Chapter 122: Your Majesty the King
"Senior!"
"Senior, senior, senior!"
Koza shouted at the top of his lungs, voice cracking as he ran closer, hoping that this incredible senior would at least look his way so he could beg to be taught.
"Five hundred thirty one, five hundred thirty two, five hundred thirty three..."
Roy continued his push ups without pausing, muscles tightening and relaxing under the enormous boulder. He quietly turned his Observation Haki on, then off again.
He already knew who was coming.
He simply could not be bothered.
A lion did not mingle with sheep.
"Tch. Idiot."
Vivi lay on her stomach near the edge of the boulder, peeking down. She gave Koza a single bored glance, lost interest immediately, and went back to training with her wooden sword.
"Stop yelling. If you disturb his training again, I will kick you away."
Hancock shot Koza a cold, imperious stare.
Roy chuckled and kept working.
In the original story, Hancock referred to herself with that archaic, self effacing first person used by women of status. Some translators took that as a queen calling herself "this Queen."
But at this point in Roy's timeline, Hancock had already decided she would abandon the throne for him.
So she no longer used that title in front of him at all.
Koza stared up at the boulder. Two faces suddenly appeared at the edge, one Princess Vivi's annoying little face and the other that equally annoying red haired man's companion.
Then his gaze slid lower.
He dropped flat on his stomach and craned his neck to see underneath.
There he was.
That red haired man again.
That infuriatingly smug redhead.
Why was someone that annoying so strong?
Koza swallowed, the words "please teach me swordsmanship" stuck in his throat.
He turned around and slunk away.
Roy did not spare him a thought.
Why would he train Koza, only to help raise a future rebel who would point his blade at the Nefertari royal family?
That royal family was Vivi's home.
Yes, Crocodile's conspiracy and manipulation would play a huge role later, but it was also a fact that Koza chose to rebel.
What kind of childhood sweetheart relationship led to overthrowing his own princess's house?
In short, Roy did not like Koza.
...
"Sigh, this Koza..."
Far away, King Cobra was following in secret again, wringing his hands. The more he watched, the more worried he became. Why was the relationship between Koza and Vivi getting worse instead of better?
"Hmph. He cannot beat the princess and cannot move the king. He is only good at yelling."
Igaram muttered from behind a bush. He was firmly on Princess Vivi's side.
That brat Koza was nothing like his father Toto.
His temper was too hot, his head too hard, and of course he would rub every capable person the wrong way.
To be honest, Igaram actually wanted to see Vivi beat Koza up again.
...
During the next few days, Roy and Hancock stayed in Alubarna, the capital of Alabasta.
Vivi came to them every day.
Sometimes she came to argue with Hancock.
Sometimes she came to pester Roy about sword training.
Ever since she had beaten Koza that day, the little princess had changed.
She had fallen in love with the feeling of becoming stronger.
Human strength could not stop droughts or sandstorms, that was true.
But if she herself became powerful enough, she could at least help her father with problems involving other countries, could she not?
For example, a princess who became strong, led a fleet to sea, hunted pirates, and used the loot to subsidize the kingdom.
That image made her grin to herself.
The delicate, soft, easily flustered little princess of yesterday was being reshaped.
Under Roy's influence, her path slowly shifted.
She was drifting away from the original clumsy, timid Vivi and marching steadily toward something closer to a regal, sword wielding war princess.
Years later, when the Straw Hat Pirates came to Alabasta, they would probably be stunned.
The Vivi who used to trip every few steps and laugh awkwardly might be gone.
And in her place, a cool eyed princess who stood straight with blade in hand, staring down her enemies.
Perhaps, once Hancock vanished from the stage, Roy had accidentally planted the seeds for another queen.
Tsk tsk.
...
A few days later.
"That brat Koza is a real headache."
At Toto's house, Toto stood in the parched field, talking helplessly to his wife.
He suddenly thought that if he did not find a way to create an oasis somewhere, his foolish son really might get chopped into pieces by the princess one day.
The princess's current combat power was not what it used to be.
Toto was genuinely afraid his idiot son would die under her sword.
Why did you have to pick a fight with the princess when you had nothing better to do?
Serves you right if you get kicked.
Nearby, Igaram crouched with a thin branch in his hand and a small shrub strapped to his head as camouflage. He crept along the roadside, trying very hard to be stealthy.
"Igaram, would you like to stay for lunch?"
Toto spotted him at once and hurried over.
What a rare chance to build a good relationship with the captain of the royal guard.
He had to say something nice. His ridiculous child had caused trouble, and the old man had to deal with the mess.
"..."
Igaram stiffly turned his head, the shrub on his head trembling. "You spotted me that easily?"
Toto, you are putting me in a very awkward position.
"No, no, no, that will not be necessary. I brought my own rice balls."
He waved his small bag.
"Then I will take my leave."
Igaram crouched lower and tried to sneak away faster, muttering to himself as he went.
This was too embarrassing.
He was so flustered that even his words came out in a stammer.
Toto watched his extremely conspicuous figure shuffle away, speechless.
That idiot hid so badly. Did he not notice?
Then, a second shadow appeared.
His Majesty the King himself, crouched down behind a pot of palace greenery, a cloth tied around his forehead like a bandit. He tried very seriously to follow in secret.
"..."
The king sensed something wrong and turned his head, meeting Toto's stare.
Toto broke out in a cold sweat.
His Majesty was even more outrageous than Igaram.
Would a carefully pruned palace plant ever appear alone out here in the desert?
And he did not even bother to hide the leaves properly.
"Shh."
The king raised a single finger to his lips, shushing Toto like an accomplice.
Toto's wife froze where she stood.
Toto's jaw dropped and his eyes bulged in disbelief.
"Your Majesty, what are you doing here?"
Cobra was drenched in sweat. "Keep your voice down."
"Why did you follow me again?"
Igaram nearly jumped out of his skin and hurried back to the king's side, crouching even lower.
The king sighed, looking both guilty and helpless.
He had asked Igaram to keep an eye on things, but in the end he could not sit still in the palace either.
"Because... because I am worried about Vivi."
He lowered his head like a child caught sneaking out.
What a strange and lovable king.
...
Up on the mountain slope, Vivi was running, wooden sword at her hip. She had unknowingly run past Toto's house, heading up toward the training spot she had agreed on with her master.
Originally she had wanted to be Roy's disciple.
Unfortunately for her, both Roy and Hancock had refused outright.
She still had no idea what those two were thinking.
In the end, she could only accept the compromise.
She would become Hancock's disciple.
It made sense in its own way.
Apprentice to Hancock, trained in swordsmanship by her master's man.
In other words, she apprenticed herself to Hancock and learned kendo from "Master's husband" Roy.
"Hey there, little girl."
Two burly men walked toward her from the path ahead.
One of them had three ridiculous tufts of hair poking straight up, thick sausage like lips, and a pair of shifty eyes.
The other had scruffy red hair that did not look even half as good as Roy's.
His hairstyle was messy, his eyes flat and mean.
In short, they looked exactly like the villains they were.
Their aura was rotten from head to toe.
"Hmph. Try touching me. My master's husband is terrifying. You had better think this through first."
Vivi glared up at the two ugly men without the slightest fear.
Roy, somewhere far away, would probably have sneezed at that exact moment.
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