"What's all this fuss about?" asked an old, grumpy man, settling into his morning coffee with his wife.
She smiled, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "It's that new boy in the kingdom. He's got all the young ladies charmed."
The man rolled his eyes, dismissing it with a grunt. Just a few steps away, a young man was browsing a flower shop, choosing blooms with care. He was on his way to Kensington Gardens to meet a friend.
"Who's the lucky one who has a handsome young man at her feet?" townspeople hummed as they passed, as if caught in a musical.
The young man strolled through the gardens, carrying his basket of flowers. The sun shone brightly over the kingdom as he spotted his friend by the pond.
"Hiroko!" he called out excitedly, hurrying over.
"The noise!" she groaned, covering her ears.
Peter stopped, his face twisting in horror. "Oh, I forgot again!" he exclaimed, dropping his voice—before inevitably slipping back to his usual loudness.
Hiroko laughed, surprising him. "You're not mad?" he asked, a bit taken aback.
"You can't help it, and it's endearing. You try your best, even with that terrible memory of yours. Thank you, Peter."
Her kind words made him smile. "Since you love flowers, I brought you these..." he said, revealing the basket, oblivious to his volume again.
She examined the flowers with surprise. "You bought so many! This must've been expensive."
"Expensive?" Peter blinked in confusion. "I didn't even think about that."
Hiroko raised an eyebrow. "How could you not notice?"
He chuckled, scratching his head. "I guess I never had to worry about money. My father was a successful businessman, my mother a noblewoman. My brother and I always got what we wanted. I don't really understand limits."
Hiroko rolled her eyes with a smile.
"So, did I finally impress you?" Peter asked, waiting for her answer with excitement.
"Close," she teased. Some time ago, she'd promised to introduce him to the king if he managed to impress her, a challenge he'd been taking to heart, though he didn't take the promise too seriously. He was simply drawn to her, feeling an odd nostalgia he couldn't place.
"Wait here, I'll be right back," Peter said, spotting a family nearby. He ran over, asking, "What's the most impressive thing I can do in this kingdom?"
The mother chuckled. "Well, pulling out Preso's sword would be a start. It's right in the gardens, trapped in stone."
"Don't encourage him!" her husband huffed, irritated.
Peter just grinned and ran off, asking everyone he passed about Preso's sword. Bursting back to Hiroko, he exclaimed, "The sword—Preso's sword—is here!"
Hiroko laughed at his breathless enthusiasm. "It's been here all along. Many have tried to pull it from the stone, but none have succeeded."
Peter eyed the stone with a glint in his eye. "Could it be...?" he muttered, almost to himself.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, intrigued.
"Nothing, just a passing thought," he said, a strange, fleeting intensity in his eyes. Then he stepped forward, throwing his arms wide.
"Watch me pull this sword from its rocky prison!" he announced boldly, attracting a crowd as he gripped the hilt.
"AGHHHHH!"
A wave of Conqueror's Haki burst from both Peter and the sword, stunning the onlookers. "Go, spread the word! Someone's challenging the cursed sword!" People rushed to see the spectacle.
Even Sabo and Cavendish, drawn by the commotion, heard the news.
"What's happening here?" Cavendish asked a passerby, disguised by his mask.
"There's a young man everyone's buzzing about. They say he's even more handsome than our own Prince Cavendish. Right now, he's trying to pull out Preso's sword—and from what I hear, he hasn't even fainted yet!" The girl barely finished before she took off running.
"Well, that's interesting, don't you think, Cavendish?" Sabo remarked, glancing at his companion—who seemed too lost in thought to reply.
"Cavendish…" Sabo began, only to be cut short as Cavendish suddenly seized his arm.
"We have to go. Now!" Cavendish took off at a sprint, dragging a bewildered Sabo along toward Kensington Gardens.
"Hey! What's gotten into you?" Sabo protested as soon as Cavendish finally released him, once on the gardens.
"Cavendish, are you all right?" he asked, noticing that his friend had gone pale as a ghost.
"All right?... All right?... Me?" Cavendish took a step back. "Do you see what I'm seeing? Just look at him! Those freckles make him look innocent. And those blue eyes—how can anyone have eyes that blue?!" Cavendish was growing increasingly hysterical as he continued.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Sabo asked, only for Cavendish to grab him and shake him.
"Don't you understand?! He's much more beautiful than me…" Cavendish had the absurd urge to drink something acidic, just to feel the burn. He immediately regretted saying it.
It was pure blasphemy!
"I'm going to kill him!" Cavendish roared, his tone full of menace.
Sabo took a moment to examine the young man who had Cavendish so furious. The boy looked about Luffy's age, but what caught Sabo's attention most was the absence of a shadow.
A shadow cannot have a shadow.
"Cavendish! Look at his feet!" Sabo pointed out.
Cavendish paused his rant and examined the boy's feet.
"It's him!... That bastard! Now it makes sense. He must've altered his appearance—that's cheating!" Cavendish's rage flared, his presence practically radiating flames.
"Can you two shut up? Can't you see we're trying not to faint here?" someone shouted at them, only to be knocked out by the surge of Conqueror's Haki.
"Damn it!"
They finally noticed that almost everyone in the gardens had collapsed.
"Cavendish, can you explain why a sword is emitting Conqueror's Haki?" Sabo asked, both surprised and irritated.
"Oh, you mean the Preso sword. There's a reason no one's been able to pull it out of that rock. As soon as anyone tries, it emits Conqueror's Haki. No one's managed to hold on for long without fainting," Cavendish explained, watching as Peter continued to struggle with the sword.
"But… why?" Sabo asked.
"I don't know," Cavendish replied.
"It's just a damn sword!" Sabo exclaimed.
Suddenly, both were knocked to the ground by an unexpected blow.
"Sorry, Hiroko, but we can't keep up this farce any longer. We know everything we need to know. It's time to take control." Helina, the leader of the musketeers, stepped into view.
"And you…" Helina pointed at Cavendish. "What the hell are you doing here?!"
Cavendish blinked, recognizing her at last. "Just my duty," he replied, getting up and dusting off the dirt clinging to his clothes.
"And who's he?" Helina immediately asked, eyeing Sabo.
"That ugly guy? A friend," Cavendish replied nonchalantly.
"We'll discuss this later. Hana! Hiroko! Take your positions!" Helina commanded, rubbing her temples in exasperation.
"What's going on? Who are they?" Sabo asked, still trying to make sense of the situation.
"The Three Musketeers," Cavendish replied, assuming a fighting stance.
Meanwhile, Peter finally surrendered to the will of the sword. "Well, that didn't go as planned. Did I impress you? I think I got it to budge a little." He grinned at Hiroko, who pointed a sword at him.
"Is that a no?" he asked with a wry smile.