"Luffy?"
Roa, who had been nonchalant, suddenly looked back when he heard the name. "Judge, did you say Luffy?"
"Yes, that is correct."
Judge was somewhat confused.
Is there a problem with that name?
According to the Disaster Knights' report, the boy looked about sixteen or seventeen. He was born while the Boss was still time-traveling, so there should be no connection whatsoever.
"Luffy..."
Roa murmured to himself, then the corner of his mouth gradually lifted. He looked at Vegapunk with interest, "Hey, Dr. Vegapunk, is that kid's name Monkey D. Luffy?"
"Monkey? D?"
Shiki immediately frowned. "Garp's grandson?"
But how does a kid like Roa know Garp's grandson?
Moreover, with Roa's incredibly arrogant personality, why would he care about some brat? Even if he is Garp's grandson!
"How do you know?"
Vegapunk almost subconsciously retorted.
That child, Luffy, had never appeared on the sea; he had been diligently training with Zephyr. How did Roa know about him?
"It really is him, huh."
Roa stood up with a slight laugh. "Interesting. I thought he wouldn't be born into this world because of me!"
"And yet he was still born? Fate is truly amusing!"
"Wait, Roa! Hold on a minute!"
Katakuri was completely bewildered by Roa's words. "What exactly do you mean? What do you mean that fellow named Luffy wouldn't be born because of you? What do you mean by fate?"
"Well, that's a long story."
Roa smiled and said, "Simply put, if it weren't for me, that kid would be the person Joy Boy was waiting for. He would inherit the will passed down for eight hundred years, eat the Gomu Gomu no Mi, awaken the Nika form, and then defeat Imu to liberate this world."
"Huh?"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Imu, as the one being discussed, anxiously spoke loudly, "Impossible! There can absolutely be no one in the world capable of defeating me, besides the great Boss, you!"
"Roa, are you serious?"
Kaido's eyes also showed a look of suspicion.
Even if Joy Boy was indeed waiting for someone to step up, carry the heavy burden of history, defeat Imu, and save this world, Roa's statement seemed overly specific.
Does he mean that if it weren't for him, no one else except that brat named Luffy could defeat Imu?
Roa looked back at Kaido, then slowly sighed.
His eyes held a mix of regret and pity.
"Hey, what is that look supposed to mean!"
Kaido felt offended by Roa's gaze.
"Well, whether you believe it or not, that's the story."
Roa spread his hands, then lowered his head. "However, there's something I'm very curious about."
"Dr. Vegapunk, can you tell me? What Devil Fruit did that guy eat?"
The Gomu Gomu no Mi was already eaten by Loki, so what Devil Fruit did Luffy eat?
"Devil Fruit—"
Vegapunk paused, his face full of confusion. "I don't know."
He truly didn't know.
Roa could tell, of course, that the man wasn't lying.
"I see,"
Roa turned back, looking at the Disaster Knights behind Judge. "What's the situation with that kid's ability?"
The two Disaster Knights, who had been beaten severely and left bruised and broken by Luffy, roughly described the abilities Luffy had demonstrated during their brief exchange to Roa.
And then.
"What??"
Loki, who had been listening in the entire time, couldn't help but yell at the top of his lungs, "Isn't that the Devil Fruit that has been passed down through generations in Elbaf!!"
"Which means,"
Charlotte Linlin scratched her face, "is it one of the two Devil Fruits that Rocks was searching for back then?"
One of the Devil Fruits in this long history that is worthy of being called the name of a god!
"It's that fruit?"
Even Imu was slightly stunned. "What happened! That fruit was clearly supposed to be safely stored by me!"
"As for that,"
Roa looked up, glancing at Doflamingo. "It's probably because when Uranus was warped, that fruit was accidentally knocked out and picked up by that kid."
"No way?"
Doflamingo immediately felt his throat go dry. "How can there be such a coincidence? That fruit is the power said to have been possessed by Davy Jones!"
"Didn't I tell you? That kid is the destined savior."
Roa smiled. "Fate is pushing him forward."
"Fate—"
Even Shiki felt a chill run down his spine at that moment.
Does the power of fate truly exist?
"Hahahahaha!"
Roa suddenly burst into loud laughter.
How interesting!
He had originally thought that this world no longer had a heroic savior, and the war between him and Imu, the two Demon Kings, was the final conclusion, as the only ones left were insignificant roadside mongrels like Shanks and the others.
But, it turns out that without his knowledge, the hero was quietly growing. Was this also the arrangement of fate?
Then, Luffy, will you be like Elbaf in the super-ancient period and Joy Boy eight hundred years ago, shouldering the prayers of the whole world and eventually standing before me?
If that day truly comes, it will definitely be very exciting, won't it?
"Go find him."
Roa commanded. "Find that kid."
If he is easily found and taken out, it proves he is not favored by fate.
But if not, haha...
"Yes!"
Going back to a moment earlier.
High in the sky, a considerable distance from the battlefield, the pitch-black giant dragon gradually calmed down.
However, it still let out a low growl like a vigilant hound, seemingly warning the terrifying enemy in the distant sky not to come closer.
On the back of this black dragon, two men were deathly pale.
Dragon's eyes stared blankly at the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
The other end of the Den Den Mushi had long been hung up, now only emitting a meaningless dial tone.
Shanks, next to Dragon, spoke with difficulty, "So, was that feeling just now Roa?"
Mr. Zephyr said that Roa had become so strong that even Imu paled in comparison. Was that the spine-chilling feeling just now?
"..."
Dragon remained silent, only the muscles on his face twitching slightly.
After a long time, he spoke with a look of profound pain, "If there are no surprises, Imu should have already been defeated by Roa."
"..."
Shanks raised his hand and rubbed his face. "It's hard to imagine what kind of monster Roa is!"
This time, the World Government seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack!
And they had Uranus!
Although the energy was only a half-finished product and couldn't be used for long, at least in terms of explosive power, it was no different from the Uranus of eight hundred years ago!
But, but, but even so, Roa still won?
Has Imu, who ruled the world for eight hundred years, met his end just like that?
"The worst-case scenario has happened!"
Shanks felt as if his throat was lined with razor blades; every word caused him pain.
"The World Government is defeated, and Uranus will likely fall into Roa's hands. He has obtained all of Joy Boy's legacy."
"Even,"
Shanks paused, "as Mr. Zephyr said, that monster Roa's power is so formidable that Imu is far inferior!"
Even Davy Jones, who manipulated the End Dragon back then, could only be defeated when facing Joy Boy, who possessed the three Ancient Weapons.
And the situation they were facing now was much worse than what Davy Jones faced.
Because they were far from having the power that Davy Jones possessed, and Roa's strength should already be even greater than Joy Boy's!
What to do?
In this situation, there was no possibility of victory in sight.
"Are you scared, Shanks?"
Dragon spoke slowly.
"To be honest,"
Shanks gave a bitter smile, "there shouldn't be anyone in this world who can remain calm while being an enemy of Roa, right?"
"But,"
The red-haired man paused, his red hair suddenly flying in the wind, "It's just us!"
"Now that even the World Government has been defeated, we are the only ones in this world who will still oppose Roa!"
"Although the chance is slim, only we have the possibility of defeating him!"
Let alone ordinary people, even peak-era powerhouses like Rocks or Captain Roger wouldn't even be qualified to challenge Roa.
It was just them. Only they, who controlled the End Dragon, might be able to fight Roa.
"That's right."
Dragon also clenched his fists. "If even we give up, no one can save this world!"
If the World Government had already been defeated by Roa, then, Father died, Mr. Zephyr died, and even that kid Luffy—
But.
It's not over yet!
They absolutely cannot let it end like this!
They absolutely cannot hand this world over to a madman like Roa!
"Roar!!"
Just then, the End Black Dragon suddenly roared, flapping its wings and swiftly flying forward.
Its speed was so fast that even Shanks and Dragon on its back were nearly thrown off.
Even Shanks had to grab Nidhogg's scales to maintain his balance.
"Nidhogg!"
The red-haired man was somewhat panicked. "What's wrong with you!"
This direction is toward the battlefield!
If they appear before Roa now, the trouble will be huge!
Nidhogg hasn't fully matured yet. If it encounters Roa, who commands the Ancient Weapons now—
But, the End Dragon seemed to have gone mad now, completely ignoring Shanks' words, and was flying forward with all its might.
Shanks and Dragon on the black dragon's back exchanged glances, both seeing unspeakable horror in the other's eyes.
They absolutely cannot meet Roa now!
But, they also couldn't abandon Nidhogg and flee. Nidhogg was their last trump card. If they lost even it, there would be no chance of victory left!
Fortunately, Nidhogg's frenzy didn't last too long.
Soon, the black dragon's speed suddenly dropped.
"Roar!"
It let out a somewhat excited roar toward the sky ahead.
"What?"
Shanks was stunned.
He heard a hint of joy in Nidhogg's cry.
What's going on?
What is wrong with it?
"Shanks! Look!"
Dragon suddenly pointed to the distant sky, looking somewhat surprised.
"Hmm?"
Shanks suddenly looked up.
In the distance, a spherical flying machine was rapidly breaking through the air at a speed that was jaw-droppingly fast.
"What is that?"
Time moves to a little later.
On Disaster City.
"Hahahahaha!"
Morgans was laughing almost maniacally. "Quick, quick, quick! Hurry and tell the world!"
"A new King is born!!"
"This world has a new master! Tell everyone to prepare to kneel!"
As the world's number one paparazzo was preparing to tell the world this earth-shattering news, there were already people who had taken action ahead of him.
In the North Blue, West Blue, and the New World, fleets of airships began to launch, converging toward the location of Disaster City.
The next step was the war to unify the entire world.
The airships would rendezvous at the headquarters, embark the various cadres under the Pirate Alliance, and then disperse to cross the Red Line and head for the other half of the world.
This time, without the World Government interfering, it should be quite easy.
Then, Morgans' news report was finally written, and immediately transmitted to all branches across the world via Den Den Mushi.
Naturally, the first people to learn the news were already wide-eyed with shock, and gasps of surprise echoed across the globe.
Then, these news people, who were almost of the same mold as Morgans, immediately began printing the newspapers with eager haste.
Thus, in no time, the pristine News Birds of the World Economy News Agency spread their wings and soared, raining down a white blizzard of newspapers across the entire world.
Any island inhabited by humans would be visited by the News Birds.
No payment was necessary; with funding from the Disaster Company, the World Economy News Agency was immensely wealthy and distributed the newspapers to everyone in the world for free.
However, to be honest, starting to distribute newspapers now was not good news.
After all, the entire world was currently in the midst of a great catastrophe.
Although the attacks from the Sea Kings had stopped, the after-effects they brought would not subside anytime soon.
Almost everyone in the world was like a startled bird, terrified that the end of the world was at hand.
Therefore, even when faced with the fluttering newspapers falling, many people had no intention of picking them up.
But, there are always curious people in the world.
The moment the first person picked up the newspaper, the world officially entered a brand-new era.
"Th-th-the World Government has been defeated!!!"
Thirty-six years ago, after the God Valley Incident, the collapse of the Rocks Pirates led people to believe that the world would usher in unprecedented peace.
But only at this moment did the people realize that the true monster began swallowing the world in increments right from that time!
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