Chapter 353: At Least No One Will Starve to Death Anymore

Ducheng Alubarna

The capital of the Kingdom of Alabasta, Alubarna.

After the grand welcome banquet, Cobra, disregarding his newborn daughter, pulled Saint Saint Saiwen to start probing.

When he first invited Saint Saint Saiwen to visit, Cobra's original intention was to establish good relations between the two countries, facilitating priority access to Inazuma Sea Prism Stone orders in the future.

But not long after, Cobra regretted it.

It was because the historical text stele, guarded by the Nefertari family for generations and recording the Ancient Weapon Pluton, happened to be located beneath the Alubarna palace.

He dared not gamble on whether Saint Saint Saiwen knew of this.

What if?

Even if there was only a one-in-a-million chance that Saint Saint Saiwen knew of this and was interested in the historical text stele, it would undoubtedly be a national catastrophe for Alabasta.

Could six hundred thousand standing troops resist Saint Saint Saiwen?

What a joke; even the Navy, possessing a Fleet Admiral, a Navy Hero, and the Three Admirals, could not even defend its headquarters at Marineford.

Let alone Alabasta?

Precisely for this reason, Cobra urgently wanted to ascertain whether Saint Saint Saiwen's visit was truly just a state visit, without other intentions.

"Saint Saint Saint Saiwen, your hometown is in the East Blue?"

"Yes." Saint Saint Saiwen nodded.

"The Conomi Islands in the East Blue, under the jurisdiction of the Navy's 16th Branch."

Strictly speaking, Saint Saint Saiwen and Nami were fellow townspeople.

The Conomi Islands consist of about twenty villages, including Cocoyasi Village and Post-Sand Town.

In the anime, after Arlong invaded the Conomi Islands, Post-Sand Town was completely destroyed for failing to pay the protection fee, turning into a wasteland.

Cobra took up the conversation: "The East Blue is full of talents; many great figures have emerged in recent years."

Although the East Blue is known as the weakest sea, in just a few decades, it has successively produced the Pirate King Roger, the Navy Hero Garp, and the Inazuma Raiden Shogun Saint Saint Saint Saiwen.

It can be called a top-tier talent incubator.

"Has Saint Saint Saint Saiwen ever thought about returning to his hometown to establish a nation?"

"Establish a nation?" Saint Saint Saiwen rubbed his fingers, feeling that Cobra was acting strangely, as if trying to fish for information?

Silently activating Observation Haki to read minds, he finally understood what Cobra was worried about.

After thinking for a moment, Saint Saint Saiwen took out a roll of blueprints.

"These are the blueprints for the Ancient Weapon Pluton; I have no interest in the historical text stele guarded by the Nefertari family for generations."

Cobra instantly froze in place, suddenly feeling that his previous behavior was very much like that of a clown.

He was still worrying—whether Saint Saint Saiwen knew about the historical text stele recording the Ancient Weapon Pluton, while the other party had already obtained the Pluton blueprints.

With the blueprints in hand, who would still care about the stele?

In his panic, Cobra quickly used his drunkenness to change the subject, trying to cover up the embarrassment on his face.

"Does Saint Saint Saint Saiwen have any unfulfilled dreams?"

"Dreams?" Saint Saint Saiwen paused slightly.

"To be honest, when I was young, I often had a meal today but none tomorrow; back then I thought, this world shouldn't be like this.

Born as a human, how can one be starved to death?

Fortunately, I now have some ability; I want to do something for this world, so that people won't starve to death due to poverty."

With words said to this extent, Saint Saint Saiwen did not intend to continue the tug-of-war, but spoke directly.

"For example, overthrow the World Government and establish a world where everyone can eat their fill."

"King Cobra, what do you think?"

Saint Saint Saiwen would not give Cobra any opportunity to expose or report to the World Government; today he must obtain Alabasta's support.

Whether King Cobra agrees or not.

Even if King Cobra exposes or reports to the World Government, with the shallow sea contract in place, the Five Elders would not believe it.

As the words fell, Cobra instantly sobered up and his spirit sharpened, as if he saw his former self in Saint Saint Saiwen; only after a long time did he speak.

"Saint Saint Saint Saiwen, I am ten-plus years your senior, so I will presumptuously address you as Saint Saint Saiwen."

"I remember when I first became king, I was only seventeen or eighteen, thinking that with a burst of passion I could change the kingdom or even change the world."

"For this, I worked diligently for over ten years.

Not saying I loved the people like my own children, but I always upheld the governing philosophy that the state is the people; the citizens were willing to support me, and I thought I had done very well.

However, I was regarded as an outlier by the kings of other member countries; if not for your appearance, they might have mocked me for many more years."

Speaking to this point, a strong look of mockery flashed across Cobra's flushed face.

"Similarly, after holding royal power for over a decade, I suddenly realized: the rules and shackles of this world have never changed by a single bit from ancient times to the present."

Cobra poured a cup of wine for Saint Saint Saiwen.

"Saint Saint Saiwen, just as you often went hungry when you were young, when the common people go hungry, their minds think of only one thing: find food, survive.

They have no energy to learn and progress, no leisure to discuss politics, and certainly no time to reflect on the system or question authority.

But once the lower-class people have food and clothing without worry, they will begin to crave fairness, covet higher positions, want to break free from fate, and challenge the established order.

The World Government as well as the kings of the member countries all saw through this, so they deliberately lock the citizens on the edge of subsistence.

Not letting the masses become completely wealthy, not letting hearts become completely stable, keeping them forever trapped in the struggle for survival, too busy to think much.

This is not cruelty.

After all, Wang Zuo cannot increase.

In any era, power cannot tolerate extra positions.

A few people hold high positions while the majority are trapped at the bottom; this is the underlying logic of rule.

Just as Inazuma has the Raiden Shogun presiding over it, and Alabasta is ruled by its king, the top positions across the entire world have long had their quotas set.

Few can stand at the pinnacle of the pyramid on the Grand Line; resources, authority, and the right to rule are forever limited to that amount."

Having spoken, Cobra let out a burp, deliberately leaving Saint Saint Saiwen ample time to think.

"Saint Saint Saiwen, your dream is very grand."

"Yet it is destined to never be realized."

"Even if... even if you kill all the World Nobles and the nobles of the allied nations, those who follow you will become the new elite."

"In fact, it won't even take a few decades; the sea will still look exactly the same."

Saint Saint Saiwen actually understood these principles, but he simply didn't care; the problems Cobra mentioned were for future generations to consider.

What Saint Saint Saiwen wanted to do was raise the moral baseline.

Thereby wrapping this logic in a more subtle, more civilized guise.

Commonly known as—

Shifting survival pressure into the cost of living; while eliminating famine, one does not intentionally drive people to the point of having no choice but to rebel.

Instead, relying on economic anxiety, involutionary competition, and the numbing effect of fragmented information as gentle means to lock up the lower classes' energy, prevent the awakening of the masses' hearts, and thereby maintain stable order and an unchanging top position.

The Inazuma light novels were one such attempt.

"At least no one will starve to death anymore."

"Isn't that so?"

Sometimes, Saint Saint Saiwen was even glad he had transmigrated into the world of One Piece, where the moral baseline was extremely low.

And he possessed a heart distinct from everyone else in this world; with just a slight restraint, it could be called noble!

Hearing this, Cobra pondered for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.

"I see, I see."

Cobra had thought Saint Saint Saiwen truly intended to become a saint; it turned out he merely wanted to completely eliminate famine so no one would starve to death from poverty.

"Saint Saint Saint Saiwen, is it too late for me to represent Alabasta in taking a share now?"