"It's all fog, huh?"
The colossal snail fleet rumbled through a peculiar sea area. On a platform atop one of the snails, Bege looked around in surprise, but no matter which direction he looked, all he could see was dense fog.
"This must be the legendary Thriller Bark, right?" Teach stood beside him, stroking his chin. "I read in a book that it's a very strange sea area, shrouded in perpetual fog, and the internal currents are chaotic. It's said many ships go missing here every year."
Bege glanced at him in surprise. He's surprisingly knowledgeable, isn't he? He didn't know that the outwardly rugged Teach was actually more educated than ninety percent of the people on the sea. Not only had he seen the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, but he had also always had a strong interest in archaeology.
"What a repulsive place!" Doflamingo, who had just finished his training, grumbled irritably. "Can't see anything; it's ruining my mood."
"Repulsive? Heh heh heh, I quite like it here!" Another person suddenly interjected; it was Moria, who was currently running laps while carrying a gigantic iron ingot.
"Hm?" Doflamingo turned his head, his eyes behind his frog glasses showing complete surprise. Moria was quite the eccentric within the company. Although also an intern, he was forced into obedience by Roa to save his comrades. So, even among the already disloyal cadres of the Calamity Company, he was the furthest from the group. Why did this guy suddenly butt in?
"Ze hahahaha! Is it really that good here?" Teach had, of course, long since noticed the internal dynamics of the Calamity Company, but that didn't stop him from wanting to get along with the company's cadres. Moria's initiative was an opportunity, after all.
"It's a very suitable place for me!" Moria's expression was somewhat melancholic. The perpetual fog ensured that sunlight couldn't directly reach the sea. And that meant that those whose shadows he had stolen could safely live in this sea area, for people without shadows would instantly vanish upon contact with sunlight. If he hadn't been forced by that bastard Roa, this would have been a perfect place for his lair! He could have dominated this sea area and become a king—just like Roa and the others in the New World! It's all because of that guy Roa!!
Moria's face instantly darkened, and he gritted his teeth, no longer bothering with Teach and the other two. He continued his training, hoisting the giant iron ingot. Roa was undoubtedly one of the most terrifying monsters in the entire world! Wanting to defeat him, wanting to reclaim his comrades and freedom from his hands, was an almost impossible task! But, did "impossible" mean he shouldn't try? Moria would never allow himself to slack off in the slightest! Regardless, getting stronger to the best of his ability could never be wrong! Just you wait, Roa!
"What's that guy up to?" Doflamingo watched Moria's hasty retreating figure, a hint of confusion in his exasperation. He just came over to talk on his own, and then halfway through, he darted off again.
"He's busy cultivating, Moria is quite diligent," Teach chuckled, turning his head towards a corner of the platform. "We shouldn't be idle either. If we don't work hard, we might really not be able to catch up to those guys!"
On the other side of the platform, Dylan was personally teaching the Five-Color Combat Team to learn Haki. Although the five cyborgs lacked human emotions and were destined not to achieve great mastery in Haki, it was better than nothing. And so, the trio also began their usual rigorous training. In the Germa Kingdom, where entertainment was almost non-existent, the young men spent most of their days training. After all, they knew one thing very well: they absolutely could not disappoint Roa. If they couldn't become strong enough to satisfy that guy, then they would only have a dead end.
Meanwhile, inside the palace, Roa was flipping through a stack of documents with great interest. The documents brought back from the Marine archives were simply too numerous. Roa had been reading them like extracurricular books, and they indeed contained many interesting things. For example, the life stories of those famous great pirates who had shaken the seas over the past few centuries were as exciting as reading a thrilling novel. In comparison, Marine classified information seemed a bit boring.
Of course, Roa still obtained quite a bit of key information from these documents. For instance, where the various research bases of the Marine Science Unit were located and what they were researching. For example, the locations of the three islands in the original story that Zephyr planned to blow up, which connected to the New World's undersea magma. Also, where the special mineral explosive, Dyna Stones, which Zephyr intended to use to blow up those three islands, had been urgently relocated to.
However, more interesting to Roa than all this was actually the Marines' dirt. It must be said that the Marines had indeed done quite a few unsavory things for the world. Haha, how interesting—
Hmm? Roa, who was enjoying his reading, suddenly looked up. Did someone say something? Why did it suddenly sound like he heard someone talking? Very far, very loud, but he couldn't make out the specific content.
Wait, the original story explicitly stated that there were monsters lurking in the Thriller Bark sea area, right? Those unknown monsters were the culprits behind the numerous ship disappearances in this area every year. Could it be those guys talking?
Roa walked out of the palace, his Observation Haki greatly expanded. By now, the range of his Observation Haki had long exceeded that of a small island. Although not as wide as Shanks' or Fujitora's, it was definitely not narrow. But, he still found nothing. Apart from discovering many large Sea Kings beneath the surface, he found nothing else. Is it even further away? No choice, Thriller Bark is still a bit too vast. If he can't find it, then forget it. The mysteries of this world are already countless; he'll deal with it if an opportunity arises.
However, those voices—Roa recalled hearing something similar when he left Fish-Man Island. Could it be that, like Roger and Luffy, he also possessed the talent to hear the Voice of All Things?
Interesting.
A few days later, the colossal snail fleet successfully navigated out of the Thriller Bark sea area. Roa regretted not encountering Brook; otherwise, his good friend Red would probably have been quite happy. As they sailed away, several massive dark shadows slowly emerged within the dense fog. Pairs of eyes, gleaming with an eerie light, silently watched the colossal snail fleet gradually disappear over the horizon.
On the fleet's side, as soon as they sailed out of that sea area, the News Coo brought the latest newspapers.
"Oh! So they haven't given up on this tactic yet?" Roa flipped through the newspaper, unable to suppress the smile on his face. The World Government won again! The newspaper claimed that grief-stricken Marines had ambushed pirates returning from Paradise in a certain sea area of the New World. And so, after another fierce battle, they finally repelled the pirates again. It was again presented with pictures as proof, and the most authoritative newspapers on the sea reported it extensively.
"At this point, will anyone still believe this kind of news?" King asked with a laugh.
"Boss, should we publish an article in the newspaper to expose this lie?" Dylan asked seriously.
"No need," Roa said with a smile, waving his hand. "The World Government controls the mainstream media. No matter how much we speak out, people will naturally believe them more."
"But it doesn't matter," he said leisurely. "Battle reports can lie, but battlefronts cannot."
"Everyone should have started acting by now. I'm quite curious how the World Government will cover up their lies next."
While Roa was heading towards Water Seven, his allies had indeed already begun their actions. Shiki's mobility was incomparable to Roa's colossal snail fleet; the monsters had already returned to their respective lairs.
Then.
A certain island in the latter half of the New World.
"Wh-what is that?!" The people on the island shivered as they gazed up at the sky. Because at this moment, an island was slowly descending from above.
"Gyahahaha! Ruling the seas from the sky! It begins now!"
Hachinosu Island.
"Lads!" Wang Zhi stood atop the Skull Building, overlooking the pirates gathered below, including his subordinates and simply pirates residing on the island. "Go forth and plunder! Seize everything in this sea for me!"
"Ooh!!"
Wano Country.
The only port in this isolated country that connected to the outside world, the "Submerged Port." Teams of samurai and pirates boarded ships in formation. Everyone's faces showed an indescribable excitement. For the pirates, they were going to help Boss Kaido conquer this sea! For the samurai, this was their first time stepping out of this country!
A certain sea area in the middle of the New World.
"Charge! Lads!" A fleet of pirate ships charged across the sea. Silver Axe stood at the bow, wielding a massive axe, his laughter echoing like thunder. "Come with me and conquer this sea!"
In Whole Cake Island.
"Mama mama! All hands, charge!!" A fleet of laughing pirate ships set sail simultaneously. On the decks of these pirate ships, the cadres of the Charlotte Family were equally spirited.
Dressrosa.
"You, who are you?!" King Riku looked at the man who had suddenly appeared at his palace window, his face pale. The man sat on the windowsill with his back to him, drinking from a bottle of wine.
"Hiccup~" The man hiccupped, then turned his head. "Seeing me, you should understand the situation, right?"
Just as the man said, the moment he saw his face clearly, King Riku's body trembled violently. His teeth chattered uncontrollably, and his voice stammered, "Jo-John... Captain John!!"
They're here! The Pirate Alliance is here! Sure enough, the World Government was lying; they didn't win at all! The pirates are going to brazenly seize Dressrosa!
"Good, it seems you understand," Captain John nodded lightly. "Then from today, this country belongs to me."
"..." King Riku just stood there, his face pale, unsure what to say. What could he say at this point? Now the World Government and the Marines had abandoned this country, abandoned the entire New World. There would be no reinforcements, no help. How could he possibly fight against such a monster?
"You should feel fortunate," John took another swig of wine, his voice slightly slurred. "It was me who chose this sea area, not Roa."
"Don't worry, unlike Roa who simply enjoys suffering, I prefer order."
A certain sea area in Paradise.
Today, the colossal snail fleet continued its relentless advance. Roa was again reading the newspaper. The newspapers these past few days had no reports about the New World, even though the monsters there were already expanding their territories. However, Roa was not at all surprised by this; Morgans had already informed him. The World Government was directly preparing to block news from the New World, at least temporarily.
Surprisingly, for a world where communication was extremely difficult and all news relied on newspapers, this tactic was quite effective. The isolation of the New World needed no further explanation; few people in the world could travel back and forth from that sea area smoothly. Word of mouth simply didn't work. As long as the World Government properly monitored the major newspapers on the sea, ninety percent of the people on the sea would not know what was happening in the New World. Even if there were many rebellious media outlets, the government could completely use its control over public opinion to brand them as attention-seeking clowns. If Roa's destruction of Marineford hadn't been broadcast live and covered a wide area, with many media outlets rebroadcasting it, then perhaps even that event would have been suppressed.
However, how long could such a blockade last? With only battle reports and no actual results, it was only a matter of time before the public grew suspicious. So, he would look forward to it.
Moreover, while the newspapers contained no news about the New World, they weren't entirely devoid of valuable information. Roa picked up a stack of wanted posters tucked within the newspaper. After such a grand commotion, the bounties of everyone in the Pirate Alliance were skyrocketing.
"Four billion now, huh?" Roa picked up his own wanted poster. It seemed to be a screenshot directly from his live broadcast, the boy's recklessness vividly leaping off the paper. Very cool. Coolness was, of course, primary, but equally crucial was the significant change in bounty. His bounty had increased by another billion in one go, reaching four billion, directly surpassing Roger. Roa was now the highest-bountied man on this planet; no living person could surpass him.
And what was interesting was—
"Shiki's bounty is 3.9 billion?" Bullet, who was also flipping through wanted posters nearby, frowned. He looked up at Roa. "Boss? This number..."
"They're intentionally trying to provoke a conflict between me and Uncle Shiki, right?" Roa chuckled. "Seriously, do they have to be so obvious?" However, it might actually work. After all, Shiki had long considered him a rival, ever since he realized he couldn't win him over.
"Whatever, isn't it good—hmm?" Roa suddenly looked up, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Boss?" Bullet was a bit puzzled. Had Boss seen something he couldn't?
Roa looked up, his eyes a little startled. He saw a faint trace of dark energy floating in the sky. It was very faint, so faint that if one didn't look carefully, they wouldn't even notice it. This was definitely not the dark energy from the Germa Kingdom. After all, the quality of the dark energy emitted by the citizens toiling in the sweatshops of that country, and the clone soldiers with only ten years of life and hearts full of bitterness, was much, much higher than this!
Roa gazed into the distance; this faint dark energy extended to the end of the sky. In other words, the entire sky was filled with dark energy.
Is the world changing? Is dark energy growing worldwide?
It was at this moment that a peculiar feeling suddenly arose in Roa's heart. He could clearly sense that if the world's changes continued to develop, when the global concentration of dark energy reached a certain level, his ability would undergo an upgrade! Wasn't there a saying that goes well? Shallow waters cannot nurture a dragon. And when the shallow waters turn into a vast sea, that is the moment for the dragon to emerge from its abyss! If his previous strengthening by absorbing dark energy was similar to a Pokémon leveling up, then this upgrade would probably be equivalent to a Pokémon's evolution! An evolution from immaturity towards a more complete form!
"How interesting!" Roa couldn't help but curve his lips. Am I, Roa, still in my infantile stage? No wonder I'm so hungry! In that case, dear world, I'm truly sorry. He couldn't just stand by and watch a child suffer from malnutrition and fail to grow, could he?
Regardless, two days later, a sharp, pointed island appeared in front of the colossal snail fleet.
Water Seven, they had arrived.