"This time, it should be a forest, right?"
"…Yes, but it's just an artificially planted decorative forest. A real forest wouldn't be this 'neat'."
" Roman, the kings of the Riku and Nefertari families, as well as the honored guests from Fish-Man Island, please hold onto this handrail. The 'moving walkway' will take you to the venue."
Some royals were used to this kind of technology, some looked at it with envy, and others—
"Father, why don't we walk instead?"
Fukaboshi was partly thinking about his sister.
"Shirahoshi, didn't you want to see the forest? You can take your time and enjoy the view this way."
"Can we, Father?"
Hearing his children's request, Neptune glanced at Roman.
"d Roman?"
"It's fine. It doesn't matter how we get there."
In fact, the Celestial Dragons didn't like using this "moving walkway" either. They preferred to ride on slaves, lazily passing the time.
"Then we'll walk too."
The families of Vivi and Rebecca also chose to walk, enjoying the scenery along the way. Meanwhile, Fukaboshi looked deep in thought.
Something doesn't feel right…
"The area beneath this 'moving walkway'?"
Vivi frowned.
"It gives me a bad feeling."
?
"It's people."
Rebecca gave a direct answer.
"And a lot of them… weak people."
?!
"To be precise, they're slaves."
Walking ahead, Roman revealed yet another dark truth about this world.
"This so-called 'moving walkway' is actually powered by countless slaves underneath, pushing the conveyor belt forward. It has nothing to do with 'technology' at all."
!!!
"This… is just…"
"So, don't have any illusions about the World Government."
"Damn it… So this is what the so-called World Government and Celestial Dragons are really like? Descendants of gods… what a joke."
Because Roman was there, no guards from the Holy Land were nearby. And considering that everyone present was royalty who owed a great debt to the Straw Hat Crew, they weren't the type to spread Roman's words carelessly.
"Excuse me,"
Neptune didn't show much expression, but he was already sweating.
"Did those guards just… call Lord Roman 'Saint Roman'?"
"Huh? Huh?! What—"
Vivi, who had just been angrily scolding a moment ago, was now completely shocked. The villain was right beside her all along?!
"What's so strange about that? It's not like I got to choose where I was b—born. Besides, being a so-called 'Celestial Dragon' is just a title. It has nothing to do with my personality or actions."
"That's right. We all know Roman's character. He's nothing like those…"
"Yes, we trust Roman completely!"
Neptune and Cobra immediately reassured everyone, also making it clear that this matter had to be kept strictly confidential.
From pirate to Marine, from Marine to Celestial Dragon—
Rebecca didn't fully understand, but it sounded impressive!
"Relax. My identity has been a half-open 'secret' among Marine high-ups for a while now. And honestly, Vivi, aren't you technically a Celestial Dragon too? Your ancestors just refused to move into the Holy Land, that's all."
In this world, there are always odd ones in every group. Nothing to make a big fuss over.
"We're almost at the 'Social Square.' There, you can start mingling with other royal families."
This was exactly why Roman was personally leading the way.
Fish-Man Island, Alabasta, Dressrosa—while none of these kingdoms were weak, they weren't exactly top-tier in the New World either. That meant they were bound to be looked down on by some. But with the "friendship" of a Marine Rear Admiral candidate, their status would rise significantly!
Roman's presence wasn't just to make sure Shirahoshi and the others didn't get harassed by idiots. He was also using himself as a bargaining chip to give these three nations more weight in future negotiations.
"Roman,"
"Rear Admiral Candidate,"
As they walked, royal family members kept nodding and raising their glasses toward Roman in a friendly manner. Roman took the chance to introduce Cobra, Neptune, and King Riku to the nations he had dealt with over the past two years.
Especially—
"Grandmother Gloriosa,"
Surrounded by a group of strong and imposing Amazon warriors stood a tiny elderly woman, the former former queen of Amazon Lily, Gloriosa.
There was no other choice. While the current Empress of Amazon Lily was Boa Hancock, everyone knew about Hancock's hatred for the Holy Land and the Celestial Dragons...
So, there was absolutely no way she would ever attend the Reverie.
Instead, Gloriosa had taken her place. But looking at the circle of eager, smiling royals around her, it was clear that Amazon Lily had no trouble joining the World Government this year. Not only that, they would instantly secure a powerful position!
After all, Amazon Lily, located in the Calm Belt, was both an important escort force and a key resting and docking point for the United Shipping Route. In just a short time, the once-isolated island—where most women had never even seen a man—had risen to become a nation of global importance.
And since even the only real threat to Amazon Lily—the Marines—was openly supporting them, the other nations could only look on with envy…
"Heh, it's little Roman."
Given Gloriosa's age and her past connections with the Straw Hat Crew, she was probably the only one here who dared to call him "little Roman."
And as Roman introduced the three royal families to Amazon Lily, a "circle of allies" quickly formed, making the other countries watch with jealousy.
The profits from United Shipping were already enough to fund wars capable of wiping entire nations off the map!
Even with Marine backing, hadn't one of the Four Emperors, Blackbeard, already tried to snatch it once…?
——————
While Roman was busy strengthening ties between the Straw Hat Crew's allied nations, somewhere else, someone was silently staring at his picture.
Luffy, Vivi, Blackbeard, Roman, Nami…
Leaning against the "Empty Throne," a tall woman in a long robe quietly examined the photos in her hands. Beneath her towering crown, a pair of cold, emotionless eyes gazed forward.
Eight hundred years…
"So, 'you' have finally arrived?"
Too bad. In these eight centuries, I have risen far beyond your level.
Very well—
Let's see who truly deserves to be the 'King of the World'!
And when you finally understand reality, ruling this world alongside me may not be out of the question.
This time… you better know your place.
——————
In the Hall of Power, Shanks, clad in a black cloak, sat on the sofa. Across from him were the Five Elders, the highest authority in the world.
"Did you come to see us for something?"
"Because it's you, we made time for this meeting."
"With your position, you shouldn't get involved in politics. Aren't you someone who only seeks 'freedom'?"
Even though they were facing one of the Four Emperors, the Five Elders spoke as if they were equals, as if Shanks had always been one of them.
"That's true, and I appreciate it," Shanks said as the Five Elders waved their hands, signaling the guards to leave. Only then did he reveal his reason for coming.
"I'm here today because of a certain pirate."
"...Blackbeard?"
"That's right! You must already know."
Shanks had enough reason to convince the five powerful men in front of him.
"The Dark-Dark Fruit can nullify and even steal the abilities of other Devil Fruit users. It's without a doubt the most dangerous power out there."
"Unfortunately, Teach is extremely cunning. He never revealed his Devil Fruit ability before becoming a Warlord of the Sea, and after securing that title, he quickly gathered powerful allies from Impel Down. Then, by stealing the Quake-Quake Fruit, he solidified his position, eventually rising to become one of the Four Emperors."
"We know all this. We also regret not discovering his ambitions sooner, but—"
One of the Five Elders, an old man with long white hair and a lengthy beard, set down the document in his hand.
"What does this have to do with you, Shanks?"
"Because—"
Shanks lifted his head, revealing the three scars across his face.
"If Blackbeard continues to grow stronger, he will become a threat to 'Uranus'—and in turn, a threat to that person."
"?! You realize what you're saying, don't you?"
"Are you implying that the 'god' who has ruled over the Celestial Dragons for 800 years would fear a mere pirate?"
"Countless legendary pirates have challenged that 'person' throughout history, all believing they could stand above the Grand Line. Do I really need to remind you of what happened to them?"
"...I know. But that's exactly why—"
Shanks stared seriously at the five elders in front of him.
"The Dark-Dark Fruit is the only power that can threaten 'Uranus.' And I believe Blackbeard has already figured that out."
"?! That's impossible!"
"You may not know this, but Teach is an archaeologist. He has a deep interest in the story of Rocks D. Xebec. After digging into the history of that notorious pirate, he made a vow: unless he obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit, he would spend his entire life as a nobody on Whitebeard's crew."
"But fate handed him the Dark-Dark Fruit, and from that moment, his ambitions spiraled out of control. What followed wasn't just a dream—it was a carefully planned move."
Shanks crossed his fingers in front of him and leaned slightly forward.
"He plans to overthrow the Celestial Dragons' rule."
"...That can't be—!"
"Are you saying the Rocks Pirates are making a comeback?"
"If that's true, then this is the biggest crisis the world has ever faced!"
After a few moments of silence, the Five Elders exchanged glances.
A Devil Fruit alone wasn't a problem. An ambitious man alone wasn't a problem. Even archaeology alone wasn't a problem.
But when all three were combined, they formed a force powerful enough to challenge the Celestial Dragons' 800-year rule.
"So, what do you want from us?" asked the blond, mustached Elder.
Shanks remained calm and threw out his proposal.
"An alliance."
"Let's work together and recreate what happened in the 'God Valley Incident'—and bury this rising darkness before it's too late."
"Not bad, just as expected from our..."
"That's a good idea."
The Five Elders' expressions softened.
"Tell us your detailed plan, Shanks."
———
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