Wolf Vlad

"Miss Robin, there's another tent behind this one. Shall we go there?"

Gunpowder sidled up to Robin and quietly made the suggestion.

The second tent had originally been the hypnosis room, but Dill had already started, so they would have to move.

Robin nodded, and the four of them left together and entered the second tent.

Boren lit the kerosene lamp and deftly pulled a deck of cards from his pocket:

"We've got nothing else to do. How about some poker?"

The boy's name was Wolf Vlad. He was sixteen, the prince of the Trancy Kingdom and the king's only son.

About a month earlier, the king had died of illness, and he should have succeeded him as the new king.

But his uncle, Wolf Tia, had raised a rebellion and fought his way to the royal palace.

Since the old king had refused to squeeze the commoners to pay the Heavenly Tribute, the Trancy Kingdom was not an affiliated nation, and the World Government would not send troops to suppress the rebellion.

Vlad was just an ordinary person with no troops under his command, so he had been forced to flee the palace with the old king's trusted retainers.

Tia had kept sending more men to capture Vlad. During his escape, Vlad had been abducted by Bege and held until now.

"A very clichéd struggle for the throne."

Dill propped his chin on one hand and stared at Vlad, lost in thought.

An illegitimate claim to the throne was no big deal. What really mattered was strength.

Whoever had the stronger forces could hold the throne.

"How many men does Tia have in total?"

"Um... I'm not sure."

"Whose support do you think you'd need to reclaim the throne?"

"I... I don't know."

"What about the old king's retainers? Did you agree on somewhere to meet?"

Vlad shook his head.

"...Are you really a prince?"

Dill curled his lip, his slightly narrowed eyes full of doubt.

The boy couldn't answer a single question. He had never seen a prince like this.

Vlad knelt on the ground. At those words, he couldn't help lowering his head, clutching his knees tightly with both hands as he said in a trembling voice:

"I... some things happened to me when I was little, and I'm terrified of ghosts and monsters and things like that. But they're almost everywhere in our country. Even the ministers and guards dress up as ghosts and monsters;

"Father always arranged for me to travel abroad, so I don't know much about what happens inside the country;

"I only came back recently, after receiving news that Father had died of illness. But before the succession ceremony was finished, Tia fought his way in with his men."

A trace of envy flashed through Dill's eyes.

Traveling. He wanted to travel at his leisure too.

"I... I know there are two things that symbolize royal authority, and Tia definitely hasn't gotten them yet!"

As though trying to prove his worth, Vlad pointed at the stitch marks on his forehead and said:

"A barrel of ink and a sword. They're locked in a secret chamber in the treasury, and only this mark on my forehead can open it."

"The old king had that mark on his forehead too, right?"

Propping his chin on his left hand, Dill waved his right hand and rejected the idea:

"If yours works, the old king's would work too."

The stitch marks were a symbol of the royal family. Since Vlad had them, the old king would naturally have had them too.

When Tia usurped the throne, the old king had only just died. His body hadn't even gone cold. As long as Tia didn't mind, he could open the secret chamber with the old king's head.

"No, only my mark works now."

Vlad touched the stitch marks on his forehead, a trace of dejection flashing through his eyes as he said quietly:

"The mark is drawn with the ink in the secret chamber, which contains a special power. After a person dies, that ink turns into ordinary ink;

"So the mark on Father's forehead is useless now;

"I'm the only person who can open the secret chamber now."

"A special power? Turning into a monster?"

"I don't know."

Dill: "..."

He was sixteen. In another year, he would be old enough to set sail and beat up the Shichibukai. Was it really okay for him to be this ignorant?

"S-sorry. I'm so useless."

Noticing his gaze, Vlad lowered his head again, biting his lip hard as tears welled in his eyes.

Dill sighed. How could anyone be this timid?

"Lift your head. Let me ask you: do you want to be king?"

"Y-yes."

"Why?"

"I know what Tia is like. If he becomes king, the country will definitely be a mess."

"Good. Then what do we need to do?"

"D-defeat Tia..."

"I can't hear you! You think you can become king with a voice that quiet?!"

Vlad raised his head, mustered his courage, and roared with all his strength:

"Defeat Tia! I'm the man who will become king of the Trancy Kingdom!!"

His voice was so loud that even the thick fog around them seemed to thin a little.

"Good! That's the spirit!"

Dill stood up and patted his shoulder, thoroughly satisfied.

Whatever his abilities were like, at least he had enough spirit now.

"Tell me about that sword in the secret chamber."

"I don't know!!"

Though Vlad couldn't answer a single question, Dill still brought him along.

He was a prince, after all, and would be of some use in the future. At worst, they could use him as bait to lure Tia out.

Dill bought three more demon masks by the roadside for Gunpowder and the other two to wear.

The party of six did not linger. They soon boarded another passenger ship and set off for Thriller Bark.

The two islands were very close, and an hour later, they arrived at Thriller Bark's harbor.

"They're conducting searches here."

Hina leaned against the window and warned them.

Down in the harbor, a soldier was holding a portrait and comparing it with each tourist disembarking.

Anyone wearing a mask was also required to take it off and show their face.

"Robin."

"Leave it to me."

As they walked down the gangway, a soldier with a plate atop his head and a pointed mouth stopped them.

"You six, please take off your masks."

Vlad's pupils contracted slightly. Although he was wearing a mask, he still instinctively covered his forehead.

If his identity was exposed, the soldiers would certainly come after him immediately.

Just as he was wondering what to do, Dill's voice sounded beside him.

"No problem. Everyone, take them off."

Before Vlad could react, Gunpowder yanked off his mask.

He froze in place with a blank expression, tears welling in his eyes again.

Unexpectedly, after roughly comparing them with the portrait in his hand, the soldier merely nodded, completely failing to discover his identity.

When they left their cabin on the passenger ship, Robin had used her ability to disguise all six of them. There had been no mirror around, so Vlad hadn't noticed.

"I'm very sorry to have troubled you. Hope you get a good scare."

It was Thriller Bark's unique blessing. After all, most tourists came here looking for thrills.

The soldier unfolded the portrait in his hand, which depicted Vlad's face from the front:

"Our prince has gone missing. We hope you'll keep an eye out for any relevant information while enjoying yourselves on the island;

"There's a reward of ten thousand Beli for useful leads. If you find him outright, Earl Tia will reward you with fifty million Beli.

"Oh, and there seems to have been something unusual going on in the western cemetery lately. Please be careful."

"All right, we'll keep an eye out."

Dill responded with a broad smile.

Fifty million was no small sum. Tia's willingness to pay so much to find a prince who posed little threat to him could only mean that the two things in the secret chamber really were important.

Of course, it was also possible that Tia had no intention of paying.

But Dill would rather it was because of what was in the secret chamber.