Transformation Arrangements Come to an End

Boom--

As World's body shrank, it meant he had lost the ability to sustain his strength, and it also meant that he:

Defeat!

Snap,

A four-meter-tall giant fell onto the deck, and the 'Grosseadi', an island ship capable of diving, also reached the end of its life, with collapses and leaks everywhere! As the ship that carried the dreams of the 'Wald Pirates', it was destroyed before it even took its first step.

Ironically, the one who started it all was its captain.

"Huff, huff, huff,"

Barely managing to climb off the deck, World, his strength nearly gone, looked up at the giant White Knight and White Knight Luffy on its shoulders, and had to admit that he was once again at his wit's end.

"Ahem, World."

?!

"Bin Jack, what are you doing here!"

Faced with his seriously injured younger brother's angry questions, the frail old man wearing a horned helmet simply walked past him silently.

"I am the First Mate of the 'Wald Pirates'. Now that the captain is incapacitated, I will give the orders!"

!!

"What nonsense are you talking about—"

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

The words of the frail, short old man were three weak yet firm voices.

"Yes!" X3

Sebastian, the Fish Giant covered in blood, Nacery, the old ship doctor who had just escaped petrification, Gayiram, the old shipwright who had gotten back to his feet, all dragged their injured bodies over and stood in front of World.

"You--?!"

"Let's go, Captain."

Facing the imposing Roman and Luffy, the blind Fish Giant calmly opened his arms.

"If you use Geppo in conjunction with the More-More Fruit, you'll definitely be able to leave safely..."

The premise is that the other party does not have flight tracking capabilities.

Unfortunately, Roman has both.

"Haha, but our dream can only be entrusted to the captain!"

Gayiram, wielding the giant hammer, laughed heartily.

Laughing:

His face was covered in wrinkles.

"Hehehe,"

Nacery, wearing an ill-fitting high heel and dragging her white coat on the ground, chuckled.

"To be able to fight alongside you in the final moments of my life... and to fight for the captain at that—I deserve a share of that double credit!"

"You········"

What exactly are they saying and doing?

World lay on the ground, his mind a jumbled mess.

"Let's go, World ...brother."

The old man, having removed the saline drip, Guotou shakily. His gentle eyes were filled with reluctance, regret, and blessings.

"We are getting old."

!!

As his brother spoke, World suddenly realized that the last few members of the 'Wald Pirates' were all elderly men and women in their 70s and 80s.

"Our dreams are no longer possible. But you are different, little brother—"

While freezing World for thirty years severely diminished his strength, it also indirectly extended his lifespan.

"Your body can still hold up..."

"Let's go, Captain!!"

The towering Fish Giant Sebastian was in the best condition among them. Although he had been beaten up by Luffy, his immense strength, combined with the long lifespan granted by his Fish-Man and giant hybrid blood and his innate physique, meant he still had the ability to fight.

"Let this be our atonement for the retreat... no, the betrayal—thirty years ago!"

"Take our dreams with you! We're begging you!!"

"Why... why... why..."

The fierce look on his face vanished completely, his ruthless eyes became hazy, and his lips under his beard twitched a few times, but he still couldn't utter a complete sentence.

In that instant, the man known as the 'World Destroyer' once again recalled the oath he and a few others had made with one foot on the barrel:

'Hooray! I want to travel the world with my brother and see different islands and people!'

'Then leave the ship to me! I will build the strongest ship imaginable.'

"Hehehe, as long as I'm around, I guarantee you'll all be lively and energetic even at eighty."

'Leave the guard duty to me; I will never let the enemy set foot on our deck!'

"Ahem, I... I want to see the day when you all achieve your dreams. Although I can't fight, leave the intelligence work to me."

··········

"You... you guys..."

"I am the 'World Destroyer' World!!"

"Get out! Get out!! You're the ones who should be leaving!!!"

Struggling to his feet, World grabbed onto the thin shoulder of Bin Jack, who was blocking his way. With just a slight pull, his brother, who had been frail and sickly since childhood, would have fallen to the side like a piece of paper. But:

The little old man wearing the horned helmet Guotou slightly, and his unwavering gaze made World freeze! The hand that could destroy everything was unable to move.

"Let's go, little brother..."

"Roman, I'm not fighting this."

As Luffy turned to leave, the giant White Knight began to disintegrate with a clattering sound, turning into countless white sheets of paper that carried Roman and Luffy onto the deck. Facing the fully alert Wald Pirates, Roman sighed.

"Emotionally speaking: you're all in this state, and I don't want to arrest a bunch of people in their seventies and eighties. But—"

Roman's gaze fell on World.

"Rationally speaking: allowing a madman like you back to the sea would do no good for the world. And I wouldn't know how to explain myself..."

Roman's words silenced the members of the Wald Pirates. Just as the three officers were preparing for a desperate fight, a tall figure passed over them, and then:

Thump!

A four-meter-tall man knelt on the deck.

"Navy, just kill me!"

"Use my head to end this—just please spare them. They're just a bunch of old people who don't have many days left to live... Please!"

Thump!

His head slammed hard against the deck, Luffy to turn his head to the side.

He did not try to influence Roman, because 'respect' is a prerequisite for companionship.

"I don't want your head," Roman shook his head. Killing World would bring him no benefit whatsoever. Not to mention the 'Momo Page' he had just acquired would immediately become ineffective, besides...

"A dead World is no more useful than a living World."

Amidst the puzzled looks of the Wald Pirates, Roman spread his hands.

"I have a suggestion; you might want to listen to it first."

After resolving the issue with the Wald Pirates, the next step is:

"I'm going back to training!"

With an excited Luffy punched his palm, eager to go back and abuse animals, or rather, be abused by animals.

"Luffy ~~"

With a reluctant Empress Hancock sent Luffy back to the training island, then turned around and impatiently began to shoo him away.

"Alright, you two marines should leave now, shouldn't you?"

"No rush,"

"I have something I need to discuss with the Empress privately."

?!

"What kind of looks are those? Come on, watch me withstand the Empress's 'Mero Mero Mellow' and show you!"

········

Inside the cabin of the Perfume Serpent,

"Navy, what business do you have with me?"

Besides Roman and Hancock, the room also contained Granny Nyon, the 'Chief of Staff' of Amazon Lily. With Luffy gone, Hancock immediately reverted to her usual arrogance, exuding domineering power and allure in every gesture.

"It's like this, if the Empress were to marry my captain in the future—"

"Ugh~~ I hate it~~"

"To marry Luffy, you'd at least need to get engaged first~~"

In an instant, the Empress, who had just been exuding Haki charm, lost her composure and reverted to her girlish demeanor.

The other two people in the room, Roman and Granny Nyon, were speechless, covering their foreheads in exasperation.

"... In short, your Amazon Lily and our Straw Hat crew are practically 'in-laws,' so I've chosen to say some things."

Roman and the Empress spoke again only after the Empress had calmed down.

"Let's disband the 'Kuja Pirates'."

!?

Do you know what you're saying?

The Empress abruptly stood up, her eyes turning cold. "If it weren't for Luffy, you'd already be a stone statue!"

"Yes, I know."

"Your Mero Mero no Mi no longer needs anyone's 'heart' to unleash its power; it's incredibly formidable in both group battles and one-on-one duels. However:"

Roman faced the cold-blooded Hancock without fear.

"If it's a large swarm of combat robots paired with a blind master of Admiral level, would the Empress still be confident in defending the Amazon Lily?"

?!

"You mean those 'Pacifista'?" The Empress remained unmoved. "I'll kick them one by one, they're just scrap metal."

"But none of your citizens are capable of kicking a Pacifista one by one, and you don't think the World Government can't develop a weapon like 'Pacifista 2.0,' do you?"

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Roman repeated himself as he faced the Empress, who was now seated atop the python Salome.

"It's simple, disband the 'Kuja' Pirates."

"This is impossible—"

Just as Hancock was about to refuse, Roman interrupted her.

"Please listen to me first: Your Kuja Pirates only have one ship. To be honest, what can you possibly plunder on a single voyage? It's pointless to carry the reputation of a pirate nation and isolate yourself from the world. Compared to the power of the World Government, your Amazon Lily is no match for it."

"Now that the World Government's warships can navigate the Calm Belt, your geographical advantage is diminishing; that's one point."

"And secondly, the mass production of 'Pacifista' is enough to crush your elite warriors."

"The World Government is about to conduct a 'mass draft,' and one of the blind swordsmen who is slated to become Admiral is enough to keep you in check. That's the third point."

Anyway, the Amazon Lily is extremely isolated. Apart from the 'Chief of Staff' Granny Nyon, who still keeps up with the world through newspapers, the rest of the people there are:

I've never even seen a man before!

"The world is changing, and times are developing."

Roman spread his hands. "You've seen those 'Pacifista' before. You can still kick them one by one now, but once the World Government gets the new alloy, I'm afraid even you, the Empress, will be in a tough fight."

The Empress, lacking wide-area destructive capabilities, was already a formidable opponent against robots. But once Wapol Metal appeared...

"Then let them come."

"We Amazon warriors fear no battle!"

The domineering Empress was certainly not someone who would be easily subdued by Roman's words, and moreover:

"I'm more curious about who you really are?"

Faced with the Empress's oppressive gaze and her aura that made one feel stiff and numb, Roman sighed.

"I am Roman, the 'White Knight' and the strategist of the Straw Hat Pirates. Of course—I could also be Commodore Roman, or some other random identity, but none of that matters."

"The important thing is that I don't want to see Luffy's 'family' get hurt."

"Luffy's family and stuff~~~~"

What do you want me to do?

I knew it.

Roman rolled his eyes; all that he'd said before was less effective than that last sentence.

Ah, women.

P. S.: Okay, it seems creating original content is really a thankless task... the data keeps declining. Anyway, I'll jump straight to two years from now...