Dawn, Whose Identity Is Also Wrong

Seeing this fat man collapsed on the deck, gasping for air, Dawn thought of the two "good people" on the Boin Archipelago who had contributed this mutated fruit to him.

The nouveau riche, built on the same scale as the "island food," was in a sorry state now. Clearly, when Sola had been carrying him earlier, his own tonnage, combined with the tightness of his clothes, had nearly choked him out.

Though they were just a bunch of kids, their daily training was no joke. Add in the shock from the Golden Lion's attack, and these future extras would grow up far stronger than their original counterparts.

On the other hand, Dawn had set a good example, with a daily training load so heavy it was terrifying.

To keep up with his pace, the others naturally trained more and ate more, growing like weeds. Hina and Sola, the two girls, were even taller than boys their age.

"What? What? Dawn is a prince?"

Hina, along with Berigood and Shuen, who were clinging to the older girls, couldn't help but crowd around to join the fun.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's just a coincidence of surnames. How bored are you guys?" Dawn rolled his eyes at the companions gathering around to watch the excitement, speaking with irritation.

"Haha, but you do kind of give off a prince vibe, you know? The aura fits," Sola chimed in, stirring the pot like she thrived on chaos.

"What aura fits? Who was it just now saying I fight like a berserker?" Dawn shot Sola a glare.

"Don't just go calling someone a prince for no reason. I used to live on the Grand Line, and I was a homeless stray. How could I possibly be some royalty?"

For a moment, even Dawn found it amusing.

Dawn had never hidden his background. After all, he was an outsider. Though he had absorbed the original body's memories, they only covered the last two years of wandering.

To avoid slipping up, Dawn attributed his mature thinking to his experiences before and after being stranded on the Stomach Baron island.

Only then could his adult-like reasoning avoid drawing suspicion.

And having been captured by pirates to be sold as a slave, then stranded on an uninhabited island, was enough to keep him from being doubted.

After all, in this world, there were too many kids forced to grow up by cruelty.

So Dawn freely joked about his past, since everyone already knew his story.

Just like Hina and Sola, who later learned of Dawn's experiences, they all expressed admiration for him while also craving the many delicacies of the Stomach Baron island.

"But Dawn really does look like one, a prince," Hina said, covering her mouth with a stifled laugh.

But unlike the cheerful Dawn and the others, the middle-aged butler wore an expression of disbelief mixed with hope and excitement.

"Hey, old man, what's with that face?" Sola, noticing Adolf's strange expression, couldn't help but shout.

And Sola, with her blunt personality, couldn't keep anything to herself, instantly drawing the attention of the onlookers.

Life at sea was boring, after all, and anything that could kill time was fair game.

"Forgive me. It's just that your name matches that of our kingdom's missing prince, and the more I look at you, the more you resemble His Majesty the King in his youth, so for a moment..."

"I'm truly sorry. I know this is too much to ask, but I have an impertinent request! Could you please come with me to the Ishtar Kingdom?" Adolf said, bowing ninety degrees in earnest.

"That's just your guess. For a mere suspicion, you want me to..."

"I know this request is excessive, but regardless of the outcome, I will prepare a gift that will absolutely satisfy you! I beg you." With that, Adolf bowed even deeper.

"Ahh~, at least tell me why I should go with you? Just because my name matches your missing prince's, and I look like your king? It's normal for people in the world to look alike." Dawn looked at the persistently pleading Adolf with some helplessness.

He wouldn't mind a trip to the North Sea, but right now, he had no time to waste on Adolf's family reunion or whatever.

If he had free time later, he might drop by the North Sea on the way, but for now, Dawn and the others were headed to the East Blue.

Besides, this was the execution of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. Compared to that, Dawn would rather witness the dawn of a great era.

"Well, the Ishtar Kingdom has extremely deep research into biology, so we have our own methods for verifying bloodlines."

Adolf, now calmer and realizing his earlier urgency, began to explain slowly.

"Aside from our abundant food and livestock production, our country has a very unique method for tracing lineage. Every royal child has a nameplate."

"This nameplate has the child's name engraved on it. It looks ordinary, but if royal blood is dripped onto it, the plate, which is normally just a bit harder than usual, will change color. It will also reveal evidence unique to our clan... I don't suppose you have one..."

As he spoke, Adolf noticed the atmosphere around him shift. Even Dawn was looking at him with a strange expression.

"Is something wrong?" Adolf asked involuntarily.

"Is this nameplate what you're talking about?" Dawn, feeling a bit dazed himself—what kind of wild plot twist was this??—

"This is!!.."

Adolf, seeing Dawn pull a nameplate from around his neck and hold it out, rushed forward, staring at the small plate with excitement.

"Yes! Yes! The style and material of this nameplate are uniquely made in our kingdom. Heaven has eyes!! To think I'd find this in such a dire situation!!"

Adolf trembled all over as he looked at the small nameplate, his expression alternating between tears and laughter, making Dawn feel like he might have a seizure at any moment.

"Don't get too excited. Even if this nameplate might be yours, that doesn't mean I am who you think."

Dawn said, glancing around at the wide-eyed onlookers and rolling his eyes at them.

Knowing they were all just here for the show, he realized he had to verify it. Without hesitation, he drew Shalinkul's saber, nicked his finger, and smeared the blood onto the nameplate.

The silver-white metal nameplate gradually turned gold, like a white cloth dyed by a painter. Seeing the color, Adolf placed his hand over Dawn's right hand holding the plate.

Trembling with emotion, Adolf carefully wiped the nameplate clean, placed it back inside Dawn's clothes with reverence, and then gave a solemn bow.

"Abraham Royal Butler, Adolf, greets the Prince."