Ansela Island.
The golden Divine Judgment Fire still raged fiercely. The island had been reduced to a literal sea of flames.
Only the area where Roa stood was temporarily untouched by the fire.
From the sky, Katakuri descended with his little sister.
The siblings landed beside Roa, both curiously examining Silver Axe, who lay motionless on the ground.
"Is he dead?" Katakuri asked.
"He's dead," Roa confirmed.
Every previous time Roa had inflicted damage on Silver Axe's body, it would quickly begin to repair itself.
But this time, his pierced heart showed no sign of recovery.
More crucially, his life force had completely vanished.
Katakuri sighed softly.
The once world-renowned Great Pirate, Silver Axe, had met his end just like this.
"He's really dead!"
Bonney's face was full of astonishment. "So, the Immortality really can be broken?"
"There is no such thing as a perfectly flawless ability in the world," Roa said calmly. "With Conqueror's Haki strong enough, immortality is nothing but a joke."
Haki is the power used to counter Devil Fruit abilities.
Overwhelmingly powerful Haki can even forcibly dispel a Devil Fruit's power.
Naturally, a sufficiently strong Conqueror's Haki was enough to shatter the immortality bestowed by Imu.
"If it takes Conqueror's Haki of your magnitude to break the immortality," Katakuri shook his head helplessly, "then you won't find a second person in the entire world capable of doing this."
Roa's Conqueror's Haki strength was completely off-the-charts.
Even top-tier powerhouses like Golden Lion or Whitebeard couldn't compare with him.
"Perhaps there's some technique we don't yet know of," Roa offered.
Otherwise, if it truly required his level of power to break the immortality, how would the protagonist faction in the original story fight the Holy Knight Order?
He transmigrated too early and still didn't know a lot of the future plot points.
That bastard Joy Boy didn't explain many things clearly.
"Still, it's hard to imagine that such a powerful ability is merely a derivative of one person's power! That Celestial Dragon woman is simply too ridiculous!"
Katakuri had, of course, learned of Imu from his mother's account—referring to Imu's possessed form arrival.
"That woman must hold a high position even among the Celestial Dragons," Katakuri's tone grew serious. "I just don't know how many beings of that caliber there are among them."
"Don't worry, my friend. There's only one."
Roa smiled. "A country doesn't need two kings, and the World Government, naturally, only has one ruler."
"Eh..."
Katakuri suddenly froze.
He looked at Roa in confusion. "What do you mean, you brat?"
"Roa!!"
Bonney's voice was even more astonished. "Did you find out that woman's identity?"
"I've always known, you know."
Roa raised his lips. "Didn't I mention it? I was on their ship when the Roger Pirates reached the Final Island."
"..."
Both siblings were stunned.
Then.
"EH!!!!"
Bonney's beautiful face twisted, and a tear even leaked out. "You, you, you reached the Final Island?"
"Roa! What is going on?"
Katakuri was equally dumbfounded. "How are you connected to the Roger Pirates? And—"
He paused, remembering something else. "The Roger Pirates found the Great Treasure not long after that battle where we chased them and lost, right?"
"Don't tell me, Golden Lion's rout was also because of you, you brat—"
"That—Haha!"
Roa laughed heartily. "That was so many years ago. The past is like the wind; it's best to forget it."
"You brat!"
Katakuri couldn't help but chuckle.
"So, Roa," Bonney asked expectantly, "Where exactly is the Final Island? Did Roger really leave the Great Treasure there? What else is on that island?"
"As for the Great Treasure," Katakuri watched Roa with interest, "you already got your hands on it, didn't you?"
Roa grinned.
"But I'm curious too, Roa," Katakuri turned serious, "What exactly is on the Final Island?"
"The Truth of the World."
If he's going to get his good brother to join him, he should show some sincerity.
Almost simultaneously with Silver Axe's complete demise.
Far away, at the peak of the Red Line on the other side of the world.
This was the Pangaea Castle in Mary Geoise.
In the deepest part of this massive structure, in the Room of Flowers where blossoms thrived.
The dark figure resting against a large, leafy tree suddenly opened their eyes.
"Imu-sama!"
The masked woman silently standing nearby immediately knelt.
"He's dead," a voice tinged with surprise rang out. "Silver Axe is dead."
"…!"
The attendant's eyes snapped open.
Although Silver Axe was only the Government's dog.
He had been granted Immortality by Im-sama!
He was actually killed completely?
By whom?
Was there anyone in this world capable of such a thing?
"Go investigate. Find out exactly what happened."
"Yes!"
Thus, the World Government suddenly began to move.
Twenty-five years ago, the New World was briefly occupied by pirates.
During that time, Great Pirates known as the Seven Monarchs carved up the vast sea.
But that was a long, long time ago, so long that people had forgotten that era.
In the current New World, the Marines were back, and World Government member nations had returned.
Although largely within the territories of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the World Government's influence had indeed resurfaced in many parts of the region.
In the sea territory ruled by Silver Axe, there was also a large Marine base.
Soon, a battleship from that Marine base arrived at Ansela Island.
Or rather, at the former location of Ansela Island.
On the deck of the colossal battleship, the man with a Vice Admiral epaulet on his shoulder stared blankly at the boundless sea before him.
"Did we come to the wrong place?" he subconsciously asked the navigator beside him.
The navigator's face was pale. He held a Permanent Pose which was pointing diagonally down into the sea below.
"It's, it's definitely the right place! Ansela Island has vanished!"
The Marine Vice Admiral felt as if he'd been struck by lightning.
Vanished!
Such a huge Ansela Island completely vanished?
Without leaving a single trace!
"Golden Lion? Was it the Golden Lion who did it!"
It could only be the Golden Lion!
Besides that man, who else could silently take away an entire island?
Not long after.
Hachinosu Island.
Inside the Skull Building.
"What?"
A disbelieving exclamation rang out. "Silver Axe is dead??"
"It was likely the Golden Lion! Has that old lion gone mad? Does he want to start a war!!"
In the latter half of the New World, on a certain island flying in the sky.
"A-choo! Which bastard is cursing me behind my back!"
New World, Velvet Island.
Roa strode along the bustling streets of the island, wearing a pair of sunglasses on his nose.
Toki wore a similar pair to conceal her unusually distinct eyes, quietly following behind Roa.
"Whoa! What a blast from the past!"
Roa exclaimed, looking around. "How long ago was the last time I was here?"
On either side of the street were display windows, and inside the windows were scantily clad young women.
It was exactly as he had seen it when he first came here all those years ago.
Humans, Fish-Men, Merfolk, Long-Arm Tribe, Longleg Tribe, Long-Neck Tribe, Tontatta Tribe, Giants...
All varieties were fully stocked.
"But compared to twenty years ago, it's much more lively!"
This was Velvet, the location of the Pleasure Quarter run by Roa's "good sister," Stussy.
The scale of this red-light district had expanded several times over the past two decades, transforming the entire island into a dazzling, decadent place.
"Though I'd love to wander a bit more, Katakuri and the others are waiting for me, so let's get straight to business."
Katakuri and the others didn't come, not because Katakuri was a pure-hearted chef.
It was simply because Stussy was Aunt Linlin's good friend and had always sided with her. Their presence would be awkward.
Soon, Roa led Toki to the center of the city and entered the towering building called the Scarlet City of the Night.
This tall building pleased Roa as much as it had decades ago.
The concentration of Black Aura was much higher inside than outside.
Roa and Toki leisurely ascended the stairs. The sights along the way were quite not-safe-for-young-audiences.
"Decadence, true decadence!" Roa said mournfully.
So many things he hadn't tried yet!
While lamenting, Roa led Toki to the top floor of the building—the highest floor accessible to guests. There was one more floor above, serving as the office area for the island's ruler.
Guided by a familiar aura sensed through his Observation Haki, Roa slowly made his way to a corner of the floor, towards a staircase guarded by several burly guards.
As the guards saw Roa approaching and were about to speak, they instantly rolled their eyes and fainted.
Roa ascended the stairs unperturbed, with Toki quietly following behind him.
The next floor was also manned, but the guards there had already fainted long before Roa reached that level.
Roa moved through the building as if it were uninhabited, arriving at the deepest part of the floor and finally stopping outside a large door.
He politely raised his hand and knocked.
"Who is it?" a voice tinged with surprise came from inside.
Roa opened the door and walked in without waiting for an answer. "Did I interrupt you?"
The beautiful woman sitting in the soft office chair frowned, about to reprimand the uncivilized intruder, but the voice she heard made her pause abruptly.
Then, the moment she clearly saw the young man who pushed open the door and entered, Stussy felt all the blood in her body freeze. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up instantly.
"Ro... Ro... Ro..."
Even the most professional secret agent's voice was trembling uncontrollably.
He's back!
Roa, her former nightmare, had finally returned!
And he hadn't changed at all compared to twenty-five years ago!
"I happened to be passing through this area, so I thought I should at least stop by and say hello. After all, for you, it's been over twenty years, hasn't it?"
Roa casually walked to Stussy's large desk, reaching out arbitrarily to lift the woman's pale chin. "Oh, you haven't changed much compared to twenty-five years ago either!"
"But, by that reaction, are you saying you don't welcome me?"
"H-how could that be! Big Brother Roa!"
Despite the passage of over two decades, Stussy instantly put on a compliant smile. Like a docile kitten, she narrowed her eyes, enjoying Roa's playful touch on her chin. Her tone was incredibly sweet, like a girl in love cooing to the boy she admired.
"I knew you'd come back eventually, Big Brother! I've been waiting for you all along!"
"Big Brother Roa?"
Roa sighed. "You should be calling me Little Brother Roa now. You're definitely older than me now."
The once illegally mature woman had truly become a literal Big Sister.
How nostalgic.
Older than him?
Stussy's mind raced.
Although twenty-odd years had passed, Roa's appearance back then was still etched into her memory!
He truly looked exactly the same now as he did then!
He also said that it had been over twenty years for her, which meant it wasn't the same for him, right?
So, however unbelievable it was, he really traveled through time to get here?
"Alright, I'll be direct," Roa raised his lips. "Stussy, you didn't betray me, did you?"
"What are you talking about, Little Brother Roa?" Stussy went along with the change naturally, her tone as clingy as ever.
"If I had chosen to betray you, I wouldn't have been able to explain many things to the Government, and I would have been finished long ago."
"I thought so."
Roa gently stroked the woman's soft cheek. Judging by her emotions, it seemed true. "Now, tell me everything. What has the Government been up to these years."
"The Government, the Marines, the Warlords, and Vegapunk. Tell me about all four, one by one."
Stussy's pupils trembled slightly.
In the next moment, she smiled sweetly. "That's certainly no problem."
Then, it was Stussy's turn to tell Roa the stories of the past.
The World Government had done quite a lot these years, but Roa only cared about two things:
Chasing the Disaster Company and chasing the Revolutionary Army.
Neither endeavor had yielded any results.
The Disaster Company had vanished without a trace, and no clues could be found on the high seas.
The Revolutionary Army was submerged within the populace, making investigation equally difficult.
As for the Marines, to counter the surging Great Pirate Era, besides the Warlords, the Marines themselves had continuously increased their forces.
However, a serious split had occurred within the Marines.
The Radical Faction, led by the newly appointed Marine Chief Instructor "Black-Arm" Zephyr and Admirals Akainu and Aokiji, had sharp contradictions with the Conservative Faction, led by Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
They had clashed numerous times over the issue of the Warlords alone.
Next, the Warlords of the Sea.
The only interesting piece of information about them was that Moria had allegedly applied to join the Warlords himself, supposedly to escape the pursuit of the Disaster Company remnants.
At this point, Stussy paused.
She gazed deeply into Roa's eyes. "Little Brother Roa, the latest news is that Silver Axe was killed. You did it, didn't you?"
It could only be him, right?
Silver Axe's home was not far from here. Who else had the motive, the power, and the speed to show up here so quickly, if not Roa?
What a lunatic! He just returned and is already eagerly seeking revenge!
Roa smiled. "A traitor deserves punishment, that's fair, right? So, Stussy, you made the correct choice."
Stussy smiled sweetly. "Oh, stop it, Little Brother Roa. How could I ever betray you?"
"Haha."
Finally, regarding Vegapunk.
"So," Roa said thoughtfully, "The Artificial Ancient Giant Clan Project failed, and now Vegapunk's main focus is on energy, Artificial Devil Fruits, and the Seraphim Project?"
"Yes," Stussy nodded obediently.
"Interesting," Roa chuckled. "Then, was the Devil Fruit replicated using Big Brother Kaido's Azure Dragon Fruit as a prototype successful?"
Since they were researching Artificial Devil Fruits, Big Brother Kaido's Fruit, whose sample had been taken long ago, would naturally be part of the experiment.
He just wondered if Vegapunk, without the technology data from Ohara, could successfully replicate it.
Stussy's pupils suddenly constricted.
How did he know?
How did he know the Doctor performed such an experiment, if he truly left the sea for over twenty years!
However, looking into Roa's gentle eyes, Stussy dared not hesitate.
She could only obediently say, "The Doctor did replicate an Azure Dragon Fruit! But he said it was a failure."
"Since it's a failure, let's not let it go to waste," Roa said, smiling. "Find a way to get that fruit to me."
"...Yes," Stussy could only reply.
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