Sabo, who had been pretending to be a traveler, couldn't maintain his relaxed expression. His brows furrowed, and his tone became serious: "Mr. Koza, the content of this letter... if true, is indeed too serious."
"The drought and civil unrest in this country have occurred too strangely, too coincidentally. May I see this letter?"
Koza was in a state of confusion brought on by the massive information overload. He was still contemplating the veracity of the information and subconsciously handed over the letter without answering.
Sabo took the letter and read it carefully. The information on it indeed made the current Alabasta appear overly chaotic.
Baroque Works' goal was to seize the kingdom, but the current kingdom did not have the trust of its people and was riddled with doubts.
If this letter hadn't reached Koza, the Rebel Army would have launched an attack and gone to war with the Royal Army. Crocodile would have seized the opportunity to take Alabasta in one fell swoop.
"I... I don't know whether to believe it or not."
Koza covered his forehead, his voice low, "But this handwriting, I recognize it as hers. Vivi disappeared several years ago, and no one knows where she went..."
"Big Brother Sal! I want to see too, I want to see too!" Batu leaned next to Sabo, standing on his tiptoes.
"Batu, this isn't an interesting story. This concerns the lives and deaths of many people."
Just then, the tent flap was pushed open, and a Rebel Army soldier rushed in, his face anxious.
"Leader! I have an urgent report!"
Koza, still nursing a headache, sighed and said to Tomioka and the others, "Excuse me for a moment," then followed the soldier out of the tent.
Tomioka's gaze followed the soldier's retreating back. That face felt familiar to him; it was one of the three who had been relentlessly watching them outside the camp.
Only the three of them remained in the tent for now.
Sabo turned to Tomioka, his face sincere, and asked, "What exactly is going on with this letter? Can you tell me what happened?"
"I want to know the truth. Perhaps I can do my part to help this country."
Batu tilted his head, looking at Sabo in confusion: "Eh? Big Brother Sal, aren't you here for sightseeing?"
However, Sabo merely reached out and ruffled Batu's hair, his tone gentle: "While traveling, one can also help those in need. They aren't mutually exclusive."
"[Interpersonal Communication Guide (Trial Version)]"
"[Subject: Sal]"
"[Hobbies: Travel, Inquiry]"
"[Status: Serious, Enthusiastic, Curious]"
"[Suggestion: Can provide some information]"
Looking at the text that appeared before him, Tomioka was silent for a moment.
War was already on the verge of breaking out. As long as the person in front of him wasn't part of Baroque Works, it would add another glimmer of hope for victory in this kingdom's defense. This suggested prompt had never harmed him after all.
"I met this country's princess on my way to Alubarna."
Tomioka finally spoke, omitting the experience on the pirate ship, "She discovered the anomalies in the country and infiltrated an organization called Baroque Works to investigate."
He paused, then continued: "This letter is the result of her investigation."
Batu's eyes widened, as if he understood everything that had happened, "So that's why Big Brother Tomioka appeared in the desert heading to Alubarna, and was able to enter the Royal Palace!"
Sabo listened carefully, also judging Tomioka's words based on Batu's statement. If the man in front of him could enter the Royal Palace and meet the King, then his words held truth.
Koza strode back in at this moment, his face even gloomier than before. He walked directly to the table, picked up his longsword, and strapped it to his back.
"I will personally verify the authenticity of the letter," Koza said, walking quickly towards the tent exit, "You all wait here for my news."
"Please wait!" Sabo immediately stood up, "What happened?"
But Koza had already pushed aside the curtain, leaving only one sentence: "Cobra has appeared in Nanohana, bringing the Royal Army." The tent flap fell, obscuring his figure, and then, outside, urgent hoofbeats sounded, rapidly fading into the distance.
"Something's not right."
Sabo was the first to speak: "We just started discussing this letter, and immediately someone urgently called him away... This is too coincidental."
"It was that soldier from earlier. He had been staring at us outside the tent, without stopping."
Tomioka also realized that this country had been completely infiltrated by Baroque Works. Both the Royal Army and the Rebel Army had their informants.
Hearing this, Sabo's expression also began to turn grim.
He was alone now, and his original purpose was just to gather intelligence. But it was clear that this country was already descending into complete chaos, even on the verge of being taken over by a pirate.
This was almost certainly a massive conspiracy. If he wanted to stop it...
He had to stop the so-called Baroque Works organization, which meant stopping Crocodile; at the same time, for the safety of the country's citizens, he also had to stop the war between the Rebel Army and the Royal Army.
The three immediately walked out of the tent, only to see Koza's retreating figure on horseback disappear into the dust raised at the camp entrance. The soldier who had come in to report was also nowhere to be seen.
And the entire camp was now like a powder keg!
Rebel Army soldiers with firearms all picked them up, and those without weapons even grabbed what might have been hoes or shovels from home to use as combat weapons.
Inside the camp, people began to gather, and some started to lead the charge, shouting at the top of their lungs: "Follow Koza! To Nanohana!"
"The Royal Army dared to shoot at the people!"
"Today is the day of decisive battle!!!"
Shouts, the clashing of weapons, and the chaotic sound of footsteps merged into a restless torrent that swept through the entire camp.
Batu was startled by this sudden turn of events and asked in a low voice, "Wh-what exactly is going on?"
Farafra, who was next to him, strapping a scimitar to his waist, explained with a grim face: "We just received news that Cobra, leading a group of Royal Army soldiers, appeared in Nanohana, and some of the Royal Army even shot and wounded protesting citizens!"
"That guy... has he become lawless?!" another Rebel Army member next to him roared.
"Decisive battle! Decisive battle! Decisive battle!" More and more people began to echo, their voices like waves, rising higher and higher.
Tomioka knew he couldn't wait any longer.
He looked around and saw a young soldier preparing to mount a horse. He quickly walked over: "Can you give us a horse?"
The soldier looked up, full of anger and impatience: "We don't even have enough for ourselves! You're with the King, aren't you?"
He poked Tomioka with his finger, "The only reason you're still safe here is because Mr. Koza said not to touch you. This is the limit of our patience."
Then he spat, swung onto his horse, and shouted to the others: "Don't mind these guys! Go support Mr. Koza!"
"Charge!!!"
"Down with the Royal Army!!!"