Maha Zoldyck's breath caught.
This brat… does he have hands?!
The old man who'd lived far too many years found himself doubting everything. He lifted his head and met Roy's pale eyes, catching the teasing glint buried in them.
The corner of his mouth twitched. He let out a cold snort.
"Boy, the world is vast and full of capable people. Listen to your great-grandfather's advice: if you have nothing better to do, take a walk and realize just how small you really are."
He paused for dramatic effect, before adding with a sly smile,
"Oh… right. I forgot. You can't see, can you? Hehehe~"
People love to step on others' wounds—especially family.
Roy caught the smugness in Maha's expression and simply sighed. Then, with a gentle pat on the old man's shoulder, he said calmly:
"This week's manga update is canceled."
Maha Zoldyck: "…"
The triumphant grin on his face vanished instantly.
"…You're joking, right?"
"Nope." Roy's tone was final.
The little old man panicked.
He loved "One Piece." The anime had been dragging lately—same tropes, different islands—but the manga? That was his only spiritual sustenance.
Now this brat was threatening to take that away?
"I-It's Grandpa's fault! I was wrong, Roy! Please, let me off this once!" Maha folded like wet cardboard, voice shaking.
After watching decades of anime, he finally found joy in manga—he couldn't lose that now. No hesitation, full grovel.
Seeing his surrender, Roy simply curled his finger.
Maha knew what that meant. Sighing, he reached into his robes and pulled out a bank card.
"Here you go, good grandson. Use it as you like. If it's not enough, just tell Grandpa, okay?"
"Mm." Roy accepted it coolly, slipping it into his pocket with practiced ease.
He was starting to feel a bit smug himself. He didn't expect the old relic to be so generous. A bank card right off the bat?
As expected of someone who came back alive from the Earth…
"What a pity he's too strong to rob… otherwise, this would've been an even better deal."
Curious, Roy pulled up the Panel and scanned Maha Zoldyck's attributes:
[Name: Maha Zoldyck]
[Bone Age: 300–340?]
[Constitution: ? (Insufficient host strength)]
[Speed: ? (Insufficient host strength)]
[Strength: ? (Insufficient host strength)]
[Nen Capacity: ? (Insufficient host strength)]
That's it.
Aside from a name and a vague age range, the entire panel was covered in question marks.
"This guy is like a black hole—so powerful that even the system can't measure him. Terrifying."
Roy recalled what Jeno once told him:
"Only Netero ever survived a fight with the old man."
That phrasing… wasn't "Maha survived fighting Netero."
It was only Netero survived fighting Maha.
Which meant—Maha didn't just fight evenly. He might've been the stronger one.
"If it were me, I wouldn't need 300 years of experience to reach that level."
"A few years… that's all I need."
Roy exhaled slowly, his mind quiet but resolute.
He would stand atop the world. Not eventually—soon.
With that, he walked toward a nearby spring to cool off. As he passed by, he tossed a final comment over his shoulder:
"The new chapter will be out in three days."
"You don't have to keep sneaking around like a creepy stalker, old man."
Maha Zoldyck chuckled and waved. "Okay~
Grandpa's waiting on your good work!
But hey… don't kill that boy Ace."
His smile softened.
"I like him. I miss him."
"Got it." Roy waved impatiently.
"One Piece" was barely at chapter 100. Ace wouldn't die until chapter 500+.
"You want to see Ace die, huh? At your age… I doubt you'll live long enough to make it."
With a splash, Roy dove into the spring, disappearing in a blur of silver ripples.
Maha smiled faintly.
He looked up at the sky, hands behind his back, and strolled home.
Inside his small hut, the TV was always on—playing cartoons on loop.
Even when no one watched, he never let the butler turn it off.
The noise filled the silence. It made the loneliness bearable.
But today, someone stood at the door.
An old man even more ancient than Maha himself. White hair. White beard.
Back slightly hunched.
Wearing a shirt that said:
"One Kill A Day – Still in Active Service."
He radiated the calm bloodlust of a professional murderer.
It was the previous head of the Zoldyck family—Jeno Zoldyck.
"Grandpa, where have you been?"
Jeno had been waiting outside the hut.
When he saw Maha approach, he walked forward with a half-scolding tone:
"I was looking for you."
Maha rolled his eyes.
"Visiting my grandson. Problem?"