Such complicated emotions.
Luffy's head was full of question marks, but since the other party had promised, he temporarily suppressed his confusion.
He went ahead and left the room.
Because even though Cobra was smiling now, Luffy couldn't shake the feeling that the man was holding some kind of butcher's knife, ready to chop the wild boar that was digging up his cabbage.
His Observation Haki was screaming warnings, especially with the way Cobra's eyes lingered on his hand holding Vivi's—three times a second.
Even the mightiest warrior fears a kitchen knife.
After all, he was Vivi's father!
If it were someone like Crocodile, well, Luffy would see if he could handle him or not.
Speaking of Crocodile, that half-dead state of his... it seemed the Marines had recovered him. Wonder if there'd be a chance to hear him say, "Long time no see."
"Then I'll be outside for now." Luffy released Vivi's hand.
Vivi immediately felt a sudden emptiness in her hand, followed by a hollow feeling in her heart.
Cobra felt a bit numb.
Little cabbage... this wild boar is just waiting outside, it's not like he's setting sail forever! If he really sailed off without you, would you come down with lovesickness looking like this?
Luffy left the study.
Inside the study, only father and daughter remained.
Cobra looked at his daughter Vivi, at those azure blue eyes that grew more and more like her late mother's, a tumult of emotions swirling in his heart.
What he had actually wanted to see was the display of determination from both Luffy and Vivi. Now, everything was unfolding as he had suspected.
Cobra understood his daughter well.
Given Vivi's status and her sense of duty as a princess, Cobra knew that even if he said nothing, Vivi would ultimately choose not to sail away with Luffy and the others.
Naturally, Cobra's own heart leaned towards keeping Vivi in the country. Leaving aside the immense negative impact of a nation's princess becoming a pirate, a large portion of pirates these days were people with no other options.
Vivi was the Princess of Alabasta. What business did she have being a pirate?
However, witnessing that battle between Luffy and Crocodile in the underground royal tomb, especially the white flaming clouds swirling around Luffy and that familiar-seeming form, had stirred something within him—memories buried deep in the bloodline of the Nefertari royal family.
Those ancient memories passed down through generations.
It was time to tell the next heir.
Cobra's expression became more solemn than ever before.
"Vivi, what I am about to tell you now is for your ears only.
Only when you deem it appropriate may you share this with others, or even proclaim it to the world."
This was the first time Vivi had seen such an expression on her father's face.
Sensing the gravity of the atmosphere, she nodded firmly.
"There are matters concerning the true origins of our Nefertari royal family, and the fate Alabasta carries. It is time for you to know.
Our Nefertari royal family are not ordinary rulers."
Cobra began slowly, his gaze seeming to pierce through time and space, returning to that distant past. "Our ancestor was one of the twenty kings who jointly founded the World Government eight hundred years ago—Nefertari D. Lily."
"D?"
Vivi gasped.
The term was actually familiar, as Luffy had it in his name.
But what shocked her even more was that, in a sense, her own clan were once... Celestial Dragons?
Vivi frowned.
The many rumors about the Celestial Dragons had given her little fondness for that group.
As a child, accompanying Cobra to the Holy Land of Marie Geoise to attend the World Conference held every four years, she had seen those so-called Celestial Dragons.
How to put it?
She never felt she and they were the same kind of people.
"Yes, Nefertari D. Lily."
Cobra affirmed with a nod. "But unlike the other nineteen kings who chose to reside in Marie Geoise and become the Celestial Dragons of today, our ancestor, Queen Lily, refused the privilege of permanent residence in the Holy Land.
She returned to this homeland, Alabasta, to continue protecting its people, allowing the name Nefertari to endure in this sea of sand."
Vivi felt slightly dizzy from the sheer volume of information.
She had never imagined her family had such a connection to the Celestial Dragons.
It was no exaggeration to say that if this were revealed, it would shock the entire world. Alabasta would become the focus of global attention.
What Cobra said next shocked her even more. "There is one thing here that puzzles me.
While organizing early historical documents from after the Void Century, I discovered a discrepancy.
In all official records, the name Nefertari D. Lily cannot be found.
The one recorded as returning to Alabasta and establishing the subsequent rule was Queen Lily's younger brother. Queen Lily herself seems to have vanished from history."
"Vanished?"
A chill ran down Vivi's spine.
"Then Father, why are you telling me all this?" Vivi asked, puzzled.
"Queen Lily's whereabouts, the will of the 'D' she represents, and why she did not become a Celestial Dragon like the other kings... these mysteries are likely tied to Alabasta's very survival in the future."
Cobra spoke gravely. "After all, between us and the World Government, the Celestial Dragons... we have this inseparable, sensitive connection.
And the power Luffy displayed, especially that white form, reminded me of some ambiguous records in the royal secret texts. They seem related to a legend from Queen Lily's era. He too may have some connection to this lost history."
Luffy... is also connected to us?
Vivi's focus had shifted somewhat.
However, the pretext Cobra provided Vivi ironically lifted a psychological burden from her shoulders.
To search for the connection between Luffy and her clan?
"Since you have the heart to follow Luffy and set sail, and I know you have always yearned for adventure, to see the vastness of this world... it is fitting.
Moreover, by his side, you may have the opportunity to uncover truths concealed by the World Government, to find answers closely tied to the fate of our royal family."
There were actually some words Cobra left unspoken.
This was also his attempt, as a father, to find a path forward for Vivi, and for this nation.
Cobra sighed inwardly. Wasn't this, in a way, seeking a thread of survival and another form of protection for his daughter amidst immense risk?
Having experienced the Crocodile incident, he understood that isolation and silence were not absolute safety.
The fact that Alabasta possessed Poneglyphs might still be known by others. What Cobra feared most was the World Government finding out, as private possession of Poneglyphs was forbidden.
Furthermore, Luffy and his crew were vastly different from the mainstream pirates of this era. They resembled more the so-called adventurers popular centuries ago.
Vivi's eyes grew brighter and brighter as her father spoke.
The longing for adventure, once suppressed by duty, now merged with the noble mission of uncovering her family's secrets and safeguarding her country's future. The shadows in her heart vanished, replaced by unprecedented motivation.
Sometimes, a person just needs to find themselves an excuse!
***
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