One piece : A Lotus

Koza couldn't believe that the contents of the letter were true, because the terrifying wealth of 100 billion Berries was beyond Alabasta's means.

"I don't believe it," Koza discarded the letter like trash and looked at Pell mockingly, interpreting it as a conspiracy.

"This letter is written by the King and is worth 100 billion Berries," Pell said coldly as he looked at him. "Captain of the Royal Guard Chaka has already rushed towards Yuba with the first batch of five billion Berries. So, the first pipeline will be in Yuba. If you don't believe this, you can let the letter be carried away by the wind. Or you can join us." With that, he turned and soared into the sky.

Pell did not bow his head to the rebels because, although the Royal Family intended to cooperate with the rebels, they also had immense wealth as support. This meant countless ways to attract labor for their construction project. Let the rebels betray their relatives and leave, they are the true rebels!

Koza watched Pell depart, feeling an inexplicable pressure, and turned his head to look at the piece of paper already blown away by the wind.

"Only a fool would believe that!"

Cobra appeared silently next to him.

"I suggest you pick it up."

"Do you believe that this scrap of paper is worth 100 billion Berries?" Koza dismissed it.

"Do you know why I left and confidently gave him the throne?" Cobra looked at the flying paper and smiled. "Because my son earned two billion in just one month. His exceptional business abilities gave me hope for Alabasta's rise."

Even Ezekiel probably didn't realize that the old King truly valued this in him.

Koza was silent for a moment, then ran off, finally finding the piece of paper in the desert. He carefully folded it and put it in his pocket.

"You better pray that all of this is true," Koza said menacingly, looking at Cobra, who was smiling.

...….

As expected, about two days later, Captain Chaka and the entire escort team delivered the carts with various resources and five billion Berries to Yuba.

The whole rebel army was in turmoil. With such funds arriving and the King's new policy, even those rebels who were once determined had to kneel.

The news quickly spread among the rebels. Although the process was winding and complex, most of the rebels regained their trust in the Royal Family of Alabasta thanks to this powerful measure. They had lost everything and were confused, despairing about continuing the fight. Knowing about the five billion Berries, they realized it could save the country.

When the new King took this step, he gained unimaginable authority among the rebels. It could be said that his strong and decisive ability to make money utterly dazzled them.

Eventually, Koza decided to go to the Alabasta Palace to negotiate with the new King, and after successful negotiations, he released King Cobra.

Koza saw Ezekiel for the first time in the palace garden two days later. It was probably the best place in Alabasta. There was no one else there. Lush greenery covered the entire garden, and wildflowers bloomed everywhere.

Green was too rare in Alabasta, so it was a poignant scene.

Pell led Koza there. He saw the short, fifteen-year-old boy gently stroking a wildflower, exuding an indescribable spirit. It's hard to think of him as a child.

Even Koza felt immense pressure before someone who casually handed over a hundred billion Berries. This is a person who has the means to buy all of Alabasta. Who is he?

Will turned to look at him.

"Koza, what do you want?"

Koza didn't expect him to be so straightforward, so he thought for a moment and said:

"Your Majesty, I still can't fully trust you. I won't disband the rebel army until your promise is fulfilled."

"Alright," Ezekiel didn't object. "Anything else?"

"Please don't persecute the innocent people I recruited into the rebels," Koza continued.

"The innocent in the rebel army can be forgiven, but criminals must be punished," Ezekiel stated firmly.

Ezekiel seemed to be smiling, and this smile made Koza feel ashamed.

"Koza, you have committed unforgivable crimes in this Kingdom," Will commented bluntly. "You didn't even know who the real enemy was, and you were simply used for rebellion and shedding people's blood. Paying for your foolishness, at least tens of thousands of people in Alabasta indirectly or directly died because of you. And you consider yourself innocent?"

"The Royal Family is responsible too!" Koza's face turned red. - If it weren't for the king's incompetence...

"So, the old King stepped down, disgraced the royal dignity, and was imprisoned for two months. This is a harsher punishment than killing a King. If you still have a conscience, you should know why the King chose this path. For self-justification. He is truly a Great Emperor."

This is the main reason he delayed for two months before immediately proceeding with his plan. He wanted to give his old father a psychological reprieve.

Koza was speechless. He had to agree to allow the main leaders, including himself, to accept all punishments from the Royal family after the completion of the project.

"I have one last question: who did all this?" - Koza finally asked, referring to the use of Dance Powder in the capital and the slander against the Royal family.

"It's your hero, Crocodile," - Will smiled.

Koza fell into deep thought.

Cobra had told him about this, but he didn't believe it. But now that the new King said the same thing, he was ready to reconsider.

......

After Koza returned to Yuba, the rebels released Cobra and announced to the world their surrender to the Kingdom's army, but did not disband and go home.

All of this was reported in the Toutiao supplement, along with information about the "River of Life" project. A photograph of the trio: Cobra, Koza, and Will was also published there.

The article spread throughout Alabasta in less than a day. Thanks to the actions of 300,000 subscribers, all of Alabasta was abuzz.

At that time, people already knew that mobile phones were the property of His Majesty the King.

In the blink of an eye, trust in the major headlines on mobile phones reached its peak, almost comparable to television in Ezekiel 's past life. He seized this opportunity to launch a new column on Toutiao—an administrative column of the government dedicated to presenting new policies and political reforms of various departments.

The "River of Life" project began its implementation just ten days later.

Although Ezekiel had uploaded advanced physical skills and abilities to strengthen his physique, he could produce only 50,000 to 60,000 mobile phones per day, but that was enough for the gradual distribution of phones to the residents of Alabasta.