On the open sea.
After accelerating for a while, the Marine warship that Roya was aboard gradually slowed down. By the time it came to a complete stop, it had already docked inside a small harbor on Kronoya Island.
Whoosh!
One moment, Roya was still standing on the deck. The next, his figure flashed and landed directly on the island. The Marine greatcoat draped over his shoulders fluttered lightly in the wind.
Behind Roya, the Lieutenant Commander had already formed the Marines into ranks, and they too stepped onto the island in orderly fashion.
During the previous encounters with pirates along the route, it had essentially been Roya alone who took action. They were only responsible for handling the aftermath. They had encountered almost no danger and suffered no casualties.
Toward Roya, their commanding officer, they felt not only awe, but also a trace of admiration.
Following behind Roya, even knowing that a fierce battle lay ahead, no one showed fear. All of them were exceptionally calm.
Roya was not tall, but merely looking at his back gave the impression of gazing upon an insurmountable mountain, bringing a sense of reassurance to the heart.
"Same routine as before. Everyone understands, right?"
Roya walked forward without turning his head, speaking calmly.
The usual routine was that he alone would enter the fight, while everyone else waited on the perimeter. Only after the battle ended and the raging flames had died down would they enter the battlefield to clean up the remains.
Roya never needed assistance. In fact, having others around would only restrict him. Moreover, ordinary Lieutenant Commanders and Commanders, even combined, could hardly be considered combat power in his eyes.
Whoosh!
As his voice faded in the air, Roya took a few more steps forward. Then his figure suddenly accelerated and vanished in an instant.
"Same as before. Wait outside the area that's about to be burned."
After Roya left, the highest-ranking Commander at the front of the group turned and gave a low command to the others, then led the unit forward.
---
Central city.
After passing straight through a small town, Roya arrived outside the island's central city. Even from a great distance, the sounds of fighting could be heard clearly, indicating complete chaos within.
Roya shook his head and walked forward indifferently.
Whoever the two sides were, suppress them all. Gaining a bit of merit would be enough. Better than nothing.
However.
Just as Roya casually walked toward the central city, someone suddenly came out from within.
The city was in chaos, so someone running out was nothing unusual. But the person walking toward him caused Roya genuine surprise.
It was a black-haired girl wearing a leather cap that covered the upper half of her face. When she noticed Roya ahead of her, along with his Marine uniform and the Marine greatcoat draped over his shoulders, her movements paused.
"This is actually quite interesting."
Looking at the girl in front of him, Roya felt genuinely surprised and could not help but let out a light chuckle.
Marines?!
After spotting Roya, the girl hesitated for only an instant. Without any further hesitation, she turned and fled in another direction.
But.
Before she could enter the next street, Roya's figure appeared ghostlike in front of her, leaning against a wall as if he had been waiting there all along, calmly watching her.
The girl froze on the spot.
Roya looked at the black-haired girl before him and smiled lightly.
"You're running a bit too hastily… Devil Child, Nico Robin."
This black-haired girl was Nico Robin.
When Roya directly exposed her identity, a thin sheen of cold sweat appeared on her forehead. Outwardly, however, she remained composed. Taking a deep breath, she neither hesitated nor spoke. She simply raised her hands and crossed them in front of her chest.
"Treinta Fleur…"
Silently, three or four pairs of arms sprouted from Roya's body, locking around his neck and torso, attempting to twist and snap him.
Yet no matter how much force those arms exerted, they could not bend Roya's body in the slightest. It was as if his entire body were forged from steel.
"Hey, hey, that's pretty uncomfortable. If you were giving me a shoulder massage instead, I wouldn't mind."
Roya completely ignored the arms trying to twist his neck. Tilting his head toward Robin, he clicked his tongue, as if those arms did not exist at all.
When did the West Blue gain such a terrifying figure?!
Seeing this, a chill ran through Robin's heart. Running into Marines head-on was bad enough, but the one she encountered was clearly no ordinary Marine.
Her mind raced for a countermeasure, but judging from the speed Roya had just displayed, and the way he ignored her Clutch entirely, she knew she was no match for him. There was no possibility of escape.
What should I do? How can I get away?!
Just as Robin failed to find any solution and despair began to sink in, seven or eight pirates suddenly rushed out from a side street.
They immediately noticed Roya and Robin.
Compared to Robin, Roya's Marine uniform and the Marine justice greatcoat made him stand out instantly, drawing all of their attention.
"This is bad!"
"The Marines are already here?!"
"We need to inform the boss. It's time to withdraw."
The pirates' pupils shrank, their expressions darkening instantly.
"Kill him first!"
No one knew who shouted it, but all seven or eight pirates raised their firearms and opened fire on Roya.
A perfect chance!
Seeing this, light flickered in Robin's eyes as she prepared to flee again.
But in the very next instant, the step she was about to take came to a sudden halt. Her entire body froze in place, as if turned to stone, not daring to move at all.
Shhk!
At some unknown moment, Roya had drawn Engetsu and was standing there with sword in hand. In front of him stretched a terrifying gash nearly a hundred meters long, running all the way to the end of the street.
The pirates lay scattered across the ground.
All of this happened in almost an instant.
Seeing this, cold sweat finally broke out on Robin's forehead. Though her delicate face barely maintained its composure, the shock in her eyes was impossible to hide.
Such terrifying strength… Who exactly is this man?!
Faced with this overwhelming display, Robin abandoned all thoughts of escape. She knew that in the face of power at this level, she had no chance whatsoever.
"So in the end, I'm still going to be captured?"
Coming back to her senses, bitterness filled Robin's heart.
Ten years ago, her homeland Ohara was destroyed because its scholars deciphered the Poneglyphs and uncovered the erased hundred-year history from eight hundred years ago. To conceal the truth, the World Government issued a Buster Call and completely annihilated the entire island.
At that time, she was only eight years old. If not for Aokiji's leniency in letting her go, she would have died in Ohara.
After that,
As Ohara's sole survivor, she was branded by the World Government as the Devil Child and given a bounty of seventy-nine million Beli. From the age of eight, she had lived in hiding within the underworld until today, yet it seemed she still could not escape her fate.