A Hero in His Twilight Years, My Territory

New World, on the sea:

A fleet is moving forward.

"Commander-in-Chief, a naval force is approaching!"

·······

"Drive them away."

In the Captain's Cabin, a tall man wearing sunglasses and holding a bottle of liquor sat in a chair. After a moment of silence, he decisively gave the order. In his other, massive mechanical arm was a strange substance sealed in a glass container.

Dyna Stone!

A highly explosive device, far more powerful than any known explosive, said to rival 'Ancient Weapon'! It was something the tall man and his men seized from the navy's research lab.

Then the identity of this tall man becomes obvious:

Zephyr!

He was the Admiral's height, draped in a black overcoat. His bare upper body was covered in battle scars, both old and new, and his right arm was a massive mechanical one. His short, purple hair stood on end like steel needles, just like him—never giving up! But:

As a powerful figure from the same era as Garp, he has grown old.

Unlike Sengoku Garp, Zephyr's strong physique was hampered by a persistent asthma attack, forcing him to rely on medication to sustain his fighting ability.

Crackle, crackle,

Even sitting in the cabin, the former Admiral could still 'hear' the sound of a flock of wings flapping as they approached from afar.

"Is it that brat?"

On the deck:

Splash splash~~

The fluttering white doves folded together one by one, transforming into a handsome young man wearing a navy coat.

"White Dove candidate Admiral..."

"This, we..."

Please leave—

Despite their differing stances, the soldiers on the warship did not want to turn against Roman. Unlike other naval commanders who only knew how to kill, Roman's performance over the past two years had been truly outstanding.

Not only has he captured the most pirates in the entire Navy, but he even 'personally' arrested two legendary Great Pirates, World and Golden Lion! Furthermore, the United Transport Fleet he leads includes the Sea Train ...

All of this has freed countless islands from poverty and isolation, indirectly saving millions of lives! If it weren't for Roman's age being a major obstacle, calls for him to become Admiral would have already reached the Marine Headquarters.

On one hand, it allows for the large-scale capture of pirates; on the other hand, it enables vigorous development of the economy and transportation. What ordinary person wouldn't like an Admiral skilled in literature and martial arts?

"Vice Admiral Roman... if you intend to harm the teacher—"

A beautiful woman with long, flowing, wavy, sea-blue hair, an X-shaped scar on her right leg, and carrying a pistol named Gebrshort, stood before Roman in black pointed high heels and a black captain's coat.

"Even if it's you, I won't give way!"

"Don't panic, Admiral Ain..."

After all, the other party is no longer in the navy, so we cannot use naval ranks to address them.

"I'm not here to fight Zephyr. In fact, I got this meeting from Akainu Fleet Admiral."

Roman glanced at the beautiful woman blocking his way with a resolute expression; she was a user of the 'Return-Return Fruit'. A single touch could rewind living beings, even objects, by twelve years! And this power could be stacked continuously—it sounded incredibly strong, however:

This ability can be resisted or even ignored by Armament Haki! For example, Zephyr himself has honed his Armament Haki to the bone. The Return-Return Fruit simply cannot affect him. Otherwise—

Wouldn't it be wonderful to simply revert the aged Zephyr to his peak condition? Or even further, to revert Garp, Sengoku, Tsuru, and others to their younger days? Then what would become of the Great Pirate Era?

(In the original story, the Straw Hat crew members who were affected were all people without Armament Haki.)

The beautiful female officer named Ain had no chance against 'Roman,' who knew her background and possessed impressive Armament Haki!

"Let him in, Ain."

Zephyr's aged yet powerful voice came from the cabin behind him.

"I'm not so old that I wouldn't dare to see a junior naval officer."

Creak,

"Instructor Zephyr, hello."

As Roman, dressed in a naval officer's coat, stepped into the cabin, he was confronted by the tall, imposing Zephyr, who had already stood up. Roman's gaze fell upon the wine bottles on the nearby table and:

"Explosive Rock. — Zephyr, why are you doing this?"

"You brat, are you trying to teach me a lesson?"

The tall man opposite him raised his massive mechanical arm. "Believe it or not, I'll dismantle this puppet of yours right now?"

"Your Navy is too weak! Even pirates brazenly enter and leave Marine Headquarters —it's utterly shameless! Since you can't restore peace to the seas, then I will—"

"Zephyr, do you want to die?"

Bang!

The door behind him was kicked open with a bang, and three figures rushed in! All their weapons were pointed at Roman.

The beautiful Ain, wearing a black coat; Binz, the user of the Shove-Shove Fruit, dressed in a brightly colored ninja outfit; and Shuzo, a large man from the Longarm Tribe.

"Don't even think about hurting the teacher!"

It should be noted that these three were already among the strongest Rear Admiral admirals when they were in the navy.

In an instant, the entire cabin was filled with a chilling aura! And at the center of all the killing intent and Haki, 'Roman' simply looked calmly at Zephyr in front of him.

"Stop, Zephyr."

The area outside is full of Admiral.

"At this point, the weak navy actually sent a brat. Are they trying to humiliate me?"

"Oh, what if—"

Roman's hands hung down, showing no sign of him making a move.

"If Zephyr's plan succeeds, what will he gain?"

"Kaido can lift islands into the air, Big Mom's crew is full of various 'Super Creation' ability users, Blackbeard's 'Dark-Dark Fruit' can absorb everything, his 'Tremor-Tremor Fruit' can destroy everything, and Shanks has fewer people and a faster ship..."

"The so-called plan to exterminate the New World is nothing but a joke to the Four Emperors! Zephyr,"

'Roman' stepped forward.

"What will truly be wiped out? At most, a bunch of lackeys, and—"

"Ordinary people throughout the New World!!"

Ordinary people

Ordinary

General

Roman's resounding words echoed in the cabin, leaving the three former Marine Major General behind him speechless. They knew all too well who this plan would truly harm, but:

"Shut up, Roman!"

Pink flames erupted from the muzzle of Ain's gun! These weren't hot flames, but rather a sign that she was activating her power.

"What do you know? How could a naval star like you, with such a smooth-sailing career, possibly know anything about your teacher—"

"I know,"

Roman shook his head. "I know more than you do."

?!

"I know that Instructor Zephyr's family was killed by pirates, and I also know about the attack on your class's training ship."

"But Instructor Zephyr, you yourself know very well that this plan will not succeed. It's just a veteran's final, unwilling cry."

Bang!

"Shut up!!"

The bullet, imbued with the ability to "reverse," instantly ripped through the ship's hull and flew past Roman. —This wasn't Ain holding back, but rather Roman's Kami-e combining Observation Haki.

"Don't panic,"

Facing Binz, who had already drawn his longsword, and Shuzo, who was swinging his fist, Roman raised his hands:

They gave a French military salute.

?!

"I'm not here to fight with you, much less to argue."

"As I just said, Zephyr's plan is doomed to fail. So—"

Why won't you listen to my plan?

Fish-Man Island,

"You're back, Roman."

"Hmm," Roman, who had returned from 'remote control' mode, stood up and looked around.

"Where are the others?"

"King Neptune said that in gratitude, everyone could go to the Dragon Palace's treasury and choose any treasures they wanted."

"Hey, why didn't you go?"

Don't forget that Nami has a 'money-grubbing' side. The orange-haired girl smiled slightly at Roman's words.

"No need, I already have one—"

"Oh, that makes sense."

Roman snapped out of his daze. "With billions of gold in the Pocket Page, it's no wonder they look down on the treasures of the Dragon Palace."

"Fool!"

You are my treasure.

··········

At the same time:

"Hey, Luffy, why did you choose this broken box?"

"Hehehe, you don't understand! This is the legendary Tamatebako from the Dragon Palace, you've hit the jackpot!"

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji are strolling through the streets. —Don't ask why it's the three of them; it's because Sanji doesn't trust those two. After all, if he turns around, Luffy will cause trouble, Zoro will get lost.

Unfortunately, Roman went into a 'dazed' state, so Sanji had to keep an eye on these two troublemakers himself.

As for the others, they were either engrossed in the Fish-Man Island library or researching its technology. — Although the place seems backward, the pirates and travelers who have passed through have left behind a lot of interesting knowledge.

"Hey, what's going on here?"

Before the three stood a damaged factory. And in front of the factory, two 'people' were arguing with the minister of Fish-Man Island!

"What do you mean 'gone'? That's ten tons of pastries!"

"Do you even understand what will happen to your Fish-Man Island if 'Mother' finds out?"

"Hehehe, are you here to buy snacks too?"

Luffy, being very outgoing, struck up a conversation with the humanoid lion.

"The snacks here are delicious, I would like to have them again."

!

"What happened? You said you ate some snacks? Didn't you say they were all destroyed in the battle?!"

Wearing sunglasses and with a slightly chubby build, the lion-man in a pink suit with a sword at his waist was grabbing Luffy and shaking him back and forth.

"Those were desserts meant for 'Mom,' did you really think you could eat them?!"

"Calm down, Pekoms."

A man with a mustache Longleg Tribe, wearing sunglasses, dressed entirely in pink, with eggshell-shaped trousers, and carrying a cane, sat next to me. He looked like a French gentleman.

"Losing your temper won't get you any snacks, so let's try to resolve this peacefully."

The man from the Longleg Tribe stood up and looked down at Luffy and his companions.

"'Straw Hat' Luffy, a man with a bounty of 400 million. I am 'Baron Tamago,' please remember my name."

"Oh right, you said you finished all the snacks here? — That's a problem."

The hat on his head was a teacup filled with hot drink, which he took off and drank a sip from.

"Did you see this sign?"

Above the gate of the confectionery factory is a pirate flag: fiery red lips and fluffy pink hair, making it instantly recognizable as a woman's flag.

"The island is under the protection of 'Mother,' and in exchange, it pays 10 tons of snacks every month."

After he finished speaking, he pointed his cane at Luffy.

"But now the snacks are gone. If we can't come up with a reasonable solution, soon, the powerful warriors under 'Mother' will come from the New World and destroy Fish-Man Island."

"What?! You're going to destroy an entire island just for some snacks?"

Luffy was terrified.

"More like it's for the meat!"

·····

Is there any difference between yours and others?

Sanji covered his face, finally understanding Roman's usual headaches. Zoro, aside from his interest in 'swordsmen,' remained nonchalant about everything else.

"Bulu Bulu~~Bulu Bulu~~"

Just as everyone was arguing, the Den Den Mushi next to them rang. This made the long-legged 'Baron Tamago' tilt his head towards the lion-man next to him.

"It's definitely 'Mom's' call. Pekoms, you answer it. I don't want to get scolded."

Click,

"Hey, are you the Big Mom?"

However, neither of them wanted to answer the phone, so someone else had already 'done it for them'.

"Aaaaaah, what are you doing!?"

Before anyone could stop them, a domineering middle-aged woman's voice came through the phone.

"Snacks from Fish-Man Island— "

"There were no snacks left, I ate them all!"

"Who are you?"

"I am Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the King of the Pirates!"

·······It's over, it's over.

Pekoms the lion-man and Baron Tamago were both stunned! How dare they speak to 'Mom' like that?! It's simply...

"Ah... he's Garp's grandson, but:"

"Don't even think about protecting Fish-Man Island, that's 10 tons of sweets!"

When she's not 'going crazy,' the Big Mom is definitely of normal intelligence, and you could even say she's shrewd and experienced.

"I did eat it, but I didn't know it was the dessert I promised you. However—"

Luffy pulled out an antique-looking box.

"I have a 'Tamatebako' from Fish-Man Island here. I'll use this to compensate you."

"Damn it! Can you eat a box? I want a snack—?! Wait a minute, the 'Tamatebako' you're talking about is the National Treasure of Fish-Man Island?"

"Yes, this is what I found in Hairy Beard Mermaid's treasure trove. I'll use it to offset the cost of the snacks."

"Wow, wow, wow~~~ You actually got the National Treasure of Fish-Man Island? Looks like you're not so bad as a pirate. In that case—"

The domineering voice of a middle-aged woman came through the Den Den Mushi.

"Egg, Pekoms, bring me the Tamatebako!"

"This time, I'll grant your wish and spare Fish-Man Island, turning my attention to you! Straw Hat Luffy, come on, to the New World!!"

"Fine, you just wait!"

?!

"You're too dangerous, I'm going to beat you up! Because:"

"Fish-Man Island will be my territory from now on!!!"