"What? You knew Roger?" Vivi stared at Elder Nyon in astonishment. The unassuming old woman before her had such a brilliant past.
"That's all ancient history now!" Elder Nyon said, sitting on a small stool, her voice filled with reminiscence as she slowly began her tale.
Those were truly passionate times...
The untamable Rocks D. Xebec sought to become King of the World, while a young Roger, brimming with self-confidence, wanted to uncover the truth of the Void Century. A young hero and a proud beauty, their hearts captured...
Speaking of which, one couldn't avoid the four-way love affair between Roger and Rayleigh. You loved him, he loved her, and she loved him!
"You must have been a first-class beauty in your youth, ma'am!" Vivi sighed with emotion, captivated by the wonderful story.
"Youth is a fine thing. How I miss it," Crocus's thoughts also drifted far away.
Time passed peacefully. Ryuuto decided to check on Nami's progress. With a misleading and incompetent teacher like Rayleigh, he couldn't help but worry.
Hancock was the first to agree with Ryuuto's decision. Her reason was that she wanted to see Rayleigh!
Not only that, but she also rejected Ryuuto's suggestion to travel on the Ark Maxim. In the end... Ryuuto ended up traveling aboard the Kuja Pirates' ship, the Perfume Yuda.
As expected, a journey that should have taken only a few hours was deliberately stretched until nightfall. Ryuuto felt completely duped!
As night descended and the two giant sea serpents swam slowly across the ocean's surface, a dark figure suddenly slipped into Ryuuto's room.
"Ryuuto, I've missed you so much!" Hancock whimpered softly as she collapsed into his arms.
The moonlight shone brightly overhead as youthful passions ran wild. Two bodies became intimately acquainted. A night of tangled passion followed...
"Hah..."
As the sky brightened and sunlight streamed onto the pink bedsheets, Ryuuto yawned and slowly sat up.
"So energetic! You kept me up all night," Ryuuto said softly, a smile on his lips as he looked at the beautiful woman sleeping peacefully beside him.
"What a wonderful life," he murmured. After a good stretch, Ryuuto walked out of the cabin.
"Caw! Caw! Caw!" Before Ryuuto could even sit down, he heard the cry of a bird overhead. Looking up, he saw a News Coo carrying several newspapers, calling out incessantly.
"Here, for you!" Familiar with the News Coo's methods, Ryuuto fished out a gold coin and flicked it into the newspaper bag.
"Caw!"
A glint of gold flashed. The News Coo nodded in satisfaction, let out a loud cry, and plucked a newspaper from its bag, dropping it to Ryuuto.
"I really envy Morgans for having these amazing birds." After a moment of appreciation, Ryuuto unfolded the paper.
The Old Emperor Has Fallen, A New Emperor Ascends: Black Dragon Ryuuto!
The bold, black characters delivered a powerful impact.
"You've got to be kidding me! They're going this big?" Ryuuto was stunned that Morgans would publicize him in such a way.
He turned the page...
There was a collection of photos showing Ryuuto defeating Warlords and Marine Vice Admirals. His Raijin Form carried an aura of absolute destruction, and his Kui Dragon Slash was ferocious. Just standing there, Ryuuto exuded an air of deadly intent.
Ryuuto nodded in satisfaction and continued flipping through, finding several wanted posters tucked together.
[Black Dragon: Ryuuto]
Bounty: 3,000,000,000 Berries!
[Pirate Empress: Boa Hancock]
Bounty: 2,150,000,000 Berries!
[The Vintner: Nefertari Vivi]
Bounty: 530,000,000 Berries!
[Rampaging Giant: Jean Bart]
Bounty: 450,000,000 Berries!
[Old Ship's Doctor: Crocus]
Bounty: 380,000,000 Berries!
[Navigator: Nami]
Bounty: 28,000,000 Berries!
Looking through the bounties, Ryuuto realized he had underestimated how wary the World Government was of him. They had already raised his bounty to the level of an Emperor. This meant Morgans's propaganda actually had some merit. But to become an Emperor, a high bounty alone wasn't enough.
"Even Hancock has a bounty now! It seems the Seven Warlords system is about to become a joke! Wait, are there even any Warlords left?"
"Doflamingo, Blackbeard, and Gecko Moria are dead! Jinbe and Kuma refused the summons; Jinbe was even thrown into Impel Down for it. Hancock has a bounty, and Mihawk has vanished!"
"Good grief! It's a total wipeout!" After analyzing the situation, Ryuuto was dumbfounded. The once-mighty Seven Warlords of the Sea were now completely gone.
"And then there's Nami. Since she didn't participate in the Summit War, her bounty is still 28,000,000 Berries. It seems a bit out of place."
"I wonder what Nami will think when she sees this."
"Is this Crocus's first bounty? Does that mean he was never wanted back when he was on Roger's crew?" Looking at Crocus's strange epithet on the poster, Ryuuto suddenly had a theory. It was certainly possible. After all, Crocus was the only non-combatant to join the Roger Pirates, and he was only on the ship for a year.
After reading the latest news, Ryuuto placed the newspaper on the table. With a single leap, he reappeared at the bow of the Perfume Yuda.
"How far are we from Rusukaina?" Ryuuto asked, standing at the bow and addressing the two giant Yuda serpents below.
"Hiss~ Hiss~" The two serpents swayed their bodies, flicking their tongues in response.
"Ryuuto, we should be arriving soon!" Hancock's voice came from behind him, translating for the serpents. She then sat down and casually picked up the newspaper.
"What?" A moment later, Hancock's shocked voice rang out.
At that moment, people all over the world were seeing the latest paper from Big News Morgans.
"An Emperor? An Emperor of the Sea!" Cobra and Igaram huddled together, exclaiming in shock. "If I remember correctly, didn't Ryuuto just leave Alabasta a few months ago?"
"Yes! This is too fast!" Igaram muttered. He continued flipping through the pages, and a look of joy spread across his face. "It's Princess Vivi! She..." Before he could finish, tears began to stream down his face.
"What? Vivi has a bounty of 500 million Berries!" Cobra's shriek echoed through the palace.
With a flutter of wings, Pell heard the commotion and rushed over. He excitedly held Vivi's wanted poster, his lips moving as he tried to find words.
On Drum Island, Dalton sat by the fireplace, holding the newspaper with a look of utter disbelief. "Has that reckless young man really grown to this extent?"
"Kureha will surely be happy to hear this!" he said, pulling on his cloak and rushing out into the snowstorm.
In Cocoyasi Village...
Genzo stormed into a wooden house by the sea, furiously brandishing a stack of wanted posters.
"Nojiko, that bastard Ryuuto! He definitely hasn't been taking good care of Nami!" Genzo slammed the posters down in front of Nojiko, his face a mask of rage. His reasoning was simple: Ryuuto's own bounty was a staggering 3 billion Berries, while Nami's was a mere 28 million. The disparity was immense!
"3 billion Berries? 28 million Berries?" Nojiko compared the two, thought for a moment, and then said slowly, "Could it be that Nami didn't even participate in this Summit War thing?"
"Now that you mention it, that does make sense!" A flash of insight struck Genzo. He then pulled out another carefully folded poster from somewhere—it was Nami's very first wanted poster.
"They're exactly the same!" After a careful look, Genzo accepted Nojiko's point.
On the Sabaody Archipelago, Marco sat on a whale-shaped pirate ship in a shipyard, a bandage wrapped around his head.
"An Emperor, huh? I imagine you'll soon become a target for everyone," Marco said, shaking his head with a complicated expression.
Not far away, Luffy and his crew were also looking at the same newspaper.
"What! 3 billion Berries! A new Emperor? Luffy, are we really going to get revenge on Ryuuto?" Usopp asked weakly, his voice barely a whisper.
At his words, Zoro's eyes snapped toward him.
"That man..." Zoro's mind flashed back to his few encounters with Ryuuto. "It seems like every time we've met, his strength has been overwhelmingly hopeless!" Zoro murmured to himself. To be honest, he was skeptical that Luffy could actually defeat Ryuuto. But that just made it more interesting.
Isn't life all about gazing up at a mountain, striving to climb it, and then conquering it?
In an instant, a blazing fighting spirit ignited within Zoro.
"I'll kill him myself! I'm the man who will become King of the Pirates!" Luffy declared, clenching his fists with fierce determination.
"Haaa..." Sanji slowly lit a cigarette and blew out a perfect smoke ring.
"One day, I too will stand at the top of the world," he vowed to himself.
In Totto Land, Perospero sat on a candy chair, flipping through the newspaper with a look of surprise. "When did this rookie appear? His growth rate is terrifying!"
Cracker lay on the floor nearby, idly playing with a biscuit. "What rookie?" he asked curiously.
"See for yourself!" Perospero tossed the newspaper over to him.
"Whoa! This is big news! Whitebeard is actually dead! Huh, what's with this rookie? If I'm not mistaken, all his kills are Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals!!"
"What kind of rookie is this? This is way too scary!" Cracker hadn't even recovered from the excitement of Whitebeard's death before he saw Ryuuto's glorious achievements. The sight was a genuine shock.
"Looks like the New World is about to get lively again," Perospero sighed, slowly walking out of the hall.
"Where are you going?" Cracker's voice called from behind.
"What are you waiting for? With Whitebeard dead, all his territories are up for grabs!" Perospero scolded him, his tone dripping with disappointment.
"Right, right..." Cracker finally snapped out of it.
Somewhere in the New World, Shanks held a thick stack of papers and turned to Beckman. "Are Marco and the others still on the Sabaody Archipelago?"
"As far as I know, they're still waiting for their ship to be coated," Beckman replied, carefully cleaning his rifle.
"I... Use a Den Den Mushi and contact him immediately. Look at the time!" Shanks said, his brow furrowed. He seemed to want to say more but held back, letting out a long sigh instead.
The papers in Shanks's hands were the latest intelligence reports from the New World. Most of them described the same thing: the territories of the Whitebeard Pirates being seized one after another.
"Alright, I'll contact him now," Beckman acknowledged, understanding the urgency, and immediately got to it.
Meanwhile, in Wano Country, Kaido was dead drunk, passed out on a dais, his snores thundering through the air. Several newspapers lay undisturbed on his stomach.
As for the Marines... after holding several emergency meetings, a series of decisions were made.
First, a global military conscription would be initiated.
Second, a new location for Marine Headquarters would be chosen.
The conscription was necessary because the Summit War had resulted in too many casualties, and they urgently needed to replenish their forces. As for relocating HQ, the current Marineford was a ruin, completely unsuitable to serve as their main base. But as for where the new headquarters would be... that required careful consideration.
After making these arrangements, Sengoku resolutely resigned from his position as Fleet Admiral. His reasoning was simple: his strategic errors had led to the deaths of countless Marines and the utter loss of the Marines' prestige.
Suddenly, the position of Fleet Admiral was vacant.
"Ryuuto, I'll be counting on you from now on! I'm your woman now!" After reading the wanted poster, Hancock clung tightly to Ryuuto, her voice shy. As a certifiable love-struck romantic, the World Government placing her wanted poster right after Ryuuto's was undoubtedly a recognition of her status. In those few short minutes, a grand drama had already played out in her mind.
In her fantasy... she and Ryuuto sweetly entered the halls of marriage, lived happily ever after, and had two adorable children!
"Hancock! Look ahead, isn't that the island?" Ryuuto's voice broke through her daydream.
Before them, a large island had appeared. The first thing they saw was a range of tall volcanoes, their craters constantly spewing steam. Below them was a forest of mushrooms hundreds of meters tall.
"Mm-hm, we're here!" Hancock nodded.
"What a strange island," Ryuuto murmured, marveling at the masterful work of nature.
ROAR...
Suddenly, a massive roar erupted from the depths of the sea. The water's surface churned violently, as if a primeval beast was about to burst forth.
"Mohmoo!"
Hearing the familiar sound, a smile spread across Ryuuto's face, and he shouted the name loudly.
ROAR!!
A torrent of seawater shot upwards, and a figure that was part bull, part dragon, burst from the waves. It let out an excited roar and charged toward the Perfume Yuda.
HISS!! HISS!
The sight terrified the two giant Yuda serpents. Fortunately, after a quick explanation from Hancock, they managed to hold their ground.