The year was 1518 by the Sea Calendar. St. Ding Island, located in the first half of the Grand Line, was a sprawling super-island spanning hundreds of thousands of square kilometers—a rarity in these seas. At its heart lay the Alabasta Kingdom, a nation of over ten million souls with a standing army of six hundred thousand.
As one of the Grand Line's superpowers, Alabasta stood unmatched in sheer population size. Its capital, Alubarna, housed the Royal Palace, where within the grand council hall, a middle-aged man sat upon a towering throne. He wore a regal purple robe, his medium-length black hair framing a face etched with the weight of kingship.
This was Nefertari Cobra, the reigning monarch of Alabasta. Known for his diligence, wisdom, and deep love for his people, Cobra had ruled the kingdom for years, maintaining peace and stability. Though the nation wasn't flourishing, its citizens lived above subsistence level, even after paying the World Government's tribute and necessary taxes. Cobra's refusal to impose harsh levies had earned him the people's unwavering respect and trust. Yet...
Now, the king sat on his throne, his brow furrowed deeply, his eyes clouded with worry. His face betrayed a sorrow he could no longer conceal. Beyond the capital, the rest of Alabasta had endured a year without rain. The resulting drought had withered crops, plunging countless citizens into famine.
Such a calamity, while troubling, shouldn't have overwhelmed a ruler of Cobra's experience and capability. The true source of his distress lay in the dancing powder incident that had recently shaken the capital. This scandal had sparked widespread public outrage, even fueling rebellions in some regions. Clashes between rebel forces and the Kings Army had already claimed lives...
Dancing powder, an invention from a rain-starved nation long ago, was designed to create artificial rain. When burned, it released a mist that absorbed atmospheric water vapor, forming rain clouds. Its name reflected the hope that people would dance in celebration of the rain it brought. Yet its use came at a cost: neighboring downwind nations would suffer droughts as their skies lost moisture. Wars had erupted over this discovery, leading the World Government to ban its production and possession entirely.
But...
Recently, without Cobra's knowledge, a massive shipment of dancing powder had been smuggled into the Royal Palace's warehouse. During its transport, a series of "accidents" caused large quantities to spill onto the streets, witnessed by countless citizens. Word spread like wildfire: King Cobra, disregarding the lives of his people, had used dancing powder to create rain in Alubarna while leaving the rest of the kingdom to suffer.
Angry citizens from drought-stricken regions flocked to the palace gates, demanding answers. Cobra stepped forward to address them, his voice steady but heavy with sincerity. He swore he would never act against his people's welfare and pleaded for calm, promising to provide a satisfactory explanation. Yet...
The problem with this matter is that the Royal Palace of Alabasta Kingdom, the residence of the King of a nation, has now been infiltrated to the extent that he was completely unaware of the large amount of dancing powder being transported in...! This means that the enemy has likely completely infiltrated the entire Royal Palace and is very likely closely monitoring his every move.
Thinking of this, Cobra immediately felt a headache and even a chill throughout his body. He found it hard to imagine which force could achieve such a level! Click-! The heavy door of the council hall was opened from the outside and quickly closed again.
Peru of the Falcon, wearing a white Arabian-style headscarf and a white robe, and Chaka the Jackal, wearing a green robe, accompanied Baccarat, who was wearing a black dress, walked along the long red carpet to a spot not far in front of Cobra. Baccarat smiled, nodded slightly, and bowed, saying:
"King Cobra, hello! I am Baccarat, the Secretary-General of the Umbrella Corporation.
It is an honor to be received by you." "Miss Baccarat, may I ask what is the purpose of your visit, as a high-ranking member of the Umbrella Corporation?" Cobra carefully examined the enchanting red-haired woman in front of him, and a slightly puzzled expression appeared on his face. "My visit this time is actually to discuss the possibility of cooperating on certain commercial projects."
"Commercial cooperation with the Umbrella Corporation...? Could you be more specific about what kind of matters?" Cobra asked, somewhat surprised. "Our Umbrella Corporation wishes to obtain the mining rights for a certain large mountain in Alabasta Kingdom. In addition, we also want the mining rights for a certain mineral location near the three cities of Katorea, Rape Blossom, and Eruma."
Hearing this, Cobra couldn't help but frown slightly and said in a deep voice:
"Could you tell me what minerals you plan to mine in these four locations in Alabasta Kingdom?" "The former is metal minerals, and the latter are three oil fields," Baccarat explained with a smile. "Hmm!? Our Alabasta Kingdom actually has oil fields." An expression of joy and surprise appeared on Cobra's face.
In the One Piece World, people can already extract gasoline, diesel, paraffin, and other items from petroleum, so oil fields themselves have high industrial value, even if internal combustion engines are not widely popularized. Baccarat undoubtedly brought good news to Cobra, which could provide a new source of extra income for the country. "Yes!
Our Umbrella Corporation has quite excellent mineral exploration technology, so we can accurately detect mineral resources underground. Ordinary people cannot achieve the level of our Company!" Baccarat said meaningfully. Hearing this, Cobra immediately fell silent. He knew that Baccarat was not lying.
If the mineral resources in those four locations were so easy to discover, the Nefertari family, who had ruled Alabasta Kingdom for hundreds of years, would not have failed to exploit them. Although Cobra now knew that there were these mineral resources underground in his country, if he could not find them, he naturally could not exploit them. However...
If the mining rights were sold to the Umbrella Corporation, Alabasta Kingdom might gain some benefits, but the lost benefits would also be significant.
Now, two choices were presented to Cobra: one was to cooperate with the Umbrella Corporation and reduce the income received, and the other was to send people to spend time surveying and researching to find those mineral resources, allowing Alabasta Kingdom to obtain all the income. Cobra looked at Baccarat in front of him, pondered for a while, and then said:
"I am very sorry!
Miss Baccarat, I currently have no intention of selling the mining rights to your Company..."