"Hmm?"
Moria frowned in confusion as he watched Shiryu suddenly cover his mouth, then turn on his heel and walk back into the cabin.
"Eh-hihihihihihi! Didn't expect Shiryu of all people to be afraid of heights! What a shock, hahahaha!"
Moria couldn't resist mocking him out loud successfully reserving himself a beating later.
The warship glided smoothly over Reverse Mountain, and once again entered the Grand Line.
The Grand Line
Far from the heavy clouds over Reverse Mountain,the skies stretched wide and clear, and the vast waves surged endlessly across the sea.
The blazing sun hung high above, scorching everything under its gaze.
On the deck of a flying warship stood several figures.
At the head of them all was Captain Rosen.
In front of him stood his strongest fighters Shiryu and the others.
Further back were the regular crewmates, only about twenty in total.
At the very rear stood Moria's zombie army, though it currently numbered barely a dozen.
This… was all of Captain Rosen's power for now.
Weak. Too weak.
The thought that, without him, this lot could be crushed to pulp by Whitebeard alone made Rosen deeply aware of just how fragile his forces were.
No. They had to grow stronger, and fast.
Only now did Rosen truly realize how priceless and terrifying top-tier teaching ability was.
With their physiques and potential, given enough time, every single one of them could grow into a powerhouse capable of standing on their own within twenty years. Mihawk especially could become one of the very strongest of that era.
But Rosen didn't have twenty years to wait.
Anyone who truly understood how powerful the World Government was would know the existence of the Yonko was only tolerated because the World Government allowed it.
No Yonko crew could withstand the Government's full-scale assault.
Pirates had almost no real effect on the Government; the true friction was with the people and the Marines that opposed them.
The Marines's purpose was twofold: suppress pirates and protect civilians… but in truth, they were also tools for the Government to extract its "Heavenly Tribute."
Weak nations longed for protection. And because of that, pirates would plunder non-affiliated nations more. Those nations would weaken further, only to crawl back to the Government and Marines for "protection." Thus the cycle continued.
Monkey D. Dragon was called the world's most dangerous criminal because he aimed to shake the foundations of the Government itself. His revolutionary ideas were sparks that threatened to ignite and burn down the rotten foundations of eight hundred years of rule.
The power of thought wherever it appeared was always colossal.
And when it came to pirates who had ever truly threatened the Government, only three names came to mind: Rocks, Roger, and Luffy.
Rocks D. Xebec because of his unmatched personal power, capable of suppressing every monster the seas had to offer.
And beyond that, his crew a gathering of terrifying monsters. Anyone plucked at random from his ranks could become a future terror of the seas.
Even if they weren't united, Rocks' absolute strength forced them to stand together, forming a force that made the World Government shiver.
They even stormed into God Valley itself, throwing the world into chaos.
As for Roger, it was because he discovered the secret of the Final Island, learning what had happened eight hundred years ago and uncovering the Void Century's truth. Unfortunately, he lacked the strength to change anything. His threat never matched Rocks'.
And then, there was Luffy.
Bloodline aside, even if Garp was strong, he was just an old man now.
Luffy's link to Dragon wasn't particularly close either.
What mattered most was this: Luffy possessed the Sun God Fruit. He was the Child of Destiny the calamity written into the World Government's very fate.
A chosen one. Something that could never be imitated.
Roger's way relied on a chosen one in the end. That was meaningless to Rosen.
So Rosen had only one path the path of Rocks.
Absolute personal strength.
A terrifying crew.
Officers that were monsters themselves.
And above all, unity absolute loyalty to him, Rosen.
Rocks failed because he wasn't strong enough yet.
Rosen's goal was to surpass Rocks, to become the terror that suppressed the seas. To become the true overlord of the oceans!
"Pirate King"? "Yonko"? Those titles meant nothing.
Only strength—strength that dominated all—was real.
And so, Rosen had already chosen his course. The only thing left was to take one step after another, until he swallowed the entire sea whole!
Rosen looked over the gathered crew before him—men and zombies alike—
and spoke:
"As your captain, I want all of you to know exactly what our goal is."
"Other than Shiryu, none of you know what our original purpose was when we set sail."
"Now I'll tell you. Our goal… is to overturn the entire world! And then to rule these seas! Whether it's the New World, Paradise, or the Four Blues they'll all be crushed beneath our feet!"
"Only strength! Only slaughter! That is the foundation upon which a ruler's empire is built!!"
"But listen well, striking down the weak is an insult to your own power. Only when you fight the strong, terrifying monsters out there can you truly grow stronger!"
"Our mission is to challenge the world's strongest. Break them down. Destroy their forces. And expand our own strength in the process!"
"So remember the name of our crew"
"The Overlord Pirates!!"
"ROARRR!!!!"
The crew erupted, cheering and shouting, swept up by Rosen's raw charisma.
And for men who lived and died on the sea, words like this meant everything. Who cared if it was madness? It felt damn good!
"ROARRR!!!!"
"The Overlord of the Seas, huh? What a wild ambition…"
Even Mihawk's lips curved upward, a light of anticipation flickering in his eyes.
"Eh-hihihihihihi!! As expected of Captain! To dream of ruling the world that's terrifying! But I know the captain will achieve it! I believe in your strength!!"
Moria, completely subdued by Rosen's power, offered his heartfelt praise.
To be trusted so firmly by his subordinates nearly brought Rosen to tears. He swore then and there he would train Old Mo into one of the strongest men alive.
The cheers gradually quieted.
"You're celebrating too soon!!" Rosen's shout boomed over the deck.
"Too weak! Every single one of you is too damn weak! If you ran into the monsters of the New World right now, not a single one of you would survive!"
"Don't think that just because I'm here, nothing can touch you! As you are now, you couldn't even beat the trainees on a monster crew's ship."
"So as things stand, all of you are walking the path to death."
"But no need to worry! Because Captain Rosen's Special Summer Training Camp is about to begin!!"
"Prepare yourselves to experience the joy of becoming stronger!"
"I'll personally train you all—whether it's Haki… or swordsmanship!!"
"ROARRR!!!!"
Rosen smiled in satisfaction as he watched the fire in their eyes.
Even Mihawk looked eager for what was to come.
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T/N:
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