"Seven Monarchs?"
In a certain sky in the latter half of the New World, the Golden Lion casually crumpled a newspaper. "Boring. Aside from Roa, how are the other fools worthy of being on the same level as me?"
"But, Roa..."
His expression suddenly became serious.
A legion of over two hundred giants, plus Loki, the son of Harald—that bastard Roa's forces were already far stronger than his Golden Lion Pirates!
To achieve his dream of ruling the seas from the sky, that brat Roa was now the biggest roadblock besides the World Government!
Although Roger was also there, that bastard Roger didn't have a rivalry with him!
He's too fast!
That brat Roa is growing too fast!
It's time to think of a plan!
On Hachinosu Island.
Wang Zhi was on a call with two other people.
"Seven Monarchs? It sounds glorious. Would Shiki and Roa be willing to share this title with us?" Captain John's voice came from the other end of the line.
"Shiki, needless to say, has never looked down on us,"
Wang Zhi said directly, "As for Roa, heh, we've all witnessed his madness. And I'm stuck right in the middle of them!"
"At least I'm a good distance away from them!"
Silver Axe's voice held a hint of pride.
"Don't say something so stupid. If I'm taken out, do you think you can escape?"
Wang Zhi said, annoyed, "The war in the New World will come sooner or later! We must band together to survive the inevitable storm!"
"He's right!"
Captain John also said in a deep voice, "We can no longer be suspicious of each other."
Wang Zhi couldn't help but curl his lip. You bastard, you weren't like this when we were choosing territories.
But now, they truly had to unite.
"Maybe we should find a way to make them exhaust each other."
In Wano Country.
"Muhahahaha! Kaido, Boss! The Seven Monarchs of the New World, it sounds super cool!"
The chief scientist of the Beasts Pirates, Science, who had yet to receive the nickname Queen, laughed uncontrollably.
If the boss is a monarch, then we high-ranking cadres must be at least dukes, right?
"It's just a nickname. It doesn't matter."
Kaido, with a small baby on his head, snorted, not caring much about it. "Strength is the foundation of everything!"
"Strength!"
On his head, the little Yamato clapped her hands happily.
Kaido's lips curled slightly. "Yamato, grow up quickly! I need your strength!"
In Whole Cake Island.
"Mama mama! Monarch? It sounds a little better than Queen!"
Charlotte Linlin was full of pride.
Below her, Perospero's tongue was so stiff from smiling.
This means he's been promoted from a great prince to the crown prince!
On the other side, Katakuri had no expression.
What's there to be proud of?
Did Mama really think the Charlotte Family could compete with the Golden Lion Pirates and Roa's Calamity Company?
Everything was an illusion. Only family and power were real!
Katakuri's eyes were filled with the fire of ambition.
There's still a long way to go, Roa, but one day, I will take over Mama's position, and then, I will compete with you.
At the same time, outside the Totto Land seas, a pirate ship was slowly approaching.
"We're finally here! Get ready to move out!"
"Be careful, Roger. The Charlotte Family's intelligence network is no joke!"
...
Regardless, the title proposed by the World Economy News Paper spread throughout the New World in the shortest amount of time.
It was immediately widely recognized.
It was simply too fitting.
The seven individuals each occupied a vast sea region. All the countries within their territories had sworn allegiance to them. They had completely surpassed the boundaries of pirates and established themselves as monarchs of their own empires.
In the long history of piracy, no one had ever done this before.
Not even Rocks had. Although the Rocks Pirates occupied Hachinosu Island, and the power they commanded was enough to move anyone, he was still just a pirate, at most a terrifying one with shocking strength.
This was completely different from the seven monarchs who had established their own empires.
However, the New World didn't boil over this time.
After all, the entire New World had been occupied by the seven monarchs, and everyone living in this sea was now their subject. How could a subject dare to speak ill of their monarch?
Oh, of course, there was an exception. In the sea conquered by Roa, there was no such trouble. It was rumored that the monarch known as Calamity was implementing the most thorough form of liberalism in the sea he ruled.
Of course, this was still just a rumor.
Additionally, it was a pity that while the New World was completely turned upside down, other parts of the world were still completely unaware of it.
The World Government strictly controlled all newspapers published in other seas, completely blocking all news from the New World.
Otherwise, if the true situation of this sea were to be exposed to the world, it would undoubtedly cause a new storm.
And regarding the current situation in the New World, in Mary Geoise , the Five Elders began their routine meeting.
"Those guys have basically finished their expansion. Next, they should enter a relatively peaceful phase of development. Not everyone is a bastard like Roa who enjoys chaos!"
"When their development phase is almost complete, we can start our plan to sow discord. Seven Monarchs? Hmph, I'm sure many of them think that seven is too many."
"Equal status but a huge imbalance in strength will inevitably lead to conflict. For example, Roa. Guys like Wang Zhi and John must be feeling incredibly threatened by him, right?"
"Speaking of Roa, he also drove Whitebeard away from Sphinx. His power is growing daily!"
"Something's fishy about the Elbaf matter. Giving Roa such a large mercenary legion just for helping them establish a connection with other countries in the New World? That can't be all. If Harald was that easy to deal with, Elbaf would have been under our control long ago!"
"Indeed. Something must have happened that we don't know about. A thorough investigation might give us a good opportunity to deal with Roa!"
"By the way, what do you think of Sengoku's request?"
"A large-scale military conscription? There has never been such a precedent in the last eight hundred years."
"That's because in our long history, the Marines have never been pushed to this extent. The Marines' losses are too severe now. Relying on normal means alone, they won't be able to recover in a short time. I approve of Sengoku's proposal."
"I second that. We must use extraordinary measures during extraordinary times! As long as we can recruit strong and reliable fighters, we can give them money, power, and status!"
"Exactly! The actions of the pirate alliance have deeply shocked the world. The number of new pirates sailing has been skyrocketing recently! To deal with the new situation, the Marines need more power!"
"Perhaps we can also use the power of pirates."
"What do you mean?"
"Since the Marines' power is limited, why can't we recruit some pirates to deal with the increasingly wild situation? Furthermore, since we're already sowing discord, why don't we try to use those guys in the New World? Like John and Silver Axe, or even Whitebeard, who was driven away by Roa?"
"This..."
In the New World.
Neither the discussions of the people in the New World nor the secret plans of the World Government could stop Roa's expansion.
While his giant warriors and snail fleets were attacking and conquering one island after another, Roa and his group had also arrived at another island.
As they got closer to the island, the extremely harsh weather seemed to want to give them a rough welcome.
The sky was covered in dark clouds, and ice chunks the size of human heads continuously fell.
The sea was filled with monstrous waves. Huge whirlpools and even larger water spouts raged. There were even massive water balls flying out of thin air, wanting to smash the approaching snails to bits.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's with this crazy weather!"
Loki, with a spiked club on his shoulder, laughed heartily. "So the weather in this sea can really get even worse!"
He didn't care at all about the lightning jumping in the clouds or the massive hailstones falling. They couldn't do any damage to him.
"This is a bit annoying."
Roa looked up slightly. "Quiet."
And in an instant, the dark clouds dissipated, the hail vanished, the sea became calm, and the monstrous waves disappeared.
Only the bright sun and calm wind remained.
"That's unbelievable! What in the world is that ability!"
Loki was dumbfounded.
Not just him, even the well-traveled Dorry and Brogy were shocked.
Changing the weather with a single thought? Was that normal?
"Let's go,"
Roa didn't waste any more words. He just looked at the island not far away. "Let's land."
The coast was filled with dense trees, and the raised shoreline almost completely blocked the view of the island's interior. All in all, based on a first impression, it looked like a very ordinary island.
But this was only on the surface, and it was only how it seemed.
The island's name was Egghead.
This was the Marine Science Unit's Eighth Research Facility. In the original story, a world-shaking battle would erupt here in the future, where one of the Five Elders, Saturn, would be executed by Imu for his incompetence.
However, that was thirty years in the future. Thirty years ago, Vegapunk had not yet moved in and had not yet transformed the island. So, the giant floating upper island wasn't there yet, and it looked like a normal island.
However, this ordinariness was just a disguise. Even thirty years ago, when Roa and his group landed on the island, they were utterly shocked.
"It's so big!"
Standing on the snail's back, Doflamingo was dumbfounded by the sight of the continuous buildings in front of him.
Inside the island, a breathtakingly vast complex of buildings was presented before them!
And its scale wasn't the only amazing thing!
Even more astonishingly, all the buildings on the island had a futuristic style. Houses for residential use were a small minority. The vast majority of the space was occupied by large research facilities and even more massive factories.
"Oh! In terms of scale, it's already on par with the Germa Kingdom!"
Because of his profession, Judge, who had been specially called out by Roa, was also full of admiration as he looked at everything.
"Is this just the Marine Science Unit's Eighth Research Facility? There are at least seven other research bases of a similar scale! What kind of scientific power does Vegapunk have now!"
At this, Judge couldn't help but feel a little defeated.
Vegapunk's scientific prowess was already far beyond his own, and with the full support of the World Government, he couldn't even imagine what that guy was researching now!
"Don't be modest, Judge,"
Roa chuckled. "You have a major advantage, don't you? Vegapunk didn't get ahold of all those ancient technology documents, let alone the design for Pluton."
As we all know, scientific research in this world is essentially archaeology.
The more one could restore ancient technology, the more advanced their technology was.
And now, the ancient technology documents that Vegapunk would have obtained in the original story were now in Roa's possession, becoming Judge's technological reserves.
"Hehe, you're right, Boss!"
Judge immediately showed a proud smile.
No!
I must work harder!
I have to fully comprehend all the ancient technology documents as soon as possible, especially the design for Pluton!
That way, the next time I meet Vegapunk, I can give him a huge surprise!
Judge, with dark circles under his eyes and a pale face, thought to himself.
"But, speaking of which, there's actually a research base like this so deep in the New World?"
King was a little surprised.
Although he had been imprisoned in a research base in the New World before, that sea was roughly in the first half of the New World, so it couldn't be compared to this place.
"They just don't even care about the monsters living in the New World, do they?"
Roa said with a smile, "So, they just made a wedding dress for us, didn't they?"
"Go on, Judge. Go see what's left in this base."
Roa had no interest in touring factories or research facilities. He simply lacked the necessary scientific knowledge.
So, he just let the knowledgeable Judge go and see for himself.
The research facility's area was indeed quite vast. It took Judge most of the day to get a rough idea of the situation on the island.
"Most of the factories have been well-preserved!"
At this moment, Judge, who was giving his final report to Roa, had a look of obvious joy on his face. "They are basically factories that produce weapons or medicine. They can be used directly after a few modifications!"
"Oh, that's not bad."
Roa nodded slightly.
If it was just factories, it wasn't a big deal.
Now that he had enough territory and people, he could build as many factories as he wanted.
"But the most crucial things are the research facilities!"
Judge's emotions were even more excited. "It's obvious that the scientists left in a hurry. Most of the equipment was left behind and couldn't be destroyed in time. There are even a lot of leftover research documents!"
"Boss! The Marine Science Unit is also researching artificial Devil Fruits! The scientists here were helping Vegapunk with related experiments!"
"Oh?"
Roa's eyes lit up.
"That guy Vegapunk is indeed a genius. His research on Devil Fruits is already quite advanced!"
Judge said excitedly, "Although only a small portion of the incomplete documents were left behind, this portion is already very enlightening! Combined with the ancient technology documents we have, Vegapunk was indeed on the right track!"
"I have an idea now! Boss, I have an idea on where to start with artificial Devil Fruits!"
"Excellent!"
Roa nodded in satisfaction. "Just for this alone, our trip wasn't in vain!"
Even if he ended up making a joke-like artificial Devil Fruit like Caesar's, it would still be worth it.
The smile on Judge's face had not yet faded. He continued to speak excitedly, "That's not all, Boss. The research on artificial Devil Fruits is secondary. The main research content of this base is human gigantification!"
"What?"
Loki, who was listening obediently on the side, was suddenly stunned. He asked subconsciously, "Human gigantification? What does that mean?"
Judge looked up at him and then said seriously, "The World Government wants to create artificial ancient giants!"
Oh!
Roa nodded knowingly.
Those are the numbers that Kaido bought from the World Government in the future, right?
They were indeed the failed products of the ancient giant experiment.
When Roa read the manga, he thought their power was quite astonishing. Were they really failures?
They didn't seem to be any weaker than Oars Jr., the ancient giant who appeared in the original story.
That was until Loki appeared in the manga.
This was what the power of a true ancient giant was.
Or rather, there were differences in strength even among ancient giants.
"What a joke!"
Upon hearing Judge's words, Loki was instantly enraged. "Artificial ancient giants? The World Government bastards not only killed Rocks but also covet the power of our giant tribe!"
You don't have to bring up the Captain so casually.
"This is trampling on the dignity of Elbaf!"
Dorry and Brogy's anger surged. Then, they almost simultaneously looked at Roa.
This guy got those documents. Is he also thinking of doing the same thing as the World Government?
Roa glanced at Judge.
Judge immediately understood Roa's meaning. He gave a mischievous smile. "Boss! After all, the technology needed to create artificial ancient giants is similar to the technology needed to create artificial Lunarians!"
"So?"
The smile on Roa's face grew wider.
"The leftover documents for this part are too few. Just like with the artificial Devil Fruits, it just provides a direction,"
Judge said, "It will take some more time to deduce it based on this, but I think we're very close!"
"No rush."
Roa said, "We have all the time in the world!"
Judge's cyborg technology, artificial Devil Fruit technology, and now artificial Lunarian technology.
What kind of monster would be created by combining these three?
Oh, and there was also the Devil Fruit modification technology borrowed from Queen.
If he truly combined all these technologies, the Seraphim in the original story wouldn't even be a match, would they?
"King,"
Roa looked at the foundation of all these fantasies, his right-hand man. "No problem, right?"
"Of course, Boss,"
King didn't hesitate at all. "I will fully cooperate with Judge's research."
"Very good."
Roa was very satisfied.
And at that moment.
"Wait!"
Loki suddenly shouted. He stared at King, his tone very displeased. "You mean, instead of replicating ancient giants, you're going to replicate this guy's race? What a joke! Is this guy's race stronger than us ancient giants?!"
They're competing now.
You would be unhappy if I conducted an artificial ancient giant experiment anyway.
Roa smiled. "Which one is stronger? Why don't you try it out for yourself?"
"I will! The ancient giants are the strongest!"
And so, Loki was beaten to a pulp by King.
While Roa was in a great mood, in the first half of the New World, on Whole Cake Island.
The island was in a state of chaos. The cadres of the Charlotte Family were searching everywhere with their Homies soldiers.
"Wahahahaha! We got it!"
On the coast, a man laughed and jumped onto a ship. "Hurry! Charlotte Linlin is chasing after us!"
Behind them.
"Roger!!"
An angry roar exploded like thunder.