General Lanlin of One Piece

Chapter 322 The Responsibility of the Royal Family

Just as Rorschach and Weiwei were on their way to the royal capital, hundreds of thousands of rebel troops were already approaching the city outside the towering city walls of the royal capital Albana.

Above the mottled city wall that has been passed down for thousands of years, Neferutari Kobra, wearing a king's crown and Alabasta royal robes, is pressing a pair of skinny palms on the ancient city bricks, looking tired and haggard. overlooking the endless sea of ​​people below.

"Why did the situation in the kingdom evolve into this? How on earth do these damn Baroque Cooperatives want to destroy this country before they are willing to let go of these poor people!"

With a bang, Kobra's tightly clenched fist in his right hand hit the city bricks in front of him hard.

The angry swipe caused the skin of his palm to be instantly scratched by the rough brick surface, causing bright red blood to flow out.

"Your Majesty the King!"

Behind him, the adjutants of the Kingdom Guard, Bell and Gaka, standing on one left and one on the right, saw a look of deep worry on their faces. They wanted to step forward to check Cobra's palm, but were stopped by Cobra. La's eyes stopped him.

When they saw Kobra's tired eyes, Bell and Gakkar were both shocked. They couldn't help but clenched their fists and cracked their knuckles.

The eyes that used to be full of wisdom and kindness were now full of pain and compassion.

Cobra was blaming himself, but also pitying the troubled Kingdom of Alabasta and its people.

Bell, Jaka and others also cast their sights below the towering city wall.

The capital, Albana, is a majestic city protruding in the middle of a vast desert.

On the already towering and steep rock wall, several spacious stone steps were cut upwards, leading to the city wall that surrounded the royal city.

At this moment, looking down from the towering city wall at the top of the steep rock wall, you can see a dark flow of people, like a roaring tsunami, spreading and impacting from the yellow sand at the end of the line of sight, engulfing the desert little by little. The emptiness turns the vast land as far as the eye can see into a sea of ​​people.

If there are more than [-] people, there will be no boundaries.

What's more, at this moment, under the rock wall of Albana, there are more than 30 rebels gathered from all over the country.

The angry knight who led the rebel army galloped at the front of the queue, beating the heavy horse hooves on the boiling yellow sand ground, as if beating the war drum of this ancient kingdom.The sound of footsteps, hoofbeats, and roars tore through the yellow sand and air, causing the kingdom guards guarding the top of the city wall to look pale and sweaty on their foreheads. They could not help but hold the spears and swords in their hands tightly. .

These endless rebel troops are loosely organized and have no discipline or formation at all.

90.00% of them, the so-called fighters, are poor people with sallow complexions, sunken eye sockets, and shriveled skin.

They are ordinary people who can no longer survive the continuous drought in Alabasta over the years and live at the bottom of the kingdom.

The main reason why these people are living in dire straits and are displaced is the large number of incidents involving the use of dancing fans in recent years.

The name of a dancing fan sounds beautiful.

Its function is to form smoke after the pile is burned, which rises into the sky and attracts rainfall.

This special item that can summon rain will naturally make people cheer and dance in a desert country like Alabasta.

But the reason why this kind of thing is classified as contraband by the world government is not unreasonable.

The use of dancing powder has a serious side effect.That is, when this kind of item is used in a certain place and brings a lot of rain, other surrounding areas will experience long-term water shortages and droughts.

It is equivalent to intercepting water resources in other areas in a short period of time.

Therefore, many countries in the world have used dancing powder illegally, which has aroused dissatisfaction among neighboring countries, leading to wars between kingdoms.

In recent years, other areas of Alabasta have experienced severe droughts.

But in Albana, the capital, it rains heavily every now and then.

As time passed, rumors spread throughout Alabasta that King Kobra was unscrupulous and ignored the lives of the people in the kingdom, only caring about the royal family's comfort, and constantly using dancing powder to bring rain to the capital.

Those people who lost everything due to the drought, and who were even unable to live happily in the end, were instigated by thoughtful people and finally stopped being silent and chose to gather together and head to the royal capital.

They want to pull King Kobra, who ignores the life and death of his people, from the throne of the king, and ask this guy who used to be kind and generous to others face to face, why he became like this, and why he made it difficult for them to live.

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered together, even if they were all refugees with sallow faces and skinny muscles, and even if their individual combat effectiveness was extremely weak, the momentum reached an extremely terrifying level.

It is conceivable that if the Neferutari royal family cannot quell the anger of the rebels, a huge war that may cause hundreds of thousands of casualties will inevitably come.

No.

It should be said that the war has arrived.

Rumble!
As the leaders galloping at the forefront of the rebel army pulled the reins of their horses, the advance of hundreds of thousands of people slowly stopped.

The rolling yellow sand turned into rolling angry dragons, stirring and flying at the feet of the crowd, causing countless kingdom guards on the city to change their colors.

At the front of the rebel army, a young man with scars at the corners of his eyes who looked a little too young stood on a war horse, took a deep breath, and roared towards the towering city wall of Albana.

"King Kobra!! If you still think that you are the master of this country, you still take this country in your heart, and you still think that you are innocent, then come out and see me!"

The young man's voice was like thunder, echoing far above the Royal City of Albana, making countless loyal warriors loyal to the royal family furious.

Some soldiers had even raised their crossbows and flintlocks, waiting for the commander's order to shoot and kill the rebellious man below.

"It's Kosha."

Cobra stared blankly at the young man below who was standing alone in front of hundreds of thousands of people, and he couldn't help but feel a deep emotion in his heart.

The young man below, no, perhaps should be said to be a teenager.

Kosha, who is a few years older than Weiwei, used to be Weiwei's playmate when she was a child.

But at this time, he showed a grandeur and maturity that was completely inconsistent with his age.

At a young age, he was elected by hundreds of thousands of rebels and became the leader of the rebels. His talent and prestige are evident.

Such an outstanding young talent should serve this country and lead the kingdom to a more prosperous, peaceful and healthy future.

But now...

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

"If you can't give us an explanation today, then even if we use our last breath, we will drag you, this stupid and unscrupulous king, from your throne!"

After Kosha finished speaking, roars filled with pathos resounded one after another among the crowd of rebels, like the cuckoo's cry of blood.

Those roars and questions were like sharp spears, piercing deeply into Kobra's chest and piercing his heart, causing the king with gray temples to stagger while holding on to the city wall. After a moment, the blood on his face faded away and he became extremely pale.

He turned and left the city head and began to walk towards the bottom of the city wall.

Bell and Jaka were shocked. No longer caring about etiquette, they flew forward and reached out to stop Kobra.

"Your Majesty the King! You must not go out!"

"Yes! Your Majesty! As long as you don't go out, with the strong walls of Albana, no matter how many rebels there are, they can't break in. Please don't be affected by the rude remarks of the rebels."

Kobra looked pitiful and remained silent. He didn't speak. He just glanced at Bell and Jaka who were blocking him.

The look in his eyes clearly showed his determination at this moment.

And with the majesty of a king!
It was the majesty of the Neferutari royal family that had been in charge of this desert country for thousands of years.

Bell and Jaka had no choice but to retreat, but they did not retreat. They just followed Kobra silently to the left and right, and walked down the city wall.

Under the cliff, questions filled with anger and resentment were still boiling.

Suddenly, the sound of a loudspeaker explosion sounded on the tall and wide city gate, attracting the eyes of countless people.

At the top of the towering steps and under the ancient city wall, two heavy doors opened little by little.

Then, under the huge city gate, a lonely old man wearing a golden crown walked out first, walking along the downward stone steps towards the rebel army gathered on the desert land. "That's...King Kobra!"

Kosha, who was riding on the war horse, was shaken, and his eyes suddenly fell on the old figure.

Just now, he just said that. He never thought that Cobra, as the king of Alabasta, would actually open the city gate and risk his life to come down to meet with these rebels.

But now, the other party is really here!
Moreover, he only brought two guards with him. He didn't mobilize any troops or make any fanfare. He just walked down the stairs and headed towards them step by step.

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

The originally boiling sound, the roaring curses, and the angry questions gradually stopped.

Under the complicated gaze of countless people, Kobra came step by step in front of Kosha and came to the front of the rebel army's formation.

He slowly raised his head and looked at the ragged, sallow and thin people in front of him with his eyes full of compassion and pain. His eyes were red, he opened his arms and said loudly in a hoarse and old voice: "My people ! People of the Kingdom of Alabasta! I am coming! I, Nefertari Kobra, am coming!"

The crowd was silent. Countless people were shocked physically and mentally as they looked at Kobra and the king of Alabasta. For a moment, they were unable to speak out the angry words they had said earlier.

Bell and Jaka, with their muscles tense, stood three or four meters behind Kobra, staring at the crowd in front of Kobra, guarding against any accidents.

They had already made up their minds that if the rebels took action, they would fight to the death to take His Majesty the King away.

Kosha got off his horse with a complex expression and walked towards Kobra alone.

When he was three meters away from Kobra, Kosha stood still.

He looked at the old man in front of him, whose face was old and full of fatigue. Seeing the compassion on his face, Kosha suddenly felt the urge to shed tears and cry bitterly.

But when he thought of his responsibilities as the leader of the rebel army, Kosha forcibly resisted this impulse.

He is not a fanatical war fighter, nor does he really want to overthrow Kobra's throne and become the king of this country himself.

Kousha just wanted to find a way to survive for the civilians behind him who were desperate and could no longer survive like him.

If Kobra is really as stupid and unscrupulous as the rumors in the kingdom, disregarding the people of the entire country for his own selfish interests, then he will not hesitate and be the first to attack this decadent royal family.

Even though the familiar old man in front of him is the father of his best childhood playmate Weiwei.

"Kosa, I'm here, you can ask whatever you want." Kobra looked at Kosha and said solemnly.

Kosha was silent for a moment, and then spoke resolutely: "King Kobra! I want you to tell me, is the drought that has occurred across the country in recent years caused by your frequent use of dancing powder in the capital? Please tell me. Give us a definite explanation why it rains heavily in the Royal Capital every now and then, but there is not a drop of rain in other places outside the Royal Capital."

A deep look of guilt appeared on Kobra's face. He looked directly at Kosha and the eyes of the rebels and civilians behind him, and said in a hoarse and low voice: "I take the name of Neferu The thousand-year glory of the Tali royal family swears that I, Nefertari Kobra, have never done anything so outrageous! Our royal family has long been aware of the dangers of dancing fans, how could we knowingly do it. If it is really me because of my own selfish desires , it is impossible to use dancing powder so frequently in the royal capital! This is unreasonable!"

Listening to Kobra swearing on the glory of the royal family for thousands of years, many of the people's faces suddenly changed, and the anger and resentment accumulated in their hearts also loosened.

Kobra did not come with an army, and he explained sincerely, without showing any condescension or arrogance.

This is completely inconsistent with the domineering and unruly nature in the rumors.

"Then how do you explain the killing of children in the rainland?! Many people saw it on the spot! Even Mr. Crocodile was present! Kobra! You hypocrite, do you still want to quibble?"

Suddenly, in the crowd behind Kousha, a white-haired old man with a miserable face asked in a hoarse and sad voice.

The old man's face was haggard and his body was as thin as a stick. It seemed that he had been suffering from long-term malnutrition.

Poor civilians like him were the main force of the rebel army.

Now, upon hearing the old man's sad question, the rebels who had calmed down a lot of their anger because of Kobra's sincerity suddenly became agitated again.

"Yes! I saw it with my own eyes. It was you who shot and killed that innocent child in the street! That child's parents starved to death because of the drought in Juba and had no food. You led the kingdom in the rainy land. The guard was transporting dancing fans, and when the child exposed him on the spot, he became so angry that he killed him. Is this your attitude towards your people? You liar!"

A girl who was half-clothed and covered in mud and dust sobbed.

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

Kobra listened to the noisy crowd, raised his hands, and said loudly in a hoarse voice: "I have not left the royal city recently, I have not been to the rainy land, I have not transported any dancing fans, and I have not killed innocent people. child……."

"Excuses! They are all excuses! Stop making excuses! You have never been to the Rain Land, yes, of course you will not leave the royal city. You stay in a wealthy place like Albana, at the top of this towering city wall, There is no such thing as us worthless ordinary people in the eyes! You keep talking about people, bah! If you really think that we are your people, then why don't you save this country? Aren't you a king? Save this country, no Is it your obligation? Wuwuwu, my children all starved to death, and my grandson also died..."

The haggard old man cried so much that tears flowed down his face. His body fell to the ground as if he were crumbling. His cry was so tragic that many people around him who felt the same way also cried bitterly and shed tears.

Listening to the old man's questioning, Bell and Gaka, who were standing behind Kobra, were anxious.

Why does this old man keep saying such ugly things? King Kobra is obviously very honest.

But the old man was crying sadly and looked haggard, so it didn't seem like he was deliberately trying to stir up the emotions of the people around him.

It was precisely this that caused the originally calm scene to become chaotic again.

Listening to the choked questions from the old man and the girl, Kobra's expression became even more miserable.

Suddenly, he made a move that shocked everyone in the room.

Kobra knelt down.

The king of Alabasta, a descendant of one of the twenty kings who once created the world, knelt down in front of the people in front of him.

"King Kobra..." Kosha's lips twitched, and he stared blankly at Kou, who was holding his hands on the ground, letting the golden crown representing the king's majesty fall from his head, knocking his gray hair to the yellow sand ground. Bra, the shock in my heart is beyond words.

"My people! I am guilty!" Kobra put his forehead on the sand, his voice hoarse and choked.

"No matter how I prove my innocence, no matter whether I have actually done the things you said, I am guilty! As the king of this country, I have not brought a healthy and prosperous life to this country, and I have not allowed you to live a good life. This is a sin that I cannot wash away no matter what. I have no way to change the cruel status quo of this country. I can only watch it slide into the abyss, immersed in self-blame and pain but unable to do anything. This is my incompetence!"

"But! Everyone! I beg you, I beg you, please put down your swords and stop fighting with the citizens. This country cannot tolerate any more deaths! I will distribute all the remaining supplies, food and water in the capital. I beg you Please hold on a little longer and give me a little more time. I will ask neighboring countries for help. I will ask the world government for humanitarian support. I will do everything possible to save this country! Please stand with me and let us save it together. this country!
everything will become better!As long as we work together and as long as we persist in our efforts, I firmly believe that God will not abandon us or our Kingdom of Alabasta!Please put down your weapons and give me some time. "

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

At this moment, many people thought of the king who they remembered as benevolent, caring, and generous a few years ago.

Even the old man in front of me would rather collect a small tax than the people of the kingdom have to live a miserable life because of the heavy burden of heavenly gold.

The royal family of Neferutari bears most of the 50 billion beli of heavenly gold every year.

Kobra himself is not the kind of person who is extravagant and lewd.

Princess Weiwei is even more kind-hearted and often travels to various parts of the country to treat and help people in distress.

If you think about it carefully, if it weren't for the drought in the past few years, life in their Kingdom of Alabasta would actually be quite easy.

At least compared to their neighboring countries who were in constant war, they were able to have enough food, clothing, and warmth, and were protected from pirates. They were really happy.

Many people, including Bell, Gakkar, and Kosha, had tears in their eyes and were moved by Kobra's words.

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

Among the crowd of rebels, many refugees suddenly choked up.

Bell and Gaka looked proud and stood upright with their heads held high.

look!

This is His Majesty Cobra, this is the king of Alabasta!

"Your Majesty Kobra, we are willing to..."

Kosha's chest rose and fell, his heart agitated, and he stepped forward, reaching out to help Kobra up.

But right now.

Bang!
There was a crisp gunshot, and Kosha, who had just taken two steps, fell backwards as if he was struck by lightning!
(End of this chapter)