Ten days later:
"Moshi moshi, this is Kizaru,"
"Moshi moshi..."
Wearing sunglasses, with a circle of stubble on his face, tall and thin, dressed in a yellow and white striped suit, the tall figure slowly called into the black Den Den Mushi on his wrist while looking around at the slowly falling paper scraps.
—And the ruins of Grove 27, destroyed by his wide-range light beams.
"Oh... so strange..."
"Why can't I get through?"
"Oh... never mind... I'll ask someone."
Swish,
In an instant, the sleazy-looking man disappeared from the spot! When he reappeared, he was already standing in front of one of the supernovas, Basil Hawkins, on the nearby island.
"Ad... Admiral Kizaru?!"
"Captain Hawkins, run—"
Facing his panicked subordinates, Basil Hawkins remained calm.
"Don't worry... today is not my death day..."
——————
"Uncle Rayleigh, I have a question."
After Luffy and Rayleigh finished their conversation, Robin couldn't help but stand up.
"Do you... know about the so-called 'Will of D'? And what happened during the 'Void Century'..."
?!
In an instant, Roman's attention shifted from watching the supernovas get beaten. Although he had a vague guess, it couldn't compare to Rayleigh, who had actually reached Raftel.
"Yes, I know all the history."
Rayleigh confirmed without hesitation, "But, don't worry,"
"Continue your journey step by step, and find the truth yourselves—Even if I tell you now, it won't help you. If you still want to know..."
"Forget it," Robin shook her head, "I choose to keep sailing."
Ah, well... I do want to know the truth.
Of course, Roman knew that with the current strength of the Straw Hat crew, even if they knew the truth of history, they would be powerless. But if they prepared early...
"Uncle Rayleigh, I have a question too!"
Seeing how friendly he was, Usopp raised his hand to ask. "Is the great treasure 'One Piece' really at the last—"
"Usopp!!"
Bang!
Luffy, with one foot on the table, stopped Usopp's question.
"I don't want to ask where the treasure is!"
"I don't want to know if the treasure exists either!"
"Even though we know nothing, everyone still set out to sea without hesitation..."
Luffy shouted angrily:
"If he tells us everything, then I'd rather not be a pirate!"
"I don't want a boring adventure!"
Usopp, you idiot, Roman calmly took a sip of juice.
What Luffy wants is the adventure, the journey with his companions. Not the treasure at the end! Otherwise, he could have asked me a long time ago at the entrance of the Red Line...
"Sorry, I understand," facing the angry Luffy, Usopp quickly apologized, "I just couldn't control my mouth, actually, I have a disease where knowing the great treasure will kill me..."
"Have a drink—"
A cup of wine was pushed to Usopp by Roman, easing the serious atmosphere. Usopp asked this question not for himself, but for Luffy's dream of becoming the 'Pirate King'—he was just too eager.
"Haha, can you do it?"
Rayleigh asked cheerfully,
"The dangers of the second half of the Grand Line are beyond your imagination, can you dominate this sea?"
Facing Rayleigh's question, Luffy grinned.
"I don't want to dominate the sea, I want to be the freest person on this sea—"
"and that is the Pirate King!"
...
"Haha, alright then."
Rayleigh stood up, "Your ship is on Grove 41, right? I'll go coat it now. It will take three days, do you have any way to contact—"
"Uncle Rayleigh, we'll use this to contact you!"
Facing Luffy, who raised his wrist with a paper band, Rayleigh nodded.
"Alright, I'll get to work, you all be careful."
As Rayleigh left, the Straw Hat crew also prepared to find a place to 'hide', and the silent Roman couldn't help but complain.
Another old actor!
Rayleigh's Observation Haki could easily identify all the animals on the island, and even distinguish which ones were stronger than Luffy. There's no way he didn't notice Kizaru fighting the supernovas next door? Roman didn't believe it for a second!
The reason he left on purpose was to let the Straw Hat crew experience the strength of a Marine Admiral, so they could have a clear understanding of their own position.
And as for Kizaru, in Roman's white dove's eyes, he was saying 'so scary' with every kick, 'light-speed kick' killing the supernovas one by one, having a blast!
Even X Drake was doing his job as a battlefield commentator while carrying 'work injuries', the scene was quite spectacular, but knowing the truth, Roman just wanted to roll his eyes:
So only the Straw Hat crew was kept in the dark???
Ah, forget it. I have no right to talk about others...
"Roman, what sneaky thoughts are you having again?"
Facing Nami's question, Roman calmly shook his head.
"I have always been upright and honest. How could I have any crooked thoughts? You must be looking at me with tinted glasses."
???
You call yourself upright and honest? Then I must be a saint by birth!
Nami wanted to retort, but noticing Roman's forced casualness and his furrowed brows, she decided to drop the matter.
Whenever Roman showed this expression, it meant the Straw Hat crew was in big trouble—actually, it made sense. Maybe a Marine Admiral had already landed on this archipelago. With Roman's temperament, it would be strange if he wasn't worried.
"Roman, we've gotten stronger—?!"
"Who is that?"
At Luffy's question, the Straw Hat crew's faces changed dramatically! Cold sweat uncontrollably slid down their cheeks because, in front of and behind them, two tall figures were slowly approaching.
They were two tall men, both wearing hats with bear paw patterns and ears, black tops with white circles, and pants with bear paw patterns. They looked like twins... no, they were identical!
Pacifistas,
But... why are there two?
Roman thought for a moment. Maybe, probably, the Straw Hat crew did encounter two of these bear clones, but weren't they supposed to come one after the other... never mind, let's fight first! These things don't know what holding back means...
Rustle~~
As Roman entered his White Knight state, Zoro, who had drawn his three swords, quickly introduced them to Roman and Luffy.
"This guy is one of the Seven Warlords, Kuma!"
"We met him at the Florian..."
"Anyway, he's a very strong opponent!"
Seeing his comrades fully armed and ready, Luffy, although not recognizing the opponent, immediately entered Gear Second mode. The Straw Hat crew's strength was already quite good, but dealing with two Pacifistas at the same time was still a bit challenging, so:
"I'll distract one... you guys focus on taking down the other!"
Zoom—
At full speed, Roman charged towards one of the Pacifistas. In a swift maneuver, his longsword left a mark on the opponent, tearing the outer clothing to reveal the:
Metal body.
Tsk, really tough!
Seeing that his Haki-enhanced sword only made a half-finger-deep cut, Roman, under his White Knight helmet, pursed his lips. But—
Whoosh—Boom!
As the clone robot, identical to Kuma, turned and fired a laser beam from its mouth, Roman, knowing its details, had already dodged! The building behind him suffered, blasted into a basketball-sized crater by the intense light and heat. After a few probing attacks, Roman found:
This thing is just so-so~~
Kuma's cloned body combined with mechanical modifications was indeed 'tough,' and Kizaru's laser attacks were sharp, but:
A machine is just a machine. Against those without Haki, it's formidable, but against someone with Observation Haki, even if the attacks aren't strong enough, it can be toyed with!—Just like Roman now.
"Good, Roman has one occupied, let's quickly finish the other!"
In battle mode, Luffy was very reliable! He immediately organized everyone to attack the other Pacifista... or rather, the Seven Warlords' 'Kuma' in their eyes. Unlike Roman, who could easily hold off the opponent with speed and reflexes, they had to go all out with hard-hitting attacks!
"Three-Sword Style: 108 Caliber Phoenix!"
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Rocket!"
"Mutton Shot!"
Blades slashed through the air, fists tore through the wind, and kicks thundered! Along with Franky's heavy punches, Chopper's transformations, Usopp's explosives, Brook's piercing attacks, Robin's joint interference, and:
"Everyone, move aside!"
As everyone stepped back, Nami's long-charged lightning struck down.
"30 million volts, Thunderbolt!"
The thick lightning bolt struck the 'Kuma' who had just taken a series of powerful attacks. The deafening thunder roared, and the blinding white lightning engulfed the 'Kuma'. The lightning danced like thousands of silver snakes, writhing wildly, and burrowed into his wounds—
Crackle!!
Sparks flew from the 'Kuma's' body, and his eyes dimmed as his tall figure fell heavily to the ground.
Lightning attacks were the natural enemy of these metal cyborgs!
"Did we win?"
Luffy looked around, "Is this guy also a Warlord of the Sea?"
That's it? Too weak!
We didn't even use our ultimate moves—
"Tsk, what's going on? PX-4 got taken down so easily?"
A large man with a wrestler's build, a face and hairstyle like a girl's, and a stitched scar on his left cheek silently appeared on the battlefield.
He wore a red bellyband with a Three Tomoe and a symbol of heaven in the center, barefoot. He carried a large axe. —But what shocked the Straw Hat crew the most was that another 'Kuma' was following him!
"Whoa, another Warlord of the Sea!!"
Chopper was so scared that his hat and antlers flew up,
"Could this one be the real one?!"
Usopp, holding his head in disbelief, and even Roman beside him, were speechless.
What's going on?
Why are there three 'Pacifistas' here?! Does the Marine have so much funding? Why not save it for the Summit War instead of wasting it here?
"Maybe it's a duplication ability like Roman's 'White Knight'..."
"PX-1, go help PX-2."
As the Straw Hat crew prepared for battle, the man in the bellyband ordered, and the tall 'Kuma' behind him turned and approached Roman, forming a pincer attack with the other.
"Roman, be careful!"
"Don't panic,"
Roman remained calm despite Luffy and the others' exclamations. He wasn't a reckless fool; knowing the opponent's details, he could handle two mindless robots.
"You should be careful, that man—"
Roman glanced at the man named 'Sentomaru', his eyes full of seriousness.
"He's very strong!"
—————— ----
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