"N-Nero?" Ace was bewildered. The little girl in front of him looked almost identical to Nero.
"Huh? Where are you from, country bumpkin?" The little girl, who looked eighty percent like Nero, stood with her arms crossed and spoke like a mini-delinquent.
"Are you Five Hundred Million… *cough*… Ace?" The cool and aloof girl, Kuina, looked up and almost immediately recognized the person in front of her.
"Haha, long time no see, Kuina!" Ace greeted her with a smile, although he found it a bit strange that Kuina first blurted out "Five Hundred Million."
"Ah, ah! Yes, long time no see!" Kuina hurriedly closed her small notebook.
Ace inadvertently glanced at the contents of the notebook. It had a bunch of numbers written on it, and below that, a string of what looked like a phone number.
"Hey, Kuina! How dare you ignore me, you've got some nerve, haven't you?"
The little girl next to her felt ignored and kicked Kuina's calf, though it was clear she didn't use much force.
"Sorry." Kuina rubbed her head, and the little girl didn't resist, showing that their relationship was quite good.
Pushing the little girl forward, Kuina introduced her to Ace: "This is Her Royal Highness Mordred, Princess of Nicuss."
"Hello, Your Royal Highness, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Portgas D. Ace."
Ace bowed, touching his chest, in a rather unconventional manner; his shirtless, tattooed, and short-clad appearance made it even more rebellious.
Mordred scrutinized Ace's attire for a moment. Although it was revealing, it looked quite fashionable.
"Are you from outside?"
"Yes, I'm from the Whitebeard Pirates." Ace smiled proudly.
"Whitebeard?" Mordred showed some interest: "One of the Four Emperors! No wonder you don't sound like a Nicuss native when you speak."
"Is there anything special about how Nicuss people speak?"
Ace asked curiously. He remembered Nero had a 'umu' speech quirk. Could there be some historical reason behind it?
Mordred looked around, picking out a melancholic young man with braids: "Hey, you, come here for a moment."
The young man quickly scurried over and bowed respectfully: "Praise the Rose Empress, Your Royal Highness Mordred, how may I assist you?"
Mordred waved her hand: "Alright, it's nothing, you can go back."
Then she looked at Ace: "See? Locals always have an opening line like that."
Ace thought about it. The robot boss had also said something similar, though it seemed a little different.
Seeing Ace still looking a bit confused, Kuina explained to him: "It only became popular in Nicuss a few years ago. Now it's like a catchphrase, an opening greeting."
"Merchants usually say 'Praise the golden empress,' martial artists say 'Praise the Scarlet Dragon Empress,' and cultural figures like artists say 'Praise the Rose Empress.'"
Ace's face was blank with confusion. Was Nero that popular in her own country?
Mordred showed a mischievous smile and added: "There are also some more niche ones, for example, some local criminal groups, they'll also say 'Praise the Blood Empress' or 'Cruel Empress' among themselves."
"Momo…" Kuina called her name, reminding her not to speak carelessly.
"What's wrong with that? Doesn't it just show how popular that old hag is?" Mordred turned her head away dismissively: "And don't call me Momo!"
"Can I call you Momo too? Momo!" Ace took off his hat and hung it behind his neck, revealing a head of black, naturally curly hair.
"Are you an idiot who can't understand what people are saying?" Mordred's eye twitched, but she couldn't help but ask Ace curiously: "Do people outside all dress like you?"
Ace glanced at his tattoos and the bead necklace around his neck, scratching his cheek somewhat awkwardly: "Not really, I'm just more fashionable."
"Fashion from the outside world?" Mordred mused.
"Oh right, are you here in Nicuss for a visit? This Princess is free today, I can show you around."
"Thank you, but I'm here to visit Nero today. There are some things I want to clarify."
"Tsk!" Mordred clicked her tongue: "I've been wanting to ask since just now, are you very familiar with that old hag Nero?"
That question stumped Ace. Familiar? Not really, if anything, it was the resentment of being tricked into soaking in water for three days face-to-face.
Hmm… it's been so long, it doesn't really matter anymore.
"She's a friend…" Kuina chose her words carefully.
But they had only stayed on Windmill Island for a few days, so they couldn't really be called friends. And this Ace was the son of Nero's former Captain, so there should be some connection.
"Someone she knows?" Kuina finally replied, uncertainly.
"Yes, yes, exactly!" Ace nodded foolishly in agreement.
"Huh? What is that? So random." Mordred pouted, feeling like the two of them were being perfunctory: "Whatever, it has nothing to do with me anyway."
"By the way, can you take me to see Nero?" Ace was just worrying about how to meet Nero, and these two people could just solve his urgent problem.
"Nero… Master? Master is busy with affairs every day, I'm not sure where she would be." Kuina looked a bit troubled, then looked at Mordred.
"Why are you looking at me?" Mordred sneered: "Where could that old hag who only knows how to eat, drink, and play be?"
"The garden, the hunting grounds, the tribunal, or else she's rolling around in bed with Mother and Aunt Hathaway!"
Mordred's words were shocking. Ace pretended not to hear, looking at the clouds in the sky.
These white clouds are really white!
"Your Royal Highness Mordred…" Kuina poked her shoulder.
"Alright, alright! I get it! Anyway, there are no outsiders here." Mordred impatiently shrugged her shoulder.
"…"
"…"
"Your Royal Highness not treating this old servant as an outsider makes him very happy, but Your Royal Highness's recent remarks…"
A familiar voice sounded from behind, and Mordred instantly became stiff all over.
Turning around mechanically, the white-haired Holio's eyes were practically spitting fire: "Is that something a Princess should say?"
"Momo is too rude, especially in front of an outsider."
In front of Holio, a little girl, whose hair was almost identical to Mordred's, spoke sternly.
Mordred, who had been fine moments before, instantly bristled, as if she had encountered a natural enemy: "Don't call me Momo! You should call me Elder Sister, you scoundrel Lia!"
"I was born first, you should call me Elder Sister!" The little girl called Lia corrected her meticulously.
"Shut up, you preemie! I was clearly first, you should be calling me Elder Sister." Mordred bared her teeth, a stark contrast to Lia.
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