One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 20 As you can see, I am a moderate.
The atmosphere in the royal reception room was somewhat tense.

The guards stood on both sides, armed, protecting their king and princess.

Ikaram, Huka, and Bell had already silently lined up, surrounding the visitor in the middle.

but
"Hmm, I don't like tea—do you have cola?"

Wearing a dragon-head mask, 'Chenlong' looked at the hot tea in the cup, then turned to look at the attendant beside him, which made the tense latter cry out 'Ah!'

So Chenlong shrugged and said, "Never mind, forget I said anything."

"Let's get him another cup."

At this moment, it was King Cobra who spoke in a deep voice.

The servant then realized what was happening and quickly picked up the cup and left.

“Your Excellency Chenlong, I will address you as such.”

This seemingly minor incident broke the tranquility of the reception room, as Cobra took the initiative to speak, "What is the purpose of your visit, Your Excellency? And what was the meaning of what you just said?"

He naturally remembered what Chenlong had said in front of the palace.

"I can't pretend I didn't hear anything about the rise and fall of Alabasta!"

"That's what it means."

Chenlong leaned back in his chair: "Someone is planning to destroy this country and usurp your throne—to be precise, he has already begun his actions."

Although his expression was obscured by his mask, everyone could hear the sarcasm in his words: "I don't think a king like you, King Cobra, would really consider a six-month-long nationwide drought to be 'normal,' would you?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions drastically.

Especially Weiwei, who wasn't very knowledgeable about national affairs, covered her mouth and widened her eyes.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean? You mean—the seven-month drought across the entire country was man-made?"

She couldn't help but exclaim, "How is this possible?"

But at this moment, King Cobra remained calm.

Clearly, as Roy said.

The wise king had long realized that something was wrong with the drought, especially the fact that it was raining only in the capital city, which made him suspect a conspiracy.

He also had Icarus investigate secretly, but the other party was very well hidden and did not leave many traces.

However, the nation's crisis and the people's suffering prevented him from continuing his in-depth exploration.

However, even so
"Are you a dance fan?"

He said softly, "This is the most likely possibility I can think of."

Then, Chenlong clapped his hands: "Absolutely correct."

But beneath the mask, Roy showed no surprise.

Yes, he certainly knew the truth about the drought in Alabasta—in fact, the drought was part of Crocodile's "Utopia Project," one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

He single-handedly built a massive criminal organization called Baroque Works, and only began this plan after years of preparation.

The goal of the plan is to seize Alabasta, one of the oldest kingdoms in the ocean, and to obtain clues about the ancient weapon 'Pluto' hidden in Alabasta.

"Dancing powder can bring rain to an area, but at the cost of drought to the surrounding area."

"If the information we have gathered is correct, around the time the drought continues into next year, a large number of dancing fans of unknown origin will appear in the capital and will be 'coincidentally' discovered by the people."

When Chenlong finished speaking, everyone present changed their expressions.

"Bastard!"

"They're trying to frame His Majesty the King?!"

"His Majesty would never do such a thing!"

Icarum and the others looked angry, but Vivi was pale.

She's not stupid.

So just those few words from Chenlong were enough for her to understand how terrifying the plan was.

The drought in Alabasta has only lasted for a little over six months, yet the country's situation is already very bad.

If this continues for a year, one can only imagine what kind of lives the people of the entire country will lead.

At this time, the fact that 'dancing powder' was discovered in the capital, the only place in the entire kingdom where it was raining, meant that no matter how high King Cobra's prestige was, a rebellion was bound to occur!

"Using dancing powder to cause drought, and then instigate war."

Even Cobra's expression turned gloomy.

"Completely disregarding the casualties of the people is unforgivable."

He said in a deep voice.

"Yes, he was indeed a very wicked and ambitious man."

Chenlong, however, spoke casually.

Then, he changed the subject: "However, having said all that, I believe His Majesty the King understands the situation."

"I have come here to discuss this matter with King Cobra."

"We're somewhat interested in who's behind this, so..."

His eyes, hidden beneath the mask, looked at Cobra: "We'll help you deal with him and his organization. We can also help Alabasta with rainfall to alleviate their immediate crisis, and even long-term cooperation is no problem—as far as I know, although Alabasta has the Santora River, its water resources are still not abundant." He pointed upwards, the meaning clear: "As you can see, I have that ability. Oh, thank you."

The waiter brought the cola back, and Chenlong said thank you.

"That sounds very tempting."

At this moment, Cobra looked sharply at Chenlong.

"but."

His voice suddenly became authoritative: "You don't think I would believe a guy who suddenly arrives and doesn't even want to let anyone see his face, just based on a few words without any evidence, do you?"

"Furthermore, before this so-called cooperation, I'd like to know more—what is your relationship with this person!?"

As he spoke, he took out a bounty poster from his pocket and slammed it on the table.

Needless to say, the bounty poster naturally bore the name 'Rooster'.

Yes.

As a member state of the World Government, Cobra was naturally concerned about the previous 'Celestial Gold Robbery' incident.

Although the photo of the Rooster's bounty poster was drawn, the sea monster head on his head was very conspicuous.

So almost the instant Chenlong appeared, Cobra had already connected the two.

Subsequent events confirmed his suspicions.

You mean the Rooster?

Upon seeing the bounty poster, Chenlong, who was about to drink a Coke, casually remarked...

"He and I belong to the same organization, so we can be considered colleagues."

At the very moment those words were spoken, Ikaram and his two companions, along with the guards, almost instinctively drew their weapons.

Because the meaning implied in this statement is far too dangerous.

The Rooster—that crazy criminal who suddenly appeared not long ago and robbed the Heavenly Gold—is a 'colleague' of the person in front of you!
And this dangerous fellow is now less than ten meters away from their king and princess.

But the next moment...
"!!!"

Icarus and the others froze instantly, their eyes filled with horror.

Because at this moment, they discovered...

They couldn't draw their own weapons.

To be even more precise.
"I can't move!"

They were even unable to move.

Even Huka and Bell, who are Zoan-type Devil Fruit users and whose strength is naturally far greater than that of ordinary people, are no exception.

"And it's so cold, no, that's not it."

Along with it came a bone-chilling cold.

So they found out very quickly.

"It's ice!"

Yes.

At this moment, apart from King Cobra and Princess Vivi, everyone else was clearly covered in a layer of ice.

The layer of ice froze their bodies, rendering them unable to move.

"Oh, the cola is at room temperature. That won't do. Cola is heresy if it's not chilled."

At this moment, Chenlong's voice caught their attention.

At that moment, Chenlong was touching the Coca-Cola cup in front of him.

Inside the cola cup, the dark cola was slowly emitting cold air.

So, Chenlong slightly lifted his mask, covered his face with his hand, and drank the cola in one gulp.

Then, he casually waved his hand.

"bake!"

A burst of heat suddenly erupted.

All the guards in the reception room who were frozen also saw the ice on their bodies begin to melt, turning into water that flowed down their bodies.

Not long after, they regained their mobility.

But at this moment, Icarus's breathing was still rapid—he didn't know how much of the wet feeling all over his body was melted water and how much was sweat.

"This guy"

In those few seconds, he could tell that the person sitting in front of him was a real monster.

At this moment, Chenlong seemed to say that nothing had happened: "Actually, King Kobra doesn't need to care about the Rooster. Apart from having to obey the leader's orders, we cadres usually don't interfere with each other, and our styles and purposes are all independent."

"Take the Rooster, for example. That guy is like a pirate; he likes to solve problems with brute force."

“But I’m different, as you can see—I’m a moderate.”

He smiled and pointed to himself: "Although I may not be the most profitable person in the organization, I would consider myself a 'businessman' for now."

(End of this chapter)