"So, are you saying this is my fault?"
What else could the three CP0 elites do in response to Roman's words? Of course—
"This is our failure!" x3
A Celestial Dragon is never wrong. So if there's a mistake, it must be their own.
"Forget it." Roman turned to the secret transponder snail in his hand. "I'll handle this myself."
"..."
" Roman, this time your opponent isn't Doflamingo—the traitor who trapped himself in his own birdcage. It's Kaido, the one they call the 'Strongest Creature in the World.'"
On the other end of the transponder snail were, of course, the Five Elders, the highest authorities of the World Government. But even they were stunned by Roman's audacity.
Although all those wild rumors about Kaido—
"He's suffered seven defeats, got captured 18 times while challenging the Marines and the Four Emperors alone, endured over a thousand tortures, and was sentenced to death 40 times. Every time he was hanged, he snapped the chain. Every time he was put on the guillotine, he shattered the blade. Every time he was stabbed with spears, the spears broke instead."
—were mostly exaggerated, the reality was that he had survived Garp's fists, Akainu's magma, Seastone, seawater, and even the idea of consuming a second Devil Fruit…
If Kaido were truly invincible, he wouldn't just be called the 'Strongest Creature.' He'd already be the King of the World, ruling over the Holy Land itself!
But still—
"Kaido is unbelievably strong, Little Roman. You must not be careless!"
As the chosen successor to the Five Elders, Roman was a rising Celestial Dragon elite, someone they expected to secure their rule for generations to come. There was no way they could agree to his reckless plan to take down Kaido.
"Calm down, gentlemen. I understand Kaido's strength, and I wouldn't have proposed this plan if I didn't think it could work."
"First, the Big Mom Pirates have already entered Wano. Right now, Big Mom herself is fighting Kaido on Onigashima."
"Second, the Straw Hat Pirates are actively gathering samurai who are unhappy with Kaido and Orochi's rule, planning an assassination attempt."
"And finally, I've discovered that remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates have also secretly infiltrated Wano. Their target seems to be Kaido's head as well."
With these three major forces combined, even the so-called 'Strongest Creature' couldn't hold out forever—even if he were made of Seastone itself.
"If everything is really as you say..."
"Rest assured, gentlemen. Just watch how I deal with these so-called 'Emperors' of the sea."
"...Proceed with caution."
What else could the Five Elders do?
Roman was far away in Wano, and as the saying goes, 'When a general is on the battlefield, he doesn't have to obey orders from the capital.' There was no way to drag him back through a transponder snail.
So—
"You three, while in Wano, follow Saint Roman's orders!"
"Yes, sir!" x3
The three CP0 agents, who had been standing silently by the door like background props, immediately answered in unison.
After all, they were nothing more than the Celestial Dragons' 'shields.'
And when faced with Roman—a top-tier talent in both strength and strategy, and the future successor to the Five Elders—obeying him was the obvious choice.
At least they're a hundred times better than the "pigs" those Holy Land folks deliberately raise to be useless.
"Alright, your mission is…"
——————
"Roman, how much longer? I can't wait~~"
Luffy's nonstop buzzing snapped Roman out of his thoughts, making him rub his temples.
"Soon, soon—"
And it really was soon. Because while Roman had been busy gathering contacts, BIG MOM and Kaido had been fighting for two whole days and nights.
"Wahaha~~"
"Mamamama~~"
The two eight-meter-tall monsters stood shoulder to shoulder, singing and dancing while downing sake straight from their jugs. They laughed like a pair of overgrown kids, leaving Queen, who had been watching, completely confused.
"How did this turn into a friendship after all that fighting?"
"Hey, listen up!"
With the officers from the Beasts Pirates and the BIG MOM Pirates gathered around, Kaido and BIG MOM raised their cups.
"Starting today, the Beasts Pirates will—"
"Form an alliance with my BIG MOM Pirates!!"
"The 'Fire Festival' is gonna be the best feast ever!"
"That's right, it's a celebration!!"
The two Four Emperors, who even looked like a married couple at this point, spoke in perfect sync. Before the stunned eyes of their crews, they casually formed a pirate alliance like it was a game.
But—"Once we take over the world together, we'll settle things between us later~"
Despite their crazy behavior, both Kaido and BIG MOM were crystal clear in their hearts: they'd use each other's strength to seize the ultimate treasure and become Pirate King… then eliminate the other!
Wano Country's secret treasure, combined with the legendary treasure of Laugh Tale—only with both could they truly rule the world!
——————
"This is bad."
As Roman tapped the table, Usopp had already lost his mind. "Kaido actually allied with BIG MOM!! What part of this is 'good'?! I swear I'll piss myself right now—"
"People shouldn't—at least, they shouldn't… You know what, never mind. Don't panic."
But this time, it wasn't just Usopp and Chopper, who were already in tears—every member of the Straw Hat Crew looked deadly serious.
Even though Roman had been confidently saying Kaido and BIG MOM would form an alliance, they never truly believed it. In their minds, the moment two Four Emperors clashed, it would be an all-out war to the death! There was no way they'd team up.
But now—
"This is trouble…"
"This is seriously bad news!"
"Hmph, it just means we have twice as many enemies now."
"Sometimes, I really wish Roman wasn't so 'reliable.'"
Nami sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Going up against two Four Emperors' crews… no matter how confident we are…"
"I'm not even panicking. Why are you guys freaking out?"
Roman rolled his eyes. "Think about it—wasn't it more dangerous when we faced Crocodile? Or when we fought Enel? Back then, if they had gotten serious, we wouldn't have even had a chance to fight back. But now—"
To put it bluntly, if the Straw Hat Crew went all out, they could seriously wound an entire Four Emperors' crew!
"Besides, we're not fighting alone. We have our ally, Trafal—"
"Don't drag me into this if you wanna die!!"
Law looked absolutely miserable.
"And we have the powerful samurai of Wano on our side—"
"For our lord, we will fight to the death!"
They all looked determined—
"I'm the one who came up with this plan, and even I'm not panicking. So can you guys stop acting like you're already lying in coffins?!"
Forget it. At this point, there was no need to hold back anymore.
Of course, Roman knew why everyone here looked like they were ready to charge into battle together. The difference in strength between the two sides was just too big! Even with the Straw Hat Crew, the local rebel samurai, and the outlaws, they could barely put up a fight against the Beast Pirates. And now, another Four Emperors crew had joined in… wasn't this just a one-sided massacre?
"Well, I guess it's about time I let you in on something," Roman said.
With a snap of his fingers, the group, who had been joking around just moments ago, instantly turned serious and listened carefully. Roman had always carried himself like he had everything under control, so it would be strange if he didn't have a backup plan. But what kind of force could stand against a Four Emperors crew?
"When the final battle comes, another 'Four Emperors' will be joining in."
"What?! Someone else as strong as Kaido is coming?"
Hitetsu, the swordsmith and Tama's mentor, was stunned. Had the great pirates of the sea suddenly become common? Or was Wano hiding some kind of incredible secret treasure, drawing all these top-tier fighters here?
"Relax, this time, the ones coming will be on our side."
"Wait… is it Shanks?"
Luffy frowned, but he didn't look excited.
"I made a promise with Shanks. I'll return this straw hat to him when I become a great pirate. But right now—"
It wasn't time yet. In Luffy's mind, only by becoming the Pirate King could he truly fulfill that promise.
"No, it's not the Red Hair Pirates."
"What?! Then is it the Blackbeard Pirates? Roman, what are you thinking—"
Sanji was the first to react, clearly upset. Blackbeard was the one responsible for Ace's death, the one person no one in the Straw Hat Crew ever mentioned in front of Luffy. How could Roman bring him up so casually?
"It's not the Blackbeard Pirates either."
"Not the Red Hair Pirates, not the Blackbeard Pirates… then what other crew dares to be called a Four Emperors?"
"Oh? Seems like we've been forgotten."
?!
A confident voice echoed through the hall as the doors swung open on their own. A man in a suit stepped inside. His jet-black hair framed a pair of sharp, bright eyes, and though his face carried a few freckles, his warm smile remained unchanged. His gaze finally settled on Luffy.
"Yo, Luffy."
Just like back in Alabasta—
"A… A… Ace?!?!"
*Clang!*
Luffy's eyes widened in shock as he fell straight to the ground, staring in disbelief at the man who had just walked in. The rest of the Straw Hat Crew was just as stunned. Could this be some trick, like the Red the Aloof's illusions?
But then, more figures followed behind—
The "Phoenix" Marco.
"Diamond" Jozu.
"Flower Sword" Vista.
Blamenco.…
"T-This… this… isn't possible…"
While Luffy sat there, dumbfounded, a small figure had already rushed forward.
"Ace!!"
With a *thud*, the little girl threw herself into Ace's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. He knelt down and let her cry against him.
"Ace, I'm so glad you're okay! That guy—"
Still sniffling, Tama turned and pointed an accusing finger at Luffy, who was still frozen in shock.
"He told me you were dead! He's so mean!!"
"Tama…"
Ace gently stroked the little girl's dry, malnourished hair, letting out a sigh. He regretted how reckless he had been in the past. So many people had been waiting for him, believing in him, yet back then, he had been too caught up in questioning his own existence… What a fool he had been.
"That's my little brother."
…?
"Two years ago, I really did die right in front of him."
"W-Wait… What?!"
Tama instinctively reached out and pressed her small hand against Ace's chest. She could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady, even through his clothes. Then why—
"Waaaaahhh!!"
She burst into tears again and turned to Roman, clinging onto him.
"Roman, tell me this is real!!"
As Luffy grabbed onto him with tears streaming down his face, Roman could only let out a deep sigh.
As expected, Ace had always been a sore spot for Luffy. But—
"It's true,"
"To put it simply, I used my 'copy ability' and the 'Yellow Spring ability' to save Ace's life during the Summit War…"
Smack!
"Hey, you bastard!"
Zoro, looking furious, grabbed Roman by the collar.
"Why didn't you tell Luffy earlier?! And don't give me that crap about 'building mental strength'—or I won't let you off!"
"I was the one who asked him not to,"
Ace stepped forward, separating the angry Zoro while also pulling Luffy up from the ground.
"If you have a problem with it, take it out on me—"
Thud!!
Before Ace could finish, a figure suddenly wrapped him in a tight hug.
"This is amazing… it's really amazing!!"
"Ace, Sabo, you're both okay… Waaaaaah~~~"
As the 'Pirate King' in his arms cried like a child, Ace's expression softened. He patted Luffy's shoulder gently.
"Luffy, I'm back."
(End of Chapter)
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