Amanozuki Toki slumped before Roa, her long, beautiful legs trembling as they curled up. Of course, it wasn't just her legs that trembled; her whole body was shaking, but her fair, long legs were particularly eye-catching to Roa. Damn puberty! Damn hormones!
Roa pulled his gaze away from her legs, saying with interest, "Toki, are you willing to accept this fate now?"
Amanozuki Toki looked up, her exquisite face etched with a sense of brokenness. Her eyes held an ineffable fear, and submission. "Yes... Roa, Lord Roa..." Amanozuki Toki's voice was so soft that Roa could barely hear it if he didn't listen carefully. But simply uttering those few words had taken all of Amanozuki Toki's strength.
"Hmm, very good!" Roa nodded in satisfaction. Amanozuki Toki should be a person of strong willpower. Normally, trying to influence her personality with his ability wouldn't be easy. But if even a man like Zephyr could have his personality forcibly reshaped by Roa in extreme anger, Amanozuki Toki certainly wasn't unbreakable. Everything she had just experienced had been too impactful for Amanozuki Toki, pushing her almost to the brink of a mental breakdown. Thus, Roa effortlessly used his negative emotion manipulation ability to directly alter the woman's personality! Fear and submission instantly reached their peak, completely stripping Amanozuki Toki of the right to say no to him.
"So, Toki, satisfy my curiosity," Roa asked with interest, "Why did you travel from eight hundred years ago to the present, making such a long journey to Wano Country?"
"What?" At this remark, the expressions of Roa's cadres instantly changed dramatically.
"Eight hundred years ago?" Even the steady Dylan couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief, "Boss! You mean this woman is from eight hundred years ago?!"
"Has she lived that long?" Moria was even more dumbfounded. He couldn't tell at all! She looked exactly like a young woman in her twenties! Is there really something in the world that can grant eternal life?
"Idiot!" Barrack directly scolded, "Didn't you hear the Boss say? This woman traveled from eight hundred years ago!"
"Traveled?" Moria looked at Amanozuki Toki with even greater astonishment. An ability to travel through eight hundred years of time? That's even more exaggerated than eternal life!
"Is it a Devil Fruit ability?" King was also very surprised. "If she's from eight hundred years ago, does that mean she knows the truth of the Void Century?"
"Alright," Roa frowned slightly. "Let Toki speak." The few instantly fell silent.
But at this moment, Amanozuki Toki's astonishment was no less than that of the cadres. Roa not only knew her ability but even knew when she was from! What exactly was going on? When she traveled through these long eight hundred years of history, she hadn't left any traces, rarely interacting with people!
However, there was no more time to think now. The fear in her heart compelled Amanozuki Toki to speak immediately, "Because Wano Country is special."
"Oh?" Roa raised an eyebrow, motioning for Amanozuki Toki to continue.
"Joyboy was defeated in the war against the twenty kings, and the world-spanning war came to an end."
"However, because of my ability, I foresaw that a new turning point would arrive eight hundred years later, in the present!"
"And Wano Country will play an important role in this new change—" She paused, carefully glancing at Roa, then finally spoke, "Because Pluton is buried here."
"You said Pluton?" Even though Roa had given the order, upon hearing this news, Dylan still exclaimed in disbelief. Was Pluton, one of the legendary Ancient Weapons capable of destroying the world, buried in this country?
But.
"But I don't know the exact burial location," Amanozuki Toki added.
"That's it?" Roa twitched his lips. Could she say something he didn't already know? He also knew that Pluton could only be found after Wano Country opened its borders.
Because Wano Country housed Pluton, Amanozuki Toki wanted to come to this country to guide it onto the right path? That's really quite boring.
Wait a minute! The Boss knows about this? The cadres instantly froze. But then they quickly felt it was only natural. If it was the Boss, then no matter how astonishing the matter, it was only to be expected.
"Tell me about that war," Roa continued to ask.
"I don't know much either; after all, those great figures were too far removed from me," Amanozuki Toki shook her head and said. "I only know that it was a war between the pirate Joyboy and twenty kings."
According to Amanozuki Toki, eight hundred years ago, global transportation was just as inconvenient, and information was just as scarce. She, who never participated in the war, didn't understand its causes and consequences either. She only knew that Joyboy, the first to be called a pirate, led his companions in a fierce war against the twenty kings. The final outcome was Joyboy's defeat. The liberator, known as the Sun God, who freed countless slaves, ultimately lost that war that decided the world's fate.
And Amanozuki Toki decided to do something. So, she traveled eight hundred years later.
"How uninteresting," After hearing everything Amanozuki Toki knew, Roa was merely unenthusiastic. Right, even Roger only learned the full truth after reaching the Final Island. What Amanozuki Toki knew was limited to mere hearsay. He had gotten excited for nothing.
However, Amanozuki Toki's Devil Fruit ability wasn't bad.
"Speed up, don't let Big Brother Kaido wait too long!" The snails rumbled, picking up speed, heading full-throttle towards the Flower Capital.
Along the way, Amanozuki Toki carefully observed the country. Although she had been branded by Roa, it didn't mean her personality had completely flipped. In fact, Roa quite liked the pure and gentle Amanozuki Toki. So, only her attitude towards Roa had changed. She still cared about this country.
Thus, Roa was pleased. Watching this ravaged country, the dark aura emanating from Amanozuki Toki was incredibly delicious.
Soon, they arrived at the Flower Capital. Specifically, they arrived at the palace outside the Flower Capital where Kaido resided. Time had truly flown; it had been almost a year since he last left this place. In this past year, this palace had undergone significant changes, with many new buildings expanded around it, likely for the pirates who had recently joined the crew to live in. Although he hadn't returned, he occasionally saw news of the Beast Pirates in the newspapers; their scale had expanded considerably. Big Brother Kaido hadn't been idle either.
"Has Lord Roa arrived?" As they neared the palace, a group of people rapidly approached to greet them.
"Welcome back!" Leading the group was a very tall and robust man. Although he rode on the back of a large wolf, it wasn't hard to estimate his height—approximately five meters. He wore a dirty black coat, a hat that extended downwards, covering most of his face except for his eyes, mouth, and nose. On his back was a large scythe with a long chain attached to its end, leading to a giant flail.
"Oh, Hanafuda, right?" Roa called out the newcomer's name.
Hanafuda, known as the King of Lizards, was the unlucky Warlord in the original story who was defeated by the rookie Ace. However, it wasn't too shameful, as Ace soon after fought Jinbe to a draw, and Jinbe wasn't weak among the older Warlords; it was because Ace was too strong.
However, besides his Warlord status, Hanafuda's more crucial identity in the original story was Big Brother Kaido's only good brother, the kind who entrusted his wife and children to him, leaving his son and daughter in Big Brother Kaido's care. It was just a pity that Big Brother Kaido was somewhat inhumane, or rather, he only considered Hanafuda a good buddy, but not so for Hanafuda's children—Ulti and Page One. The siblings didn't fare well in the Beast Pirates after their father was killed by vengeful pirates, only starting to gain prominence in the Beast Pirates after secretly stealing two Ancient Zoan Devil Fruits.
"You actually know this one?" Hanafuda chuckled. "This one is truly honored!"
"I saw your name in the newspaper," Roa said casually. History had changed once again because of him. Because King was abducted by him, this man, who hadn't joined the Beast Pirates in the original story, now officially became a high-ranking cadre under Kaido. However, Roa didn't particularly care. Ultimately, he wasn't someone worth paying much attention to.
"Where's Big Brother Kaido?"
"Big Brother Kaido, well," Hanafuda scratched the back of his head, somewhat awkwardly, "he was so happy to hear you were coming that he drank himself unconscious and hasn't woken up yet."
Roa nodded knowingly. "That's something he would do."
"Let's go, let's wake him up."
"Yes!" Behind Roa, Amanozuki Toki's heart was filled with trepidation. So, next, she would meet Roa's comrades, the ones who helped him conquer this country?
Unfortunately, no. Because as they reached the outer perimeter of the palace, and he descended from the snail amidst the respectful gazes of the Beast Pirates members, another fellow rushed over in a flurry.
"Judge! Judge, you bastard, get out here now!" Roa cast a sidelong glance at this fellow. He was tall and robust, wearing a dirty white coat, his hair messy and spiky like flames.
"Sain! You idiot!" However, before Roa could say anything, Hanafuda had already angrily kicked the newcomer in the butt, sending him sprawling. "What are you doing, acting so presumptuous in front of Lord Roa?"
Sain, who would become Queen in the future, instantly changed his expression! Damn! He was so focused on reuniting with Judge that he forgot the real priority! He carefully looked up and saw Roa's calm face.
Gulp! He hadn't angered this man, had he? Although it was their first meeting, was there anyone on the current high seas who didn't know the name Calamity Roa? This young man was a true monster, even more terrifying than Boss Kaido! Sain broke out in a cold sweat from fright. Damn you, Judge, it's all because of you!
"Lord Roa, this guy's got issues," Hanafuda sincerely said to Roa. "Please don't mind him."
Roa looked down, observing Sain, who was lying on the ground with an ingratiating smile. If he remembered correctly, this guy wasn't supposed to join the Beast Pirates for a few more years. Had the storyline been changed by him again? It didn't matter. The moment he arrived in this world, it was destined that the so-called storyline would become unrecognizable.
"Big Brother Kaido has developed well this past year; he even found a scientist from MADS," Roa said with interest. The MADS organization basically represented the highest level of technology in this world. Vegapunk, Judge, Caesar, Buckingham Stussy, and Queen—each was a groundbreaking scientist.
Hmm, Queen should be considered the weakest among these guys. After decades of research, he only managed to develop a few viruses; it was practically unwatchable. After all, both Caesar and Judge aimed to surpass Vegapunk; only this guy took Judge as his target.
"Muhahahahaha!" Sain instantly became somewhat carried away. "Lord Roa, you truly have an eye for talent! My technological level is far superior to that idiot Judge's!"
"You dare say that, Sain!" Judge finally leaped from the snail's back, a disdainful look on his face upon hearing Sain's words. "Who doesn't know that you're the dead weight in MADS!"
"Huh?" Sain's small eyes instantly widened, filled with anger. "Judge, you idiot, are you trying to die?"
"Want to compare?" Judge's lips curled into a strange arc. "After being separated for so long, who has developed more impressive technology!"
"Compare then! Am I afraid of your boring artificial humans?" The two indeed seemed to have a deep-seated grudge, even daring to disregard Roa.
However, Roa didn't bother with them. Because.
Boom!
Above the palace not far away, thunder suddenly roared. A colossal beast abruptly flew into the sky, casting a heavy shadow downwards.
"That's—" Amanozuki Toki's expression suddenly changed dramatically. A dragon? A massive Azure Dragon over a thousand meters long soared into the sky. Was that Kaido?
Among the cadres behind Roa, Teach also looked up at the sky in astonishment. Kaido the Beast, who was an apprentice in the Rocks Pirates alongside Roa back then!
"Uo-ro-ro-ro-ro! Brat, why are you back this time?" The colossal beast's mountain-like head slowly descended, its voice still thick with drunkenness.
"I have a very interesting plan that needs everyone's help." Roa's lips curved. "Didn't I come straight to my dearest Big Brother first?"
As Kaido continued to descend, a white ball suddenly leaped from his head. Roa reached out, and wind began to blow, greatly reducing the small ball's descent speed. Then, Roa caught her. The adorable white-haired little girl with a tiny pair of horns on her forehead blinked her watery eyes, happily reaching out to touch Roa's face.
"Roa! It's Roa!"
"Oh! You still remember me, Yamato!" Roa affectionately rubbed the little girl's face. "Call me 'Onii-chan.'"
"Roa-Onii-chan!" Yamato, not yet two years old, spoke clearly. This child was indeed a natural monster. When he left a year ago, she was only a few months old, yet she still remembered Roa.
"Good girl, good girl!" Roa happily ruffled Yamato's soft hair.
Behind him, Amanozuki Toki felt a sense of bewilderment. When she first met this man, she thought he was like a prince from a fairy tale, both handsome and gentle. But after realizing his true nature, his image had become synonymous with a demon from hell. Yet now, Amanozuki Toki saw Roa's gentle side once more. What kind of person was he, really?
"Hmph!" Watching his good daughter intimately gripping Roa's finger and shaking it, Kaido snorted, returned to his human form, and landed before Roa. "You said you needed help? Uo-ro-ro-ro-ro, the famous Calamity Roa, still needs my help?"
Sour! How could he be so sour!
"Because this time, the matter is huge!" Roa's lips curved. "The thing Captain couldn't accomplish back then, shall we try to do it? Let's turn the world upside down!" He deliberately avoided mentioning the World Government's pirated goods, which greatly angered him, so he wanted to teach the World Government a lesson.
"Turn the world upside down?" Kaido's flushed face broke into a smile. "Uo-ro-ro-ro-ro! Kid, let me see it! The power that even that bastard Newgate couldn't bring back!"
Sigh. Roa sighed helplessly. As expected, they still had to fight.
Huh? Wait a minute, something felt off! Two years ago, when he left the Country of Endless War and officially began his voyage, he fought with Big Brother Kaido. A year ago, when he left Wano Country and started his own journey, he also fought with Big Brother Kaido. And now, after lying low for several months, just as he was preparing to act again, he was going to fight with Big Brother Kaido again?
Hiss! Was this some kind of strange ritual? Honestly, he was already experiencing aesthetic fatigue.