One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 19 The Twelve Zodiac Signs 'Chenlong': Destruction or Rebirth!
Alabasta.

The Royal Palace in Arubana, the capital city.

"Um"

King Nafilutali Kobra of Alabasta stood at the window of the palace, gazing out towards the city.

His brows were furrowed, and his eyes were thoughtful.

"Icarim—where is he?"

he asked in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, according to intelligence, we should be entering the capital within ten minutes at most."

Beside him, Icarum, the captain of the Kingdom's Guard, responded seriously.

Beside Icarum stood two other people—Bel and Huka, the vice adjutant of the Kingdom Guard and the king's personal bodyguard.

"very good."

Cobra nodded slightly: "Then I should get ready too."

Upon hearing the king's words, the three guards all looked somewhat solemn.

"Your Majesty, are you really going to meet that 'guest' in person?"

So at this moment, Icarus couldn't help but speak up.

"Excuse my bluntness, but this guy whose background is unknown is far too dangerous—I still think the three of us should go and find out what's going on first."

He couldn't finish his sentence because Cobra had already spoken.

"Danger?"

His Majesty the King's gaze remained fixed on the distant view outside the window, and he murmured, "Look, Icarum."

In his field of vision, huge rain clouds were gradually appearing.

A torrential downpour has descended upon the capital, just as rumored.

But in Cobra's eyes, the falling dew was more than just dew.

Rather, it was the news he had heard over the past seven months.

The dried-up Santoro River, the withered crops, the scattered and panicked people—every piece of news pained him deeply.

But Cobra was helpless in the face of this.

It was raining in Arubana, the only city in Alabasta, and the rain from one city was clearly insufficient to supply the entire country's water needs.

He sensed a conspiracy, but he had no time to investigate.

All he knew was that the fact that there had been no rain in July had strangled Alabasta, plunging this ancient kingdom into an unprecedented catastrophe.

And it was only recently that he heard about the arrival of that 'guest'.

No one knows who he is or where he came from.

But wherever he went, torrential rain would fall.

When he stops to rest, the rain will temporarily stop.

As he continued his journey, the downpour resumed.

His journey was almost considered a miracle by the people of Alabasta along the way.

And today, or soon, he will enter the capital.

Cobra didn't know the other person's identity or purpose.

But he knew at least one thing.

"If the drought continues, then he may be the hope of the people of Alabasta."

"He came to the capital to meet the king of this country, while I have to hide because of the so-called unknown?"

He looked at his loyal chief guard: "Icarim, the king you serve is not one with such a narrow mind."

This is what he has to do.

Even though they could almost guess the other person's possible identity based on the rumors about their attire.

But for the sake of Alabasta, he had to go see them.

Upon hearing these words, the three Icarus exchanged bewildered glances.

Then, they could only kneel down with a mixture of gratitude and helplessness: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Cobra smiled and said, “Let’s go—let’s go see this guest and see the so-called ‘miracle’.”

"Yes!"*3
As the four prepared to go downstairs to greet the guest at the palace gates...

"Da!" "Da!" "Da!"

Accompanied by crisp footsteps.

A girl with blue hair, a good figure, and a beautiful face pushed open the door to the room.

"Hahaha."

Her face was still covered in sweat, and she was breathing heavily. "Princess Vivi!?"

At that moment, Icarum looked at the country's most noble princess in surprise: "Why are you here?"

"I want to go too, Father!"

Weiwei took a few breaths and then said seriously, "I want to see that 'rain summoner' too!"

"Eh!" *3
Upon hearing this, the three guards' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Princess Vivi, don't joke around!"

"Princess Vivi, that guy was probably just recently..."

"Yes, how could such a thing be possible?"

They were so flustered they could barely speak, and Icarum's golden curly hair was almost standing on end.

But Vivi just looked at her father.

"Um"

Upon hearing this, Cobra rubbed his chin and said, "Okay."

"Eh!" *3
Leaving aside the three men with dislocated jaws, Cobra turned to his daughter and said, "You are a princess and the next queen of Alabasta. I had planned to let you get involved in national affairs for a few years, but now it seems that might not be a good thing."

His eyes held both kindness and decisiveness.

As the King of Alabasta, and one of the 'Original Twenty' nations that established the World Government, he was acutely aware of the world's darkness.

He originally intended to let Weiwei grow up innocently and happily for a few more years.

But the severe drought in the country, the conspiracy hidden within it, and the recent changes in the country all made him realize that perhaps it was time.

"But remember, you only need to listen in."

"Ah."

Vivi nodded firmly.

Over the past seven months, she has witnessed firsthand the changes in the country.

She was extremely anxious, but there was nothing she could do.

It wasn't until today, after noticing the torrential rain outside the window, that she finally made up her mind—as a princess, she might not be able to do much, but at least she should try to do something.

"His Majesty."

Just then, a guard outside the door brought news: "The guest has entered the capital and is heading towards the palace."

Cobra and Vivi exchanged a glance.

The group immediately headed towards the palace gates.

When they arrived at the square in front of the palace, they could already see crowds of Alabasta people.

They gathered here in dense crowds, gazing eagerly into the distance.

"He is the 'rain summoner'."

"It's really raining!"

"How could it be fake? I followed them all the way from Jobah!"

They instinctively made way for her, allowing Weiwei to barely make out the figure at the end of the road.

The mysterious robe and the majestic dragon head mask were exactly as rumored.

He approached gradually until he stepped into the palace under the watchful eyes of the guards.

Finally, when he was not far from King Cobra, he stopped at the bottom of the steps.

The eyes beneath the mask looked at Cobra and Vivi.

"Welcome to our distinguished guest from afar."

Cobra straightened his chest and raised his hands.

"I am Neferutari Cobra. I welcome you on behalf of Alabasta. May I ask how I should address you?"

As he spoke, Bell, Huka, and Ikaram beside him tensed their muscles, ready to deal with the enemy at any moment.

But unexpectedly, the person in the rain did not make a move.

He simply looked at Cobra.

Then, a low voice, just loud enough for the few people on the steps to hear, rang out.

"I am 'Chenlong'."

"I have come here to discuss a deal with Your Majesty the King."

"That directly relates to whether this country faces destruction or rebirth."

　Tomorrow, in order to test the waters, the update time will be temporarily changed to midnight.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)