In the sky, a pitch-black dual-sword and a pitch-black iron mace violently clashed from a distance.
Ring after ring of massive shockwaves spread out.
As is customary, the Haki lightning that shot into the sky tore apart the clouds.
"Oh! Not bad!" Roa praised sincerely, nodding. "It seems Brother Kaido's strength is now in no way inferior to Uncle Shiki's."
"How long do you think you've been away from this world?" Katakuri snorted, his expression also slightly solemn. "Undoubtedly, over these long years, Kaido's strength has completely caught up to Golden Lion and Whitebeard. He's recognized by everyone as one of the three strongest pirates in the world!"
"People call him the World's Strongest Creature. Everyone says no one can defeat him in a one-on-one fight."
"Oho, impressive." Roa nodded lightly.
"However," Katakuri paused, "although very few people think so, in reality, that Straw Hat guy's strength is probably no less than theirs!"
"That guy is also a true monster! Other than you, I've never seen such powerful Conqueror's Haki!"
"Naturally." Hearing the name Straw Hat, Roa almost couldn't maintain his composure again, but he stifled a laugh. "That guy is not only Roger's successor, but also the son of Figarland Garling, the Commander of the Holy Knights."
"Eh!!" Katakuri froze instantly. "Shanks is the son of a Celestial Dragon? And the son of the Commander of the Holy Knights? I've never heard of such a thing!"
"Oh?" Roa asked with surprise, "You didn't know that, Katakuri? Then your information is quite out of date."
"Your information is just too well-informed," Katakuri retorted, twitching his mouth.
Then, he took a step forward on his own accord.
"It looks like it's my turn to appear."
"KATAKURI!! YOU TREACHEROUS BRAT!!"
Accompanied by an angry roar, a pitch-black greatsword tore through the air, dragging a long streak of Haki lightning as it chopped down directly toward Katakuri.
"Mama! It's time to come home!"
Katakuri leaped up, gripping the shaft of his trident with both hands, and smashed it back fiercely.
BOOM!
The two weapons collided from a distance again, with black lightning rising up on this side too.
Then.
"Brother Roa!!"
The white-haired beauty descended from the sky.
But before her smile could fully bloom, another massive figure lunged directly toward her.
"White-haired bastard!! You finally came!!"
Bonney laughed loudly, her greatsword, wreathed in black lightning, already slicing toward the white-haired woman.
"Bonney? Don't get in the way!"
Although she said that, Yamato didn't hesitate to draw the club from her back, fiercely meeting the blow with a swing.
"Oho!" Roa looked up, smacking his lips. "Wait, am I not the main character today?"
Why is everyone fighting on their own?
Fortunately, some people still paid attention to him.
"Roa!"
A tall, thin figure gently landed in front of Roa.
Roa's old friend, the man known as Redfield the Solitary, leaned on his umbrella, which he'd used for countless years, a breezy smile on his face.
"You brat certainly kept us waiting."
"Red, shouldn't I say 'Long time no see' right now?" Roa raised the corner of his mouth.
"That's true for us," Red smiled, "but for you, it should have been no time at all, right?"
"It is truly marvelous," Roa said with a smile. "Decades have passed in the blink of an eye."
"However, what's even harder for me to understand is, you actually joined the Flying Pirates?"
When he heard this, Roa found it truly incomprehensible.
One must remember that Red was once almost killed by Uncle Shiki.
Afterward, even in the face of the World Government's threat, the two were on civil but distant terms. If Roa hadn't intervened, a fight would have been entirely normal.
Given that, in these twenty-five years, Red actually became a member of the Flying Pirates.
Does that make sense?
"It was out of necessity," Red sighed, looking like he had a long story to tell. "I was indeed living in seclusion, but after the World Government realized you had completely vanished, they prepared to begin a purge."
"Shiki and his crew were being driven to distraction, so naturally, I couldn't rest easy either."
"The World Government was pursuing and blocking me. Out of desperation, I could only return to the New World. It was then that Shiki acted decisively before the World Government could launch a full-scale offensive."
Red continued, "We once again used the affiliated nations under the World Government as leverage, just like twenty-six years ago. After destroying several countries in succession, the World Government finally halted their operations."
"But because of that, I couldn't leave this sea area. Unexpectedly, Shiki extended an invitation to me."
"Because you, you old bat, are also a crucial power." The voice descended from the sky. The lion's golden mane fluttered in the strong wind as the Golden Lion landed with a cold snort. "Your strength is indispensable when the final war begins."
"Yo! Uncle Shiki." Roa greeted him with a smile.
"Zehahaha! You stinking brat... finally decided to come back," Shiki scrutinized him, focusing on Kozuki Toki, whom Roa was holding around the waist. "Did this woman mess with you?"
"Well, she did give me an unexpected surprise." Roa stroked the woman's slender waist. "So I taught her a small lesson, and she promised never to do it again."
Glancing at Toki's strange eyes, the Golden Lion sneered.
"However," Roa looked at the Golden Lion, then at Red. "Uncle Shiki, Red, haven't you two been preserving yourselves a little too well? You don't look much older than you did twenty-five years ago."
Both old men should be around seventy, yet they still looked like men in their prime fifties.
"Urogrogro! For this, we have Dylan to thank!"
Kaido, who had exchanged a few blows with the Golden Lion in the sky, smashed heavily onto the ground, causing the terrain, which had been forcibly stitched together by Katakuri, to immediately crack open.
He looked even younger, appearing to be under fifty.
He was much more muscular than twenty-five years ago, though his legs seemed to have gotten a bit shorter.
Alas, skipping leg day is like skipping all days.
"But, how did you manage to find such a treasure, Roa!" Kaido raised his left hand, showing Roa a ring on his finger.
"Oh! So that's it," Roa instantly realized. "Did Dylan give you the Pure Gold?"
"Urogrogro! That Dylan guy probably guessed you wouldn't be returning for a long time, so he hoped to use that thing to keep us combat-ready until you came back!" Kaido laughed heartily. "What a loyal subordinate!"
"Dylan..." Hearing Kaido's words, Roa couldn't help but feel a little emotional. "He really looked down on me, didn't he? Did he think I couldn't win without your help?"
"Is that the proper reaction?" Red's mouth twitched.
Indeed, that's Roa's style!
"Urogrogro! Still looking down on people like you always did!" Kaido raised the club in his hand, aiming it directly at Roa. "Brat! What are you waiting for! Now, let me show you that time changes everything!"
"Hey, you stinking brat!" The Golden Lion's face instantly hardened. "If anyone's going to fight, it should be me!"
"Huh? What's the difference between your strength now and twenty-five years ago? It's a miracle you've even maintained your condition!" Kaido sneered.
"Alright, both of you, no rush." Roa waved his hand. "Let's wait until everyone is here, then we can go together."
"Huh?" Kaido paused.
The Golden Lion narrowed his eyes.
"For now," Roa raised the corner of his mouth, "Let's start the banquet!"
Then, he looked up at the battling mother and son, Auntie Linlin and Katakuri, and then turned to look at Bonney and Yamato, who were passionately clashing their mace and greatsword nearby.
"Seriously, everyone give me some face, and call a temporary truce!"
VROOOM!
The air suddenly began to vibrate, emitting a sharp, buzzing sound.
"Ugh!!" Charlotte Linlin, who was swinging her greatsword at her good son, suddenly shuddered. She looked down at the smiling Roa in near disbelief.
At the same time, Bonney and Yamato, who were clashing, felt their bodies go numb and almost collapsed as their legs turned to jelly.
Only Katakuri landed calmly, even leisurely sheathing his trident.
The three people by Roa's side—the Golden Lion, Red, and Kaido—all changed expression simultaneously.
This level of Conqueror's Haki?
What is going on?
For Roa, had only twenty or thirty days passed?
What in the world is this level of Conqueror's Haki?
Roa certainly commanded respect, and so, the banquet began.
On Hachinosu, the Pirate Island, the place where it all began, Roa, having traversed twenty-five years, celebrated with his old acquaintances.
"Isn't this nostalgic?" Roa leaned casually back in his chair at the large, wide round table, holding a cup of sake. "One day, we'd actually be able to hold a banquet on Hachinosu! How many years ago was the last banquet here?"
"Nostalgic?" The Golden Lion looked around and scoffed. "Are you out of your mind, brat? You turned this island into a ruin, what's left to be nostalgic about?"
"You're such a party pooper, Uncle Shiki," Roa rolled his eyes. "The meaning is there, and with the meaning in place, the mood is set."
"That doesn't matter," Kaido just stared intently at Roa, his tone full of incomprehension. "What is going on with you, brat? For you, it should have been only a few days ago! What's with that Conqueror's Haki!"
The Conqueror's Haki Roa had just released was simply beyond comprehension!
"Well, maybe sedimentation?" Roa said with a straight face, looking serious. "Maybe it's the accumulation of these twenty-five years! What's the phrase, 'accumulating richly to burst forth thinly'!"
In short, I, Roa, did not cheat!
"Don't talk nonsense!" Kaido snapped back. "Didn't you, you damned brat, jump twenty-five years in one go? Where did the 'accumulation' come from!"
"It's Awakening," Katakuri stated calmly. "Roa's ability has awakened."
"I see!" Red nodded knowingly. "A naturally incomprehensibly powerful ability awakened, which naturally grants Roa power far beyond normal imagination!"
"Tsk." The Golden Lion clicked his tongue slightly.
Although he had lost to Roa once twenty-five years ago, that defeat could be entirely attributed to Roa's unreasonable regenerative ability.
And now, after living through twenty-five more years, he had practically been standing still, while Roa, who had jumped twenty-five years in one go, had become even stronger.
Is this reasonable?
"Mama Mama! So that's it, you've gotten stronger, Roa. No wonder you have the audacity to interfere in my family matters!" Charlotte Linlin, who was attacking the sweets on the table, looked up and spoke with a hint of passive-aggression.
Because of the Pure Gold, she looked about the same age as Kaido and hadn't gained much weight, maintaining a muscular figure. Was it because Katakuri put some pressure on her, preventing her from fully slacking off?
"Mama, you said yourself, this is our family matter, we'll solve this slowly later," Katakuri interjected calmly before Roa could answer. "At least for now, let's celebrate Roa's return."
"Exactly, Mama!" Bonney, who was gorging herself just like her mother, mumbled. "You're being such a downer!"
"You little brat!" Charlotte Linlin glared fiercely at Bonney.
She had been so good to this girl! Yet she still sided with that unfilial son Katakuri!
Forget it. The deed is done. Let's eat first!
"Brother Roa, do you remember me?" Yamato, sitting next to Roa, finally found a chance to eagerly lean in.
"Of course, little Yamato," Roa lifted his hand to rub her head, his tone inevitably mixed with a touch of nostalgia. "You were only three when I left. In the blink of an eye, you've become bigger than me!"
"It's great that Brother Roa is back!" Yamato's smile was hearty and carefree. She didn't mind Roa touching her head at all. "I still remember playing with you when I was little. When you didn't come back, I cried for a long time and asked Dad to look for you."
This girl has a great memory.
She even remembers things from before she was three?
I wonder if she remembers me treating her like a pet dog.
Probably not, right?
"But this feeling is so strange," Yamato scrutinized Roa closely, even twitching her nose and sniffing, probably due to her ability. "Brother Roa, you're more than ten years younger than me now!"
She narrowed her eyes. "Or, should you call me Sister Yamato?"
"Yamato," Roa patted her shoulder, speaking earnestly. "Technically, Brother Kaido and I are good brothers, so you should call me Uncle Roa."
"Hahahaha! Uncle Roa? That sounds fun too!"
Yamato's laughter was extremely infectious, every syllable carrying the clear quality of sun falling. She raised her cup and winked at Roa. "Then, welcome back, Uncle Roa."
"Thanks, big niece." Roa smiled, clinking his cup against hers.
This Yamato was indeed very different from the one in the original story.
"Roa," Then, the Golden Lion, Red, and Kaido all raised their cups, smiles on their faces. "Welcome back!"
Even Auntie Linlin, who was still sulking, snorted, but still raised her cup and said a stiff 'Welcome back.'
"Yes, I'm back." Roa nodded slightly, then drained his cup.
Then, just as the atmosphere of the banquet was picking up and everyone put down their cups.
"Oh?" Roa looked up.
"Are they here?" The Golden Lion also looked up.
Everyone raised their heads and looked toward the distant sea.
On the sea there, massive ships were approaching, and among those huge vessels was one much smaller, looking like a large raft.
"Teach and Loki are both here?" Red swirled the wine in his cup, asking with interest. "Roa, what do you think they're here for? These two have been making a name for themselves in recent years."
"Who knows," Roa just smiled. "I only know that anyone who wants to have a post-dinner activity can hurry up and eat a little more."
"What?" Kaido instantly understood what Roa meant by "waiting for everyone," and roared, "Roa, aren't you being a bit too arrogant?"
"Am I?" Roa asked Yamato beside him in surprise. "Little Yamato, what do you think?"
"Very arrogant, yes!" Yamato replied seriously.
"This is arrogant?" Roa couldn't help but sigh. "This world is really demanding!"
"Stinking brat!" The Golden Lion twitched his mouth.
They were truly being underestimated.
Soon, the large ships had approached the island.
The other ships stopped, but only the raft-like large boat and the foremost ship in the giant fleet continued, driving straight onto the shore.
"Zehahahaha! Boss! Long time no see! I've missed you so much!!"
The stout black man, Teach, jumped off the raft.
Behind him were the long-unseen Doflamingo and Capone Bege, as well as some smog-enshrouded cadres whom Roa shouldn't, but actually did, recognize.
"Hahahaha! Roa, my Boss! Finally decided to come back!"
A monstrous figure wielding a heavy hammer, Loki of the Giant Pirate Crew, also leaped down from his giant battleship, his face filled with joy and excitement.
Jumping off the ship with him were Dorry and Brogy.
The two groups quickly approached.
In that moment, Loki and Teach finally got a clear look at Roa.
Absolutely no change!
He had truly leaped across twenty-five years into the present.
Teach's grin widened.
Boss, I'm genuinely curious to know how big the gap is between you, who lost twenty-five years of time, and the current me!
But, even after all these years, his relationship with these monsters is still so good.
Behind him, Doflamingo and Bege's faces were a little pale. They merely mumbled, "Boss," repeatedly.
What should we do, what should we do? All we can do now is pray the Boss isn't angry.
Loki's face was filled with genuine joy.
If he teamed up with Roa, that idiot father who was enslaved could finally die in peace, right?
Roa possessed the ability to break immortality!
Roa looked over the approaching people one by one. They were no different from the manga.
Doffy had still turned into a scoundrel, and Teach also had a big stomach.
He said with a touch of reassurance, "Loki, Teach, Doffy, Bege, you've all grown up."
"Zehahaha! After all, twenty-five years have passed! Boss!" Teach's smile was wild. "For you, it may have been just a moment, but for us, it was a very long time!"
Completely ignoring what Teach had said, Roa merely nodded slightly. "Well, in that case, everyone's here."
"Time to begin."
"Begin?" Loki froze for a moment. "Begin what?"
"A test, of course," Roa said, looking like how could you not figure this out. "Loki, Teach, Doffy, Bege, you all remember, right?"
"I once said, don't disappoint me."
"So, if you disappoint me next," Roa raised the corner of his mouth, "I will be very angry."
Doflamingo and Bege immediately shuddered.
Teach's eyes also darkened slightly.
Disappoint?
Even now, is he still treating us like children from twenty years ago?
Only Loki's eyes lit up. "So, Roa! You want to fight us, is that right!"
"Hahahaha! Good! Then bring it on! Let me show you the power we've gained in the twenty-plus years you've been gone!"
"Very good, full of spirit!" Roa nodded in satisfaction. "In that case, come at me, all of you."
"All of us?" Teach paused, then suppressed his laughter and asked, "Boss, are you serious? Are you telling me and Loki to attack together?"
It's not twenty-five years ago now!
We are no longer the children who were powerless before you twenty-five years ago!
"No, no, no, how could I?" Roa shook his head.
Sure enough, he regrets it?
But at that moment, Teach felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of disappointment.
Then, he heard Roa say,
"I mean, everyone here can attack together."
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