On the shore—
"Big adventure, here I come!!"
"Luffy, stop yelling! This is enemy territory already."
"I'm feeling great this week! Whatever enemy shows up, I'll blow them away with one punch!"
"I heard this is the 'country of love and passion'? Hehe, I can already sense a beautiful encounter waiting for me~~"
"This is a Vivre Card of my ally,"
Planning for failure before hoping for success,
Law pulled out a Vivre Card and prepared to tear it in half for Nami to use as a guide for retreat.
"It points to Zou Island. If the plan fails—"
"No need,"
Roman waved him off grandly.
"A mere Shichibukai? Watch us crush him on the spot!"
Seriously? You're the strategist, and you're the one saying such reckless things? Weren't you the one preaching about taking the enemy seriously just a moment ago?!
"I did say to look down on the enemy strategically and take them seriously tactically, but—"
Roman gestured to the side, where the four-person group that had been chatting moments ago was now eagerly heading toward Dressrosa.
Law stared blankly.
They're just leaving?
They're actually leaving?
Leaving.
Gone.
"Can I cancel this alliance now?"
Before Law could finish his sentence, Usopp and Chopper grabbed onto his legs tightly.
"Please don't! You're a Shichibukai—you're strong, and we need someone to protect us~~"
"Roman!"
Before Law could even finish, Roman turned into a flock of white doves and flew toward Dressrosa, leaving only his fading voice behind.
"I have something to handle first. Follow the plan... or act however you like."
What?! My heart—my heart can't take this!
"Don't panic,"
Nami, sitting by the ship's railing, stood up to calm everyone down.
"Think about all our past adventures. How many times have Luffy and the others vanished into thin air? Roman's always off doing who-knows-what. You'll get used to it~~"
I won't get used to it!!!
Unbelievable! A major battle is ahead, and the main fighters are off sightseeing, the strategist is up to who-knows-what, and we're left with the weak, injured, and inexperienced... This crew is doomed!
"Relax, whatever Roman is up to, it's definitely for our benefit. Besides—"
Nami flexed her arm in a "workout" pose.
"I've been training and fighting every day for the past two years. I'm really strong now!"
"Nami, we're counting on you~~"
"Ugh, I'm just a weak little reindeer..."
Looking at Usopp and Chopper clinging to Nami's leg and crying, then at Nami's completely unremarkable 'biceps,' Law felt utterly...
"Alright, let's first talk about how we're going to escort Caesar to 'Green Bit.'"
At this point, complaining or getting angry was pointless. It wouldn't change their current situation. Besides, seeing the two other women remaining so calm, Law couldn't afford to lose his composure either.
—————
Dressrosa was a tropical island with a vacation-like atmosphere.
From the view of the white doves flying above, everything—from the food, clothing, and culture to the dancing—radiated a strong Spanish vibe. The houses and streets were filled with the architectural style of Barcelona's Antoni Gaudí.
As for the central structure, which was identical to the Roman Colosseum, it was about to become the focal point of all the upcoming events.
"Found it."
Flapping their wings, the white doves flew into a small, inconspicuous attic. The people inside immediately stood up.
"Torkovich-Roman-san."
Tsk, such an awkward title.
With a flutter of wings, the doves transformed into sheets of white paper that then assembled into a human shape. As the doves merged, the figure's mouth had already begun to speak.
"I heard that the traitor from the Donquixote family used our influence to make the 'resignation from the Seven Warlords' a false report?"
"Yes, Roman-san."
Three CP0 agents dressed in white suits, wearing white capes and white masks—exuding an unmistakable air of mystery—nodded respectfully.
"Hand it over!"
With Roman's aggressive and rude demand, the lead CP0 agent—a man wearing a white hat with one black and one white eye—took something from his pocket and respectfully handed it over.
A white Den Den Mushi (transponder snail).
"It's me, Roman!"
"Little Roman, you sound a bit upset."
On the other end of the snail was the voice of one of the Five Elders, the highest authorities in the world.
"Yes, sir."
Roman spoke bluntly, with a hint of anger.
"How dare that traitor use our resources? If it weren't for the fact that he carries the Donquixote bloodline, I would've crushed that shameless fool long ago!"
"Hehe, Little Roman, you're still too impulsive. Your dedication to the Celestial Dragons' cause is admirable, but that Donquixote traitor isn't so easy to deal with. He has..."
"What?! Is that true?"
After a moment of surprise, Roman quickly recovered.
"In that case, we should eliminate him as soon as possible to prevent future problems!"
"The traitor himself is quite strong, and his underlings would fight to the death to buy him time. If we sent CP0 or the Marines after him, he'd surely spread 'that' immediately. So..."
"Understood. Leave it to me."
?!
"Little Roman, don't act recklessly—"
"Don't worry," Roman replied confidently, maintaining his image of being in control before the Five Elders. "You can sit back and relax while I take care of this. I'll reduce Dressrosa to ashes within a day and have that traitor begging for mercy!"
The Five Elders on the other end of the call were speechless.
Without relying on CP0 or the Marines, even a Celestial Dragon wouldn't be able to handle the deeply rooted Donquixote Pirates in Dressrosa. Could Roman possibly rely on pirates?
"Exactly, with pirates."
Tossing the white Den Den Mushi back to the CP0 agent in the white suit, Roman smirked.
"You can't do it because you're incompetent! Stay put and watch my methods."
With Luffy's personality, once he learned about the darkness in Dressrosa, there was no doubt he'd go after Doflamingo. Do you think I'd make empty promises?
As the white doves flew out of the room, the three CP0 agents exchanged uneasy glances.
"This ..... is really..."
"Forget it. Let's just wait and see how things unfold. Be ready to report to the Five Elders at any moment!"
—————
"That uncle earlier was amazing,"
"It must be some kind of ability user..."
Flap.
A white pigeon landed on Luffy's shoulder, who had swapped his usual outfit for a sunflower shirt, added a fake beard and sunglasses, and, with his 170 cm height, was perfectly cast as an "old man" in this country. Beside him stood the tall Franky, dressed in a black suit.
"Roman? Where were you just now? The food at that place was super tasty!!"
Luffy chatted excitedly with the pigeon on his shoulder. Fortunately, this country was full of walking, talking toys of all kinds, so no one paid attention to Luffy's strange behavior.
"And, and, we met a blind old guy! He was super strong—just one move, and he buried a group of thugs in the ground..."
That "blind old guy" was Admiral Fujitora! One move from him could bury the entire Straw Hat crew in the ground…
Roman had previously obtained details about Fujitora's abilities during a Marine medical check. With his Observation Haki combined with his gravity powers, Fujitora could summon meteors from low orbit and sense battles across an entire island. Roman didn't dare get too close to him.
"Forget about that. I found some information about what Doflamingo mentioned earlier on the Den Den Mushi. You'll definitely be interested—"
"Is it meat? What kind of delicious meat is it?!"
"...Sorry, it tastes like poop."
?!
The taste of Devil Fruits was something every ability user dreaded. That flavor... yuck. Everyone who'd eaten one knew. Even Luffy couldn't handle it.
"Tch, what a letdown."
Luffy immediately lost interest.
"Got my hopes up for nothing..."
"It's a Devil Fruit,"
the pigeon said bluntly.
"And it's the Flame-Flame Fruit."
Silence—
For a moment, everyone on the busy street felt an unexplainable chill. Their minds went blank. But in the next second, Luffy unconsciously retracted his Conqueror's Haki.
"Huh?"
"Just now—"
"You too? I suddenly froze for a moment..."
"Let's talk elsewhere,"
Luffy said, adjusting his straw hat and quietly stepping into a nearby alley. Franky followed without hesitation, leaving behind a street full of confused people and toys.
"To put it simply, there's a 'tournament' happening in this city's colosseum today,"
"And the prize is the Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit."
"Ace's… I won't let anyone else take it!"
Luffy turned to Franky.
"When I win the Flame-Flame Fruit, how about you eat it?"
To Luffy, having a crewmate inherit his brother's power was the best outcome.
"No way. I don't want to become a deadweight in water!"
Franky, as the shipwright, often needed to dive into the water for repairs. Besides, the crew already had too many Devil Fruit users. If any more of them fell into the sea, it'd be game over.
"Anyway, the first priority is to get it,"
the pigeon said.
Luffy nodded.
"Let's head to the colosseum. Lead the way!"
This was an open trap. The moment the Straw Hats got wind of it, they'd walk right into it.
Under the pigeon's guidance, Luffy and Franky arrived at the Corrida Colosseum and registered Luffy under the name "Lucy." Meanwhile, Franky caught the attention of a one-legged toy soldier.
As they entered the arena:
"Hmm, today's participants..."
Step.
"Excuse me, may I register?"
?
"Ah... ah, sure, but sir... are you certain you're here to fight?"
Standing before the female receptionist was a man dressed in a suit, wearing a cloak, a top hat, and a half-mask covering his face. He looked more like a magician than a fighter.
"Of course."
Taking the entry number from her hand, the "magician" snapped his fingers. The number disappeared from his hand and reappeared on the back of his cloak.
Number 666. Very nice, very lucky!
And who else would show up late, unwilling to leave Luffy unsupervised, but Roman?
(End of chapter.)
----You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu