Luffy and the others did not follow the king to the royal palace. Instead, Igaram arranged for them to stay in a resting room.
The bullets had already been removed from Nami's body, but she needed to rest and sleep. She was already lying on the bed.
Luffy, meanwhile, was eating and drinking heavily. Although Alubarna's food reserves were also running low, Luffy and the others had fought their way in as reinforcements with great difficulty. Cobra could not possibly refuse to give them even one meal.
In the royal palace, Cobra and Crocodile were listening to Igaram, who had finally returned. Igaram told them everything he had experienced recently.
From setting out with Princess Vivi to seek reinforcements, to being discovered by the Cartel and separated from the princess, then suffering serious injuries and being treated by Doctor Crocus, and finally meeting Luffy and the others.
"We disguised ourselves as a Cross Church relief ship and barely made it back. The Cartel discovered us and surrounded us twice along the way. Fortunately, the Straw Hats were truly powerful, so I was able to survive and return to confess my crimes to you," Igaram said bitterly. "Princess Vivi was captured by the Cartel. I believe they must have sent Her Highness to their headquarters."
"Alas, we cannot change what has already happened. The only thing we can do now is lift the siege of Alubarna and then find a way to rescue Vivi!" Cobra said firmly. "Since they captured Vivi alive, she should not be in danger for the time being. As long as we can contact the outside world, there is still hope."
Alabasta had been completely cut off from the outside world. That was the most serious problem. It meant that many countries knew nothing about what had happened there. The news could not be published, they could not seek outside assistance, and they could not receive aid from elsewhere.
If Alabasta sent out a call for help and the World Government still took no action, Cobra would withdraw from the World Government's affiliated nations and join the Revolutionary Army. A country that had existed since the World Government's founding—even a country descended from one of the original twenty kings—leaving the World Government would be major news. If Alabasta truly withdrew, it would also place considerable pressure on Mary Geoise.
They could always join the Revolutionary Army. If the World Government truly abandoned Alabasta, Cobra would no longer care about becoming its enemy.
But everything depended on communicating with the outside world. Trapped in Alubarna as they were, no one else could learn of his position or intentions.
"That Straw Hat kid just now... if I'm not mistaken, that was Conqueror's Haki, wasn't it?" Crocodile said. "They're pirates, and pirates who possess Conqueror's Haki at that. Would people like that really help us for no reason?"
Crocodile was also a pirate, but he had already been in Alabasta's Rainbase before the Cartel rebellion began. The Cartel's occupation of Rainbase had disturbed his life, so he naturally had reason to help Alabasta deal with it.
But what about Luffy and the others?
Could they really risk their lives to fight the Cartel just because of a few words from a doctor?
"You mean...?" Cobra had his own doubts, but Igaram had risked his life to bring them back. If he openly questioned them, would that not hurt Igaram deeply?
"I believe in pirates, but I do not believe in pirates who possess Conqueror's Haki," Crocodile said simply. "Conqueror's Haki is an ability awakened by people who possess the 'qualities of a king.' Such people almost always have unimaginable ambitions."
Cobra actually shared that view. The pirates in this world who possessed Conqueror's Haki were mostly famous figures, and anyone could guess what kind of people most famous pirates were.
If Luffy did not possess Conqueror's Haki, Cobra would certainly have trusted him.
But Luffy clearly had Conqueror's Haki while acting like an idiot earlier. That made Cobra worry that this group might have another motive.
What if they were also pirates seeking the Shinigami's secrets?
The Shinigami Mausoleum contained not only forbidden writing, but also sealed the Demon Lord Aatrox. If something went wrong, the entire world would be turned upside down.
"Your Majesty! Luffy and the others can absolutely be trusted!" Igaram hurriedly said. "After spending this time with them, I am certain they are different from other pirates. Besides..."
He lowered his head and said somewhat dejectedly, "There aren't any other people."
Yes, that was the key point.
If other assistance were available, who would place their hopes in pirates?
They truly did not know what Marine Headquarters was thinking. Why was An ignoring the Cartel? Based on what they knew of An, the Fleet Admiral should not be a hound of the World Government. Yet she was doing nothing, even watching the Cartel develop...
Cobra pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I'll visit them later. Igaram, you have also been working hard for a long time. Go and rest first."
"Then, Your Majesty, I'll take my leave as well," Crocodile said. "The Cartel was caught off guard by the Straw Hats, so it probably won't attack again for a while. I should rest too."
"Yes, Mr. Crocodile, hurry and get some rest as well," Cobra said. This Warlord of the Sea was the key to defending Alubarna. Compared with the Straw Hat Crew, whose origins were unknown, this Warlord was obviously more trustworthy.
Crocodile turned and left, but he did not return to his room. Instead, he left the palace and went to the place where Nico Robin was staying.
He opened the door and said with a dark expression, "What were you doing earlier? Why did you save them?"
On the wall earlier, Nico Robin had used the Flower-Flower Fruit to catch the falling Straw Hats. If not for her, Luffy and the others might not have been able to get up there.
As though she could see what he was thinking, Nico Robin's expression did not change. "You're overthinking it. Whether I was there or not would not have affected their entry into the city. This is Cobra's sudden hope, and he will not give it up. Besides..."
She set down the book in her hands and looked directly at Crocodile. "Those people are not simple. Expecting Koza to kill them is impossible."
"Hmph." Crocodile snorted coldly. "You didn't need to intervene. Your task was supposed to be searching for ancient documents in this city. What? Have you found anything?"
"I really did find some." Robin smiled faintly and took out a sheet of paper. It contained some records she had found earlier. "Can you guess what this says?"
Crocodile raised an eyebrow. He had not expected Robin to truly discover something. He took the paper and looked at it, but he could not understand the writing at all.
That did not prevent him from guessing. Crocodile immediately said, "Is it related to the Shinigami?"
"Yes. It says that the Shinigami is actually the balancer of the world. It is responsible for freeing the souls of those killed by demons and performing soul burials for certain souls that cannot reincarnate, thereby maintaining the balance of the Three Realms."
"The Three Realms?" Crocodile said in a deep voice. "Apart from the human world and Hell, does this world also contain Heaven?"
Everyone had long known about the human world and Hell. The human world was the world where everyone lived, while Hell...
That was the place where demons were sealed. Or rather, it was the world where demons lived.
But aside from the Cross Church preaching that Heaven existed, no other power had ever reported the existence of such a world. After all, the strong people of the sea had encountered demons and fiends to some extent, and many had even fought them. The world still contained terrifying records of the Demon Lord Aatrox.
Yet they had never seen a single angel, nor had they seen God. If Heaven truly existed, why had they never appeared? Why did they allow demons to run rampant?
Therefore, many people did not believe that God existed, or that Heaven existed. Seeing was believing. They believed in Hell because demons truly existed. They did not believe in Heaven because they had never seen an angel or a miracle.
Crocodile was the same. If God truly existed in this world, what did human actions amount to?
But the documents Robin had found seemed to deny his worldview. Robin said, "That's right. Heaven truly exists in this world. Or rather, it is the Heavenly Realm, a world opposed to Hell. Hell, the human world, and the Heavenly Realm are the so-called Three Realms. The Shinigami is the balancer of these realms. The Shinigami Mausoleum is both the entrance to Hell and the entrance to the Heavenly Realm!"
"?! The Heavenly Realm..." Crocodile was stunned. He had intended to teach the woman a lesson so that she would not interfere unnecessarily in the future, but how could he still have the mood to scold Robin now?
The information Robin had brought shocked him. He had not expected the Shinigami Mausoleum to be such a place. Was it...
A transit station connecting the Three Realms?
No wonder. No wonder the Cartel said that the method for making the world happy was recorded inside the Shinigami Mausoleum, and that Koza was determined to enter it. It seemed that what he had said was not false.
In every legend, the Heavenly Realm was a rich and civilized world. It represented goodness and beauty. If he could truly enter the Heavenly Realm...
Crocodile shook his head. Compared with such a world, perhaps he was more suited to the human world!
"It also says that the souls of those killed by demons cannot be freed. They fall into a special region of Hell called Hueco Mundo, where they wander forever through an endless white desert until they lose themselves and become Hollows who know only how to devour souls."
Robin continued, "Alabasta has signed a contract with the Shinigami for generations. After death, they become balancers like the Shinigami and gain eternal life through it."
"Eternal life. That sounds wonderful." Crocodile revealed a cruel smile. "Hell and Heaven... I wonder what kind of powerful force exists in that Heaven."
Robin said nothing. In fact, the documents she had found this time recorded far more information, but she had no intention of telling Crocodile about it.
The documents contained some information about angels. Beneath God's throne were eight angel armies, each commanded by an archangel. In other words, there were eight archangels in total.
However, the records only named four of them: Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind. The identities of the other four archangels were unknown. She had excavated this ancient book from the Nefertari family's public cemetery, but the erosion of time had reduced it to less than half its original contents.
"Good. You don't need to search for ancient books anymore. Cobra is almost at his mental limit. Those Straw Hat reinforcements cannot lift the siege of Alubarna. When that happens, he will still go to the Shinigami Mausoleum," Crocodile said ominously. "Then I'll confirm whether Heaven exists."
Luffy possessing Conqueror's Haki was troublesome, but it was not truly a major problem.
He had watched Luffy's performance after he appeared on the battlefield. Luffy did have some strength, but not very much.
By the standards of the first half of the Grand Line in the past, Luffy was quite good. But with this level of strength, there was no chance he could defeat the Cartel. At most, they could help Alubarna hold out a little longer, and that was all.
The reason was simple. Alubarna was an isolated city. Its food was nearly gone, and its ammunition was almost exhausted. Could a single Straw Hat Crew solve those problems?
They would run out of food as well, then grow weaker and weaker under the Cartel's siege. Cobra would still go to the Shinigami Mausoleum. He had already made that decision once; making it a second time would only be easier.
"I wasn't planning to go out again either," Robin said indifferently. "The Straw Hats are not simple. If you act rashly, they may notice you, so you should be careful too."
"Is that so?" Crocodile snorted. He did not think there was anything worth noticing about these brats. But when he remembered that even Wano Country had sent people to take their lives, he could not help falling into thought.
"Just take care of yourself." Crocodile turned around. He had not taught Robin a lesson this time, but he had learned an important piece of information from her, so his mood was still good.
The existence of the Heavenly Realm...
The Shinigami's duty...
"According to legend, the Backwater possesses terrifying strength. Perhaps the Heavenly Realm also possesses great power. Then..."
Crocodile thought of the Cross Church. The religion had only grown steadily over the past decade or two and did not contain many powerful people, so many instinctively overlooked it. After all, the powerful person known as the Backwater did not often appear within the Cross Church.
But since the Heavenly Realm truly existed, and since God truly existed, why not visit the Cross Church and take a look?
With that thought, Crocodile left.
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