Alabasta’s Contract with the God of Death

Faced with Cap's questioning, Cobra fell silent.

As a prince of a nation, Cobra could be ignored by Cap and his group, but he couldn't be forced.

Cobra couldn't force them to do anything just by not speaking.

"Demon Aatrox will be coming to this country next, so I hope Your Highness can provide some assistance," Crane said in a deep voice. "The secrets within the Inverted Pyramid, we do not intentionally pry into them, but it may involve a battle against the Demon Lord."

"This battle... if not handled properly, might lead to the destruction of the entire country!"

Her words struck Cobra's heart. Indeed, everyone now knew how powerful Aatrox was. The enormous island where Jartzburg was located was destroyed by Aatrox. Although the area of Jartzburg is far smaller than Alabasta, the island it is on is almost as large as Alabasta. If that island was destroyed, what chance did Alabasta have to survive?

Once war breaks out, even if civilians are evacuated, it is highly likely to result in widespread devastation.

As if struggling with some inner conflict, Cobra took a deep breath and slowly began to speak of the 'history' to the three.

"I actually don't know a lot of things because the information about the Inverted Pyramid has been passed down orally by generations of kings and hasn't been recorded in any written documents."

He spoke with a solemn tone, as if under immense psychological pressure.

"And due to some accidents, the information about the Inverted Pyramid was lost for some time. Even when it was rediscovered, much had been lost, so what I'm saying may not be entirely accurate."

Crane nodded in understanding.

Alabasta has a history of thousands of years, but the Nefertari family has only had eleven generations, even counting Cobra, the future king, it's only the twelfth generation. Not to mention thousands of years ago, even eight hundred years ago is a bit forced.

So, there must have been a period of royal power turmoil halfway through, and after that turmoil, some of the previous traditions were lost, which is quite normal.

Looking at Dragon lying on the bed, Cobra spoke with a slightly nostalgic tone, "Things go back to thousands of years ago when Cassila was the one who first conquered Alabasta."

"Cassila was the one who initially conquered Alabasta. Legend has it that he was able to conquer this vast country because he made a pact with the Shinigami."

Shinigami...

It sounded like a powerful deity.

"Cassila, who made a pact with the Shinigami, gained unparalleled strength and built many churches and pyramids to please the gods, hoping to obtain eternal life. But one day, he eventually died."

Cobra continued in a low voice, revealing the unknown 'history.'

"In legend, he didn't actually die but his soul entered the world of the Shinigami, becoming a guard of the Shinigami. Later, all the successive kings were the same. They built tombs beneath the pyramid, within the range of the Inverted Pyramid, because after their deaths, their souls would return to the tombs for resurrection."

"The Nefertari family is no exception. We built tombs in Alubarna for our physical bodies and tombs within the Inverted Pyramid for our souls. I just went to the Inverted Pyramid to help my father build the place where his soul will reside in the future."

He seemed completely unreserved about his father's death. Indeed, in their minds, death was not a big deal because they would continue to live in the world of the Shinigami after death.

However, in reality, most of this pyramid was created by Source I himself.

Brainwashing is straightforward, as it happens at the level of consciousness.

But creating ruins on a material level is challenging. This pyramid is different from the Ascension Altar. The Ascension Altar isn't large, and with their abilities, they could easily create one. But this pyramid is like a city, and it needs to extend downward. It's not something that can be done casually.

Machi Machi controlled a large number of animals and, with the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit, generated many homies. Coupled with Source I's deployment of many high-end combat forces, only then could they complete such a pyramid in a relatively short time.

Now Source I had the ability to deceive a dragon with a simple act. On a conscious level, he could directly tamper, and on a material level, he could make quick modifications. This was all thanks to having Machi Machi as a clone.

"And what we need to do is to conceal this Inverted Pyramid, guard it for generations, and never disturb the peace of the souls of the previous kings returning to the Inverted Pyramid. So when Dragon wanted to go to the Inverted Pyramid, Byakuya appeared because that didn't comply with our covenant with the Shinigami."

"So, who exactly is Sōsuke Aizen?" Dragon couldn't help but ask at this point.

As soon as the words Sōsuke Aizen were mentioned, the pain in his chest would faintly intensify. That guy was too powerful.

Cobra also had some doubts and said, "Possibly, he's the gatekeeper of Hell, the representative of the Shinigami. I've only seen him twice."

One of those times was when he severely injured Dragon...

"Hmm?"

Crane was about to say something more, but at this moment, she suddenly heard the Den Den Mushi ringing again. She glanced at Cap, Cobra, and Dragon, and none of them were speaking.

Crane picked up the Den Den Mushi, and it instantly turned into an empty appearance, with empty sounds coming from inside.

"The Blackbeard Pirates are already on their way to Alabasta. Shortly after they arrive, Aatrox should also arrive."

"Machi Machi contacted me earlier and told me that there are descendants of Shinigami in Alabasta, and to seal Aatrox, we need their help."

Descendants of Shinigami?!

At this moment, they thought of that Sōsuke Aizen!

The Blackbeard Pirates knew this information?

Crane looked at Cobra and found his brows furrowed.

She spoke into the empty Den Den Mushi, "We've already encountered that descendant of Shinigami. Dragon was injured by him."

"What?!" The empty Den Den Mushi exclaimed in surprise. "You've already met him?"

"Yes, although not a conventional meeting," Crane replied. "But based on the previous situation, it won't be easy to get him to help."

He appeared and instantly severely injured Dragon, and in more than ten years, even a prince had only seen him twice. Such a person would not be easy to communicate with.

"The gatekeeper of Hell has the authority over the Inverted Pyramid. You only need to borrow this authority, and you can successfully seal Aatrox in the end."