One Piece: Groudon the Beasts

Chapter 257 Trade barriers are meant to be broken.
Alabasta, a port city with rapeseed flowers.

Goode led his men into the port.

"Achoo! What a pungent perfume smell!"

"This port city is famous for its perfumes, and the quality is very high. If the perfumes here can be transported to other sea areas, the price can be several times higher."

The purpose of trade is to exchange surplus productivity, complement each other and achieve mutual benefit. Moreover, the more closed and backward the trade environment, the more exaggerated the profits generated.

It's like the Silk Road in my hometown.

Goode smiled and looked at his subordinates.

"You can do whatever you want today, and each of you can be reimbursed 100 million Berries!"

"Long live Lord Goode!"

The subordinates cheered excitedly; one million Berries was no small sum, enough for them to eat, drink, and have fun all day long.

"Hehehe, want to go for a drink with courtesans?"

"Count me in!"

The men left arm in arm, while the women strolled around with great interest; the island's unique customs and culture were quite captivating.

Royal city, Arubana.

News of Goode's arrival quickly reached the royal palace. As a figure comparable to the Four Emperors and the supreme leader of the Hoenn government, it was difficult not to take him seriously.

King Cobra was restless.

He had read the previous newspaper and agreed with the Hoenn government's ideology, but one report didn't prove anything.

News related to Goode is mostly negative!
Furthermore, Crocodile has already deceived them once, and Goode is a former pirate, so it will be very difficult to get him to believe in pirates again.

The kingdom's two guardian deities, Bel the Falcon and Jakka the Jackal, reported: "Your Majesty, we have assembled our elite troops!"

"it is good."

Kobra nodded solemnly.

Regardless of the other party's intentions, prepare for the worst.

"I want to go to the port myself!"

at the same time.

Goode left the rapeseed flower port and came to the riverbank a dozen miles to the west, where the Santora River, which runs through Alabasta, flows into the sea.

Very spacious.

There used to be an oasis city called Aruba on the other side of the river, but due to three consecutive years of drought, Aruba has been buried by sandstorms.

However, its advantageous geographical location and gradually recovering ecological environment mean that this city is destined to be reborn.

This city was his target.

To draw a parallel, Aruba is to Alabasta what Shanghai is like, but due to the influence of the environment, it was not fully developed even before its destruction.

Alabasta's geographical location is also extremely important, as countries from all seas can reach it via the Reverse Mountain, making it arguably the best transit point.

Chikara had set up a tea table and a parasol.

"Lord Goode, please have some tea."

"Ah."

Goode sat down and waited for the guest.

He made no attempt to conceal his journey, and the kingdom must have received the news long ago; the kingdom's envoy is probably on his way.

Now it was the other people's turn to come and see him.

Half an hour later, billowing dust rose up in the desert.

It was the kingdom's caravan.

"found it!"

Bell and Huka soon spotted Goode by the riverbank and were somewhat taken aback to see him leisurely drinking tea with his maid.

That's such a leisurely and carefree attitude.

The king's carriage came to a stop, and under the watchful eyes of his two strongest warriors, Cobra walked toward the tea table.

Chikara bowed slightly and pulled out another chair.

"Please sit, King Cobra."

"."

Cobra stopped his subordinates from admonishing him and sat down alone on the other side of the tea table, facing the Santoro River with Goode.

Such a distance is extremely dangerous.

But as king, he could not back down.

Goode smiled slightly.

"I never expected the King to come in person, it's truly an honor."

“It is an honor for me, Mr. Goode.” Cobra’s attitude was very humble, without the arrogance one would expect from a king: “May I ask what brings you to Alabasta, Mr. Goode?”

"I'm here to make friends!"

Goode put down his teacup and said, "I heard about the difficulties in Alabasta. I happen to have some surplus production capacity here and am able to help you overcome the difficulties, so I came uninvited."

"This"

Cobra was a little confused.

make friends?
Help them get through this difficult time?
Goode laughed and took out the documents from the Hoenn government: "Let's be more formal then. My main purpose in coming here is to represent the Hoenn government and formally establish diplomatic relations with Alabasta!"

"."

Now I understand!
Cobra's expression was strange.

He wouldn't be surprised if other member states came to him; diplomatic matters are discussed among countries at the annual World Conference.

Normally, diplomacy is definitely a good thing.

The two sides can cooperate closely, especially in the economic sphere, as Alabasta is currently facing a shortage of supplies.

But the Hoenn government.
The World Government has not recognized the legitimacy of the Hoenn Government!
What if there's a conspiracy?

After thinking for a moment, Cobra shook his head.

“Mr. Goode, I’m sorry I can’t agree to that.”

"I knew it would happen."

Goode laughed and shook his head, then asked with great interest, "King Cobra, I want to know if your refusal of me is based on the World Government's position, Alabasta's position, or the people's position?"

"this."

Cobra was stumped by the question.

He did consider the World Government, after all, Alabasta is a member state and is hostile to the Hoenn government.

However, from the kingdom's perspective, the situation is somewhat different.

He must prioritize the people.

"You are the king; you should be thinking about the future of the kingdom!"

Goode snorted coldly.

"Alabasta has just gone through war and is in dire need of rebuilding, but there are very few countries that can help Alabasta, and those countries would love for you to die."

“If Alabasta can establish diplomacy and cooperation with us, with the sheer size of our Fengyuan government, we can quickly get you out of your predicament.”

"Moreover, Alabasta is currently weak and vulnerable, and was even almost overthrown by Crocodile. It no longer resembles a great power. But by cooperating with us, Alabasta will soon regain its status as a superpower!"

confidence!

Cobra was stunned.

He could sense absolute confidence in Goode's words, and given Goode's status and position, he certainly could do it!

"The World Government will not allow it!"

"No, they will allow it!"

Goode revealed a dangerous smile.

The world government would certainly not allow it. Breaking down trade barriers is not so easy; war is the only way to solve the problem.

While the current Hoenn government isn't exactly barefoot, it carries far fewer burdens than the World Government.

If I flip the table, nobody will get to eat!

"King Cobra, shall we discuss the specifics of our cooperation first? I have come with the utmost sincerity, so please don't disappoint me."

"."

Cobra remained silent, sensing the threat in the other's words; if the objective wasn't achieved, it could very well escalate into war.

a long time.

"Mr. Goode, why choose Alabasta?"

"This is it."

Goode sized up Cobra.

"Among the kings of the many member states, you can barely be considered a wise ruler who cares for his people, and you don't seem to be that much of an eyesore."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Kobra gave a wry smile.

"Although I would love to agree, I need to inform the World Government about this."

"up to you."

Good waved his hand dismissively, then pointed to the city ruins on the other side of the river.

"I want that land!"

(End of this chapter)