That was when I was a child...

"Father, what are your dreams?"

The three-year-old asked his then-young father a question.

"ideal..."

His father smiled and told him, "Making peace in the Kingdom of Korf is the first priority, and the second, if possible, is to die in battle."

"Huh? Died in battle? What does 'died in battle' mean?"

"To die in battle..."

The father looked up at the setting sun, paused for a long while, then reached out and stroked his son's head, saying softly:

"To die in battle is to die as a human being, with ideals in your heart."

“This country needs to change. I don’t want them to become pirates; that will only lead to the slow death of the Kingdom of Korf. But there’s nothing I can do about it. There are many ways to make peace, but only my abilities are applicable to Korf… They will hate me, but eventually they will get used to it and become citizens of the same kingdoms.”

"At that time, my duties as king will be fulfilled, but as a pirate... I also want to fight the enemy properly and die for my ideals. This is the fate of most pirates, and I am no exception. Unfortunately, this is a contradiction. I can only fulfill one of my two ideals. Perhaps... you can fulfill the first one for me, and I can fulfill the second one."

At that time, Aquitaine did not understand his father's words, but only felt that his father talked too much.

As he grew older, he gradually forgot about it, because his father no longer had that smile, no longer spoke softly, but was instead filled with violence that instilled fear and hatred.

When did you forget?

He clearly saw his father order the doctor to prepare medicine and then give it to the sick miners.

But the miners were so far away, how could my father know? No one shared this information; the entire nation considered them slaves, and no one would sympathize with them.

When exactly did he forget about this?

Was it his father's long silence, or the rebellious spirit that aroused him as he grew up, or the moment the Straw Hat Boy arrived?

Noadi, his father, ruled the kingdom for over twenty years.

Before seeing his father's body, he still believed that he could live without his father's shadow; he was the new king, and he had broken free from his father's control.

But when he actually saw his body, Aquitaine suddenly realized that he wasn't so powerful after all...

Even if his father failed, he still exists. As long as he exists, there will always be a great tree in Aquitaine's heart, even if he keeps denying it.

But now, the tree has fallen...

He lacked his father's methods, his father's strength, and his father's ability to control the kingdom for over twenty years.

The reason why those pirates rioted but didn't attack Stone King Castle was still because of Father's existence, wasn't it?

With his father gone, he was truly a king now, no longer oppressed by anyone...

Aquitaine knelt on the ground, staring blankly at Noadi's quiet face, a face that was no longer angry, no longer frowning, no longer unhappy.

He smiled, but tears streamed down his face as he murmured, "I am... king now."

From this day forward, the king will bear the weight of the lives and livelihoods of his people...