And so, Pangaea Castle, already somewhat chaotic due to the recent incident, once again received a communication from Stussy's superior.
"Retaliation?"
The Five Elders immediately received the news.
"What is that bastard kid planning to do now? What did Stussy say?"
"She isn't clear," Stussy's superior reported. "Roa didn't explain. He left by himself."
"Bastard!" Warcury's furious Conqueror's Haki began to surge. "That scum, taking advantage and then acting innocent!" While they wouldn't blame Imu-sama for Thomas's death, the power of their Topman family was indeed significantly weakened, and ultimately, Roa was the culprit! Not to mention that scoundrel Roa had taken a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit from the government without their knowledge! That was the most infuriating thing! And now, Roa, who had taken all the advantage, was actually going to retaliate! Damn him to hell!!
"Warn all the nearby affiliated kingdoms and Marine bases to be on high alert!" Saturn commanded. "After all, it's just the retaliation a pirate might think of; probably just destruction."
However, at that very moment, a knock sounded. After receiving the Five Elders' permission, another CP0 agent stumbled in.
"Re-report, esteemed Five Elders! Roa has appeared!"
"What? Where?"
"It's Marine G-14 Base!"
New World, latter half, Marine G-14 Base.
Roa flapped his wings, hovering in the sky, looking down at the massive Marine base below. Yes, although the general impression is that the New World is a pirate's paradise, with most Marine forces concentrated at the entrance to this sea, in reality, Marine bases had long penetrated deep into the heart of the New World. Just like this G-14 Base, not far behind it lay a large island, the location of a government-affiliated country.
However, Marines at these large bases generally only cleared out pirates near affiliated countries, pretending not to see the great pirates who truly ruled the New World. And the pirates, in tacit understanding, generally wouldn't provoke them. The New World was vast; only someone with too much time on their hands would want to start a war with the Marines.
But now, someone with too much time on their hands had arrived.
Roa slowly lowered his altitude. No, surely they've seen me by now? Do I have to announce my arrival myself? That would be so uncool.
"Who goes there!"
Thankfully, soon enough, Marines on the base's plaza discovered his arrival. With a shout, a large number of Marines simultaneously looked up at the sky. Then, as expected, it happened.
"Wa-wait! He's, he's—Calamity Roa!!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!! The enemy is Calamity Roa!!"
The piercing alarm blared across the entire base within seconds. Base officers quickly rushed to the plaza, all looking up, gazing incredulously at Roa above. Why? Why is this guy here? After the confusion came deep despair. All the Marines knew one thing clearly: this young man before them was definitely an enemy they could not resist! Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku returned empty-handed, even Mr. Zephyr was defeated by him. He was one of the most terrifying pirates in the world; what emotion could they feel other than despair?
"This is retaliation." Roa flapped his wings, his voice echoing majestically throughout the base, even reaching the country not far away. "I already warned Sengoku in the West Blue to stop looking for trouble, but you insisted on finding it yourselves. So, I can only fulfill my promise from that day." Roa sighed with a touch of melancholy. Although strictly speaking, it wasn't the Marines who initiated the trouble, wasn't there an old saying, 'When hitting someone, hit them in the face'? When the Five Elders angrily rebuked Akainu, they said the Marines were merely the government's outward face. So, wasn't this hitting them in the face?
"I'll give you five minutes to report the situation here to Marine Headquarters."
Almost the instant Roa's words fell, the Marine base below completely erupted in chaos. The Marines' emotions varied: furious curses, terrified screams, desperate wails. This led to many different actions. Some frantically fled towards the port, some collapsed on the ground unable to move, and some gathered their courage to launch an attack on Roa.
Roa took a deep breath. Not bad.
"Die! Roa!!"
The base commander, a Vice Admiral, stomped on the air, rushing directly towards Roa in the sky. But before he could even touch Roa, a bolt of lightning struck him directly from the sky, sending him plummeting. Most of the other Marines who were still thinking of attacking suffered similar fates.
The port was even worse. Large numbers of frantic Marines crowded there, desperately trying to get onto ships, causing many of them to fall into the sea. And after boarding the warships, because no one was coordinating and everyone wanted to escape first, several warships ended up colliding, all beginning to sink.
Roa simply watched the chaos below in silence.
Then.
"Time's up, folks."
Roa flapped his wings and soared higher into the sky in an instant. He raised his right hand high, index finger pointed at the heavens. Light began to gather at his fingertip. A tiny, tiny pinpoint of light rapidly grew brighter and brighter. In just a few seconds, a small sun was born at Roa's fingertip.
Below, the Marine Vice Admiral and base commander, who had just been struck down by lightning and were now scorched black, looked up at the dazzling light in the sky. All the Marines were drawn by this light that eclipsed even the sun, unconsciously raising their heads. It wasn't just them; even the citizens of the affiliated kingdom on the island not far away, drawn by the alarms and Roa's echoing voice, saw that small sun.
Roa breathed deeply; using this move put a great strain on him. But thankfully, the Marines at this base provided him with a good amount of dark energy, so simply recovering his stamina was not an issue.
"Then, Gana."
He gently flicked his right hand downwards. From his fingertip, the sun fell.
The Vice Admiral base commander struggled to his feet, gripping the sword in his hand. Even knowing it was futile, in this final moment, he had to do something! He looked up at the falling light, gathered all his strength, and leaped into the air.
Then, the light bloomed, and he vanished within it.
The light expanded. In the blink of an eye, it swallowed the entire base, then continued its relentless advance across the sea, almost devouring the edge of the nearby island.
"Oh!" Roa couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "How beautiful, eh!"
Around the giant ball of light below, strange auroras shimmered. Just for this sight alone, this trip was well worth it. Gale-force winds roared across the sea, the intense shockwave almost completely clearing everything on the edge of that nearby island. Only then did the surging tsunamis crash against it.
"Hmm, satisfied." Roa nodded contentedly. With a flap of his wings, he flew away in a flash.
Shortly after, the gigantic ball of light, even more dazzling than the sun, finally dissipated, revealing an immense crater. Seawater began to furiously rush into it. Marine G-14 Base, along with the small island that served as its foundation, had vanished without a trace. And the ripple effects of Roa's retaliation had only just begun to spread.
Marine Headquarters.
The Den Den Mushi on the desk went into standby mode after emitting a dial tone. Just seconds before, frantic reports had poured from the Den Den Mushi's mouth, followed by a scream and a subsequent colossal sound, after which all sound ceased.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's facial muscles twitched.
"G-14 Base has probably been completely destroyed. He possesses that kind of destructive power." On the opposite sofa, Marine Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Tsuru slowly exhaled, but the knot of frustration in her heart could not be released no matter what. "But what does he mean by 'retaliation'? Sengoku, did the Marines take action against him without my knowledge?" This was what puzzled Vice Admiral Tsuru. Even if Roa was a mad dog, he had no reason to lie like this.
"I don't recall issuing such an order," the Fleet Admiral said coldly. Then, the two exchanged glances, already having a suspicion. Since it wasn't the Marines, then it could only be the World Government.
"I'm going to ask the government what exactly they did." Sengoku took a deep breath. "Also, actions against Roa must be put on the agenda immediately!" That guy was too dangerous!
Later, at Mary Geoise, in the Chamber of Authority.
The Five Elders were, yet again, having a meeting.
"The Kingdom of Fanesia has called, questioning why Roa suddenly appeared and destroyed G-14 Base. The entire country is now on edge."
"The news can't be kept secret; the tabloids in the New World have probably already started emergency printing."
"The Marines are also asking us what we did to Roa. Damn it, that kid is taking advantage and acting innocent! Did he interpret our recruitment as a hostile act?"
"If we can't keep it a secret, then we won't. Let the whole world know what a crazy guy Roa is."
"Since there's no longer any possibility of reconciliation, there's nothing more to say. Let Stussy continue to work undercover. We need an opportunity to deliver a decisive blow!"
Shortly after, under Roa's gaze, Stussy once again hung up the phone.
"So, you've been promoted now?" Roa asked with interest.
"Strictly speaking, my authority has increased. I can mobilize more personnel and resources," Stussy's voice was soft, her eyes gazing up at Roa shimmering with captivating moisture, making Roa's heart flutter. Oh no, has he really entered his rutting season?
"It's all thanks to you, big brother Roa. If it weren't for targeting you, they wouldn't value me so much."
"Heh heh," Roa raised his hand to stroke the beautiful woman's small, palm-sized face, "They value you so much, little sister Stussy, you mustn't disappoint them."
"I understand," Stussy rubbed against Roa's hand like a kitten. Wow, so well-behaved! Roa, of course, knew this woman was acting. If she had the chance, she would definitely betray him without hesitation. But what did that matter? He didn't need any genuine affection.
The next day, news of the great pirate Calamity Roa destroying Marine G-14 Base was already spreading like wildfire throughout the New World. This incident, of course, stirred up a considerable uproar worldwide. While the excitement was far from matching the level when Roa defeated Zephyr last year, it was still shocking.
The Marine G-series bases were the highest-ranking branch bases apart from Marine Headquarters and the special G-1 Base, playing a crucial role in stabilizing regional situations in the Grand Line. These bases had remained largely undisturbed for many years, but this time, Roa broke the tacit understanding between the Marines and the great pirates. This caused widespread panic. That guy seemed truly unrestrained. And he possessed unrestrained power; according to the newspapers, Roa destroyed the entire base with just one attack. That monster possessed the power to easily obliterate a country! Wasn't that enough to terrify the world? A madman wielding destructive power—just thinking about it sent shivers down one's spine.
And so, Roa's bounty increased again, only this time, the increase was quite significant.
In Wano Country, a white-haired infant held a wanted poster of Roa, her small smiling face like a blooming flower. She babbled, reaching out to touch the face on the wanted poster.
"Three billion?"
Next to her, Kaido spat out a mouthful of sake. "What a joke! Just for destroying a Marine base? What else did that kid do in secret?!" A sudden increase of a billion berries had completely left him behind. Among all pirates worldwide, even Whitebeard and Golden Lion Shiki could only stand on par with Roa. Shiki was only 3.1 billion berries, and Whitebeard was a mere 3.0 billion and a few million, with almost no difference. Only Roger still had a clear lead. After only a few months, had Roa already become strong enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Golden Lion Shiki and Whitebeard? Kaido, of course, didn't believe it. That kid Roa must have done something else that greatly angered the World Government but couldn't be revealed publicly!
"Isn't this a good thing, Big Brother Kaido?" next to Kaido, another large man said with a smile, "Isn't Roa on our side?"
Kaido was silent for a moment. No matter whose side Roa was on, he couldn't accept that the kid he had watched grow up would so quickly outpace him to the point where he could barely see his back.
"Hanafusa, we need to speed up too!"
"No problem!"
The Beasts Pirates had finally welcomed a new executive.
Roa's bounty indeed brought some shock to the monsters of the world. However, the one most affected was the man who occupied Hachinosu Island. Inside the now-repaired Skull Dome, Wang Zhi, the current master of Hachinosu Island, crushed the newspaper in his hand.
"That kid Roa is nearby?" G-14 Base wasn't too far from Hachinosu Island, and more importantly, a battle had taken place on nearby Baterilla Island yesterday, tearing half the island apart, and someone sighted Roa's figure! Wang Zhi's expression was grim and unpredictable. Is that kid Roa coming for Hachinosu Island too? Does he really want to revive the Rocks Pirates? After Golden Lion Shiki, is it Roa?
No, he couldn't be sure yet. Wang Zhi took a deep breath. Anyway, I'll find Roa first and confirm his intentions!