Inside the Royal Palace of Alubarna, within the King's study.
Under the bright illumination of the lamps, Cobra was rapidly reviewing and approving the thick stack of documents on his desk.
With the defeat of the culprit, Crocodile, the rebellion in Alabasta had naturally come to an end. Although the Royal Army and the Rebel Army hadn't erupted into full-scale warfare thanks to Sherlock's influence, the years of drought and conflict had still inflicted wounds upon this not-so-wealthy great nation that would be difficult to heal.
Therefore, even with his arm still injured, the wise King Cobra had already begun his work.
Meanwhile, his precious daughter, Vivi, sat on a chair nearby, softly recounting her experiences from the past two years outside the kingdom.
After being separated for two long years, the father and daughter surely had endless things to say to one another.
Joining Baroque Works, using the alias Miss Wednesday, becoming a bounty hunter, investigating the mastermind behind the scenes, encountering the Straw Hat Pirates inside Laboon's stomach, the conflict at Whisky Peak, the giants and the Starving Wolf Pirates at Little Garden, the cherry blossoms of Drum Island, Sherlock's plans, the open conspiracies and hidden schemes, and the final decisive battle in Alubarna...
Finishing the approval of a document in his hand, Cobra let out a long sigh of relief. He looked toward the blue-haired young girl sitting not far away and smiled with a face full of kindness.
"It seems you really met a group of very reliable companions, Vivi."
"Yes." Thinking of the joyous times she had spent on that small ship over these past days, the corners of Princess Vivi's mouth curved into a charming arc.
"Luffy and the others are a bunch of very interesting, yet extremely reliable people."
Cobra pondered for a moment, recalling the words Pell had said to him earlier. He then asked his precious daughter:
"By the way, Vivi, was that plan targeting Crocodile really all orchestrated by that man, Sherlock?"
Compared to the Straw Hat boy who had punched Crocodile flying right in front of him, Cobra was somewhat more interested in the 'Sorcerer' who had relied on intellect to prevent the war from breaking out.
"Yes." The blue-haired girl nodded. "It was all Mr. Glasses' plan. At first, I harbored some doubts, but I never expected things to actually develop exactly as he planned."
"If he hadn't been there, I don't know how many people would have died in this meaningless war."
Speaking of this, Vivi's eyes grew somewhat unfocused, her gaze becoming misty as if obscured by vapor. "I really don't know how to thank him."
"Indeed. Although they are pirates, they are all great heroes who saved this country!"
Nodding in agreement, Cobra inadvertently noticed the change in his daughter's expression. That look, unique to a maiden in the spring of her youth, suddenly sparked a very subtle thought in the heart of this father.
(Wait! Why is it that whenever Sherlock is mentioned, Vivi's expression becomes... No, it can't be!)
Cobra's heart sank. He looked over his precious daughter, who had already grown into a graceful and elegant young woman, once more.
The sixteen-year-old blue-haired girl was like a delicate flower ready to bloom, pure and full of vitality. He believed that in a few more years, once she had completely shed her naivety, her blossoming beauty would absolutely captivate the entire country!
"Vivi, what kind of person do you think Sherlock is?" Seemingly out of nowhere, Cobra asked a question that appeared irrelevant.
"Eh? Mr. Glasses?" Vivi blinked her beautiful big eyes in surprise at the question. She then extended a scallion-white finger and placed it against her lips. After thinking for a moment, she answered:
"He is very reliable. I don't know why, but being around him always feels very safe."
"He always puts on a calm and indifferent front, as if he doesn't care about anything, but he is actually a person who is very gentle on the inside."
"He places great importance on etiquette, maintaining elegance and composure at all times."
"..."
In front of her father, Princess Vivi voiced her inner thoughts about Sherlock without any reservation. She spoke incessantly, her face filled with a tenderness like water, not noticing in the slightest that with every word she spoke, her father's expression became increasingly peculiar.
No one knows a daughter like her father. If Cobra couldn't see through his daughter's thoughts at this point, then he would be utterly incompetent as a dad.
(Titi, our daughter has grown up. She looks more and more like you...)
(...And, she has someone she likes now.)
Cobra's mood at this moment could be described as extremely complex. There was the joy of his daughter growing up, but also an inexplicable sense of loss.
Looking at the genuine smile on Vivi's face, the wise ruler of the nation sighed softly and silently made a decision in his heart.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Palace.
Sherlock sat at the dining table, knife and fork in hand, methodically handling the roast meat on his plate. His gestures were so filled with elegance and nobility that they could simply be written into a textbook on aristocratic etiquette.
Although his companions were also dining, their gazes frequently glanced toward the Sorcerer's head, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Being watched intermittently by so many gazes, even with Sherlock's excellent self-restraint, he couldn't endure it anymore. He gently put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said somewhat impatiently:
"Can you not just eat your food properly?"
"But, Sherlock..." Nami, sitting next to the Sorcerer, pointed a finger at his head and asked in confusion, "Why did your hair suddenly turn like that?"
Originally, Sherlock's physical characteristics were black hair, black eyes, and silver-rimmed glasses.
But now, amidst Sherlock's thick, raven-black hair, a small lock had actually turned white. This strand of silver hair was hidden within the black; if one didn't look carefully, they really wouldn't spot it. However, once you noticed it, it felt incredibly conspicuous.
This whiteness wasn't the lifeless pallor of an elderly person's white hair, but rather a grayish, lustrous silver-white. Although it was just a small lock, under the illumination of the light, it reflected a mysterious sheen and was quite beautiful.
"It's just a lock of hair that changed color, isn't it? I'm not prematurely aging, so what is there to make a fuss about?" Sherlock lifted his teacup and took a sip. Judging by his tone, the Sorcerer didn't seem to care about the change in his hair color.
Bam! Usopp slammed the dining table hard, attracting everyone's attention.
"Don't underestimate hair changing color! Sherlock!" The long-nosed brother narrowed his eyes slightly, forcing a tall tale upon Sherlock with a strange tone:
"Thinking back to when Captain Usopp contracted the 'Can't-Get-On-The-Island' disease, my hair also started changing color like that!"
"Eh! Really?!"
The innocent little reindeer jumped up from his chair upon hearing this, his furry face filled with terror.
"Sherlock! Have you also caught the 'Can't-Get-On-The-Island' disease???"
It seemed that for the time being, Chopper's habit of believing whatever he heard couldn't be fixed.
"Idiot..." Zoro shook his head with extreme helplessness and raised his wine glass. "You are the doctor. Shouldn't you be the one who knows best whether Sherlock is sick or not?"
"Besides, aren't we already on the island right now? I remember Vivi saying that the island this country is located on is called Sandy Island."
After saying this, the green-haired swordsman began to guzzle his wine with his head tilted back. It appeared he was very satisfied with the taste of the tribute wine in the palace.
"Uh, that's true." Chopper suddenly realized, then laughed sheepishly.
"Sickness?" The navigator, Miss Nami, seemed to recall something, and her slender eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Sherlock, the reason your hair changed color couldn't be a new side effect produced after you took the Insamona, could it..."
As Nami spoke, she looked at Sherlock's hair again and said somewhat uncertainly, "If you eat it a few more times in the future, I estimate all your hair will turn silver-white."
"Just like your sister."
Nami's memory was quite good. Even though Sherlock had only briefly mentioned his sister back in Nanohana, she still remembered it fresh in her mind.
"..." Sherlock's breathing hitched for no reason. Behind the lenses, his black eyes flickered, and the hand holding the teacup froze as if a stunning spell had been cast on him.
Hearing Nami's words, the others nodded in deep agreement.
"Sister? That's right, Sherlock! Didn't you say back then that your beautiful sister's hair was silver-white?" The curly-browed cook, suddenly becoming inexplicably excited, extinguished his cigarette butt and laughed:
"But regardless of whether you have silver hair or black hair, it's much better than green hair."
Saying this, Sanji raised his curly eyebrow, his uncovered right eye glancing discreetly at a certain moss-head who was getting shot while lying down.
"After all, moss-heads and the like are the ugliest..."
Zoro, who was drinking silently, heard this. With his face covered in black lines, he slammed his wine glass heavily onto the table, then stood up and walked murderously toward a certain lovestruck cook.
"I can't pretend I didn't hear that, you lecherous kappa!"
"Oh?" Sanji stood up as well, not showing any weakness, tit-for-tat against his arch-nemesis Zoro. "Did I say anything wrong? Is green not the ugliest hair color?"
"Nonsense! Blonde is obviously the ugliest!" Zoro blurted out.
"Ahem, Zoro, what you said isn't right! Blonde hair is still very cute!" Usopp expressed strong dissatisfaction with the green-haired swordsman's words—after all, his childhood friend Kaya had blonde hair.
However, Zoro didn't realize in the slightest that he had just fired a map-wide attack. He and the lovestruck cook started shouting back and forth, and then, to everyone's delight, a brawl beneficial to physical and mental health broke out once again.
Ding-ling-guang-lang, punches and kicks, xi-li-hua-la, ming-lu-wa-la... (Fill in the blanks yourself...)
It was a good thing Luffy wasn't there; otherwise, if these three stooges got together, they would definitely tear the roof off.
"Zoro, Sanji, your injuries haven't healed yet! Don't engage in strenuous exercise!" The little reindeer looked at the two idiots engaging in their "daily friendly exchange," so anxious he was about to cry.
Nami turned her head to look at the dumbfounded expressions of the guards and service staff in the distance and let out an extremely helpless long sigh.
"These two idiots, it's really too embarrassing."
everyone's attention was attracted by this farce, and precisely because of this, none of them noticed that Sherlock's expression was currently very, very grim. Gone was his usual composure and calmness, as if he had thought of something extremely unhappy.
Raising his hand, Sherlock forcefully plucked out that small lock of white hair and looked at it closely.
(Sarsalian Silver...)
Looking at that touch of beautiful silver in his hand, exactly the same as in his memories, Sherlock remained silent. The reflective lenses blocked his eyes, making it impossible to know what he was thinking in his heart.
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