"Hahaha! It seems we arrived too early!"
"Garp, I have something to ask of you."
"Do you want my treasure?"
"If you want it, you can have all of it!"
"Go search for it! I've left all the world's wealth there!"
"ONE PIECE!"
"I'm going to be the Pirate King!!!"
"Mmmph!" Nero suddenly sat up in bed, a violent pain in her head causing her to groan unconsciously.
"Was that... a dream? Roger! And that young man with the straw hat who appeared at the end?" Frowning, a hint of red rippled in the depths of Nero's eyes.
But soon she had no time to worry about that; the headache was intensifying, and Nero, covered in cold sweat, lay back down, curling into a ball.
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty!" Hathaway immediately sensed something was wrong and shouted loudly, "Quickly, call for a physician!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty…"
The voice grew more distant. In Nero's mind, dream-like fragments of images continued to flash, yet they were completely disjointed. Meaningless sounds and figures gradually distorted until, in the end, Nero completely lost all reaction to the outside world… "This isn't an illness; rather, it's the awakening of some talent within Your Majesty." Doctor Dorry's brows relaxed as she finally concluded.
"Whose talent awakens like this? You quack!" Livord grabbed the doctor by the collar, spittle flying, "If anything happens to my Nero, this old man guarantees you'll have a very 'round' death!"
"I won't tell you the secret to my eternal youth!" Dorry sighed helplessly, then slapped Livord across the face, "And kid, calm down! You're old enough! Don't make me use force!"
"Didn't you already use force?" Livord sat on the ground, holding his slapped cheek, "But… Nero… Your Majesty! This is the first time she's been like this."
"Oh, right! It must be those despicable pirates who used some underhanded means. This old man will go and slaughter them right now!!!"
"Slap!" Another slap echoed, and Dorry pulled out a bottle of wine, twisting open the cork. "Are you questioning my medical skills? Don't worry, Your Majesty will wake up by evening at the latest."
"But…" Livord said, unwilling to give up.
"There are no 'buts.' I speculate that Your Majesty's condition is due to the awakening of a special Haki, but the intensity is too high. Even with Your Majesty's Great Swordsman physique, she still can't perfectly adapt."
Dorry waved her hand, "She'll likely experience frequent headaches after this until her body fully adapts. I'll go make some medicine to suppress the headaches."
"This old man understands, I won't be impulsive again." Livord regained some rationality and said coldly, "But if Your Majesty doesn't wake up today, those pirates… Hehehehehe!"
Hathaway, hearing this, finally released her grip on her skirt, but she still watched Nero, who lay on the bed, with a worried expression.
Her usually vibrant little face now had a sickly pallor, and her furrowed brow made her look very pained.
"Alright, all of you, stop crowding in here. Just leave Hathaway to attend to her." Dorry shooed everyone away with a look of distaste.
"This old man understands!" Livord replied, then reluctantly ushered everyone out, "Hathaway, I'm counting on you with Your Majesty!"
"Aye!" Hathaway watched Nero, not turning her head as she softly affirmed… "Mmmph…"
In the evening, Nero woke up just as Doctor Dorry had predicted. This time, the headache was truly intense.
For Nero, who had grown up in a pampered environment and had never been sick, this was indeed a terrible experience.
Some images still lingered in her mind, most of them unclear, like looking at flowers through a fog.
"Your Majesty? Are you alright?" Hathaway's anxious voice came through.
"Mmmph, it should be the awakening of a special Observation Haki. I am mostly fine now."
Nero felt herself; the headache had subsided, but she still felt a lingering trepidation. This experience was truly awful.
"That's wonderful!" Hathaway hugged Nero tightly, her eyes slightly red.
"I apologize, it seems I made you worry." Nero returned the embrace, gently stroking Hathaway's hair.
"No, it's nothing. Oh, right, I… I'll go inform Doctor Dorry and the others now."
Realizing what she had done, Hathaway's cheeks flushed scarlet. She awkwardly pulled away from Nero's embrace and hurried off.
After Hathaway left, only Nero remained in the room for a while.
She fell back onto the bed with a thud, lying spread-eagle and staring at the ceiling, murmuring softly, "…Gol D. Roger, then?"
Then the room became completely silent, with only the ticking of the clock.
Before long, a large, bustling crowd filled the room.
Livord's loud voice boomed, his concern evident in his spittle-flying questions: "Your Majesty! Are you alright? Is there anywhere else you feel unwell? Are you thirsty? Are you hungry?"
"Your Majesty, if you still feel unwell, you can sleep a little longer."
"Idiot! After being unconscious for so long, she definitely needs to replenish her strength first. Your Majesty, please eat something first!"
"Dorry! What exactly is Your Majesty's condition now?"
"That's right! Dorry, quickly examine Your Majesty again! You absolutely must cure Your Majesty!"
Others also spoke words of concern. When Nero was a Princess, she was essentially watched over by this group as she grew up. This was the first time she had collapsed due to a physical ailment, so everyone was a little flustered.
"Do you want to know the secret to my eternal youth?"
"Shut up, old woman! Nobody wants to know that!" xN
Seeing everyone's concerned expressions, Nero felt a warmth in her chest. She slowly spoke, "All of you, please be quiet for a moment. I have something to say."
At her words, the room instantly fell silent. Everyone looked at Nero, awaiting her instructions.
"Mmmph, I'll state my conclusion first." Nero's expression was serious, "I am going to sea!"
"No! Absolutely not…" Livord instinctively blurted out upon hearing this.
But seeing Nero's serious expression, he suddenly stopped. He could tell that, unlike before, Nero had made up her mind this time.
"It seems Your Majesty is also aware of her physical condition." Dorry stared at Nero, not surprised by her decision.
"Dorry, what do you know?" Livord immediately shifted his attention upon hearing this.
"Because of my body." Nero interjected, "I have awakened a special Observation Haki, but my frail body is holding me back, so I am going out to get stronger."
Livord retorted, "It's the same at home! With Your Majesty's talent…"
"Lord Livord!" Nero looked at him, her jade pupils reflecting a determined gleam, "You should know that ever since I entered the realm of a Great Swordsman two years ago, I haven't made any progress."
Livord was speechless, "This…"