[send power stones please]
The Den Den Mushi had already gone silent.
Yet Roger still held the receiver tightly in his hand.
The easygoing, almost comedic air around him vanished. In its place stood the expression he only wore when facing a true threat.
And it wasn't just Roger.
Rayleigh… Gaban… even Bullet — the man nicknamed the "Devil's Heir" — had gone stone-faced. Bullet's usual feral grin had disappeared entirely.
The meat on the grill was finished.
Fat sizzled.
The smell was irresistible.
But Roger had no appetite.
He walked slowly to a tree stump, sat down, and stared toward the distant direction of Hachinosu.
Rayleigh and the others remained silent.
What they'd just heard was staggering.
Beating Shiki at that age was already shocking enough.
But now?
He had driven back Black Arm Zephyr in a frontal clash.
And that wasn't even the most explosive part.
He had killed a Celestial Dragon — a figure the world treated as divine nobility.
Then paraded the corpse like a banner.
That wasn't just slapping the Marines in the face.
That was slapping every kingdom that acknowledged Celestial Dragon authority…
And the World Government itself.
It was a declaration.
Of war.
After a long silence, Roger finally spoke.
His tone was grave.
"Looks like…
the world just gained a monster more dangerous than Rocks."
Bullet frowned slightly.
"Captain… I admit this Romu is absurdly strong and fearless. But I don't see him as that big of a threat."
"He's just a muscle-brained idiot."
"With talent like that, he could've quietly grown stronger for years."
"Instead, he provokes the Celestial Dragons?"
"He beat one Zephyr. Can he beat two? Three?"
Bullet came from a military background. He believed in patient growth — survive, improve, dominate later.
When he first boarded Roger's ship, he was already comparable to Rayleigh. Yet instead of getting complacent, he trained even harder and pushed himself further.
Rayleigh shook his head.
Sunlight flashed across his glasses.
"No."
"I don't think Romu is stupid."
"I think he's insane."
Roger didn't comment on either opinion.
He spoke as if thinking aloud.
"Talent… strength…
I honestly can't think of anyone in this world more gifted than him."
"If it weren't for that bizarre, reckless temperament… I might've thought Romu was Joy Boy reborn."
The name hit like thunder.
Joy Boy.
A figure from the Void Century — a legend Roger's crew had long been chasing clues about.
For Roger to compare Romu to that name…
The weight of it settled heavily.
Before anyone could respond, Roger suddenly leapt back to the grill, grabbed a slab of meat, and tore into it.
Then said:
"If Joy Boy is meant to save the world…
Romu might be the one who destroys it."
"That can't be allowed."
"I'm going to meet him."
Whether Celestial Dragons lived or died didn't concern Roger.
But the Rocks Pirates growing stronger and gathering monsters?
That absolutely did.
And at that very moment…
Romu had already arrived at Hachinosu — just in time for the welcome feast Rocks prepared for him.
Hachinosu — The Welcome Feast
The celebration began the instant Romu stepped ashore.
Pirate banquets weren't elegant.
They were wild.
Dozens of bonfires burned across bare rock. Grills and tables were slapped together in minutes. Nobody bothered with chairs — everyone sat wherever they pleased.
Simple setup.
Explosive atmosphere.
Thousands of pirates raised skewers of roasted meat and barrels of beer, dancing wildly around the flames.
Every race imaginable was present:
Long-ears. Mink tribes. Fish-men. Even a handful of giants.
Nearby, a red octopus fish-man performed a juggling act — not with balls, but eight razor-sharp swords flashing cold light as they spun between his tentacles.
Next to him, two giants arm-wrestled, muscles bulging until their clothes ripped apart with a loud tear.
Everywhere:
Drinking.
Shouting.
Laughter.
Fights breaking out — and ending in more laughter.
A pirate feast at full force.
Even the most reserved person would get swept into that energy.
Romu paused.
He blinked.
"…This is the so-called terror organization?"
Whitebeard laughed loudly beside him.
"Gurararara!"
"Don't let appearances fool you."
"Today they're drinking shoulder to shoulder. Tomorrow they might be trying to split each other in half."
Romu shook his head with a quiet chuckle.
And then—
A booming voice echoed across the entire island.
"HAHAHA!!!
Romu!!
WELCOME TO THE GATHERING PLACE OF MONSTERS!!!"
The feast roared louder.
The night had only just begun.