Confusing the Enemy, Dazzling Light

"You want to ask me about information regarding Sky Island?"

The diamond-faced uncle, now recovered, nodded upon hearing Luffy and the others' request.

"Okay, I can tell you everything I know. But believe it or not is up to you—"

I believe you.

Thud!

Facing Luffy, Usopp punched him on the head.

"The uncle hasn't even said anything yet!"

"This sea area..." As the uncle began to explain the unique 'Thick Clouds', 'Sky-Piercing Current', and his speculations about the Sky Island, Roman's eyes began to glaze over.

On the other side,

Splash splash~~

In a deserted alley in Mock Town, amidst fluttering papers, a white figure slowly rose—it was Roman's 'White Knight'. Then:

"Do you want to get rich? Ee-ya!"

A boy... or rather a pervert, emerged from the alleyway. He had a fin on his back, wore a baseball cap with white horns on either side, a long-sleeved shirt with giraffe patterns, hot pants, white stockings, and ten-centimeter dark red high heels.

Dellinger.

A member of the Donquixote Family, Fighting Fish Fish-Man. Of course—

It was Roman in disguise, a fake.

The idle pirates outside the alley were immediately intrigued by the bright green Beli in 'Dellinger's' hand! And then:

"Kill you, and we'll be rich right away!"

A circle of knives and spears were aimed at 'Dellinger'.

········

"Can't you guys come up with something new?" Oh well, most pirates are just a bunch of scum who deserve to die anyway.

"This is?"

Groups of timid pirates followed 'Dellinger' to the beach, looking at the huge wooden raft in front of them with no idea what to do.

"This is your goal, ee-ya!"

'Dellinger', whose red high heels were stained with blood, Guotou, his mouth full of sharp teeth gleaming white!

"Go ahead, destroy! Loot! Do what you do best—"

Splash,

The Beli falling from his hand reeked of money. —Although the Beli in this world was paper currency, the World Government's anti-counterfeiting technology was quite advanced. Roman hadn't cracked that technology yet, nor did he have the time to waste! The money he held in his hand was the reward he received from Alabasta; it was enough to hire a bunch of indifferent pirates to work for him.

"This is a deposit; there will be ten times the reward after the deal is done!"

If you're smart enough, you should know...

"Alright, brothers, let's do it!"

A group of pirates, their eyes red with greed, rushed toward the huge wooden raft docked in the deserted bay after picking up the money! They weren't stupid; they could guess that this guy named 'Dellinger' had a grudge against the ship's owner, which was why he hired them to do this kind of thing.

But right now, there's an empty ship in front of us! We can make a fortune just by smashing and looting, so why not?

·········

"As expected," watching the massive wooden raft billowing smoke amidst the chaos and noise, not a single pirate emerged—not because they were particularly dedicated, but because they had been consumed by greed. Blackbeard's ship was laden with plundered treasure! For example:

The treasury of the Drum Kingdom.

"Greed is your epitaph."

"Then, Blackbeard's side should be here very soon—"

"Court death!!!"

A roar echoed from the distant town, accompanied by a visible black aura of killing intent!

The intensity of this murderous intent was so great that it materialized into a visible black aura, filled with negative thoughts such as tyranny, ferocity, and greed. Like Inazuma, it shot densely from afar, and like rolling black waves, it surged towards this direction!

Click click click!

After this period of training and relentless effort, Roman's strength had also improved significantly. The 'White Knight' was now comparable to a typical 'expert' with a bounty of 50 million. However, under the impact of this aura, cracks began to appear on 'Dellinger's' exterior, and the raised edges looked as if they were about to disintegrate into real paper.

"So strong."

Muttering to himself, 'Dellinger' stared intently at the figure leaping towards them in the distance. The over three-meter-tall, obese body propelled itself hundreds of meters through the air with a single push! With a few leaps, it quickly pounced towards them. But:

"Didn't you use techniques like Geppo?"

Is it that they don't know how, or...?

It was as if... no, Blackbeard, who had leaped in, was shrouded in an ominous black wave, like a demon god descending to earth. His hawk-like gaze swept over 'Dellinger' standing on the beach.

?

In an instant, Blackbeard's pupils contracted.

As a man aspiring to stand at the pinnacle of the world, he naturally had a certain understanding of his potential rivals. And he recognized this Donquixote Family executive standing before him!

Could it be that Doflamingo's 'Doflamingo' sensed something...?

That's about it.

The "White Knight," disguised as "Dellinger," leaped back lightly. In mid-air, he cracked his teeth and raised his middle finger, making an internationally recognized gesture to the onrushing Blackbeard before disappearing into the sea behind him with a splash!

Snap!

Blackbeard landed with a thud, staring at the turbulent sea before him with a grim expression, his anger finding no outlet! This guy named 'Dellinger' was a Fish-Man; how could he, a Devil Fruit user, possibly go down and fight him in the water?

Damn it! To be mocked to my face by a junior...

"Hahaha~~ What a great haul!"

"I never imagined this dilapidated ship was so rich—"

?!

A group of grinning pirates emerged from the ship's hold carrying various treasures of gold and silver, only to bump into Blackbeard, whose face was grim.

"Who is this burly, dark-skinned man? Could he be...?"

"Who cares? Just chop him up!"

!!

"Very good, very good!"

A Blackbeard, his body billowing with black smoke, slowly walked towards the group of unfortunate souls with his arms outstretched.

"It seems that I, Blackbeard, have really been underestimated."

"Roman, Roman!"

"Huh?" As 'Dellinger' jumped into the water and escaped, Roman also lost control of 'White Knight'. At the same time, the call in his ear brought him back to his senses, and what came into view was:

Nami was wiping his face with a towel, while Luffy and Usopp had their heads buried in the grass and their butts sticking out.

Ah, this...

Did I miss something?

"I told you not to leak 'information' like that, but you just..." Nami took a mirror and placed it in front of Roman. "Here, look for yourself."

········

In the mirror Roman's handsome face featured black eyeshadow on one side and inscrutable cloud-like patterns on his cheek... but on the other side, there was a wavy beard and huge dark circles under his eyes...

"Usopp's cooking is pretty good,"

Roman nodded calmly. Needless to say, his face was covered in Usopp's handiwork on one side and Luffy's graffiti on the other... those two guys, who couldn't stand not getting a beating every day, were up to their old tricks again.

"Hey, why are you so calm? This is an oil-based pen; it can't be erased."

"It doesn't matter,"

Roman waved his hand, reached up and wiped his face, tearing off a 'face'.

"Alright."

Roman is fine now, looking clean-cut and handsome again, but Luffy and Usopp, who just pulled their heads out of the ground...

"Or,"

Looking at the two guys with bruises and bumps all over their faces, Roman spread out his hands, and two mask-like pieces of paper appeared in his hands.

"Put these on."

"You're so different from the injured Luffy?" Luffy lips were swollen like an acorn, thanked him as he took the gift. "Too much..."

"Oh, no, that's not true."

Roman waved his hand.

"It's just to cover up your disfigured, ugly faces so as not to pollute the environment!"

·······

"Roman, I'll fight you to the death!"

Watching Roman and Luffy locked in a fierce battle, Nico Robin, elegantly seated with her chin resting on her hand, smiled. Her eyes were filled with...

Envious.

Whether it's Crocodile or Sky Island, these are targets that ordinary people... no, even strong people, need to be treated with caution. Yet, just because of Luffy's words, the entire Straw Hat crew rushed forward without hesitation.

Such companions... I'm so envious!

Pity.

The intellectual beauty lowered her eyes. Her stay on this ship was merely a transaction with Mr. Roman. Once she saw the next historical monument, the deal would be over!

What reason would I have to stay then...?

The dazzling camaraderie among these people pierced Nico Robin's heart like sunlight, filling her with both longing and fear.

P. S.: To celebrate being featured on the Sanjiang website, here's an extra chapter! By the way, it won't be officially released until next Friday, and it'll be 100,000 words (VIP chapters). Well, I don't really know much about it anyway, I'll just keep writing...