"Hoho, here it comes!" Roa smirked.
He had never seen such a turbulent, surging wave; it was as if the ocean itself had been punctured. An unimaginable leviathan, defying all human concepts of scale, burst out of the seabed.
A colossal, exaggerated mountain suddenly rose from the sea. Beneath this mountain of water, a faint golden light began to glow.
Then—
Boom!
The mountain of seawater suddenly exploded.
"ROAR!!"
A massive roar shook the heavens, and a colossal shadow tore through the sea.
"Hoho! The fishing folk are going to be ecstatic now!" Roa tilted his head back, gazing at the enormous monster that had shot into the sky, creating a giant cloud that overshadowed the ocean.
Catching a fish like this—you'd be able to brag about it for life!
The behemoth, having leaped out of the sea and into the air, couldn't defy gravity's pull forever and slammed back down onto the surface of the water.
Boom!
Just like when Shiki dropped an island into the ocean, the sea instantly exploded, sending massive, circular waves rippling outwards. Roa raised his left hand, and Haki spread out to form a barrier, blocking the incoming waves.
ROAR!
The colossal creature thrashed on the surface, keeping the sea in a state of constant turbulence. It seemed his Conqueror's Haki attack had indeed caused it immense pain.
Roa, however, was only looking at the 'lantern' extending from its head. This giant Anglerfish loved Pure Gold. Over its immeasurably long life, all the Pure Gold it collected had been amassed inside that lantern.
The quantity might be quite large.
"First, let's make you quiet."
Honestly, it was getting a bit loud.
Roa raised his right index finger, pointing it at the thrashing Anglerfish below. A point of light suddenly bloomed on his fingertip.
The next moment, a brilliant radiance erupted. Within the intense light, the pinpoint extended a dazzling ray, which fell like a laser onto the Anglerfish's head.
This move was called Cero!
Its essence was to control a super-miniature solar flare bomb—an indiscriminate explosion—and focus it into a directed beam using sheer control. The power was more concentrated, and the penetrative force was astonishing.
Hiss.
There was only a soft sound. No explosion, no roar. The beam silently pierced the kilometer-sized head of the giant Anglerfish.
And then, the behemoth, capable of biting off half an island in one gulp, finally fell silent. Its mountainous body, which had been churning the sea, could only slowly relax, stirring the ocean one last time with its final spasms. It now floated motionlessly on the surface.
Yet, despite having easily defeated this world-devouring Super Sea King with a single attack, no hint of happiness appeared on Roa's face. Instead, he was lost in deep thought.
What was he thinking?
Was he mourning the death of this leviathan, which had survived for untold ages, lamenting how destruction was always simpler than creation?
Or was he excited about immediately acquiring a massive amount of Pure Gold, enough to build a truly immortal army?
Roa's brow slightly relaxed. He nodded gently to himself and muttered,
"Sure enough, shouldn't it be called the Death Beam?"
If he shot an even thicker ray with both hands, he'd call it Kamehameha.
Hmm, not bad.
"In any case, let's check the spoils first."
The massive lantern, glowing with golden light, now floated on the sea, constantly bobbing with the turbulent waves.
Roa lightly raised his right hand. A pitch-black color suddenly spread out, forming the outline of a giant arm in the air like spreading veins. Using Haki as a connection and his willpower to materialize the wind, he formed a colossal arm capable of manipulating the world.
The giant arm reached toward the behemoth on the sea, gripped the massive lantern, and with a casual yank, tore the golden object from the now-silent Anglerfish.
Then, the palm gently squeezed, and the internal force of Armament Haki activated, grinding away all the surrounding flesh and organic tissue.
When the massive hand opened before Roa, what appeared was a mountain of gold.
Well—a small mountain of gold.
It wasn't as much as he'd imagined, only a few meters in size. Creating such a large wind-arm was completely overkill. Still, this size was probably already staggering.
After all, a mere grain of Pure Gold was enough to grant immortality. The number of people this small gold mountain could grant long life to was simply mind-boggling.
Now, having been freed from the lantern's restraint, the Pure Gold truly began to radiate light. The giant palm seemed to cradle a sun, emitting an astonishing brilliance. Yet, strangely, the golden light wasn't blinding at all; instead, it was quite gentle.
Roa rubbed his chin. A metal that glows must undoubtedly be radioactive. To shine this brightly, the radioactivity must be off the charts. But it was precisely this radioactivity that dramatically slowed the aging process of any creature bathed in the golden light.
How much did it slow aging?
The facts were astonishing. In the original story, the little girl spent two hundred years inside the Anglerfish's stomach and didn't grow at all, remaining physically six or seven years old. That wasn't just a difference of a few or even a few dozen times—it was a difference of at least a few hundred times.
In other words, an ordinary person who received a single grain of Pure Gold could live for at least ten to twenty thousand years.
That's why the existence of this stuff made the incredible ability of immortality so cheap. The Ope Ope no Mi's Immortality Surgery required sacrificing the user's life!
"Time to store it."
The giant hand shrank, the wind dissipating, until it refined into a hand composed purely of Haki. Though much smaller, when closed, it was still large enough to cup the Pure Gold in its palm.
The pitch-black Haki hand suppressed the radiating light of the Pure Gold, though it couldn't stop it completely, as intense light still seeped through the gaps between the fingers.
Then, Roa looked toward the giant Anglerfish's belly.
Time to rescue people.
The Deep Sea Transport Company was an indispensable part of the Calamity Corporation. The Fish-Man fleet commanded by Fisher Tiger traveled the four seas. Without their help, the weapons produced by the Calamity Corporation couldn't be easily transported around the world.
Observation Haki instantly penetrated the giant Anglerfish's body. The location of the people inside its belly was immediately confirmed.
Then, a sudden torrent of wind gathered, accompanied by spreading Haki, and another unbelievably huge arm materialized. The difference this time was that this arm held an enormous, massive greatsword.
The rest was simple. The arm swung the greatsword, tearing a giant incision across the Anglerfish's belly. As the greatsword dissolved back into the wind, the giant hand reached into the slit.
A few minutes earlier, inside the Anglerfish's stomach.
Because of the Anglerfish's thrashing, its stomach was completely churning.
"What in the world is happening?" Tiger, carrying Dr. Myskina Acier with one hand and gripping the rock floor with the other, yelled in shock. "Did this thing go mad?!"
The Anglerfish was constantly rolling, causing everything in its stomach to flip and turn repeatedly. Stomach acid sometimes surged like a huge wave, sometimes poured down like a waterfall from above. Even the small island they were on nearly flipped over more than once.
"This isn't normal!" Dr. Myskina Acier shouted hoarsely. "Lord Angler has never been this agitated! It's fighting! It must be fighting something!"
"But that shouldn't be possible. Given its size, there shouldn't be any creature in the deep sea capable of fighting it!"
"If it's not a deep-sea creature..." Jinbe, holding the little girl Olga, suddenly spoke. "Brother Tiger, could it be... reinforcement has arrived?"
Tiger was stunned, then immediately ecstatic. "That makes sense, Jinbe! Our kin who weren't swallowed wouldn't just sit by! They must have called the Calamity Corporation for help!"
"So," Dr. Myskina Acier was speechless, "the Calamity Corporation you speak of... has the ability to fight Lord Angler in the deep sea?"
"The others in the Calamity Corporation might not," Tiger said seriously. "But Roa—"
"Roa?" The little girl Olga blinked her large eyes.
"That guy could easily flip the entire ocean over," Jinbe said flatly.
"Eh!" Olga's eyes widened.
Just then, the violently thrashing giant Anglerfish stopped moving.
"It seems to be over." Tiger looked up, slightly relieved. "If it's Roa, he should have handled it, right?"
"If it was truly Roa, no matter how big a fish is, it's still just a fish in front of him," Jinbe said with a sigh.
The only thing worth scorning was Roa's character, but his power was undeniable. As the pirate with the highest bounty in the world, Roa was truly a monster among monsters.
"Lord Angler... was it killed?" Olga's voice was dry. "That's impossible, isn't it? How could that happen?"
Dr. Myskina Acier nodded repeatedly. Lord Angler was a Super Sea King, larger than an island!
Tiger and Jinbe exchanged helpless glances. In front of a true powerhouse, the bigger you were, the bigger the target.
Then, the golden light that had been shining on them through the Anglerfish's body suddenly faded away. The enormous stomach instantly plunged into darkness.
"The Pure Gold in the lantern was taken?" Dr. Myskina Acier cried out in alarm. "Was Lord Angler really killed?"
Otherwise, how could the lantern have been taken?
Before they could say anything more, the 'sky' above them was abruptly cleaved open by a gigantic fissure. Sunlight poured in through the gap.
"Ehhh!!!"
Dr. Myskina Acier and his daughter were instantly shocked into classic One Piece faces—eyes bulging, snot flying, tongues practically lolling out. The huge stomach had been sliced open!
But the more astonishing sight came next. The enormous fissure was rudely pushed open, and a hand that blotted out the light reached in, grasping toward them without hesitation.
"Ehh!!!"
Forget the Allche father and daughter; even veterans like Tiger and Jinbe felt their knees buckle slightly. If that behemoth had just slammed its palm down, everyone would have died!
Fortunately, the massive hand showed no intention of crushing them. Instead, it simply scooped up the entire small island they were standing on.
Everyone then experienced another violent bout of vertigo.
"I believe it now! That Mr. Roa really can flip the ocean over!" Dr. Myskina Acier screamed repeatedly.
Of course, the intense shaking didn't last long; things soon stabilized. The giant palm then opened, and everyone finally saw the light of day.
"We... we finally got out?" Tiger sighed with relief from the bottom of his heart.
"Brother Tiger, below!" Jinbe's gaze pierced through the nearly transparent giant palm, looking down.
Hearing him, everyone instinctively looked down.
They then saw the massive creature lying quietly on the sea, its belly split open.
"Lord Angler was really killed!" Dr. Myskina Acier screamed.
"What kind of person could possibly do such a thing!" His daughter Olga was equally dumbfounded.
"Is that so surprising? It was just a fish I killed."
A figure gently landed on the palm.
"Lord Roa!"
Tiger and Jinbe immediately jumped up and greeted him respectfully. No matter what they might grumble about behind his back, they had to maintain proper respect to his face.
"You're alright, Tiger, Jinbe," Roa asked with interest. "I rushed over the moment I heard something happened to you."
"We're fine," Tiger said concisely. "Thank you very much for your assistance, Lord Roa."
"We're all on the same side," Roa said with a smile. "No need to be so formal."
He paused, then added, "I hear Fish-Man Island is getting a bit chaotic lately. Do you need my help?"
"Really?" Tiger's eyes lit up. He had been debating this very matter.
"Just lend the name of the Calamity Corporation to Fish-Man Island. Whoever causes trouble there is opposing me, and opposing the Monarchs of the New World," Roa said casually.
The name of the Calamity Corporation was far more effective now than the Whitebeard Pirates' flag was in the original story. After all, everyone knew the Monarchs of the New World were allies.
"That would be wonderful!" A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Tiger's face. If that happened, Fish-Man Island would surely be safe! How many pirates heading to the New World would dare to offend the monsters who ruled that sea before even entering it?
"But, Tiger," Roa's smile grew wider. Such things always came with a 'but.' "I'm a businessman. Let's talk business. Since I have given, shouldn't I also receive something in return?"
Tiger's expression subtly changed. "What are your terms?"
"How about letting me recruit an army on Fish-Man Island?" Roa asked. "You've worked with me long enough to know my attitude toward Fish-Men. You don't need to worry about me harming them."
He had long coveted the Fish-Man race's naval combat abilities. The Deep Sea Transport Company only handled logistics; it wasn't a fighting force. Now was the perfect opportunity.
Tiger and Jinbe's expressions both slightly stiffened. As expected, Roa was after the Fish-Man race's combat power! However, Fish-Man Island had lost the right to refuse him, especially at this moment.
"I need to return and discuss this with the King," Tiger could only say. They had to stall for time.
"Don't keep me waiting too long, then," Roa said, smiling, without pressing the issue.
"Understood." Tiger nodded glumly.
Then, Roa finally looked at the father and daughter, who were huddled together with anxious expressions.
"You have the ability to create Pure Gold, don't you?" Roa asked directly. He had long forgotten the man's name, but he clearly remembered the ability to create Pure Gold.
"Eh?" Dr. Myskina Acier was stunned.
Tiger and Jinbe were also shocked. How did he know? Even if he knew about Pure Gold, how did he know Dr. Myskina Acier could create it?
"In that case, you'll be working for me from now on. Refusal is not an option. As compensation, my people can help treat your daughter's illness."
"Eh?!"
He even knew about Olga's terminal illness?!
And so, Dr. Myskina Acier, who hailed from over 170 years ago, joined Roa's crew.
Tiger and Jinbe couldn't understand how Roa knew about Allche and Olga, but they dared not interfere. They could only console themselves that Roa was at least decent to his own people.
They then took their leave, using the very legitimate excuse of needing to consult with the King about Roa's proposed deal. Roa graciously agreed, then placed a Fear Mark on all the Fish-Men except Tiger and Jinbe, deciding it was best to keep the Pure Gold a secret.
Tiger and Jinbe were furious but dared not voice it on behalf of their comrades, whose guts were currently scared out of them by Roa's gaze. Furthermore, they still had to go search the sea for their kin who had been knocked unconscious by Roa's Conqueror's Haki.
Meanwhile, Roa returned to Calamity City with the Allche father and daughter and the massive lump of Pure Gold.
He immediately went to Judge's laboratory. On one hand, he wanted to introduce a new colleague; Allche's ability to create Pure Gold meant his expertise in chemistry and physics was certainly high. On the other hand, Roa intended to have Judge thoroughly research the Pure Gold.
Upon arriving at the lab, he found Judge sitting in a chair, looking dejected.
"Oho, what's wrong with my Chief Scientist?" Roa asked with interest. "Did your research hit a roadblock?"
Seeing Roa enter, Judge immediately stood up. "Boss! I apologize for letting you see me like this. It's just that the attempt to research the Pluton's power source failed again..."
"I told you not to worry about it, Judge," Roa said with a smile. "We have all the time in the world."
Yes, with the Pure Gold, we have even more time.
"No, Boss, we've run into a new problem," Judge said with a bitter smile. "Besides the material and theoretical hurdles, the craftsmanship simply isn't up to the standard required for the Pluton."
Craftsmanship?
Manufacturing technique?
"The shipwrights of Water Seven aren't good enough?" Roa asked, curious.
Judge shook his head, looking troubled.
Roa rubbed his chin. Joy Boy's last words seemed to mention that the creation of Pluton required the participation of the Oar Warband, who mastered the ultimate shipbuilding techniques. These people were the legendary shipwrights of Elbaf. Were they the ones who bridged the craftsmanship gap Judge was speaking of eight hundred years ago?
But they had vanished long ago and couldn't be found.
In that case—
Roa's eyes lit up. "Then how about we visit the origin of all things? Perhaps there will be a surprise there."
"The origin of all things?" Judge looked at Roa, confused.
"Ha, consider it decided. Next stop, the Moon!"
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