Charlotte Linlin's forehead was drenched in cold sweat.
Bad. Bad. Bad!
The enemy's power was excessive!
It was absolutely impossible to win, wasn't it?
Even if the Rocks Pirates were resurrected, facing the lineup the World Government currently presented, they probably wouldn't stand a chance!
That bastard Roa!
Because of that brat's recklessness, she was now being dragged into a desperate situation along with him!
"Wang Zhi and Silver Axe have already made their decisions,"
Imu's calm gaze fell upon Charlotte Linlin. "Only you remain, Charlotte Linlin. What is your answer?"
Before Charlotte Linlin could even respond, Kaido roared in anger: "Hey! Linlin! You old hag aren't actually going to become the World Government's running dog, like Wang Zhi, are you?!"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting, you brat!"
Charlotte Linlin snapped back testily.
Then, wiping the sweat from her brow, she revealed a determined look. "Mama is not going to submit to anyone! Bring it on, if you dare!"
The years she spent following Rocks were humiliating enough; she wasn't about to find another leader after that!
Especially not as a dog for the Celestial Dragons!
"Who do you think I am!"
Charlotte Linlin roared.
"Ugh-ho-ho-ho!"
Kaido burst into hearty laughter. "That's right! That's the Linlin I know! How can we know who will win without a fight?!!"
Er... they probably don't need to look. They'll definitely lose if they fight.
Roa thought.
"Since you choose to refuse, you can only die."
Imu spoke lightly. "What are you waiting for? Let them die."
"Attack!"
Figarland Garling, Commander of the God's Knights, drew his beloved sword.
"Hahahaha! Roa! You accursed thing, I'm going to crush you!"
Harald, whose personality had done a 180-degree turn, laughed and stepped closer, bringing his gigantic black blade straight down at Roa.
Do you hate me that much?
"Don't blame us, old friends!"
Wang Zhi chuckled, leaping forward. "We have no choice!"
"Don't get in the way!"
Shiki raised his right hand.
The power of the Float-Float Fruit was instantly lifted. The island floating in the air immediately began to plummet.
Except for the small section of coast they were standing on, the ground beneath everyone's feet fell away. Everyone was dropping downward.
Simultaneously, the tattered rock beneath their feet lifted them rapidly into the sky.
Shiki didn't hesitate for a second.
How could they possibly win under these circumstances?
Retreat!
But...
"Bring out whatever powers you have! It seems they don't plan on letting us leave just like this."
Shiki's eyes grew heavy.
Because Imu had flapped a wing and blocked their path above.
And below, the monsters were already in pursuit.
Saint Marcus (Marz) had transformed into a giant, grotesque bird, carrying the other Five Elders on his back.
More people were using Geppō (Moonwalk), rapidly kicking the air to ascend.
Most absurdly, Harald—that unbelievably massive man—was actually flying, propelled by the enormous wings on his back. The sheer force of his flapping wings created violent gales that stirred up massive waves on the sea.
"We save whoever we can."
Redfield sighed, but his eyes were firm.
Who could have imagined things would escalate to this point?
"You bastard! Run? How can we run now!"
Charlotte Linlin gripped her great sword, gritting her teeth. "There's no escape!"
They were surrounded by enemies, closing in on them from all directions!
"Then fight!"
Kaido transformed into his Dragon-Human form, roaring, "At this point, there's only fighting left!"
"Not necessarily."
Roa chuckled, squeezing Kozuki Toki's hand. "Toki, what are you waiting for? It's your turn to make an appearance. Don't go too far."
"Uncle Shiki, everyone, don't resist."
Toki's body trembled slightly.
Then, the beautiful woman looked deeply at Roa.
"I understand."
The woman gently crouched down, placing her left hand on the fractured rock beneath their feet.
"What?"
Everyone was stunned. Shiki subconsciously asked, "Roa, what do you mean? This woman—"
But, in that instant, a look of surprise suddenly appeared in Roa's red-glowing eyes.
He saw a flash before his eyes, and Shiki's voice instantly vanished.
Shiki and the others—including the rock beneath their feet—were gone.
But...
"What?"
Exclamations came from all directions. "Where did Shiki go?"
"Is that a teleportation ability similar to the God's Knights?"
Garp was also startled.
Someone else has this kind of ability!
Wang Zhi's eye twitched.
That bastard Roa! If that woman had this ability, why didn't you let her use it sooner!
Then I wouldn't have had to become a Celestial Dragon's dog!
"But Roa is still here!"
Roa pursed his lips. In that moment, he had entered his Beast-Man form, spreading his wings to stabilize his falling body.
At the same time, he pulled Toki into his embrace with his left arm, clutching her waist so tightly it felt like he might break it.
"Toki, what are you doing?"
Uncle Shiki and the others had indeed vanished, but only they had vanished!
If he hadn't sensed something was wrong in time and controlled Toki's emotions to interrupt her, she would have flown into the future as well.
What the hell is going on? I haven't gotten on the train yet!
Toki's body was shaking violently. Her face was bloodless, and tears were uncontrollably welling up in her eyes, as if she were enduring some terrifying torment.
She was indeed experiencing pain that was unbearable to ordinary people.
Disobeying Roa's command—the deeply rooted fear, dependence, cowardice—all the negative emotions caused by Roa assaulted Toki's heart like wave after wave of a tsunami.
She felt like her mind was being torn apart.
But at this moment, a weak smile, like cracked porcelain, appeared on the woman's pale face.
"Please die with me, Roa-kun..."
Roa-kun?
What an outdated term.
What did I do wrong that you won't even call me 'Boss'?
"Sorry, I can't accept that marriage proposal."
Roa, clutching Toki, shot through the air like lightning, racing away from Imu's direction.
Simultaneously, thunder and lightning poured down, attacking everyone indiscriminately.
Honestly, while no ability is perfect,
It just had to fail at this crucial moment!
And it's not like my name is Tohsaka Roa.
Toki, if you had this kind of willpower, why didn't you resist sooner?
Isn't this just incredibly awkward now?
"Hah—Hah—"
Just the act of resisting Roa's command once left Toki struggling for breath, as if her respiration were being forcibly stopped. She looked as though she might die at any moment.
But she was still smiling.
The others should live. Though they were pirates, they were valuable forces fighting the World Government, capable of changing the future.
But Roa—
Roa!
Roa-kun, just die with me...
This world no longer needs me, a ghost from 800 years ago, nor does it need you, the root of all disaster.
While flying, Roa looked down deeply at Toki.
Did I interrupt her just now?
He was definitely using his power to the fullest, but her will to resist seemed genuinely weak in that matter.
Does she really want to commit suicide with me?
The problem is there was never any "love" in the first place, so how can it be "love-suicide"?
If that's the case—
"This is frustrating. I do like you, but since you've made your choice, I can only respect it. Go to hell, Toki."
The black and white in Roa's eyes suddenly reversed.
Many of those chasing him instantly changed their expressions.
But the one who reacted most violently was, of course, Toki.
Fear, cowardice, and the dependence Roa had forcibly cultivated—a torrent of emotions rapidly surged within her in a short time.
Toki felt like she was about to be swallowed by the tide of emotion.
Roa! He wants to turn me completely into a mere specter at his beck and call!
What a cruel man, as always.
No!
It cannot end here!
Toki screamed internally.
Since she had made up her mind, she had to see it through!
Hold on, Toki! This time, I will drag Roa into hell with me!
Wow, that's surprisingly strong resistance.
Roa couldn't help but want to laugh.
People really do sometimes laugh when they're utterly exasperated.
I never knew you could be this resilient, Toki!
"What are you laughing at? Is being betrayed by someone you trusted amusing?"
An indifferent voice came from ahead.
Imu had easily broken through the lightning Roa summoned, blocking his escape route once more.
"I need to wear some expression. Smiling is better than crying, isn't it?"
Roa's smile didn't fade. He then cleared his throat and said with a touch of seriousness, "Hey, can we compromise?"
"You can only die."
The Demon Trident struck directly at Roa.
Ugh, it's annoying when people don't play along.
Roa swung his sword with one hand to block Imu's attack.
Predictably, Imu's attack split the sword and sent Roa plummeting from the sky.
Below, figures were shooting toward him eagerly.
Leading the charge was an old man with white hair.
The elder, whose face was covered in wrinkles, gripping the collar of his shirt, chuckled: "Ho-ho-ho, let this old man burn for justice one last time!"
Swish!
He tore off his shirt, revealing an extremely muscular physique!
"Pirate! Fight me!"
His normally squinted eyes suddenly snapped open, full of chilling killing intent!
Who are you? Are you Master Roshi?
Roa, who was falling, twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Everyone, stop getting in the way!"
A gale rose.
A massive tornado suddenly erupted, swallowing everyone.
The extremely turbulent airflow instantly nullified Geppō. Those with insufficient strength who couldn't genuinely fly were instantly sucked into the tornado.
Even those who truly mastered flight, like the monster bird Itsumade, struggled against the intense currents.
"You accursed brat! Are you so afraid to fight this old man head-on!"
The passionate old man was swept up by the tornado, roaring in anger.
So I ask again, who are you?
Roa willed it. Thunder and flame instantly filled the entire tornado, giving everyone a double dose of lightning and fire.
At the same time, Roa used the force of Imu's last strike to plummet rapidly downward.
The sea!
If I can just reach the sea!
"Use long-range attacks!!"
A shout of rage, whose owner was unknown, boomed from within the thunder and fire storm.
And then...
"Fist Impact!"
"Rankyaku (Tempest Kick)!"
"Elbaf's Spear!"
"Slash!"
...
Roa's mouth twitched violently.
You don't have to be this enthusiastic, do you?
A red light flashed in his eyes.
Observation Haki: Future Sight activated at full power!
Not many of them had mastered Haki-killing techniques. Coupled with his superhuman speed, avoiding the attacks should, theoretically, not be too difficult.
But theory is just theory, because there were simply too many attacks!
Several attacks from genuinely top-tier experts were hurtling toward him.
Roa instantly pushed his speed to the limit, but he couldn't avoid every attack. For the truly unavoidable ones, Roa could only summon a calamity to clash with them.
For the ones he couldn't summon a calamity for in time, he met them with his sword.
And for those where all else failed, he simply had to tank the hit.
"Guah!"
Roa let out an embarrassing cry like a random minion and was immediately struck down—plunging toward the sea below.
But.
"You have nowhere to run!"
Imu pursued him like a ghost, raising a huge double-barreled shotgun and firing at Roa.
With no room to dodge, Roa could only meet the shot with his sword.
Boom!
Amidst the roar of thunder, Roa was once again thrown backward.
Damn you, Imu! You'll pay for this!
"Galaxy Impact!!"
The next moment, Garp's iron fist smashed down from behind.
Roa twisted his body with difficulty and met the attack with his sword again.
And then, he was sent flying once more.
After all, one of his hands was still occupied protecting Toki.
Following closely:
"Elbaf's Spear!"
"Accept your judgment, criminal!"
"Don't blame me, Roa!"
Roa was bouncing around like a soccer ball.
The incessant long-range bombardment struck again. Coupled with the fact that Roa had to protect Toki, his clothes were instantly shredded, and his body was covered in wounds.
If not for his monstrous healing speed, he would be severely injured by now.
Damn it! Do you think I'm Ming Kai? Keep kicking like this?
Some major players still hadn't managed to get a direct hit.
That extremely muscular old man was simply too slow. Every time Roa neared him, someone else rushed in before he could attack.
Meanwhile, the circle surrounding Roa was tightening! The most difficult moment had arrived!
"Roa! You have nowhere left to run!"
Zephyr's voice was filled with schadenfreude.
Finally!
This guy's end is finally coming today!
Roa glanced around.
Marines, CP0, the God's Knights, the Five Elders, and Imu.
So many people tending to him alone—what a small blessing, right?
Being ganged up on by this lineup would be worth dying for—not!
Roa tilted his head slightly. Toki's trembling eyes were now mostly covered in a layer of black.
A little more?
Toki, you!
You were implanted with the seed long ago, yet you can still hold on for this long?
Roa gritted his teeth slightly. Let them see! My last desperate struggle for survival!
Roa leaned close to Toki's ear. "If I die, Dylan and the others will publicize everything, forcing Imu to begin the world purge again, making everything irreversible."
The world or my life, Toki, how will you choose?
Toki's consciousness was already hazy, supported only by a thread of conviction.
The moment she heard Roa's words, her eyes instinctively quivered.
Then, the black part of her eyes began to expand again.
Imu's eyes narrowed, sensing something was wrong. "What are you waiting for? Kill him!"
"I'll do it!"
The World Government's Commander-in-Chief, who hadn't managed to land a single hit on Roa, rushed forward first.
He was closely followed by Hero Garp, Admiral Zephyr, Figarland Garling, the Five Elders, the Demon Harald, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, and Captain John!
"Roa, die!"
"Roa, your life ends here!"
"Hahaha! You dare threaten me? Die, Roa!"
"Sorry, Roa, don't blame us!"
Voices clamored incessantly.
But faster than all the voices was Imu's Trident, which was about to pierce Roa's chest in the next instant.
Roa's expression was unprecedentedly resolute. He raised his sword with one hand to parry Imu's blow.
But Imu's immense power forced Roa's beloved sword to give ground instantly. The sharp trident even pierced directly into Roa's chest.
However.
In that very moment, a smile appeared on Roa's face. "It seems I had the last laugh! I look forward to our next encounter, Imu."
In his arms, Toki's eyes were now completely black.
Time-Time Fruit ability, activate!
But, precisely then, Toki's black eyes gave one last tremor.
Imu's expression changed abruptly. The trident was about to strike again.
But Roa instantly vanished.
Swish!
The burly Commander-in-Chief leaped forward, only to punch empty air.
"No!! How could he vanish!!"
The robust old man instantly cried out in despair, his voice full of hopelessness. "Roa! You come back here! I even burned my life force for this!!"
Beside him, Garp and Zephyr's faces were equally grim.
Did they fail again?
If they missed this chance, would there be another?
The Five Elders were trembling.
Now Imu-sama is truly going to be furious!
Wang Zhi and Silver Axe's eyes twitched.
That bastard Roa! Why won't you just die peacefully!
Imu's face showed no expression, but in those eyes, fury burned fiercely.
"Damn..."
It was a small murmur at first, then: "Roa! You shall die!!!"
A violent surge of Haki swept across the sky in that instant.
The atmosphere groaned; the sea churned.
What... what terrifying Conqueror's Haki!
Wang Zhi's face was bitter. What kind of monster is this guy!
Zephyr's expression was grave.
To overthrow the World Government, it seems the road ahead is still long and arduous.
"Search! No matter what corner of the world he is in, find him!!"
Two days later.
In the same sea area, in the same sky.
A massive rock suddenly appeared.
The rock floated in mid-air, and four people stood upon it.
"What?"
Shiki stared blankly. "What's going on? Where did everyone go?"
Charlotte Linlin was equally confused. She just remembered a flash, and then all the enemies around them were completely gone!
"Roa, was that woman—"
Kaido looked down with a hint of joy, but...
"Roa... isn't here?"
Redfield looked at where Roa had been, bewildered.
Roa and the woman were both gone!
The four looked at each other blankly. What exactly was happening?
Almost simultaneously, at Calamity City.
"Why is there no news yet?"
Dylan paced anxiously. "It should have been over by the scheduled time! Has something happened?! Boss!!"
On Roa's side.
The sensation of traveling through time was anything but pleasant.
Though it only felt like the blink of an eye, the world seemed to have suddenly refreshed. Everyone he had seen was gone.
Although he was still floating in the sky with his wings, what he was looking down on now was the sea of the future!
"Hahaha! Escape success!"
Roa laughed heartily. "Thanks, Toki!"
Of course, Toki couldn't answer him.
The woman's eyes were jet black, having completely succumbed to his control.
Scanning the empty sky, Roa took a deep breath.
It seemed Imu hadn't figured out Toki's ability, or that guy would have stayed here waiting for him to return.
The Time-Time Fruit could only travel through time; the spatial location wouldn't change—of course, "not changing" here was relative. In terms of absolute spatial coordinates, all planets in the universe are constantly moving, so the absolute coordinates are always shifting.
I wonder how far into the future I jumped—Huh?
Roa, who was absorbing the Black Mist to recover his injuries, suddenly froze.
He looked up, and his gaze instantly solidified.
Black Mist!
The Black Mist is incredibly dense!
It's on a completely different level than before!
Roa gave an awkward laugh.
Imu must have gone back, flown into a rage, and decided to take terrible revenge on the world, causing it to become increasingly chaotic, right?
It's not possible that I leaped too far into the future, straight to the height of the Great Pirate Era worsening, is it?
Haha, no way, right?
Where did I end up?!
Suddenly.
Thump-thump!
Roa abruptly clutched his heart.
After absorbing the Black Mist, a strange sensation came from his heart.
Not good!
The mist is poisoned!
Imu, you born evil—
Roa paused again.
A certain piece of information surfaced in his mind.
Then, the corners of his mouth lifted high again.
What is it? Has the evolution finally begun?
This world can finally accommodate the further advancement of Qiongqi!
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