Chapter 89: Poneglyph, Seawater Desalination.
"This way, Mr. Roman."
In the royal tomb on the west side of the palace, Vivi's father, the middle-aged King Nefertari Cobra, was waiting solemnly.
"King Cobra, please don't call me 'Mr.' Just call me by my name."
Facing Roman's words, the middle-aged man nodded kindly, instantly transforming from a majestic king to a friendly neighbor.
"Then you must call me 'Cobra' or 'Uncle Cobra,' —always calling me king makes it seem distant."
"...Alright,"
"Then, Uncle Cobra." Roman followed suit, "About what I proposed..."
"Yes, your information is very 'accurate.'"
Even too accurate!
To know that the Nefertari family guards the 'Pluton' blueprints, and even know they are in the tomb, besides the Nefertari family, only those...
"Here it is."
As the middle-aged king touched an inconspicuous statue decoration in the tomb, a passage to the underground opened on the previously empty floor.
"The 'Poneglyph' is inside."
"Good," facing the legendary battleship 'Pluton' that could destroy an island with one shot, Roman remained unmoved and turned to look at the tomb's pillars.
"Nico Robin."
"As you can see, I've kept my promise."
Tap, tap, tap,
A tall figure in a white trench coat and cowboy hat emerged from behind the stone pillar. It was none other than the highest-ranking officer of Baroque Works: Miss All-Sunday.
"This place is..."
"Yes, it's your target: the Poneglyph."
Roman stepped aside, gesturing towards the passage below.
The intellectual woman named Nico Robin gave Roman a deep look before stepping into the passage. —No matter what awaited her inside, this was the closest she had ever been to the Poneglyph! So she couldn't give up.
...
"Aren't you going to take a look?"
As Nico Robin entered the underground tomb, King Cobra casually chatted with Roman outside.
"Look at what? A big stone I can't read?"
Roman leaned nonchalantly against the stone pillar. "I know what you're worried about, Uncle Cobra."
"It's nothing more than the 'Pluton' falling into the hands of an ambitious person, and then what, what..."
"To be honest, I'm surprised you didn't have three hundred axemen ambushed around here."
Although in the original story, Vivi's father, the King of Alabasta, was known for his wisdom,—
When faced with events that could lead to world chaos, the wiser the king, the more decisive he would be! From the original story, where he unhesitatingly blew up the tomb, it was clear he was no naive fool...
"Hehehe, Roman, you sly young man."
"Why can't you be as straightforward as the others?"
Facing the middle-aged man's teasing, Roman rubbed his forehead.
"Sorry, I have to take care of this ship full of naive people... Especially our captain, so I have to think about all the problems they should be considering."
"But, you can rest assured."
"I'm not interested in Pluton," Roman thumbed towards the passage, "and that woman inside isn't interested in Pluton either. You might not believe it, but she's just a simple archaeologist."
So, there's no need for any killing.
—Although Alabasta doesn't have any 'experts' who could take down Roman or Nico Robin anyway.
Tap, tap, tap.
Soon, Nico Robin emerged from the passage, looking disappointed and saying:
"Surprising, I thought there would be three hundred elite soldiers waiting for me outside."
...
"I really want to take you down,"
Roman rolled his eyes, surprised that someone else had the same thought as him.
"I alone am enough!"
"Then..." Nico Robin spread her hands, "Shall we fight?"
...
"Let's go, I've fulfilled my promise."
After King Cobra activated the mechanism to close the tomb, Roman and the middle-aged king decisively turned and left, leaving a bewildered Nico Robin behind.
———————
"Of course, I trust you, Roman."
"But that woman named 'Nico Robin'..."
After leaving the royal tomb, the two walked towards the north of the palace. Compared to the deserted west side, there were people every five steps and a sentry every ten! There were even soldiers lying on the ground, listening for underground intruders. Although such defenses were futile against true experts,—
"Your Majesty, please provide the password."
"Rebirth."
"Please proceed, Your Majesty."
Well, facing the serious soldiers, Roman naturally wouldn't say something like "you're just doing pointless work" to spoil the mood.
"Don't worry,"
Roman picked up where King Cobra left off.
"I know Nico Robin quite well. As I said before, she's not an ambitious person, just a simple archaeologist. Besides—"
Thinking of his hint, with that woman's obsession with the 'Poneglyph,' she would most likely choose to board Luffy's ship...
"It won't be long before you see news of her joining the Straw Hat crew in the papers."
???
"Alright, I believe you."
Although being so emotional isn't behavior befitting a king, Nefertari Cobra is a great ruler who loves his people like his own children and is wholeheartedly devoted to them.
"Your Majesty,"
"Mr. Roman,"
As Cobra and Roman walked into the heavily guarded building, Igaram, the captain of the royal guard with golden curls, greeted them. Yes, he was the Baroque Works officer Mr. 8 they encountered in Whisky Peak. Although he was seemingly blown into the sea by Robin, she actually spared his life.
The room was filled with various experimental equipment, huge water tanks, and pipes!
"Someone once said, 'Technology is the primary productive force,'"
Roman approached a container that had been built according to his specifications, waved his hand, and sheets of special white paper fell into it, dividing the container into two sections.
"Even in this... world."
Roman nodded to the elderly 'craftsmen' beside him, who couldn't really be called scientists. As they pulled the valves, a large amount of water flowed into the container, seeped through to the other side, and finally flowed out of the faucet—
"Fresh water!!"
"Is this really drinking water??"
"Oh my, this is a miracle! This is a gift from the gods—"
In an instant, the elderly men seemed possessed, laughing and jumping around, and even the usually calm Igaram's hands and feet trembled. He stepped forward, took a cup of water, sipped it himself, and then handed it to King Cobra.
"Your Majesty, it's real—"
Gulp!
Snatching the cup, Cobra drank the liquid in one gulp!
The middle-aged king closed his eyes and silently savored it for a moment before suddenly opening his eyes! He turned to Roman—
Thud,
He knelt down.
"Mr. Roman, on behalf of the millions of people of Alabasta—"
"Thank you! Thank you very much!!"
The only thing that could make a king so emotional was:
Desalination technology.
"Hey, hey, hey, get up," Roman said, pulling Cobra up with a smile, "If Vivi sees this, she'll beat me up!"
Of course, he was just joking.
"Technology is the primary productive force," Roman snapped his fingers in front of the 'reverse osmosis' desalination device, "If technology isn't enough, we'll use Devil Fruits."
Whoosh~~
Sheets of white paper flew from Roman's body, folding neatly into squares in the room. The others looked at the paper as if it were gold!
Paper Dance - Purification (Chapter 17)
In fact, Devil Fruits are not only used for combat but are also incredibly useful for everyday life! Originally, Roman used them to purify seawater on the Going Merry. If this method were used on a large scale in Alabasta...
"However, I can't stay in Alabasta for long."
"So, you still need to experiment and find suitable filtration materials yourselves. —In the meantime, you can use the paper I made."
Roman pointed to another 'disc solar distiller' beside him, "The solar method, with Alabasta's vast coastline and abundant sunlight, is actually the simplest and most convenient way to desalinate seawater."
"Although I don't want to question your traditions, just waiting for rain is not the attitude humans should have."
With these methods, even if Crocodile causes trouble again, it won't lead to the current situation.
Man can conquer nature!
That is the secret to humanity standing at the pinnacle of all things.
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