The Letter from Over Eight Hundred Years Ago, the Queen's Last Words

It had to be said that Barieka's jackal abilities gave him an excellent nose.

Vikengam and the others had not even finished drinking when Cobra and Barieka pushed open the door and entered.

"Hm?" Roger paused mid-drink when he saw the two of them, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

After scanning the room, Cobra spotted Vikengam and the others as well. However, he did not come over directly, instead going to speak with the tavern owner.

Before long, the tavern owner announced that the place was closing. All drinks for the day were on the house, and everyone was to clear out.

Though the patrons were reluctant, they were not completely oblivious. Grumbling under their breaths, they quickly dispersed.

The tavern owner also left through the back door, showing no interest in staying to watch the excitement.

"Are you reserving the whole place to buy us drinks, Prince Cobra?" Vikengam teased with a smile.

Cobra walked up to them with a solemn expression and said, "I reported everything that happened today to my father. He asked me to bring you a 5 billion Beli banknote. It can be redeemed at any World Bank branch on any island."

As he spoke, he handed the 5 billion Beli banknote to Vikengam.

Perhaps it was because the scene when he had first encountered Roger's crew had been rather strange. The first thing he saw had been Vikengam lying back and drinking juice, while Roger and the others were miserably digging through the sand.

Then he had learned that Vikengam was a member of a Five Elders family, along with how relaxed the atmosphere aboard the Roger Pirates was. Normally, Roger had virtually none of a captain's authority.

As a result, Cobra instinctively regarded Vikengam as the one in charge here.

Vikengam found it amusing. After taking the banknote, he did not even look at it before tossing it to Roger. "Put it away. It's Prince Cobra's kind gesture, after all."

Roger did not find anything strange about being ordered around like an underling. He was a remarkably easygoing man to begin with. Delighted, he put away the 5 billion Beli and said with a grin, "That's what I'm talking about. A few words from you, and someone brings us 5 billion. Honestly, after being a pirate all these years, this is the first time I've ever experienced something like this."

Before, it had either been kidnapping for ransom or outright robbery. When had they ever had an experience like this?

Sure enough, even pirates needed to be educated!

"You came looking for us in such a hurry. Surely it wasn't just to give us money?" Vikengam asked again.

"Of course not." Cobra shook his head, then took out a copy of the letter and handed it to Vikengam. "Just as you said, our Nefertari Family has passed down a letter left behind by Queen Lily for generations. However, it is written in Ancient Language, and my father does not know what it means. Still, he believes it may help you uncover the truth, so he had me make a copy and deliver it to you."

As a scholar, Vikengam was deeply interested. His eyes gleamed as he accepted the letter from Cobra. "Please convey my gratitude to His Majesty Wadiye. This is indeed very important to us."

Cobra nodded first, then could not help asking, "Can you read it now?"

"Are you curious about what it says too?" Vikengam asked with a smile.

"Of course I am. It's a letter from my ancestor," Cobra replied without hesitation.

Everyone else looked at Vikengam with eager anticipation as well.

Seeing this, Vikengam did not delay. He quickly opened the envelope and began reading.

Aside from the signature at the end, it was indeed all written in Ancient Language. This left Vikengam somewhat puzzled, because in the original story, Cobra had recited part of its contents before his death. That was rather strange.

Could the Nefertari Family also possess the ability to decipher Ancient Language? That did not seem very likely either... Forget it. There was no need to dwell on that too much.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Vikengam read aloud softly, "Brother, by the time you receive this letter, I will no longer be able to return. Immense darkness has enveloped us, and many have been corrupted by it. But fortunately, 'sunlight' shone upon me, allowing me to temporarily escape its control. That bastard Imu betrayed us. In the past, in order to oppose the dictator David, we spared no effort in borrowing every power available to us, including the contract forged through his ability. That contract did grant us tremendous power and near-immortality, but it also planted the seed of betrayal. Only the blazing sun can dispel all darkness. Imu had controlled me and tasked me with gathering and destroying the Poneglyphs left behind by Joy Boy, but I hid them all in every corner of the world. One of them remains in the royal mausoleum.

"You must protect that Poneglyph at all costs. It records the location of Pluton. Then wait in silence for the Sun God to awaken. He and I sealed the power to resist darkness within those ruins. Whenever the Sea King awakens, the sun will cast down its light. On the day the blazing sun shines upon the seal, laughter will become the key and release the seals upon him and me. That will be the moment the world raises the banner of dawn!"

This letter had likely been written by Queen Lily to her younger brother.

And clearly, her brother had possessed the ability to decipher Ancient Language. Perhaps Cobra would later discover something left behind by this "brother," allowing him to understand the letter's contents?

Just as Vikengam was thinking through this.

Roger smacked his lips. "It seems the twenty kings really were not all people consumed by greed and ambition. Some of them were probably like Queen Lily, falling into Imu's trap without even realizing it..."

"The power of contracts..." Rayleigh recalled Saint Somaz, whom he had sliced cleanly in two, only for the man to revive afterward.

"Waiting for the Sun God to awaken... Based on what we've learned so far, this Sun God is Joy Boy, right? The so-called warrior of liberation? David Jones enslaved the land, and he led his companions to liberate the world amid laughter and joy. But darkness soon devoured the fruits of that victory. The sea drowned everything, and the world became what it is now..." Jaba stroked his chin. "Waiting for his awakening—does that mean he died? Or perhaps fell asleep?"

"The Sun God may not necessarily refer to a person. It could also be a certain kind of power. Queen Lily did not avoid mentioning Joy Boy, yet she still used 'Sun God' to distinguish him from Joy Boy. So I am more inclined to think that the Sun God is a term for some kind of power," Shakky analyzed.

"'He and I'—that 'he' should be Joy Boy. They sealed the power to resist darkness within the ruins. Where are these ruins? I think they might be Laugh Tale. But what does it mean that when the Sea King awakens, the sun will cast down its light? And that laughter will become the key?" Roger muttered in bewilderment.

Vikengam remained silent, continuously sorting through his thoughts and logic.

When the Sea King awakened, the sun would cast down its light?

A seal?

He seemed to have grasped something crucial, yet could not quite seize the thread of it.

Could it be that the Nika Fruit would only appear after the Sea King awakened? Was this a seal set by Joy Boy and Queen Lily?

In the story, Roger and the others obviously could not have known about this letter.

After arriving at Laugh Tale, they had all laughed themselves to tears like complete idiots.

Then they left behind that damn cryptic line: "We came too early."

What did "too early" mean?

Could it be because the Sea King of that era had not yet been born, so there was no Nika power and Laugh Tale's seal could not be broken?

And Roger did not have long to live, so in the end, he could only place his hopes on the chosen child of the next era.