Marine Headquarters.
Before long, Roman was "dragged away" by Garp. It wasn't just because a Marine standing among a group of royals felt out of place—there was something more urgent.
"What?! Aokiji attacked the Marines?!"
You might as well say Akainu did a strip dance at Marine Headquarters.
"Hahaha! If that really happened, I'd get a camera snail ready!"
Garp slapped Roman's shoulder, making a loud *bang, bang, bang* sound that even caused Roman's Armament Haki to ripple.
"Anyway, the fact is, 'Aokiji' attacked our 16th division, causing the loss of over ten warships. Casualties are severe—Sakazuki is absolutely furious, hahaha~~"
"Alright..."
Roman let out a helpless sigh. The Marines were big, sure, but spreading their forces too thin also meant more trouble. A few Admirals and Vice Admirals were barely enough to cover everything—especially now, with the World Conference happening, and so many troops assigned to protect the royals.
"Vice Admiral Garp, Candidate Admiral Roman, please come in!"
As a soldier pushed open the door, the room filled with smoke. A group of old-timers sat around, puffing away while listening to a pair of black surveillance Den Den Mushi on the Fleet Admiral's desk.
What's this?
"I'm not here for you, Morgans, you damn bird! You wrote me up in the papers like I'm some crazy old hag..."
A loud, greedy, and domineering voice came through—it was BIG MOM. And the person she was talking to was—
"Are you kidding me? No way!"
"The Straw Hat Crew already ruined my business and sent 'Joker' to Impel Down! Now they're coming after me? I'll wipe them out completely!"
There was no doubt—that was "Kaido of the Beasts."
"Ma ma ma ma, you go ahead and try! I'm not asking for your opinion, I'm *telling* you—Straw Hat Luffy is mine!"
*Click.*
"...So, what do you all think?"
What do we think? Obviously, we *see* the problem right in front of us.
"This could be bad. If BIG MOM and Kaido make contact… there's a chance they might join forces," Garp said, scratching his silver hair. "Don't forget, they were both once part of the Rocks Pirates. It's not impossible."
"Hmm..."
Akainu's face was serious. Green Bull was guarding the World Conference, while Fujitora was in contact with the kings of Alabasta and Dressrosa, preparing to propose the abolishment of the Seven Warlords at the conference.
Even though Akainu and Fujitora had argued over the Den Den Mushi, Akainu had secretly begun preparing forces to wipe out the Warlords.
But now, at such a critical moment...
"Should I go take a look?"
Kizaru rarely volunteers for a mission, but Akainu shook his head.
It's not that he was worried about Kizaru getting hurt—people often say the three Admirals aren't as strong as the Four Emperors, but that's not true. If Kizaru became a pirate, how much would his bounty be?
Easily over 10 billion berries!
His Glint-Glint Fruit gives him unmatched speed across the seas. He could assassinate two kings today, take out a few Celestial Dragons tomorrow, and no one would be able to stop him unless they had top-tier warriors protecting them at all times. For anyone who isn't strong enough, Kizaru could take their heads as easily as picking something from his pocket.
And his laser explosions are incredibly destructive. If he wanted to, he could turn the world upside down all by himself. That's why, no matter how lazy he acts, no one dares to complain—because if his power ever fell into the wrong hands, it would be a disaster.
"No, Wano Country is complicated..."
As Fleet Admiral, Akainu knew that the World Government had been secretly negotiating with Wano's "Shogun," Kurozumi Orochi, about purchasing Seastone. Akainu hated dealing with the World Government, but Wano was a fortress that was nearly impossible to invade. He'd rather let them handle it.
He had no intention of embarrassing himself by getting involved.
"Just stay alert about this situation. But what really concerns me is what happened near 'Sleep Ancient Town.' The 16th unit was attacked by 'Aokiji.'"
Even though Akainu and Aokiji had different beliefs, they had fought side by side for years. Akainu refused to believe that Aokiji would actually kill his former comrades.
"The attacker was definitely the former Marine Admiral, Aokiji!"
A Marine Rear Admiral, covered in bandages, stepped forward, his voice filled with anger.
"I know what I saw! And my men—if that's not enough proof—"
Rip—
He tore off his bandages, revealing severe frostbite across his chest. The sight made the room fall silent, as Vice Admirals and Admirals exchanged heavy looks.
"Calm down for now."
Roman waved his hand, and a few green papers floated over, gently sticking to the Rear Admiral's chest. His actions drew everyone's attention.
"If I'm not mistaken, the one who attacked you wasn't the real Aokiji—it was a copy created by an ability."
?!
"Could it be him?"
Garp was the first to react, stroking his beard with a thoughtful expression.
"'Red the Aloof : Patrick Redfield?"
Akainu frowned. That damn Blackbeard, Teach—not only did he break out with a crew of powerful criminals from Impel Down's Level Six, but he also released several monsters back into the world.
Like the former 'World Destroyer,' who was now the captain of the 'United Transport Fleet.'
And then there was the legendary lone warrior, the Red the Aloof.
"Yes. If it's him, everything makes sense."
The Red the Aloof was a top-tier pirate from the previous era, once considered an equal to Roger and Whitebeard. Sengoku even said that he alone was as strong as the entire Whitebeard Pirates.
But Garp had a different take: "He's not someone who will be remembered in history."
That wasn't a contradiction. Red the Aloof was undoubtedly one of the strongest in the world, but he was... unmotivated. He had no interest in ruling the seas or conquering the world.
His Observation Haki was so advanced that he could hear people's thoughts clearly. If he got too close, he could even read their memories. It was a burden he found exhausting, so in the end, he practically allowed himself to be locked up in Impel Down, treating it like retirement.
Roman also knew that the Red the Aloof had a pet—Pato, a tanuki.
Its real identity? A quill that had eaten the Mythical Zoan 'Tanuki-Tanuki Fruit.'
With the Red the Aloof's top-tier Observation Haki, he could write 'memories' on Pato's leaves and bring them to life, even changing the environment into scenes from the past.
And the people created from these leaves weren't just illusions—they had the original person's body, skills, and even Devil Fruit abilities!
In other words, he alone could create an entire Four Emperors-level crew.
If those leaf-clones had Haki, even the Marines wouldn't be able to handle them.
Even so, a 'leaf Aokiji' was still powerful enough to wipe out an entire Marine fleet.
"...I see."
Hearing Roman's explanation, the injured Rear Admiral slowly calmed down.
After all, watching someone he once admired—his superior and role model—destroy his fleet had been a devastating experience.
"Is it that guy, Redfield?"
Kizaru stroked his chin.
"He's a terrifying guy. Even I..."
"Let me go."
?!
Roman sighed as he faced the confused looks of the top fighters around him. Should he say that 'Sleeping Ancient Town' just happened to be on the Straw Hat Crew's path? No matter what, he could only bite the bullet.
"Of course, I'm just going to check things out. After all, that 'Red Earl' is already an old man in his eighties. Maybe..."
Thud!
"You brat, are you looking down on us old folks?"
No, no, teacher, you're not included in that.
After taking a hit from the "Fist of Love," Roman rolled his eyes. If he weren't strong enough, he'd probably have a lump on his head by now. Though, his head was still buzzing.
"Alright then, Roman will go investigate the whereabouts of the 'Red Earl.'"
Akainu made the final decision but added one last thing.
"Be careful!"
————————
"Roman, don't underestimate him. Even for us old guys, Redfield's speed is tough to handle."
After the meeting, Garp warned Roman with a serious face, afraid he might suffer from youthful recklessness.
The Red Earl was different from others. His sheer speed, trained to perfection, allowed him to match Kizaru while moving. On top of that, he could read people's thoughts and even memories. If he touched you, you were already halfway to losing.
Oh, and by the way, he was also a top-tier swordsman.
Even though he used an umbrella.
"I'll be careful, Garp-sensei."
Roman was well aware of how strong the Red Earl was. If not for his carefree nature, he would have long been recognized as the true 'Fifth Emperor of the Sea,' or maybe even claimed the Pirate King's throne.
With just a wave of his hand, he could summon a group of top-tier Devil Fruit users. Even though he didn't have Haki, most Logia users didn't rely on Haki much anyway—except for that one disgrace of a Logia user who wielded Seastone weapons.
And in the 'original story,' when the Straw Hat Crew faced the Red Earl, even while being on full alert, they were all caught off guard and touched by him before they could even react! His absurd speed was as exaggerated as Madara's.
Roman wouldn't dare be careless. If he could, he'd stay as far away as possible. But...
Forget it. When the time comes, things will work themselves out.
——————
In a blink of an eye—
When Roman returned to the "Thousand Sunny," what he saw was:
"Oh, Tanuki, is that the island you and 'Boss' agreed on up ahead?"
"Let me see."
A tanuki, the same size as Chopper, stood on the ship's railing. It wore a pink hooded coat and blue shorts. Taking out a leaf, it used its tail—shaped like a pen—to scribble on it, then—
Poof!
The leaf turned into a telescope, making the rabbit girl, Carrot, clap excitedly.
"Little Pato is amazing!"
"That's the island, Lili~"
Sigh, this is exactly why Roman took on this "job." The slightly senile Red the Aloof had lost his pet tanuki, Padon, and the Straw Hat Crew ended up finding it. And with Luffy's personality, of course, he'd insist on returning it to "Sugu Town." Which, no surprise, meant running right into the Red the Aloof!
"Pato, we didn't spend much time together, but this is where your journey with us ends."
Brook gave the little tanuki a slight bow.
"Don't forget I was the one who fished you out!"
Usopp pointed his thumb at himself.
"And don't forget that I stopped everyone from cooking and eating you!"
Nami tapped the tanuki's forehead playfully.
"Chopper,"
Sanji crouched down and patted Chopper's shoulder.
"This is sad, but say goodbye to your little brother."
?
"I'm not a tanuki!!"
"Waaah, I don't want to say goodbye! Pato, why don't you stay with us~~"
As Carrot sobbed, Pedro lit a cigarette beside her.
"Did you forget? This ship belongs to Luffy."
Huh? Isn't it mine? Carrot, who had been acting like the boss, was shocked!
"You all seem to be in a good mood,"
Roman, snapping out of idle mode, rubbed his temples. He had to admit, the Straw Hat Crew was basically the "unofficial Marine 404 squad." Otherwise, why did HQ just have a meeting about the Red the Aloof, and now they were about to run right into him?
"Hehehe, I can smell adventure!"
Watching Luffy grin from the ship's bow, Roman rolled his eyes.
I can also smell us getting beaten up again!
"As long as you're happy,"
After all—
If we're gonna get beaten up, at least we're all getting beaten up together. When you think about it like that, it doesn't feel like a loss!
(End of chapter)
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