Chapter 128: Vivi's Performance

With the matter settled, Robin felt utterly exhausted upon returning to Rainbase.

Unable to fathom why Garen would kill the high-ranking agents who could have been recruited, she had no choice but to attribute the day’s events to the "Knight of Justice’s" fastidious moral purity. Such incomprehensible behavior from her employer made the fragile sense of security Robin had painstakingly cultivated feel precarious once more.

What made Robin feel even more insecure, however, was her former boss, Crocodile.

Having pinned all his hopes on Robin’s undercover mission, Crocodile was not about to let go of such a vital pawn. He lurked in the shadows like a phantom, shadowing her every move, never letting her out of his sight.

Yet, Garen had indeed chosen an excellent meeting spot: the high-ranking agents’ rendezvous point was in the middle of the vast ocean, and Crocodile, ever wary of Garen, would never risk placing himself in such danger. Once Robin returned to Rainbase, Crocodile immediately and impatiently sought her out, demanding a report on her undercover work.

The first thing Crocodile asked, however, was not about the meeting of the high-ranking agents, but about the Ancient Weapon that concerned him most.

"Well?"

"Has that fellow loosened his tongue about the Poneglyphs?"

Seeing the intense hunger in Crocodile’s eyes, Robin had no choice but to brace herself and respond:

"Garen’s attitude has indeed shifted. He seems to have revealed an interest in 'Pluton'."

"However, he also said he intends to resolve the situation in Alabasta before turning his attention to the Poneglyphs."

"Heh..." Crocodile sneered dismissively.

"This hypocrite, masquerading as a Knight of Justice, truly cannot resist the temptation of an Ancient Weapon after all."

"'Resolve the situation in Alabasta'?"

"It seems he couldn't pry any useful intelligence out of that foolish princess, so he’s planning to coerce the royal family once he has seized control of the country!"

Crocodile interpreted Garen’s actions through his own lens, and the scenario fit perfectly. After all, there was only a thin line between a national savior and a usurper.

"Since that fellow has already shown interest in the Ancient Weapon, he will inevitably make a move. When the time comes, he can help us find the location of the Poneglyphs."

Crocodile wore an expression of impending victory as he asked Robin, "And did you find out what he plans to do next?"

"Next?" Robin frowned, sounding slightly perplexed. "He wants Dance Powder."

"Not just the stock held by our Baroque Works, but also our sources for purchasing it."

Dance Powder was a contraband substance strictly banned by the World Government. Its function was to condense water vapor to induce artificial rain, and its effect was incredibly potent—the success rate of rainfall was nearly one hundred percent. However, its greatest flaw was that its power to condense vapor was so aggressive that it would strip all moisture from the surrounding areas, causing drought in neighboring regions to ensure rain in the target area—a truly malicious "profit at the expense of others" effect.

It was through the subtle use of Dance Powder in the capital city of Alubarna that Crocodile had manufactured the widespread drought across Alabasta. While the entire nation suffered and pleaded for relief, only the royal capital, where the King resided, enjoyed abundant rain. Naturally, the citizens could not help but grow hostile toward King Cobra, who was unjustly taking the blame.

However, after his plans for a coup suffered a major setback, Crocodile no longer had much interest in helping the capital induce rain. Hearing Robin mention it now, he asked with confusion:

"What does he want with Dance Powder?"

"I'm not sure."

Robin shook her head; she truly could not grasp the new employer's intentions. "It’s supposedly for some new wave of 'promotional campaigning'."

"Promotional campaigning?" Crocodile vaguely recalled the bizarre news reports he had seen earlier and couldn't help but laugh as he shook his head. "This guy only knows how to stir up these messy, nonsensical things."

"Then cooperate with him. Dance Powder is of no use to us anyway."

"Understood."

Robin obediently responded to the Sand Crocodile’s command, but after a moment of hesitation, she frowned and asked:

"Boss, aren't you going to ask about the high-ranking agents' meeting?"

"Ha..." A look of disdain appeared on Crocodile's face as he projected an air of absolute control:

"Trying to swallow my organization and recruit my subordinates—do you think it's that easy?"

"Just play along with his little charade and let him enjoy himself for now!"

"But..." Robin said with a strange expression. "The high-ranking agents have already been mostly killed by him. The medium-ranking agents were also lured out after the fact, and then..."

"What?"

Having unwittingly been reduced to a commander with no troops by Garen, Crocodile’s face turned pitch black.

***

Nanohana, a port city in Alabasta.

Unlike Rainbase, the busiest inland river port, Nanohana was positioned as a deep-water coastal port with a significantly larger throughput, making it one of the busiest hubs in Alabasta. It was also a critical stage in Crocodile’s original plan to usurp the nation.

More than half a year ago, Crocodile had specifically arranged for actors to pose as King Cobra’s ministers, staging a grand spectacle at the Nanohana port where the King was supposedly caught red-handed by the public while secretly transporting illegal Dance Powder.

Under Cobra’s "laissez-faire" management—where he neither controlled public opinion, cracked down on rumors, nor stepped forward to clarify the truth—the entire nation was quickly deceived by Crocodile’s machinations, pinning the blame for the nationwide drought on the benevolent King Cobra.

Today, two more professional actors took to the stage at the Nanohana port.

Although the female lead, Vivi, was somewhat hesitant—even moments before taking the stage, she had been struggling as she asked Garen:

"Garen, are we really going to act this out? Isn't this deceiving the public?"

Garen, of course, was unshakable; he was a professional in this regard:

"How can you call this deceiving the public? This is guiding public opinion! If we don't occupy the moral high ground, those rebels and conspirators will."

"Do you want to see the rebel forces within the country continue to grow?"

Vivi immediately fell silent, lowering her head with a complex expression. Because of Crocodile’s secret instigation and the ongoing, widespread drought, the rebel forces in Alabasta had reached an astonishing one hundred thousand. The appearance of one hundred thousand organized, popular rebels in a single country meant certain national disaster.

In such a precarious security situation, the overly kind-hearted King Cobra could not bring himself to use force to suppress the rebellion, nor could he find the resolve to suppress reactionary speech or control harmful public sentiment. Because he was a king who loved his people like his own children, he insisted on ensuring the public remained free from the influence of authority, accustomed to granting them the greatest possible liberty.

But freedom without limits was certainly not true freedom. Cobra’s benevolent governance could be said to be one of the root causes of the current turmoil in Alabasta.

"Vivi."

Garen spoke in a deep, persuasive voice:

"Only by doing this can we calm the public's reactionary emotions most quickly."

"Your father the King has already agreed to cooperate, so what are you worrying about?"

"Yes."

Vivi nodded heavily, finally determined to play her part according to Garen’s plan.

Thus, a grand drama on the propaganda front began.

The start of the plot was similar to the one Crocodile had arranged before: a convoy secretly transporting Dance Powder "accidentally" overturned in the crowded wharf, allowing the public to discover the contraband that had caused them such suffering from drought.

"Dance Powder?!"

The public's emotions were quickly ignited by the contraband, and they began to shout accusations and insults:

"King Cobra is still using these malicious things!"

"No wonder the drought in the country never stops!"

Then, when the scene reached a fever pitch, a striking pair—a man and a woman—appeared before the crowd, instantly becoming the focus of attention.

The man was, naturally, Garen, the "Knight of Justice," whose popularity in Alabasta had recently soared, far eclipsing Crocodile’s. Vivi, too, had broken her habit of staying out of the public eye and had been frequently appearing alongside Garen at various charity events. Through newspaper promotion, her noble status, and her sweet appearance, Vivi had transformed from a sheltered princess into an idol known and adored by all the citizens.

"Whose Dance Powder is this?"

As soon as she appeared before the crowd, Vivi asked righteously about the origin of the contraband.

"It... it belongs to King Cobra." The actor who had been prepped delivered his line.

"What?" Vivi wore an expression of disbelief. "That's impossible! How could my father do such a thing?"

The sheer struggle and pain on her face were enough to evoke the public's sympathy and pity. Before Princess Vivi, who held absolute popularity in the country and whose vulnerability made people’s hearts ache, no one could maintain the violent rage they had used to denounce the King earlier.

"Everyone."

After a display of profound grief, the expression in Vivi’s eyes gradually turned resolute. Under Garen’s protection, she stood high above the crowd and spoke:

"Please rest assured!"

"I am the Princess of Alabasta, and I will never turn a blind eye to this!"

"Even if the mastermind behind this is my own father, I will absolutely get justice for you all!"

The crowd paused for a moment before erupting into cheers for the righteous speech of their Princess. A unanimous hope grew in everyone's hearts: even if King Cobra’s reputation was ruined, Princess Vivi, who had bravely stepped forward for the people, was surely an untainted lotus, a kind princess worth their trust.

This was the method Garen had devised: Crocodile had not yet dropped his mask to openly usurp the country, and he had left not a shred of evidence within Baroque Works, making it difficult to pin the blame on him. So, it was better to sacrifice the already maligned King Cobra to take the fall, while molding Princess Vivi into a "Virtuous Queen" to restore the royal family’s credibility.

Thus, the next day, Crocodile learned a new, unheard-of headline from the newspapers:

*Princess Vivi Pleads for the People and Speaks Out; King Cobra Issues a 'Decree of Self-Reproach' and Offers a Sincere Apology.*