Capone Bege finally understood how foolish his arrogance had been.
With his current strength and manpower, he couldn't even fill the gap between Liam Ross's teeth.
Even if Bege somehow gathered all ten thousand of his men, it wouldn't change a thing. As long as they weren't fighting at sea on solid ground Liam could end it with a single command. One sweep of his earth manipulation, one wave of his buried sea of soil, and the entire army would crumble.
Still, Bege wasn't a complete fool.
Bitter as it was to swallow, he accepted the brutal truth.
"What do you want from me?" he asked coldly, leading Liam and young Robin into a lavish study. The cigar in his mouth glowed faintly in the dim light. His tone was clipped, controlled obedience didn't mean servility.
Liam smiled, amused.
In this world ruled by power, only strength decided who spoke and who stayed silent. The strong were kings. The weak… learned to kneel.
And with the strength of a rising admiral, Liam could crush Bege's empire like sand in his fist.
He circled the gold-trimmed desk and sat down without asking. The leather chair creaked under him. Bege's eyes twitched, but he said nothing.
"I don't need you to do much," Liam said casually, then lifted a finger and pointed toward the girl beside him. "Just one thing keep her safe."
Bege frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Liam leaned back, his tone soft but sharp. "You'll protect her. Make sure neither the Navy nor the World Government ever finds her. If you fail…" His smile faded into something colder. "Then I'll personally erase your entire operation from the map."
Bege's jaw tightened, but before he could retort, Liam continued.
"Of course, it's not without reward. Help me, and I'll make sure you become the true underground king of the West Blue. Think about it."
The cigar burned quietly between Bege's fingers. His mind raced. Ambition and fear wrestled behind his eyes.
He said nothing, but his silence was already an answer.
The next morning, Liam left the city after ensuring Robin's safety.
Bege arranged a small vessel for him in secret. As for the chaos caused during their brief encounter, the cunning mob boss ordered all his men to keep silent on pain of death.
With that, Liam set sail alone.
He didn't get far before sinking the boat himself, vanishing into the sea breeze. A shimmer of invisibility cloaked him as he soared back toward Marineford using Moonwalk, the sky-step technique of elite soldiers.
By the time he landed quietly at the Marine headquarters, his uniform was already changed. The stolen sergeant's jacket trophied from a previous encounter was tucked safely in his system storage. Might come in handy later.
As soon as he stepped into his small dormitory, a familiar sound chimed in his mind.
Ding!
"Host has failed to sign in for two days in the designated area. Daily check-in canceled. Penalty: Two Weekly Reward Packs deducted."
Liam snorted. "Just two packs? I'll live."
He glanced at the clock on the wall. "System, there's still an hour before noon. Can I do an early check-in?"
The system's cold, mechanical voice replied dryly, "You really have to ask?"
Liam sighed. "Yeah, yeah. My bad."
He killed time until noon, then donned his proper uniform Third-Class Seaman and reported to the Logistics Division.
"Sir! Liam Ross reporting for duty!"
Chief Bark, a stout man with too much pride and too little talent, looked him up and down, sipping his tea with lazy arrogance.
"Ross," he said, crossing one leg over the other. "The cleaning crew's short-handed, only six men to keep the entire base spotless. You take a day off without notice, everyone else works double. And now you're a day late returning. You think you can disrespect your superior just because you've got some connections?"
Liam had heard the rumors Bark's rank was earned through nepotism, not merit. Normally, Liam would've let it slide. But for now, humility was part of survival.
So he bowed slightly and replied, "Sir, the department head's words I can ignore, but not yours. You're my direct superior. The reason I returned late was because I was preparing something special for you. A small gift from my hometown. I hope you'll forgive the delay."
Bark's eyes brightened at once. "Oh? What kind of gift?"
"I left it outside, sir. I'll fetch it right away."
Moments later, Liam returned with an armful of treats instant noodles, spicy sticks, rice crackers, and frosted donuts.
Bark's grin widened as he accepted the bribes with glee. "Good, good. You're a sensible one, Ross."
As soon as Liam stepped out, he exhaled deeply. "Thank the gods for my system's daily snack rewards. Otherwise, I'd be scrubbing decks till dawn."
"Liam, you're back!"
He turned to see Jennings, one of the cleaning crew, waving cheerfully with a mop in hand.
"Yeah, got held up a day," Liam replied with a grin. "Tell you what, I'll make it up to everyone. Tonight, drinks are on me at the port tavern. Bring Jabi and the rest."
"Deal!" Jennings grinned ear to ear.
The two parted ways, and Liam resumed his work, polishing the grand halls of Marineford.
He'd just started mopping when a hearty laugh boomed nearby.
"Vice Admiral Garp!" Liam called out with genuine warmth.
The old Marine hero, always brimming with energy, clapped him on the shoulder. "Hahaha! Working hard, I see!"
Liam smiled. "Always, sir. You seem in good spirits today."
"Good spirits? Hah! Of course I am I just became a grandfather!" Garp laughed so loudly the walls seemed to shake.
Liam froze. His hand paused mid-swipe. Wait… did he just say grandfather?
A sudden realization struck him like thunder. Luffy? No this is too early. The timeline doesn't match.
According to what he remembered, Monkey D. Luffy was born in the Year 1503 of the Sea Calendar. But it was only 1500 now three years too soon.
That didn't make sense.
Could his arrival in this world have altered the course of history? But that couldn't be right he'd spent nearly all his time keeping a low profile, rarely leaving the base. There was no way he'd changed something so significant.
Unless…
Luffy wasn't the one Garp was talking about.
There was another grandchild.
Liam's eyes widened as it clicked. Gol D. Roger's son. Ace.
So that was it the birth of Fire Fist Ace, the beginning of another storm in the making.
Weeks passed peacefully.
Liam lived quietly, never missing a single sign-in, though his rewards lately had been disappointing mostly beginner experience cards and minor items.
He kept in touch with Robin every few days through transponder snail calls, ensuring she was safe under Bege's protection.
Until one afternoon.
Assigned to clean the ships docked at the harbor, Liam worked under the midday sun when suddenly the sky darkened.
He frowned and looked up. "Rain already?"
But the shadow above him wasn't a cloud.
It was stone.
A massive slab of rock, larger than a battleship, hovered above Marineford, blotting out the sun.
Liam's jaw dropped. "What the hell—!"
And in that instant, the sky itself seemed to fall.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Already captivated by Liam Ross's rise through the seas? Share what thrilled you your words and reviews keep his legend alive! Every 300 Power Stones will unlock a bonus chapter, pushing Liam's journey toward domination even faster!
Liam Ross's adventure has only just begun, and his reign across the seas is far from over. Stay aboard with World Shaker of the New World, and sail beyond the horizon together!
[email protected]/_sey
Change @ to a