A day later, in Alabasta's capital, Alubarna.
This super city, with a permanent population of over two million and a garrison of three hundred thousand royal troops, was currently wrapped in an unusual atmosphere. Street vendors selling date palm tea were still shouting their wares, but Broly was squatting on the stone steps in front of the palace, holding a rough pottery cup with his short arms.
Inside was date palm tea, sweet with a hint of bitterness. His round cheeks puffed in and out, making some passing busty girls who didn't recognize him want to tease him.
Looking ahead, Doberman was leading hundreds of Marine soldiers, blocking the main gate of the palace, confronting the current King of Alabasta and future father of Vivi, Nefertari Cobra.
The citizens of Alubarna were all crowded on both sides of the street, craning their necks. No one noticed that this "walking 5 billion Berries" was also mixed in the crowd watching the excitement.
Even fewer noticed the two small shadows tiptoeing behind Broly. However, he had pretended not to see their little actions all day.
Broly finished the last sip, weaving through the legs of the onlookers, and soon reached the very front of the confronting groups.
Marines in white uniforms and Alabasta soldiers in loose Arabian-style robes stood on two sides. But the most eye-catching group in the crowd was a bunch of pregnant women with large bellies, and palace maids holding swaddled infants who looked just a few days old.
Seeing this scene, the corners of Broly's mouth curled up in a mischievous smile, and he muttered to himself, "Yo, the show finally begins?"
Compared to when Luffy set out to sea, Cobra hadn't yet reached the point of having a head full of white hair and sitting in a wheelchair.
At this moment, he was still quite spirited, but his brows were knitted into a knot. He said to Doberman in a deep voice, "Vice Admiral, according to the Marines' request, we have gathered all the pregnant women expecting this year and the newborns here. But... what do you want with these women and children?"
Doberman glanced at the mass of citizens outside the palace and lowered his voice: "Too many eyes and ears here. Let's talk inside."
Cobra muttered in his heart but dared not disobey. He raised his hand in a "please" gesture, leading Doberman and the Marines toward the palace.
Just as the two groups were about to step through the palace gate with the pregnant women and infants, a guard suddenly shouted: "Child, you are not allowed to enter!"
As soon as the word "child" fell, Doberman shuddered all over and turned his head violently.
He saw Broly holding the empty date palm tea cup, blocked at the door by the sentry, staring at him without blinking his round eyes.
Instantly, Doberman and the hundreds of Marines behind him were so scared their legs went weak, almost falling on their butts collectively.
Cobra stared at Broly for two seconds, recognized the face from the wanted poster, and was also shocked into leaving his mouth open for a long time.
Broly looked indifferent and curled his lip: "Just joining the fun, is that okay?"
Cobra swallowed his saliva, not daring to ask Doberman's opinion at all.
Afraid that this malefic god would cause trouble in Alubarna and bring disaster to the entire capital, he waved his hand frantically at the guard: "Let him in! Let him in quickly!"
Inside the royal hall, Cobra and the ministers who recognized Broly didn't even dare to breathe loudly. The hall was so quiet that only the sound of light footsteps remained.
When everyone stood still, Cobra spoke cautiously, just starting his sentence: "That Demon..."
"His name is Broly," Doberman shouted before him, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.
Cobra quickly corrected himself, his tone extremely respectful: "Mr. Broly, would you like to sit?"
Honestly, even if Broly wanted to sit on his throne now, he wouldn't hesitate.
Broly glanced at this king.
In the original work, this old man was a ruthless character who blocked the Five Elders and Im. It was unknown how he did it.
It felt like the two people in the Naruto world who blocked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and Might Guy weren't as impressive as him.
Broly casually threw the empty tea cup out of the hall. The cup traced an arc and landed accurately in a stone trash can dozens of meters away. "No need, standing is fine."
Although he said that, Cobra still had the ministers bring a chair. This was already the best chair besides the throne.
But it wasn't luxurious; it could be seen that Cobra's usual lifestyle was relatively frugal.
Broly wasn't polite either. He plopped down on it, swinging his short legs, staring at Doberman as if watching a circus.
When the scene settled a bit, Cobra suppressed the fear in his heart and turned to Doberman again: "Vice Admiral, what exactly do you want us to gather these pregnant women and infants for?"
Doberman scratched his head, cursing in his heart—if it were a small country, he would have retorted long ago, "The Marines are conducting business; is it your turn to ask?"
But Alabasta was a major contributor of Heavenly Tribute, and Cobra seemed to have an unusual relationship with that group of people in the Holy Land. Unless absolutely necessary, it was better not to offend him.
Holding it in for a long time, he came up with a terrible excuse: "The Marines have recently developed a new physical examination method. Giving these pregnant women and infants a check-up can be considered a benefit for the people."
"Oh? Is that so?" Cobra breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face. "Then may I ask, how long until they can return?"
Doberman was speechless.
Roger's offspring might be mixed in this group. Given the World Government's nature, they wanted to return? Keep dreaming!
"Pfft—"
Broly couldn't help but laugh out loud. The gazes of everyone in the hall instantly focused on him. He rubbed his belly and waved his hand seriously: "Sorry, sorry, I've received professional training and usually don't laugh, but I really couldn't hold it back."
Cobra looked puzzled: "Mr. Broly? Is there something funny about our conversation?"
Broly laughed even more happily, crossing his legs: "King, you manage such a large country, haven't you heard the rumors that have been raging on the sea recently?"
Cobra's frown deepened, while Doberman and the Marines' hearts skipped a beat, a strong ominous feeling surging up. But no one dared to stop Broly, only watching helplessly as he dismantled their cover.
"More than a year ago, after Roger disbanded the pirate crew, he stayed with a mysterious woman for a long time and ran around the world with her."
Broly spoke slowly, paused, watched Cobra's face turn from confusion to horror, and then added the second half of the sentence, "In other words, during that time, it is highly likely that the woman became pregnant with Roger's child. The World Government can't find the person, so they simply gathered all the women who became pregnant during that time and the newborn babies. Now you understand, right?"
As soon as these words came out, not only Cobra but even the pregnant women standing by the side of the hall changed their expressions, clutching their bellies tightly, their eyes full of fear.
Shocked and angry, Cobra turned violently to Doberman, his voice trembling: "Vice Admiral! Is what Mr. Broly said... true?"
Doberman ground his molars, braced himself, and nodded: "Yes... that's right. To cut off the Pirate King's bloodline, for the stability and peace of the world, this is a necessary means."
"So you have to kill all these women and children?" Broly interjected, his tone light but piercing like a knife.
Doberman almost broke down.
If he couldn't beat this kid, he would have chopped Broly into mincemeat.
Suppressing his anger, Doberman squeezed out a smile uglier than crying and said to Cobra: "Your Majesty, rest assured. As long as it is confirmed that these people are innocent, they will be released immediately."
"Pfft—"
Broly laughed again, glancing sideways at Cobra. "Old King, based on your understanding of those guys in the government, do you think this is possible? Believing they will release this group of people is like believing I am Qin Shi Huang."
Cobra clenched his fists, his knuckles frighteningly white.
Although he didn't know what Qin Shi Huang was, he felt Broly was right.
Based on his understanding of the World Government, once these women and children were taken away, ninety-nine percent of them would be killed to eliminate future trouble forever.
"Ahhh—!"
Suddenly, a pregnant woman screamed, hugged her protruding lower abdomen, and rushed out of the hall like crazy.
This shout was like lighting a powder keg. Other pregnant women also panicked, dragging their heavy bodies and stumbling out.
The infants in the arms of the palace maids were frightened by the panicked atmosphere. The cries of hundreds of babies exploded instantly. The sharp cries penetrated the walls of the palace, and even the citizens outside heard them.
"What's happening inside? There are children crying!"
"My child is inside too, are they okay?"
Citizens talked amongst themselves. Many of them were parents of the infants. Hearing the children's cries, they anxiously squeezed toward the palace gate.
On the periphery of the crowd, a burly man wearing a purple robe and leaning on an ivory cane frowned deeply, gazing heavily in the direction of the palace.