Chapter 38: The Dead Must Make Way for the Living!
Two days later.
While the World Economic News Paper was furiously preparing its latest report...
Alabasta, Alubarna. The Royal Port.
King Cobra stood on the deck of a royal merchant ship.
Chaka and several guards stood with him, their expressions grim as they protected their king.
A voice came from above.
"Your Majesty. They're here."
The report came from a falcon soaring in the sky—Pell.
Following his words, Cobra looked toward the distant Sandora River.
A warship was slowly emerging.
It wasn't a Marine ship. The flag flying from its main mast—a cross within a circle—revealed its origin.
It was a ship directly under the World Government.
On the deck of that ship...
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps approached. The owner was a man dressed in a white suit and a white bowler hat. His eyes were strange—one black, one white, with no visible pupils. His entire face was stark white, making him look incredibly distinctive.
If not for the beard on his chin, one might think he was wearing a mask.
Flanking him were two tall men, also in white, wearing masks.
"Wait here."
The man gave a casual order to his companions, then vanished.
Swish!
Using extremely fast Soru and Geppo, his figure flickered through the air above the Sandora River.
In seconds, he crossed hundreds of meters, landing directly in front of Cobra.
Schwing!
Chaka and the guards drew their weapons, warning the intruder not to move.
But Cobra raised a hand, stopping them.
He stepped forward, looking at the man, and announced himself. "I am the King of Alabasta, Nefeltari Cobra."
The man removed his bowler hat and placed it over his chest in a bow. "...CP0, Guernica."
That's right.
The man named Guernica was an agent of CP0—Aigis 0, the strongest intelligence organization in the world.
"We are here on Government orders to handle the matter of the Royal Warlord, Crocodile."
He put his hat back on. "Now, please explain the situation, King Cobra. Who killed Crocodile?"
Following the plan he had prepared before arriving, Guernica got straight to the point.
But to his surprise...
"According to my information, the killer calls himself 'Ryuji'. I will explain the details shortly," Cobra nodded.
"But before that... Igaram!"
The King shouted. "Bring it up!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" came the reply from the cabin behind him.
The cabin door opened. Led by Igaram, several guards carried a large chest onto the deck.
Thud!
One of the guards stumbled, twisting his ankle and letting out a muffled grunt.
"..."
Guernica glanced at the guard but said nothing, turning his attention to the chest.
"This is..."
"Mr. Guernica," Cobra continued calmly, "These are documents given to me recently by a lady claiming to be an 'insider'."
"They detail the attempt by the organization known as Baroque Works to overthrow Alabasta. They call it 'Operation: Utopia'."
"The lady also told me... the identity of the organization's leader."
Cobra spoke steadily.
"..."
Guernica's expressionless face seemed to darken slightly.
As a top agent of the World Government, he knew many things.
"You mean to say..."
"I cannot verify the authenticity of this information myself. So, I thought perhaps the Five Elders could verify it for me?" Cobra asked softly.
"...I understand. Please wait a moment."
Guernica nodded.
He took out a small, encrypted Baby Transponder Snail and walked to the side.
Puru-puru-puru... Click!
Guernica spoke quietly, relaying the situation to the other end. After receiving instructions, he nodded. "Yes."
He hung up and returned to Cobra.
"King Cobra."
His voice was solemn. "The Five Elders are deeply regretful about the natural disasters in Alabasta this year. They were shocked to learn that Mr. 0 of Baroque Works was hiding in your kingdom... This was an oversight by the World Government and the Marines. The Government is willing to provide a massive disaster relief fund for Alabasta."
"As for the 'truth' you mentioned... The Government is also willing to take these documents and investigate them thoroughly for you."
"Are you satisfied with this arrangement?"
He explained the situation in a few crisp sentences.
Hearing this, Cobra finally nodded. "Of course."
Then, he added, "But as you can see, there are many documents. This is only a part of them. So I think... when the Government sends the relief aid, I will hand over the rest. Is that acceptable?"
Guernica nodded again. "Of course."
Interestingly, during their conversation, the clumsy guard seemed to lose his balance again, nearly falling over.
Igaram shot him an annoyed glare, resolving to increase the Royal Guard's training intensity.
Having reached a consensus...
"Then, I shall take my leave, Your Majesty."
Guernica wasted no time. With another leap, he flew back toward his warship.
Watching Guernica disappear into the distance...
Cobra was silent for a moment. "Igaram, you may all leave."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Igaram nodded, his gaze falling on the clumsy guard.
But just then...
"She stays."
Cobra pointed at that specific guard, his voice commanding.
Even Igaram was surprised. "Your Majesty, he..."
He thought Cobra was angry about the guard's clumsiness and wanted to explain.
But Cobra said nothing, just giving Igaram a firm look.
"...Yes!"
Igaram understood his liege. He gave the guard a 'good luck' look and led the others away.
Once they were gone...
"Take it off."
"That armor is heavy. And the lifts in your boots must be uncomfortable," Cobra said gently to the 'guard.'
"..."
The 'guard' said nothing, but the body under the armor trembled slightly.
Cobra shook his head. "Vivi. I am not a father who cannot recognize his own daughter's voice."
"But you are not a good King!"
Hearing this, Nefeltari Vivi finally snapped.
She ripped off her helmet and threw it to the ground.
"That man—Crocodile—he was the mastermind behind everything, wasn't he!?"
She looked at her father, shouting with uncharacteristic sharpness.
"You knew it was all his fault! Why didn't you tell the Government? Why... did you cover for him!?"
Just as said before, Cobra had kept her out of the loop regarding Ryuji. But Vivi was never an obedient princess.
She had been investigating in secret. When she overheard Igaram's wife, Terracotta, mention that Igaram was going to the port, she made a plan.
She secretly replaced a guard, came here, and witnessed her father's conversation with the Government agent.
She knew what those documents meant. They were proof of Crocodile's crimes. They were the 'truth' owed to the countless citizens who had died in the drought.
But hearing Vivi's outburst, Cobra wasn't angry.
He looked at his daughter and sighed. "I didn't want you to face these things so soon, but..."
He shook his head with a bitter smile. "You are just like your mother. Never one to follow the rules."
After a pause, he spoke again.
"Vivi."
He held up a finger. "I have two stories."
"The first story: The Royal Warlord, Crocodile, was actually the leader of a criminal syndicate. He attempted to usurp our country and caused a seven-month drought. Then, a powerful man named 'Ryuji' defeated him and saved our nation."
He held up a second finger.
"The second story is..."
He looked at his daughter. "There never was a conspiracy. Alabasta's drought was simply due to extreme weather this year."
"The man who defeated Crocodile was Mr. 0 of Baroque Works, named 'Ryuji'."
"Crocodile just happened to fight him in Alabasta and was killed."
"Which story do you think the World Government prefers?"
Hearing her father's question, Vivi fell silent.
Which story?
The answer was obvious. The second one.
In the first story, a Warlord handpicked and privileged by the World Government turns out to be a monster who tried to destroy a founding member nation, killing countless innocents. And a criminal from the 'Zodiac' becomes the hero who stopped him.
How could the World Government accept that humiliation?
The second story was much cleaner. The Government made no mistake; Crocodile was just weak. His death fighting a criminal even proved that picking Warlords to fight pirates was the right policy.
"..."
Vivi understood.
This was a transaction.
To ensure the 'second story' became the truth, the World Government had to buy Cobra's silence.
Guernica realized this instantly, which was why he called the Five Elders. And the Five Elders paid up.
"To protect the Government's face, that sum of money will not be small."
Cobra gazed into the distance, toward Alabasta.
"With that money, we can repair the damage our people suffered this year."
Did he want to reveal the truth?
Of course he did.
But...
"Vivi, do you remember the words of our ancestor, Lili?"
"The past must compromise for the future."
"The dead must make way for the living."
He said softly. "We are the rulers of Alabasta. We must strive to protect the well-being of the living."
Weighing the heaviness of life and the stability of the kingdom against the truth... the truth was the only thing that didn't matter.
"...Why?"
Vivi interrupted him again.
She looked up at her father. But this time, her tone wasn't accusatory. It was a soft question.
"Why did you do all this without telling me, Father?"
"If you had told me sooner, I could have shared this burden with you..."
She understood everything now.
She understood why her father hid the mastermind's identity. He probably had this plan from the moment he learned the truth.
And she knew that for a man of his character, this decision was agonizing.
Making the enemy a hero, burying the truth—it was a decision born of guilt and pain.
So she didn't understand. She was sensible. She would have understood and made the same choice—just like when she apologized to Wapol years ago.
She could have shared his pain.
"I know, Vivi."
Cobra gently stroked his daughter's hair.
He remembered the Levely three years ago. When he heard she had been bullied, and she had smiled at him with tears in her eyes, saying, "Father, I'm fine."
"I know you would do that."
He knew how exceptional his daughter was.
And that was exactly why...
"That is why I didn't want you to do it. Guilt and pain... it is enough for me to bear them alone."
The King of Alabasta shook his head.
"I am already a bad King who hides the truth for villains. So I thought... at least let me be a good father."
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