred-million 'Young Noble' Sith Oguro and his crew."
Onigumo's face went cruel. "Pursue them and cleanse these scum from the seas."
As a representative of the hawks, Onigumo's orders were simple: exterminate.
"Lord Oguro, a Navy ship is tailing us!" Yamada Hantaro, lookout, reported in time.
Oguro frowned. A single Vice Admiral on the open sea was dangerous, but was he arrogant enough to think one ship could take them all?
Onigumo's flagship closed the distance fast. Cannons thundered, dozens of rounds falling like rain.
"Whisper — Haineko!" Rangiku's Haineko dust and ash spiraled into the sky, wrapping the incoming shells. With a sweep of her arm the shells detonated midair, looking like an enormous fireworks burst.
"Lord Oguro!" Soifon volunteered to take point. "I'll deal with those pest ships!"
Oguro nodded. If the Navy wasn't taught to fear them, they would never withdraw.
"Quick and decisive," he said. "Let this Vice Admiral Onigumo be a stepping stone for my captains to rise."
The ship surged forward. The sea churned and the chase became a battlefield.