It certainly seemed he had traveled a long time into the future.
Otherwise, the black aura of this world couldn't possibly be this dense.
"Is it you playing tricks, Toki?"
Roa looked down, gazing at Kozuki Toki, who had completely lost her consciousness.
Although the ability was activated by manipulating Toki, his power's accuracy shouldn't have been so far off.
The only reason could only be Toki herself.
In the final moments of her life, she used all her strength to throw him into the most distant future possible.
You truly loved this world, Toki.
But what a pity.
"Fate favors me!"
Roa looked up, deeply intoxicated by the dense black aura.
Every cell in his body sang with comfort; this was a true metamorphosis on a biological level.
His body was evolving towards a higher state, and he could clearly feel that his strength, defense, stamina, and agility—his abilities in all aspects—were gradually becoming stronger.
Not only that, this was more than just a physical evolution.
The black aura, permeating this world, felt closer to him. A certain new characteristic was about to emerge.
"Phew—"
Roa slowly exhaled.
It would probably take a few days for the evolution to be fully complete, wouldn't it?
However, no matter how much stronger he became after the evolution, across the entire world, his only remaining opponent should be Imu.
And in these few days, he needed to first figure out exactly how far into the future he had traveled.
More importantly, he needed to know the current state of the world.
What happened to the Disaster Company? Where were Dylan and the others?
It would be such a shame if everyone was dead.
They were a lineup he had spent so much effort gathering.
If they were all gone, he'd lose his appetite for at least a few days.
Though, I don't really eat anyway.
"In any case," Roa patted himself down, then sighed helplessly. "I need to find a Transponder Snail first."
His personal Transponder Snail was destroyed in the previous battle, so he couldn't contact Dylan just yet.
"Hmm, let's find an inhabited island first." Roa muttered to himself.
This sea area was centrally located between the Totto Land sea and Dressrosa. Theoretically, it should be closer to Dressrosa.
But which one was closer made no difference to Roa now.
He didn't have a Log Pose, so he couldn't navigate at all.
Even a powerful figure like Roa couldn't travel normally in the New World without a Log Pose to guide him.
So, he could only resort to a clumsy method.
Roa's broad wings suddenly beat, and his body shot up like an arrow.
He flew high into the sky, scanning the sea from above to locate an island.
As for whether he'd find an inhabited island, that was up to chance.
It didn't really matter; for Roa now, the entire world was a feast, and he could afford to wait.
However, before reaching sufficient altitude, Roa suddenly stopped.
Because in the distance, at the edge of the sea, he spotted a ship—a pirate ship.
"Thanks, Old Man Fate!"
His black wings beat again, and Roa plummeted toward the ship.
"Hurry! Hurry! Speed up! Don't let those World Government dogs catch up again!"
Saladin stood by the rail of his pirate ship, peering through a telescope at the rear while gritting his teeth and shouting. "Damn Warlords of the Sea! How many pirates rushing into the New World have been defeated by that bastard in recent years!"
"The Charlotte Family is so close, why don't they go and take out that guy!"
Saladin was a pirate.
A great pirate, in fact, who set sail with the goal of finding the legendary Grand Treasure and becoming the Pirate King.
He had arduously completed the first half of the Grand Line and had just entered the New World through Fish-Man Island after a near-death experience.
But he was immediately targeted by the World Government's running dog the moment he entered these waters!
The Warlords!
These guys, who were supposedly pirates but willingly served as lackeys for the World Government, deserved to die!
Though, it seemed only the Warlords in the New World were like this; the ones in Paradise were mostly tolerable.
That despicable Captain John!!
"Captain, it looks like they're not chasing anymore!"
The pirate lookout in the crow's nest raised his voice in surprise, peering through his telescope at the sea behind. "We can't see their ship anymore!"
"Is it finally over?"
Saladin breathed a genuine sigh of relief. Although he was a great pirate with a bounty over a hundred million, facing a Warlord who had stood undefeated on the sea for decades was an immense, indescribable pressure.
"We must be nearing the Charlotte Family's territory. That guy's subordinates wouldn't dare cause trouble in a Pirate Emperor's domain! That's an unspoken agreement between them!"
"Don't lower your guard!"
However, the cautious Saladin didn't forget to shout a warning. "The Charlotte Family is even scarier than the Warlords! They are one of the most terrifying pirate crews in the entire New World! We need to try to skirt around their territory!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The pirates on deck responded in unison.
It was clear this was a cohesive pirate crew.
The next second, a wide smile bloomed on Saladin's serious face. "But, we've finally escaped and can take a breather, so... Let's feast!"
"Long live the Captain!" The pirates cheered instantly.
"Oh, a feast? Do you mind if two more people join?"
A leisurely voice suddenly reached them.
Saladin froze, then abruptly looked up. He saw two figures standing on the ship's mast, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere.
A man and a woman.
The man looked about sixteen or seventeen. Although his clothes were tattered, his striking handsomeness gave the rags a strange aura, as if they were meant to be worn that way.
The beautiful green-haired woman was held in the boy's arms, looking at least ten years older than him.
A cougar and a cub?
As this thought flashed in his mind, Saladin noticed the woman's eyes.
What kind of eyes were those?
They were like two black holes; he couldn't see any pupils, just sheer darkness.
Saladin was instantly startled.
Something's wrong!
These two must be dangerous!
They managed to board the ship silently. If they hadn't spoken, he wouldn't have even known they were there!
"Who are you!"
Saladin the Destroyer Swordsman instantly drew the greatsword from his back, pointing the sharp tip at the two figures on the mast.
"Are you assassins sent by that bastard John?"
"Oh? John?"
The handsome young man looked as if he had heard something amusing, displaying a strange smile. "He's still alive? Good. Looks like it hasn't been too long."
"Answer my question!" Saladin roared. "Brat, who the hell are you?"
Then, Saladin watched as the young man showed a look of sheer bewilderment.
He opened his mouth, pointed at Saladin, then pointed at himself, saying in disbelief, "Huh? You don't know me?"
"Why the hell should I know you!" Saladin stared intently at the young man, certain he had never seen him before.
Then, the young man adopted an expression of existential doubt. "No way? You know John, but you don't know me?"
Roa was genuinely having an existential crisis. "I'm Roa. Disaster Roa!"
"Disaster Roa?"
Saladin looked back at his subordinates.
His officers shook their heads one after another.
"Never heard of any Disaster Roa!"
Saladin, who looked about twenty years old, scoffed. "Stop bluffing, you brat!"
"..." Roa twitched his mouth.
So, he was getting the same treatment as the Captain?
That despicable Imu! You naturally evil bastard!
Do you enjoy erasing people's names so much?
Joy Boy was erased, the Captain (Roger) was erased.
Now even he was erased.
What about all the notoriety I worked so hard to build up!
This makes Roa a mere stray dog on the roadside! I have no status at all!
You have truly earned your demise!
"Sigh," Roa sighed in genuine resignation. "Never mind. I'll settle this score with that guy later. I can't beat him yet."
He looked down at the nervous pirates, smiling gently as he asked, "Young man, could you answer a few questions for me?"
Although he didn't know exactly how many years had passed, the fact that a pirate capable of sailing the New World didn't even know his name suggested a long time had passed.
In that case, this pirate, who looked about twenty, was definitely his junior. Calling him "young man" shouldn't be a problem.
Sigh, I debuted decades ago, but returned at sixteen.
"I'm the one asking questions now!"
Saladin finally lost his patience.
Although the two people in front of him looked incredibly strange, Saladin was a pirate! Few pirates had good tempers!
His questions had been ignored repeatedly. Saladin roared, leaping up, and his greatsword slashed down directly at Roa's head.
Then.
"Oh?" Roa raised an eyebrow.
This is the consequence of having no status. Even this level of scum dares to bare its teeth at me.
"I'm truly being looked down upon."
The next instant, black lightning crackled in the air.
Saladin was instantly struck as if by lightning.
No, he was struck by the black lightning.
He was instantly slammed onto the deck.
Not just him, all his companions passed out in an instant.
The entire ship shuddered violently, and cracks appeared on the deck.
"Conqueror's Haki?"
Saladin trembled all over, looking up in disbelief.
He couldn't move!
His whole body felt paralyzed!
This level of Conqueror's Haki?
What kind of monster is this guy?
Roa gently leaped down onto the deck with Toki in his arms, looking down at the shocked Saladin.
"First question: What year is the Sea Calendar right now? Answer, or die. A simple choice, isn't it?"
I've run into a monster!
But what kind of question is, "What year is the Sea Calendar right now?"
Saladin swallowed hard, his voice laced with caution. "This year is Sea Calendar 1518."
It wasn't a question he couldn't answer. If he refused, they would all surely die, right?
"Sea Calendar 1518?"
Roa paused.
The year he traveled through time was Sea Calendar 1493.
That means.
"Twenty-five years later?"
Roa's voice couldn't help but carry a hint of melancholy.
He wasn't even seventeen years old yet!
He had jumped straight to the time two years before Luffy set sail in the original story.
Speaking of which, did Dragon, who I beat up so badly back then, get married?
Will Luffy even exist in this world?
Also, those clone soldiers and people modified with Lineage Factor from back then must all be dead by now, right?
Twenty-five years?
Saladin's eyes were brimming with confusion.
What does that mean?
"Second question," Roa composed himself and continued to ask, "What happened to the Disaster Company?"
"Disaster Company?" Saladin's face held a hint of confusion. "What is that?"
"Oh, bad news," Roa clicked his tongue.
If the Disaster Company had vanished over these long twenty-five years and all his subordinates were dead, wouldn't that be a shame?
"Then, who are the most famous pirates in the world right now?" Roa continued to ask.
"..." The confusion in Saladin's eyes was overflowing.
So, this guy was hiding in some secluded place, and has only just set sail now, knowing nothing about the current state of the sea?
His confusion didn't stop him from answering immediately. "The most famous pirates in the world right now are, of course, the Pirate Emperors entrenched in the New World, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea under the World Government!"
"Pirate Emperors? Warlords?" Roa lifted the corner of his mouth. "I'm quite familiar with those titles. Tell me, who are they."
Old Man Fate, are you exerting yourself again?
"There are five Pirate Emperors!" Saladin's voice became excited. "The Strongest Man in the World, Whitebeard, Edward Newgate!"
"The King who rules the Sky, Golden Lion Shiki!"
"The Strongest Creature who commands the Beast Corps, Kaido of the Beasts!"
"The Great Chief of the Straw Hat Pirates, Straw Hat Shanks!"
"Wait! Hold on a second!" Roa raised his hand, his expression strange. "You said, Straw Hat Pirates? Straw Hat Shanks?"
"Y-yes, that's right..." Saladin immediately felt uneasy.
Did he say something wrong?
But it really is Straw Hat Shanks.
Roa narrowed his eyes. "How many hands does he have?"
Saladin was momentarily stunned again. "Two hands, of course..."
Interesting.
Not only did Shanks not give the straw hat to Luffy, but he also had both hands intact.
So, did Dragon truly lack worldly desires in this timeline?
Did Luffy, the Savior of Destiny, genuinely never get a chance to be born?
And where did the Gum-Gum Fruit go?
"Is Shanks a Devil Fruit user?" Roa pressed.
"I don't believe so," Saladin replied cautiously. "That man is known for his powerful Haki and his sword skills, which are said to rival the World's Greatest Swordsman, Mihawk."
"I see." Roa nodded in understanding.
Fascinating.
"Continue." Roa gestured for Saladin to go on.
"And finally, the last Pirate Emperor!" Saladin continued. "The man who presides over Totto Land and commands the Charlotte Family!"
Hmm? Roa paused again.
A man?
"The White Tyrant, Charlotte Katakuri!"
"Eh??"
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