Cobra's palm settled on the chair back.
Bracing his left hand against the edge of the seat, he pulled the chair steadily out from beneath the table.
The chair legs scraped across the polished stone tiles with a low hum.
Then he pushed the chair in front of Boer, positioning it precisely.
From here, the entire banquet hall was visible, from the crystal chandeliers suspended from the domed ceiling to the portraits of successive kings of the Nefertari Family hanging on all four walls, the Marine Admirals and Shichibukai already seated along both sides of the long table, and the side door through which the servants came and went.
This was the seat of honor.
Cobra stepped back half a pace and gently gestured toward the seat, his right palm facing upward.
"Lord Boer, please."
Boer glanced at him. He did not decline.
When he sat down, the ironwood chair back supported the curve between his nape and shoulder blades perfectly, as though this chair had been waiting for him for a long time.
Princess Vivi stood in attendance on Boer's right.
She stood between Boer and the banquet hall's side door, at just the right angle to block the drafts stirred up by the servants coming and going, and to read where his gaze fell before he needed anything.
At that moment, her hands were folded before her, her fingertips tucked into the lace edging of her cuffs. The hem of her white gauze dress hung motionless over her feet. Only the strand of blue hair beneath the brim of her gauze hat brushed lightly against her collarbone with each breath.
King Cobra sat in the first seat to Boer's left. As he sat down, his gaze passed over Boer's shoulder and met Sakazuki's directly opposite.
Cobra gave a