One Piece: Get Stronger by Watching Battles

Cobra noticed that Maga was staring intently at him, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, which he found strange.

“Yes, Your Majesty, when we arrived, we found a young man…”

"What did you say?"

Cobra exclaimed in shock.

Chapter 24 Trading

“Your Majesty, this is absolutely true. My subordinates and I all saw it, and he himself has confirmed it.”

Maga recounted everything she knew and gave a final summary.

Cobra glanced at the two equally surprised guardians of the kingdom. "Where is he now? Bring him to me. No, I'll go to him myself."

Zhou Ze was wandering around the royal palace courtyard in Alabasta, recalling the fragments of memories that remained in his mind.

"This must be the platform where Luffy fought Crocodile!"

"Hmm, this seems to be the place where that king cosplayed as Jesus."

Just then, a voice startled him awake, "Warrior Zhou Ze?"

As Zhou Ze was facing the wall, he turned around and saw the King of Alabasta, along with the kingdom's guardian deities Jaka and Bel, as well as his old acquaintance Maga, standing not far behind him.

Just as he finished complaining, the person he was complaining about appeared right in front of him, making Zhou Ze feel a little embarrassed.

He chuckled awkwardly, cupped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Your Majesty, greetings."

Cobra paused for a moment. This warrior seemed different from what he had imagined; his behavior was somewhat... frivolous?!

"You know me?"

Zhou Ze's lips twitched. "Uncle, even if I haven't watched the anime, just look at your attire and the respectful manner of the people behind you in this palace. I could guess what's going on."

Seeing Zhou Ze's reaction, Kobra thought for a moment and realized that his question was a bit silly. He chuckled and said, "Getting old!"

Then he turned to look at his right-hand woman, "After Weiwei comes back and we get married, I can entrust the country to her with peace of mind!"

The group was clearly immune to King Cobra's repeated pronouncements.

The three pretended not to hear and did not respond.

“Warrior Zhou Ze, please come with me, let’s talk inside,” Kobra invited Zhou Ze.

……

After the palace maids served tea and refreshments, only Cobra, Jaka, Bell, and Zhou Ze remained in the palace.

"Zhou Ze Warrior"

“Just call me by my name.” Zhou Ze stopped him as soon as Cobra opened his mouth.

The more Zhou Ze heard the nickname, the more it sounded like mockery, and he scratched his head in exasperation.

King Cobra nodded. "Zhou Ze, I'm very curious. Who exactly are you? And what brings you to my country?"

Zhou Ze glanced at the two guardians of the kingdom, pondered for a moment, and then said seriously, "Actually, I didn't plan to come see you so soon."

"Oh? So you were planning to see me all along?" Cobra understood Zhou Ze's meaning.

"Yes, I've come to see you because I want to make a deal with you!"

"trade?"

"Yes." Zhou Ze nodded heavily.

"I am the King of Alabasta, and I will not make deals with anyone, let alone someone of unknown origin!"

“Uh…” Zhou Ze was a little surprised by his serious tone. In his memory, this king was a somewhat silly pervert, but he was indeed a wise ruler who treated the common people well.

"Oh, don't misunderstand, I have no intention of harming you or your people..."

"Fine, I'd better clarify my identity. I'm a lieutenant from the Navy Headquarters!"

As soon as Zhou Ze finished speaking, he saw that Cobra and the other two were somewhat surprised and nervous, so he quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't get excited, my visit this time has nothing to do with the Navy."

"In fact, I wanted to do... no, cooperate with you in my personal capacity."

Zhou Ze changed his tune.

"A deal? A partnership?" King Cobra's expression turned grave. "What do you want to gain? And what are you willing to give up?"

Seeing that Cobra seemed to be softening, Zhou Ze roused himself and said, "Actually, I can't offer much, just some information about the culprits who caused chaos in your kingdom, and some news about Princess Vivi..."

"Actually, even if I didn't say anything, you would have already..."

As Zhou Ze was speaking, Cobra suddenly stood up from the throne.

"You know anything about Vivi?"

Almost simultaneously, the two guardian deities of the kingdom asked in unison:

"Information on the culprit?"

Zhou Ze remained calm this time. He could understand the thoughts of Kobra and the other two; it was a natural reaction from a father and two important ministers of the kingdom.

Seeing Zhou Ze nod, King Cobra calmed down and asked in a deep voice, "Then tell me what you want to get from this country?"

"The real culprit is actually... um?" Zhou Ze was about to blurt out what he knew, but then realized that the other person wasn't asking about that, and paused for a moment.

Uncle, you're not playing by the rules!

"Your Majesty, are you sure you don't want to hear my intelligence first and judge whether it is credible?"

Cobra shook his head. "Since you had already planned to come see me later, it means you have no doubt about the authenticity of the information itself."

"So, since the intelligence is accurate, and you meant that I would receive the same intelligence within a day or two at the latest, is that right?"

Zhou Ze indeed meant that, and he nodded in confirmation.

Then Cobra continued, "In that case, I'd like to know more about the price I'll have to pay for this one or two-day time difference."

That makes sense! Uncle, you're really something! No wonder you're a ruler!

Zhou Ze secretly admired him. After pondering for a moment, he told Kobra what he wanted.

Upon hearing what Zhou Ze said, the two guardian deities of the kingdom shouted in unison, "No!"

Then, looking at the king, Cobra frowned. "What do you want to do?"

Since the conversation had already progressed this far, Zhou Ze decided to briefly explain his thoughts to Cobra, and finally shrugged, "These are my thoughts for now!"

Cobra and the kingdom's guardian exchanged a glance and remained silent for a while before King Cobra finally spoke up: "Now you can reveal your information."

"So, you agree?"

Cobra didn't speak, and Zhou Ze didn't press him. "If you don't speak, I'll take that as your agreement."

"The culprit behind the chaos in the kingdom is Crocodile and his 'Baroque Works,' a point I believe you also have to question."

"As for his purpose, it's for an ancient weapon. He believes the Alabasta royal family possesses it!"

Cobra's eyes widened in shock.

"Don't worry, he won't succeed. Someone will defeat him."

A smile appeared on Zhou Ze's lips as he thought of Luffy.

King Cobra mistakenly thought that Zhou Ze was referring to himself, and nodded, "Then I'll leave it to you."

Damn, this is going to be another misunderstanding!

Zhou Ze quickly waved his hand, "It wasn't me, it was Princess Vivi's friends!"

"Oh?" Cobra seemed a little anxious upon hearing the news about his daughter.

"Princess Vivi is on her way back. She will be bringing some friends with her, and those friends are very powerful."

"Whether or not Crocodile can be defeated depends on them."

Zhou Ze laughed.

"So, Zhou Ze, how do you know all this?" Kobra looked at Zhou Ze with a leisurely gaze.

Zhou Ze's smile... froze.

Chapter 25 Things Are Changing (Seeking Silver Tickets)

Sigh, I have to explain this kind of thing again. Zhou Ze had a bit of a headache.

"Or is it that the Navy Headquarters already had this intelligence, but allowed my country to continue in such chaos?"

"Is it because of Crocodile's status as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea? Or is it because of the World Government...?"

After receiving no response from Zhou Ze for a long time, Kobra chuckled, paused halfway through his sentence, and then began again:

"You previously said you were collaborating with me in your personal capacity; were you implying something like that?"

Zhou Ze stared at Cobra in shock.

Holy crap, what's wrong with the people in this world? Are they all just imagining things?

Stop right there!

Zhou Ze quickly waved his hand, shaking his head like a rattle drum, repeatedly denying, "No, no, no, that's not true at all, you're overthinking it."

Seeing Zhou Ze's reaction, Kobra became even more convinced of his judgment.

He gazed at Zhou Ze for a moment, his eyes revealing admiration. "Zhou Ze, you're very good. I've received your sincerity, and now I'm even more confident in our cooperation!"

Oh no, it's happening again!

What the heck? Does nobody believe the truth?

Impressed!

Zhou Ze gave up struggling. Oh well, at least for now, the outcome is good, and the situation is still within expectations.

“Since you’re unwilling to admit it, I won’t force you.” Cobra withdrew his gaze. “As for the situation in the kingdom, I’d like to discuss it with you and hope you can offer some assistance.”

"Of course, Your Majesty."

……