"Coo… coo…"
Thousands of meters away—
A strange-looking News Coo tilted its head, having witnessed the entire battle from beginning to end.
Its dark eyes shimmered with unmistakable excitement…
Only after Kazama Haruto led Cobra into the palace did it flap its wings and soar into the sky.
…
"Other than the Nefertari family…"
"Where are the Saint family, the Locke family, the Mossa family… and the Clan of D now?"
Stepping into the palace hall, Kazama Haruto stood with his hands behind his back, speaking calmly without turning around.
Back in the days of the Uruk Empire, countless powerful figures had followed him.
However…
There were only five subordinates whom he truly remembered.
Even then, he had never imagined—
That the subordinates he had casually accepted would, four thousand years later, become the mysterious and powerful Clan of D in the world of One Piece…
At this moment, he couldn't help but wonder—
Could the secret carried by the Clan of D… be related to the Uruk Empire and himself?
Come to think of it—
That would indeed qualify as an immense secret.
Trembling as he followed Kazama Haruto into the hall, Cobra dropped to his knees repeatedly, speaking with urgency:
"Honored King of Heroes…"
"The Saint family and the Clan of D… fell into internal conflict eight hundred years ago!"
"The Clan of D suffered heavy losses. What remains are merely scattered branches with only fragmentary knowledge…"
"As for the Saint family—they adhered to their ancestral duty of guarding your treasure, but their main bloodline was slaughtered…"
"The remaining branches, unaware of the truth, were manipulated. Eventually, eight hundred years ago, they established the World Government… and proclaimed themselves descendants of the Creator!"
"That legacy continues to this day."
"As for the other two families…"
"They vanished into history two to three thousand years ago. The treasures they guarded… are now lost."
Everything Cobra spoke of came from records passed down by generations of the Nefertari family.
Back then, among the five great forces of the Uruk Empire, some had close ties, while others were hostile…
But as fellow guardians of the king's treasures, they had all kept watch over one another.
For example—
The Clan of D and the Saint family had once been closely connected.
However—
After the internal upheavals within both families—
Those who remained were descendants who knew nothing of the King of Heroes.
They knew nothing of his existence…
Nothing of the treasures they were meant to guard…
And nothing of the five great families that once protected the king's legacy!
Of course—
If the now-dominant Saint family were to learn that the Nefertari family still held one of the king's treasures—
The Nefertari line would have long since been annihilated!
"The Saint family established the World Government… and calls themselves descendants of the Creator?"
Kazama Haruto's eyes narrowed slightly.
He was genuinely surprised.
The World Government… descendants of the Creator…
Wasn't that—
The Celestial Dragons?
To think that the descendants of his former subordinates had, after internal conflict, become the infamous Celestial Dragons of the current era…
That was… truly unexpected.
"Y-yes… Honored King of Heroes…"
"They… have another name…"
"They are called the Celestial Dragons."
Cobra trembled violently, his hands shaking as he knelt.
Kazama Haruto's reaction made him think—
That this King of Heroes was angered!
And rightfully so…
The descendants of those once trusted had betrayed him—
And not just one, but two entire lineages.
For a king—
That was absolutely unforgivable!
Especially for a king as great as the King of Heroes.
Yet—
Contrary to Cobra's expectations, Kazama Haruto showed no anger at all. Instead, he spoke calmly:
"So… that means…"
"Of my treasures, only Enkidu remains intact now?"
"The World Government… the Celestial Dragons…"
"To think that the descendants of Saras—the weakest among them—would possess such ambition…"
Saras Saint—
The ancestor of all Celestial Dragons, and one of the five great generals of the Uruk Empire.
Back then, being the youngest and weakest among the five, Saras had been somewhat doted upon by the others.
Even Kazama Haruto himself had shown him a certain fondness…
As images surfaced in his mind—
Of Saras's once innocent demeanor—
And the current Celestial Dragons, strutting about with bubble helmets and dripping arrogance—
Kazama Haruto found it difficult to reconcile the two.