One Piece: Marine to Warlord to Conqueror

Alabasta Royal Palace, Alubarna

Alabasta was one of the great kingdoms of the Grand Line, home to tens of millions. Though years of civil strife and relentless drought had weakened it, the royal palace in Alubarna remained a testament to its enduring grandeur.

Now that the fighting was over, Dante and his crew were the kingdom's honored guests. Princess Vivi herself had escorted them to the palace.

The job was done. It was time to collect the reward.

However, given the sensitive nature of the incident, a public narrative was crafted: Crocodile had deceived the people with Dance Powder, intending to usurp Alabasta. Any mention of Robin or the Ancient Weapon Pluton was deliberately omitted. Instead, it was announced that a certain pirate crew had indeed saved the kingdom.

As such, this meeting was straightforward: a banquet hosted by King Nefertari Cobra himself, who, privy to the true events, wished to express his profound gratitude. Only King Cobra's most trusted retainers were present.

Before the banquet could even begin, King Cobra, flanked by a formally dressed Vivi, walked straight up to Dante and knelt, bowing his head to the floor without a moment's hesitation.

The surrounding retainers gasped, moving to help their king, but Cobra waved them off. He remained bowed, his voice thick with gratitude and shame.

"Vivi has told me everything," he said. "Thank you... for saving our kingdom."

In his heart, he knew the blame was his. If he hadn't placed his trust in Crocodile, if he hadn't allowed that man into his country, none of this would have happened. As king, he had nearly led his people to ruin and condemned his own daughter to a terrible fate. The regret was a physical weight upon his shoulders.

Cobra lifted his head, his gaze serious. "I give you my word, on the name of Nefertari. Your secret is safe with us. Alabasta will never betray its saviors."

He understood that this Marine Captain from the East Blue wanted to conceal his heroic deeds, and while he didn't know why, he would honor that wish. He had already sent a carefully worded report to the Marine HQ, just as requested. He owed this man everything. Without his sudden appearance, Cobra couldn't bear to imagine what would have become of his home.

There was one caveat, however.

After solemnly reiterating his gratitude, King Cobra lowered his head in shame. "I'm deeply sorry," he murmured. "Alabasta cannot provide the reward immediately." He looked at Dante. "But please, rest assured," he added, "Alabasta will gather the reward as quickly as we possibly can!"

They had clearly saved Alabasta, yet Alabasta couldn't even produce a billion Berries for payment. And when he mentioned the reward, his daughter's cheeks flushed. He assumed she was embarrassed by Alabasta's inability to pay, which only made Cobra feel worse. After a moment's hesitation, he looked at Dante, in serious tone. "Alabasta will never forget your kindness in saving our nation." Gritting his teeth, he switched to a resolute tone. "As Alabasta's king, I give you my solemn promise: if you have any other requests, anything Vivi has agreed to, the kingdom will do its utmost to fulfill them. Please, do not hold our current difficulty against her."

But the reaction he'd expected from his daughter, a look of touched gratitude, that never came. Instead, Vivi's face just burned a deeper shade of red.

Cobra stared, completely baffled, until a new, unsettling thought began to form. He hesitated. "Vivi... did you promise some other kind of reward?"

He frowned at his daughter. "Vivi, a promise is made. No matter what it is, you must honor it, especially for our benefactors."

Vivi's mouth opened, ready to protest, but before she could speak, Cobra turned back to Dante, his expression grave. "My apologies. Vivi never mentioned another reward to me. But please, be at ease. Whatever she has promised, Alabasta will do everything in its power to fulfill it."

As the words left his mouth, the hall fell silent.

Vivi covered her face with her hands, looking at her father with pure exasperation. Her panic only grew as she felt Robin's smirk, Nami's sly grin, and Kuina's narrowed gaze all fixed on her.

"Father, please," she whispered, "don't say another word."

Cobra was utterly lost. What in the world was going on? As a king, he couldn't allow his daughter to be seen as someone who broke her word. "Vivi," he pressed, "what exactly is this reward?"

"I... I..." Vivi stammered, frantically searching for a way to change the subject.

Just then, a calm voice cut through the tension.

"There is one thing, actually," Dante said.

Every head in the room snapped toward him.

Now Robin's smirk, Nami's teasing grin, and Kuina's sharp stare were all aimed directly at Dante. Added to the mix were Cobra's curious frown and Vivi's mortified, pleading expression.

Dante shifted under the weight of their gazes and let out a nervous chuckle. "Uh... I just wanted to discuss a potential cooperation with Alabasta."

'Might as well,' he thought. 'With Kuma's ability, we could expand our business operations across the Grand Line.'

Aside from a still-confused Cobra, everyone else seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief, a wry smile spreading across their faces. Vivi let out a sigh of relief, though a strange, indescribable feeling lingered in her chest.

"Just that?" Nami said, sticking her tongue out playfully. "And here I thought you were actually going to make her fulfill that promise."

"Vivi, what promise?" Cobra asked, his confusion returning tenfold.

He had barely finished the sentence when a boisterous voice echoed from the hall's entrance.

"A promise? You mean Vivi's promise to the boss?"

Cobra's jaw went slack. Everyone else froze.

They all turned in a daze to stare at Mock as he swaggered in.

"What, the one about marrying him?"

Before Dante could even palm his own face in despair, Mock continued cheerfully, completely oblivious to the stunned silence. "Heard the boss was gettin' a banquet, so I had Kuma zip us right over! Bonney and Kuro are here, too. Old Kuro said the kid could come out for a bit, so she pestered her way along."

He turned to call for Bonney, only to find that she wasn't beside him. Kuma, who should have been carrying her, was also missing. Instead, they were both standing several paces behind him, their expressions unreadable.

Mock blinked. "Why are you two so far back? Walkin' awful slow. C'mon, the party's about to start."

Neither of them answered. They just stared at him blankly, leaving Mock thoroughly confused. Finally, the ever-honest Kuma took pity on him, hesitated, and simply pointed forward.

"Ahead?" Mock turned his head back to the group, who were all still staring at him. He scratched his head, then looked to his boss. "What's up, Boss? We got another mission?"

"No," Dante said through gritted teeth. "Just... thanks, Mock." He turned back to King Cobra, who was now glaring at him with a stony expression, and forced a laugh. "Right, where were we? Ah, yes, cooperation! Alabasta's location is prime, a real strategic gem on the Grand Line. We'll split everything fifty-fifty, don't you worry, King Cobra. It's a win-win."

He was laying it on thick, desperate to steer the conversation anywhere else.

"Oh, and I heard the Sandora River had some seawater intrusion? Probably Crocodile's doing. I can have someone take a look, see if it can be repaired. Since we'll be partners, I'll just charge you a small labor fee. You can pay it along with that billion Berries later."

Cobra, whose face had been filled with gratitude just moments before, now looked at Dante with a completely deadpan expression. "Thank you so much."

Then, a tight, dangerous smile spread across his lips. "We can discuss business later. Right now, Captain, I believe we need to discuss you... and my daughter."

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