Half a month later...
"So tell me, what the hell is going on, Fleet Admiral Sengoku?!"
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office in Marineford's headquarters, Roy slapped both hands down on Sengoku's desk with absolutely no regard for etiquette.
"Roy, calm down first... Sit down and have some tea."
"I'm not drinking tea!"
"Then how about cola? I figured that's what you'd ask for." Sengoku's attitude was unusually humble. "I promise, tomorrow will be the last one this week..."
"But tomorrow 'is' the weekend!"
'Glug, glug.'
Roy drained a bottle of cola in one go before continuing his rant. "I've already gone on twelve inspection tours this week! Twelve! I've been back at headquarters for less than twenty minutes, and you're already telling me there's another one tomorrow?"
His grievances had clearly piled up.
"Savage Fang General' Mol, 'Black Spider' Harland, Origami Kali Sith... I didn't capture any of those pirates. I wasn't even responsible for guarding them. So why is all the credit being pinned on me? And... judging from how much I've been traveling around the Four Seas lately, don't you think the Government's been promoting me a little 'too' much?"
Everything Roy said reflected exactly what he'd been dealing with over the past two weeks. Since the Battle of Totto Land, he hadn't had a single day of peace.
To his astonishment, the World Government had suddenly gone all-in on promoting him. Enies Lobby, Impel Down, and Marine Headquarters were all pushing his name at the same time, crediting him with victories that had nothing to do with him.
Roy had even looked into it himself. The pirates in question hadn't been arrested by the Marines. Nine times out of ten, they'd quietly been eliminated by the World Government itself. As a result, Roy was just sitting around at headquarters while his reputation kept skyrocketing.
Even now, he was still only an 'Admiral Candidate', but in terms of fame across the Four Seas, he had become even more famous than the three Admirals. Especially after the plaque reading "Justice Above the Stars", which he'd obtained purely by accident, was made public.
Quite a few World Government member nations had even invited him to visit. Not because they needed him to fight anyone; just having him show up was enough to reassure the public. Under the World Government's publicity campaign, Roy had practically been branded as:
'"The Marines' main force against the Twelve Zodiac."'
'"The new Hero of the Marines."'
The problem was...
"I've never even met the Twelve Zodiac! I don't know any of them! And I never wanted that stupid plaque in the first place!" Roy was genuinely speechless.
'What kind of ridiculous situation was this? Having 'Star Lord' fight the Twelve Zodiac? Whose brilliant idea had that been?'
"The truth is, you probably won't ever have to fight them," Sengoku spoke seriously. "Roy, I know you're unhappy about this. But you've seen the state of the seas. The world needs you right now. Whether it was coincidence, misunderstanding, or your own strength... your reputation has become extremely important."
Even Sengoku sounded helpless.
After everything that happened at Totto Land, Marine Headquarters had become one of the busiest places in the world. The fall of one of the Four Emperors had shaken the balance of the seas, and the complete rise of the Twelve Zodiac had thrown not only the New World, but even Paradise and the Four Seas into chaos.
Lately, there had been countless pirates wearing Sea Beast masks and claiming to be members of the Twelve Zodiac. Countries across the world were becoming increasingly unstable as well. In fact, two kings from World Government member nations had reportedly "died from illness" after becoming consumed by fear of the Twelve Zodiac.
That was why Sengoku, someone who had lived through the most chaotic era in the world's history, had agreed to the World Government's request to promote Roy. To him, this wasn't unfamiliar at all.
Back when the God Valley Incident had plunged the seas into turmoil and the Pirate King Roger was beginning his rise, the Marines had done almost exactly the same thing. They had created the legend of the 'Marine Hero', Garp.
Of course, there was one crucial difference: Garp had actually fought at God Valley, and he had spent the next half of his life crossing paths with Roger. Roy, on the other hand, had never even seen the Twelve Zodiac.
In fact, just as Sengoku had said, even if Marine Headquarters someday discovered the Twelve Zodiac's whereabouts, Roy, the "hero" they had built up, would almost certainly not be their first choice to send. Because if he were defeated by the Twelve Zodiac, the consequences would only be even worse.
"I'm asking you, Roy," Sengoku let out a weary sigh. "For the sake of justice... No... for the stability of the seas."
He had once said almost those exact same words to Garp. Because when the seas fell into chaos, countless innocent people died in the turmoil. But as long as the overall situation remained stable, at least most people could continue living.
Stability was the greater good. Sengoku was even willing to turn a blind eye to some of the World Government's darker deeds for the sake of that stability. He believed that as long as the seas remained stable, and as long as he was given enough time, he could gradually solve those problems. And if he couldn't, then he would find a worthy successor. He believed that, generation after generation, true justice would one day rule the world.
"..."
Roy didn't argue. He simply finished the rest of his cola in one gulp and turned to leave. Just before walking out, though, he glanced back at Sengoku.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku... did Vice Admiral Garp give you that bruise on your face?" he asked.
Sure enough, there was another unmistakable fist mark on Sengoku's face. Not as bad as the last one, but still obvious.
"...Yeah," Sengoku nodded quietly.
"Hasshoken's pretty impressive," Roy chuckled, waved casually, and walked out of the office.
Of course, he couldn't agree with Sengoku's way of thinking. And by now, he was strong enough to openly disagree.
Stability was certainly important. Taking things slowly for the sake of the bigger picture was the smart approach. But...
'A tree that's rotten from the roots... no matter how carefully you reinforce it or prune its branches, it won't matter. The only way to save it... is to cut it down and dig out the roots.'
Roy murmured those words silently to himself. On the outside, however, he simply wore an annoyed expression as he returned to his quarters.
The Marines of the Detention Unit, well aware of their commander's recent schedule, wisely chose not to bother the man who had practically been working nonstop. In fact, not long ago, Lieutenant Hans, who had just recovered from the hospital and even received a promotion, had tried to interrupt him. He was currently serving toilet-cleaning duty for the Detention Unit as punishment.
Back in his room, Roy locked the door behind him with practiced ease.
[Devil Fruit Loaded , Bebe Fruit: Mirage Form Lv.5]
With a casual wave of his hand, he created an illusion of himself sleeping inside the room. Then, without hesitation, he reached out toward empty space.
A Space Gate opened, and he stepped through.
Inside the pocket dimension, Roy walked forward at an unhurried pace. Before long, he arrived at a simple nursery. The plants growing there shimmered with a dreamlike glow. At the very center bloomed an enormous flower.
The moment Roy approached, the flower slowly opened its petals. Nestled inside were countless Soul Stardusts, each shining brilliantly.
"Almost ready," Roy gave them a quick glance and murmured to himself.
Then he reached into the air again. A Sea Beast mask appeared in his hand, and he placed it over his face. Streams of starlight immediately began flowing around his body. In only a few moments, the famous Marine Vice Admiral known throughout the Four Seas as 'Black Qilin' had become 'Star Lord'.
He gently waved a hand toward one of the Soul Stardusts.
'[Devil Fruit Loaded: Underworld Fruit Lv.5 , Absolute Control over Souls Acquired]'
The Soul Stardust slowly floated over to Star Lord. Only now could its true nature be clearly seen: the so-called stardust was actually a ghost-like spirit. Within that spirit rested a fragment of a pink soul.
Though calling it a "fragment" was no longer quite accurate. The soul that had once been shattered and on the verge of disappearing had now recovered to the point where it was nearly whole.
"Mmm... I slept 'so' well... Huh? Star Lord?" An innocent little voice came from within the soul.
"It's me," Star Lord nodded gently. Then he raised his hand.
'Buzz, !'
An invisible change spread around him.
'[Devil Fruit Awakening , This Is the Underworld]'
['A designated area can be turned into the Underworld. Souls within it may exist in spiritual form, possessing tangible bodies and the sense of touch. They can even eat food, though they are incapable of attacking living people.']
The next instant, the spirit began changing before his eyes. Its translucent form rapidly expanded, arms, legs, a body. Within moments, a half-transparent little girl stood before Star Lord.
She had fluffy pink hair and a chubby, childlike appearance. Star Lord naturally knew exactly who she was: she was 'Big Mom', 'Charlotte Linlin'.
"Just as I thought... her soul stayed at the age of six... No, technically she's seven now," Roy muttered to himself.
"Hmm?" Meanwhile, the newly awakened Linlin looked as though she'd just woken from a very long nap. She sleepily rubbed her eyes, then she noticed her hands. "Huh?! Linlin didn't die? Ehh?! This is amazing! I'm see-through!"
A child's attention was easily distracted, but Linlin was a good child, so she quickly remembered the more important matter. "Star Lord... Sister..." She instinctively started asking about Mother Carmel, then she seemed to remember something, and her expression darkened. "Oh... right. Sister was a bad person. She even wanted everyone in Totto Land to die with her."
She bit her lip, still looking a little sad.
Then, 'snap'. Star Lord lightly snapped his fingers.
The next instant, mountains of cakes, pastries, and every kind of dessert imaginable floated out from the Dream Clouds.
'[Dreamland Creation , Mountain of Sweets]'
And then...
"Ah! Cake!" Linlin's sadness instantly vanished. She happily threw herself at the pile of desserts, stuffing more than a dozen slices of cake into her mouth as she chewed away with a blissful smile. "So good! Oh, Star Lord! This piece is for you!"
After hesitating for a moment, she picked up a slice of cake and offered it to him. Star Lord smiled, accepted it, and quietly watched as Linlin enjoyed herself.
After eating for a while, however...
"Oh, right! Something this delicious should be shared with everyone!" Linlin suddenly exclaimed. "Star Lord, where's Katakuri? And everyone in Totto Land? And everyone from the House of Lambs?" She looked at him expectantly.
Star Lord wasn't surprised by the question. After obtaining and mastering the Underworld Fruit, he now fully understood Linlin's condition.
Back then, when she was six years old, her soul, and the souls of the children from the House of Lambs, had been absorbed and fused together by Mother Carmel. They had all existed within her body as fragments of one soul. Linlin's own soul had shattered at that moment, forever remaining at the age of six.
At the same time, however, because of her extraordinary natural talent, her soul was incredibly resilient. Even as a six-year-old, her soul had suppressed Mother Carmel's consciousness all these years. Unlike the other children, Linlin had retained all of her memories. She remembered being the Queen of Totto Land, she remembered her children, and she even still possessed the powers of the Soul-Soul Fruit.
But all the filth within her soul was gone. Now, only the real seven-year-old Linlin remained.
"Katakuri is doing well," Star Lord answered gently. "So is Totto Land. As for the other children from the House of Lambs... their soul fragments are much weaker than yours. It'll probably take them a few more days to fully recover."
"Everyone's going to wake up? That's wonderful! We can all play together again!" Her face lit up with delight. But then, she scratched her head in concern. "If that's the case... these sweets..."
After struggling with herself for a few seconds, she gritted her teeth, then she reluctantly set the dessert in her hand back down. "I-I have to save them so everyone can eat together!" With obvious reluctance, she forced herself to walk away from the mountain of desserts.
Star Lord fell silent.
"You can have as many sweets as you want," he said first. Seeing Linlin's eyes immediately begin sparkling, he added, "But before that... Linlin, I need to confirm two things."
"No problem!" Linlin cheerfully patted her chest. "You saved Linlin. And you saved everyone else too. If there's anything Linlin can help you with, just ask!"
Star Lord nodded slightly. "First... can you still use Conqueror's Haki?" he asked gently.
"Conqueror's Haki? Of course I can!" Linlin thought for a moment before remembering what he meant, then she immediately closed her eyes.
The next instant,
'Buzz!'
An invisible wave of overwhelming will burst outward. But...
"Huh? Why is it so weak?" Still releasing her Conqueror's Haki, Linlin opened her eyes in confusion and looked around.
Star Lord, meanwhile, frowned. His eyes showed a flash of understanding... but also a hint of disappointment. Using Linlin's exceptionally rare condition, he had confirmed one of the fundamental properties of Conqueror's Haki.
'Just as I thought... Conqueror's Haki is the power of the soul's will. Even if only the soul remains... it can still be used.' That much satisfied him.
But at the same time, he had also confirmed another fact: 'The strength of Conqueror's Haki isn't fixed.'
There was no doubt that what Linlin had just released was indeed Conqueror's Haki, but compared to what she'd displayed on Cake Island, its power was on an entirely different level. It was far weaker. And the reason obviously couldn't be because she'd lost Mother Carmel. In Star Lord's eyes, trash like Carmel had never been worthy of possessing Conqueror's Haki in the first place.
That left only one possibility. 'A soul's self-perception... also determines the strength of its Conqueror's Haki?' Star Lord thought to himself.
According to what Golden Lion had once told him, every user of Conqueror's Haki was the ruler of their own inner world. The strength of that inner world determined the strength of their Haki. And clearly, even though seven-year-old Charlotte Linlin retained all of her memories, her soul simply didn't possess the overwhelming presence of the Yonko she would one day become. As a result, her Conqueror's Haki had weakened as well.
'...What a shame.' Star-Lord sighed inwardly.
The reason he had rescued Linlin's soul and the souls of the children from the House of Lambs wasn't just because of his own values and basic sense of morality. There had been another reason: Golden Lion's final words.
"Find someone with powerful Conqueror's Haki. Use your soul to experience their will. Let their kingly spirit temper your own soul. That's how you awaken Conqueror's Haki. The stronger the person guiding you, the stronger your own awakened Haki will become."
It made perfect sense. Only those capable of battling mighty kings could themselves become true kings. Roy's original plan had been simple: have Linlin clash with him using her Conqueror's Haki, giving him a chance to awaken his own. And if the guide happened to be one of the Four Emperors, then the Conqueror's Haki he awakened would naturally start at an incredibly high level.
But now, that plan clearly wasn't going to work. 'Looks like I'll have to find someone with even stronger Conqueror's Haki...'
With that thought, Roy had Linlin stop releasing her Haki. Then...
"Don't resist," he made his second request. As he spoke, he slowly reached out toward her. "I want to look through your memories."
"My memories?"
"Yes."
"The memories... involving a certain person."
Linlin looked curious, but as always, she was a good child. So although she didn't understand why, she still obediently closed her eyes.
---
(End of Chapter)
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