"Kid, you're seriously crazy," Rayleigh said as he walked over and handed Roy a bottle of booze. "You actually dared to set things up so the Marines would hunt you down."
Roy was speechless.
First, he was badly injured. Second, he was eleven.
What was he supposed to do with a bottle of alcohol?
He rolled his eyes at Rayleigh.
"Mr. Rayleigh, I didn't set anything up," Roy said with a grin. "I just got lucky."
"Lucky? You think I'd believe that?"
"Believe whatever you want." Roy turned over and let Tesoro help bandage his wounds. "But I really didn't expect it to be Sengoku."
"I thought it'd be 'Black Arm' Zephyr. A Marine admiral with the title 'No Kill,' at least I wouldn't end up dead in his hands."
Rayleigh shot him a look.
This brat had been on the verge of death a moment ago, and now he still had the energy to crack jokes.
Then again… someone who could awaken Conqueror's Haki in that situation was never going to be normal.
"So what now?" Rayleigh asked.
"First, find somewhere to heal," Roy flexed his fingers. "Then pick up a few reliable crewmates."
"Crewmates?"
"Yeah. Sailing this sea alone is too damn lonely." Roy tilted his head up toward the sky. "And a lot of things… you just can't do alone."
Rayleigh chuckled.
"Kid, you've got a big ambition."
"Ambition, huh?" Roy closed his eyes.
Maybe he did.
Because after coming to this world, after witnessing the presence of true monsters firsthand, after personally feeling the miracle that was a Devil Fruit, how could he possibly settle for an ordinary life?
He was going to leave a mark on this sea, a mark that belonged to Roy alone, carved so deep it would never fade.
The ship sailed steadily toward the horizon.
The ocean glittered, and the setting sun painted the sea in molten gold and crimson. Roy returned to the cabin, feeling wave after wave of pain roll through his body.
He had won this battle.
Not just survival.
He'd won a stake in the future.
Conqueror's Haki awakening. Observation Haki advancing. The Devil Fruit he'd wanted. Two solid companions at his side.
All of it would become the foundation he'd rely on when he fought for dominance on the seas.
With those thoughts drifting through his mind, Roy slowly closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
…
Marineford, Navy Headquarters.
Sengoku had returned and was arranging the bounties for Roy and the others.
He stood by the window, looking out over the training grounds, where countless young Marines sweated and struggled, fighting for "justice."
On these seas, it had always been the same.
The strong ruled.
And now, a potential king had appeared. A gifted monster had escaped right out of his hands.
Sengoku picked up the freshly printed wanted poster.
Under Roy's name was a number that would shake the sea.
200,000,000 Beli.
The office door opened. A Navy logistics officer walked in.
"Admiral Sengoku, you called for me?"
"Yes." Sengoku handed him the posters. "Make arrangements. Get these distributed as fast as possible."
"And notify CP as well. Tell them to keep their eyes on this one."
"Yes, sir!"
…
Three days later.
Somewhere in the New World, aboard the Moby Dick.
On the massive whale-headed ship stood a towering figure like a giant, broad-shouldered and imposing, with long blond hair, a white captain's coat, and that unmistakable crescent-shaped mustache.
Edward Newgate.
Whitebeard.
He was celebrating with his "sons," throwing a feast to mark yet another victory for the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Pops!"
"There's a monster kid on the sea now," a pineapple-headed teenager said, holding up a fresh newspaper. It was Marco the Phoenix, commander of the First Division. "But this kid looks like a newcomer from the Roger Pirates."
"Oh?"
"Roger's ship picked up new blood again?"
Whitebeard took the paper from Marco. When he saw the number, he laughed.
"Two hundred million?"
"Interesting. So the sea's got another brat like this now, huh?"
He tossed the paper aside and raised his cup.
"The tide of the new era…"
"Marco, you boys better step it up. Don't go losing to that kid in the future!"
…
At the same time, all across the world…
Whether in the shadows of the underworld, or inside heavily fortified Revolutionary Army bases, countless big names noticed the wanted poster.
A first bounty of two hundred million was impossible to ignore.
Roy had made the world remember his name.
And yet, Roy himself was still asleep in bed, completely unaware that he'd become the center of the world's attention.
Bang!
Wood chips exploded through the air as a green-haired figure came crashing into the cabin.
Roy, still dreaming, jolted upright in bed.
"Ah! Boss Roy, you're awake!" Stella stood at the door with a plate of grilled fish, one hand still frozen in the act of opening it, staring at him in delighted surprise.
Roy glanced at Stella, then at the gaping hole in the cabin wall.
His half-awake brain still couldn't process what he was seeing.
Then he noticed Tesoro sprawled on the floor.
Yeah. It had to be this idiot ruining his sweet dream.
"Tesoro! You…"
Before Roy could finish, Tesoro lunged forward and wrapped him in a crushing bear hug.
"Boss… you're finally awake."
Tesoro's voice was thick and shaky. Roy froze for a beat before it clicked.
He pushed Tesoro off, looked at his bruised, swollen face, and asked honestly, "What happened to you?"
"Awake?" Rayleigh pushed the cabin door open. "Looks like you're recovering fine. This little guy hasn't rested for days. He kept pestering me nonstop to teach him how to train."
Roy stretched his stiff body, then patted Tesoro's shoulder with a bit of warmth.
"How long was I out?"
"Three days! A full three days!" Stella came over with the grilled fish. "You have no idea how worried we were. Tesoro ran to your bedside again and again every day."
"H-Hey, Stella!" Tesoro's face turned red. "Not every day… and not that many times. Just… occasionally…"
Roy smiled and cracked his neck.
Three days.
His body was basically back to normal.
The exhaustion from awakening Conqueror's Haki was gone too. Right now, he felt like he was overflowing with strength.
"By the way… got anything to eat? I'm starving."
"Yes, yes! I'll get it right away!" Stella spun around and dashed off, returning quickly with a huge basin of roasted meat and fruit.
Roy dug in like a man possessed.
Tesoro hesitated beside him for a long time, then finally pulled out a stack of newspapers and a few wanted posters.
"Boss… the Marines put bounties on us."
"Hm?" Roy took them.
Tesoro, not bad. Eight million Beli.
Stella too… five million.
Then Roy's eyes landed on his own poster, on the string of zeros beneath his photo.
Two hundred million Beli.
"Two hundred million?" Roy curled his lips into a grin. "The Marines really think highly of me."
"It's not just that." Tesoro flipped the paper open. "The news says, 'This attack on the Celestial Dragon was planned by the Roger Pirates.'"
"It calls you 'the strongest new recruit of the Roger Pirates,' 'the most dangerous rookie pirate,' and… 'a Conqueror's Haki monster'…"
Roy skimmed the headlines.
All exaggerated nonsense, blowing everything out of proportion.
But pinning the whole Celestial Dragon incident on the Roger Pirates?
Roy had no complaints at all.
Roger's crew already had a notorious name.
What was one more black pot on the stove?
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