Straw Hat Supporters, Invincible Shielding

At sea more than 30 nautical miles away from the Fleet 211 led by Roman,

A peculiar ship was slowly moving along, several white doves landed on the mast, and the bird's face, rubbing its temples, was covered in:

I have no will to live.

"This······"

No wonder Nami looked hesitant—because Nami can also share Roman's dove's field of vision through "The Art of the Thief." While not as exaggerated as Roman's "Fruit Radar," it can still monitor an area of dozens of nautical miles without any problem. Therefore:

What can I say about this ship?

The most striking feature is the figurehead, which is usually sculpted as a symbol or creature of one's team. However, the opponent's figurehead is: a goofy-looking young man wearing Straw Hat, a red vest, and a scar under his left eye.

Isn't that Luffy?!

That's right, anyone who has seen Luffy can immediately recognize him in the figurehead.

Especially that utterly goofy expression, it was incredibly lifelike (physically speaking). Meanwhile: the white knight's armor on the foredeck, the cabin with the ferocious image of Merry, the orange tree on the aft deck, the antlers on both sides of the ship...

"If you didn't know better, you'd think this was our ship."

Nami nodded repeatedly as Roman rubbed his temples and closed his eyes in silence.

"That's why I'm undecided; this looks exactly like the Straw Hat crew's ship. But—"

The Straw Hat crew's navigator and Chief of Staff stand here, while the others are training their skills all over the world. This ship, seemingly a 'collection of Straw Hat crew' peripherals,' certainly can't be theirs, and most importantly:

"Bartolomeo, the 'Cannibal Demon,' has a bounty of 102 million Beli (he hasn't even entered the New World yet). This is the Bounty Poster for the captain of that ship."

Wearing a naval officer's coat, Nami was getting more and more used to her new identity as Roman's secretary, and handed him a Bounty Poster.

Above is a man with a grass-green rooster-comb hairstyle, an eye tattoo under his right eye, and a nose ring. He is arrogantly raising his middle finger, giving off a sinister vibe of "Come and chop me if you dare."

That's it, it's him!

"This... never mind, leave it to me."

Roman thought about it and finally decided to go and see what was going on himself:

Why would this guy give up his comfortable position as a yakuza boss to become a pirate? Besides—didn't he become a Straw Hat crew fan because he witnessed Luffy being saved by lightning in Loguetown and became convinced of 'destiny'?

Back in Loguetown, Roman suddenly mastered 'Elementalization' to save Luffy, so there was no lightning strike to save him. How come he's still...?

"Captain, look!"

"Um?"

Amidst the flapping of wings, white doves flew over and circled the bizarre pirate ship named 'Forward Luffy', whose mainsail bore a huge 'BARTO Barto Club' support logo.

Under the wary gazes of everyone on deck, the white doves flew to the 'White Knight' statue located at the front of the deck, and then:

Splash splash~~

"It's actually made of paper?"

The collapsed white dove, wrapped in this cardboard statue, has transformed into the true White Knight!

"So,"

The White Knight raised his helmet, only to find:

"Woohoo!!!"

"This is... this is the White Knight, the strategist of the Straw Hat crew, appearing in spirit!"

"Ahhhhh, we are so incredibly fortunate!!"

·······

"Hey, stop praying."

Looking at the group of Barto, who were so excited that they were in tears and bowing to him with their hands outstretched, the White Knight's helmet was covered in black lines.

"You guys... forget it,"

Watching the group of pirates who wanted to rush forward but were afraid of offending their 'idol,' caught in a dilemma like fanatical star-struck fans, the White Knight looked up at the sky. —This world is truly full of oddities, but:

"Turn your ships around first."

This is the second division of the future 'Straw Hat Grand Fleet'. If it were to run into the hands of the Navy's Fleet 211 led by Roman, it would truly be a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King.

"Turn around! Turn around immediately!!"

Piloted by a group of excited, trembling fanatic pirates, this bizarre 'Straw Hat crew support ship' abruptly turned away from the advancing naval fleet, avoiding a pointless conflict.

"Big Brother White Knight, are the other Straw Hat crew members nearby?"

Seeing Bartolomeo and his men rubbing their hands together in delight, the White Knight signed his name, 'Tokovic Roman,' shattering their illusions.

"No, the others have all scattered around the world to train, preparing for a better assault on the New World."

"Waaaaah!!!"

Of course, a group of eccentric pirates wept bitterly.

"I knew the Straw Hat crew's big brothers were all fine; they're just Admiral..."

"Waaaah, finally I can get some sleep! I was so worried about what my brothers might have done in Sabaody— "

"Shut up! Luffy Big Brother are going to be the King of the Pirates! The heroic image of Marineford War and White Knight storming Marine Headquarters during the Marineford War is forever etched in my heart. How could they possibly be defeated by mere Marines?"

·········

You guys are using a really strong fan filter, White Knight is speechless.

If it weren't for various factors that got in the way during the Marineford War, even ten lives wouldn't have been enough for Luffy and Roman to die!

Of course, even knowing he was doomed, Luffy wouldn't abandon Ace, just as Roman wouldn't abandon Luffy. A miracle—isn't it simply about giving your all to turn the impossible into the possible?

"In short, there is a naval fleet over there."

The White Knight pointed to where 'he's' was, "I saw your ship... so I came to take a look."

"Waaaah, all thanks to Brother White Knight!"

"You are our savior—"

·······

Forget it, if an ordinary Marine encountered Bartolomeo, it's hard to say who would win. —Don't let Bartolomeo and his crew's seemingly die-hard Straw Hat Pirates fanboy act fool you; their strength is by no means questionable!

Before Bartolomeo set sail, he was the leader of a powerful kingdom with as many as 150 towns under his control! His strength already surpassed that of an ordinary kingdom, and if he wanted to establish a kingdom and become king, it would not be a problem at all.

Therefore, all the pirates under his command are skilled individuals with bounties in the tens of millions, and many even have bounties in the tens of millions.

Bartolomeo was already incredibly strong, and with the addition of the 'Barrier-Barrier Fruit,' considered the most durable fruit in the world, his power level exceeding 100 million is absolutely genuine! A little over a year later, he single-handedly defeated Vice Admiral Maynard without his hair getting messed up—he's definitely a master. Furthermore:

Don't let his seemingly die-hard fanboy Straw Hat crew boss who controls 150 towns, he's got it all—intelligence, skill, and strategy. Unfortunately...

If you don't meet Luffy, you'll regret it for life; if you do meet Luffy, you'll regret it for life!

"That's settled then, you guys go to the New World first."

After seeing off the Barto Club members who were overjoyed to learn that their 'idols' were safe and sound, Roman left the 'White Knight' as a gift for them. Although the shrine already erected and the incense burner at its base looked rather...

In short, Roman quietly dismissed Barto and his group. He didn't take the opportunity to acquire the 'shielding ability' because:

For Barto and his group, they were neither enemies nor friends to Roman, so there was no reason for them to take action or demand anything!

"Let them wander around the New World for now."

Roman, sitting in the warship, opened his eyes and gave Nami a look that said, "I've taken care of it."

With Bartolomeo around, the 'Barto Club' pirate crew is safe as long as they don't encounter opponents of the Four Emperors level. In fact, with the incredibly powerful 'Shield-Shield Fruit,' even the Four Emperors wouldn't be able to handle him for the time being, because:

The previous holder of the Shield-Shield Fruit, Kurozumi Semimaru, the personal bodyguard of Kurozumi Orochi of Wano Country, once used the Shield-Shield Fruit- Kozuki Oden, who was said to have the strength of an Emperor, without taking any damage, making that fool dance for several years.

Idiot!

Roman was speechless at the thought of Wano Country.

Is it true that martial arts training has turned your brain into muscles, making your shielding invincible? Even Conqueror's Haki can't cut through it?

So, can't a world-class swordsman just dig the floor up with a single slash? Then throw him, shield, and the floor together into the ocean, let him perform his invincibility underwater, and he'll have to give up thinking on the spot!

Can't you even think of such a simple solution?

Taking hostages is even more absurd. Every qualified "king" should understand the principle that one cannot command an army with kindness, and that hesitation will only lead to chaos!

Anyone who has studied history knows that any army fighting in a foreign land prefers to conscript local able-bodied men; they can be used as logistical labor in peacetime, and in battle:

It can be used as a shield to "borrow arrows" and to fill in the moat!

If war were to end because of hostages, wouldn't it be far too easy? —Take hostages, win. That's hilarious! And this is what they call world-class fighting power?

Even that brain-dead Whitebeard II is smarter than him!

War without killing a single person

Luffy has never been this naive!

Moreover, it is utterly foolish to abandon one's dignity as a 'king' and dance to save people because the other party threatened them with hostages!

Even Vivi's father made a point of thanking the Straw Hat crew in the large bathroom.

At that time, he was just a father who cared about his daughter, because there was no such thing as a king who was not properly dressed.

A king's dignity is not merely a matter of personal pride, but a symbol of the nation, its cohesion, and the trust of its people. That fool Oden lost the nation's dignity, spirit, and trust for a few hostages, and when he finally realized his mistake and fought to the death, only nine people followed him...

It's important to know that the prevalence of Armament Haki in Wano Country is quite high, with many even possessing advanced Haki of it. If Oden had had enough courage and a kingly mindset, let alone a mere Orochi, the Four Emperors of this world would likely have long since replaced Kaido of the Beasts with Kozuki of Kozuki!

Aside from his fighting prowess, Oden possessed absolutely no kingly qualities whatsoever: he never consulted with his subordinates, acted unilaterally even with allies by his side, and showed no remorse despite losing popular support...

To paraphrase a certain prime minister, he was roughly a 'brainless brute, fond of scheming but indecisive; he neglects the people when undertaking great tasks, and forgets the country when faced with minor losses: no hero.'

To have Conqueror's Haki is truly innate!

"Sigh, Wano Country... never mind, let's think about that far away later."

It's fair to say that Roman doesn't dislike many people in this world. Whether it's Crocodile, Enel, Blackbeard, or even Ace (if it weren't for causing Luffy's near-death experience), Roman doesn't dislike Ace. But there's one Oden: Oden...

"You are not worthy of the name of a hero."

A brainless brute!

P. S.: This is just my personal opinion. If anyone with a normal IQ and Oden's strength were in Wano Country, it wouldn't have turned out like this. I honestly don't understand Oden's actions. Before he appeared, all the other characters were quite normal, but after Oden appeared, everyone started praising him wildly, constantly referring to Oden as if he were their father. Especially that certain extremely filial daughter...

Let's see how Oda up. If there's no plot twist later on, I'll probably have to drastically change the story by the time I get to Wano Country.