One piece : A Lotus

The entire territory of Alabasta is currently experiencing a drought that has lasted for a whole year, which is why there are almost no sales in cities other than the capital and Yuba.

Ezekiel knew that if he wanted to continue getting stronger, eliminating the obstacle of Crocodile was a priority. Additionally, the issue with the rebels needed to be resolved quickly; otherwise, a large-scale war would indeed break out, and there would be nobody to sell his mobile phones to after too many casualties.

Pell was impressed with Ezekiel ;he never imagined that it would generate such astounding income.

Everyone knows that tax revenues in Alabasta are extremely low right now. Due to the complexity of management, it is impossible to control mobile phone suppliers. The country can only rely on stationary shops and the meager taxes from farmers in this desert nation. The annual tax revenue for the entire country is only tens of billions of Berries. But maintaining a standing army of 600,000 alone consumes almost all the taxes, plus other expenses. There are almost no surpluses, and sometimes even the personal funds of the royal family are used to subsidize the country.

But His Royal Highness earned 1.5 billion Berries in just a month!

Pell swallowed, expressing his amazement.

However, Ezekiel felt nothing special. Compared to the 21st century, the market here is so pitiful that, even though he was now wealthy, the money didn't have much meaning.

At that moment, there was a knock on his room door.

"Your Royal Highness, His Majesty the King invites you to see him."

Will was a bit surprised, because until then, his father had not called him since he returned from his journey, and there hadn't been any serious conversations even with Vivi. The King had conversed more with Vivi than with him. Why did he suddenly call him now?

Seeing Will's contemplation, Ezekiel called out to him. Will nodded, put on his cloak, and left with Pell.

Entering the main hall, Will saw that no one was there except Cobra; even Igaram was absent, and the ministers were busy dealing with the drought. It could be said that the palace was half-empty.

On the throne sat a somewhat emaciated and silent Cobra. Next to him was the queen's chair, which no one had sat in for more than ten years. He gently stroked the seat beside him and looked at Will, who greeted him from below.

"My child, if I were to entrust this country to you, can you promise me to always treat it kindly?"

Ezekiel was stunned. He was already quite strong. But could he become king? In the original story, there is no such character.

Princess Vivi was too young, and besides, she was a woman. In the canon, Cobra had no choice. But due to the emergence of a new character, Cobra had a choice.

"What do you mean?" he asked Cobra.

"Answer me," Cobra insisted.

Ezekiel stood uncertainly before the King. After all, this was the King of an entire nation. Even without any special abilities, the honorable status of ruling over hundreds of millions of people required strength of spirit.

"I promise," Will replied straightforwardly.

When a powerful figure wants to bestow a certain benefit, strength, or authority upon the main character, a refusal on the part of the protagonist would be seen as a sign of weakness.

He was already the Prince of Alabasta. It made perfect sense for him to become the King of Alabasta. He had both duties and obligations. Eventually, he would assume such a position. Moreover, even if he refused, it was assumed that the outcome would not change.

"Then from today onwards, from this moment, you will become the new King of Alabasta!" Cobra stood up and slowly removed the crown from his head.

Ezekiel froze.

"Dad are you... really going to do this?! I'm ready... but you're not old yet."

There was no coronation ceremony, no oath of allegiance from the ministers, no greetings from the people, no announcements.

"Could Cobra really have abdicated the throne so casually?"

Thinking about this, Ezekiel looked at Cobra. At this moment, the old King's face was indescribably pale, but in his eyes, there was an understanding and trust that Will had never seen since he had come to this world.

It wasn't the same expression as the King who had scolded him earlier. Or perhaps, from the very beginning, the King's strictness towards Ezekiel was merely a facade, and it's even possible that he was fully aware of all Crocodile's schemes!

"Anyone who tries to stop a war with bloodshed will only spill more blood. Ezekiel , I must stop the rebels and prove to them the innocence of the royal family. No matter how many ways you have or even with the help of the Admiral, please remember, this is my last request. Considering yourself a King, remember: the people cannot bleed any longer," Cobra took a deep breath.

Thus, Ezekiel understood that Cobra wanted to sacrifice himself and prove to the rebels that he hadn't used Dance Powder in the capital! Even if the rebels were ten times stronger, they wouldn't be able to do anything against Cobra and his army, but a lot of blood would be shed and time wasted in capturing them.

Ezekiel was initially in a relaxed mood. But this moment was surprisingly heavy. It was also the first time he felt the harshness of reality on his journey.

......

After a night of heavy rain in the streets of Alubarna, the capital of Alabasta.

Vivi was dressed in a white shirt with sleeves, her long blue hair was slightly damp, and she was wiping sweat from her forehead. She took a deep breath and found it really difficult to slip away.

"Darn, because of my older brother, the palace guards have become stricter!" she thought, puffing up her cheeks. After some hesitation, she picked a direction and walked off.

Her loyal duck rushed up and quickly followed her.

This was her pet, Karu. He was a giant duck, unique to Alabasta. They could carry people and were excellent in speed. Such ducks could freely travel across the desert.

Vivi had to sneak out of the house, but Karu could walk right through the palace gates.

The two of them moved forward for a few more minutes, and it started to rain again. Vivi clenched her teeth but kept moving forward. She had gone through considerable effort to buy an exquisite item from the store. They say that the gold pocket watch is a treasure from a distant eastern country, made from many precious metals and gemstones.

But in reality, naive Vivi didn't know that it was just an ordinary watch.

She happily took her pocket watch and ran back to the palace. She simply stumbled, staggered a few steps, and eventually fell face-first into the mud. She became even angrier:

"It's all the fault of my lousy brother! And all on my birthday..."

When she entered the palace, she found that there was no one inside. Due to the drought, there weren't many people left in the palace anyway.

She walked in confusion until she reached the main hall, where she saw a few servants and the only remaining soldiers. Before she entered, she saw a high throne. But sitting on it wasn't Father Cobra... it was the lousy brother!

At this moment, his voice faintly reached her:

"His Majesty the King is ready to take responsibility for not taking good care of the people and step down from the position of King. He will personally go to the rebel headquarters to negotiate with them. Starting today, I, Ezekiel Nefertari, will be the new King of Alabasta!

At that moment, Vivi's pupils slightly contracted, as if she could no longer hear any sounds, and her whole body was shaking.