"Nom nom nom!"
"Gulp gulp gulp!"
On the platform behind a snail, two giants were eating and drinking without a care in the world. The mountains of food and the other mountains of wine barrels were rapidly diminishing at a visible pace.
"Not enough! We need more food!" Brogy held up a massive bone, spewing out bits of meat as he yelled.
"And more booze!" Dorry crushed a wine barrel that he had just emptied and urged loudly, "Even without food, we can't be without booze!"
Beside them, Roa, who was calmly fishing, didn't even turn his head. "Give it to them."
The clone soldiers brought over more food and wine, immediately making the two giants drool.
"Gabbabababa! Then we won't hold back!"
"Jiejiejiejie! Why be polite to the enemy! After eating dinosaurs and fish for seventy years, it's finally time for a change of pace!"
The two continued to feast.
On the back of another snail not far away, a panting Teach wiped his sweat and looked at the giants. "Zehahaha, are they trying to take revenge on Boss by eating all our food because they can't beat him?"
"If that's the case, they'll be disappointed, hehe. Boss's food isn't what they think it is!"
"They can eat all they want. It's their problem if they finish it."
Beside Teach, Doflamingo was also tired from the high-intensity training, but he still forced himself to mock them. "The one thing we don't lack is food. How many people in the entire fleet are even qualified to eat food?"
"You're right!" Teach burst into laughter.
Was this why Roa was so special? He truly was a master of being inhuman.
First, it should be made clear that the food stored in the snail fleet was never a small amount. However, all the ordinary residents in this country, as well as the clone soldiers, who made up the majority of the population, were not qualified to eat proper food. Roa thought it was a waste.
Their food was a special pill named "Soldier's Ration Pill," which was developed by Judge's assistant and mistress, the pharmacologist Vinsmoke Sora. It provided the human body with a large amount of energy and could basically replace food entirely. Of course, because it was essentially a drug, it had a tiny side effect on the digestive system. But the production was massive and satisfying, and after the production line was set up, the cost of the Soldier's Ration Pill had become shockingly low.
Now, within the entire Disaster Company, only the company's executives and Judge's scientists were qualified to eat normal food. The food reserves were abundant, but the consumption was surprisingly small. It didn't matter how much these two giants could eat.
So, what Teach and Doflamingo saw in the end was that the giants' bellies were completely bulging. Even though every swallow was a struggle, they still desperately stuffed food into their mouths. They were probably really trying to take revenge on Roa by consuming the Disaster Company's food.
"Hey, kid! Don't look around!" A scolding voice came from behind.
Teach grinned and turned around to see Bege kicking Enel away.
"Listen up! No matter how powerful your Devil Fruit is!" Bege said with a cold voice, his big belly no less impressive than Teach's. "Without a powerful physique to support it, it's just a house of cards. You'll never become a true powerhouse!"
Enel got up from the ground in a sorry state, gave Bege a deep look, and then nodded silently. "I understand."
"Fufufufu! Bege is actually teaching someone seriously!" Doflamingo laughed. "He's only bullying that kid Enel, and he has to rely on Seastone."
"Zehahahaha! I'm looking forward to it! Enel's future!" Teach's eyes were full of amusement.
That kid Enel wasn't a peaceful one either. He was a jackal! When he had enough power, Bege would be in trouble. No, it should even be said that if his power surpassed his own, he would definitely come to get revenge on him first!
But, it didn't matter. Zehahahaha! Who wasn't like that?
A day later, the great fleet arrived in front of a giant mountain.
"Oh! Is this Reverse Mountain?" Roa looked up at the truly towering mountain. "It's magnificent."
The part above the middle of the mountain was already covered in clouds. This should be the tallest mountain in the world, right?
"Are you going to cross here and go directly to the end of the New World?" From behind Roa, the giant Brogy, who was there to join the fun, belched and said indistinctly, "With these snails?"
Beside him, a visibly fatter Dorry's body size was already catching up to Brogy's previous size, and Brogy himself had basically become a ball of fat. The two of them hadn't given up on the idea of taking revenge by eating all the food.
"Don't underestimate them." Roa stomped his foot.
The giant snails then rumbled forward, beginning to climb up the slanted side of the mountain. At the same time, a long cry suddenly rang out from the edge of the Red Line not far away.
Roa looked in the direction of the sound. A giant whale was crying out at the towering mountain wall that was like the Wall of Sorrows. Roa's lips curled up.
Just you wait. But with the current development, you probably won't be able to wait for the rest of your life.
The giant snails were not slow and climbed up steadily. Soon, they carried everyone into the clouds. After passing through the clouds, they could clearly see the summit of Reverse Mountain. Mist filled the air, and under the sunlight, a brilliant rainbow shone.
"We really climbed up?" Dorry looked around in surprise, not forgetting to take a couple of gulps of wine. To be honest, they had never seen the scenery on Reverse Mountain before.
Seventy years ago, the Giant Warrior Pirates mostly operated in the Grand Line. When they occasionally went to the four seas, they would go through the Calm Belt. After all, both captains were ruthless men who could single-handedly kill giant sea kings the size of mountains, so the sea king's nest was nothing to them.
Soon, the great snails arrived at the summit of Reverse Mountain. It was clearly the peak of a high mountain, but there were huge waves surging. The waterways extending from the East Blue, South Blue, West Blue, and North Blue converged here, and then forcefully merged into the one waterway that led to the Grand Line. The colliding currents and surging waves made for a magnificent sight.
The snail under Roa's feet climbed to the very top of the mountain. From here, they could see a boundless sea of clouds. And in the distance beyond the sea of clouds was the New World. Standing high and looking far, Roa couldn't help but feel inspired and wanted to say, "I'm the king of..."
"There's a snail! Why is there a snail!" On one side, on the waterway that should have extended from the South Blue, a pirate ship was rapidly ascending.
The people on the deck noticed the giant snail at the summit. So, the pirates' expressions were completely distorted.
"Wait! That snail is—"
"Death sentence!" Roa glared at the ship in annoyance.
How dare they disturb his fun! Was there any other outcome besides death?
Then.
Boom!
On the rock walls on both sides of the waterway, scorching magma erupted! Two small volcanoes erupted. The unlucky pirate ship was crushed into pieces by the overwhelming magma before it could even scream.
"Satisfying." Roa slowly let out a breath.
Behind him, Dorry and Brogy's eyes were filled with an indescribable seriousness. In addition to lightning and fire, there was also magma? This guy's ability was too much of a threat to Elbaf!
And to top it off, this guy's personality...
Regardless of what the giants were thinking, the snails began to descend the steep cliff on the other side of Reverse Mountain. Upon reaching the New World side, the weather changed drastically. On the way down alone, torrential rain, scorching sun, hail, heavy snow, thunderstorms, and various other catastrophic weather conditions came one after another.
And.
"This is more like it!" Roa's lips curled up.
He had said that the Paradise's weather was not exciting enough. It wasn't just him; the two giants' expressions also became a bit nostalgic. They were also born and raised in this sea, and these catastrophic weather conditions did make them feel nostalgic.
They had finally returned. Although they were forced by this guy Roa!
Next up was Elbaf! Harald! If it's you, you should be able to handle this, right?
A few days later.
"Oh! Is everything done?" Roa held a Den Den Mushi and walked on a deserted island.
The company's executives followed behind him, and further back were the two giants who were also looking around curiously.
"Yes, Boss," King's voice, tinged with excitement, came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi. "All the countries in the White Sea and the White White Sea have submitted to us!"
"There are a total of twenty-three inhabited islands, with a total population of about two million."
"Two million? That many?" Roa was indeed a bit surprised.
He could support so many people in the material-deprived sky. If he remembered correctly, the number of crops that could be grown on islands made of island clouds was very limited.
"It is." King said. "Boss, is there anything else you need me to do?"
"Not for now," Roa said.
Before they had a stable means of transportation connecting the sky islands and the Blue Sea, the White Sea and the White White Sea were temporarily useless. It was a pity that Judge didn't have any research on meteorology and couldn't directly create a floating ship like the small sky island Weatheria. After all, he wasn't as versatile as Vegapunk. So, when he had time, he would have to go to Weatheria to learn from them. Before that—
"Just let the sky people collect shells. Those things are quite interesting." Roa laughed. "As for you, King, come back. We're going to Elbaf next. You wouldn't want to miss it, would you?"
"Of course, Boss!" King said excitedly. "After I arrange everything, I'll return and meet up with you immediately!"
"Okay, just hand over the sky islands to that guy from Birka!"
"Yes!"
The call ended.
He had already dealt with that sky? Among the executives, Moria pursed his lips. What a terrifying guy, King!
It was true that Roa was an unimaginably terrifying guy, but Barrett and King, Roa's two right-hand men, were also true monsters!
"But, there really is nothing on this island, is there?" Roa stood on the highest stone mountain on the desolate island, looking down at the entire island. "An island at the end of the New World, and it's so unremarkable."
This was Lodestar Island, the last island in the Grand Line that a Log Pose could lead to. It was the end of the New World and naturally the end of the Grand Line. But it was such a desolate island. It was no wonder that for eight hundred years, no one had taken the legendary great treasure seriously. After searching every inch of the New World and finally reaching this final island, they found nothing. Anyone would just laugh off the rumor.
Until they met that terribly stubborn guy, Roger.
"Let's go," Roa said with a smile. "There's no need to stay here."
The great snail fleet set sail once again, heading straight for Elbaf. Along the way, the fleet passed by several islands, and without exception, the ports of these islands were flying the flag of the Golden Lion Pirates. It seemed that the Golden Lion Pirates' expansion was going smoothly.
Just as Roa was sighing with emotion, in a certain part of the sky in this sea area.
"Jie hahahaha! Did that kid return to the New World?" Shiki laughed heartily. "From this direction, he came back by crossing Reverse Mountain? That's just like his style!"
"Admiral," a man sitting below him, the strongest senior officer of the Golden Lion Pirates, Skull Breaker Hyde, said with some worry. "Besides you, Roa is the strongest in the pirate alliance! His executives are all monsters! And his potential..."
"Hyde, what are you trying to say?" Shiki looked at him with interest.
"Admiral, shouldn't we do something?" Hyde gritted his teeth and said, "We can't just watch Roa expand and let him continue to grow, can we? That's not good for your ambition..."
Although the Admiral had treated Roa as his successor in the past, at this point, that feeling should no longer exist, right? After all, Roa was now qualified to be on equal footing with him. The Disaster Company was a true competitor to the Golden Lion Pirates!
"Jie hahahaha! You're not wrong about that!" As expected, Shiki did not punish him and even laughed. But before Hyde could breathe a sigh of relief, Shiki continued, "But now is not the time."
"Are you worried that Roa will team up with others to pressure you?"
"No! It's because I want to see how that kid plans to deal with that guy Harald!"
Harald, that bastard was a formidable character that even Rocks could only covet and do nothing about!
So, to Shiki's anticipation, the great snail fleet smoothly sailed out of this sea area and entered the territory occupied by Wang Zhi. However, Roa was too lazy to say hello, and Wang Zhi didn't bother him. The great fleet continued to sail quietly forward.
Many more days passed, and the fleet finally entered the territory that nominally belonged to Roa. And then, the island covered by a giant tree finally appeared before everyone's eyes.
Elbaf, they had arrived.