It had to be said—Balleka's nose, thanks to his jackal ability, was incredibly sharp.
Valthior and the others hadn't even finished their drinks when Cobra and Balleka pushed the door open and entered.
"Hm?" Roger paused mid-drink when he saw them, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
After scanning the room, Cobra quickly spotted Valthior and the others. Yet instead of approaching them directly, he made his way to the tavern owner.
Moments later, the owner announced that the establishment was closing early, declaring that all drinks were on the house before ushering the patrons out.
Though the customers grumbled in dissatisfaction, none were foolish enough to protest too strongly. Muttering under their breath, they soon dispersed.
The tavern owner himself slipped out through the back door, clearly having no intention of lingering to witness whatever was about to unfold.
"Booking the whole place to treat us to drinks, Prince Cobra?" Valthior teased with a smile.
Cobra, however, walked over with a serious expression and said:
"I've already reported today's events to my father. He asked me to deliver 5 billion Berries in bank notes. These can be withdrawn at any World Bank branch on any island."
As he spoke, he handed the notes to Valthior.
Perhaps it was because of that strange first encounter—when he had seen Valthior lounging leisurely with a drink while Roger and the others toiled away digging in the sand—or perhaps it was because he had learned of Valthior's identity as a former Celestial Dragon, combined with the unusually relaxed atmosphere aboard the Roger Pirates, where even the captain seemed to carry little authority in the traditional sense…
Whatever the reason, Cobra instinctively treated Valthior as the one in charge.
Valthior, for his part, found the situation rather amusing. Without even glancing at the bank notes, he casually tossed them to Roger. "Take care of these. Consider it Prince Cobra's goodwill."
Roger, being entirely unbothered by being treated like an underling, accepted them with a broad grin.
"You really are something," he said cheerfully. "A few words from you, and someone just hands over 5 billion. I've been a pirate for years, and this is the first time I've experienced something like this."
In the past, it had always been kidnapping for ransom—or simply taking what they wanted by force. Never anything so… civilized.
Perhaps, after all, even pirates needed a bit of culture.
"You didn't come all this way just to deliver money, did you?" Valthior asked.
"Of course not." Cobra shook his head, then took out a copy of the letter and handed it over.
"As you said, our Nefertari family has passed down a letter left by Queen Lily. But it's written in ancient script, and my father doesn't know what it means.
"He thinks it might help you in your search for the truth, so he had me make a copy and bring it to you."
As a scholar, Valthior was immediately intrigued. His eyes lit up as he accepted the letter.
"Please convey my thanks to King Vadiye. This is indeed very important to us."
Cobra nodded, then couldn't help asking:
"Can you read it now?"
"Curious about its contents?" Valthior asked with a smile.
"Of course I am. It's a letter from my ancestor," Cobra replied without hesitation.
The others also looked at Valthior expectantly.
Seeing this, Valthior didn't delay. He opened the letter and began reading.
Aside from the signature at the end, the entire letter was indeed written in ancient script. This puzzled him slightly—because in the original story, Cobra had recited part of its contents before his death.
Which was strange.
Did the Nefertari family also have the ability to read ancient text? That didn't seem likely…
But he quickly dismissed the thought—it wasn't worth dwelling on.
Focusing again, Valthior began reading aloud:
"Brother, by the time you receive this letter, I will no longer be able to return. A great darkness has enveloped us, and many have been consumed by it. But fortunately, the 'sunlight' reached me, allowing me to temporarily break free from its control.
Imu—that bastard—has betrayed us. In order to oppose the tyrant David, we spared no effort in borrowing every power available to us, including forming a contract with his abilities.
That contract granted us immense power and near-immortality—but it also planted the seeds of betrayal.
Only the blazing sun can dispel all darkness.
I was originally under Imu's control, tasked with collecting and destroying the Poneglyphs left behind by Joy Boy. But instead, I hid them across the world. One of them, I left within the royal tomb.
You must protect that Poneglyph at all costs. It records the location of Pluton.
Then wait in silence for the awakening of the Sun God. He and I have sealed the power to oppose the darkness within those ruins.
Whenever the Sea King awakens, the sun will cast down its light. When the blazing sun shines upon the seal, laughter will become the key—unlocking the seal that binds both him and me.
That will be the moment when the world raises the Flag of Dawn!"
...
This letter was clearly written by Queen Lily to her younger brother.
And obviously, that brother could read the ancient script.
Which meant… perhaps in the future, Cobra discovered something left behind by that brother and finally understood the contents?
As Valthior was thinking this over—
Roger smacked his lips and said, "Looks like not all of the Twenty Kings were blinded by greed. Some of them, like Queen Lily, probably fell into Imu's trap without realizing it…"
"The power of a contract…" Rayleigh muttered, recalling how Saint Somaz, whom he had cut in half, had later revived.
"Waiting for the awakening of the Sun God… Based on what we know, this Sun God should be Joy Boy, right? The so-called Warrior of Liberation?
"David Jones enslaved the land, and Joy Boy led his companions to free the world in laughter… but then darkness quickly swallowed that victory, the sea drowned everything, and the world became what it is now…"
Gaban stroked his chin. "Waiting for his awakening—does that mean he's dead? Or just sleeping?"
"The Sun God might not refer to a person," Shakky analyzed. "It could represent some kind of power. Queen Lily doesn't avoid mentioning Joy Boy, but she still uses 'Sun God' as a distinction. So I lean toward it being symbolic of a power."
"'He and I'—that 'he' should be Joy Boy," Roger muttered, confused. "They sealed the power to oppose darkness in some ruins… where are those ruins? Could it be Laugh Tale?
"But what does it mean—'when the Sea King awakens, the sun will cast down its light'? And laughter as the key?"
Valthior remained silent, carefully organizing his thoughts.
When the Sea King awakens, the sun casts its light…
A seal…
It felt like he was grasping something—but couldn't quite pin it down.
Could it be that only after the Sea King awakens will the Nika fruit appear? Is this some kind of seal set by Joy Boy and Queen Lily? Valthior wondered inwardly.
In the original story, Roger and his crew clearly never saw this letter.
When they reached Laugh Tale, they all laughed like idiots, tears streaming down their faces.
And then they left behind that cryptic line—
"We came too early."
Too early… what did that mean?
Could it be that, at the time, the Sea King had not yet been born? Without its awakening, the power of Nika could not manifest, and the seal of Laugh Tale could not be broken.
And Roger—already nearing the end of his life—had no choice but to entrust everything to the future, to the one who would inherit the will of that distant dawn.
...
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