"That's right! It's me! I've been waiting for this day... the day you all would arrive!"
Saint Miosgard nodded with a solemn expression, remaining on his knees as he continued, "The late Queen Otohime guided me and allowed me to become a proper human being! So, no matter what, I must repay that kindness!"
He then offered King Neptune a reassuring promise.
"During the seven days of the conference, I will stay by Princess Shirahoshi's side. If I can be of help to others, I am more than willing to utilize my status as a Celestial Dragon."
"There are good people and bad people; the same is true for the Fish-Men... Thanks to you, Miosgard, I don't have to despair of the World Government."
Fish-Man Island had put so much effort into the goal of moving to the surface to live. King Neptune felt he couldn't act purely on impulse.
After calming down, he did not immediately take Shirahoshi and the others back to the depths of the ocean as he had threatened moments ago. Instead, he chose once again to place his trust in the World Government.
Well, how should one put it... though it was naive enough to be laughable, it was indeed the choice he would make.
Although Jinbe and the others seemed to have some differing opinions, they likely hesitated to speak out of respect for Saint Miosgard, remaining silent after a long moment of internal conflict.
Sherwin, whose original intention was to make King Neptune give up hope, wasn't in a hurry either. In the original story, Saint Charlos hadn't given up on capturing Shirahoshi even after being beaten into a pulp; now that he was unscathed, Sherwin believed even less that the man would give up.
Even if Charlos didn't cause any more trouble due to the Holy Knights or some other reason, Sherwin still didn't think it was a big deal.
Celestial Dragons like Saint Miosgard were likely one of a kind now. Even counting the deceased, there were only Homing and his wife, and Rosinante.
Therefore, it was only a matter of time before the Fish-Men became disillusioned with the World Government.
To put it another way, even if everything went smoothly and Fish-Man Island successfully moved to the surface, Sherwin would be equally happy to see it.
If they didn't fall out, then so be it; it would be good for Shirahoshi to fulfill her mother's dying wish sooner.
As for the future, with Shirahoshi's identity as "Poseidon," clashing with the World Government—or rather, Imu—was inevitable. They could just consider how to deal with it when the time came.
"So you are... the 'Hunter' Sherwin..."
After a brief exchange with King Neptune, Saint Miosgard stood up and approached Sherwin, his gaze filled with complexity.
Although Doflamingo's branch had left Mary Geoise thirty years ago, he did, after all, still carry the name Donquixote.
Furthermore, Saint Miosgard's feelings toward Doflamingo's parents were deeply complicated; back when he first heard that Homing's family had renounced their status as Celestial Dragons, he had even mocked them.
However, after being influenced by Queen Otohime, Saint Miosgard now understood Homing's perspective.
He had even entertained similar thoughts himself, but with the tragic precedent of Homing's family standing as a warning, Miosgard had not followed in their footsteps, even though he inwardly admired his kinsman.
Sherwin could guess a bit of what was on Saint Miosgard's mind, but now was not the time to discuss such things. He simply gave a casual nod as a greeting.
Saint Miosgard did not dwell on the matter either, continuing, "If Charlos dares to make another move later, you may go ahead and strike. With me here, even... even if you move against him... there will be no problem! You... you aren't afraid of their retaliation, are you?"
He added that last part as a bit of a probe.
"I'm fine, of course," Sherwin shrugged. "But what about you? Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble with those 'Holy Knights' or whatever they're called?"
"...That is for me to worry about. As long as you have the nerve to act, that is enough."
Saint Musgard did not answer Sherwin's question directly. It was unclear whether he was prepared to sacrifice his life or if he believed the Holy Knights would not execute him over such a small matter.
Well, if a conflict truly breaks out later, I'll take the opportunity to save him if I can.
It's rare to find a sane Celestial Dragon. Even if he most likely loses his status after this, he has lived in Mary Geoise for so many years and surely knows many internal secrets of the Celestial Dragons... I imagine Dragon would be interested in him.
...
"Mr. Sherwin, could we speak privately?"
After the conversation with Saint Musgard ended, King Cobra immediately approached and extended a low-voiced invitation.
Since there was nothing else to do for the moment, Sherwin naturally did not refuse.
"Anyway, you guys stay here with Shirahoshi and Vivi," Sherwin said after a moment of thought, addressing Klee Meow and Shermie Meow on his shoulders.
In his memory, aside from Shirahoshi being targeted by Saint Charlos, Princess Vivi would also be targeted by Imu and then secretly captured by CP0.
Although he wasn't sure why nothing happened during her childhood visit to the Reverie, Sherwin felt it was better to be cautious.
Leaving the Felynes and Baby-5 in the plaza, Sherwin followed King Cobra to a room specifically reserved for the Alabasta Kingdom's members. Pell and Chaka, as usual, stood guard outside the door.
"After Nico Robin read the Poneglyph of the Alabasta Kingdom, I also developed some interest in exploring our country's history. So, I specifically went to look through the ancient books kept by the royal family..."
King Cobra got straight to the point: "However, I discovered some things within them that differ from what has been passed down."
"Where should I begin..." After a moment of deliberation, he continued,
"Eight hundred years ago, twenty kings united to create the World Government.
They are known as the 'First Twenty,' and one of them was our Nefertari ancestor, Queen Lily.
Only, she did not choose to stay in Mary Geoise and become a Celestial Dragon, but instead returned to the Alabasta Kingdom."
Sherwin actually knew most of these things, but he politely did not interrupt King Cobra. At the same time, he guessed what the other party wanted to say to him, though Sherwin couldn't quite understand why he was choosing to disclose this now.
"However, after reading through all the existing ancient books in our country, I found no records regarding Queen Lily.
In reality, she did not return to the Alabasta Kingdom as the legends suggest; instead, it was Queen Lily's younger brother who ruled Alabasta afterward."
"Furthermore, our Nefertari family has a note passed down through generations left by Queen Lily, but the signature on it is Nefertari D. Lily."
After a pause, King Cobra finally revealed the reason why he had told Sherwin so much: "After the meeting ends, please ask Nico Robin for me if she has seen this name in other ancient texts or Poneglyphs, and... what exactly is 'D'?"
"So that's what you intended to ask..."
Sherwin crossed his arms, putting on the air of an expert. "I'm not too clear on the name Nefertari D. Lily, but as for 'D', I do know a thing or two."
It was time to use his knowledge of the original manga to show off again!
"In the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, 'D' represents the 'Enemy of the Gods' and is a target that must be eliminated.
Yet, in the eyes of those who wish to overthrow the World Government, 'D' represents hope...
Dragon of the Revolutionary Army, the archaeologist of Ohara and Robin's teacher Professor Clover, and the Pirate King Roger—all of these people have a 'D' in their names."
After giving King Cobra a small shock regarding the Will of D, Sherwin added: "However, it's not strictly enforced these days. After all, Garp has a 'D' in his middle name as well, and the World Government hasn't gone out of its way to deal with him."
"But..." Sherwin shifted the conversation once more.
"It's better if the World Government doesn't know the true names of the Alabasta Royal Family... I'm not entirely sure what the situation was with your ancestor, Queen Lili, but since she chose not to become a Celestial Dragon, and even went as far as changing her surname and hiding the existence of 'D,' there must have been a reason for it."
Just as King Cobra began telling Sherwin about Queen Lili, Sherwin's memories regarding this matter were gradually awakened.
In the original story, King Cobra was killed precisely because he foolishly went to the Five Elders to inquire about Queen Lili.
Heaven only knows if he currently harbors the same intentions, so Sherwin felt it was best to give him a warning.
"...You are right. It is indeed better to be cautious regarding such matters."
A look of lingering fear appeared on King Cobra's face as he nodded in agreement.
So you really were planning to have a showdown with the Five Elders, weren't you?
Sherwin rolled his eyes, speechless.
The convergence of worldlines is truly something one can't be too careful about. It was fortunate that King Cobra had come to find him first and successfully jogged his memory; otherwise, the King might have passed away several years earlier than in the original timeline.