Pirates: Your emperor has returned!

Page 40

Friendly, honest, and kind.

At this moment, he was wearing his most formal armor, standing alone on the dock, preparing to welcome the group of distinguished guests from the desert country.

He felt it was somewhat impolite, but there was nothing he could do about it.

After all, the then-King of the Drum Kingdom, Wapol, didn't care much about this meeting at all.

After receiving communication from Alabasta, Wapol simply picked his nose and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Alright, alright, I understand!"

"Unexpected visits are such a hassle, I can't be bothered with them!"

He looked at his three ministers.

They are: Kingdom Advisor: Jess, Kingdom Affairs Officer: Cromarimon, and Guard Captain: Dalton.

"Who can go and greet them, Jess?"

The archer, dressed like a third-rate circus performer, shook his head repeatedly. "Have you forgotten, Your Majesty? I made an appointment with Cromarimon to accompany you to feed the hairy hippos!"

"Oh, that's true..."

Wapol scratched his head, puffing out his bulging, metal-clad belly, and turned to Dalton with a smile, saying, "Then I'll trouble you to make the trip, Dalton!"

Dalton was taken aback.

"Forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty, but you must have seen the news a few days ago. After all, it was an emperor with a special status and a princess from another country."

He quickly stopped him, saying, "Isn't it a bit impolite to not personally greet someone just to feed a pet?"

"What's so rude about it? It's not like I begged him to come!"

Wapol frowned and shouted, "Besides, so what if I was rude? As a member state of the World Government, do you think they would dare to start a war!"

Dalton was speechless and could only manage to ask, "Then, Your Majesty, how many guards do I need to bring?"

"Do we still need to bring a guard?"

Wapol put his hands on Dalton's shoulders and said with a grin, "You're the captain of my guard, so it's quite an honor for me to personally greet you! Hahahaha!"

Left with no other option, Wapol struggled for two days without success and had no choice but to come alone, gritting his teeth and facing the prospect.

……

Embarrassing.

How embarrassing!

As the sea breeze blew across the dock, Wapol felt a pang of guilt towards the late king.

This supposedly medical nation sent only one person to receive a foreign royal family.

If not handled properly, this matter could easily escalate into a dispute between nations!

But Dalton didn't expect that a hand would suddenly pat him on the shoulder.

Turning around, I saw even more people.

They are the common people of the Drum Kingdom.

As it turned out, Dalton did indeed enjoy a high reputation among the residents of Drum Kingdom.

After learning of Dalton's plight, some of them spontaneously gathered at the dock from various villages, dressed in the traditional attire of the Drum Kingdom, and stood with Dalton.

"Dalton, if you have a problem, just tell us all. This isn't very friendly of you!"

"I heard we might get to see a princess this time?"

"Stand at attention! We can't let people from other countries look down on our nation!"

"..."

A crowd gathered around, discussing the matter animatedly.

Dalton watched this scene with a mixture of emotion and worry.

Such a group of simple and honest residents are far from qualified to serve as the "honor guard" of a monarch.

Rather than saying they came to welcome each other, it's more accurate to say they came to watch the spectacle!

Dalton had read about the emperor, who was about to visit, in the newspapers.

The Golden Dawn, eight hundred years ago, by Ryan Rowan.

Dalton had no idea what kind of person he was, and if he was an arrogant world nobleman, the residents' behavior was very likely to provoke his anger.

But looking at the group of residents who had come specifically to help him, Dalton couldn't bring himself to disperse them.

As Wapol once criticized Dalton:

His biggest weakness is that he is too kind.

So be it.

Dalton exhaled a soft breath of white air.

If that is indeed an arrogant and rude visitor, I am confident that I can protect the people behind him!

……

Dalton felt relieved the moment he saw Rowan.

He was a man who looked to be around thirty years old. He gave off a youthful and energetic vibe, yet his brows also carried a hint of composure.

Looking into his eyes, Dalton was certain that they were not filled with violence and tyranny, but with the demeanor and majesty that a ruler should possess.

as predicted.

After a brief encounter, Rowan paid no attention to the unnecessary welcoming ceremony and instead began to admire the beautiful winter island scenery around him.

Dalton breathed a sigh of relief, extended his hand, and bowed slightly.

"To get to the Drum Kingdom Castle, you need to take a sleigh to the foot of the mountain first, and then transfer to a cable car. Please follow me."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Rowan smiled and nodded, his every word and action befitting the etiquette of a ruler of a country.

This behavior reminded Dalton of the kind old king, which made him feel much more favorably toward Rowan and relaxed a lot.

"The Drum Kingdom has many interesting sights and animals, which I will introduce to you along the way if you are interested."

"of course."

Rowan, holding a scepter, walked alongside Dalton.

Whether in the past or present, he has always had a love and curiosity for this world.

The group walked through the crowd of onlookers and boarded several large sleds that Dalton had prepared for them.

Rowan, Crocodile, and Vivi rode in the lead car with Dalton, while the royal guards who accompanied them sat in the second sled.

As for his duties as a princess's bodyguard?

In Crocodile's words—

"hehe."

With two Logia-type Devil Fruit users on either side, there is probably no higher level of "protection" on this sea!

……

The sled, pulled by several sled dogs, moved along the main road.

Along the way, the group also encountered a huge bear with a trekking pole.

Dalton explained, "That's a unique animal of the Drum Kingdom, a picnic bear. When you meet it, you should nod and greet it."

Crocodile raised his chin dismissively, as if to say hello and avoid trouble.

Rowan and Vivi found this quite amusing and nodded slightly to the picnic bear.

Swish!

The sled sped past the picnicking bear.

Crocodile suddenly noticed that Rowan nodded again in the direction behind the picnic bear, making a greeting gesture.

"Ok?"

Crocodile was puzzled, but the sled was moving very fast, and there was no time to observe further.

Therefore, he could only ask Rowan, "What's wrong?"

"There are people in the woods in the distance, I was just saying hello," Rowan replied with a smile.

"Tsk, unnecessary..."

Crocodile picked up a cup of hot ginger tea that Dalton had provided and sipped it slowly. "You really have time to gossip about hunters and the like."

Then, he heard Rowan's voice.

"Oh, they're not hunters."

Luo Wen also took a cup of hot ginger tea and handed it to Weiwei.

"Probably CP0, or CP9?"

"puff!"

Crocodile's hot ginger tea, I spat it out in one gulp.

[Chapter Thirty-Five: Old Habits]

"puff!"

Crocodile took a sip of hot ginger tea and sprayed it out of the sled.

Dalton, who was driving the sled, quickly turned around and asked with concern, "What's wrong, Mr. Crocodile?"

"No, it's okay, it's just too hot."

Crocodile wiped his mouth, turned to look at Rowan, his eyes full of surprise.