Inside the palace reception room, the atmosphere was tense.
Guards stood on both sides with weapons in hand, protecting their king and princess.
Igaram, Chaka, and Pell had already silently formed up, surrounding the visiting guest in the center.
However—
"Hm… I don't really like tea. Do you have any cola?"
The dragon-headed, masked figure—" Dragon (Shenlong)"—looked at the hot tea in his cup and turned to the attendant beside him, causing the already-on-edge servant to cry out in surprise.
Dragon shrugged.
"Never mind. Forget I said anything."
"Replace his drink."
At this moment, it was King Cobra who spoke calmly.
Only then did the attendant snap out of it, hurriedly taking the cup and leaving.
"Dragon (Shenlong), sir—I'll address you that way."
That small incident seemed to break the silence of the reception room, and Cobra took the initiative to speak.
"What is your purpose in coming here? And what exactly did you mean by what you said earlier?"
He naturally remembered Dragon's words in front of the palace.
"Something like Alabasta's rebirth or destruction—I can't just pretend I didn't hear that!"
"I meant it literally."
Dragon leaned back against the chair.
"Someone is planning to destroy this country and seize your throne. To be precise, he has already begun to act."
Though his expression was hidden behind the mask, the mockery in his voice was unmistakable.
"I assume a king like you, King Cobra, wouldn't seriously believe that a nationwide drought lasting over half a year is a 'normal situation,' would you?"
As soon as he said this, everyone present changed expression.
Vivi in particular—who wasn't deeply familiar with state affairs—covered her mouth and stared wide-eyed.
"Wait—what do you mean? Are you saying the entire country's seven-month drought was man-made?"
She couldn't help but cry out.
"How is that even possible—"
Yet King Cobra remained calm.
Just as Roy had said, this wise king had long realized something was wrong with the drought—especially the fact that only the capital continued to receive rain, which reeked of conspiracy.
He had secretly ordered Igaram to investigate, but the culprit was deeply hidden and left very few traces.
And the nation's crisis, along with the suffering of its people, left him no room to continue digging.
Even so—
"Is it Dance Powder?"
He spoke softly.
"That's the most likely explanation I can think of."
Dragon clapped his hands.
"Completely correct."
Behind the mask, Roy showed no surprise.
Of course he knew the truth behind Alabasta's drought—this calamity was the result of the "Operation Utopia" orchestrated by one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile.
He had personally established the massive criminal organization known as Baroque Works, and only after years of preparation did he put this plan into motion.
Its goal was to seize control of one of the oldest kingdoms on the seas—Alabasta—and obtain the clues to the ancient weapon hidden there: Pluton.
"Dance Powder can make rain fall over a certain area, but the price is that nearby regions fall into drought."
"And if the information we've gathered is correct, when the drought drags on into next year, a large quantity of Dance Powder of unknown origin will appear in the capital—and be 'coincidentally' discovered by the citizens."
As Dragon spoke, the expressions of everyone present changed dramatically.
"Bastards!"
"They want to frame His Majesty?!"
"His Majesty would never do such a thing!"
Igaram and the others were furious, but Vivi's face had gone pale.
She wasn't stupid.
So, with just those few words from Dragon, Vivi already understood how terrifying that plan was.
The drought in Alabasta had lasted only a little over half a year, yet the nation's situation was already extremely dire.
If it continued for a full year, one didn't even need to imagine what kind of lives the people across the country would be forced to endure.
At such a time, if Dance Powder were discovered in the capital—the only place in the entire kingdom where rain still fell—then no matter how great King Cobra's prestige was, rebellion would inevitably break out!
"Using Dance Powder to create drought, and then inciting war…"
Even King Cobra's expression darkened.
"Completely disregarding the lives of the citizens. Unforgivable."
He spoke in a low voice.
"Yes, indeed. A truly despicable schemer."
Dragon replied casually.
Then he abruptly changed the topic.
"However, now that things have been laid out this far, I believe Your Majesty understands."
"I came here to discuss this matter with you, King Cobra."
"As for the mastermind behind it—we have some interest in him, so…"
The eyes beneath the mask turned toward Cobra.
"We will help you deal with him and his organization. At the same time, we can help Alabasta bring rain to relieve the immediate crisis. Long-term cooperation in the future would also be no problem."
"From what I know, although Alabasta has the Sandora River, its water resources are still not particularly abundant."
He pointed upward, the implication obvious.
"As you can see, I possess such an ability. Oh—thank you."
The attendant brought the cola back, prompting Dragon to thank them.
"It certainly sounds tempting."
At this moment, King Cobra looked at Dragon with a sharp gaze.
"But—"
His voice suddenly took on a commanding authority.
"Surely you don't think that with nothing but a few words and no concrete evidence, I would simply believe a man who arrived unannounced and refuses even to show his true face?"
"Not to mention—before any so-called cooperation, I want to know one thing."
"What is your relationship with this person?!"
As he spoke, he directly pulled a wanted poster from his clothes and slapped it onto the table.
Without needing further explanation, the poster was clearly for 'Rooster (Youji)'.
Yes.
Naturally—as a member nation of the World Government, Cobra was deeply concerned about the recent "Celestial Tribute robbery."
And although Rooster's (Youji) wanted poster used a drawing rather than a photograph, the sea-beast head mask was unmistakable.
So almost the moment Dragon appeared, Cobra had already connected the two.
What followed confirmed his suspicion.
"You mean Rooster?"
After seeing the wanted poster, Dragon—who had been about to drink his cola—spoke casually.
"He and I belong to the same organization. You could say we're colleagues."
At the very moment those words were spoken, Igaram and the other two, along with the guards, almost instinctively reached for their weapons.
Because the implication behind that sentence was far too dangerous.
Rooster—the mad criminal who had appeared out of nowhere not long ago and robbed the Celestial Tribute—was a "colleague" of the person standing before them!
And such a dangerous individual was now less than ten meters away from their king and princess.
But in the next instant—
"!!!"
Igaram and the others froze mid-motion, shock flashing across their eyes.
Because they realized something.
They couldn't draw their weapons.
To be precise—
"They can't… move!"
They were unable to act at all.
Even Chaka and Pell, whose physical strength as Zoan-type Devil Fruit users far surpassed that of ordinary people, were no exception.
"And it's so cold—no, that's…"
A bone-chilling chill followed.
And soon, they discovered the cause.
"It's ice!"
Yes.
At this moment, aside from King Cobra and Princess Vivi, everyone else had unknowingly been encased in a layer of ice.
That ice had frozen their bodies in place, rendering them completely immobile.
"Ah, the cola is actually at room temperature… that won't do. Cola that isn't ice-cold is downright heresy."
At that moment, Dragon's (Shenlong) voice drew their attention.
He was touching the glass of cola in front of him.
Inside the cup, the dark liquid was slowly beginning to emit cold vapor.
Dragon (Shenlong) slightly lifted his mask, covered his face with his hand, and drained the cola in one gulp.
Then he casually waved his hand.
"Hoom!"
A burst of heat suddenly erupted.
Before the eyes of all the frozen guards, the ice covering their bodies began to melt, turning into water that flowed down from them.
Before long, they regained their ability to move.
Yet even then, Igaram's breathing remained rapid—he couldn't tell how much of the dampness clinging to his body was melted ice, and how much was sweat.
"This guy…"
From just those few seconds, he had already understood that the man sitting before them was a genuine monster.
Meanwhile, Dragon (Shenlong) acted as though nothing had happened.
"In truth, King Cobra, there's no need to concern yourself too much with Rooster (Youji). Aside from obeying the leader's orders, we executives do not interfere with one another. Our methods and objectives are all independent."
"Take Rooster (Youji), for example—he's like a pirate, someone who prefers to solve problems with brute force."
"But I'm different. As you can see—I'm a moderate."
He smiled and pointed at himself.
"While I may not be the best at making money within the organization, I consider myself, at the very least, a merchant."