507 Starting from One Piece

The attitude of the guard on duty was quite good. In his view, Kaito and Shirahoshi were definitely tourists from outside, so he politely explained that this was where the royal family lived and that they couldn't enter at will.

However, when Kaito took off his sunglasses, the soldier was struck as if by lightning and dropped to his knees on the spot. In today's world, there weren't many people left who didn't recognize Kaito.

He shouted out "King!" in excitement, and soon the commotion drew a squad rushing out of the palace.

The one leading them was also a familiar face to Kaito—Kyros, whose leg Kaito had healed back then.

Kyros had been patrolling inside the palace. When he suddenly heard someone outside shouting

"King," he didn't react at first. King Riku was inside—so why would anyone be calling out "King" outside?

Could someone be trying to usurp the throne?

Having experienced something like that once, he immediately brought people and rushed out. But the moment he saw Kaito, his reaction was almost identical to the guard's—dropping to his knees and shouting "King" in one smooth motion.

Kaito was already used to scenes like this. He raised his hand, motioning for everyone to rise, and asked,

"Is Gion inside right now?"

Gion had been arranged to live in the palace the moment she arrived—she had mentioned this before.

Kyros nodded respectfully and said,

"Yes, She is resting today. She's currently in the back garden with the two princesses."

"Alright, then it's nothing to do with you. I'll go to the back garden to find her."

Kyros immediately had the soldiers form two lines, watching as Kaito and Shirahoshi walked into the palace.

On the way, Shirahoshi sighed,

"Kaito-sama is truly amazing. No matter where you go, everyone respects you so much. Is this what a true king is like?"

Kaito smiled.

"You're no different. Those people on the street earlier could barely keep walking after seeing you."

"I don't like that… I don't feel safe at all. I'd rather stay by Kaito-sama's side!"

As she spoke, Shirahoshi tightened her hold on Kaito's arm, acting like a delicate little bird.

The two of them walked to the entrance of the back garden, and a gentle melody of a harp drifted out from within.

The moment Kaito heard the music, he knew Conis must be there as well. Sure enough, when he entered the back garden, Conis was sitting there with her eyes closed, playing a golden harp.

Her audience was Viola, Rebecca, and Gion. The three women lay lazily on a pink carpet, looking as though they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

They were so entranced by the music that none of them noticed Kaito and Shirahoshi walking in.

Then again, that wasn't surprising—this area was basically monopolized by the four of them. Even King Riku himself hadn't come here in a long time.

Kaito quietly led Shirahoshi to stand behind them, listening silently to Conis' performance.

When the piece ended, Conis slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze looked hazy, and she vaguely thought she had seen her brother Kaito.

Wait—Kaito!?

Conis' eyes snapped wide open. Her hand trembled upon the strings, and a sharp, crisp sound rang out, startling Viola and the others out of their musical trance.

Gion stood up. Seeing Conis' dazed expression, she waved a hand in front of her face.

"Conis, what's wrong?"

Conis raised a trembling hand and pointed behind Gion.

"Ka… Kai… Kaito!"

Gion froze. Viola and Rebecca had already turned their heads. When Kaito saw them looking his way, he smiled.

"You girls sure know how to enjoy yourselves. Make sure to pay Conis for her performance."

This time, Shirahoshi wasn't nearly as shy as she was in front of Hancock. She waved generously at them and said,

"Hello. My name is Shirahoshi. I'm very happy to meet you all!"

When she finished, she bowed politely—accidentally showing off her astonishing figure.

Gion and the others hurriedly returned the greeting and began introducing themselves.

Kaito squinted slightly as he waited for the introductions to finish. Gion walked over, slipped her arm around his, and said,

"You finally remembered me. I heard from Kalifa that you forced the sun to set early just to do something bad. How domineering of you!"

Shirahoshi blinked curiously.

"What bad thing? And what does it have to do with the sun?"

Kaito coughed twice and gave Gion a sideways glance. Gion immediately understood. She took Shirahoshi's hand and said,

"It's nothing. I was just joking!"

Shirahoshi nodded blankly and didn't ask further.

Viola hadn't taken her eyes off Kaito since she saw him. Her gaze was so fiery it was as though she wanted to devour him whole.

Rebecca's eyes were filled with reverence. The impression Kaito left on her back then was simply too deep—not only had he taken back their country from Doflamingo, he had also healed her father Kyros' leg.

To her, Kaito was like a god.

Kaito felt a bit uncomfortable being stared at by the two princesses. He gently pulled Shirahoshi forward and changed the subject.

"Shirahoshi is a princess just like you two. You should talk."

Viola immediately pushed Rebecca forward with a smile.

"Rebecca is about the same age as Shirahoshi. They must have a lot in common. Let them get to know each other first!"

Rebecca was shoved forward, looking utterly bewildered. The two pink-haired girls looked at each other, neither knowing what to say.

Conis had already seen through everything. She stepped forward, took the hands of both girls, and smiled brightly.

"Kaito, I'll take these two princesses for a little walk. We won't disturb you~"

With that, she led Rebecca and Shirahoshi away like three butterflies disappearing into the flowers.

Gion folded her arms, watching like she was enjoying a show.

She had long known about Viola's feelings for Kaito. During Gion's stay in the palace, Viola never stopped talking about him—not even trying to hide it.

Of course, Dressrosa's people had always been bold and passionate. Viola, as a princess, embodied that spirit fully.

Kaito simply decided to lie down right where he stood. Viola propped her chin with one hand and lay on her side next to him, staring at him.

After a moment of this stalemate, Kaito finally spoke helplessly.

"Seriously… how long are you planning to keep staring?"

A seductive smile spread across Viola's face. She leaned close to Kaito's ear and whispered,

"I could never look enough. I'm afraid you'll disappear again. Gion said you went somewhere special—somewhere only you can reach."

At that, even Gion shot Kaito a resentful look. Kaito raised his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright. That kind of thing won't happen again. From now on, you can all visit the places I've been to."

Gion gently poked Kaito's chest with a finger and said softly,

"Where we go doesn't matter. What matters is that you're with us."