Pirates: Your emperor has returned!

Even with the Nefertari family, being royalty, as guarantors, it would be difficult to quell the Celestial Dragons' anger.

Cobra rubbed his temples and instructed his subordinates, "In short, have all the docks keep an eye on the sea, and prepare a ship for our ancestor just in case."

He felt that this ancestor of Alabasta had underestimated the troublesome nature of the Celestial Dragons!

Indeed, how could people from eight hundred years ago possibly understand the "Celestial Dragons" of today?

Letting Rowan leave is a last resort, but it's the only option left.

Upon hearing this, Crocodile emerged from the corner and teased Rowan, "Old man from eight hundred years ago, welcome to the sea, welcome to join the ranks of wanted criminals!"

To his surprise, Rowan seemed to care more about something else.

"Hey, I was really young when I was buried there!"

Then, Rowan grinned and asked Cobra.

What should we have for dinner?

……

Alabasta is a superpower with a total land area of ​​one million square kilometers.

Even using animals for transportation, it would take about a day to get from Albana to the nearest port.

Now that Rowan has destroyed the Celestial Dragons' communication facilities, if they want to call for support, they will have to get to the nearest Marine branch at the very least.

This journey will take at least two or three days.

Both Cobra and Crocodile felt that Rowan's calm demeanor stemmed from his judgment that there was enough time to leave.

Because of the time constraints and the Celestial Dragons' presence, dinner was not lavish, and even a bit simple, but Rowan ate it very happily.

It has a nostalgic flavor, a taste unique to Alabasta.

During this time, Cobra told Icarum about Rowan's situation, and the latter was equally shocked.

No race he had ever heard of had a lifespan of eight hundred years, let alone the fact that this ancestor in front of him looked so young!

……

After dinner.

An ordinary room inside the royal palace.

Rowan dragged the gloomy-looking Kobra along, asking him to play a few rounds of Alabasta with him.

This is an ancient board game that Rowan enjoys using to pass the time.

For eight hundred years, the rules for this military flag have not changed much.

Besides the two people playing chess, there were two other people watching from the sidelines.

One of them was Princess Vivi, who was very worried about the conflict between her ancestor and the Celestial Dragons.

The other person was Crocodile, who was curious about Rowan's next move and wanted to make preparations in advance.

Vivi moved a stool and sat down next to the two adults.

Crocodile, with a cigar in his mouth, leaned quietly against the wall, gazing at the scenery outside the window.

Cobra had already dismissed the servants and then planned to let Vivi go back to her room to rest.

After all, he wasn't sure if his daughter should hear the conversation that was about to begin.

Rowan picked up a chess piece, smiled and shook his head, "It's alright, it's just a game of chess. Vivi and Little Crocodile can both stay."

Cobra smiled wryly, "If only it were as simple as playing chess."

Rowan stared wide-eyed, slightly surprised. "Are you a genius? This kind of military flag is very difficult. I spent a long time learning it back then!"

"Ancestor, please stop joking."

Cobra shook his head helplessly. "You know perfectly well what I'm talking about."

"What? A Celestial Dragon?"

Rowan was still smiling, appearing very relaxed.

Cobra placed a chess piece down and frowned, saying, "Ancestor, I must remind you again that the Celestial Dragons' status in this era may be far beyond your imagination."

"Of course I know."

Rowan nodded.

He looked up at Cobra and said slowly, “So, I told him the name ‘Ryan Rowan,’ and he will take that name back to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.”

"Can……"

Cobra wanted to say something more.

But Rowan picked up a chess piece, shook it, and interrupted Cobra.

He said with a smile:

"The meaning behind the name Ryan Rowan is far beyond your imagination."

With the placement of a chess piece, the balance of power on the chessboard instantly tilts!

[Chapter 10: The Former Alliance]

"You lost, wanna play another round?"

Rowan rearranged the chess pieces, then rubbed his shoulders, took off his eagle-shaped helmet, and placed it aside.

The group finally had the opportunity to observe Rowan's true nature in a relatively stable environment.

That was indeed a face exactly as described in the records.

A resolute and angular face, a peaceful smile, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

Indeed, it lives up to the almost exaggerated praise in history books!

But at this moment, everyone was clearly more concerned with what Rowan had just said—

"The meaning of the name Ryan Rowan is far beyond your imagination."

Crocodile frowned, lost in thought.

Cobra then asked directly, "Ancestor, what exactly are your plans?"

Luo Wen stroked his chin, placed the first piece in the new game of chess, and said with a smile:

"The Celestial Dragons are a lot of troublesome people. The reason people fear them is not because of the Celestial Dragons themselves, but because of the World Government behind them."

"Therefore, whether we clash with them or kill them outright, there will be no shortage of trouble afterward."

“But, Cobra, I have something to teach you—”

Rowan said slowly:

"Dead people are either very useful or completely useless."

"If that Celestial Dragon dies here, he will be the second type of useless person."

“But living people always exist somewhere between being useful and useless, so there is much they can do.”

Upon hearing this, the other three people present fell into deep thought.

Weiwei scratched his little head. Being so young, he couldn't quite understand what Luo Wen was saying. He felt that he didn't understand it very well, but it seemed to make some sense.

Crocodile curled his lip in disdain; as a pirate, he didn't entirely agree with Rowan's actions.

Let's review the situation from that point on.

If Rowan were to become Crocodile, and he absolutely had to save someone from the Celestial Dragons' guns, Crocodile might choose to secretly deflect the lead bullet with gravel and then stab the person he was saving in a non-fatal spot.

Then, he tackled both of them to the ground, creating the illusion that they had been killed, in order to appease the Celestial Dragons.

In this way, it is the least noticeable and the most stable approach.

But Rowan's actions were clearly a bit too flamboyant, which further confirmed Crocodile's earlier suspicions.

What an annoyingly arrogant old monster!

As for Cobra, after a moment of contemplation, he roughly understood Rowan's thoughts.

“Ancestor, you don’t intend to hide your resurrection…no, rebirth…no, awakening…that’s not right either…”

Cobra used several adjectives in succession.

Rowan waved his hand helplessly, "Let's just say 'awaken'."

Cobra then continued:

"Ancestor, you don't intend to hide the news of your awakening from the World Government?"

Rowan raised an eyebrow. "Why hide it?"

"Because the world government... has changed."

Cobra had attended many world conferences, so he was very familiar with the thoughts of the world government and the various member states.

"The primary goal of the World Government must be to eliminate any destabilizing factors that may threaten its rule, rather than to accept a newly awakened 'ancient person'."

Rowan grinned.

"Indeed, the world government will certainly try to do so, but if this destabilizing factor cannot be eliminated, they will certainly try to stabilize it."

Cobra frowned slightly, puzzled.

Rowan continued, “In the past, many countries entered into permanent non-aggression pacts with the emperor of the Alabasta Empire—that is, me—either voluntarily or under duress.”

"Ok?"

Cobra was taken aback, guessing that Rowan wanted to use a treaty to restrict the World Government's actions.

But deep down, he couldn't help but wonder, would it really work?

Crocodile was even more blunt, shaking his head and chuckling, "Hey, you don't actually think the World Government is a bunch of nice guys who keep their promises, do you?"

"of course not."

Rowan smiled and shook his head, correcting him: "They are a group of wicked gentlemen who know how to 'exploit' the alliance."

"puff!"

Vivi was amused by Rowan's statement, while Crocodile and Cobra seemed to have realized something.