East Blue,
On the deck of an unnamed merchant ship.
A spotless round table stood on the deck, surrounded by four white chairs occupied by Roman, Luffy, Zoro, and Nami. The other three were listening intently as Roman explained the "strong ones" of this world.
"This world has four seas, divided into east, west, south, and north by the Red Line and the Grand Line."
"The East Blue we're in is known as the 'Weakest Sea'..."
As he spoke, Roman glanced at Luffy. The reason it had earned that title was probably largely because of this guy. Every time Vice Admiral Garp came to the East Blue to visit his grandson, he surely cleaned up some pirates along the way. After enough of that, how could the East Blue not be weak?
"The first half of the Grand Line is called Paradise, where newcomers clash fiercely and the weak are prey to the strong. The latter half is called the New World, where one of the world's three great powers, the Four Emperors, reigns supreme. It is known as the 'strongest sea in the world.'"
"The three great powers of the Grand Line are the Marines, the Four Emperors, and the Shichibukai."
"As for the Four Emperors..."
Roman glanced at Luffy again. If he told them that Shanks was one of the Four Emperors with a bounty of several billion, then the "Bandit King" Higuma and the "Lord of the Coast" would surely slam the table and protest.
In Luffy's mind, it might turn into: Ah, a Four Emperor? Shanks can be one at that level? Then aren't I already above Emperor level...? Forget it. Better to skip over that. Why did all the big shots in this world love pretending to be weak?
For example, that old man who got knocked down by the "Axe-Hand"...
Or that blind man who got thrown out of a casino...
"Back to the point. The Four Emperors are all top-tier pirates with bounties in the billions. They're far too distant from us, so there's no need to discuss them."
Luffy, Zoro, and Nami, who had been listening seriously, had no objections. The gap between them and pirates with bounties in the billions was simply too horrifying to imagine.
"If we enter the Grand Line, the ones we need to watch out for most are the Marines and the Shichibukai."
"Don't forget, our captain wants to become the King of the Pirates." Roman swept his gaze over the three of them and explained solemnly.
"So under normal circumstances, the Marines will be our greatest enemies."
It didn't matter whether the Straw Hat Pirates had ever done anything pirates were supposed to do. Once they raised a skull flag, they became the Marines' mortal enemies!
"The Marines belong to the World Government. In the name of Absolute Justice, they maintain order across every sea in the world. They are the world's largest military organization. Marine Headquarters, Enies Lobby, and Impel Down together form the world's three great strongholds."
"The current Fleet Admiral is Sengoku the Buddha. Below him are the Three Admirals, the highest combat power. Then come Vice Admirals, Rear Admirals, Commodores, and so on, all the way down to Colonels, Lieutenant Colonels..."
"Though there are parasites who rise through connections, most Marine officers' strength is tied to their rank."
Seeing the trio's unconcerned expressions, Roman could only explain patiently once more.
"Don't use the strength of Marine ranks here in the East Blue as a reference. Let me put it this way: an East Blue Colonel would be lucky to become a commissioned officer in the Grand Line. More likely, he'd have to start over as a Third Class Private."
"Even the four of us, if we joined the Marines with our current strength, would only reach Major at most. And Marine Headquarters has not thousands or tens of thousands, but certainly hundreds of people at that level without any difficulty."
"Hundreds of Luffys..."
Nami had wanted to marvel at how incredible that was, but what appeared in her mind was the scene of hundreds of straw-hatted monkeys chattering and clowning around...
No, the image was too beautiful. She didn't dare look!
"Next are the Shichibukai."
"Their full title is the Seven Warlords of the Sea. They are seven famous Great Pirates recognized by the World Government, possessing catastrophic destructive power and military strength comparable to entire nations."
"I can tell you clearly," Roman declared seriously again, "their strength is not exaggerated in the slightest. In practical terms, each of them can stand against a nation alone!"
"No, one could even say that against an army made up of ordinary people, however many are sent will simply die."
"Don't think you can wear them down. Every one of those monsters can fight for days and nights without even gasping!"
Uh...
Three blank faces.
It was not that Luffy, Zoro, and Nami lacked imagination. Before they truly encountered those "monsters," they simply could not imagine that humans could become that powerful!
Zoro's master and Luffy's grandfather were both genuine masters. But one pretended to be weak, while the other pretended to be crazy. In Zoro and Luffy's eyes, they were probably just a feeble teacher and a crazy old man...
As for Nami, a Grand Line fish-man deserter like Arlong had already made her think he was "invincible." How could anyone expect her to have a clear understanding of what true masters were?
"In short, the Shichibukai are seven renowned Great Pirates recognized by the World Government,"
"They are 'Tyrant' Bartholomew Kuma, the 'Empress' Boa Hancock, the 'Heavenly Yaksha' Donquixote Doflamingo, 'Stepping Stone' Gecko Moria, the 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe, and the 'Desert King' Crocodile. As well as:"
Roman looked at Zoro, the green-haired Three-Sword Style swordsman.
"The World's Greatest Swordsman—'Hawk Eyes' Dracule Mihawk!"
"Oh?"
The moment he heard that name, Zoro immediately looked expectant and eager to fight.
"I never knew he also held a Shichibukai title?"
"So that means there are six others as strong as him—"
"Ah, no..."
Roman waved his hand. "In my opinion, Mihawk is among the strongest of the Shichibukai. Then come Kuma, Doflamingo, Hancock, Jinbe. As for Moria and Crocodile, they are the weakest 'stepping stones.'"
"But even the 'stepping stones' among the Shichibukai would only need one move to kill us!"
That was no exaggeration. Forget their current strength—even in the original "story," after the Straw Hat Pirates had gone through numerous battles and grown stronger, luck accounted for seventy percent of their victories against those two Shichibukai!
It truly was seventy percent fate, thirty percent hard work.
"Sigh,"
As he spoke, Roman sighed, because:
"Looking at your expressions, you probably think I'm telling fairy tales or trying to scare you. Fine, then—"
Roman rose to his feet and waved a hand. The table before them and the chairs beneath them immediately turned into sheets of white paper that scattered through the air, nearly making Nami fall flat on her backside.
As for Luffy and Zoro, they had enough reflexes to handle that.
Paper Dance—Arena!
Rustle, rustle~~
Sheets of flying white paper covered the deck, mast, and railings, wrapping the merchant ship in a layer of pure white!
"The development of a Devil Fruit depends entirely on the individual."
As Roman continued to cover the ship with paper streaming endlessly from his hands, he went on.
"Take my Paper-Paper Fruit. If an assassin-type person had eaten it, he might have developed abilities like a 'paper person' that slips through door cracks, 'paper painting' for dodging, or a 'paper demon blade' that strengthens attacks."
"If someone who disliked fighting personally ate it, he might develop techniques such as 'paper cranes' for scouting, 'paper clones' to confuse the enemy, and a 'paper mech' for combat..."
As he spoke, Roman pointed at the paper on the ground.
"As for me, perhaps because I'm afraid of dying, the first ability I developed was this 'Paper Iron'!"
"I can make the paper I create as sturdy as steel. Of course—the farther it is from my body, the weaker the ability becomes..."
"But if it's only an area the size of this ship's deck, I can still maintain it."
Rustle, rustle~~
More sheets of paper flew out and landed in Roman's hands, transforming into a Sailor's Knife and a shield.
"So, don't hold back!"
Roman took his stance, facing Luffy and Zoro.
"Come fight me. If I win, you'll listen to what I say properly."
Before you continue