Nefertari Cobra

Nefertari Cobra (ネフェルタリ・コブラ) is the twelfth king of Alabasta, Nefertari Titi's husband, and Nefertari Vivi's father.

Appearance
Cobra is a man of average height. He has a wrinkled face, a tied-off beard, and long, curly, black hair.

After the timeskip he grows a mustache, his beard has turned completely gray, and only half of his hair is still dark. His sideburns are gray but the upper half of the back and top are black.

Personality
Nefertari Cobra is a fair man, who cares for his kingdom and people even after their rebellion, knowing their misled coup was still only rooted in a desire to preserve the welfare of the Alabastan people. He is loyal to the line of Alabastan kings and the Dynasty, and was willing to face death to prevent Crocodile from seizing the throne. Yet, as a testament to his character, this loyalty to the monarchy is superceded by the compassion toward his subjects and he places their survival and welfare ahead of his own, even willing to allow the occupation and possible destruction of his capital city if it meant preventing the bloodshed of his people, seeing the lives of his citizens as the true heart of his kingdom.

Overall, he is objective, able to look ahead to the future and not make impulsive decisions. This is shown clearly when Kohza demands that he use Dance Powder to assuage the difficulties of the current drought, and Cobra explains that other countries need rain and hoarding it themselves is not a true solution. He still remains humble, and he even bowed before the Straw Hats in the bathhouse for helping his daughter, justifying it by saying that without his clothes, he does not have his status as a king, and is doing it as a father. In addition, he is charitable, paying to support the citizens of Kohza's village out of the royal family's living expenses without hesitation.

He also appears to have a mischievous side, telling the Straw Hats where the womens' baths were so they could peep at Nami and his daughter.

Abilities and Powers
As king, he has complete reign over Alabasta. He has yet to show any fighting abilities.

Execution of Gol D. Roger
After the infamous execution of Pirate King, Gol D. Roger at Logue Town, Cobra is seen reading over a newspaper of the events looking grave announcing a terrible age has begun. He was seen in the prescence of Igaram and Vivi's mother.

Past
Several years before the start of the story, Cobra is seen responding to a drought that struck Kohza's village. He was unable to send rain, but was able to allow the citizens to reside in Alubarna. Around this time, Vivi befriended Kohza, and during a kidnapping attempt made on Vivi, Cobra defeated the last remaining kidnapper before Chaka and Pell could arrive. He had Kohza treated for the injury over his eye, and asked if he loved the country, to which Kohza replied that he did. Igaram, hearing that Vivi was more concerned about the possibility of her new friends sacrificing themselves for her than what might happen to her, was concerned that Vivi was too kind-hearted for a ruler, but Cobra insisted the situation was fine.

Six years before the start of the story, Cobra was at a meeting of the Council of Kings to discuss Monkey D. Dragon's threat to the stability of the world. When Wapol brushed it off, saying that it did not concern him, Cobra berated him for his irresponsible attitude. Wapol attempted to provoke a war by bumping into Vivi, but the plan failed when Vivi, knowing the situation's implications, did not get upset as he had hoped.

Three years before the start of the story, a drought spread throughout the kingdom, and due to Baroque Works' schemes, Alabasta's citizens began to believe that Cobra had hoarded Dance Powder in Alubarna. About a year after the start of the drought, Kohza confronted the king and demanded that he use Dance Powder to save Yuba, but Cobra refused, stating that other towns needed their help. Kohza then vowed to take back the rain by force. At some point around this time, Vivi left with Igaram to infiltrate Baroque Works, which, unbeknownst to Cobra and the rest of Alabasta, were manipulating the situation to start a rebellion.

The Civil War
Cobra is first seen expressing his gratitude for Crocodile defeating some pirates that tried to raid Nanohana, not knowing of Crocodile's true nature. Soon afterwards, Vivi sent a letter to him, revealing the truth about the rebellion. Cobra made the decision to send Pell to Erumalu and Chaka to set up the Royal Army in order to protect it from Baroque Works and Rebel Army.

However, Cobra was soon kidnapped by Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas, and Mr. 2 Bon Kurei went to Nanohana disguised as him, falsely confessing to using Dance Powder and ordering the town destroyed in order to incite the rebellion to attack. Crocodile had Cobra brought to him and demanded to know the location of Pluton. Crocodile had Cobra lead Miss All Sunday to the Alabasta Poneglyph to gather information about Pluton. He displayed visible surprise when she deciphered the Poneglyph's message as mere historical records of Alabasta. When Luffy arrived there and fought against Crocodile one last time, Cobra witnessed the battle, and was amazed by Luffy's finishing attack that punched Crocodile through bedrock.

After the battle, Robin handed him the antidote to Crocodile's venom, which he gave to Luffy, telling her that he knew that contrary to what she had told Crocodile, the Poneglyph truly revealed the location of the weapon. He was surprised to hear about the "True History" that Robin had been searching for. Luffy then stood up and managed to carry him and Robin out of the tomb, but lost consciousness shortly after escaping, requiring Cobra to carry him the rest of the way. Cobra's innocence is proven when Kappa, having regained consciousness and the ability to speak, reveals that the King seen in Nanohana was an impostor. After Kohza said that what he and the rebels had done was unforgivable, Cobra replied that the nation had lost much but gained nothing from the conflict, and now had to move forward and unite.

Aftermath
Cobra allowed the Straw Hats to stay at the palace while they recovered from their injuries, and had a great feast to celebrate their victory. Cobra had intended for it to be a quiet feast, but knew that with the Straw Hats, it would turn into a party. They then went to the palace baths, and Cobra showed Sanji where Vivi and Nami were bathing, before he and the others were overwhelmed by Nami's "Happiness Punch". Cobra then thanked the Straw Hats for helping Vivi, as her father rather than as a king.

The next morning, Cobra tries to peek in on Vivi dressing, but Terracotta repels him, giving him a lump on the head in the process. After Vivi is dressed, Cobra notes that his daughter looks like her mother, and Vivi tells him and Igaram that she has something important to tell them (possibly related to her plan to bid the Straw Hats goodbye), calling him "Father" instead of "Papa". After Vivi's speech, in which Igaram serves as a stand-in, Cobra regretfully notes that it is hard for a father to no longer be called "Papa" by his daughter.

After the events of the Enies Lobby arc, Cobra is surprised to see Nico Robin as part of the Straw Hat crew, noting that she is "unpredictable," and to see Vivi not surprised by the revelation.

Post-War Arc
Weeks after the events of the Whitebeard War, Cobra has been informed by Chaka and Pell that a group of pirates have been driven out of the country without much damage. Cobra then wished that all the pirates in the world could be like the Straw Hats. He also read a newspaper article concerning Luffy.

Two years later
Cobra is shown to be bed ridden and reading a newspaper. Vivi brought him some flowers and groceries and placed them in his room.

Translation and Dub Issues
His name was changed to Nebra in the 4Kids version of the anime, although the name "Cobra" could still sometimes be seen in closed captioning. Some fans speculate that this is a case of censorship, or it could relate to Cobra from G.I. Joe: Sigma 6, another one of 4Kids' properties. In the English manga and eighth movie, his name remains as Cobra, but like Vivi, his family name is spelled "Nefeltari".

Trivia

 * His name and title are a pun on the animal, King Cobra.
 * The stylized, upright form of an Egyptian cobra (asp, serpent, or snake), is used as a symbol called a "uraeus" (meaning "rearing cobra") that represents sovereignty, royalty, deity, and divine authority in ancient Egypt, the country Alabasta is based on.

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娜菲魯塔莉·寇布拉