Chapter 195

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"You said what? Pirates attacked the port town on the east coast?" Hearing Pell's news, Cobra and Igaram, who were already on edge, became even more tense.

Not only had the crew of the sea restaurant appeared with unclear intentions, but now there was also pirate chaos.

With Crocodile conveniently absent during this time, it was certainly not good news for the Kingdom of Alabasta.

—Despite having noticed Crocodile's potential hidden schemes, since the arrival of this Shichibukai, pirate attacks on coastal ports had indeed decreased significantly.

It was quite unfortunate, really. Despite being a kingdom with 600,000 reserve soldiers, they had fallen into the predicament of needing a pirate's protection.

Of course, this was inseparably linked to the core issue of Alabasta's vast territory and scarce resources.

Cobra, who was not a ruthless ruler, was not suited to be a tyrant. Even a king with a more assertive yet powerless approach would face the same awkward situation.

Otherwise, Crocodile wouldn't have comfortably occupied Alabasta for over a decade!

"Lord Cobra, the situation is urgent. I must go and stabilize the situation."

Noticing that the strangers in front of them did not show hostility toward King Cobra, Pell bowed deeply, flapping his fully feathered wings, and sped into the distant sky.

As a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user with the ability to transform into a falcon, he had a natural advantage in speed, allowing him to quickly support the battlefield.

Why the second-fastest, you ask?

"Pirates, huh? They really know how to pick their timing. Consider this a welcoming gift. Wait for me here."

Without waiting for a response from Cobra and Igaram, Zyhark's body crackled with electricity.

With his Observation Haki spreading out widely, he quickly located the coastal town being attacked by pirates.

In the next second, under the astonished gazes of Cobra, Vivi, and the others, Zyhark turned into a streak of lightning and disappeared.

In reality, with his current mastery of Haki and Devil Fruit abilities, he could already perform precise long-range lightning strikes like Enel.

But considering the upcoming "Operation Steal Crocodile's Home," he decided to make a public appearance to the people first.

This way, Aqua would have less pressure when recruiting followers later.

"A Logia-type Devil Fruit user like Crocodile?"

Experienced Igaram was the first to recover from the shock, looking at the spot where Zyhark had disappeared and marveling in a deep voice.

Just as the newspapers described, he was a monster of a man…

"Don't worry, don't worry. Though he can be a bit sneaky, he's quite reliable when it comes to getting things done."

Aqua casually waved her hand, showing her trust in Zyhark.

Recognizing Aqua from her long blue hair, Cobra tentatively asked, "May I ask who you are?"

"I am Aqua, the revered Water Goddess whom this group devoutly worships."

With Zyhark, the most troublesome one, gone, Aqua puffed up with pride, adopting the posture of the team's leader.

"I see, welcome to Alabasta."

Having just met and unsure of the group's background, Cobra and Igaram remained somewhat tense and restrained.

As they spoke, little Vivi, hiding behind Cobra's pants, curiously eyed the strange group before her, her gaze mostly drawn to the seemingly similar-aged Kanna and the furry Meowth.

Meanwhile, Koza tried to maintain a facade of calmness, simultaneously scared yet unwilling to retreat, forcing himself to stare at the terrifying-looking Brook.

He believed this was the only way to show the demeanor of the Sand Sand Gang's leader.

"Are you staring at me because there's something dirty on my face?"

Brook noticed the boy's gaze and opened with his signature cold joke, "Though I'm just a skeleton and have no face to speak of, yo ho ho ho~"

"Ah!"

The chilling laughter made Koza break down on the spot, cowardly hiding behind Vivi.

Though fearless of fierce pirates wielding large knives, he seemed very afraid of skeletal ghosts.

After all, he was just a seven or eight-year-old kid.

…

In the coastal town of eastern Alabasta.

Flames soared, civilians fled in all directions, and pirates rampaged freely, looting and killing.

"Hahaha! Coming to Alabasta was a great choice. Though not as wealthy as other islands, there's no Navy stationed here. We can rob as much treasure and as many women as we want!"

The pirate captain with a pirate hat stood in the firelight, laughing heartily, watching his crew gather valuable items and pretty women. His ugly face twisted with pleasure.

Due to territorial limitations, while Alabasta had a naval presence, it couldn't be spread out across all the towns.

"Don't take my mom, you damn pirate!"

A bloodied little boy tightly gripped a broomstick, hitting the pirate captain's pants leg repeatedly.

Against the pirates of the Grand Line, the child's full-strength attack was negligible, like a tickle.

Each strike of the broomstick only intensified the despair engulfing the town.

This was the plight faced by the bottom-tier people in the pirate world, a sad reality beneath the glamorous, adventurous age of the Great Pirate Era.

Hence, in just a few years, Crocodile had become a "national hero" revered by everyone.

Putting aside his hidden schemes, at least in the early stages of building his forces, he did indeed deter other pirates and protect Alabasta.

"Useless brat, it's about time you learned your place!"

Impatiently picking at his earwax, the pirate captain reached for the large knife on his back.

Just as the icy blade swung down, thunderous roars echoed around them.

Then, the pirate captain, with a bounty exceeding ten million Berries, was struck by lightning and charred to a crisp, with his weapon turning to dust and vanishing into the sand dunes.

Electric arcs filled the ruined town, their electromagnetic force lifting the sand and extinguishing the raging flames.

Boom, boom, boom! The other pirates, immersed in their looting frenzy, hadn't realized what was happening until their captain's fate befell them all.

In almost an instant, the fifty-strong pirate crew was completely annihilated!

The sudden salvation left the fleeing residents standing still, looking around in a daze at the extinguished fires and missing pirates, their expressions dazed, as if in a dream.

"Heaven's punishment! Those damned pirates, even the heavens couldn't stand them!"

Finally, someone calmed down, kneeling and bowing repeatedly toward the sky.

"Don't be naive, there's no such thing as heaven's punishment."

A cold voice interrupted their devout prayers.

Electricity crackled as Zyhark's form materialized in the town center.

All eyes turned to the man bathed in lightning. Despite defying common sense, they quickly realized that it was this man who had saved their town.

After all, the one who had previously repelled the twenty-million-Berry bounty pirate, Buggy the Clown, was also this grand and holy! Gathering the attention of the people, Zyhark spoke plainly but with a hidden agenda for the team's overall strength.

"Remember clearly, it wasn't heaven's punishment that saved you, but the noble and holy Water Goddess, Lady Aqua!"

"No hero can always protect the weak. If you don't want to be bullied, rely on your own strength and join the great Axis Cult!"

Ugh…

Before he could make himself vomit, Zyhark tossed out pre-prepared Axis Cult application forms and once again vanished in a flash of lightning.

Water Goddess, Lady Aqua…

The mysterious and miraculous means left the town's residents in awe. They cautiously stepped forward, picking up the scattered application forms.

A few small lines of text immediately caught their eyes:

[When Axis Cultists get serious, they can do anything. We are capable of anything, even if we fail, it's not our fault. If we fail, it's the world's fault!]

[Details omitted for brevity]

Reading the mind-bending doctrine, the residents were deeply moved, their sorrowful eyes gradually brightening with wisdom.

Living at the bottom of the world, they had few aspirations. Even a faint glimmer of hope would be desperately grasped.

As for who the hero was, it seemed less important.

Become stronger, protect themselves, and join the Axis Cult! Zyhark's words echoed in their hearts, and soon, people began signing the application forms.

When the full-speed Pell arrived, the pirates reported in the news had already merged with the earth, becoming part of the desert.

From the residents' descriptions, he was shocked to deduce that the man who had appeared and saved the town from the pirates was the young man he had just met!

His speed was even faster than his own flight!

Ignoring the residents' endless praise, Pell took off again, returning at top speed.

The Thunder of Extreme Evil, Zyhark, was an extremely dangerous man. He had to return quickly to King Cobra and Princess Vivi!

Meanwhile, on the way back to Koza's village, Zyhark encountered an unexpected situation.

A giant white dragon flew through the sky, carrying Aqua and the others towards the coast...

Running away?

In a flash of lightning, Zyhark appeared on Kanna's back, who had revealed her true dragon form.

Seeing Zyhark, Aqua shrank back, quietly retreating behind the others.

This evasive behavior clearly indicated she had caused some major trouble again.

"Explain, Aqua. What happened that you're all heading back?" Zyhark asked in a deep voice, the wind from Kanna's high-speed flight ruffling his clothes.

"Nothing happened. We were just worried about your safety and wanted to follow and check on you…" Aqua weakly defended.

Her tone didn't carry the typical assertive aura of the proud dumb goddess.

"Aqua heard the boy named Koza mention the village lacked water, so she summoned a flood and drowned the entire village, meow."

Meowth mercilessly exposed Aqua's lie.

Zyhark: "…"

From that brief statement, he could vividly imagine the entire process.

"Well, at least I had Kanna bring everyone away before the king and the curly-haired guy came demanding compensation!"

Aqua, feeling uneasy under Zyhark's gaze, finally broke down, yelling loudly with a pained expression, "Compensation it is! I'll just take out all my precious wine!"

The fine wine she had painstakingly saved up from Water 7, which she had never been willing to drink.

Though she was a trouble-making dumb goddess, Aqua surprisingly followed rules and had basic morals.

Or more accurately, she couldn't abandon the heavy burden of her goddess title.

"Good resolve. Since it's on the way, let's get the wine from the Endless Dream first." Zyhark nodded seriously, smiling slightly.

Although he could guess Cobra and Igaram's real reasons for pursuing them, he needed to scare the trouble-prone goddess a bit.

"Ahhh! Please, Zyhark-sama, help me! The tavern owner said it was a limited edition!"

Unable to part with her wine, Aqua tearfully clung to Zyhark's leg.

Seeing this, the others turned away, unable to bear watching.

Such shameless behavior once again redefined their understanding of the word "goddess."

Sigh…

Seeing Aqua's snot bubble about to smear his pants, Zyhark's heart softened, deciding not to persist.

After all, she was his summoned companion.

"Alright, alright, enough already."

"Kanna, turn back to the village."

In the impoverished village where Koza lived, drinkable water was the most precious resource compared to the lost property.

They would be grateful, not demanding compensation. "Okay."

Unlike Aqua, Kanna clearly listened more to Zyhark. She immediately turned around, landing back in the village now turned into a waterlogged area.

As soon as they landed, the excited Cobra and the villagers rushed over.

"I deeply apologize for the damage caused to the village. I, um, Zyhark, will fully compensate you!"

"Thank you so much, Miss Aqua. You've brought hope to the entire village!"

Aqua and Cobra's voices rang out simultaneously, both freezing in place and staring at each other.

Gratitude? Bringing hope? Apology? Compensation? "The king is right, Miss Aqua. On behalf of the entire village, I offer our utmost gratitude. With the water source you created, we no longer need to relocate hundreds of kilometers!"

The frail old village chief, moved to tears, said, "You left so quickly just now, I thought I'd never have the chance to express my gratitude!"

Behind him, Princess Vivi, the stubborn Koza, and all the villagers bowed ninety degrees to Aqua in gratitude.

"Thank you so much for saving our village!"

Seeing this scene, Aqua blinked her intelligent eyes, utterly confused.

"Huh, what?!"

(End of Chapter)