The latest Reverie held in One Piece has sent shockwaves throughout the world and the consequences of this gathering have shaken the very foundation of the One Piece world. This year's Reverie was full of major incidents and even saw a war break out within the Holy Land of Marijoa as well. Among all the drama and chaos atop the Red Line in the Holy Land of Marijoa, there was also the curious case of the death of King Cobra.
Cobra is a figure that the fans are very well familiar with and have a soft spot for, especially after the events of Arabasta. His death remained a mystery until now, however, the reason for his assassination has finally been explained in the latest chapter of One Piece.
Who Is King Cobra?
King Cobra was introduced to the fans during the Arabasta Saga of One Piece. He was revealed to be the monarch of the land of Arabasta and fans met him when his country was in a state of great turmoil. One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile, was running riot in Arabasta from behind the scenes and the one who took the blame for everything was none other than Cobra himself. The people blamed him for stealing their rain away and the entire country was on the brink of civil war. This is precisely where Vivi came into play as she infiltrated Baroque Works, the organization led by the Warlord of the Sea, Sir Crocodile. There, she met the Straw Hat Pirates and brought them along with her to her country. Eventually, the Straw Hats defeated Crocodile and Arabasta was returned to its former glory.
King Cobra was central to this entire arc and, throughout it, fans were shown how incredibly devoted he was to his people and how truly just and thoughtful he was. There are very few rulers within the world of One Piece who can be called truly worthy of being Kings and Cobra was certainly one of them. In fact, even Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, thought that Cobra was one of a kind leader and that the devotion he showed to his people was unmatched. Cobra even harbored the Straw Hat Pirates and treated them to a feast of Heroes.
Cobra At The Reverie
After the conclusion of the Arabasta arc, fans barely saw Cobra pop up in the story again, however, much of this changed during the Reverie arc. As soon as the Dressrosa arc of One Piece wrapped up, preparations for the Reverie were shown from all over the world. Fans got a glimpse of King Cobra once again and he decided that this year's Reverie would be extremely important for him and his country of Arabasta. Once Whole Cake Island wrapped up, the journey from Arabasta to the Holy Land of Marijoa commenced and there, Cobra revealed that he had some very interesting questions for the Five Elders. Cobra wanted to discuss the previous kings of the land of Arabasta, among other mysteries with the Elders.
At the Reverie, Cobra took a very important role. He was the primary reason, along with King Riku, for the abolition of the Warlord System. Cobra had first-hand experience when it came to letting the Warlords do whatever they like. His country was ravaged by Sir Crocodile just as Dressrosa was ravaged by Donquixote Doflamingo. Thanks to him, Riku, and Fujitora, a vote was taken and the result was the abolition of the Warlord System. This in itself was incredibly huge for Cobra at the Reverie, however, his true goal was what came after.
Cobra And The Five Elders
Cobra's true goal at the Reverie was meeting with the Five Elders and he successfully got an audience with them, however, his Royal Guards, Pell and Chaka, were not allowed. Instead, they were commanded to guard Princess Vivi. Once he had an audience with the Five Elders, Cobra mentioned that he had studied the ancient texts of his country and scoured through them. Dating back years upon years, Cobra found out that long ago, shortly after the formation of the World Government, the 20 Rulers laid their weapons in front of the Empty Throne to signify their equality. They also did this to show that the world had no true ruler and that they were all equal.
The land of Arabasta, which is allied with the World Government, was also a part of the Founding 20, who were responsible for fighting against the Ancient Kingdom and establishing the World Government. The vast majority of the families decided to move to Marijoa and live their lives as Celestial Dragons. They went on to assign new royal families for their Kingdoms and had their records erased so as to ensure a smooth transition in power. However, there was one monarch who did not want to become a Celestial Dragon and instead, returned to their country to continue their duty to the people. This person was none other than Queen Lily, the Queen of Arabasta at the time.
Lily decided that her country needed her and instead of taking up the role of a Celestial Dragon, she descended from Marijoa back to her land. However, after this point, all records of Lily's rule disappear. Instead, it was revealed that her brother took up the position of the monarch of Arabasta instead. This led Cobra to the conclusion that Queen Lily faced an accident on her way back home. The reason why he demanded an audience with the Five Elders was precisely this. He wanted to know what happened to Queen Lily long ago. Sadly, the Five Elders feigned ignorance and didn't give him any answers.
The Reason For Cobra's Assassination
Cobra then went on to ask the Five Elders about the people of the D. According to him, Queen Lily had penned down a letter that is passed within the royal family of Arabasta from one generation to another. This letter has something to do with the people of the D and, thus, Cobra was curious about it. This question, obviously, shocked the Five Elders and ensured that he incurred their wrath. Much to the surprise of Cobra, Imu, the sovereign of the world entered the fray and showed themselves in front of him. Imu sat upon the throne and mentioned Queen Lily's name, which indicates that they know what happened to her.
Fans were previously confused as to why King Cobra was targeted by the Five Elders. However, with all these revelations, it is quite easy to see why he was assassinated. The very first reason is that the Nefertari Family is considered to be a traitor by the Five Elders as they did not become Celestial Dragons 800 years ago when the World Government was formed. The second reason is that King Cobra knows way too much about the past pertaining to Queen Lily and her mysterious demise. What's more, he is curious about the forbidden information related to the people of the D. This information is enough to get a country wiped out from the face of the earth and, as such, it only gave the Five Elders the fuel that they needed to kill him off.
The biggest reason of all, however, is the fact that King Cobra saw Imu, the sovereign of the world. No person who knows about the identity of Imu can live and, the moment Imu showed themselves before Cobra, his death was essentially signed. Cobra isn't dead just yet, and he will likely die after Imu reveals the truth about Queen Lily to him. Sabo will instead be framed for his murder and the sparks of rebellion will spread even further. While Cobra is dead, his death will only lead to the downfall of the World Government and, thus, it won't be in vain.