Rolan's revelation shocked the world even more than his earlier statements.
The moment his words spread across the seas, people everywhere erupted into heated discussions.
"What? The One Piece is on the Final Island?"
"A Road Poneglyph? I have to find one!"
Someone nearby scoffed.
"Even if you find one, can you read the ancient characters on it?"
Another person muttered quietly.
"So this is the truth of the world..."
Someone else sighed.
"If that is the case, then many of the world's contradictions suddenly make sense."
"It completely overturns everything we believed."
Across countless islands, the same reactions appeared. Shock, disbelief, excitement, and fear all mixed together.
The world that people thought they understood was beginning to crumble.
---
Marineford
When Luffy heard Rolan's words, his breathing nearly stopped.
"One... One Piece?"
His eyes widened with excitement.
"So if I reach the Final Island and find the One Piece... I'll become the Pirate King!"
From the moment he set sail, Luffy had always shouted the same declaration.
"I am the man who will become the Pirate King!"
To him, the title of Pirate King meant freedom above everything else.
And to become the Pirate King, he knew there was only one requirement.
Find the legendary treasure left by Gol D. Roger.
But he had never imagined that the treasure carried such a massive history behind it, spanning hundreds of years.
It was not simply wealth.
It felt more like the inheritance of an entire era.
Something Joy Boy had left behind for the future.
Luffy clasped his hands together in front of his chest, his expression filled with determination.
"No matter what, I will find that treasure."
"And I will become the Pirate King."
Garp, standing nearby, immediately turned toward him.
"Hey! Luffy!"
His voice was filled with irritation.
"Are you still thinking about becoming the Pirate King? Do you even understand what that means?"
Luffy laughed without hesitation.
"The Pirate King is the freest person in the world!"
The veins on Garp's forehead bulged instantly.
"Idiot!"
"The most evil people in the world are pirates, and the Pirate King is the worst of them all!"
Luffy tilted his head slightly.
"But didn't you hear Rolan?"
"Joy Boy, the king of that ancient kingdom who brought laughter to the world, was also the first pirate."
"Was he evil too?"
Garp froze for a moment.
His mouth opened, but no words came out.
After a few seconds he grumbled irritably.
"Anyway, you are not allowed to go searching for that treasure!"
After decades as a Marine, Garp had fought countless pirates and seen the world from every angle.
He knew better than most people that the definitions of justice and evil were decided by those in power.
The Marines were not entirely righteous.
Pirates were not purely evil either.
Even before today, countless pirates had already chased the One Piece because of Roger's final words.
Now, after Rolan revealed the deeper meaning behind the treasure, the situation would only grow worse.
Those seeking the One Piece would no longer be limited to pirates.
Kings, scholars, adventurers, and criminals would all be drawn into the race.
Conflicts would erupt everywhere.
War could break out across the entire sea.
Garp's warning was not about justice.
It was about protecting his grandson.
He simply did not want Luffy to throw himself into such chaos.
However, Luffy shook his head firmly.
"No, Grandpa."
"After hearing Rolan explain it, I want to see that treasure even more."
Garp stared at him.
"You..."
In the end, he could only sigh heavily.
The men of their family were all the same.
Once they decided something, not even Sea Kings could drag them back.
---
Not far away, Ace's eyes were shining with excitement.
"Hearing Rolan talk about it makes that treasure even more interesting."
He then glanced toward Whitebeard.
His voice dropped to a quiet murmur.
"From now on, I'll work even harder."
"I'll help Old Man become the Pirate King."
Ace was deeply grateful to Whitebeard.
To him, Whitebeard was far closer than the father he had never known.
Ever since he was a child, Ace had carried a heavy burden.
Wherever he went, people cursed the name of Gol D. Roger.
Hatred toward the Pirate King spread everywhere.
Some even directed that hatred toward Roger's unborn child.
Over time, Ace began to believe that he was the bloodline of a sinner.
He questioned the meaning of his own existence.
He hated Roger.
When he lived with Luffy and Sabo during childhood, he finally experienced a warmth that felt like family.
But after he set sail, reality returned.
Every time Roger's name was mentioned, people reacted with anger or fear.
It only deepened his doubts.
Eventually, a powerful desire formed inside his heart.
He wanted to surpass Roger.
He refused to let the world define him.
And the fastest way to surpass Roger was to defeat the one man who had rivaled him.
Whitebeard, Edward Newgate.
Ace had challenged him once.
The result was complete defeat.
Yet during that battle, Ace experienced something he had never felt before.
Whitebeard simply said one sentence.
"Be my son."
That moment made Ace's nose sting.
Not long after joining the crew, Ace's personality gradually changed.
He laughed more.
He smiled more.
His dream also changed.
Instead of becoming the Pirate King himself, Ace now wanted to place Whitebeard on that throne.
---
Kuraigana Island
Deep within a dense forest, a green haired swordsman wandered around in frustration.
Roronoa Zoro scratched his head impatiently.
"Is this island a maze or something?"
"Why can't I get out?"
When he had first seen the live broadcast of Marineford, he immediately left the castle.
As the main swordsman of Rolan's crew, Ion Tempest, he could not accept missing such an important moment.
Unfortunately, reality refused to cooperate.
Even while following the direction of a Vivre Card, he somehow kept getting lost inside the forest.
Sometimes he even used Sky Walk to leap high into the sky and travel above the trees.
Yet somehow, he still drifted away from the correct direction.
It almost felt as if the path itself was deliberately avoiding him.
"Is this island really this big?"
"It feels like an entire continent."
Inside the castle, two beautiful women were currently chained together with Seastone restraints.
Perona pouted angrily.
"That stupid green haired idiot has zero sympathy for women."
Her long pink hair swayed as she complained.
Behind her, tied back to back, sat a tall and elegant woman with black hair and a beauty mark near the corner of her mouth.
This woman was Marine Admiral candidate Gion.
She spoke softly.
"Perona, when he comes back, we should do this... and this..."
As Gion explained her plan quietly, Perona's entire face flushed red.
"T-That?"
"Wouldn't that be too embarrassing?"
Gion laughed softly.
"He is a responsible man."
"If certain things happen, he will not run away from responsibility."
Perona's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Do you think my Negative Hollow would make even that part of him depressed?"
Gion shook her head with a smile.
"I doubt it."
"That is simply human instinct."
Perona giggled mischievously.
"Horohorohoro."
The two women had originally treated each other as rivals.
Both of them were competing for Zoro's affection.
However, they quickly realized something important.
Zoro was unbelievably dense.
He barely understood emotions and treated both women almost the same.
Neither of them had any advantage.
If they continued fighting each other, none of them would benefit.
Besides, the two women actually liked each other's personalities.
Gradually, they stopped arguing and even began calling each other sisters.
In the future, sharing Zoro did not seem like such a bad idea.
Zoro himself understood their feelings.
But he had far too many responsibilities at the moment.
Romantic relationships were the last thing on his mind.
Marineford was full of dangers, and he refused to let the two women risk their lives alongside him.
So he temporarily restrained them with Seastone chains.
Their movements were not restricted, and with Gion's strength he was not worried about their safety.
He planned to release them after returning from Marineford, or when Dracule Mihawk returned.
High in the forest canopy, Zoro climbed onto the tallest tree and stared toward the distant coastline.
"I can see the sea..."
"But why can't I reach it?"
He grabbed his head in frustration.
"Is this island cursed or something?"
"I feel like I'm going insane."
---
Marineford
Back at Marineford, Rolan observed the stunned expressions around him.
He deliberately paused, allowing the shock to spread across the world.
Only after a long silence did he continue speaking.
"The great war that began during the Void Century has continued until today."
"Pluton is close to awakening."
"Poseidon, the Sea King weapon, is also nearing awakening."
"And the power that fuels Uranus should already be prepared."
"The warrior of liberation of this era, the Sun God Nika, has also appeared."
"And soon..."
"He will awaken."
Rolan's calm voice echoed across the world.
"So it is time."
"It is time for this chaotic world to undergo a transformation."
Just as those words left his mouth, the sky suddenly began to darken.
A strange and ancient aura slowly descended from above.
It pressed down on the entire world like an invisible mountain.
Everyone felt it.
Fear.
Oppression.
Something beyond human understanding.
Rolan slowly raised his head and looked toward the sky.
Then he saw it.
===
Send Powerstones for bonus Chapters <(￣︶￣)>
____
Patreon = _Zeph