The Promise: The Op-Op Fruit and a New Course

As night fell, the wind on the sea picked up a bit more than during the day, and the waves lapped against the rubble of the port ruins with a dull thud.

Lin Yuan stood on the steps outside the side gate of the Castle, with Roger standing beside him, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his knuckles slightly white. In the distance, on the sea, the lights of seven warships were arranged in a semi-circle, their outlines appearing and disappearing in the night.

Jin descended from the sky, kneeling on one knee, the golden flames receding behind him. "The remaining seven warships have been confirmed. Two are on the left flank, three on the right, the Flagship in the center, and the last one behind the Flagship. They are much more cautious than last night; all their cannons are pointed outwards, searchlights are scanning the sea alternately, and their formation is very tight."

"We dismantled three last night, and we'll dismantle the rest tonight." Roger drew his sword halfway, then pushed it back. "Which one will I take on?"

"That escort ship next to the Flagship. If we take it down, the Flagship will only have its right flank for cover."

Kaido stood up from the ruins. "So, how do we divide it tonight?"

Lin Yuan: "Jin will provide aerial cover. Kaido and Bullet will board from both sides, while Roger and I will go for the middle ship. First, we'll take down the escort ships next to the Flagship to cut off their flank cover, then we'll take down the two ships on the left flank. The three ships on the right flank are too far away, so we'll leave them for now."

"King, Kaido, and Bullet, go first. Roger and I will go through the door. The rest of you will stay on the island and guard it."

Lin Yuan opened a door in front of him, behind which was the deck of one of the warships. He glanced at Roger didn't say a word and stepped inside.

As Roger landed on the deck, two soldiers carrying artillery shells glanced up at him. The shell boxes slipped from their hands and hit the wooden planks. Roger didn't stop; he casually swung his sword, the blade slicing across the ground and sending the shell boxes flying. Shells tumbled all over the ground. The soldiers crouched down to pick them up, and when they looked up again, Roger was already far away.

On the other deck, Kaido fell from the sky, his dragon claws gripping the ship's side and tearing a gap in the hull. Bullet jumped through the gap and smashed through the gun emplacement with a single punch, causing ammunition boxes to explode in a chain reaction. King hovered in the air, golden flames swooping down and burning a crack in the outer wall of the third warship's ammunition compartment, with flames pouring into the compartment through the fissure.

All three warships were rendered combat ineffective. Roger leaped onto the broken hull and onto the Flagship, passing through two other warships. When he reached the Flagship's main deck, Sengoku was already standing there. All the soldiers on the main deck had retreated to the lower deck, and the chart table had been pushed aside, clearing an area large enough for the two of them to fight.

Sengoku didn't take a weapon. His body began to change—his skin turned golden, his figure expanded, his cloak was torn, and a huge golden Buddha phantom appeared behind him, radiating golden light and illuminating half of the deck. He raised his right palm, and a golden shockwave condensed into a sphere in his palm, compressed to its limit, and pushed it towards Roger.

Roger didn't block, but dodged to the side. The shockwave swept past him, slamming into the bulkhead behind him, shattering the walls and sending planks flying. Roger's sword slashed horizontally towards Sengoku's ankle, but Sengoku didn't dodge, instead raising his hand to catch the blade—a piercing screeching sound erupted between the golden hand and the blade. Roger withdrew his sword and retreated, only to be met with two consecutive punches from Sengoku. Roger raised his sword to take the first punch head-on, his entire arm going numb from head to fingertips. He didn't take the second punch, taking a step back, the shockwave slamming into the space half a step in front of his feet, creating another crater in the deck.

Sengoku withdrew his fist, and part of the Buddha's aura faded. "How many more punches can you withstand?"

Roger switched the sword to his left hand, his right hand hanging at his side, his fingers still trembling slightly. "I'll keep going until I can't hit them anymore."

Sengoku looked at him for a while. "Your body can't hold on much longer. You know that yourself."

"I know," Roger said, "But tonight isn't about fighting to the death. You have no chance anymore. To retreat or not to retreat, the decision is yours."

Sengoku remained silent for a long time before lowering his fist. "Give the order—the fleet must withdraw. Complete the withdrawal before dawn."

Roger sheathed his sword and walked towards the edge of the deck. Jhin was already hovering in the air waiting for him, standing on a floating wooden plank that carried the two of them towards Hachinosu.

The remaining warships on the sea were turning around. Roger sat on the wooden plank, his left hand still gripping the hilt of his sword, his right hand resting on his knee, his fingers no longer trembling.

As dawn broke, the Marine Fleet at Hachinosu port had completely disappeared into the morning mist.

A few wisps of smoke still rose from the port ruins, where broken planks and rubble were piled up into small hills. Soldiers were clearing the passageways, picking out usable timber and piling it on one side, and unusable timber on the other. Ginny's makeshift Intelligence Room was located in a side hall of the main hall, where three nautical charts lay in front of her and a completed inventory list of supplies was at her side.

Lin Yuan walked in, Ginny didn't even look up. "The port is completely destroyed and needs to be rebuilt. There are seven cracks in the outer wall of the Castle, but the main structure is still intact. The residential area was unaffected. Zero deaths, three seriously injured, and forty-two slightly injured. Gas Grenades is treating the Huijin and is too busy to handle everything, so we've added two more helpers. We've run out of gas grenades, and we still have half of the Armor-Piercing Bullets left. Caesar is restocking, and he said he can get another batch in two days."

Lin Yuan didn't speak, he just nodded.

Where is Roger?

"The port. With Kaido."

On the ruins of the port, Kaido sat on a slab of stone half-buried in rubble, his Iron Club resting on his knees, gazing at the sea. Roger stood beside a broken pillar, a new bandage wrapped around his arm, a tear in his shirt at the shoulder, but the bleeding had stopped. Lin Yuan walked over, and Roger didn't turn around, but he knew it was him. "That punch from Sengoku, if I hadn't deliberately held back, I would have at least lost an arm. His punch was more concentrated than the intelligence reports described, compressed to a single point before being released; taking it head-on once would render someone unconscious. I took two punches, but not the third."

Lin Yuan also looked at the sea. "How many times did you fight him?"

"Twice. The first time was in God Valley, before he ate the fruit. Now that he has, it's completely different. His speed, strength, and judgment have all improved. His fists focus on a single point before exploding—it's not like a hard smash, but more like using a shockwave to disrupt the opponent's rhythm. If I face him next time, I can't take it head-on; I can only dodge."

Do you think he'll come again next time?

"He probably won't come," Roger said. "He knows this island can't be taken. Next time, it'll be the Five Elders' own men."

Lin Yuan was silent for a moment. "Then how many more times can you fight?"

Roger glanced down at his hands. "It depends on who I'm fighting. Against someone like Sengoku, two or three times. Against someone like the Five Elders... I'd have to live long enough to fight them first."

In the evening, a banquet was set up in the open space in front of the Castle on Hachinosu. The long table was temporarily put together, and there were scratches and cracks left by cannon fire on the surface, but it was full of food. Grilled fish, roast meat, bread, and fruit were piled up on the table.

Kaido sat in the middle of the long table, a piece of meat in his left hand and a piece of bread in his right, eating intently. Bullet peeled an orange opposite him, handing one to Kuma after he finished. Kuma took it but didn't eat it, keeping it in his hand. King sat against the wall, a cup of tea in front of him. Huijin sat beside him, sipping his own tea. Moria huddled at the far end of the table, Inazuma sitting beside him, twirling scissors in his hand, occasionally cutting a piece of meat and putting it in his mouth. Rayleigh sat next to Roger, holding a bowl of sake.

The banquet lasted until late at night. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they gradually dispersed. As Huijin stood up, she glanced at Lin Yuan. Lin Yuan didn't say anything, Huijin didn't ask any further questions either. She turned and left, with Ash following behind her.

Lin Yuan called out to Roger, "Come with me for a moment."

Roger put down his wine and followed Lin Yuan through the corridor into a side room. The side room was small, with only a table and two chairs. An oil lamp sat on the table, its candlelight flickering gently in the night breeze that seeped in through the window cracks.

Lin Yuan took a box out of his pocket and placed it on the table, without opening it immediately. "You didn't drink much at the banquet."

"Don't drink while eating, or your sword will slow down."

Lin Yuan opened the box. Inside was a pale blue fruit, its surface covered with swirling patterns, gleaming softly in the candlelight.

"The Op-Op Fruit. The World Government has offered a 5 billion bounty for its discovery. It can reverse the effects of the Perennial Youth Operation —undoing the immortality of the living. Your current body won't last until Mary Geoise. This fruit can repair your body—internal organs, old injuries, and the loss of lifespan—all will be restored. In about a month, you will return to your peak condition."

Roger looked at the fruit but didn't reach for it. "Haha, what's the price?"

"In the final battle, someone needs to perform the reverse operation of the Perennial Youth Operation on Imu. The operator will die. I need someone willing to consume this fruit and complete this operation."

Lin Yuan pushed the box across the table, stopping in front of Roger. Roger remained silent for a long time, then reached out and picked up the fruit. "Recover to your peak condition in a month. Then pave the way for you in Mary Geoise. Is this your offer?"

"Yes."

Roger brought the fruit to his mouth, took a bite, chewed a few times, swallowed, and continued eating until he had swallowed the last piece of fruit. Only then, suppressing his nausea, did he say...

"It tastes awful," Roger said, "But it's worth it."

Lin Yuan put the box away. "How are you feeling now?"

Roger stretched his right shoulder. "Haha, my shoulder doesn't hurt anymore."

"The effects of the Op-Op Fruit are already beginning to appear. In about a month, your body will return to its peak condition—not just your current fighting level, but your strongest state. Until then, try to avoid fighting opponents at the Admiral level."

"What about Wano Country? If a situation arises that requires action, should I intervene or not?"

Lin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "No need. I can handle any problem, no matter how big it is. You should get used to this power first."

Roger chuckled, "Haha... you're really indebted to me this time."

"Haha, it's all for freedom."

Roger stood up, pushed open the door, and the night wind rushed in from the end of the corridor. "Leaving for Wano Country tomorrow?"

We're leaving tomorrow.

"Then go to bed early tonight." Roger walked down the corridor, stopping halfway without turning back. "You just said that my body will be back to its peak condition in a month. Do you know what I'll be like at my peak?"

"Have no idea."

"You'll see then."

He walked away.

(End of Chapter 104)