Time Flies, the One-Year Promise

Four Seasons Islands

"Is the battle really that dangerous?"

The Straw Hat crew members sat quietly in a circle, some standing and some sitting, listening to Roman tell his 'story'.

Although the newspapers have been reporting extensively on the 'Battle of the Horace Islands' for the past few days, how can the reporters' post-battle speculations compare to Roman's firsthand experience?

"That's right, whether it's the Navy or the Blackbeard Pirates, they can all be considered the true masters of this world."

Aside from Akainu and his Elite Vice Admiral, Blackbeard's side consisted of notorious pirates. And with both sides unleashing their full power in a massive, area-of-effect attack, it was a cataclysmic event, capable of shattering the heavens and destroying the seas!

The great battle reduced the Horace Islands, the former base of the Whitebeard Pirates, to underwater ruins! The entire Blackbeard Pirates suffered over ten thousand casualties, shocking the world!

"Although most of the main members of the Blackbeard Pirates escaped, they still lost two officers."

Once the fight started, Roman remembered that the Blackbeard Pirates had a character called "Giant Battleship" San Juan Wolf—he wondered how someone with such a massive body could remain inconspicuous...

In short, the mystery is solved. With this guy around, it's no wonder they were able to transport such a large amount of goods in such a short time. Therefore:

Fight his mother!!!

Poor San Juan Wolf was caught in a barrage of fire from the enraged navy, and the giant known as the tallest man on the sea was instantly killed!

Another unlucky guy is 'Great Drunkard' Basque Jolt. He originally had the special skill of spewing terrifyingly hot flames from alcohol, but he encountered Akainu... Devil Fruit are just unreasonable and absolutely crushing in their own domains!

Even Ace, who possessed the Mera Mera no Mi, was punched through the chest, let alone this guy who plays with fire.

········

"In short, the Blackbeard Pirates successfully held out until the other two Four Emperors crews could react, forcing the Navy to retreat..."

Kaido is hailed as a 'strategist' among pirates, Big Mom is adept at both alliances and manipulation, operating in both the legitimate and criminal worlds. Neither of them are the 'suicidal maniac' or 'madwoman' portrayed in rumors. Upon learning of the Navy's massive invasion of the New World, they immediately launched a full-scale attack on other Marine base, forcing Akainu to order a retreat.

A single one of the Four Emperors is certainly no match for the Navy, but if the Navy were to target any one of the Four Emperors, the others, if not to help each other, would at least immediately join in and take advantage of the situation, thus restraining the Navy's power.

The principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold" is something that Great Pirates who have been around for decades don't understand!

Of course, the Whitebeard Pirates storming Marine Headquarters...

"And in this single battle, Blackbeard unexpectedly benefited from the misfortune and ascended to the position of ' Four Emperors'— "

That's right!

Although Blackbeard lost tens of thousands of men and two officers in a surprise attack by the Navy, he also made a name for himself! First, he dared to rob the United Fleet of the Navy, the World Government, and dozens of Affiliated Nation, and then he withstood the Navy's retaliation.

In addition:

"Blackbeard had already moved the looted goods to 'Hachinosu Island' beforehand, and after obtaining those supplies..."

With goods worth tens of billions of Beli in hand, coupled with the prestige gained from just 'repelling' the Fleet Admiral and his many elite Marines, countless outlaws flocked to Blackbeard's ranks, causing his power to expand rapidly! He became one of the new Four Emperors, filling the void left by Whitebeard!

So, fate is truly amazing.

This Four Emperors can be said to have been orchestrated by Roman himself...

"Really? It seems we need to keep working hard."

Luffy stood up, dusted off his pants, and stretched out his arms wide in a gesture of respect.

"I won't lose to that big black guy!"

"Because I am the man who will become the King of the Pirates!!"

Faced with Luffy's unchanging boastful words, everyone wore smiles. They set sail precisely because of this one sentence from Luffy..., didn't they?

"Then, I will take everyone back."

As Roman clapped his hands, the papers that flew off his body transformed into airplanes and landed on the lawn beside him.

"Then it's settled."

Luffy extended his fist, and the Straw Hat crew members also came over and extended their hands. Fists of different sizes, genders, and races formed a circle and touched together.

"See you in Sabaody Archipelago in a year!"

Luffy tugged at his Straw Hat and grinned.

"And then we continue—"

Towards our dreams!

"Let's go!!" X9

One year later,

Sabaody Archipelago.

"The pirates who emerged victorious in the in the Grand Line are once again gathering on this island."

In the tavern, a group of idle men, holding cheap rum, began to 'give orders' and 'comment on the state of affairs'.

"The last time we saw such a grand spectacle was two years ago."

"Back then, twelve Supernovas gathered together—how spectacular! Now..."

If you ask why:

"Hahaha, those unlucky souls who went to sea these past two years have had it so rough! At least half of them have fallen victim to 'White Dove.' -- I heard that Impel Down has started using prisoners as dog food for their military dogs."

"Isn't Impel Down prisoners are simply boiled and eaten?"

·······

"Never mind that, I've heard there are more and more gangs robbing Sea Train lately, and they're even calling themselves 'new pirates'..."

"Yeah, a lot of the pirate crews that have arrived here recently are in submarines."

A burly man took a swig of his drink and then complained, "Those guys are really racking their brains to avoid the 'White Doves.' Is this going to turn into a 'Great Underwater Era'?"

"Heh, what's that compared to what you've got?"

Another burly man chuckled, "Several 'air-sea amphibious' hot air balloon pirate crews have arrived here recently. I think the next era will be the 'Great Flying Era'!"

"... The weather on the Grand Line?"

"That's why experienced navigators are in high demand now; even those with no combat ability can become officers immediately!"

Ah, this...

The man and woman who had just entered showed a hint of surprise upon hearing this; they hadn't expected this at all.

The people in the One Piece world are quite adaptable.

Um?

The pirates and idlers in the hall were all taken aback when they saw the handsome man and the beautiful woman with long orange hair entering. This didn't seem like a place for 'high society' people like them.

"This place... seems more lively than it was two years ago."

A beautiful woman with long orange hair sat at the bar, looking around with a wistful expression. —Danger lurked within this chaos, and sin permeated the air of freedom.

"Yeah, I still feel a little nostalgic."

"Haha, that's because the Marine Headquarters moved three months ago."

The boss kindly explained to the beautiful woman in front of him:

"The Marine Headquarters and the 'G1' branch on the other side of the Red Line have switched places, and now the Navy's focus is on the New World. — Thanks to this, my hotel is bustling again."

"This is not a good thing,"

The handsome man in the suit next to him shook his head. "Although there are more people drinking, but—"

Bang!

A gunshot rang out.

"Hey, hey, hey, did I hear that right?"

A hoarse, arrogant voice rang out with the sound of a gunshot, while a handsome man in a suit sitting at the bar pointed his thumb behind him.

"Do you think they'll pay, boss?"

"This·····"

The boss gave a wry smile. There were indeed more customers now, but the troubles had also increased.

"Look carefully, my recruitment notice says 70 million Beli, right?"

The shooter was a tall, obese man with a fierce-looking face. He was wearing an open red vest, his body covered in scars, and carrying a helmet.

Straw Hat.

"Go back! Trash—"

He kicked the captain, who had been shot and knocked to the ground, flying through the air, his arrogant voice echoing in the bar.

"I am the son of Dragon of the Revolutionary Army, and Great Pirates with a bounty of 400 million!"

"Get out of here!!"

·····

"They really show no mercy,"

The timid, hushed idler took a sip of his drink, while his companion, who was chatting with him, also looked fearful.

"There's nothing we can do; their strength is undeniable."

Four hundred million!

This bounty was practically unbeatable in the in the Grand Line. Of course, those with that kind of strength would have already ventured into the 'New World'. Therefore:

"Hey, Franky!"

The fat, tall Straw Hat 'Luffy' looked at the sunglasses-wearing man with a pompadour hairstyle next to him.

How many people have we recruited?

"Only ten people met the requirements, but they recruited four pirate crews..."

"Hahahaha, we only want elites! Captains with less than 70 million Beli are out of the question—those trash are not even in our league! Hey, boss, bring us some wine!"

Turning his head towards the bar, the long orange-haired beauty's charm and appearance startled Straw Hat 'Luffy'.

"Hey, beautiful! Come on over and have a drink with us."

·······

See? Dressed all high and mighty, coming to a place like this to drink, they're about to pay the price.

Amidst the onlookers and pirates, the orange-haired beauty calmly rested her chin on one hand and swirled the wine in her glass with the other. —What kind of fine wine hadn't she tasted in the last two years? Her palate had become quite discerning.

Alas, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

"I already have a man in my life."

!?

"Hahaha!!! The man next to you—"

Suddenly, several strange-looking people stood up at the table where Straw Hat 'Luffy' was sitting.

"After hearing the name of our captain Luffy, you didn't even kneel down and beg for mercy! Where did this country bumpkin come from?"

Seeing that the other party's 'invitation' had failed and they were about to 'force it', the orange-haired beauty waved her hand without turning her head.

"It's up to you."

"I am willing to serve you, madam."

The man in the suit next to her stood up, Guotou, and revealed a handsome face.

The face that belongs to Roman.

P. S.: I plan to save the remaining theatrical versions for later, weaving them into the main story. By the way, a quick rant: my subscription numbers are dropping so fast it's suffocating; watching the red line on my phone's payment app plummet every day...

I'm not afraid to admit it, but I had 2000 subscribers for Marineford War, and now I barely have a fraction of 1000. It's only been a little over half a month. Even if you haven't seen the movie, you should still trust my abilities! Tears welling up...

Well, a thousand is a very respectable achievement for me, so I will continue to write well.