Nao silently pondered.
At the bow, Kizaru, who had been conversing happily with William, extended an invitation, offering for the Marine battleship to give them a ride, as this sea area was already not far from the coast of Sandy Island.
William readily agreed, bringing a few close subordinates and bodyguards onto the Marine battleship, while the remaining ordinary sailors stayed behind to await rescue ships from the port.
The Marine battleship, carrying William and his entourage, continued its course toward Sandy Island.
Roughly half an hour later, it dropped them off at Nanohana Port.
This name was familiar to Nao.
He remembered that nineteen years later, Luffy would reunite with Ace here, and also run head-on into Smoker, who had been pursuing him, kicking off a chaotic melee.
The Swimsuit Pirates' and the underground arms dealer's agreed meeting point was Hot Nest Peninsula, located directly north of Nanohana Port, about an hour's journey away, which was along the way.
Therefore, the Marine battleship's voyage wasn't delayed much by William and his group, perhaps only about ten minutes.
"Did you manage to get anything out of him, Vice Admiral?"
As soon as the battleship pulled away from Nanohana Port, Nao approached Kizaru and got straight to the point.
He had noticed that ever since William boarded the ship, Kizaru had been sticking close to him, smiling and asking all sorts of questions.
While Prince William maintained a publicly elegant demeanor and answered with a smile, his eagerness to disembark with his men the moment they reached port suggested he had long grown impatient with Kizaru's questions.
"Oh, were you able to guess?" Kizaru wasn't surprised. He raised an eyebrow at Nao. "You're suspicious of that guy too?"
"Of course."
Nao nodded. "Rear Admiral Buma went missing at Hot Nest Peninsula just last night, and coincidentally, William appeared in this nearby sea area this morning. It's hard not to connect the dots."
For a Branch Rear Admiral and an entire ship's worth of Marines to be completely out of contact without even being able to send a distress signal, that was no ordinary feat.
In Nao's opinion, this Seven Warlord of the Sea was more suspicious than the mysterious arms dealer.
"I'm afraid, kid, this truly has nothing to do with him."
Kizaru saw his thoughts and spread his hands helplessly. "That guy attended the birthday party hosted by the Crown Princess of the neighboring Anjiyah Kingdom at sea last night. He was completely drunk, witnessed by countless people, and only set off for home at three or four in the morning. He's still reeking of alcohol, so he had no opportunity to make a move."
"The Crown Princess of the Anjiyah Kingdom?" Nao was slightly startled. "That's his mother?"
"That's right."
Kizaru said languidly, "That country is also one of the large member nations of the World Government, with a population of nearly ten million. The King is almost sixty, and his only son tragically died last year. And this Crown Princess Anjiyah is his only sibling. Do you know what this means, Nao?"
"…No way?"
Nao looked stunned. "This William, he'll become the King of the Anjiyah Kingdom in the future?"
"At least for now, he is indeed the first in line of succession."
Kizaru pursed his lips. "So, honestly, when I confirmed that this guy had nothing to do with Buma's situation, I breathed a huge sigh of relief… These high-status people can't be beaten or arrested; they're the most terrifying. I really don't want to provoke them."
"Then how was he given a bounty before?"
Nao frowned.
"Because back then, this guy wasn't a prince yet," Kizaru said lazily. "To be precise, he didn't even know his own identity."
"…What do you mean?"
"An illegitimate child," Kizaru looked up at the sky, speaking slowly. "That guy was born from an affair between Crown Princess Anjiyah and the King of Alabasta… Hmm, maybe that's not the most respectful way to put it. Ah well, they're not around to hear it."
"In short, after he was born, he was secretly abandoned by that Crown Princess and only survived thanks to kind people who adopted and helped him. After that, he apparently spent his time mixing in the underground boxing world. After Roger's death, he set sail as a pirate, ventured into the Grand Line, and made quite a name for himself."
"It wasn't until a year ago, when the Anjiyah royal family faced the awkward situation of their bloodline dying out after losing their heir, that they consulted with the Alabasta royal family and jointly acknowledged his identity. It was then that the World Government canceled his bounty."
"A prince who fought his way out of the slums, quite a legendary experience…"
Nao sneered. "But a year ago, huh… He wasn't even a Warlord of the Sea yet, and his bounty was just directly canceled because his princely identity was confirmed?"
A 150 million Berry bounty, just gone. Quite ironic.
"What can we do? We have to consider the prestige of both royal families…"
Kizaru rubbed his temples. "And after this guy regained his identity, he's also very well-connected in the Alabasta Kingdom; his status is almost on par with the heir to the throne, Cobra. I heard this year he even got involved with Mariejois, seemingly trying to get his lineage back into the Holy Land and regain his World Noble status."
Isn't that what Doflamingo will also try to do in the future?
"It won't be that easy, right? After all, the ancestors of the Alabasta Kingdom actively gave up their World Noble status and moved out."
Nao mused. "The other World Noble families won't easily agree to such a request…"
"Who knows? Anyway, their relationship seems good right now."
Kizaru shrugged. "In any case, just remember that he's an extremely troublesome guy. Him becoming a Warlord of the Sea is more like him doing us Marines a favor. Headquarters has always been very polite to him. We small fry would be crushed by a single finger, so it's best not to provoke him if we can help it…"
You're small fry?
Nao gave Kizaru a speechless look.
This guy had been talking quite seriously and reasonably just now, but why did he revert to his traditional act of excessive humility, making one want to punch him…?
Nanohana Port
After seeing the Marine battleship off, William, whose drunkenness had not yet fully subsided, was helped by his bodyguards into the luxurious royal carriage.
"Your Highness, His Majesty is waiting in the palace. Shall we proceed to the capital now?"
"Yes, let's go."
William smiled gently. After pulling down the curtain, the smile on his face gradually faded. He took out a photo from his pocket and rubbed his temples, looking somewhat troubled.
"Good grief, I almost forgot about you, so why did you have to show up yourself…"
He gently caressed the photo, as if stroking the skin of a loved one. After a long time, he finally looked up at the gradually receding dock outside the window and murmured to himself:
"Though I can't figure out what these Marines are doing coming to Sandy Island… and they even sent a Vice Admiral. But, if it were me, finding an opportunity to quietly leave someone behind shouldn't be difficult, should it?"
Sunlight streamed through the window, falling onto the photo.
It was a charming woman with fiery red hair, dressed in black, standing at the bow of a ship, drawing her bow and nocking an arrow, her expression as cold as ice.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin