The black Haki palm reappeared, lifting Roa and Morgans into the sky.
Also pulled along was Trafalgar Law, who was tightly gripped by another Haki-infused hand.
"Law!"
Sabo screamed hysterically toward the sky, but his severely injured body was incapable of rescuing his good friend. He could only watch helplessly as Law was carried away.
"Mr. Dragon, are we going to—"
Sabo instinctively turned his head, seeking Dragon's aid.
However, all he saw was Dragon, still kneeling motionless on the ground with his head buried in the earth.
"Mr. Dragon?"
Sabo's voice suddenly became very soft, as if he was afraid that using just a bit more force might blow the man in front of him away.
At that moment, the limping Ivankov rushed back.
He had been knocked unconscious when Dragon crashed onto him and was only now finally regaining consciousness.
Looking at Dragon kneeling on the ground and the surrounding Revolutionary Army members, Ivankov's face was filled with anxiety and confusion.
"Hey! What happened? Dragon, why are you looking like that?"
He anxiously questioned Dragon while looking up at the stiff-faced crowd. "Why are you all back here? And what's wrong with your eyes?"
"Also!"
He glanced around in terror. "Where's Roa? Where did that monster go! Did he leave? Did he actually leave!"
But no one answered him, which made Ivankov frantic. "Hey! Someone answer me! What is the situation right now!"
Only a few minutes had passed, but he felt as though he had missed the entire world.
"Sabo!"
Ivankov finally spotted someone with an expression on their face. Sabo's eyes were lowered, his face showing an emotion that was a mix of pain and sorrow.
"What in the world happened!"
"Ivan..."
Sabo looked up at him, the young man shaking his head in agony, unable to articulate more.
"What is this—"
The panic on Ivankov's face gradually vanished, replaced by a deep sense of gravity.
For everyone to look this way, something truly terrifying must have happened.
"Alright, next, we will return and contact the other branches!"
Ivankov heard someone say.
"Good. Since it's Boss's order, we must carry it out completely!"
"Mobilize every force we can, and fully engage the pirates!"
"Eh?"
Ivankov looked bewilderedly at the Revolutionary Army cadres who were already dispersing.
Boss?
Engage?
What in the world was going on?
"Hey! Dragon! What are you doing? What exactly is the situation now!"
Ivankov could no longer restrain himself. He grabbed Dragon's shoulders and forcibly pulled him out of the ground.
"What do they mean by 'Boss'? What's with the order to engage the pirates? You understand, don't you! If the World Government has truly been defeated, what will happen if we fight the Pirate Alliance now!"
However, all his anger and confusion vanished the moment he clearly saw Dragon's face.
Ivankov was plunged into deeper confusion.
Dragon was crying.
Tears mixed with dirt, leaving his entire face a mess.
"Dragon..."
Ivankov thought he had misread the situation.
The man who always maintained his composure, who was perpetually dedicated to moving forward—Dragon—was truly weeping in breakdown!
Inside, Dragon's heart was indeed filled with despair.
Powerlessness.
What should he do next?
Should he allow the controlled comrades to mobilize the Revolutionary Army and the masses to resist the Pirate Alliance's attack? To fight a certain-to-lose war, using countless lives to please that lunatic who enjoyed the suffering of others?
Or, should he forcefully stop his comrades, thereby allowing the Pirate Alliance to easily rule the North Blue without any hindrance, and then subject the Revolutionary Army to further retribution from Roa? Or worse, retaliation against the North Blue's civilians?
How to choose?
Every choice led to a hopeless outcome!
He had never felt such despair in his entire life.
Dragon truly didn't know what to do.
But.
"What are you crying for!"
Ivankov punched Dragon across the face, knocking the man down onto the ground. "If you cry here, what about us? Where should the Revolutionary Army go! Pull yourself together! Dragon!"
"..."
Dragon, who hadn't defended himself, had his lips split open by Ivankov's punch.
But when he raised his head again, the panic in his expression had calmed significantly.
"Sorry, Ivan... I was stuck in a rut."
The despair and confusion in his heart had indeed been partially dispersed by Ivankov's punch.
Yes, self-pitying here now was meaningless.
Just as Ivankov said, if he was lost, where would the Revolutionary Army head?
"It's good that you've sobered up,"
Ivankov finally breathed a sigh of relief. "So, what exactly happened just now?"
Even in such a short time, to have driven Dragon to this state, what did that Roa do?
Dragon recounted everything that had happened after Ivankov was knocked unconscious.
"What!!"
Ivankov cried out in shock after listening. "That lunatic Roa is making us obstruct the advance of his pirates! Is that guy crazy! Is he trying to consume his own strength just to satisfy his twisted pleasure?"
"We have to stop them immediately, Dragon! Fighting the pirates now is like trying to stop a chariot with a praying mantis's arms!"
"Can we still stop them?"
Dragon gave a bitter smile. "Roa said that if we strip those controlled people of their authority, a new wave of punishment will come."
"..."
Ivankov was instantly silenced.
"And,"
Dragon shook his head and sighed, "Even if we capture all our controlled comrades, how many of Roa's people are still lurking among us?"
"..."
Ivankov was even more speechless.
Just like the past punishment where Roa had the Revolutionary Army instigate the people to revolt prematurely, they were powerless then too.
After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence, "Then what should we do now?"
"Yes,"
Dragon said weakly, "What should we do?"
He had calmed down, but calmness alone was meaningless, and it did nothing to change the current situation.
Dragon took a deep breath. "Ivan, I'm afraid we can only choose to cut off a limb to save the body now!"
In the sky, a distance from the island, Morgans, standing in the palm of the black hand, looked back at the receding island.
"Boss, is it really okay to indulge the Revolutionary Army like this?"
Morgans used the word "indulge" to describe Roa's behavior. "Given the current situation, wouldn't it be irrelevant even if we wiped out the entire Revolutionary Army?"
In the past, Boss indulged the Revolutionary Army because he wanted to disrupt the world's situation and have them stand up against the World Government.
But now, who needs the Revolutionary Army?
"Indulge?"
Roa merely chuckled softly. "Really, Morgans, aren't you listening to me either?"
"What?"
Morgans looked confused.
"Didn't I just say it? Hope is a very important thing."
Roa said leisurely, "This world can't lose hope."
"Eh?"
Morgans was slightly surprised that Boss was serious.
"The flavors are more moving when people who have seen the light descend into darkness,"
Roa said with a smile.
It was a very simple principle.
Who is in more pain: Naruto, who started with nothing, or Sasuke, who once had everything but lost it all?
Even if he conquers the entire world in the future, he cannot let the world lose hope.
Ah, he truly was too kind.
"As expected of Boss."
Morgans sighed with genuine admiration.
When it came to tormenting others, Boss was truly serious.
Roa simply smiled.
In any case, the war between the West Blue and North Blue was finalized today.
Neither the World Government nor the Marines were capable of stopping it.
As for the coming resistance from the Revolutionary Army, in the words of a certain Superman from Chengdu (Chinese City), resistance of this level would only be considered a 'loli' in our Chengdu!
After this, it would be necessary to settle down for a period.
He needed to properly digest the West Blue and North Blue, maximizing the increase in dark aura from these two seas.
Hmm, he wondered to what extent this would raise the average dark aura density in the world. Could it trigger his second evolution?
Roa squeezed his fist while contemplating.
But even if it couldn't, it didn't matter.
He was barely seventeen years old, and his body was still in a period of rapid development.
This body could become even stronger.
Not just his body, but his Armament Haki and Observation Haki still had significant room for improvement. After his body breaks its limit, these two Haki types would also naturally evolve to a superhuman level.
Even without another evolution, he could still become stronger.
A few years of settling down to reach the level of Im's main body shouldn't be difficult—as long as that guy didn't have any hidden ultimate skills.
But before settling down, he should make a trip to Amazon Lily.
He could still grab the Gum-Gum Fruit, if it hadn't been eaten yet.
"What exactly do you want to do with me!"
A gnashing voice broke the silence, interrupting Roa's thoughts.
Roa turned to look at Law, whose face was pale and whose lips were even bleeding.
"Don't you know yet, Trafalgar Law?"
Roa said with curiosity. "The Op-Op Fruit you possess has a final secret technique. It can perform an Immortal Surgery at the cost of the user's life."
"The recipient of this surgery will gain the power of eternal life."
"Immortal Surgery!"
Law's pupils suddenly trembled.
This was indeed the first time he had heard of this.
No wonder the Op-Op Fruit could fetch the astronomical price of five billion berries!
So that was it. That's what this guy wants!
"You can forget about it!"
Law ground his teeth and said.
He would never perform any Immortal Surgery for this guy, even if he died!
"Are you misunderstanding something?"
Roa smiled. "Eternal life is a power I've had since birth. The so-called Immortal Surgery holds no meaning for me."
"..."
Law's eyes widened.
What did this guy just say? What did he mean eternal life was a power he had since birth?
Was this guy serious?
Not only him, but even Morgans was dumbfounded.
Eternal life since birth?
Should he say, 'As expected of Boss'?
Roa smiled at Law. "All you need to do is live well, until the day I decide I need you."
"You can dream on!"
After a moment of shock, Law's attitude remained fierce. "Even if I die—"
"Don't think about dying."
Roa looked helpless. "Really, why talk about dying when you're so young?"
"Besides, no matter what, I'm considered a benefactor to your people in Flevance, aren't I? If it weren't for me back then, everyone in your country would have perished without knowing why."
"Stop your nonsense!"
Law cursed him without hesitation. "You bastard just wanted to make this world more chaotic! The people of Flevance were just used by you!"
"Judge the act, not the intention. Isn't that what everyone says?"
Roa shrugged. "But whatever. Just don't think about dying, okay?"
He smiled. "If you die, I'll wipe out everyone in the Revolutionary Army. You know, that's not a difficult thing for me to do."
"..."
Law was instantly speechless.
Roa smiled.
In any case, he would keep this guy around for now. He could talk about the Immortal Surgery when he changed his mind and decided he could grant it to others.
Since he had the Pure Gold, Law could live for a long time anyway.
And if he found the Dark-Dark Fruit later, preserving the Op-Op Fruit would become even simpler.
Oh, right, he also needed to make a trip to Fish-Man Island.
Did Gaban's son really have no connection with Shanks and the others?
Time rewinds to a few days ago, Sabaody Archipelago, an unmanned coastline.
Splash!
The sea surface suddenly broke open. A ship enveloped in a bubble burst out of the water, raising waves that surged across the sea.
"Phew! We finally escaped!"
Shanks patted his chest, still feeling lingering fear. He looked down from the ship's rail at the sea, breathing a long sigh of relief only after confirming that the Sea Kings were no longer pursuing them. His entire body was soaked in sweat, seemingly having just gone through an intense battle.
"I thought we were going to die in the ocean!"
They were fortunate that the number of Sea Kings surrounding the entrance to the Grand Canyon earlier wasn't too large, or they might not have been able to break through the encirclement.
But even after escaping the Grand Canyon, the Sea Kings' pursuit hadn't stopped.
A large number of Sea Kings chased them all the way to the shallow sea area and only turned back once they were certain they couldn't catch them.
Only then did the crew finally escape disaster.
"It looks like trying to go to Fish-Man Island is practically impossible now."
Robin was also exhausted.
Constantly shooting arrows in the deep sea to snipe the Sea Kings had left her arms sore and weak.
But what discouraged her more was this realization.
"I wonder how Colon is doing now."
Rayleigh, who was already over seventy and whose stamina was much weaker than in his youth, leaned against the ship's rail, panting heavily, his voice laced with worry.
Time returns to the present, Fish-Man Island.
Colon had been feeling very vexed these past few days.
He had constantly been looking for an opportunity to contact Uncle Rayleigh and the others.
But his useless old father was rigorously carrying out Roa's orders, keeping a tight watch on him.
It was a literal, tight watch, not giving him any opportunity.
Being forbidden from leaving the house and having to stay home was one thing, but the key was that his father watched him while he ate, watched him while he bathed, watched him while he went to the bathroom, and even watched him while he slept.
His bastard father went sleepless, giving him no opportunity, even though his own eyes were ringed with black circles.
What should he do now!
Until this day, someone came to visit.
"Colon, are you back?"
The visitor was Fisher Tiger, a very familiar face to Colon. Seeing him, this "big brother" whom Colon highly respected looked shocked, followed by unspeakable guilt.
"Don't worry about it, Brother Tiger,"
Colon shook his head. He had already learned the whole story from his mother. "It's not your fault."
"..."
Tiger sighed. "You shouldn't have come back."
"What are you saying, Tiger!"
Gaban pushed his small sunglasses up his nose, slung an arm around his good son's shoulder, and said with displeasure, "It's completely normal for a traveler to return home, isn't it? I'm looking forward to the day Colon and I can serve the great Boss together!"
Tiger only offered a bitter smile.
Colon's heart also felt heavy.
His old man still loved him, but he was no longer the father Colon respected.
"By the way, Tiger,"
Gaban asked, "What did you come here for?"
"The army has been assembled, Mr. Gaban,"
Tiger's expression was somewhat sorrowful, but he forced himself to speak calmly. "Would you like to inspect them?"
"Oh! Good, good, good!"
Gaban nodded repeatedly in surprise. "Quick, quick, take me there!"
The Fish-Man Army?
Colon's heart grew even more complex.
Fish-Man Island had truly become completely controlled by Roa.
"Colon, you come with your old man too!"
And so, Colon had no choice but to follow along.
Gyoncorde Plaza, the largest plaza on Fish-Man Island. At this moment, over two hundred thousand Fish-Man warriors were gathered here.
Looking at these Fish-Man warriors, Tiger's expression was one of immense pain.
After learning the situation facing Fish-Man Island, these compatriots had stepped forward without hesitation.
For their home, for their families, for their race, they had decided to stake everything they had.
It was precisely because of this selfless act that Tiger felt even more anguished.
"Everyone!"
At that moment, Gaban had already walked onto the high platform. The much-respected Mr. Gaban on Fish-Man Island shouted excitedly, "You should feel honored! Starting today, you will become warriors under the great Lord Roa and fight for him!"
Hearing those words made Colon want to vomit.
But at that moment, while his bastard father was delivering his passionate speech, Colon suddenly realized: he wasn't being watched right now, was he?
So, he took a step back, letting Tiger block him from his bastard father.
Tiger looked back at him, and Colon offered him a pleading expression.
Tiger silently turned his head away, straightening his back to appear a bit taller.
Thank you, Brother Tiger.
Colon cautiously took out a Den Den Mushi with one hand and dialed a certain number.
After dialing, he clamped the Den Den Mushi with his hand to prevent the ringing sound from spreading.
Then, the moment the call connected.
He pretended to yawn, raised his right hand, and quickly uttered a sentence:
"Fish-Man Island has been occupied by Roa, my father is controlled by him, and he is coming to Fish-Man Island later."
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