Whitebeard and the division commanders stood in stunned silence, straining against the crushing pressure of Roya's Observation Haki Domain.
The core members on the outskirts—those with slightly less strength—began to show signs of losing control under its influence.
> "Hey… is anyone else suddenly really agitated? Like you just have to start swinging your blade?"
> "You feel it too? My greatsword is itching like it hasn't been used in years!"
> "Weird. You guys wanna fight, but all I wanna do is go back to my cabin and count my savings."
> "Ah, Miss Moore from Secret Blue Island… I wonder if she still remembers me..."
One by one, the crew began slipping into their deepest desires—fighting, greed, lust, sentimentality.
Each person sank helplessly into a trance driven by their own subconscious cravings.
---
Further out, the regular crew members had already devolved into chaos.
Some were brawling over a bottle of booze, some were stealing from their crewmates, and some were confessing their undying love—to the absolute horror of those on the receiving end.
> Rationality was out the window.
Just as the entire fleet teetered on the edge of madness, Roya casually withdrew the Observation Field.
In an instant, everyone snapped back to normal.
Movements froze. Minds cleared. Chaos halted.
> "What the hell just happened?"
> "I swear I heard someone whispering in my ear… then blanked out."
> "Okay fine, we were just messing around—but why are you holding my belt?"
> "You've got your hand on my belt too, don't act innocent!
---
Marco wiped the sweat from his forehead, gasping for air.
> "So this is… the true power of a Domain?"
"It reads your mind, breaks through your weaknesses, stirs your emotions—
and worst of all… it can suppress other Haki?"
Roya chuckled.
> "That's just the basic passive effect of the Observation Field. Nothing worth panicking over."
Vista gawked.
> "That was basic?! Then what's the non-basic passive effect supposed to be?! And don't even get me started on the active effects!"
Roya raised an eyebrow.
> "Better if I don't tell you. Don't want to give you nightmares."
"You'll understand once you reach this level yourself."
---
He turned to Whitebeard.
> "Old man, since you've gone and handed me your entire life's work to manage…"
> "I guess I'll reluctantly lend these guys some guidance. And maybe take care of that thing with your health while I'm at it."
> "Because let's be honest—facing the Fleet Admiral and the Three Admirals in your condition? You're not gonna make it."
---
Whitebeard's face lit up with a wide, relieved grin.
Slapping his knee, he bellowed:
> "Send word to all four seas!"
"Let the whole world know—Roya is the Vice-Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
> "All of you—bear witness to the moment the World Government places a ten-billion bounty on his head!"
Roya smirked proudly, nodding.
> "Believe me—
that day's not far off."
Their voices echoed across the Moby Dick and its escort ships—filling every pirate with excitement and pride.
---
By now, Whitebeard and the commanders had fully grasped Roya's terrifying strength.
And the rest of the crew—thanks to the lingering effects of the Observation Field—had subconsciously accepted that Roya was untouchable.
From an intern lookout to second-in-command of one of the most legendary crews in the world—
Roya's rise had been meteoric and undeniable.
With Whitebeard's health and management style in decline, it was already clear—
> Roya was now the de facto leader of the Whitebeard Pirates.
---
Meanwhile… in the World Economy News Office:
President Morgans tapped a finger on Roya's photo, examining it closely.
> "Handsome face. Young. And he debuts as Vice-Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
> "Are all young people this monstrous nowadays?"
> "Let's see how much the World Government dares to offer as his bounty…"
---
Hot off the press, newspapers featuring Roya's explosive debut were strapped to the legs of news seagulls and scattered across the world.
---
Marine Headquarters – Marineford, War Room:
Fleet Admiral Sengoku tossed Roya's photo on the table, his face dark.
> "Vice-Captain Roya? All we have is a name and a rank—no background, no power profile, no battle record."
> "And you have the audacity to submit this kind of incomplete report to me?"
Across from him, Chief Strategist Tsuru nonchalantly adjusted the gold bangles on her right hand.
She didn't seem fazed at all by Sengoku's fury.
As Admirals Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji placed their own files on the table, Tsuru finally spoke.
> "According to CP intel, Roya has already clashed with Vista and Izo."
> "Both lost. Completely. Without resistance."
---
Akainu cracked his neck.
> "Then this Roya… really is Whitebeard's number two. Only beneath the old man himself."
Tsuru nodded.
> "That's how it looks from the intel. But—don't rule out the possibility that Whitebeard is bluffing."
> "He could be using Roya to distract us, preparing for a more direct assault."
---
Kizaru let out a weird chuckle, sliding his shades up.
> "Ooh~ that's scary. Even Whitebeard's starting to play mind games now?"
Tsuru's face wrinkled further, clearly fantasizing about strangling him with her crow's feet.
---
Suddenly, Sengoku unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, silencing the room.
> "No matter how strong Roya is…
The execution of Ace will not be delayed."
> "Issue the order—summon all elite forces and the Seven Warlords of the Sea to Marineford!"
> "Edward Newgate! You want a final war?
Then this Fleet Admiral will give you a final war!"
> "This time…
I will wipe your pirate crew off the face of the Earth!"
He slammed his palm down on the report with thunderous force.
---
The three Admirals and Tsuru prepared to leave—
—but Sengoku added one last remark, his lips curling into a cold smirk.
> "Oh, and Roya's bounty?
Set it at one single Beli."
> "If Whitebeard wants to raise him as a symbol of morale, then let that be the joke."
---
Tsuru smiled faintly.
> "Humiliating Roya is the same as humiliating Whitebeard.
One Beli… a perfectly cruel price."
---
Within hours, the bounty poster hit the streets:
> "1 Beli for the Vice-Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates?!"
> "Are they serious?! One Beli?! That won't even buy a newspaper!"
> "Man, I hate the Marines—but this? This is brilliant!
I've never been so fired up in my life! …Wait, bro—why'd you stab me?!"
> "Sorry man, my sword moved too fast.
Didn't realize you were an ally."