The dimension connected by the air door opened by the Door-Door Fruit was a viridescent green space.
There was no gravity inside, but there was air.
Moreover, it seemed to overlap with the real world; one could directly see the outside world from within, though only see it, as no substantial interference could be made.
Thus, Roa stood right in front of Imu, craning his neck, trying hard to discern what kind of face was hidden beneath that black robe.
"Uggyagga! Not bad! A truly useful ability!"
Behind him, Kaido looked at the expressionless Blueno with satisfaction. "With this guy's ability, what is there to fear from Imu!"
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you saying, Brother Kaido!"
Roa turned around, slightly displeased, and pointed to himself. "Isn't the most crucial thing me?"
"It's only because of me that we don't fear Imu!"
Kaido thought about it—that was actually true.
The Door-Door Fruit's ability could only be used for escape. To truly stand against, or even defeat Imu in the future, it could only be Roa.
"Anyway,"
Roa gave up on the idea of trying to peek at Imu's true face and said leisurely, "In that case, North Blue and West Blue are ours."
It was impossible for Imu to send the Holy Knights or the Five Elders to die in vain again—even if the Celestial Dragons had enough hidden power to allow that fellow to raise another Holy Knight group.
The Door-Door Fruit naturally paled in comparison to the Holy Knights' teleportation ability.
However, this fruit meant that Roa and his allies could appear anywhere without warning at any moment, and even if the Holy Knights gathered, or Imu personally descended, they could still retreat calmly.
If the battle between Roa and Imu was essentially a confrontation between hunters in a Dark Forest, then both sides now possessed the ability to instantly return to the darkness after being exposed.
Although Roa's side was a bit "budget," it worked.
The Holy Knights' teleportation also relied on teleportation arrays!
"Uggyagga! So, are we really going to conquer half the world now!"
Kaido's eyes flickered with an indescribable excitement. "Sure enough, it had to be you, brat!"
In the more than twenty years Roa was gone, they had made virtually no progress, still playing pirate games in the New World.
But now, how long had this bastard been back?
The entire world had been turned upside down by him! The World Government was directly retreating, and now they couldn't even hold West Blue and North Blue!
Even though he had sighed countless times, Kaido still couldn't help but exclaim now.
How could such a terrifying fellow be born into the world?
Thinking back, although the young Roa was already incredibly extraordinary, who could have imagined that was only the tip of the iceberg of his potential!
Even Rocks, the one who personally recruited Roa into the Rocks Pirates, would never have imagined the kid he had placed so much hope in could become this terrifying, right?
"Oh, Brother Kaido, such direct praise from you is rare."
Roa adopted a look of being flattered, then chuckled. "However, in that case, half of our goal has already been achieved!"
"Uggyagga!"
Kaido's wild laughter immediately spread throughout this verdant space.
He and Roa shared a common dream: to completely transform this world into one where only the fittest survived!
To shatter all existing order, law, and morality, letting chaos envelop the world, giving the strong unlimited freedom!
And now, half of that dream could be realized!
They could transform half the world into that image!
"It's truly exciting!"
Kaido's voice was like thunder. "What will that half of the world look like!"
"Anyway,"
Roa lightly snapped his fingers. "All forces, attack. There should be no more obstructive fellows."
This time, there truly would be no further obstacles.
"Tsk, no one to obstruct?"
Kaido, however, grunted in displeasure. "Does that mean there won't be any more fighting?"
"Imu can't stay on the front line forever, can he?"
Roa said casually. "Besides that guy, whether it's the remaining Holy Knights, the Five Elders, or the Navy, as long as they dare show their faces, they're only heading for death."
"Boring."
Kaido snorted, crossing his arms. "Let's return to the New World."
If so, the subsequent expansion was bound to be smooth sailing, basically facing no significant opposition.
What more was there to say? If there was no fighting, what was the point of staying in this backwater?
"No rush,"
Roa curled his lips, showing a meaningful smile. "There's someone I need to go see personally."
"Someone?"
Kaido raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"Naturally, the good person who helped us quite a lot in this operation."
"Huh?"
Later, in the strange ship beneath the Sun Tree Eve.
Warcurry the wild boar, Nusjuro the horse skull, and Garling the moon head who had returned from North Blue, all knelt bitterly beneath the high throne.
Especially Warcurry and Nusjuro, a strange feeling permeated their hearts.
After Mars and Saturn, Peter had also died.
They were colleagues who had worked together for many years. While they didn't share deep affection, with their successive deaths, the remaining two couldn't help but feel a sense of shared misfortune.
They were the Five Elders! Celestial Dragons among Celestial Dragons! For hundreds of years, they had been second only to one person in the whole world!
But in front of Roa, these exalted figures were like pigs and dogs, casually slaughtered by him.
More than twenty years ago, when they clashed with him in Loguetown, he took on five of them and routed them completely.
More recently in Mary Geoise, he killed two more.
And now, Peter was also dead.
Following this trend, would it be long before the remaining two of them also couldn't escape?
After all, it seemed Imu-sama couldn't handle Roa either.
And, if Imu-sama wanted to retrieve all his power—
"Imu needs more power!"
Just as the two Five Elders were lost in thought, the person sitting on the throne spoke. "Go find them. The Navy, the CP, even pirates, or even civilians, it doesn't matter."
"As long as they possess sufficient strength, and as long as they are willing to fight for Imu, Imu will bestow upon them the title of Holy Knight."
The three old men—now to be called the Three Elders—bowed their heads simultaneously. "Yes, Imu-sama!"
Warcurry and Nusjuro couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Had Imu-sama been pushed to such an extent?
But this was good.
Although it seemed that no amount of Holy Knights could do anything to Roa, and only Imu-sama had the ability to contend with him.
However, without a sufficient number of Holy Knights, how could they deal with the pirates' upcoming attacks on East Blue and South Blue?
That bastard Roa's forces were exceptionally strong now, not to mention the aid of the Sea King!
They were clearly at a disadvantage now!
North Blue, a certain island.
This was a base for the Revolutionary Army.
In an open space that was merely flat and hadn't even been paved, two young Revolutionary Army cadres were clashing intensely.
Below, Dragon and Emporio Ivankov were watching the battle.
"Room!"
The young man named Trafalgar D. Water Law flipped his right hand, and a translucent, spherical bubble already enveloped the area for several dozen meters.
"Shambles!"
His figure instantly vanished, and a stone appeared where he had been.
Law had reappeared behind the youth he was fighting, slashing his sword toward the youth's back.
"Are you already able to teleport this easily?"
But the young man named Sabo was also extraordinary.
His body instantly became as pliable as rubber, twisting 180 degrees forcefully. While easily evading Law's attack, he threw a punch back.
Six Powers: Paper Arts!
"Don't think you're the only one improving!"
Law parried Sabo's punch, which was wrapped in powerful Armament Haki.
The immense force knocked his body backward, and his feet plowed two deep grooves into the ground.
But in the next instant, he instantly teleported again, appearing right in front of Sabo.
"Severance!"
The long sword swung horizontally, its blade also covered in dark Armament Haki. Coupled with the powerful cutting force granted by the Ope Ope no Mi (Op-Op Fruit), the power of this strike was extraordinary!
"Dragon Claw Fist! Hook Claw!"
Sabo's right hand formed a claw, and he directly grabbed Law's sharp blade.
The cutting power of the Op-Op Fruit, which could sever anything, instantly failed. The long sword was firmly grasped by Sabo.
"Tsk!"
Law clicked his tongue in displeasure.
The Op-Op Fruit's power was indeed formidable, but it was useless against powerful Haki.
Sabo's Armament Haki was significantly stronger than his; he couldn't cut him.
Of course, the inability to cut didn't mean he had to sit and await defeat.
"Heart Shock!"
Releasing the long sword, Law repositioned himself behind Sabo, pushed his hands forward, and held up his two thumbs facing each other.
Bright electric sparks began to jump between the two raised thumbs.
In that instant, his hands had transformed into generators, capable of releasing high-voltage electricity that could easily penetrate the human body!
"Heh!"
Sabo abruptly turned around and grabbed with his right claw.
The dark Haki wrapped around his right hand surged, transforming into a shockwave that directly dissipated the electric current in Law's hands, sending Law himself flying backward with a single strike.
"Flowing Armament Haki? Sabo, when did you..."
Law landed somewhat awkwardly on the ground, staggering a few steps before finally stabilizing, his eyes looking at Sabo in astonishment.
This kid is even younger than me!
"Because, unlike you who also has to focus on training your ability,"
Dragon, who was watching from the side, spoke calmly. "Sabo has always focused on Haki!"
Law shook his head helplessly. "It's not just about focus, Mr. Dragon."
He clearly knew that another crucial reason was that this kid's talent was indeed superior to his own.
"Don't belittle yourself, Law,"
Dragon said earnestly. "You are already quite remarkable."
"Exactly!"
Sabo also nodded repeatedly in agreement. "Law, you're super amazing too!"
"Don't comfort me,"
Law rolled his eyes somewhat helplessly. "Doesn't that just make me seem more pathetic?"
"Is that so?"
Dragon immediately looked a bit flustered. He hadn't raised children, and it seemed there was a generation gap with young people.
"However,"
Law suddenly sighed. "Now doesn't seem like the time for a leisurely spar, does it? What's the situation?"
"I don't know,"
Ivankov, the Okama King who was also watching, sighed along. "Kaido appeared in the Vinsmoke Kingdom and undoubtedly engaged in a fierce battle with the Holy Knights."
"But the specific process and outcome of the battle are completely unknown. Our people couldn't get near the battlefield, and after the fighting ended, only ruins were left behind."
"What was the result, exactly?"
"The result, you ask?"
A cheerful young voice suddenly rang out. "I took out a few Holy Knights and incidentally chopped another Five Elder to death. I'd say it was a great victory for us."
All the Revolutionary Army members present were startled.
Then, another voice, carrying a hint of subservience, came from the sky,
"Hehe, Boss, it was undoubtedly your victory! From now on, the World Government is powerless to stop our expansion in West Blue and North Blue!"
"..."
Dragon's facial muscles twitched, and a streak of cold sweat appeared on the right side of his cheek.
It can't be, right?
How could this be happening!
He almost dazedly looked up.
In the sky, a pitch-black gigantic hand was slowly descending, holding two figures.
The moment he clearly saw the face of the youth standing in the palm of the hand, Dragon's back was completely drenched in cold sweat.
"Roa!!!"
Ivankov couldn't help but shriek, startled into an immediate upward jump and landing on the ground on his backside.
"How could this be!!"
Law instantly gripped his long sword, his voice trembling. "How did you find this place!!"
The Calamity King!
How could this monster come here!
Sabo also clenched his fists, sweating profusely. "How did you find us here?"
"How did we find this place?"
Roa looked down at the few individuals below with some surprise. "What are you talking about? Strictly speaking, aren't the Revolutionary Army and our Disaster Company sister organizations?"
"Of course, Boss!"
Morgans, standing beside Roa, chuckled and said, "Back when Dragon established the Freedom Army, many of the cadres were our own people."
"Passed down through the generations, even after the mass extinction of the Flevance people over a decade ago, the Revolutionary Army is still half ours."
"..."
Dragon gritted his teeth silently.
Indeed, since the establishment of the Freedom Army, Roa's penetration into their ranks had reached a terrifying level.
It was impossible to investigate, as even Dragon himself didn't know if the person sent to investigate was one of Roa's people.
He had initially thought that after so many years, the situation would have improved somewhat, but now, it seemed he had been too optimistic!
"Don't be nervous,"
The pitch-black gigantic hand slowly touched down. Roa smiled leisurely. "Come to think of it, this should be our first true meeting, Dragon?"
Dragon remained silent.
Strictly speaking, they had met once in Loguetown years ago, but Dragon had only watched Roa from afar and hadn't exchanged any words with him.
This was indeed their first true meeting.
"Speaking of which, I should actually thank you this time, Dragon,"
Roa said with a smile. "If it weren't for you all informing the World Government that we were destroying the teleportation arrays, it really wouldn't have been easy to gather all the Holy Knights."
"..."
Dragon was speechless.
So, their actions had actually helped Roa?
And now, the result was truly a great victory for the Pirate Alliance, with the World Government powerless to stop their expansion, and the entire West Blue and North Blue about to fall into Roa's hands?
They had actually facilitated such a disastrous situation?
Dragon clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails nearly dug into his skin.
"Hmm, well, helping is helping, but,"
Roa's smile widened. "Dragon, your mischievous intentions seem to deserve a little punishment, too."
Punishment?
Dragon's pupils constricted.
This wasn't the first time he had received punishment from Roa.
"Roa!! What exactly do you want to do!"
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