Lina raised an eyebrow and glanced at Law, who was calmly sliding Kikoku back into its sheath. "You are very capable."
Nami and Robin also looked at him with renewed curiosity.
Law replied evenly, "When you just join a crew, you need to prove your value."
Yet contrary to what everyone expected, not a single drop of blood flowed from the octopus's severed body. Even more strangely, the scattered pieces of its massive body continued wriggling on the ground.
Robin frowned slightly. "What is happening?"
Law explained calmly, "This is the power of the Ope Ope no Mi. This circular space is my operating room. Inside it, even if I cut a living body apart, no blood will spill."
As he spoke, he raised a finger and drew a subtle motion in the air. "Tact."
At once, the severed pieces of the octopus lifted into the air as if pulled by invisible strings. Some of the tentacles reattached to one another, while others awkwardly fused back onto the head.
Everyone stared in shock at the surreal sight.
Robin nodded slowly. "So this is the true power of the Ope Ope no Mi."
Rolan observed the scene with faint approval in his eyes. "Not bad. To develop the fruit to this level, you can indeed be called a genius."
He clapped his hands once. "Enough. We do not have time to waste on something this small. The real encounter is still ahead."
With that, Rolan rose into the sky and flew forward without hesitation.
Lina transformed into flames, Nami dissolved into a drifting white cloud, and Robin unfurled wings of arms from her back. All three followed Rolan closely.
Law tightened his grip on Kikoku. "So strong… can I really keep up with them like this?"
"ROOM!"
A light flashed, and in the next instant, Law teleported himself and Bepo onto the next floating island ahead.
…
After crossing several more floating islands, an enormous and magnificent palace finally entered their view.
"Is… is that the Golden Lion's palace?" Bepo clung tightly to Law's coat, his expression filled with fear.
Law casually tapped Bepo on the head. "What are you panicking about? Have some backbone."
"I am sorry!"
Rolan stepped forward, and in that instant, his Conqueror's Haki erupted without restraint.
The entire island shuddered.
Birds and beasts fled in all directions in panic, crashing through trees and leaping off cliffs in terror. The sheer pressure forced Bepo and Shachi backward several dozen meters, while Law barely managed to remain standing by driving Kikoku into the ground.
"So… this is Rolan's strength?" Law murmured in shock. "This is the power of a pirate with a bounty of three billion berries. Just his Haki alone is enough to crush people."
Law stared at Rolan's back in silence, the weight of that power sinking into his heart.
At that moment, a wild, hoarse laugh echoed from within the palace.
"Gyahaha, so you finally came, little brat Rolan!"
Rolan answered calmly, "Hahaha. Weren't you the one who deliberately called me here?"
As his voice faded, a figure shot out from the palace and landed before them with a heavy impact.
Half of a ship's rudder was embedded in the man's skull. A thick cigar hung from his mouth, and long golden hair spilled down to the ground. Most striking of all were his lower legs, which had been replaced by two massive swords.
"Gyahaha, just a little brat, and you think you have reached the top of this world?"
As he spoke, his own Conqueror's Haki surged upward, colliding directly with Rolan's in a violent clash.
"Is that the Golden Lion?" Robin whispered as she studied him. "He looks exactly like the pictures in the newspapers. His Haki is terrifying."
Bepo, Shachi, and the rest felt their vision blur under the pressure of two monstrous wills colliding. Their worldview had already been shattered too many times in recent days.
Law clenched his jaw. "So this is the presence of a true apex powerhouse. It is overwhelming."
Rolan spoke flatly to Nami and the others, "All of you move to another island."
Then he turned his gaze back to Shiki. "Would it not be better for you to remain as a legend?"
In the next instant, Rolan vanished.
He reappeared directly before Shiki, his fist already arcing toward Shiki's face.
Shiki's pupils shrank. What kind of speed was this?
He did not hesitate. He gathered his Armament Haki into the sword of his right leg and smashed it forward to meet Rolan's punch.
There was no thunderous explosion.
The two attacks collided in silence.
Two seconds passed.
Then a terrifying shockwave exploded outward.
Ancient trees were ripped in half and hurled into the distance. The island's surface cracked open inch by inch. Tiles from the palace behind Shiki were blasted away in heaps.
By the time the shockwave had swept across the entire island, the ground itself was trembling.
Shiki burst into laughter. "Gyahaha, not bad at all, little brat Rolan. How about joining my crew?"
Rolan shook his head calmly. "No. What right does an old man who is already halfway into the grave have to ask me that?"
Shiki studied him with open admiration. "Gyahaha. If you join me, I will make you my first mate. Together, we will overturn this boring world."
Rolan's lips twitched faintly.
He knew that Shiki had once said these exact same words to Whitebeard's crew, only to be rejected. Shiki sought out strong individuals and pursued his so called IQ experiments simply to vent his hatred against the world. There was no noble ambition behind it, only resentment.
Shiki spread his arms wide. "How about it? This world will belong to you and me!"
His eyes burned with ambition. In his heart, he believed Roger had become Pirate King because he possessed a powerful crew and especially Rayleigh. When Shiki lost at Edd War, it was because he lacked such a right hand.
Now, seeing Rolan so young yet already this powerful, his ambition surged uncontrollably.
Rolan looked at him with clear disdain. "No one in this world of one piece is qualified to be my captain. And you…"
He raised a finger and waved it slightly at Shiki.
"You do not even qualify to join my crew."
"Nani!?"
Shiki flew into a rage. "You ungrateful brat!"
He clenched his right hand violently.
"Lion's Threat, Ground Roll!"
The ground across the entire island twisted and surged upward, forming a colossal wall of earth that enclosed the battlefield. Stone lions emerged from the wall itself, roaring as they charged straight at Rolan.
Rolan slowly rose into the air. Electromagnetic power surged around his body as a massive Electromagnetic Blade formed in his hand.
"Electromagnetic Blade, Annular Cut."
With a single swing, a ring of lightning infused blade light burst outward from Rolan. It sliced through the towering earth wall as if cutting through thin paper.
Yet the stone lions did not slow down in the slightest.
Rolan raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
His arm moved in a blur.
Countless arcs of lightning infused sword light filled the battlefield, each slash tearing through stone and earth without resistance.
Rumble.
All the stone lions were reduced to countless fragments that crashed down in a storm of dust.
Shiki laughed loudly. "Gyahaha, little brat Rolan. You do not even know true swordsmanship, do you? Then let this old man show you how a sword is really used!"
"Wave Slash!"