It might sound a little suggestive.
But at that moment, Roa was indeed caught in a tight embrace by Katakuri.
Katakuri, who had shot high into the sky, enthusiastically hugged Roa. The two maintained this posture as they slammed down onto the island's port.
One might say it had a slight resemblance to Link finally embracing the human-form Zelda at the end of their journey.
Then, Bonney, who landed right behind them, watched Katakuri passionately hug Roa and couldn't help but say,
"Is their friendship really that deep? I've never seen Big Brother Katakuri act like this toward anyone!"
Not even when facing his family's siblings did he show this much enthusiasm.
"Roa is Katakuri's only friend, and his greatest life goal! They were close comrades during the Rocks Pirates era. However, the more interesting thing is,"
Perospero paused, then smiled, "Bonney, you don't yet understand what kind of person Roa is, so you don't realize that Roa's attitude toward Katakuri is the truly special one."
"Eh—"
Bonney looked half-confused.
But Kuma, who had personally lived through that era, knew exactly what Perospero was talking about.
At the time, everyone believed Roa was a bloodless, heartless demon.
A natural disaster who appeared only to sow chaos in the world.
But even a man like that wasn't truly emotionless, was he?
"Ohoho, Katakuri, are you actually crying?"
Roa laughed with curiosity.
Nearly seventeen years old, he already stood over two meters tall, but in front of the five-meter-plus Katakuri, he was still diminutive, like a child.
Thus, the tears dripping onto his head were a bit bothersome.
"A man is allowed to cry once in a while!"
Katakuri chuckled. "It might not have been long for you, but for me, it's been a full twenty-five years!"
"I thought I'd never get a chance to surpass you in this lifetime!"
Roa couldn't help but burst out laughing. "So that's what this is about?"
"Surpassing you has been my dream for most of my life! How could I possibly forget it easily! The me of today is completely different from back then!"
Katakuri released Roa, allowing him to land. He looked down at his long-lost, yet still youthful, old friend. His monstrous mouth full of sharp teeth now stretched into a hearty, unreserved smile.
"Roa, I've had a twenty-five-year head start on you! How about it? Want to test the strength I've accumulated over these twenty-five years?"
"Oho, after two decades apart, your first reaction is to pick a fight?"
Roa curled his lips. "But before that, how about you give me the full story of everything that happened during that time."
"Good."
Katakuri nodded slightly. "I guessed you'd be interested in those matters. I also have questions I want to ask you. Let's talk somewhere else."
"Mm."
So, Katakuri led Roa and the others back to the central castle on Whole Cake Island.
The castle, originally built by Aunt Linlin, now belonged to the Charlottes.
In the castle's reception room, Katakuri and Roa sat down. Also present were Toki (Kozuki Toki) and the thick-skinned Bonney, who had wedged herself in.
The Charlotte family's Ravage Queen was highly interested in the history she knew nothing about.
"The source of everything was this woman, right?"
Katakuri looked at Toki, who was standing beside Roa. "Mama said they didn't realize what had happened at first. It wasn't until they contacted us and discovered two days had passed that they grasped the true nature of this woman's ability."
"Mm."
Roa nodded, speaking casually. "Toki is the user of the Paramecia-type Time-Time Fruit, which allows her to send any person or object forward in time."
"The Golden Lion came to the same conclusion. What an incredible ability. Mama said that if it hadn't been for her, they truly wouldn't have known how to escape that time."
Katakuri nodded as expected. "So, Roa, what exactly happened back then? Why didn't you travel two days forward with Mama and the others? If I'm not mistaken, you skipped straight to the present!"
Bonney, sitting next to Katakuri, listened intently, her eyes wide, all while constantly grabbing sweets from the nearby side table and stuffing them into her mouth.
The ability to travel through time?
There's such an amazing Devil Fruit in the world!
So, this guy called Roa traveled straight from twenty-five years ago to the present?
Does that mean his actual age is much younger than mine?
"Nothing much. Toki tried to commit double suicide with me."
Roa smiled. "A truly willful woman, right? But I didn't want to die, so I had no choice but to turn her into a Chang Gui (Tiger's Ghost). Something went wrong when she activated her ability, and in the blink of an eye, it was already a few days ago."
Chang Gui?
Hearing another unfamiliar term, Bonney seriously examined Toki.
Aside from her eyes, she didn't seem particularly special?
"Ha? Double suicide? That's such a ridiculous reason!"
Katakuri couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Roa, a man like you, missing out on these decades of the sea for such a ridiculous reason!"
"Emotions are strange, right?"
Roa shrugged, unconcerned. "So, what happened after I left?"
"After realizing you hadn't been sent to the same point in time as them, Mama and the others stayed and waited for you for a few days."
Katakuri continued, "But you never appeared. They began to worry that something had happened to you."
"However, it was at that time that the World Government increased your bounty. Mama and the others then realized you definitely hadn't been captured by the Government, otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered with the increase."
"Mm, a correct deduction. But my bounty could actually be raised?" Roa asked with curiosity. "What is my bounty now?"
"Even looking across all of history, no one's bounty is higher than yours."
Katakuri smiled. "Although hardly anyone knows about it now because the World Government tried to erase your information, when the wanted poster was published back then, it caused the entire world to boil over."
"Six billion Berries! Even Roger didn't surpass you."
"Eek! Cough, cough, cough!"
Hearing Katakuri's words, Bonney choked on the sweets in her mouth. "Six billion?? Big Brother Katakuri, really? Does this guy truly have a bounty that high? Yours is only four billion, one hundred million!"
"That's because you don't understand what this guy, Roa, meant to the sea twenty-five years ago."
Katakuri's face even carried a hint of pride.
"Alright, alright, enough boasting. What happened next?" Roa pressed.
"Realizing you were safe, and that the woman's ability was to travel into the future, the Golden Lion theorized that you had likely traveled to a much more distant future for some reason."
Katakuri said, "Then, they began discussing their next move. The betrayal of Wang Zhi's trio caused the pirate alliance to completely crumble. The balance of power had collapsed. The Golden Lion, Kaido, Mama, and Redfield—even the four of them combined were no match for the World Government at the time."
"Mama said they should hide and wait for the storm to pass. But the Golden Lion believed that instead of retreating, they should strike back hard."
"He said that since the World Government didn't know you were gone, they should be made to think you were still around! So, he launched attacks on many affiliated nations! During that period, the entire world was gripped by fear because of him. Eventually, the World Government was forced to negotiate a truce with Mama and the others."
"Wang Zhi's trio became legal pirates under the World Government, the first three Warlords of the Sea. They acted as the World Government's representatives in the New World and established an agreement of non-interference with Mama and the others. The Era of the Seven Monarchs thus came to an end."
"But—" Katakuri paused.
"But none of you expected that I would never return?" Roa said with a smile.
"Mm."
Katakuri nodded. "A few days after that battle, your subordinates contacted Mama and the others to ask about the details of the fight."
"They reached the same conclusion, but they also thought you would return soon, so they cooperated with the Golden Lion's feigned bravado."
"But, one year, two years... you never returned. The change started with Elbaf. Soon after that battle, the World Government secretly sent the demonized Harald back to Elbaf. He took away a group of similarly demonized Giants and didn't stay long before leaving. Once they realized you might be in trouble, Harald was sent back to Elbaf permanently."
"The Demon Giants took control of that nation."
"And still, you never appeared."
Roa nodded slightly.
The others were one thing, but the demonized Harald was simply not someone his former subordinates could handle. Even Uncle Shiki would likely struggle. With his already peak strength, reinforced by Imu and now possessing immortality, he was undoubtedly one of the world's top monsters.
"Your subordinates probably realized the severity of the situation. The Calamity Company began consolidating its forces, and the World Government simultaneously started a worldwide hunt. A few years later, the Calamity Company completely vanished."
Katakuri continued, "But before they vanished, they sent us a message, saying they would wait for your return."
"After that, the World Government began intentionally erasing your existence. All newspapers and books worldwide were forbidden from mentioning the name Roa."
"Is that so?" Roa was not surprised.
If anything, the fact that the World Government maintained the charade for several years showed how cautious they were.
"Soon after, your territory was divided by Wang Zhi and Kaido. They had a few small conflicts, and then the Whitebeard Pirates returned. The New World officially entered a new era."
"What about Loki and Teach?" Roa asked.
"I knew you'd ask that," Katakuri chuckled. "They appeared on the sea about five years ago. Loki commands the Giant Warrior Pirates, formed from the three hundred Giant warriors you once had. Dorry and Brogy serve under him. Teach, meanwhile, brought Doflamingo and Bege. Moria is with some people I don't even recognize."
"The funny thing is, when these three factions started making waves on the sea, everyone was shocked by their power, but hardly anyone knew they were once your subordinates."
"Eh!"
Bonney choked again. "Teach, Loki, and Moria were all Roa's subordinates?"
"And they weren't even his strongest ones," Katakuri boosted his friend's reputation once more in front of his sister. "If Roa hadn't met with that accident and the Calamity Company had developed smoothly until now, who in the world could have matched them?"
"Eek!"
The adult beauty's eyes were wide and round.
"So, Katakuri, have you seen them?" Roa asked with interest.
"I know what you're asking," Katakuri replied. "When Loki and Teach came to the New World, I went to see them, intending to give them a beating for you. But both of them said they were sailing for some sort of plan."
"A plan?" Roa raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, that's what they said. Whether you believe it is up to you," Katakuri said casually. "Besides, that was about four years ago. I don't know if they've changed since then."
"Recently, that brat Loki has been trying to attack Elbaf, but he's been repelled by Harald every time. Teach has been constantly expanding his influence and has already clashed with Wang Zhi a few times. I must say, the strength of those two has become astonishing!"
"As for Moria, that guy never came to the New World. He's been traveling all over the world. God knows how he became a Warlord."
"Is that so?" Roa nodded slowly. "Then I'll just ask them about it when I see them."
"Hahaha, so, are you going to go look for them next?" Katakuri asked, intrigued.
"Look?"
Roa twitched his lips. "Why would a Boss go looking for his subordinates? They'll come find me."
"Oh? I thought you were planning to lay low for a while, find your subordinates, and then make a huge disturbance." Katakuri asked with interest, "Are you preparing to announce your return to the whole world right now?"
"I've made this world wait for an extra twenty-five years. Let's not waste any more time," Roa mused. "Hmm, how about Wang Zhi? Since he became the Government's lapdog, he doesn't deserve to occupy the Captain's island anymore."
"Hahaha! Are you still so fixated on Rocks after all these years?" Katakuri laughed heartily.
"For me, it's only been nine years."
"But Roa," Katakuri became slightly serious. "Wang Zhi also gained immortality! Otherwise, how do you think he managed to stand firm in the New World for decades!"
"Immortality? That's not surprising, but,"
Roa raised his right hand and clenched it slightly.
Crack!
Jet-black Haki lightning leaped forth, the savage aura flashing and instantly disappearing.
However, Katakuri's eyes had widened. "That Conqueror's Haki? Roa!"
What's going on?
Though it was only for a moment, Roa's Conqueror's Haki strength was ridiculously high!
Roa twenty-five years ago was strong, but did his Conqueror's Haki reach this level?
Could it be that simply traveling twenty-five years into the future somehow made Roa even stronger?
"This should be enough for now."
Roa curled his lips. "Silver Axe's territory is still between Whole Cake and Wano, right? Let's use him as a test."
"Haha! It looks like you're about to rock the world again, you brat!"
Katakuri's eyes also grew excited.
Roa was back. The sea was about to get interesting again!
"But what if Loki and the others refuse to come see you?" Katakuri asked with curiosity.
Roa's smile grew even brighter. "Then, I can only hope they truly possess power that surpasses mine."
"Hahaha, I thought so too!"
Katakuri nodded matter-of-factly. His friend was known for his narrow-mindedness.
"Can I come along?"
Bonney's eyes sparkled as she raised her right hand. "I've been wanting to kill those two idiots, Silver Axe and Wang Zhi, for a long time!"
Katakuri glanced at his little sister, then smiled. "Then let's all go! It's a good chance to go fetch Mama back."
"Huh?"
Roa was surprised by this. "What, is Aunt Linlin not here?"
"Hehe, Mama clashed with Big Brother Katakuri again before," Bonney said, quite gleefully. "So, we helped Big Brother Katakuri beat Mama up, and she ran off in a fit to find reinforcements."
"Pffft!"
Roa instantly lost his composure and burst into laughter.
Aunt Linlin, it seems you haven't been doing so well these past years.
However, given Bonney's strength, ganging up with Katakuri, it was only natural that Aunt Linlin would get beaten.
"Wano?" Roa asked Katakuri, still chuckling.
"Where else could it be?" Katakuri said casually. "Kaido is stronger than Mama now, and his daughter, Yamato, is also extraordinarily strong."
"Oh, little Yamato?"
Roa felt a sudden sense of sentimentality. "She was only three when I left, right? Now she's older than me."
"Hmph, she's not that great!" Bonney snorted. "I'll beat that guy soundly one day!"
Katakuri explained, "Bonney and Yamato have clashed a few times, and she's been at a disadvantage each time."
"I just haven't won yet!" Bonney immediately flared up. "But I haven't lost either!"
"Alright, alright, you haven't lost, you haven't lost." Katakuri's voice was full of indulgence.
Then.
He abruptly looked at Roa. "I think we've talked enough, Roa!"
"Fine, I'll satisfy you," Roa smiled. "It's a good chance for me to get used to my new strength, too."
"So, you have gotten stronger, haven't you?"
"Mm, the world has become more accommodating to me, so I evolved a little."
"Evolved? Do you mean awakened?"
"If that's how you want to see it."
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