"The last few years have been hard on us, and citizens are suffering from the results of the drought. But what can a man do? We are helpless against nature." Cobra sighed as they all sat at the lunch table and ate their meals. "It's been the worst drought in over a century now, and we don't know how long it is going to last. But it isn't that nothing good has happened in the last few years. Ever since Sir Crocodile has made Arabasta his base, the sea-side cities and settlements are much safer than ever. His arrival put an end to the piracy that had plagued Nanohana since the start of this new era."
"Is that so?" Sin smiled.
"Yes. He has helped us catch numerous Pirates and even saved Nanohana from Pirate Fleets that intended to loot it." Cobra smiled. "People of Arabasta like him a lot. And he isn't a bother either."
"So you trust him?" Robin asked, and Cobra shook his head.
"I am aware that he is looking after his own interests. The Pirates he kills, he takes their loot. He has made Rainbase his home and headquarters, and he lives his life as the city's mayor. Perhaps, he is a pirate who has had a change of heart after murdering innocents and pillaging villages and towns. But I would rather not trust such a man."
"Why allow him to gain so much influence in your Kingdom if you don't trust him?" Hancock frowned.
"Because we are weak." Cobra sighed. "Centuries of Peace do that to every Kingdom. Our army is not as powerful as it should be, and we need some time to bolster it. More than numbers, we need strong officers. Training and raising Royal Guards is not easy, and for several years, our focus has been on giving relief to the people of the Kingdom who are suffering from droughts. Crocodile's presence gives hope to the people of Arabasta, and it also gives them something to cheer and discuss about other than the weather and the inevitable famine."
Pell and Chaka, who were Cobra's most trusted men, were quite confused as to why their King was talking in such detail with a Pirate Crew. And they had been observing that the frankness and the politeness were not forced either.
It was almost as if their King trusted this young Warlord as much as he trusted them, and it had them thinking what reason could be behind it.
"Do you think his mind is being influenced?" Pell narrowed his eyes and whispered so that only Chaka and Ingram, who were by his side, could hear him.
Chaka frowned at the question and could not help but become a little worried. But Ingram just smiled in response.
"No. His Majesty is fine. And you can trust Sin as well." He told them.
"Are you sure?" Chaka frowned.
"Yes." Igaram nodded his head, and both Pell and Chaka decided to trust the words of their commander.
Unbeknownst to them, their conversation was clearly heard by some members of the Blackstar Crew, but they did not pay any heed to it.
"If you are looking for someone with the potential of becoming a strong Military asset, then I have a recommendation." Sin lightly said as he sipped on his cold soup, catching everyone's attention.
"Who?" Cobra curiously asked.
"That boy named Koza. He is quite talented and can be trained into a capable warrior. And it is better to start his training early." He meaningfully said, to which Cobra nodded his head before meeting Igaram's eyes.
"Yes, Your Majesty." His trusted Royal Commader undedtsood his intentions and bowed to him before leaving to secure the asset.
Vivi, who was as happily chatting with Nami, surprisedly looked at Sin.
"Koza can become a strong Royal Guard?" She expectantly asked, and he smiled at her.
"Princess, strength is important for a Royal Guard, but there something even more important than it, and that is Loyalty. You can not make someone a Royal Guard unless you can trust them with your life."
Vivi was about to say that Koza put his life on the line for hers, but Sin knew her thoughts and spoke again before she could.
"He will be trained and observed. When he is old enough, and the King is confident enough in his Loyalty, he can then be accepted into the Royal Guards. I believe that's the process in every Kingdom?" He smiled at her, and the young Princess nodded her head.
"Chaka." Cobra suddenly called out to his trusted Royal Guard, and the man immediately arrived by his side. "Call the Tsumegiri Guards. I will meet them in the throne room after lunch. Make sure there is no one else in the throne room when I arrive."
"Yes, Your Highness." The tall dark man immediately left to call the four people that Cobra had asked for.
"Tsumegiri Guards are our best four Royal Guards with great potential, and they are our strongest force as well." Cobra informed Sin. "I will give them the choice to pick the Devil Fruit that they believe is best for them."
"But there are four of them." Bonney, who was surprisingly abiding by the table manners, reminded the King. "And only three Fruits."
"We will search for more in the future. I will send out Ingram to keep an eye on the upcoming auctions."
Bonney nodded to him, and returned to eating.
They had a few more good Devil Fruits in the Treasury that they intended to sell, but she was not going to bring it up without Sin's consent.
"Can we watch?" Nami suddenly requested, her eyes sparkling in excitement, and even Vivi who had finally realised what they were taking about, expectantly looked at her father.
"Of course."
"Yay!" Nami and Nojiko excitedly high-fived each other and Cobra heartily laughed at their antics.
He could already tell that the orangehead would become great friends with his daughter, and he was a little relieved in his heart too that Vivi would have a few sister-like figures in her life.
When Sin told them that he intended to stay in Arabasta for a long time, and would make it his main base, half of the worries that were gripping his mind had be relieved.
He was not even worried about Crocodile's rising influence anymore as he knew that Sin would would help him if they ever needed it.
But more than anything, he was glad that the girls on his crew were going to stay in the Palace from now on.
Vivi would no longer have to run out in search of friends, and it would save him a lot of future trouble as well.
As he had instructed, other than the Tsumegiri Guards, no one else was present in the Throne Room when they arrived.
"Ingram, Pell, Chaka, come in." Cobra told them, and the three followed him into the room together with the Blackstar Crew.
Hachi, who was carrying the chest, placed it in front of the Tsumegiri Guards and then returned to stand with his crew.
Cobra took his seat on his throne, and asked the four Elite Royal Gaurds, who were kneeling, to stand up.
"I have called you here to offer you a reward for your loyalty to the throne. A chance to grow much stronger." He said. "Open the Chests."
One of the Elite Guards immediately stepped forward and did as was asked before stepping back.
All four of them stared at the three Fruits that were placed before them, and then Cobra told them about what Devil Fruits they were.
"Only and only if you feel that there is a Fruit here that you desire, pick it. You can refuse them, and something more suitable will be searched for you in the future."
It was clear from the expressions of the Tsumegiri Guards that they were touched by the magnanimity of their King, and they were immensely grateful to him for the care.
They immediately knelt to him again, and then when Cobra asked them to take their time and make their choice, they stood back up and stared at the Devil Fruits.
No one said anything for the next several minutes as the guards thought things over and then discussed things with each other.
There was no way any one of them was going to refuse this opportunity, so, they had to discuss amongst each other who would have to wait.
As people who had grown up with each other since they were children, trained together, and served together, they showed no signs of greed.
Cobra smiled when he saw them convincing each other to make their choice first, and all of them expressed their desire to wait out.
In the end, they did manage to reach a decision, and the one who stepped forward first was the Elite Royal Guard named Brahm, and he picked up the Wani Wani no Mi.
The little girls laughed when they saw him make a funny face when he took the bite of the Fruit, but as distasteful as he found it to be, he persevered and ate all of it.
They then watched Brahm clench his fist and try to call out his power, and soon his body started changing form, becoming reptilian, and menacing.
A long tail sprouted from his back, whipping the ground, and his even his head changed to that of a crocodile.
The Crocodile hybrid loudly growled, and Vivi instinctively grabbed Nami's hand in fright, who was heartily laughing in excitement.
"Amazing..." Nojiko whispered, and smiled when she watched the man return to his human form and laugh happily.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" He knelt again and Cobra appreciatively nodded his head to him.
After Brahm returned to the side of his companions, the next to step forward was the man named Arrow.
He carefully picked up the Tori Tori no Mi, and finished eating the fruit in three bites, making the disgusted face only after he was done.
Vivi laughed as she watched Arrow start coughing, but then gasped when two wings suddenly sprouted from his back and a sharp cry of a Hawk resounded in the room.
He looked a lot like Pell in his Hybrid-Zoan Form, but much bigger, and a lot more menacing.
"Congratulations!" Pell, who was excitedly looking at his friend, spoke up.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Arrow nodded to Pell and immediately knelt to Cobra, staying in his Hybrid-Zoan form.
The last one to step forward was Hyota, who was the captain of the group, and he picked up the Neko Neko no Mi before taking a large bite from it.
His disgusted expression was the funniest of all three, and he was visibly struggling to finish eating the large Grapefruit.
But once he was done, a loud roar escaped his lungs as he changed form, and those who remembered Barga, noticed that Hyota's Hybrid-Zoan form was a lot bigger and more terrifying.
"Congratulations." Cobra stood up and then walked down to pat the shoulders of the guards who were kneeling to him. "I hope you will work hard and grow even stronger."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" They replied in unison, and Cobra then patted Barrel's shoulder.
"We will find a suitable Devil Fruit for you if you want it."
"I do, Your Majesty." The man did not hide his desire.
"Very well. We will start the search for it."
On their way to the Chambers, Sin smiled as he listened to Nami, Nojiko, and Vivi excitedly talking about Devil Fruits and what they had just witnessed.
They had witnessed something that they would never forget in their lives, so it was only fair that they were excited about it.
"It's not your day off." He said, reminding Nami and Nojiko that they had to do their studies and training, and the orangehead stuck her tongue at him before she pouted.
Robin giggled at their reaction and then gently caressed their heads.
"You can have fun. We will train after dinner tonight. And you'll finish your studies before going to bed."
"Thank you, Robin!" Nami brightly smiled at her and then continued chatting with the new friend that she had made today.