In the western wing of the Royal Palace stood a residence set apart from all others. Only two steps beyond its entrance lay the court garden, a tranquil expanse known throughout the Kingdom of Tirisfal. This elegant palace, classic in design and modest in size, was called the Rose Palace. It held unparalleled significance, for the Eldest Princess of the kingdom lived there.
Redyat found himself outside the court garden before he realized it. When he lifted his gaze, the Rose Palace came into view. Even though the night was still deep, the blue roses surrounding the palace continued to bloom with gentle brilliance. Clusters of the same flowers filled the garden beyond, their petals shining with the faintest glow.
Redyat had much on his mind, yet he did not wish to disturb his mother. She would be asleep at this hour, but every morning without fail she visited the garden to admire her roses.
He stepped inside the garden and made his way to a small pavilion at its center. It was built with delicate craftsmanship, offering a vantage point over the heart of the garden. Redyat sat down quietly, closed his eyes, and let his memories rise.
He had grown up never knowing who his father was. Only a handful of people within the entire kingdom knew the truth, and none would speak of it. Unlike Mainz, who adopted a more relaxed approach toward the mystery, Redyat had been unyielding in his search.
Mainz believed that if fate wished to reveal the truth, it would. Redyat could not accept that. His drive was sharper, more restless, and it left a mark on him.
Now he finally knew. And as he pieced together fragments of the past, events that once seemed random formed a clear pattern. More than two years ago, his mother became uncharacteristically somber. The feeling lasted only for a short time, but her grief had been unmistakable.
More than two years ago was also when Patrick Redfield, Red the Aloof, lost his freedom and disappeared into the depths of Impel Down.
Redyat remembered the stories; the arrogance of Red the Aloof, the blue rose worn proudly on his chest. It was the same flower treasured by the Eldest Princess, the national flower of Tirisfal. The Kateroj family crest bore that very bloom.
Throughout the kingdom, blue roses grew everywhere. Their meaning was unmistakable. To offer one was to say: You are the only one in my heart. I will love only you, no one else. At the same time, it carried another blessing. May you live an easier, happier life.
Those meanings carried weight now.
All his life, Redyat had harbored a quiet resentment toward the man he believed had abandoned him. It came from the pain of searching without an answer. But as he reflected on everything, that faint hatred thinned, then dissolved completely.
Only one thought remained.
He wanted to see him. He wanted to stand in front of him himself.
The night had been long. Redyat remained seated with his eyes closed, while two fallen leaves drifted down and came to rest upon his shoulder. Gradually, the sky brightened. The morning breeze brought with it the crisp scent of dew. Blue roses encircled the pavilion in a serene ring. This was the heart of the garden, lined entirely with the kingdom's treasured flowers.
Other flowers grew farther out, but this center belonged to the roses alone.
Dewdrops slid from their petals. Redyat knew this was the place his mother cherished most. She would be here shortly.
Within the Rose Palace, the main doors opened. A beautiful woman stepped out, radiating an elegance that words could not capture. Her grace carried a soft warmth that drew others in with ease.
"Princess Isabella, shall we go to the garden? Prince Redyat seems to be waiting for you. He has waited all night." The palace butler, an older woman and chief of the maids, bowed respectfully.
Had a master of Observation Haki been present, they would have sensed the immense strength hidden within the butler. She had been assigned to protect Isabella, and her skill matched the weight of that duty.
Though many years had passed, the kingdom still addressed Isabella as Princess. She was also known as Her Royal Highness, the Eternal Princess.
"Oh, Redyat is here? I made him wait all night? I have not seen him in so long." Isabella's smile brightened her entire face, and the world seemed to lighten with it. Lifting her dress slightly, she moved quickly toward the garden.
The butler and several maids followed behind.
In the pavilion, Redyat raised his eyes. He could already feel his mother's familiar presence approaching. A moment later, he saw her, hurrying toward him with the joyful energy of a young maiden.
Isabella stepped into the pavilion. Her eyes fell immediately on the bandages across his body.
"Redyat, are you hurt?" she asked, worry softening her voice.
"It is nothing, Mother. The injuries have healed." His tone was gentle. The battle with Teach had drained him more than it had injured him. After a night of rest, he was nearly restored.
Isabella let out a breath of relief. She could tell from one look that he was recovering well. The Kateroj family trained every member from childhood. Even those with lower talent grew strong, and her son was far from ordinary.
Isabella herself had talent, yet she disliked training and refused any pursuit of strength. As the king's sister, no one forced her. Her role in the kingdom was different, and her presence alone carried weight greater than most warriors.
Years ago, Isabella vanished for a short time. Upon her return, she was discovered to be pregnant. It sent shock through the entire royal family. They were ready to mobilize the army to hunt the unknown man who dared touch the Eldest Princess.
But when the truth of his identity came to light, silence spread through the halls like a cold wind.
He was someone they could not afford to offend. A man whose power could overturn their entire kingdom alone. And Isabella clearly had not been forced.
Anticipation turned to awe when the twins were born. With the bloodline of the Kateroj family combined with the monstrous talent of Red the Aloof, both children showed breathtaking potential from birth. The kingdom designated them successors immediately and even bestowed upon them two of its most precious Devil Fruits.
Isabella touched Redyat's cheek lightly. He resembled that man so closely. Her eyes softened with memories of the past.
Redyat recognized the look. He stayed quiet, letting her remember.
After a moment she returned to herself, sat beside him, and looped her arm through his.
"Tell me. What troubles you?" she asked gently. She knew he would not have waited all night without reason.
Redyat inhaled slowly.
"Mother, I know who he is now."
Her body stiffened.
"Him? Who do you mean?"
"The one I have been searching for."
Understanding glimmered in her eyes.
The butler immediately ushered the maids away and withdrew with them, leaving mother and son alone.
"So you found him," Isabella murmured. "I thought I would never hear of him again after he entered that place."
To Redyat's surprise, she did not panic. Instead, a weight seemed to lift from her chest. Her smile almost looked relieved. Keeping this secret for so many years had pressed on her heart.
No one could learn the truth. The World Government would never allow two children with Red the Aloof's bloodline to live freely. Nor would they allow the kingdom to shelter them. This was why their heritage remained hidden behind layers of careful deception.
Mainz was presented openly, with a fabricated noble father. Redyat existed in the shadows, his true identity concealed beneath contingency plans. When the day came that he wished to leave the kingdom, his records would simply vanish.
All for survival. All for the kingdom.
"Then tell me about your time with him," Redyat said. Warm curiosity softened his voice.
Isabella smiled.
"Of course. I will tell you everything."
Before she began, another voice spoke from behind them.
"If possible, may I listen too?"
It was Mainz. His short blue hair and gentle features resembled their mother closely.
"Brother, I have the right to know as well."
"Then sit with us," Isabella said, taking Mainz's hand and guiding him to the other side.
Her sons sat on each side of her.
"Let us begin from when I first met him." Isabella's eyes softened as she cast her mind back. "I did not know who he was at the time..."
She spoke of her youth as the proud Eldest Princess. Of the man who wandered the seas alone, famed enough that even Rocks himself tried to recruit him, only to be refused time and again. Even Rocks could not coerce him. No one could.
Redyat and Mainz walked out of the garden later, carrying her stories in their hearts. Her memories filled the gaps they had searched for all their lives.
Redyat recalled the words he spoke before leaving the pavilion.
"Mother, I will save him."
There was no hatred left. Only determination. Red the Aloof had not known he had children.
Redyat clenched his fist, then relaxed it and strode toward the Palace.
There, in the conference room, the same three men from last night waited; the elderly head of the Kateroj family, King Wilhelm, Finance Minister Oscar, and General Hindenburg.
They rose as Redyat and Mainz entered.
"It seems you understand everything now," Wilhelm said. "Since you know, I will hide nothing. These are the records I gathered. I kept them instead of destroying them."
He laid two bundles of documents before them. Wanted posters. Newspapers. Intelligence reports. Every trace of the Lone Red he had ever managed to collect.
"Inside are his deeds and history."
"We knew that if you ever chose to find the truth, you would uncover it eventually."
Redyat glanced at the documents. A shadow swept over them, absorbing the entire collection into the dark.
"Today," he said, "a member of the Nightfall Pirates will arrive to receive the Kraken Kingdom intelligence and finalize the details of our cooperation."