Chapter 169 The Player's Farm and Underground Caves...
"Ah, haha..." Shanks chuckled dryly as he looked at the Alabasta King's Guard, who surrounded them as if facing a formidable enemy. He quietly moved closer to Violet and said, "Didn't you say you were super popular here, that you could even get into the royal palace just by showing your face?"
That's right. Last time when Violet stopped by to check the [Snowball Launcher], she easily strolled into the palace to play with Vivi.
The only variable this time compared to last time is...
Shanks bristled: "Wait, what kind of look is that?"
"Vell!"
Cobra rushed over with Vivi and gasped when he saw the red-haired man, dressed in a simple white shirt and floral shorts, with a black cloak, surrounded by the kingdom's guards.
It really is Shanks?!
This legendary pirate was standing quite relaxed next to Violet, bickering with her. But a man's reputation precedes him, and no one would underestimate him because of his unguarded demeanor.
A powerful pirate of Yonko caliber could wipe Alabasta off the map entirely if he wanted to!
“Ah, Mr. Cobra.”
Violet waved to Cobra: "Long time no see."
"Speaking of which," Vera looked left and right, not seeing that familiar figure, "Where's Crocodile?"
Violet's familiar tone eased Cobra's tension at the sight of Shanks a little. Of course, he still dared not speak to or look at Shanks, fearing that he might inadvertently offend the Emperor of the Sea and bring some disaster to Alabasta.
"Crocodile has taken the Baroque Works team out to clear out the pirates in the area."
Going out to clear out pirates? She probably doesn't think so. Otherwise, how could she possibly clear out pirates all the way to the Sabaody Archipelago and even to Doflamingo's auction house?
“Hehe, let’s ignore him.” Violet looked at Cobra. “I’ve come here to ask you a favor. No, I shouldn’t say ask a favor. I should say I want to make a deal with you, King Cobra.”
Vale plans to build a number of [advanced farms] in Alabasta in exchange for Cobra's permission for her and Shanks to explore that underground cave in Alabasta.
Looking around, although the threat of desert antlions is gone, the signs of drought in Alabasta are more severe than they were a few years ago.
The sturdy cacti that were once scattered among the sand and gravel are now almost nowhere to be seen. There is no moisture in the air, and the hot, dry air flowing through the nasal cavity brings an unbearable stinging sensation, as if sand and gravel are rolling over it.
Vera believed that Cobra would not refuse the deal under these circumstances.
Thinking of the desert ant lion that Violet had dealt with, and the [Snowball Launchers] that Violet had left here to save lives, Cobra suppressed his fear of the Four Emperors and nodded to Violet and Shanks: "Alright, let's go to the palace to talk."
As Shanks watched the royal guards cautiously retreat and clear a straight path at Cobra's command, he couldn't help but stroke the stubble on his chin.
Surprisingly, what Violet said about having a good relationship with the King of Alabasta was not an exaggeration.
Shanks followed with great interest. After the butler brought the tea and politely withdrew, Vale stated her purpose directly.
"Mr. Cobra, do you remember the underground cave we went to together last time?"
Upon hearing this, Cobra subconsciously glanced at the redhead, and only after seeing that the other party did not intend to speak did he solemnly nod: "Of course I remember."
This is a secret that every Alabasta king needs to protect.
“I’ve got some clues about the underground caves and I want to go explore them with Shanks.” Vale didn’t tell Cobra about the [mysterious marble statues] located in the territory of the four sea emperors.
Firstly, because they involve the other four Emperors, and Velvet cannot casually tell others without their consent. Secondly, if these statues are indeed related to the World Government and the secrets hidden by the Celestial Dragons, Velvet worries that unclear information could cause trouble for Alabasta.
"In exchange, I will build you a number of [advanced farms] to your satisfaction, while keeping you informed of our explorations and investigations."
Whether Cobra's ancestors intentionally concealed the secret of the cave from their descendants, or whether information about the cave had been lost over the centuries due to various accidents, Violet believed that Cobra must want to know what the cave represented and why every Alabasta king had guarded this secret.
This is not only because the next king will be his beloved daughter Vivi, but also because no king can sleep soundly after knowing that a dark underground space of unknown size and destination lies beneath his country.
Cobra hadn't expected that Violet's so-called "deal" was about this matter. According to the promises and responsibilities that every Alabasta king had to keep, Cobra should have rejected Violet's proposal without hesitation and buried the matter of the underground cave forever in the hearts of successive kings.
However, if he truly adhered to his promise to keep the secret forever when he became King of Alabasta, then Violet shouldn't have known about the existence of the underground cave.
Suddenly, a scene flashed through Cobra's mind: after Wille entered the underground cave, the metal scraps he had always thought were a pile of rusted and rotten metal suddenly came to life and gathered towards Wille like a tide, launching an attack.
This was an anomaly never seen in the records of any previous kings.
Perhaps, their ancestors had them guard this cave entrance and this secret underground space in order to wait for Vil's arrival hundreds of years later?
Cobra didn't know whether this was truly a rational judgment or just an excuse he made for himself after he had already considered breaking his promise.
But Alabasta really needs a change, otherwise they can only watch helplessly as their homeland loses its last bit of greenery and vitality in the increasingly severe drought.
"Alright, there's no rush regarding the [advanced farm]..."
“No.” Violet shook her head. “I’ll pay a portion of the payment first.”
It wasn't that Vera was particularly contract-conscious, but rather that she vaguely sensed that once she completely pieced together the four [mysterious marble statues], the subsequent developments would likely be like a runaway carriage going downhill, and it wouldn't be something Vera could stop at will.
Therefore, instead of having to devote some attention to your debts later, it's better to fulfill some of your promises first.
Cobra was so taken aback by Vera's serious tone and the natural aura of authority she exuded that he was momentarily speechless.
Shanks, sitting next to Vale, also had many feelings.
He had personally watched Violet grow from her initial weak stage to the point where she could intimidate a powerful king simply by unconsciously radiating her aura.
Shanks suddenly felt a strange sense of joy in nurturing someone.
Seeing Cobra's momentary stunned and surprised expression through Violet's eyes, Lox let out a soft, barely satisfied hum.
He's far inferior to him; otherwise, Cobra wouldn't have just been stunned, but would have been terrified into fainting... But he's barely passable.
Cobra raised his hand and touched the hair on his arm, not knowing why he had felt a strange chill for a moment.
He tapped his index finger lightly on the table. Vera had been very sincere in this deal, giving him the vast majority of the initiative.
Of course, this is not because Violet was at a disadvantage in this transaction. On the contrary, with Shanks as her companion and Violet's personal strength being among the best of the sea's big shots, if she really wanted to force her way in, the Kingdom Guard led by Cobra alone would not be able to stop her no matter what.
Cobra hesitated for a moment and then nodded: "Okay, I'd like to take a look at the [advanced farm] you mentioned first."
"no problem."
Vale and Shanks stayed in Alabasta for a crop growth cycle. Although Cobra was fully prepared to witness another miracle with the magical [Snowball Launcher], the terrifying growth rate of the crops in the [Advanced Farm] in just a few days still frightened Cobra.
No wonder, as Cobra watched the crops grow from seeds to full of fruit and ready to ripen in just a few days, his doubts about never having heard of the "R'lyeh Fruit and Vegetable Express" suspending the supply of certain ingredients due to the season were finally answered.
Cobra: "That's amazing..."
These farms were far better than he had best anticipated, although, according to Vil, water-scarce Alabasta was virtually impossible to meet the crops' water requirements throughout their growing season, and to harvest gigantic crops under near-perfect growing conditions.
But the basic effect of [Advanced Farm] in accelerating crop growth alone is enough to bring about tremendous changes in Alabasta.
As Cobra gazed at the verdant leaves and plump fruits sprouting from the fertile black soil, his fingers trembled uncontrollably. His eyes stung and burned; this king, whose daughters were already beginning to help with affairs, couldn't hold back his tears.
Vera stood quietly behind him without disturbing Cobra, allowing him to process the turmoil of emotions churning within him.
After an unknown amount of time, Cobra raised his hand and wiped his cheek with his sleeve, then turned back to Violet with an embarrassed smile: "I lost my composure."
As someone old enough to be Violet's father, Cobra felt a little embarrassed to lose control and shed tears in front of Violet.
However, Cobra believed that not only him, but any king of Alabasta would be overwhelmed with excitement upon seeing this "treasure" presented by Violet. In comparison, he, having witnessed Violet's extermination of the [Desert Antlions] and the construction of the [Snowball Launcher], might even be considered the better one.
Vera waited quietly for Cobra to make an offer.
"...One hundred [Advanced Farms], plus the opportunity to exchange other resources for [Advanced Farms] with you in the future, how about that?"
Vera nodded: "A very fair price."
Having already witnessed firsthand what it was like for Violet to build a [high-level farm], the red-haired captain had little interest in this deal and had gone off to mooch some drinks early in the morning.
Cobra stayed up all night to finally distribute the one hundred [Advanced Farms], with a maximum of twenty and a minimum of ten per city. The quantity wasn't large, but it was enough for emergencies. More importantly, this would open up a channel for Alabasta to continue trading [Advanced Farms] with Vil—a precious opportunity that money couldn't buy under normal circumstances.
Exhausted from a long day, Valerie fell asleep immediately and didn't sleep a wink all night. The next day, she woke up feeling refreshed and saw Shanks standing by the door, yawning.
"...You didn't sleep all night?"
Shanks, with an air of righteous indignation and a hint of innocence, said, "How could that be? Today is an important day for us to go on an adventure and solve mysteries together!"
Violet didn't believe the words of that drunken, disorderly pirate. Shanks helplessly spread his hands, and Violet grabbed a corner of his cloak and sniffed it gently.
Shanks raised an eyebrow: "How about it?"
There really was no smell of alcohol. Well, how could someone who could become one of the Four Emperors really be a drunkard?
Violet snorted: "Finally starting to look like one of the Four Emperors, huh? Keep it up."
"How harsh, Violet..."
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Author's note: Crocodile will be back in a few days: ?
Are you suggesting he'll be the one wreaking havoc? [Sigh]
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