Deep within the inner chambers of the Jaygarcia family, inside a hot spring pool styled with classical elegance—
Valthior was soaking comfortably within it.
Because he was a Devil Fruit user, the hot spring gave him a strange kind of comfort—there was an effect, but not too much. It created just the right level of languid relaxation.
Two beautiful maids, completely naked, soaked in the pool alongside him, gently and attentively washing his broad arms. From time to time, they kneaded his muscles, helping him relax.
And in the water before Valthior, a silver-white fish tail occasionally swayed up from beneath the surface.
Before long, Valthior let out a satisfied breath. Soon after, a beautiful face emerged from the water in front of him, cheeks puffed as she gulped something down.
Clearly, she was a beautiful mermaid.
Aside from Bartholomew Kuma's family, Valthior owned no personal slaves. The mermaid before him was evidently property of the Jaygarcia family.
Although he enjoyed the company of beauties while wandering the seas with the Roger Pirates, one had to admit: Mary Geoise was far more sophisticated in this regard. The truly top-tier quality was found here.
Having relieved some stress and entered a state of calm clarity, Valthior had no intention of paying further attention to the beautiful mermaid. With a wave of his hand, she flicked her elegant tail and quickly dove back into the water, disappearing into the distance.
It was at this moment that Butler Alfred approached through the mist.
"How did the matter I assigned to you go?" Valthior asked casually, still soaking in the water while enjoying the massage.
"According to your instructions, Young Master, I send funds to Kuma's family every month. They are living well, and the nobles of the Sorbet Kingdom treat them with great care," Alfred replied softly.
"Go into detail," Valthior said with his eyes closed.
Alfred quickly began describing Bartholomew Kuma's situation.
In the original story, Kuma's life in the Sorbet Kingdom had been quite miserable. But now, backed by Valthior's influence, things were completely different.
Although his status was technically that of a slave belonging to Mary Geoise, the key was that he was a highly valued one.
The nobles of the Sorbet Kingdom had never seen anything like a Celestial Dragon family from Mary Geoise sending money to support a slave every month.
It completely defied their expectations.
So even though Kuma was a slave in name, in the Sorbet Kingdom, the nobles—and even the king—had to treat him with extreme care. Everyone knew that he could speak directly to the Celestial Dragons of Mary Geoise. Compared to these "country bumpkin" nobles, his standing was far higher.
And Kuma himself was a kind-hearted man. He repeatedly brought up issues regarding the people's livelihoods in the Sorbet Kingdom.
This made the king anxious and uneasy, but in order to maintain good relations and avoid offending the Celestial Dragons, he ultimately accepted Kuma's suggestions.
As a result, the previously dire living conditions in the Sorbet Kingdom began to improve. It couldn't be said that everyone was suddenly living prosperous lives, but at the very least, things were no longer as tragic as in the original story.
Through Kuma's connections, even the small amounts that Alfred casually let slip through his fingers were enough to significantly improve the kingdom's situation.
This was the power of a Five Elders family—even the slightest tilt of influence was enough to change the trajectory of an entire nation.
At the same time, Valthior also heard news about Ginny. As expected, she and Kuma had ended up together. Not just her—Ivankov was there as well.
However, Ivankov was not the type to stay still. Not long after arriving in the Sorbet Kingdom with Kuma, he had already set out to sea to travel.
Now, Ginny remained by Kuma's side, and the group was living happily.
Without the bitterness of the original timeline, Valthior felt a sense of relief listening to this.
After Alfred finished summarizing Kuma's situation, Valthior asked again:
"What about the other matter?"
"I was just about to report it," Alfred smiled slightly before continuing. "Two months ago, Borsalino consumed a Logia-type Glint-Glint Fruit. He has already joined the royal army of the Kingdom of Nisolles in the North Blue. In his reply, he also mentioned that he intends to join the Marines."
Upon hearing that Borsalino had eaten the Glint-Glint Fruit, Valthior felt a small sense of relief.
When he was ten years old, he had already instructed Alfred to use the Jaygarcia family's channels to search for the whereabouts of several future key Marine figures—Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino.
However, all he knew was that Kuzan was from the South Blue, while Sakazuki and Borsalino were from the North Blue.
Beyond that, he knew nothing—he didn't even know whether they had changed their names.
In the end, after all the arrangements and searching through a sea of people, only Borsalino had been found.
It could only be said—perhaps this was fate.
After all, Valthior and Borsalino were born in the same year. Borsalino was born in November, while Valthior was born in May, making him slightly older.
From that point on, Valthior investigated Borsalino's background and confirmed that his living conditions were not very good—so he began supporting him.
During the years he still lived in Mary Geoise, the two occasionally exchanged letters.
However, after Valthior left Mary Geoise, the past three years had seen no direct contact—the correspondence had all been handled through Alfred.
Previously, Valthior had worried that his interference might affect Borsalino's acquisition of the Glint-Glint Fruit. Now that he knew it had not been affected and that Borsalino had obtained the power through fate, he felt reassured.
"Is that so? A Logia… he'll likely achieve something in the future," Valthior said with a smile.
"To be chosen by you, Young Master, he must surely be blessed with great fortune. I'm not surprised at all," Alfred said, subtly flattering him.
But he truly believed it. He even thought that even if that young man hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit, when the time came, his Young Master would have arranged something for him.
In fact, that was exactly what Valthior had thought.
He currently possessed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. He had once considered giving it to Bullet in the future—but he actually favored Borsalino more.
He had even thought that if, after some time, Borsalino still hadn't obtained the Glint-Glint Fruit, he would simply arrange for him to have the Rumble-Rumble Fruit instead.
"You're getting better and better with your words," Valthior glanced at Alfred before standing up from the pool.
Immediately, two young maids who had been waiting by the edge stepped forward with towels and began drying his body.
While enjoying their service, Valthior continued:
"If he intends to join the Marines, then make the necessary arrangements…"
At this point, he paused briefly before adding:
"If the timing is right, you may also inform him of my identity."
That's right—after all these years of support and assistance, Valthior had remained anonymous.
To this day, Borsalino still didn't know who had been helping him.
In truth, Valthior had never expected to build any deep emotional bond through this method—it simply wasn't realistic.
He had merely planted a seed on a whim, forming a good connection.
Perhaps, in the future, it might prove useful.
..
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