"!!!"
The Holy Land, Mary Geoise,
The true pinnacle of power in the entire world, the Room of Flowers.
At this moment, on the Den Den Mushi, seeing that old man with two clumps of long nose hair, a head full of white hair, and a grin showing big white teeth, even the Elders, who were always known for their authority and composure, couldn't help but have their pupils suddenly shrink, beads of cold sweat sliding down their faces.
How could this be…
That guy Roger…
He's still alive???
"Impossible!!! More than twenty years ago, the Marines had already confirmed Roger's incurable disease, and even the executioners were personally dispatched by the World Government…"
"Someone who's been dead for over twenty years—how could he have survived quietly until now?!"
"How could something this outrageous even happen!!!"
The Elders' brows trembled as they cried out in shock, and their voices instantly drew Imu's attention.
That merciless, indifferent gaze swept over them, making the Elders feel as if they had fallen into an icy abyss, hurriedly lowering their heads and kneeling properly once more.
Fortunately, Imu did not mind their rudeness. Instead, as if deep in thought, Imu looked at the image within the Den Den Mushi.
"So that's how it is—the D clan member who ushered in this era?"
"But…"
"Not every D has the qualifications to shake the highest authority."
As for Roger, Imu had naturally paid attention to him in the past, but never took him too seriously.
In terms of threat level,
Roger was still inferior to Rocks back then, and even inferior to Orin of the present era, whose talent was enough to rival—or even surpass—that of the Twenty Kings.
Layer upon layer of emotionless eyes quietly observed this so-called "world-shaking" farce within the Den Den Mushi. Imu did not turn back to look at the Elders kneeling on the ground, only a profound, unfathomable voice resounded.
"Speak. Why are you in such a hurry to seek an audience? I hope it isn't because of this so-called greatest war."
There was no fluctuation whatsoever in Imu's voice, as though a war with such exaggerated participants, such a massive scale and military force, was nothing worth mentioning.
After all, Imu had witnessed truly grand scenes before.
As for a battle where even Conqueror's Haki couldn't spread across an entire sea, there was no need to take it too seriously.
But at this moment, the Elders' expressions were extremely grim.
Large beads of sweat appeared on their faces, brows tightly furrowed, and in the end, Saint Warcury clenched his teeth and spoke with difficulty.
"Lord Imu, we have already issued orders to Marine Headquarters to include Orin in the attack range as well!!!"
"Hm?"
Only then did Imu seem to show a bit of interest. Imu still remembered that name—it seemed to be one of the few existences in this era whose strength had reached that level.
"Because…"
The Elders' gazes turned fierce.
"The secret experiments that man has been conducting have already threatened the very foundation of the World Government!!!"
Imu stared at them coldly.
"He wants to… clone Joy Boy, and bring him back into this world!!!"
Upon hearing this,
Imu's eyes widened instantly, followed by a mix of shock and fury.
"You mean Joy… Boy?"
"Yes. Not Nika, but Joy Boy!!!"
For a moment, the scene fell into silence.
Different from the imagined thunderous rage and the spreading of Conqueror's Haki, the Elders kneeling on the ground felt only a sense of calm.
They were instantly puzzled.
Why?
After a long while, a calm and indifferent voice finally sounded.
"This is impossible."
Imu cast them a cold glance, then returned Imu's gaze to the Den Den Mushi's image.
Imu's mood seemed to worsen slightly upon hearing that name, yet Imu still instinctively refused to believe it, because Joy Boy had been gone for far too long—so long that, aside from Imu, no human alive had ever seen him.
Someone who had never even laid eyes on a figure like Joy Boy dared to claim they could reproduce him—in Imu's view, it was nothing but a fool's dream.
"The Sun God Nika may indeed reappear in this world; I do not doubt that. But…"
"There is only one Joy Boy. His strength was not brought about by the Nika Fruit. Even without it, his Conqueror's Haki alone was enough to make him the strongest person in all of history."
"Even that young king named Orin has no possibility of bringing Joy Boy back."
Imu stared at the broadcast image, at that handsome long-haired face wearing a smile, Imu's eyes seeming to narrow slightly.
"However, what you did was not wrong. To dare touch the World Government's reverse scale—"
"—even someone possessing talent on par with ours must be met with a response…"
The voice paused briefly.
"Go. Add another spark to this war."
...
"Alright… Buggy, you've cried enough by now, haven't you?"
The aged Roger looked at Buggy clinging to him like a pendant that refused to let go, feeling somewhat helpless.
But Buggy was overwhelmed with emotion.
"I really… really never thought that in my lifetime I'd get to see you again, Captain Roger!!!"
Ever since leaving the Roger Pirates and having to struggle on his own,
Buggy had finally understood just how difficult it was to survive on the seas.
If it weren't for Orin, Buggy didn't even know how many more setbacks and hardships he would have had to endure.
"Hey, Captain Roger, even though I don't know why you've come back to life, but please, you absolutely must reorganize the Roger Pirates!!!"
"I'm willing to continue being your apprentice!!!"
"Don't be so willful, Buggy~"
Even Orin was at a loss—Buggy was way too excited.
And while Buggy clung to Roger, the subordinates who had always followed Buggy around now looked as though their brains had crashed, mouths agape as they watched Buggy act as naturally as if he were back home in front of two legendary figures.
"Hey, hey, hey… even though the fact that the Pirate King is still alive is already shocking enough, but still!!!"
"Captain Buggy is actually this close to Pirate King Roger and Black Gun Orin, and he's even asking to rebuild that legendary…"
"Roger Pirates!!!"
"Yeah, yeah!!! A legend on par with Black Gun actually saying he's willing to continue being an apprentice in the Roger Pirates…"
"Just how loyal and sentimental do you have to be, damn it!!!"
"We will forever worship you, Captain Buggy!!!"
Hearing these voices from afar, Roger bared his teeth in a grin.
"So you've actually become a captain now, Buggy. Hahahahaha!!!"
"Alright… let's go see our old friends first!!!"
"And…"
As the aged Roger said this, his gaze dimmed somewhat, seeming filled with guilt—or perhaps nostalgia.
"And my idiot son…"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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