Alubarna, Royal Palace Hall.
"Damn it! That Crocodile bastard… Crocodile, that bastard, do we Alabasta have a deep hatred with him? Did we kill his entire family? How could he…"
Igaram, the usually elegant captain of the Kingdom Army, was extremely agitated at this moment, unable to stop himself from cursing.
The reason was none other than the Baroque Works' operational plan, which Robin had delivered.
As it concerned the nation's safety, Vivi, as the princess, naturally reported it immediately.
"Damn Crocodile, it really is him! The mastermind behind Alabasta's suffering these past few years is that bastard! Pirates are pirates after all, how could they possibly turn over a new leaf and become heroes?!"
Chaka, the vice-captain of the Kingdom Army, looked extremely grim.
"Using his Shichibukai status to stay in Alabasta for over a decade, engaging in heroic activities to gain the trust of the people—everything was for this plan… to legitimately seize our country. What a deep scheme!"
Bell the Falcon, the vice-captain, was trembling with rage.
"Burying a bomb under the assembly square to slaughter 100,000 rebels, if it really succeeds, this country will…"
Nami shook her head, not finishing her sentence, but everyone could imagine the terrifying consequences behind it.
Although 100,000 people were only one percent of Alabasta's total population.
These 100,000 young adults were the sons, fathers, and mainstays of families for other commoners who were not present.
The deaths of 100,000 young adults would undoubtedly deal a heavy blow to this country.
Even more terrifying was the public outrage that would follow.
The people of Alabasta would think, 'I've already sent my family to apologize.'
But the King, while outwardly saying he didn't care, actually tricked them into being killed…
Undoubtedly, a massive rebel army of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, would emerge next.
This time, even if King Cobra explained, no one would listen, not to mention Baroque Works had already planned everything.
They would not give King Cobra any chance to explain, and would even impersonate the King to further fan the flames.
Once the situation escalated to that point, the King's downfall would be a foregone conclusion.
By then, Crocodile, relying on his decade-plus accumulation of heroic reputation, would be able to rally a hundred responses to his call.
He could completely and legitimately become the new King of Alabasta.
Even if the Marines sent people to investigate, it would only come to nothing.
Because the commoners of Alabasta would stand on his side.
This was indeed a truly perfect operation.
Unfortunately...
Crocodile had not accounted for, or rather, had misjudged the influence of Roland's group.
He also couldn't guess that a 'traitor' had appeared within his own camp.
"Lord Cobra, since we already know Crocodile's plan, I think we should immediately call off and cancel tomorrow's assembly!"
Bell the Falcon suggested.
"Hmm!"
Cobra did not hesitate.
Compared to his own position as King, he cared more about the safety of his 100,000 subjects.
He would absolutely not stand by and watch his subjects be slaughtered before his very eyes.
"Leave the contact with the Marines to me… This time, Crocodile absolutely cannot be allowed to remain in this country; that man is too dangerous!"
Chaka requested.
"I will assemble the punitive army and depart for Rainbase tonight!"
Igaram said.
"Wait."
Just then, Vivi suddenly spoke, halting everyone's actions.
"Lady Vivi, what is it?"
Bell asked.
"Tomorrow's assembly cannot be canceled!"
Vivi said solemnly.
"Eh?"
"Why?"
Igaram and Chacal were both greatly surprised.
"Let Vivi continue to speak!"
Cobra nodded encouragingly.
"Hmm, this is my idea, it might be a bit messy!"
Vivi took a deep breath and began to explain slowly.
"First is Crocodile's identity as a hero. Even if he pretended to be a hero with ulterior motives, he still made actual contributions, expelling many pirates who invaded Alabasta, especially during these three years of drought…"
"In the eyes of many people, Crocodile is the hero and protector of the country. If we suddenly say he's plotting rebellion and expel him, I'm afraid many people will feel it's unfair to him!"
"Lady Vivi, Crocodile is the boss of the criminal organization Baroque Works. Just that alone should be enough to overturn everything he has done, right?!"
Chaka couldn't help but interject.
"Yes! We all know this is true, but there's no evidence to prove it. Igaram and I infiltrated Baroque Works for a year, but couldn't find even a shred of evidence. The mysterious person's letter to me doesn't prove anything either!"
Vivi shook her head.
"Even if we forcibly expel Crocodile, the public's resentment is secondary. The important thing is that Crocodile will still remain at large, and the Marines won't arrest him!"
"There is only a thousand days of being a thief, but no thousand days of guarding against a thief. I have a hunch that Crocodile, who has painstakingly plotted in Alabasta for over a decade, besides seizing power, definitely has some other ulterior motive. He won't give up!"
"So… Vivi, you mean you want to fight fire with fire, and catch Crocodile red-handed in one fell swoop to fundamentally solve the problem?"
Cobra understood Vivi's idea.
This was indeed the most correct approach.
Previously, they had been blinded by anger and overly worried about the safety of the populace, causing them to lose their composure.
"Yes, Father! We now know Baroque Works' entire plan. How can we not use it? They make a move, we counter it. They bury bombs underground, we disarm them…"
Vivi said confidently.
"But… that man Crocodile is very dangerous, and there are also Baroque Works' senior agents. Those guys are not to be trifled with…"
Bell the Falcon frowned tightly.
As the guardian of the Kingdom and the Royal Family.
His most important objective was to protect the King and the Princess.
Therefore, he did not want to see Cobra and Vivi put themselves in danger.
"No problem at all, no need to worry in the slightest!"
Vivi said with full confidence.
"Crocodile is indeed formidable, and the senior agents are also not simple, but… we also have the strongest allies. We have everyone with us~"
Vivi looked at Roland's group of four.
"Hehe, well said, Vivi~"
Nami chuckled.
"Don't worry, with me here, whether it's a Crocodile or whatever, I'll send them all flying!"
Thor flexed his muscles.
"I… I'll also do my best!"
Kuina clenched her fist, cheering herself on.
"Tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, the sun will rise as usual!"
Roland smiled and patted Vivi's head.
"Lord Cobra."
Igaram, Bell, and Chacal all looked at the King in unison.
"Let's do as Vivi says!"
Cobra made his decision, his gaze towards his daughter filled with relief.
Vivi had truly grown!
She would definitely be a capable queen in the future!
...
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