Rosen had pondered many things, weighing the pros and cons. He could choose to leave without helping when encountering Base Commander Reiser, believing the Marines wouldn't dismiss him from the Shichibukai over this. However, the consequence would be the deaths of Alice and Natalie here. The scene before him struck him deeply.
While he had always been moved by the events on Lantis Island, never before had he felt such intensity. Was there truly a fundamental flaw in the world's governance? Otherwise, why had the Revolutionary Army achieved such swift success, leading to the fall or salvation of dozens of kingdoms?
Why did the Great Pirate Era exist? While it was said that Roger started it, Rosen wasn't entirely convinced. From the fragments of history, the pirate era before the Great Pirate Era was far from peaceful. Roger likely just added fuel to the fire.
In many ways, the Marines might not be entirely corrupt, but the World Government's oppressive policies—such as the Celestial Tribute, the treatment of non-affiliated nations, noble privileges, and the unchecked aggression of the Shichibukai—had fueled the rise of pirates. Thus, Roger shouldn't bear all the blame.
This world was so wondrous—why couldn't one simply enjoy it? Why waste time in endless conflict and slaughter? This wasn't the world Rosen wanted to see. He wished to explore it freely, to fight when necessary, but not to witness massacres and atrocities.
Like the scene before him, he had once believed that maintaining rationality and weighing pros and cons would allow him to live freely. But reality proved it was far too difficult. The stronger one became, the more one was drawn into troublesome affairs, making it harder to remain uninvolved.
Never before had Rosen felt such a strong desire to change the world. And why not? Initially, Rosen hadn't decided what he wanted to do in this world, thinking that growing stronger and living freely was enough.
But no matter how strong an individual became, if their ideals clashed with the World Government's, conflict was inevitable. Like the events unfolding before him, could he stand by and watch people he knew die after a bloody battle? No, he couldn't. Could he sacrifice innocent lives, young or old, as bait for monsters? Again, no.
He could be ruthless and brutal to his enemies, and he might sacrifice some unimportant bystanders when necessary, but large-scale massacres, especially against the vulnerable, were beyond him.
"Then change this world! How much worse can this era get?" Rosen reached out toward the sun, grasping at a nonexistent beam of light. He wanted the world to operate according to his will.
Even if it led to destruction, he hoped it would be by his hand, not under a decaying regime. In this sense, he was selfish and obsessive, perhaps even a tyrant. But at least, if destruction came, it would be in a world he had tried to create.
At this moment, this clear realization solidified Rosen's direction. It was a strange, almost mystical feeling.
But Rosen knew that from this point on, he had something he must do—something that required him to understand the world while acting upon it.
"Ha ha ha!" Rosen suddenly burst into laughter, his heart pounding with unprecedented intensity. His will was imprinted in his mind, his blood boiling. Changing the world—it was ridiculous, insane! So he laughed at his own audacity, at his decision, but at this moment, he simply wanted to do it.
If so many ambitious people existed in this world, why couldn't he be one of them? What difference did it make? Perhaps there was none—it all came down to who could survive to the end.
His unrestrained laughter filled the area, wild, free, loud, and cathartic. Without his conscious control, his Conqueror's Haki naturally erupted, forming a golden shockwave that knocked countless Marines to the ground.
This sudden change caused panic among the Marines. Base Commander Reiser broke into a cold sweat. The intensity of this Haki was overwhelming—Conqueror's Haki, no less! This had never been mentioned in any intelligence reports!
"Crocodile! What do you mean by this? If you're not assisting the Marines, then get out of here now!" Reiser, feeling like an ant under a giant's gaze, shouted in anger.
At this moment, he just hoped the Shichibukai before him wouldn't interfere. He could deal with the aftermath later. He had no confidence in defeating Rosen, even with several Rear Admirals and all the elite Marines present.
"The Shichibukai? I'll be one if I want to. If I don't, it's just worthless trash by the roadside. Now, lend me your head!" Rosen moved with lightning speed, appearing before Reiser in an instant. A Haki-covered fist shot out, unstoppable.
"Arrogant fool!" Reiser's expression darkened. The Shichibukai system was a creation of the World Government. Calling it trash was an indirect insult to the World Government itself—an insult Reiser couldn't tolerate.
He coated his entire body in Armament Haki and met Rosen's punch head-on. Ever since he was restricted by the Shichibukai system on Frans Island, unable to openly eliminate the despicable prince he loathed, and after the World Government's leniency toward the Andia Kingdom's retaliation, Rosen had realized that while the Shichibukai title brought convenience, it also came with constraints.
Everything had its pros and cons. Losing the Shichibukai title might not be entirely bad. At least now, Rosen felt free and determined to act as he pleased. Besides, if everyone died, who would know it was him?
Boom!
Their fists collided, releasing a powerful shockwave that sent Marines flying and shattered the ground.
Reiser paused for a moment before being sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth. His face was filled with shock. How could this be? A Shichibukai, already this strong? In a direct clash, he had been the one to suffer!
Rosen wasn't surprised. Reith was at best on par with Vice Admiral Onigumo. Weak? Not exactly. He was a formidable opponent for Rosen, but unless something unexpected happened, defeating Reiser was only a matter of time.
Fundamentally, Rosen was far stronger. As a Logia user, he could suppress Reiser from the start.
As Reith was sent flying, Rosen manipulated the terrain, turning it into a sandstorm that engulfed Reiser. When Reiser emerged, Rosen had compressed all the gold and copper sand into marble-sized pellets.
"Black Prison Bullets!" The tiny pellets shot toward Reiser with piercing whistles.
A strong sense of danger overwhelmed Reiser. He combined Moon Walk, Shave, and Paper Art to dodge at top speed, but one pellet struck his arm while the rest missed.
(End of Chapter)
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