Alabasta.
The royal capital, Alubarna. Inside the royal palace.
"Hm…"
King Nefertari Cobra of Alabasta stood before the palace window, his gaze fixed on the distant city beyond.
His brows were tightly furrowed, his eyes filled with contemplation.
"Igaram—where has he reached?"
He asked in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, according to the reports—he should be entering the capital within ten minutes at most."
Beside him, Igaram, Captain of the Royal Guard, replied solemnly.
Standing near Igaram were two more people—the Royal Guard's vice-captain and the king's personal bodyguards, Pell and Chaka.
"Very good."
Cobra nodded lightly. "Then I should prepare as well."
At the king's words, the expressions of the three guards grew heavy.
"Your Majesty, do you truly intend to personally meet that 'guest'?"
Unable to hold back, Igaram spoke up.
"Forgive my bluntness, but someone of unknown background like this is simply too dangerous. I still believe the three of us should first test him—"
He did not finish his sentence, because Cobra had already spoken.
"Dangereous?"
The king's gaze remained fixed on the distant view outside the window as he spoke softly. "Look, Igaram."
Within his field of vision, massive rain clouds were gradually forming.
Torrential rain had already begun falling over the capital, just as the rumors had claimed.
But in Cobra's eyes, those falling raindrops were more than just rain.
They were the countless reports he had heard over the past seven months.
The dried-up Sandora River.
Withered crops.
Displaced and panicked citizens.
Every single report had filled his heart with pain.
Yet Cobra had been powerless to stop it.
Throughout all of Alabasta, only Alubarna still received rain—and the rainfall of a single city was far from enough to sustain an entire nation.
He could sense the presence of a conspiracy behind it all, but he no longer had the time to investigate.
All he knew was that seven months without rain had tightened its grip around Alabasta's throat, plunging this ancient kingdom into an unprecedented disaster.
And it was not long ago that he heard of that "guest."
No one knew who the man was, or where he came from.
But wherever he passed, torrential rain followed.
When he stopped to rest, the rain would temporarily cease.
And when he resumed his journey, the downpour would begin again.
As he traveled, the people of Alabasta along the way had nearly come to regard it as a divine miracle.
And today—very soon—he would enter the royal capital.
Cobra did not know the man's identity, nor his purpose.
But at the very least, he knew one thing.
"If this drought continues, then he may be the hope of the people of Alabasta."
"He has come to the capital to meet this country's king—and I am supposed to hide away because of some unknown risk?"
He turned his gaze toward his loyal guard captain.
"Igaram, the king you serve is not someone with such a small measure of courage."
This was something he had to do.
Even though, judging from the descriptions of the man's attire in the rumors, they had already more or less guessed who—or what—he might be.
For the sake of Alabasta, he had to meet him.
Hearing these words, Igaram and the other two exchanged glances.
Then, filled with both emotion and helplessness, they knelt together.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Cobra smiled.
"Let us go—let us meet this guest and see this so-called 'miracle' for ourselves."
"Yes!" ×3
Just as the four were about to head downstairs to the palace gates to welcome the guest—
"Tap!" "Tap!" "Tap!"
Accompanied by crisp footsteps,
A girl with blue hair, a well-proportioned figure, and a beautiful face pushed open the door.
"Hah… hah…"
Sweat still clung to her face as she panted heavily, catching her breath.
"Princess Vivi?!"
At that moment, Igaram stared in shock at the most noble princess of the kingdom.
"Why are you—"
"I'm going too, Father!"
Vivi took a few steadying breaths, then said seriously,
"I want to meet that 'Rain Summoner' as well!"
"Eh?!" ×3
Hearing this, the three guards' eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.
"Princess Vivi, please don't joke around!"
"Princess Vivi, that person might be the one who—"
"Yes, something like this is simply impossible—"
They flustered so badly that none of them could even finish a full sentence. Igaram's blond curls practically stood on end.
But Vivi only looked at her father.
"Hm…"
Cobra stroked his chin for a moment, then said,
"Alright."
"Eh?!" ×3
Ignoring the three whose jaws nearly dislocated, Cobra turned to his daughter.
"You are a princess, and also Alabasta's future queen. I originally planned to let you stay away from state affairs for a few more years—but now it seems that might not be a good thing."
There was both kindness and resolve in his eyes.
As the king of Alabasta, and as the ruler of one of the "First Twenty" kingdoms that founded the World Government, he knew 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 the great drought plaguing the nation, the conspiracies hidden behind it, and the recent changes within the country had made him realize—
Perhaps the time had come.
"Just remember, you only need to observe."
"Yes."
Vivi nodded firmly.
Over the past seven months, she had personally witnessed the changes in the country.
She was anxious beyond measure, yet completely powerless to help.
It was only today—after noticing the torrential rain outside the window—that she finally made up her mind.
As a princess, she might not be able to do much, but at the very least, she should try to do something.
"Your Majesty."
At that moment, a guard outside delivered a report.
"The guest has entered the capital and is heading toward the palace."
Cobra and Vivi exchanged a glance.
They immediately headed toward the palace gates.
When they arrived at the plaza in front of the palace, they could already see a dense crowd of Alabasta's citizens.
They were packed tightly together, 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 end of the road.
The mysterious long robe and the imposing dragon-head mask matched the rumors perfectly.
He drew closer and closer, until—under the wary eyes of the guards—he stepped into the palace grounds.
Finally, when he was not far from King Cobra, he stopped at the foot of the steps.
Behind the mask, his eyes turned toward Cobra and Vivi.
"Welcome, honored guest from afar."
Cobra straightened his back and raised his hands.
"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 beside him tensed their muscles, ready to respond to any threat.
But unexpectedly, the figure within the curtain of rain did not attack.
He simply looked at Cobra.
Then a low voice—just loud enough to be heard by those standing atop the steps—rang out.
"I am 'Dragon' (Shenlong)'."
"I have come here to discuss a deal with Your Majesty."
"One that directly concerns everything about this country—whether it meets destruction… or rebirth."