The Conqueror's Haki transmitted into Typhon's body wasn't too strong.
After all, Uncle Wang Zhi couldn't just be killed by two claps.
That would be too easy for him.
The Conqueror's Haki Typhon used was just enough to prevent Wang Zhi from regenerating his body.
The final result was the unrecognizable pile of flesh currently before them.
Wang Zhi had been practically crushed into a meat paste.
All his bones were pulverized, and his flesh was kneaded into a ball.
"Ew!"
Even the sword-loving Bonney made a face of disgust upon seeing the mess. "It looks like a pile of red shit!"
Katakuri also curled his lip. "It seems immortality isn't always a good thing."
He still hadn't died after all that; what kind of pain was this man enduring right now?
"I, for one, think being alive is better than being dead." Roa said with a smile. "If you're alive, there's always a possibility for change, but once you're dead, everything is truly over."
"That's easy for you to say," Bonney shot Roa a look. "But you're not planning to let him live, are you? He might be alive, but I don't see any possibility left for him."
"Hey, Bonney-chan!" Roa's face fell. "There's an unwritten rule in the world: when someone is saying something nice, you just nod in agreement."
"Who cares what you say!" Bonney scoffed.
However.
A residual shock still lingered in her eyes.
How strong was this guy, who was actually a few years younger than her?
The monster he summoned alone possessed the power to easily defeat a top-tier powerhouse like Wang Zhi?
This immense power was truly exhilarating!
Bonney loved powerful things.
"So, Roa," Katakuri said blandly. "How are you going to deal with this 'Wang Zhi-chan'?"
"Pfft!"
Roa burst out laughing at his good friend's sudden dry humor.
"Wang Zhi-chan? Hahaha! You rascal, Katakuri!"
His joyful laughter made it hard to speak. "I still have a few things to say to Uncle Wang Zhi. Let him recover properly first."
It was well-known that villains die from talking too much.
But merely killing someone without striking at their heart was too boring.
Besides, Uncle Wang Zhi wasn't a hero, nor was he a grand villain; he shouldn't be able to pull off a power-up, right?
"But just letting him recover is a bit dull, isn't it?"
Roa's smile didn't fade. "Hmm, Uncle Wang Zhi can't hear or see right now, so only his sense of touch should be functioning normally."
"In that case—"
Snap.
Roa lightly snapped his fingers.
The giant beast standing before the three slowly dissipated.
At the same time, a small storm cloud condensed above the 'Wang Zhi-chan' pile.
Then, it began to rain.
Drizzling raindrops fell onto the mashed-up Wang Zhi.
Hiss!
The moment the raindrops touched the flesh, a sharp sizzling sound and green smoke rose up.
The rainwater was rapidly corroding the already tattered pile of flesh.
Acid rain, super-enhanced version.
"You bastard—"
Bonney couldn't help but gasp just watching it.
That was truly cruel.
Katakuri, however, looked unsurprised.
It would be impossible for Roa to let Wang Zhi die so easily.
Then.
Roa beckoned into the distance.
"Hehe! Boss!!"
Morgans, the flightless ground bird, hurried over, flapping his wings and stumbling.
Morgans laughed heartily. "Hahahaha! Incredible! I saw everything! Truly incredible!"
"Eh? Is that Morgans?"
Bonney looked at the rapidly approaching bird-man in surprise. She stared blankly at Roa. "He called you, Boss??"
What is going on?
Morgans always claimed to be a freelance journalist!
This famous magnate of the underworld actually called Roa 'Boss'!
Roa didn't disappear from the world twenty-five years ago?
So, Morgans was Roa's subordinate even earlier than that?
"Are you ready?" Roa asked Morgans, whose entire body was trembling with excitement.
"Of course!"
Morgans' bird-face was contorted from extreme euphoria. "The press release has long been written! After all, when you decided to come to this island, there could only be one outcome!"
Who cared about opening the champagne early? Would the Boss actually lose?
To that guy Wang Zhi?
He enthusiastically showed the Den Den Mushi in his hand. "The photos I just took have already been sent back to headquarters! Now, at branch bases all over the world, the newspapers should have already started printing!"
"In two hours at most, the News Birds will spread the news of this battle on this island to the entire world!"
"Good!"
Roa snapped his fingers again. "This world has waited twenty-five years. It shouldn't wait any longer."
"Absolutely, Boss!" Morgans laughed hysterically. "The world will hear your voice again immediately!"
Roa chuckled. "Then go. Go tell this world that I am back."
"Yes!!" Morgans shrieked.
He excitedly cupped the Den Den Mushi and ran aside, beginning to issue orders to his subordinates remotely.
"Hey, Roa!" Bonney could no longer contain her curiosity. "Is this guy Morgans really your subordinate?"
"Eh? You actually discovered a secret like that?" Roa suddenly feigned a look of shock. "What amazing insight, Bonney-chan!"
"Hey! Are you taking me for an idiot!" Bonney's face flushed crimson.
"Anyway, help me keep it a secret." Roa winked at her.
"Regardless," Katakuri said calmly. "The truly interesting part is about to begin, isn't it?"
Roa's smile widened to a disturbing degree. He grinned, revealing a look of pure audacity.
"It will be very interesting, my brother!"
"I see!" Katakuri's smile was equally radiant.
Bonney blinked.
She suddenly felt a bit like a third wheel.
"Ugh..."
Just then, a cry of pain suddenly came from the side.
"Oh! Uncle Wang Zhi is finally starting to recover?" Roa's eyes lit up, and a cheerful smile immediately appeared on his face.
The highly corrosive acid rain was still falling. The already devastated pile of flesh was being corroded even further.
However, the mass was now rapidly twisting and deforming, quickly restoring itself to a human shape.
The immortality suppressed by the Conqueror's Haki was beginning to revive.
"Ugh, ahhh!!"
When the outline of a head was roughly formed, a series of agonizing screams finally erupted.
They were extremely mournful and piercingly shrill.
"Haha, Uncle Wang Zhi, how are you feeling now? How are you feeling?"
Roa's smile was bright and sunny, and his tone carried the utmost sincerity of concern.
"Luo—Roa—"
Wang Zhi's bones had recovered, and his muscles and blood vessels were rapidly regenerating, but his skin showed no sign of recovery yet. He was essentially naked.
Frankly, it was a bit graphic.
However, to prevent any dirt from mixing in during the recovery, the storm cloud hovering above Wang Zhi continuously rained down, constantly washing his body.
A weak, powerless voice came from the bloody mess of a head. "Roa, I—I was wrong. Spare me, please spare me."
"You were wrong?" Katakuri sneered. "You only know you're about to die."
"You look truly pitiful, Uncle Wang Zhi," Roa's smile diminished somewhat. He even sighed wistfully. "But, did you think I was a soft-hearted youth?"
Bonney watched Roa's back and couldn't help but twitch her mouth again.
He actually said that.
"How about this, Uncle Wang Zhi. Don't say I didn't give you a chance," Roa looked down at the disfigured man, showing rare benevolence. "Become my dog. Be a loyal hound that rips apart my prey, and I can spare your life."
Katakuri raised an eyebrow.
Was Roa planning to turn Wang Zhi into a chang gui he could command?
It wasn't a bad idea. Although he was powerless against Roa, Wang Zhi was still one of the most formidable fighters on the sea.
Wang Zhi's rapidly recovering eyes suddenly trembled.
But he didn't answer.
"What are you still hesitating for? You must have seen it, Uncle Wang Zhi. My ability has evolved. Even when controlled by me, you won't lose your own will."
Roa spoke like a salesman promoting his product, sounding quite earnest. "Besides, haven't you been a dog for twenty-five years already? Now you're just switching owners. What, is that Imu guy really so hard to let go of?"
He knows Imu!
The moment Roa spoke the name Imu, even though he was in agony, Wang Zhi was inwardly startled.
This guy actually knows Imu!
That name should be top secret!
But Wang Zhi quickly snapped back to reality.
Now was not the time to dwell on that.
Refuse, or agree.
Death, or be a dog.
Wang Zhi sighed in his heart.
Roa was right. He had been a dog for twenty-five years, obedient to the Celestial Dragons all that time. If so, what difference would switching owners make?
And so.
Roa heard a response. "Alright, Roa, I can become your hunting dog."
"Eh, now that's more like it!"
Roa's smile grew even more brilliant. "Don't resist."
Although his negative emotion manipulation ability had evolved, raising the required level of willpower to resist, a powerhouse like Wang Zhi, if he was determined to fight back, would still be difficult for Roa to instantly turn into a chang gui.
Besides, wasn't it much more interesting to hear Wang Zhi willingly agree to become his lackey?
The ability activated.
Black marks spread across Wang Zhi's rapidly recovering eyes.
In the blink of an eye, the color of his whites and pupils had reversed. He was completely transformed into a chang gui controlled by Roa.
"Hmm, very good—huh?"
Just as Roa was nodding in satisfaction, his expression suddenly changed.
In that moment, Wang Zhi seemed to become a nexus. Through his body, Roa's consciousness seemed to collide with another consciousness.
Roa suddenly heard a voice.
"What's wrong, Wang Zhi—hmm? Are you—"
After a brief moment of surprise, Roa raised the corner of his mouth, "Oh! It's you! Shouldn't I be saying 'Hisashiburi dana' right now?!"
"Roa?? You scum! How is this possible! What did you do!"
"Hahaha, no more 'Are you'? Were you startled too?"
Roa became visibly elated, "But even I didn't expect something like this to happen. It's truly interesting, isn't it? It seems we truly possess similar abilities!"
"No matter what you did, you dare to come back!"
"I couldn't help it. If I didn't come back, how could I get revenge on you? And besides, it's the perfect time,"
Roa's smile grew even more unrestrained, "Let's declare war right here! Get ready, one day, I'm going to kill every single one of you."
"Declare war? You, a mere wretch, are not worthy! You audacious piece of trash, only you, Roa, only you are forbidden to live in this world! imu will bring down the most thorough divine retribution upon you!"
"I await it anytime."
After a cold snort, the connection was unilaterally cut.
"Did they hang up already?"
Roa sounded a little regretful. "At least we're the two players in this game now. We should have talked a bit more."
Bonney blinked blankly. "Roa, who are you talking to?"
"Oh, just an accidental communication with our final opponent." Roa said casually.
"Huh?"
Then.
"WAAAAAH!!"
Wang Zhi suddenly screamed in agony.
Dense black smoke rose from his body.
The billowing black smoke carried his life away with it.
Flesh evaporated into smoke, and bones crumbled into ash.
"Save me—" he screamed.
But.
"My apologies, Uncle Wang Zhi," Roa spread his hands, utterly helpless. "It seems your former master doesn't want you to live."
And so, amidst incredibly mournful screams, Wang Zhi completely turned into a pile of dust.
"This—" Bonney was dumbfounded. "What on earth is going on!"
"Did the person who granted him immortality take the ability back?" Katakuri's face was equally shocked. "To be able to do something like that easily across thousands of miles—what a terrifying ability!"
"Right?" Roa nodded in deep agreement. "It certainly is a powerful ability."
He couldn't control his chang gui from such a great distance.
In that regard, Imu's power was superior.
"So, Roa, what exactly happened just now? Were you communicating with that person called Imu?" Katakuri asked seriously.
"I can only say that our abilities are indeed very similar."
Rewind to a little earlier, at Marine Headquarters, New Marineford.
"What!"
The current Fleet Admiral, Sengoku the Buddha, instinctively grabbed the Den Den Mushi. "You said, who?"
"Mr. Sengoku! It's Roa! The man I sent to Hachinosu reported that Calamity Roa has returned!!"
"Roa..." Sengoku's pupils abruptly contracted.
The monster who disappeared for twenty-five years, who once drove the Marines to desperation and even personally killed the previous Fleet Admiral, Sora (Kong)—he was back?
He had to report this to the Government immediately!
And so.
Sengoku's call reached the Five Elders.
"What? Sengoku! You said Roa!!"
The bald Saint Topman Warcury, one of the Five Elders who hadn't changed at all compared to twenty-five years ago, instantly spoke with a sharp voice.
"You said Roa has returned?!"
The other four Five Elders surrounding him also instantly changed their expressions.
"Yes, Your Excellencies! The Marine soldier sent to Hachinosu saw it with his own eyes!" Sengoku's voice on the phone was urgent. "Silver Axe must have been killed by him too! And now Wang Zhi is probably finished!"
"Good! We understand." Warcury hung up the phone.
He looked up, meeting the equally grave gazes of his four colleagues.
"That fellow is still alive!"
"No, one should say he has even grown stronger! He can now even nullify immortality!"
The Five Elders saw panic on each other's faces.
Then, they spoke almost simultaneously.
"Report to Imu-sama immediately!"
The five men rushed to Imu's Flower Chamber.
But they had just reached the door.
A voice echoed in their minds.
"Roa is back! He has grown stronger! He can even interfere with Imu's abilities! Imu wants him dead!!"
The Five Elders did not hesitate, immediately kneeling.
"Yes!"
The World Government began to mobilize!
About an hour later.
All over the world—in the four seas and the Grand Line, in daylight and at night—News Birds began to fly.
Newspapers were scattered like snowflakes by these docile birds across the entire world.
And people knew that when the major news agencies distributed newspapers like this, regardless of cost, there must be a major news event.
Therefore, everyone who saw the newspapers eagerly grabbed them and flipped them open.
They saw the headline:
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