"It's about time I set sail."
Roy tossed the newspaper into the campfire, his stomach now full.
He didn't know exactly where his strength ranked in this world, but one thing was certain—he was strong.
The beasts on this island were no less terrifying than those on the island where Luffy trained for two years. That alone was proof enough.
Thinking back to his past life spent clocking in and out of a boring office job, Roy felt his current life was a hundred times more interesting.
Especially with the Holy Light by his side—it made this world feel… divine.
Praise the Great Holy Light!
Just as Roy was basking in the glory of his spiritual enlightenment...
"Hmm? What's that?"
Standing on the rocky shoreline, Roy noticed a ship slowly approaching across the sea.
The black flag with a skull and crossbones fluttering in the wind left no doubt—it was a pirate ship.
But what puzzled Roy was why a pirate ship would head toward this remote island.
Once, this place had thrived as a holy site under the Tirion Family, but since their downfall, the island had been erased from maps.
The ship drew closer—about a kilometer out now.
Snap!
Roy flicked his fingers and called out with a smirk:
"No talking during mount-up—triple DPS, Hunter, and Shaman."
Three seconds later, a winged, lion-bodied, bird-headed beast appeared beneath him.
It was his Flying Mount: the Swift Brown Gryphon.
From the pirate ship, the crew saw a teenager riding a strange flying beast descend from the sky.
The helmsman shouted, and over a dozen pirates rushed to the deck just in time to see a fifteen-year-old boy land lightly—his mount vanishing instantly.
"Who the hell are you, brat?"
As expected, pirates weren't known for their manners. The moment they saw a stranger aboard their ship, they shouted threats.
Roy just waved casually.
"Hey, no need to panic. I'm a good guy. I've come… to bless you in the name of the Holy Light."
"…???"
One of the pirates, a shirtless, hairy-chested bald brute in a vest, scowled fiercely.
"What the hell are you talking about? You know whose ship you've boarded?"
Another pirate, this one burly and unshaven, cracked a whip excitedly.
"Heh… boys, we've got ourselves some fun today! Wonder how much this fresh meat can take before he breaks!"
Roy casually picked his nose.
"Rude. And vulgar. I'd like to speak with your captain."
"Hahaha!"
"You serious? You saw our flag and still flew right over? That takes guts!"
"Wants to see the captain too! Hah! This kid's got nerve!"
"With luck, the captain might enjoy him tonight."
Laughter erupted across the deck.
About half a minute later, a massive figure stepped out from the lower cabin—a towering, 2.5-meter-tall dark-skinned man with a medieval European lance strapped to his back. The weapon alone was over three meters long.
A spearman?
According to Roy's past-life gaming memes: "Lancers always draw the short stick."
He grinned.
"A spearman on my first voyage? Luck's on my side."
"I am Martney Fiers, captain of the Fiers Pirates. Bounty: 30 million Berries."
The dark giant glared down at Roy with a smug expression, nostrils flaring in disdain.
Whoa. A 30-million bounty pirate!
In the North Blue, often considered the most dangerous of the four seas, a bounty like that placed him near the top.
At this time, before economic inflation and modern bounty spikes, anything over 10 million was already fearsome.
In Luffy's era, that would probably translate to 100 million or more.
"Hello, Captain. I greet you in the name of the Holy Light," Roy said politely—then narrowed his eyes.
"But tell me, with such a high bounty… why haven't you entered the Grand Line?"
The smile vanished from Fiers' face. His crew's expressions soured too—like they'd all just recalled something unpleasant.
The truth?
They had entered the Grand Line.
But they'd been beaten like dogs by some curly-mustached bastard and barely escaped with their lives.
No way were they going to admit that.
"That's none of your damn business!" Fiers barked, trying to keep his cool.
Roy calmly replied,
"Your eyes are filled with fear. The Holy Light tells me… you're terrified."
"Child, what is it you're afraid of? Have you considered embracing the Holy Light? It can drive out your fear. Believe in the Light… and you shall be saved."
He recited the words with holy reverence.
According to his System, converting followers could bring powerful rewards.
So Roy figured—why not try?
"What the hell are you babbling about!? Holy Light? You with Roger!? Did that bastard send you to kill us!?"
Fiers snapped and lunged forward, throwing a punch infused with terrifying force—far beyond what anyone on Earth could ever muster.
Boom!
Roy raised his left palm like a shield and caught the punch head-on.
"Whoa, talk about violent."
He casually pushed Fiers' fist away and sighed.
"Guess we can't talk this out. Time for the judgment of the Holy Light."
"Repent."
Roy raised his hand and cast the spell: Repentance.
A radiant column of Holy Light descended from the sky and enveloped Fiers.
Suddenly, the pirate captain froze mid-punch.
Thud!
He dropped to his knees in front of Roy.
[Repentance]
[Forces the target to reflect on their sins for one minute.
Afterward, there's an extremely low chance the target will enter a permanent "Atonement" state—becoming a zealous follower of the Holy Light and spreading its message.]
[This state is contagious.]
[Cooldown: 1 day.]
The other pirates were so stunned their jaws dropped—literally to their waists.
Roy couldn't help but admire their anatomy.
"Man… pirates have long jawbones. I could never pull that off."
"Oi! What the hell did he do to the Captain!?"
"Is this a Devil Fruit power!?"
"Wait—Captain's about to say something!"
Under their astonished gazes, Fiers looked up at Roy with devotion in his eyes and confessed solemnly:
"Holy Light, please forgive me. I am a vile, wretched man. I've killed since the age of three. I've slaughtered villages since I was ten—spared neither elders nor children."
"Also… I'm into men. I peeked at my brother bathing when I was five, and… well, I did things to my dad when I was ten. Old men, young boys—if they had a pulse, I didn't care. And every man on this ship? Been there. But the one I want most… is that curly-mustached bastard."
...
The jaws of the crew hit the deck. Hard.
"C-Captain…"
"So you were never sincere with me…"
"…"
Fiers shook his head violently, snapping out of it.
He leapt to his feet.
"What… what the hell did you do to me!?"
Roy sighed.
"Ah, so the redemption effect didn't trigger. What a pity."
"Unforgivable!"
Fiers roared and pulled the massive lance from his back.
His upper body swelled twistedly, muscles bulging as his clothes tore apart—
He transformed into a four-meter-tall half-human, half-bear hybrid, complete with human legs but the upper body of a mutated black bear.
"I'm gonna wreck you, brat!"