Dream Review and Setting Sail

"Tidal Style, Reverse Wave Style!"

"Stop. Again."

In Roy's dream, his previous battle replayed itself as he fought Colonel Morris over and over again.

The dream shattered, and Roy returned to reality, his heart stirring with excitement. "That's right, it really works. Besides absorbing memories from other people's dreams, I can replay my usual battles in dreams. That way, I can see exactly how the Marines train. Though it isn't as efficient as the former method, it's safer, and I can keep building real combat experience through battle. Why wouldn't I?"

"Lord Roy, your money has arrived. Please come with me to collect it." A trembling voice came from outside the door, as though some prehistoric beast lurked within.

"A pirate resting so brazenly in a Marine branch... I really have gotten full of myself." Roy shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh and walked out.

Colonel Morris appeared before Roy again, making Roy sigh inwardly. The people of the Pirate World truly were monsters. After suffering such severe injuries, a bit of treatment had already brought him nearly back to full vigor.

"Lord Roy, this is Violent Wolf's bounty. Please count it."

"No need. The Marines are too wealthy to cheat me over such a small sum."

Morris's mouth twitched. Yes, the Marines had money, but that did not mean a single Marine branch was rich. They had scraped together those 35 million Beli with great difficulty. Fortunately, he could claim it all back during the year-end report; otherwise, his branch would barely be able to keep operating.

"Lord Roy, would you be interested in joining the Marines? With your strength, I believe you would surpass my rank before long. Perhaps you might even become a vice admiral commanding an entire region someday." Morris looked at him eagerly.

Roy found it somewhat amusing. Inviting a pirate to become a Marine? Well, he did not technically count as a pirate yet.

Roy shook his head. "No thanks. My ambitions lie elsewhere. The Marines have far too many rules and restrictions. If I joined, I might become a deserter—a fallen Marine—before long. That wouldn't look good for either of us. All right, that's that. Until we meet again."

Roy picked up the chest of Beli and walked out.

Only after Roy had left did Morris say to the Marine beside him, "Take some men and follow him. Find out where he goes next—no, with his strength, you'll definitely be discovered if you tail him. Do this instead: after he leaves each place, go there and ask around for information."

"Yes, sir."

The streets, which had fallen quiet because of Roy's arrival, became lively again. The townspeople could tell that this Pirate Crew did not seem to be here to fight, and the Marines had not started shouting about killing pirates either. It seemed some kind of agreement had been reached.

But none of that mattered to the townspeople. As long as they could get through the day safely, they would thank the heavens.

Roy found the most famous restaurant in town and had a hearty meal. Enjoying good food was one of the few hobbies he had developed since coming to the Pirate World.

"Not bad. Another bowl." Under the waiter's gaze, as if he were looking at a humanoid monster, Roy accepted another plate of food and began eating. The dishes piled before him had already reached the height of a person.

In Roy's view, being able to eat was incredibly important in the Pirate World. After all, this world had no systems like Chakra or internal energy. At its foundation, everything depended on physical strength—and where did that strength come from? Naturally, food.

It did not matter if you came to the Pirate World without a cheat ability, but you absolutely had to know how to eat. If you could not even eat, what kind of Pirate King were you supposed to become?

After leaving the restaurant under everyone's frightened stares, Roy went to the town's weapon shop to see whether there was anything worthwhile. This had become a habit of his: whenever he arrived somewhere new, he would visit the weapon shop and see if he could get lucky enough to find a Skillful Grade Sword or a Great Grade Sword. His own Skillful Grade Sword, Aurora, had been acquired in exactly this way.

Unfortunately, obtaining one Skillful Grade Sword had already been a stroke of unbelievable luck. How could he possibly find a second? There were only fifty named Skillful Grade Swords in the Pirate World, after all. They were not common goods.

After wandering around for a while, Roy returned to the ship, ready to officially set sail.

Before long, Morris received the news as well.

"Colonel Morris, that Phantom Sword Roy ultimately returned to the pirate ship. I saw quite a few pirates aboard it too. Do you think he might be..." The captain trailed off.

"Most likely. As expected, most Pirate Hunters can't be trusted." Morris let out a long sigh. He had thought highly of Roy and had even personally invited him to join the Marines.

"Then, Colonel, should we immediately send out warships and arrest them?"

"You... sigh, forget it. Stay out of this. I'll report it to Headquarters myself." Watching the confused captain leave, Morris shook his head.

"Roy is not someone so easily dealt with. When he defeated me earlier, he definitely did not use even half his strength. Otherwise, he could not have done it so effortlessly—not even a speck of dust landed on him. If we force a confrontation with them, there is no possible outcome other than total annihilation. No, I must report to Headquarters immediately. Roy is an extremely terrifying new pirate. If we cannot defeat him before he rises, he may have a major impact on the Marines in the future."

Having made up his mind, Colonel Morris returned to his room and took out the Den Den Mushi he had not used in a long time.

"Pururururu!"

"Hello, this is Marine Headquarters." The voice carried no emotion, but Morris had no time to worry about that and quickly responded.

"Hello, I'm Morris, the officer in charge of the North Blue 371st Branch."

"Hello, Colonel Morris. What is the matter?"

"There is a Pirate Hunter here in North Blue who suddenly became a pirate today. I believe he will pose a major threat to the Marines in the future. Please issue a bounty as soon as possible and dispatch a large Marine force to surround and eliminate him."

The voice on the other end of the Den Den Mushi fell silent for several seconds, seemingly at a loss for words. After taking a moment to compose itself, it continued, "Has he committed any serious crimes?"

"Well, not at present."

"Then what about his strength?"

"His strength is extremely formidable. Before this, he even killed a group of pirates with a bounty of 35 million Beli. His strength is very..."

"..."

"Hello? Hello?"

When he saw that the Den Den Mushi had already hung up, Colonel Morris's face darkened. He slammed a fist into the wall, punching a hole through it.

"That bunch of idiots at Headquarters! Don't they understand the threat posed by a pirate with potential? Are they really going to wait until he reaches the level of a Shichibukai, or even one of the Four Emperors, before taking him seriously? Damn it, what bullshit."