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With the first phase of the River of Life Project successfully completed, the Yuba Canal and the water pipelines of Elmaru—the city most severely affected by the drought—had been fully restored.
At this moment, the people of Alabasta began to truly believe in the possibility of success for this unprecedented and massive undertaking. In an instant, Kael's prestige soared to a new height.
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Alabasta Royal Palace – Main Hall
Before Kael stood four imposing figures, each clad in bird-scale armor on their chests and pitch-black cloaks draped over their shoulders.
One man stood at the forefront, while the other three positioned themselves slightly behind him, signifying his leadership. These four individuals were all members of the Bird Claw Unit, an elite division of the Royal Guard. The man leading them was Baoda, the unit's commander, while the three behind him served as his vice-captains.
Standing just a few meters away from Kael, Baoda suddenly dropped to one knee, lowering his head in unwavering respect. With both hands, he presented a small vial of liquid.
"Your Majesty." Baoda said solemnly: "This is Essence Draught—a secret elixir safeguarded and passed down through generations within the Bird Claw Unit. It allows a warrior to burn their entire life force in exchange for immense strength. Throughout history, our unit has been entrusted with guarding the Royal Tombs. No matter the era, no matter how dire the situation, we have never been mobilized—until now. You, our new king, have earned our trust. Thus, we reveal to you the truth behind this forbidden elixir."
"Essence Draught?" He had never heard of such a drug existing in Alabasta. Kael's eyes narrowed as he examined the vial
Holding the vial between his fingers, Kael carefully studied the formula that Baoda handed over. As he read the detailed description of its effects, he immediately understood why this drug had never appeared in the original manga.
Essence Draught was akin to a weaker, far more dangerous version of the Energy Steroids that used by the New Fish-Man Pirates in the original work—a drug that temporarily granted extraordinary physical strength at the cost of dramatically shortening the user's lifespan and rapidly aging their body with repeated use.
This deadly elixir had been developed during the reign of Nefertari Sahar, the 5th King of Alabasta.
As its name suggested, Essence Draught drains every last drop of the user's life force in mere moments. And yet, the strength it granted was purely physical—rendering it useless against Logia-type Devil Fruit users.
Kael had no intention of allowing his people to use such a drug. The moment someone consumed Essence Draught, they were doomed to die.
As long as a person was alive, there was always hope. If someone had even a sliver of potential, Kael could nurture them into high-tier warriors. Sacrificing loyal soldiers for temporary power was not an option.
His gaze swept over the four warriors standing before him. Activating his Phone-Phone Fruit ability, Kael analyzed their innate potential.
---
[Baoda]
Memory Capacity: 4G / 50G
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[Bram]
Memory Capacity: 3G / 50G
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[Alo]
Memory Capacity: 3G / 50G
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[Barrel]
Memory Capacity: 2G / 50G
---
Their potential was limited—just like Pell and Chaka. And because none of them were Devil Fruit users, their ultimate potential was even lower than Pell and Chaka, barely reaching the level of a Commodore in the Navy.
Even so, their loyalty was unquestionable. They were willing to lay down their lives for Alabasta, prepared to sacrifice everything for their kingdom.
Kael felt a twinge of pity. These warriors—who had dedicated their existence to the kingdom—were too precious to be wasted simply because their strength was lacking.
"They are all worthy of my investment..." Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Kael made his decision.
He decided to bestow upon them the Six Styles of Rokushiki, just as he had done with Pell and Chaka. This set of techniques, wielded by the world's strongest marines, would instantly elevate their combat strength to a respectable level.
Kael's sharp gaze met the eyes of the four warriors, and said in deep voice: "You are all loyal warriors, willing to give your lives for this kingdom. Essence Draught is unworthy of warriors like you. I have a way to grant each of you true power—one that is permanent and without side effects." After a slight pause, he continued in solemn voice: "However, this power is tied to an ability of mine. It is the kingdom's greatest secret. If I bestow it upon you, you must swear to protect this secret, just as you have guarded the existence of Essence Draught."
The atmosphere in the hall turned heavy, as if Kael had placed an enormous burden upon their shoulders.
Gulp!
Baoda and the others swallowed hard, their bodies instinctively stiffened under the weight of Kael's words.
Then, without a second of hesitation, the four warriors dropped to one knee: "We will take this secret to our graves!" They spoke in unison, their voices ringing with absolute conviction.
Kael's expression softened into a gentle smile: "You are my loyal warriors. Our kingdom will prosper in the hands of men like you. So, hold on to your lives—because I have far greater plans for you."
Then, raising the vial of Essence Draught before them, he hurled it to the ground.
CRASH!
The vial shattered into countless fragments.
Kael stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and the four warriors. As they entered the range of his Bluetooth Transfer ability, he activated his Devil Fruit power.
In an instant, Rob Lucci's Rokushiki techniques surged into their bodies.
The transformation was overwhelming. A powerful energy coursed through their veins, while their minds filled with instinctive mastery over the Six Styles. Their breathing grew erratic as they adjusted to their newfound strength.
Moments later, the four warriors shouted in one voice: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty! We won't let you down!"
Tears welled in their eyes as they gazed up at Kael, their voices trembling with gratitude and determination. Each one of them was now ready to lay down their life for him—not out of blind loyalty, but out of genuine reverence for the ruler who had given them true power.
---
At present, Alabasta's top combat forces consisted of:
Pell and Chaka—the two high-ranking Royal Guards, both Zoan-type Devil Fruit users who had fully mastered Rokushiki. Their power now closely rivaled Rob Lucci himself.
Baoda, Bram, Alo, and Barrel—the Bird Claw Unit, newly empowered by Rokushiki. While they were slightly weaker than Pell and Chaka, they still reached the level of Commodore-rank officers in the Navy.
Although their combined strength alone wasn't enough to directly challenge Crocodile, Kael had already prepared for this battle. He had exposed Crocodile's greatest weakness—water—to his warriors.
Now, all six carried substantial amounts of water at all times, ensuring they were ready to counter him at any moment.
With two warriors on Lucci's level and four slightly below, taking down Crocodile's subordinates was no longer an impossibility.
---
Four Days Later
Another major obstacle in the River of Life Project was the deadly fauna that plagued the desert and the Santora River. These included:
Santora Giant Lizards
Santora Catfish
Banana Crocodiles
And numerous other predatory creatures. These vicious beasts posed a serious threat to the project's progress.
To counter this, Kael dispatched Pell and Chaka to the coastal waters near Elmaru, where they successfully tamed a large number of sea bulls.
These creatures possessed decent combat strength—not enough to match elite warriors, but their sheer numbers made them invaluable. They numbered in the hundreds, forming a formidable force, particularly in small-scale battles.
On an individual level, a sea bull's strength was roughly equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Navy, making them ideal foot soldiers for the kingdom.
Their simple minds and natural inclination for battle made them excellent frontline warriors, though their tendency to submit to stronger opponents upon defeat made them somewhat unreliable. Despite this flaw, they were perfect for dealing with the carnivorous beasts that threatened the project.
With Kael's forces growing stronger and Alabasta's defenses solidifying, the kingdom was no longer at the mercy of fate.
---
With the major obstacles of the River of Life Project resolved, Kael turned his attention to strengthening Alabasta's forces even further.
He carefully selected 300 of the most loyal and elite warriors from the Royal Guard, granting them advanced physical combat abilities.
What Kael referred to as "Advanced Physical Combat Skill" was essentially a refined body-strengthening technique—allowing warriors to endure the strain of the most basic level of Haki, similar to the warriors of Amazon Lily, though without the ability to actively wield Haki itself.
This technique required 5G of memory capacity, which, while significant, was still manageable for most low-to-mid-tier warriors.
Had Kael been less concerned about *Attracting global attention—especially from the World Government*he might have gone even further, mass-producing warriors with Falcon and Jackal Zoan abilities, effectively creating an army reminiscent of the Beasts Pirates.
However, there was a limitation—not everyone possessed sufficient memory capacity (10G or above) to accommodate a Devil Fruit ability.
This was why Kael handpicked only 300 warriors from the Royal Guards. Most soldiers had extremely low potential, with their memory capacity barely reaching 4G—not even enough to handle the Advanced Physical Combat Technique, which required 5G. Kael refused to invest in those with such low potential, as it would be a waste of time and resources.
Thus, these 300 elite warriors were granted a title befitting their status:
The Oasis Guard of Alabasta!
To Kael, the name was simply a personal amusement came from the 300 Spartan. But to these 300 warriors, "The Oasis Guard" was the highest honor they could receive. It signified their unshakable loyalty, unmatched combat prowess within Alabasta, and their role as the kingdom's most elite soldiers.
---
With Kael's meticulous planning, the River of Life Project progressed smoothly, and Alabasta began to flourish. Meanwhile, mobile phone sales skyrocketed.
After getting Rokushiki, Kael was able to enhance production efficiency dramatically, leading to mass-produce an astonishing 50,000 units per day.
One month later...
The results were staggering—Four million units sold!
Sixty percent of the four million mobile phone sales came from Alabasta's own citizens.
While the country still had tens of millions of people, most lived below the poverty line, struggling to meet basic survival needs. Even though Kael had ensured that the phones were affordable, they remained a luxury that many simply couldn't afford.
Four million units represented the upper limit of those within the kingdom who had a stable income. Even in the best-case scenario, Kael estimated that sales might peak at six or seven million before reaching market saturation.
For Alabasta's mobile phone industry to grow beyond this point, the nation itself needed to recover—returning to its former prosperity before Crocodile's schemes had taken root. If that happened, total sales could reach 20 million units or more.
---
Kael sat at his desk, scanning the latest economic report. He sighed and said in a low voice: "This is a terrible financial crisis. Fortunately, as one of the Twenty Kings' founders, Alabasta is exempt from the Heavenly Tribute..."
The Heavenly Tribute—a tax imposed 800 years ago when the Twenty Kings established the World Government in Mary Geoise—was a massive financial burden placed upon all affiliated nations.
The logic was simple:
The Twenty Kings had abandoned their homelands, leaving them to their subordinates or vassals. The tribute was imposed as "rightful compensation" for the protection offered by the World Government.
Any new nation wishing to join the World Government was also forced to pay this tax as a "Protection Fee."
However, Alabasta was different. The Nefertari royal family had been among the original Twenty Kings, but unlike the others, they had refused to relocate to Mary Geoise. Instead, they had chosen to remain in Alabasta, ruling alongside their people.
As a result, the Nefertari family was granted an exemption from the Heavenly Tribute—a privilege that remained in place to this day.
Among all current royal families in the world, the Nefertari lineage was undoubtedly the oldest and most prestigious.