The noisy bar suddenly fell quiet.
The moment the pirates recognized Edward Newgate, they instinctively stepped back, clearing a path with visible respect.
Ignoring the reaction, Newgate fixed his gaze on the young man seated in the corner. Even standing still, he radiated a bold, imposing presence.
In the shadows, Romu folded his newspaper and smirked faintly.
Whitebeard… here of all places.
Didn't expect him to look this young. Not even a beard yet.
He rose slowly and replied in a flat tone:
"Romu."
The name rippled through the bar.
Several pirates scrambled to compare the wanted poster to the man before them.
"It's him! The one who killed Ethan!"
"He looks even younger in person — is he even twenty?!"
"I just saw Newgate and Romu in the same day — best night ever!"
The pirates stared wide-eyed, gripping their drinks in excitement.
On one side stood Newgate — division commander of the Rocks Pirates, a six-hundred-million-Beli monster.
On the other stood Romu — the rising pirate who single-handedly destroyed a Marine base and executed a Vice Admiral.
Wherever they stood, strength commanded awe.
The invitation
Newgate nodded in approval.
"So young… and already killing Vice Admirals."
He got straight to the point.
"Romu. Join my division. No trials — you come in as a full member."
The crowd exploded.
"Straight into the Rocks Pirates?!"
"I wish I had that chance!"
"Romu's already worth over a hundred million — he could captain his own crew!"
"But this is Newgate — he treats his people well!"
All eyes turned back to Romu.
Would he accept?
Romu studied the young Whitebeard in silence.
Back when he first arrived in this world, joining the Marines had been the safest plan.
If piracy was unavoidable, the Rocks crew — specifically Whitebeard's division — offered the highest survival odds.
But things had changed.
His strength now rivaled Admirals.
He didn't need to join anyone.
And beyond growing stronger… he still hadn't decided what future he wanted.
Before he could answer—
"Gurararara!"
Newgate burst into laughter.
"Can't decide? Then let's fight!"
Romu blinked.
That's… one way to settle things.
Before he could object, Newgate slammed his naginata, Murakumogiri, into the floor.
A violent wind erupted.
A dark-red pressure wave surged forward.
The wooden table between them shattered; cracks spiderwebbed across the floor.
That's Conqueror's Haki… powerful, Romu thought.
He stepped forward.
A matching crimson wave burst from him.
The two forces collided instantly.
BOOM!
The air screamed.
Weaker pirates froze, eyes rolling back as they collapsed in foaming heaps.
Newgate grinned.
"So you've got Conqueror's Haki too!"
He pushed harder.
The red aura thickened.
Romu answered in kind, raising his output.
The tavern shook as the two pressures locked in dead heat.
Neither yielded an inch.
This kid… Newgate thought. His potential is terrifying.
I want him in my division — even as vice commander.
Romu laughed softly.
Finally… a real opponent.
Since arriving in this world, no one had forced him this far.
The thrill was intoxicating.
Both men drew in power for a final surge.
Their crimson auras compressed toward the collision point—
Purple-black lightning cracked across the air.
Balance broke.
A burst of black light detonated.
CRASH!
The tavern exploded into splinters.
The remaining conscious pirates dropped instantly.
The disturbance spreads
Several kilometers away, atop a floating boulder—
Shiki froze.
"That… Newgate's Haki?"
"To push him this hard — is Headquarters here?!"
He flicked his cloak and launched forward, the floating rock shooting toward the epicenter like a meteor.
Below, a pirate ship surged in the same direction at full speed.
A storm was gathering.
And its center…
was Romu.
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