"This..."
With a single move, he had instantly defeated the enemy's beast tamer First Mate. While shocking most of the pirates, it also made their gazes involuntarily fall upon their own boss.
What are you looking at me for?!
Although Clown Buggy still wore an "expressionless" face, he had already begun considering retreat deep down.
The other side was obviously an expert in hand-to-hand combat. The moment he caught an opening, he would unleash a barrage of punches and kicks. This was the kind of opponent he hated most. Whether it was raw strength or Devil Fruit abilities, both were ineffective against this kind of...
"Hmph, Mohji that useless fool."
Kabaji, riding a unicycle, snorted coldly. He drew the Sailor's Knife at his waist and slowly rolled into the field on his unicycle.
"I've already seen through your trick."
?
Buggy, seated in the main chair, froze. Though he had not seen through anything himself, that did not stop him from maintaining his "dignity."
"Heh heh heh, not bad, Kabaji."
"You figured out the enemy's true nature so quickly. You're only a little worse than me."
"Oh?"
Roman tilted his head and examined the "Juggling Swordsman" before him, standing casually and loosely.
"Then tell me, what exactly is my true nature?"
Kabaji, slowly approaching on his unicycle, raised an eyebrow. His previously sluggish unicycle suddenly accelerated! His Sailor's Knife sliced toward Roman in a blur of afterimages.
"Of course, it's—"
Clang! Roman raised an arm to block the Sailor's Knife, but then:
Kabaji's other hand directly pulled down the scarf around his neck. His cheeks puffed up, and he blew forward.
"Skill: Fire Breath!"
A raging blaze erupted from his mouth. It looked terrifying, but flames produced with alcohol had more of a startling effect than actual destructive power against minor experts like them. But:
Roman's face turned serious as he retreated at high speed, far beyond the reaction of someone merely startled!
"Just as I thought, my guess was correct."
As Kabaji spun the Sailor's Knife into flourishing arcs, he pointed at the serious-faced Roman.
"Your ability..."
"Is paper, right?"
.........
"That's right. I'm a Paper Person who ate the Paper-Paper Fruit."
Since he had already been seen through, Roman readily admitted it. However:
"I'm curious how you made that connection. After all, I haven't actively used my Devil Fruit ability so far."
After being a pirate for so many years, Roman had long since stopped underestimating the heroes of the world. But to be seen through so quickly...
"Heh heh heh, I'm not just a swordsman,"
Kabaji said, pointing to his eyes as he rode his unicycle.
"I also serve as a lookout. My eyesight is the sharpest in the entire East Blue!"
"Your skin looks normal, but in my eyes, it looks extremely 'fake.' No pores, no texture. Even the wrinkles and blood vessels are 'drawn' on!"
"Combined with how you were impervious to blades and bullets, I boldly guessed that your body was covered with a layer of 'something.'"
"And the answer is: paper!"
"Wow~~~"
"So amazing, just as expected of the Chief of Staff..."
"Long live Lord Kabaji!"
"If it's paper, then it must be afraid of fire! No wonder..."
"So he's a Devil Fruit user."
That was right. This was the first "skill" Roman had developed.
It was also the ability he kept active at all times. After all, as a transmigrator from the peaceful era of the Celestial Dynasty, Roman himself was:
Terrified of dying!
Paper Dance—Iron Armor
As the "truth" came to light, even Nami behind Roman first came to a realization, then fell into despair.
"It's over, it's over..."
What was paper afraid of? Even a three-year-old knew!
"Heh heh heh~~"
Sure enough, after learning of Roman's ability, the pirates immediately made use of whatever was available. Molotov cocktails, torches, and all kinds of things were lit, filling the air with the strong smell of alcohol.
"Now that we know your weakness, surrender obediently~~"
Faced with the taunts of those lackeys, Roman did not feel the slightest bit nervous. Instead, he even wanted to:
Laugh.
But before that:
"Although what you said seems to make some sense," Roman said, looking at Kabaji, the Buggy Pirates Chief of Staff riding a unicycle, "that still isn't enough for you to conclude that my ability is 'paper,' is it?"
"It could also have been a layer of 'iron,' 'glass,' or 'wax' covering my skin..."
Devil Fruits came in all kinds of bizarre varieties.
Knowing for certain that Roman's Devil Fruit ability was paper could not possibly be determined from just those few words.
"Uh..."
Faced with Roman's question, Kabaji, who had just looked like a detective, let his eyes wander as he unconsciously looked toward the ground beside him.
"I see."
Roman already knew the answer.
"It was the napkin I used to wipe my mouth earlier."
"You had already seen my ability to create paper from thin air, so you were using the 'answer' to infer the 'reason'..."
Even so, if their captain had not been a Devil Fruit user, Kabaji probably would not have immediately thought of Devil Fruits—and then deduced the truth behind Roman's ability.
"Hmph, with such an obvious weakness, as long as we all rush him—"
Before a pirate lackey holding a torch could finish boasting, he cried out and fell backward to the ground.
"Perhaps the battle just now gave you the wrong impression..."
Amid a rustling sound, two white crossbows appeared in Roman's hands. They automatically loaded, generated arrows, and fired!
Pfft, pfft!
"Ah—"
"Ah!"
With a flick of his hand, another pirate fell backward. This time, simply standing farther away would no longer keep them safe.
"Th-this... The enemy has long-range attacks too. We can't even get close..."
"This ability, this ability is practically invincible!"
????
Roman swept his gaze across them, really wanting to see who was putting a debuff on him... Did people who called an ability invincible all stop thinking?
"What are you panicking for? Attack that cage!"
Clown Buggy waved a hand, instantly spotting Roman's "weakness."
"And that woman called Nami! Take her out too!"
"H-hey, why am I included too..."
Nami, who had been desperately trying to erase her "presence" and pretend she did not exist, froze. Fight among yourselves—why attack her—
"Roman, protect Nami!"
"She's our navigator!"??
"Wait, I never agreed to..."
However, seeing the Buggy Pirates closing in from all sides, one hand holding blades, swords, or muskets and the other carrying torches, Nami could only tearfully admit:
"That's right, I'm the navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates!"
Sorry, Nojiko...
Sorry, Aunt Bellemere...
I didn't do this willingly. Circumstances forced me to... Wait, there can't really be only three people in the Straw Hat Pirates, right...
"Hey, hey, don't treat me like some all-purpose Doraemon."
Faced with the pirates surrounding them again—and this time, their targets were not just him, but also Luffy and Nami, who were burdens—Roman could not help wanting to complain. However:
"Well, I should thank you all."
???
Facing the Buggy Pirates, who held weapons in one hand and torches in the other, the crossbows in Roman's hands vanished amid a rustling sound. He raised his empty hands, palms facing them.
"Originally, if I created too much paper, it would become completely harmless..."
"Could it be—"
Kabaji was the first to react. His face changed drastically, and he pedaled his unicycle backward at high speed!
"Paper Dance—Sea of Fire!"
Rustle rustle rustle—
Countless sheets of paper erupted from Roman's hands! Like ocean waves, they flooded the entire rooftop. Soft paper naturally had no destructive power, but if every enemy was holding a torch...
"Ahhhhh~~~"
"Help!"
"It's on fire, it's on fire..."
"Water! Water!!"
In an instant, the entire rooftop became a sea of flames! The Buggy Pirates were all frantically "dancing" in the fire. The comical yet horrifying scene left Nami standing there in a daze, until:
"What are you spacing out for? Run!"
With one hand carrying the iron cage containing Luffy and the other grabbing the dazed orange-haired girl, Roman used You Give Road Oil. They fled the burning area at high speed!
As the saying went, "A fire on the roof makes the warden fall in love with me"...
After all, his Paper-Paper Fruit really was completely countered by flames! If someone risked their life to throw themselves onto him...
"Ah, fire and water showed no mercy."
Before he got "that thing," it seemed impossible to make up for this obvious weakness anytime soon. Right—
Roman turned to look at Nami, whom he was dragging along, her face completely blank as he pondered to himself.
That wasn't right. He remembered that in his past life, Nami had been quick-witted and incredibly fierce in battle, hadn't she?
Why did she look like this now...
—Could she be a fake?
Roman subconsciously failed to consider that the only people who could still laugh and joke the first time they faced a ruthless "real pirate" like him were people like Luffy and Zoro...
Before you continue