Memories of the Past, the Calamity of Transmigration
"Wow wow wow~~~ It flew away~~!"
Carried by the 'Express Shrimp' and Luffy up, the Going Golden Merry flew out of the passage and arrived at a brand new sea of clouds.
Looking out, you can see beaches and forests in the distance, and further away, the outlines of buildings. Without a doubt—
"This is Sky Island!"
"Hahaha, we did it!"
"Very good, let's start with an hour of warm-up exercises—"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Luffy, who was so excited that he could conjure up a human figure, was bobbing wildly on the deck. He no longer cared about a mere hour of training.
"I'm determined to be the Fitness King!"
"Very good, swing the sword ten thousand times before relaxing!"
"I just want to slack off~~"
"Sigh, I always feel that we're becoming increasingly different from the definition of 'pirates'..."
Regardless, the Straw Hat crew knew that Roman's training plan was for their own good. So, despite their complaints, an hour passed in a sweat-drenched workout, and then:
Thump, thump, thump~~
A group of people jumped into the 'sea of clouds' one after another, already close to the shore. And although the 'sea of clouds' on Sky Island also suppresses Devil Fruit users, it's not as domineering as seawater. Luffy and the others, who have been suffering from the Seastone bracer every day, are still able to withstand it.
"Hahaha, the sand here is so soft~~~"
Luffy has transformed into a bouncing monkey and is running around everywhere.
"Is this a beach? This is the first time I've ever seen one!"
It's quite pathetic, really. Since Chopper joined the crew, he's either fighting or on his way to a fight. He hasn't even had a proper chance to see what a 'beach' looks like.
"These guys are a real headache."
Despite saying that, Sanji had already taken off his shoes and jumped into the sea of clouds, clearly enjoying himself.
"Hey, where should we put the anchor? Is there any bottom under these clouds...?"
In response to Zoro's sarcastic remarks, Roman conjured up a pair of wings, picked up Nami, and flew towards the shore.
"Just land here, don't worry—the corpses of the Sky Island Cloud creatures have formed a near-shore seabed."
Seeing the Straw Hat crew frolicking on the shore, Robin turned to Zoro beside her.
Aren't you going?
...?
"Yes, I will go."
"I never thought of this before," Robin face today seemed exceptionally soft.
"Sailing and landing can also be risky."
...?!
"Yeah, the navy won't chase us here... I can finally relax a bit."
Facing Nami's curvaceous figure beside him, Roman, unusually, lay down on the soft 'sand' and let his mind wander, not needing to think about anything. Because:
Ah, how wonderful a world without the Shichibukai, without the Four Emperors Three Admirals would be!
While there are certainly strong individuals on this Sky Island, Roman considers both the Four Priests of Angel Island and the elite warriors of Shandia to be merely passable.
People at this level of strength are no longer considered 'strong enemies' by the Straw Hat crew. After all, you can't really call someone an enemy of the Straw Hat crew unless you're several levels above them.
The only true master here is the ruler of the entire Sky Island: God Enel!
The user of the "Rumble-Rumble Fruit," hailed as the strongest Logia- Logia Devil Fruit, has managed to develop Devil Fruit ability that is close to the ceiling of combat power on this Sky Island where not even a single person has a strength of over 100 million.
In addition, when combined with Devil Fruit ability, it also possesses a 'Mantra' —that is, Observation Haki— capable of covering and monitoring an entire island.
If Enel hadn't never properly trained and sparred with strong opponents, he would definitely be one of the strongest fighters in this world.
But:
Luffy enemy!
Forget about plasma, electromagnetic, and ionization techniques; the Devil Fruit in this world are utterly unreasonable when it comes to countering them. Saying there's no harm means there's no harm, which is why Roman was able to clear his mind and rest. —If Luffy couldn't win in True Striker, then binding them all together would be futile.
One El Thor an entire island; it's practically a human-shaped 'Pluton'!
Crocodile watched with envy, tears of regret streaming down his face...
Even assuming Enel's goal was to knock Shandora, who had been accidentally swept up ten thousand meters into the sky by the "Sky-Piercing Current," back down to the blue sea below, so that earth could return to earth, man to man, and god to god. Then he could go and rule the Infinite Continent in his heart—that is, the moon.
So, as long as he doesn't get killed on the spot, the worst that can happen is Roman drags the Straw Hat crew down a cliff at high altitude.
Anyway, given Enel's temper, he wouldn't bother to come back and kill a few 'ants'.
Therefore, Roman's summary of the Sky Island storyline is:
Wyper: It is our duty to restore the glory of Shandora!
Gan Fall: Say it, I will protect everything on Sky Island!
Enel: Because I am a god in all right!
The Straw Hat crew: As long as we don't get killed, we've succeeded...
The current situation is what is known as a 'strategic blunder'; apart from trusting Luffy's recklessness, no other means are meaningful! Therefore, Roman simply gave up thinking.
After emptying my mind, a series of memories flooded back.
Three years have passed. From the initial fear and anxiety, sleeping with a knife in hand and walking close to the wall; to participating in the first battle, hacking his opponent to pieces like a madman, and calmly slitting the throat of the pirate who challenged him...
At first, he didn't dare to run away because the fate of a traitor is to be pierced through the heart by Captain Silverlight and fed to sharks; later, through crazy training, he gradually got used to the daily killing, got used to speaking with a knife, and got used to the fear and dread in the eyes of others.
By the time he was strong enough to protect himself from Captain Silverlight, he found he had already become accustomed to the pirate life. If it weren't for that Devil Fruit, perhaps Roman would still be the combat captain of the Silver Light Pirates...
If it weren't for Luffy, Nami, Zoro... perhaps the second 'Blackbeard' would already be plotting some terrifying scheme?
No, knowing himself as Roman does, he's capable of doing things even more heinous than Blackbeard.
Because those who have no ties to the past are the most unrestrained group of people!
There's a reason why so many transmigrators can kill entire families and wipe out entire clans with just a single trash treasure and a few words.
··········
Click, click!
"I can't bite it!" Luffy his head to the other side, habitually searching for the all-powerful...
"Luo..."
Snap,
With one hand grabbing Luffy by the neck, Sanji forcibly dragged him away, while impatiently waving to Chopper and Usopp as he dragged him.
"Go away, go play somewhere else."
??
Although he didn't quite understand, Chopper and Usopp rolled off to play on the side. Roman was left lying on the beach, asleep with his head on Nami's lap.
"She even frowns while sleeping; she's not cute at all."
Nami gently stroked Roman's forehead, trying to drive away his worries.
"Roman, you seem stronger than anyone else... but aren't you the loneliest?"
Luffy cares about his brother and his grandfather, whom he claims is always beating him up.
Zoro has a master, Usopp has a childhood friend, Sanji has an old chef, Chopper has a teacher's wife, and each of them has an older sister... and in their respective hometowns, they all have a group of warm and lovely villagers.
These are the moonlight in the hearts of the Straw Hat crew, the light that keeps them from giving up in the face of adversity.
Only Roman—
He never mentioned any relatives or friends, as if they didn't exist at all! Even his talk of a 'happy' past was clearly empty and hollow. Nami had seen plenty of people like him:
Those pirates who, having lost their homes, families, friends, and everything else, have only a chaotic and deathly look in their eyes!
That's the most dangerous kind of person. Even ordinary pirates don't want to get close to them because they will destroy everything around them while destroying themselves.
"Speaking of which, that Nico Robin..."
Nami looked up at the intellectual beauty sitting under a tree in the distance, engrossed in reading a book. Although she and Roman seemed reliable, they were actually the two most unreliable members of the Straw Hat crew.
When faced with a desperate situation, they are the ones most likely to get stuck in a rut!
They were all struggling in the darkness, they had all lost everything, and they were all fearless of death.
It's not that they're particularly 'brave,' but rather that they're 'indifferent' to death. It's like when Roman challenged the Crocodile; in Nami's opinion, with Roman's shrewdness, wouldn't he have considered the possibility of failure?
Of course I considered it! The comments on "The Art of the Thief" are the best proof, but Roman —didn't care.
Although Roman often openly admits that he is afraid of death, Nami knows that he is essentially someone who disregards death.
It's not the warrior's willingness to die for life, but the indifference of the destitute.
"Roman, you rescued me from Arlong's shadow..."
So, how exactly can I redeem you?
P. S.: Hmm, romance... I wish I could write sweet stories! Transmigrators are inherently lonely souls abandoned by the world, so I'll write about Luffy teaching Roman what comrades are, Nami teaching Roman what family is. Of course—as usual, if you guys don't like this chapter, I'll rewrite it. This isn't angst, absolutely not!