One Piece: Blue Scale Admiral

"King Cobra!! If you still consider yourself the master of this country, still care about this country, and still believe yourself to be innocent, then come out and meet me!"

The young man's voice, like thunder, echoed far and wide over the royal city of Albana, enraging countless loyal warriors devoted to the royal family.

Some soldiers had even raised their crossbows and flintlock pistols, waiting for their superiors to give the order to shoot and kill the rebellious madman below.

"It's Kosa."

Kobra stared blankly at the young man below, who stood alone before hundreds of thousands of people with his sword drawn, and a deep sense of emotion welled up in his heart.

The young man below, no, perhaps it should be called a teenager.

Kou Sha, who is only a few years older than Vivi, was Vivi's playmate when they were children.

But at this moment, he displayed a maturity and composure completely out of character for his age.

At such a young age, he was chosen by hundreds of thousands of rebels to become their leader, which speaks volumes about his talent and prestige.

Such an outstanding young talent should have been serving the country, leading the kingdom to a more prosperous, peaceful, and healthy future.

But now...

"Cobra! You hypocrite! So all your so-called kindness and magnanimity were just an act? Do you know how many of our parents, our children, our friends and relatives have died in the drought without water!"

"If you can't give us an explanation today, then even if we have to fight to our last breath, we will drag you, this incompetent and tyrannical king, off the throne!"

After Kou Sha finished speaking, a series of mournful roars rose and fell among the rebel army, like the mournful cries of cuckoos crying blood.

Those roars and questions were like sharp spears, piercing deep into Kobra's chest and through his heart. The gray-haired king staggered as he leaned against the city wall, his face draining of color and turning deathly pale.

He turned and left the city wall, beginning to walk down towards the foot of the wall.

Bell and Jaka were shocked and, disregarding all etiquette, leaped forward and stood in front of Cobra.

"Your Majesty! You must not go out!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! As long as we don't go out, Albana's strong walls will prevent the rebels from breaching the city, no matter how many there are. Please do not be swayed by the rebels' rude remarks."

Cobra looked sorrowful and remained silent, only glancing at Bell and Jaka who were blocking his way.

His eyes revealed his determination at that moment.

And it carried the majesty of a king!

That was the majesty of the Neferutari royal family, which had ruled this desert kingdom for over a thousand years.

Bell and Jaka had no choice but to step back, but they didn't leave. Instead, they silently followed Cobra down the city wall, one on the left and one on the right.

Below the cliff, angry and resentful questions still simmered.

Suddenly, the loud crackling of machinery erupted from the towering, wide city gate, drawing the attention of countless people.

At the top of the towering steps, below the ancient city wall, two heavy gates slowly opened.

Then, beneath the massive city gate, a solitary old man wearing a golden crown stepped out first, walking down the winding stone steps toward the rebel army gathering on the desert land.

"That's...King Cobra!"

Kosa, riding his warhorse, shuddered and his eyes immediately fell on the aged figure.

He had only said it casually, never imagining that Kobra, as the King of Alabasta, would actually open the city gates and risk his life to come down and meet with them, the rebels.

But now, they've actually come!

Moreover, he only brought two guards with him, without making a big fuss or showing any fanfare, and simply descended the steps, step by step, towards them.

Countless eyes in the rebel army focused on the figure on the stone steps.

The previously boiling clamor, the torrent of angry curses, and the resentful questions gradually subsided.

Under the complex gazes of countless people, Kobra walked step by step to Kosha's side, to the front of the rebel army's lines.

He slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with compassion and pain, looking at his ragged, emaciated people before him. His eyes reddened, and he opened his arms, proclaiming in a hoarse, aged voice, "My people! People of the Kingdom of Alabasta! I have come! I, Neferutar Cobra, have come!"

The crowd fell silent, countless people staring in shock at Kobra, at the king of Alabasta, unable to utter their earlier angry words.

Bell and Gakka, their muscles taut, stood three or four meters behind Cobra, their eyes fixed on the crowd in front of Cobra, ready for any unexpected events to occur.

They had already made up their minds that if the rebel army were to launch an attack, the two of them would risk their lives to take His Majesty the King away.

With a complicated expression, Kosha dismounted from his warhorse and walked alone toward Kobra.

When he was three meters away from Kobula, Kosha stopped.

Looking at the old man before him, whose face was aged and full of fatigue, and seeing the compassion on his face, Kou Sha suddenly felt an urge to cry, to weep bitterly.

But when he thought of his responsibilities as the leader of the rebel army, Kou Sha forcibly suppressed this impulse.

He was not a fanatical warmonger, nor did he truly want to overthrow Cobra's throne and become the king of the country himself.

Kosa simply wanted to find a way to survive for the civilians behind him who, like him, had no other options and could no longer go on living.

If Cobra is truly as incompetent and tyrannical as the rumors in the kingdom suggest, disregarding the people of the entire nation for his own selfish gain, then he will be the first to launch an attack on this corrupt royal family without hesitation.

Even though the familiar old man in front of him was the father of Weiwei, his best childhood friend.

"Kousha, I'm here. Ask me whatever you want," Kobra said in a deep voice, looking at Koousha.

Kosha paused for a moment, then resolutely spoke up: "King Kobra! I would like to ask you to tell me, is the drought that has occurred throughout the country in recent years caused by your frequent use of dancing powder in the capital? Please give us a definite explanation as to why the capital receives heavy rain every few days, while other places outside the capital receive not a drop of rain."

A deep sense of remorse appeared on Cobra's face. He looked directly at Kosha, and at the eyes of the rebel soldiers and civilians behind him, and said in a hoarse, low voice, "I swear by the thousand-year glory of the Neferutari royal family, I, Cobra of Neferutari, have never done anything so heinous! Our royal family has long been aware of the dangers of the dancing powder, so how could we knowingly violate it? If it were truly because of my own selfish desires that I recklessly used the dancing powder in the capital, it would be impossible for me to use it so frequently! This is simply illogical!"

Hearing Cobra swear by the glory of the royal family for a thousand years, many people were immediately moved, and the anger and resentment that had been building up in their hearts softened.

Cobra did not bring a large army, and he explained earnestly, without displaying any arrogant or condescending attitude.

This is completely inconsistent with the rumors of his arrogance and tyranny.

"How do you explain killing the child in the rain?! Many people witnessed it! Even Mr. Crocodile was there! Cobra! You hypocrite, do you still want to deny it?"

Suddenly, from the crowd behind Kou Sha, an elderly man with white hair and a sorrowful expression questioned him in a hoarse and grief-stricken voice.

The old man had a withered face and a emaciated body, clearly the result of long-term malnutrition.

Ordinary people like him, who were starving, were the main force that made up the rebel army.

Now, upon hearing the old man's sorrowful question, the rebel army, whose anger had been somewhat quelled by Kobra's sincerity, suddenly became restless again.

"Yes! I saw it with my own eyes. You shot and killed that innocent child in the street! That child's parents starved to death because of the drought in Yuba. You were transporting dance powder with the kingdom's guards in the rain, and when that child exposed you, you killed him in a fit of rage. Is this how you treat your people? You liar!"

A girl, barely clothed and covered in mud and dust, sobbed with a trembling voice.

"Cobra! You hypocrite! Give us an explanation!"

Hearing the commotion, Kobra raised his hands and shouted in a hoarse voice, "I haven't left the royal city recently, haven't been to the Rainlands, haven't transported any dancing powder, and haven't killed any innocent children..."

"Excuses! All excuses! Stop making excuses! You've never been to Rainlands, yes, of course you won't leave the capital. You stay in a wealthy place like Albana, atop these towering walls, completely oblivious to us worthless commoners! You keep talking about your subjects, bah! If you truly consider us your subjects, then why didn't you save this country? Aren't you the king? Isn't saving this country your duty? Waaah, my children, they all starved to death! My grandson, he died too..."

The withered old man wept uncontrollably, his body swaying as he collapsed to the ground. His cries were so heart-wrenching that many around him, feeling the same pain, also broke down in tears.

Hearing the old man's question, Bell and Jaka, standing behind Cobra, were burning with anxiety.

Why does this old man keep saying such harsh things? King Cobra has already been very honest.

But the old man was weeping bitterly, and his appearance was emaciated, so it didn't seem like he was deliberately trying to stir up the emotions of those around him.

That's exactly what caused the situation to become chaotic again.

Hearing the old man and the young girl's choked questions, Kobra's expression grew even more sorrowful.

Suddenly, he did something that shocked everyone in the room.

Kobra knelt down.

This king of Alabasta, a descendant of one of the twenty kings who created the world, knelt before the people before him.

"King Kobra..." Kosha's lips moved as he stared blankly at Kobra, who was supporting himself with his hands on the ground, letting the golden crown representing the king's majesty slip off his head, knocking his white hair onto the yellow sand. The shock in his heart was indescribable.

“My people! I am guilty!” Cobra pressed his forehead to the sand, his voice hoarse and choked with sobs.

"No matter how I prove my innocence, no matter whether I really did what you said, I am guilty! As the king of this country, I have not brought peace and prosperity to this country, nor have I allowed you all to live a good life. This is a sin I can never wash away. I have no way to change the cruel reality of this country, and can only watch it slide into the abyss, immersed in self-blame and pain, yet powerless to do anything. This is my incompetence!"

"But! My lords! I beg you all, I implore you to lay down your weapons and not turn against your own people. This country cannot afford any more deaths! I will distribute all the remaining supplies, food, and water in the capital. I implore you all to hold on a little longer, to give me a little more time. I will seek help from neighboring countries, I will request humanitarian aid from the World Government, I will do everything in my power to save this country! Please stand with me, let us save this country together!"

Everything will be alright! As long as we work together and persevere, I firmly believe that Heaven will not abandon us, will not abandon our Kingdom of Alabasta! Please lay down your weapons and give me some time.

Cobra's hoarse voice, at this moment, drowned out all the noise and reached the ears of many people.

At this moment, many people recalled the king from a few years ago, a king who was benevolent, loving, and magnanimous in their memory.

This old man in front of me would rather collect very little tax than let the people of the kingdom suffer because of the heavy burden of heavenly gold.

The Nefertari royal family bears the vast majority of the 5 billion Berries of Heavenly Gold collected annually.

Cobra himself was not the kind of person who indulged in extravagance and debauchery.

Princess Vivi was beautiful and kind-hearted, and she often traveled all over the country to treat and help people suffering from hardship.

Thinking about it carefully, if it weren't for the drought in recent years, life in the Kingdom of Alabasta would actually be quite good.

Compared to their war-torn neighboring countries, they are truly fortunate to have enough to eat and wear and to be free from pirate attacks.

Many people, including Bell, Jaka, and Kosha, were moved to tears by Kobra's words.

"Your Majesty! We...we are willing to believe you!"

Suddenly, many refugees choked up and sobbed among the rebels.

Bell and Jaka stood tall and proud, their faces beaming with pride.

look!

This is His Majesty Kobra, the King of Alabasta!

"Your Majesty Cobra, we are willing..."

Kosa's chest heaved, his heart pounding. He stepped forward and reached out to help Kosa up.

But at that moment...

Bang!

A crisp gunshot rang out, and Kou Sha, who had only taken two steps, was struck as if by lightning, his body falling backward!

Chapter 323 I came to Alabasta for only one thing.

Bang!