The territory of Alabasta was vast, ranking among the exceptionally rare super-sized kingdoms in the Grand Line. Its land area far surpassed small nations like Drum Kingdom.
Drum Kingdom could barely boast a population of several hundred thousand, while Alabasta's combined military and rebel forces exceeded a million. Even an average city here could rival half of Drum Kingdom in scale.
The distance to the royal capital Alubarna was considerable—normally requiring an entire night's journey on foot. But Caesar naturally had no intention of walking there.
Years earlier, he'd collected steam-powered cars. In just over an hour, the group arrived at the royal capital Alubarna.
As they approached the palace gates, guards moved to intercept—only to collapse unconscious mid-step.
"Assassins!"
A sentry in the front corridor shouted upon witnessing this, but before the alarm could spread, he too crumpled to the ground.
"My, my! As expected of His Imperial Majesty, dispatching palace guards with such ease," Galdino trailed behind Caesar, showering him with flattery.
Caesar finally understood why ancient emperors often grew corrupt with power. With this level of sycophancy, who wouldn't become complacent?
Moreover, one shouldn't strike a smiling face. Reluctant to rebuke the man, Caesar maintained an aloof demeanor, hoping his subordinate would pick up on his mood.
Galdino was... complicated.
Not inherently wicked, just somewhat unscrupulous.
In the original timeline, this was the man who infiltrated Navy Headquarters—albeit partly by accident—yet managed to reach the execution platform and craft the key to Ace's Sea Stone Handcuffs.
This was precisely why Caesar valued him. Silver-tongued, cowardly, and obsequious, yet paradoxically reliable with a streak of loyalty.
Sea Stone restraints posed no concern for Caesar. Not only could he materialize objects at will, but lockpicking was among his skills. Yet he refused to babysit his subordinates indefinitely.
While the current roster remained undeveloped, requiring his oversight, eventual growth would necessitate field experience. Should any be captured by the Navy, his crew's unique abilities would prove indispensable.
Bon Clay's infiltration through mimicry, Galdino's lockcraft, Law's Room teleportation, Kuma's long-distance transportation—and eventually acquiring the Door-Door Fruit—would eliminate all concerns for his subordinates' safety.
"Silence," Caesar commanded as he strode into the palace, prompting immediate compliance from Galdino.
The earlier commotion had nevertheless alerted the royal guard. Soon, white-robed soldiers brandishing weapons blocked Caesar's path, led by a tall man with prominent nasal bridge and dark hair.
"Halt!" the leader barked, then froze upon recognizing the intruder. "Jin Caesar?!"
"Our first meeting. Kindly arrange an audience with your king," Caesar requested calmly. "And Princess Vivi as well."
"Outrageous!" The man's expression darkened as he drew his saber. "This is the royal palace of Alabasta! Have you no sense of propriety?"
"Oh?" Caesar tilted his head slightly.
A faint red mist spread, and in the next instant, a dozen weapons materialized against the guard captain's throat.
"You—"
The man looked shocked, tilting his head slightly before realizing his subordinates had crimson pupils and expressionless faces—clearly under someone's control.
Caesar lifted his chin slightly. "This is my palace now."
"You—"
The man's expression changed.
"That's enough, Chaka!"
A voice came from behind him as a dignified man with an air of authority arrived with his entourage. Beside him stood a delicate and beautiful young woman with long sea-blue hair.
Following closely behind them were a tall man with light yellow curly hair and a handsome young man in a white robe.
"Your Majesty! Princess Vivi! Be careful! This man has taken control of my guards!" Chaka tensed.
The newcomers were none other than Cobra, the King of Alabasta, and his daughter, Princess Vivi. The two behind them were Igaram, the captain of the royal guard, and Pell, who, like Chaka, served as the vice-captain of the royal guard.
"May I ask why a man like you, Sir Caesar, has appeared here? We should not have provoked you..."
Glancing at the unconscious guards behind Caesar, Cobra secretly relaxed.
Unlike foolish kings like Wapol, Cobra, though limited in ability, had always kept an eye on the movements across the seas. He remembered all too well a super rookie like Caesar, whose first bounty had reached the terrifying figure of 280 million.
"First meeting, Your Majesty Cobra."
Caesar gave a slight nod. "I value efficiency in my work. My apologies for any offense."
"Not at all. Urgent matters call for swift action—it's understandable."
Cobra replied politely, "Would you care to move to the palace for a discussion?"
"Then I shall impose."
With another nod, Caesar waved his hand lightly, releasing the guards from his control, and followed Cobra to the palace reception room.
Along the way, Igaram and the others remained cautiously on guard, while Princess Vivi stole curious glances at Caesar.
A man with a 2.8 billion bounty—even as a princess, this was her first time meeting someone of such stature.
But why would someone like him specifically ask to see her?
She didn't think Caesar was after her beauty. Though she was indeed quite pretty, a man like him surely wouldn't lack women around him.
Soon, they arrived at the reception room.
Without hesitation, Caesar sat on the sofa, leisurely crossing his legs. He rested his left arm on his long sword and draped his right over the back of the sofa, while Bonney and the others naturally took their places behind him.
King Cobra sat opposite him, and Princess Vivi silently served tea to both men.
Caesar studied the beautiful girl who had once infiltrated Baroque Works with interest, his gaze making Vivi's cheeks flush slightly.
Cobra, unsure of Caesar's intentions, remained silent, waiting for him to speak first.
Only after Vivi finished serving the tea did Caesar thank her and turn to King Cobra.
"Baroque Works—you're familiar with them, I assume?"
"A criminal syndicate operating in the first half of the Grand Line. To be honest, our kingdom has been plagued by frequent unrest lately. Investigations revealed this organization has been secretly inciting it."
Cobra's expression darkened. "You ask this—could it be that this organization is connected to you?"
"Not before. But now it is."
Caesar pointed to the people behind him: "This organization was founded by one of the Royal Shichibukai, Crocodile, and is composed of bounty hunters. These individuals are the senior officers of Baroque Works."
"What?"
Behind Cobra, Igaram and the others visibly paled.
"Relax. Crocodile has already been dealt with by me."
With a flick of his hand, Caesar magically produced a Devil Fruit that resembled a cactus in appearance: "This is his Devil Fruit—the Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit. In the deserts of Alabasta, it would be like adding wings to a tiger..."
"Do you want it?"
"Your Excellency... are you willing to sell this Fruit to us?"
Cobra was tempted. A Logia-type Devil Fruit would fetch at least 500 million berries on the open market.
Though Alabasta had been suffering from drought for some time, with occasional unrest, the kingdom still retained the foundation of a major nation. The treasury was relatively well-stocked, and withdrawing a dozen or even twenty billion berries would hardly make a dent.
"Sell it? I can give it to you."
Caesar shook his head slightly. "But in return, I have my own demands—I want all of Alabasta! Don't rush to anger. Hear me out first."
"Please speak, Your Excellency."
Cobra frowned slightly but maintained his composure.
He wasn't entirely surprised by Caesar's words. Though Alabasta's conditions weren't ideal, with vast deserts covering much of the land, it was still a large kingdom with strategic geographical advantages. It was only natural for others to covet it.
"To be frank, dealing with Crocodile was merely a side task. That fool brought it upon himself by daring to provoke me."
Caesar explained, "Alabasta hides a Poneglyph. That Poneglyph records the location of the Ancient Weapon Pluton, which is why Crocodile set his sights on this kingdom."
"His original plan was to use his status as a Warlord of the Sea to portray himself as Alabasta's hero while secretly using Dance Powder to plunge the kingdom into severe drought. He intended to frame your royal family, incite rebellion, and seize power in one fell swoop... To be honest, the plan was rather foolish. With his strength, he could have easily eliminated you all without a trace."
"But as you can see, the guy had a bit of bad luck..."
"..."
Cobra very much wanted to say that they had also been quite unlucky.
"In that case, I must indeed thank Your Excellency for your assistance to this kingdom, whether intentional or not. Had Crocodile's plan succeeded, this country would likely have been engulfed in the flames of rebellion."
Caesar chuckled. "No need for thanks. If you refuse my proposal, I'll plunge you into those same flames soon enough."
"..."
Cobra's expression darkened, while Igaram and the others behind him looked furious.
However, given the vast disparity in strength between the two sides, they refrained from speaking out rashly, lest they provoke Caesar and put their king in unnecessary danger.
"Your Excellency, please speak plainly."
Cobra felt powerless. Though he was the ruler of a kingdom, facing someone as formidable as Caesar left him with little recourse.
Unlike the arrogant and ignorant Wapol, Cobra had at least heard of the terrifying might of the world's top-tier fighters, even if he hadn't encountered them often.
"I intend to unite this sea under my rule!"
Caesar didn't waste any more words and got straight to the point about his intentions.
"Eliminate those Celestial Dragons!"
"!!!"
Not only Cobra and the others, but even the former members of Baroque Works behind Caesar were left speechless, their mouths agape. Galdino and Bon Clay were even shedding tears.
Is this something we should be hearing?
"May I ask the reason?"
Though shocked, Cobra didn't lose his composure.
For a powerhouse like this, no ambition would be surprising.
Crocodile had set his sights on Alabasta. Since Caesar could easily defeat someone like Crocodile, his ambitions naturally wouldn't be small.
"I just despise those so-called World Nobles who lord over others and abuse their power."
Caesar's tone was casual. "What I want is the unification of the world, peace across the seas. If there must be someone standing above all others in this world, then it can only be me!"
Beside Cobra, Vivi's small mouth hung open in astonishment, seemingly shocked by the arrogance and ambition of the man before her.
"Of course, King Cobra, you are a wise ruler, so I have no intention of conquering you through violence."
Caesar spoke calmly. "Naturally, I understand that demanding your immediate submission isn't realistic. Moreover, even if I were to seize this land, it would still need someone to govern it. So, I was thinking… could I exchange my protection for ownership of this country?"
"..."
Cobra fell silent for a moment. "I haven't heard of any country being conquered by you recently. Or have you already taken control of some nations in secret, with the news yet to spread?"
"I've already eliminated Wapol of Drum Kingdom, though I've suppressed the news for now. As for Wano Country, it's been under my control for some time."
Caesar explained. "Next, I'll bring Sky Island under my rule as a foothold in the first half of the Grand Line."
"Sky Island…"
Cobra was silent again. He certainly believed in the existence of Sky Island.
Every ship traveling from Alabasta to the next island would invariably have its Log Pose drawn toward Sky Island.
In the Grand Line, doubting anything but your own compass was a fundamental truth of survival. As someone born and raised in the Grand Line, he held this principle sacred.
"So… what's your answer?" A faint smile curled at the corner of Caesar's lips.
"You can't agree to this, Your Majesty!"
Igaram hurriedly dissuaded him. "No matter what, how can we just hand over our country like this?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Chaka glared at Caesar, still resentful of his earlier actions. "We have an army of hundreds of thousands, more than enough to defend our nation from any external threat!"
"Hundreds of thousands…"
Caesar chuckled and casually pointed at the Sand-Sand Fruit on the table.
"Do you know? In battles between top-tier powerhouses, numbers mean nothing. Firearms and cannons are utterly worthless. The combined population of Alabasta poses less of a threat to me than this single Devil Fruit."
"In fact, you should be grateful—grateful that I'm a somewhat just man. Even in conquest, I'll face you head-on in open battle, rather than leaving you to die without knowing why."
"I understand that asking you to make a decision now might be difficult, given it's an eight-hundred-year-old royal lineage. But perhaps you should truly consider it."
"Why?"
Before Caesar could continue, Vivi suddenly interrupted.
"Why what?" Caesar glanced at the young girl.
"Why do this? Is it just for ambition?"
Vivi pressed her lips together, looking somewhat stubborn. "Are you willing to start a war for this?"
"War, huh..."
A faint smile curled at the corner of Caesar's lips.
Excellent question!
Time for you to witness the shock of harsh reality!
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