Alubarna Royal Palace, banquet hall.
The banquet was clearly important.
To welcome the guest from Marine Headquarters, King Cobra gathered almost all the nobles and key ministers still in the royal capital. Inside the bright hall, candles flickered, musicians played a desert melody, and dancers in colorful clothes danced in the center.
However, as the main guest of the banquet, Aiden felt a bit stressed.
To show his respect for Aiden, Cobra did not seat him in the lower guest area according to normal etiquette. Instead, he had someone place a large chair with a gold-threaded cushion right next to his own throne.
They were close enough that Aiden could not avoid Cobra's constant toasts.
"Rear Admiral Aiden, come, let me offer you another toast!"
On the main seat, King Cobra's face was red from drinking. He turned his body and raised his wine glass again.
"You are too kind, King Cobra."
Aiden raised his glass in return and drank the wine in one gulp.
It would have been fine if it was just a simple toast. The problem was that the king's questions always made him feel something was off.
And because they were sitting so close, it felt less like a royal banquet and more like being watched by an overly worried elder.
"Speaking of which, why haven't I seen the Queen?"
To change the subject, Aiden asked casually.
Cobra smiled when he mentioned her.
"Titi has not been feeling well lately. She is pregnant, and the doctor told her to rest quietly. It is not good for her to come out into the cold air. Normally, she would really want to meet Rear Admiral Aiden, the Reaper."
"I see. Congratulations, King Cobra."
Aiden nodded.
Calculating the time, Princess Vivi was born around this period. It made sense for Titi to be pregnant right now.
"Thank you."
Cobra smiled and nodded. Then he changed the subject and looked at Aiden's face again.
"Speaking of which, I am about to become a father too. Seeing that Rear Admiral Aiden has achieved so much at such a young age, I was thinking that if my child could have half of your success in the future, I would be completely satisfied."
Cobra put down his wine glass. He tried to sound casual, but the question came too quickly.
"Even though you mentioned before that you are an orphan, do you really have no memory of your family at all? Not even a tiny, blurry memory? Or... did the Marine who adopted you leave you any special belongings?"
"Well..."
Aiden paused slightly as he picked up some food.
He had reincarnated into this body. His memories of the original owner were not completely whole, especially regarding that already blurry childhood. The original owner seemed to have lived as an orphan for as long as he could remember.
"To tell you the truth."
Aiden put down his chopsticks.
"I grew up in Loguetown. I was adopted by a local old Marine. As for who my real parents are, I do not know. The old soldier who adopted me said my parents were just normal people killed by pirates. There were no special items left behind, and no complicated background."
"Normal people..."
Cobra nodded and thought over those words. Then he changed the subject and threw out a much trickier question.
"Then... do you know whether you had a family name?"
On this sea, many commoners did not have an official surname. Some only had a first name.
The newspapers only called him Aiden, Rear Admiral Aiden, Reaper Aiden, or Rear Admiral Aiden, the Reaper.
That was why Cobra had to ask directly.
"Was Aiden the only name you were given, or do you simply not know your family name?""
Aiden paused.
"As far as I know, Aiden is the only name I have."
Cobra held his wine glass without drinking.
"No family name at all?"
"No one ever told me one," Aiden answered. "If I had one, I don't know it."
Cobra stayed quiet for a moment.
Then he asked again.
"Then let me ask it another way. Have you ever heard the name 'Nefertari' from your parents, from the Marine who raised you, or from anyone connected to your past?"
"Huh?"
Aiden looked confused. He almost dropped the wine glass in his hand.
This string of questions gave him a headache.
Aiden rubbed his brow.
This was supposed to be a banquet, but Cobra kept asking about his past.
"King Cobra, I really am just a normal Marine."
Aiden put down his wine glass and rubbed his brow.
"I haven't studied history, and I haven't had any weird dreams. As for your surname... what impression could a normal person like me have? Only respect."
"I see..."
Cobra did not seem disappointed by this answer.
To Cobra, that answer only made him more suspicious.
"It is fine, it is fine. For some things, maybe the time is not right yet."
Cobra patted Aiden's shoulder again, too warmly for comfort.
"While you are here, treat this place like your own home. If you need anything, just tell Igaram. Do not be polite."
Aiden stared at him.
Did this king misunderstand something? Why did it feel like he was looking at him as if he were an illegitimate child who had been lost outside for years?
This strange banquet lasted deep into the night.
Until Aiden really could not stand the way Cobra kept looking at him anymore. He used the excuse of drinking too much and was respectfully led by a servant to rest in the best guest room in the palace.
"Phew... it's finally over."
Aiden unbuttoned his collar. He threw himself onto the soft, large bed and let out a long breath.
Tonight's banquet was honestly more tiring than fighting the Golden Lion.
...
Meanwhile.
King Cobra walked out of the side door of the banquet hall by himself.
Although he had drunk a lot of wine, he looked completely sober.
"King Cobra..."
Queen Titi, who had been waiting for a long time, walked over and held her husband's arm.
"You lost your composure a bit tonight. Although the Rear Admiral is indeed a powerful guest and an honored guest from Headquarters, wasn't your attitude towards him... a little too attentive?"
Even when dealing with envoys from the World Government, Cobra had never been this enthusiastic. He had even tested the other party's family background several times during the banquet. That was truly bad manners.
"You do not understand, Titi."
Cobra gently patted his wife's hand and shook his head. He looked toward the hallway where Aiden had left.
"That young man is probably connected to an old friend of our ancestor."
"Huh?" Titi froze.
"Go rest first. You do not need to wait for me."
Cobra did not explain further. Instead, he let go of his wife's hand and turned to walk deeper into the palace.
"I need to go confirm something."
...
Underneath the Alubarna Royal Palace.
This was the most sacred forbidden area of the Nefertari family. It held the memorial tablets of past kings, along with some of the kingdom's oldest secrets.
The heavy stone door slowly opened with the sound of mechanisms. A stale, dry smell came out.
Cobra did not bring any servants. He did not even light the torches on both sides of the passage. He only held a dim candle stand and walked alone through the dark corridor.
His footsteps echoed through the empty space.
After passing through the corridor that honored the past kings, Cobra arrived at a secret room at the very back.
The room was not bright and golden like the palace above. It looked more like an old library covered in dust.
Rows of old black bookshelves lined the walls. They were filled with yellowing parchment scrolls, stone rubbings, and ancient books. These were the records the Nefertari family had passed down for thousands of years. They even held clues about the Ancient Weapon Pluton.
This was a strictly forbidden area. Except for the kings of each generation, no one had the right to step inside.
Because of that, every time this place was cleaned and organized, the king had to do it personally to show respect to the ancestors and history.
Cobra held the candle stand and walked straight to an ordinary bookshelf in the corner.
He searched the bookshelf and finally stopped on a plain-looking parchment diary.
That was the only item left behind by the Nefertari family's ancestor from 800 years ago: Queen Nefertari D. Lily.
Cobra's fingers brushed over the diary's rough cover.
He remembered what had happened more than ten years ago.
He was still young back then. The first time his father brought him here for the cleaning ritual required of heirs, he accidentally bumped into this shelf.
Thud.
This diary fell from the bookshelf. A hand-drawn sketch slipped out from between the pages and landed near his feet.
He remembered it very clearly. The drawing was the side profile of a young man.
Even though it was just simple charcoal lines, the person who drew it had clearly been careful with every stroke.
That man was sitting on high ground, looking into the distance. His black hair was messy, and there was something strange about the way he looked ahead.
At that time, Cobra only thought the person in the drawing was a bit too handsome. He then looked through the entire family tree but could not find this person's name.
He clearly remembered that in the family's historical records, Queen Lily stayed unmarried all her life and left no children. The throne was eventually passed down to her younger brother, who was the true direct ancestor of the Nefertari family.
Then who exactly was this man that Queen Lily had hidden safely inside the pages of her diary?
He assumed it was the man Queen Lily had loved in secret. He did not dare to look too much. He quickly put it back and kept the matter to himself.
Until today.
When he saw that young Marine Rear Admiral standing in the shadows at the door of the main hall.
The face from the sketch came back to him at once.
"Too similar..."
Cobra muttered to himself. With shaking hands, he took down that diary and flipped to that spot again.
That folded sketch still lay there quietly.
He unfolded the paper. Under the dim candlelight, he stared at the face of the man in the drawing.
His grip tightened on the paper.
Whether it was the shape of his facial features or the way he held himself, they were far too similar.
"How is this possible..."
Cobra's hands were shaking.
How could a person living in an ancestor's drawing from 800 years ago appear today? And he even became a Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters?
Cobra turned the paper over and looked at the back.
There was a line of small, elegant handwriting there. It was a final message written by Queen Lily herself.
"If one day... please be sure to take my place... and protect..."
Further down, because this was not written on special parchment that could last a thousand years, but just on normal paper, the writing had become very blurry with age.
Cobra moved the candle stand closer. He tried hard to read the ink that was almost gone. He could only barely make out scattered fragments.
"That guy who always says weird things... does not belong here..."
"He is the only... in this sea..."
Cobra closed the diary and went still.
"Aiden must be the direct descendant of that mysterious old friend of our ancestor."
Even though Queen Lily did not leave specific identity details, the words carried trust, and something more personal.
And that face was too similar to be a coincidence.
"It is probably also because of some reason she could not fight that my ancestor separated from this old friend, and even stayed unmarried all her life because of it."
Cobra looked at the drawing in his hands.
This was a story that had been hidden for 800 years.
"Rest assured, Ancestor."
Cobra carefully placed the drawing back into the diary and returned it to its spot. Then he bowed deeply toward the bookshelf.
"Since I have found this person's descendant, the Nefertari family will surely honor the ancient alliance."
"No matter if he is a Marine or something else, as long as he is alive, I, Cobra, will protect him, even if it costs my life!"
...
The next morning.
Nanohana Port.
A large royal ship flying the flag of the Alabasta royal family was fully prepared to set off.
Aiden stood on the deck, facing the morning sea breeze. He looked at the group boarding the ship below.
King Cobra slowly walked up the gangway, accompanied by Igaram. Right behind them were the two guardian warriors, Pell and Chaka, who were fully armed and following as personal guards.
When Cobra saw Aiden standing at the bow, he smiled at once.
"Rear Admiral Aiden!"
Cobra walked forward quickly. He was even friendlier than yesterday.
He looked at Aiden as if he were worried about whether he had eaten breakfast.
"Did you rest well last night?"
Cobra walked up to Aiden. He even wanted to reach out and help him adjust his collar, but he seemed to realize that would be too sudden. He pulled his hand back halfway and rubbed his hands together.
"Um... if you do not mind, I will not call you Rear Admiral in private. It feels too distant. I will take the liberty of calling you directly by your name... Aiden, is that okay?"
"Cough!"
Aiden almost choked on his saliva. He got goosebumps all over his body.
Had this old man lost his mind?
He was just polite yesterday. Why was he suddenly so overly familiar today? And the way he was talking to him... it sounded exactly like he was calling his own family.
"King Cobra."
Aiden took a step back to create a little distance.
"You can call me whatever you want, but the way you're talking to me... it really sounds a little weird."
"Okay, okay! Whatever you say! Whatever you say!"
Cobra was not angry. He continued smiling at Aiden.
The way Cobra smiled made Aiden take another half-step back.
With a long whistle, the huge royal ship slowly sailed out of the port. It cut through the waves and headed toward the center of the world.
Aiden stood at the back of the ship. He looked at the fading Alabasta coastline, then looked at the king who was holding onto Igaram and whispering something excitedly. He shook his head.
Even though he did not know what this old man had imagined in his head, as long as it did not affect the mission, he would let him be.
Anyway, this journey had just begun.
To Be Continued
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