Roman Takes a Beating, Luffy Faces the Enemy

It's so cold.

So dark.

It's so quiet.

'Here...'

'His abdomen was pierced, yet there was still a faint pulse—'

'Doctor! Where is the doctor?... Ah, I am the doctor...'

?

That voice sounds so familiar...

'Chopper, how are you?'

'Adrenaline, maximum dose injection... Prepare for blood transfusion... Who is blood type X?'

'I!'

A more familiar voice.

'... It's incredible, the body's functions are slowly recovering, it can save...'

Bumpy,

In the darkness, the familiar, anxious voice slowly brought Roman back to his senses.

I opened my eyes to a circle of familiar faces and joyful cheers!

"Roman!"

"Very good,"

"They are out of danger..."

"Waaaaah, you scared us to death—"

"········"

"... What am I doing...?"

Roman blinked, and the images and sounds before him became completely clear.

"I'm not dead?"

That's impossible!

"It's a miracle, Mr. Roman."

Chopper wiped the sweat from his forehead. Among the Straw Hat crew, only this little reindeer addressed Roman with a respectful title.

"Your abdomen was completely pierced, but most of your vital organs were not seriously damaged. The damaged areas have been stitched up..."

"... I'm really not dead?"

Roman, who had just woken up, was completely stunned, almost thinking he had actually arrived in the underworld. Because:

This is completely unscientific!

What do you mean by saying that the vast majority of vital organs were not seriously damaged? Roman was fighting Crocodile, not Hawk Eyes who was holding back!

And who is Crocodile now?

A ruthless and cold-blooded tyrant! He'll kill any subordinate who doesn't perform their duties well.

Before Marianne, also known as Miss Goldenweek, led a group to rescue him from prison, reminding him of the word 'partner' after a long time, Crocodile would never have done anything like 'showing mercy'!

Given Crocodile's advanced level of Observation Haki, Roman had no way of deceiving Crocodile into feigning death...

?

He tilted his head to look at the tattered clothes beside him—it was Roman's own coat, covered in blood and grime, with a faintly recognizable white '@' graffiti on it.

'Mercy White'

Miss Golden Week's color ability can interfere with other creatures' 'killing intent' towards the holder.

That little girl's power can strike straight to the soul! In the 'future', she will use the 'Dream Rainbow' to make all the executives of Baroque Works confront their true selves, and even make Crocodile in prison recall his dream of becoming the 'King of the Pirates'!

It was her.

'We're even now.'

Recalling the little girl's words as she left, Roman forced a smile.

Haha, what's so special about this? Does good deeds always get rewarded...?

"Alright, alright, Roman is awake now, everyone disperse."

As Chopper shooed them away, Roman turned and looked around. Besides a relieved Zoro and Sanji, Vivi and Usopp with tear-streaked faces, Nami with an IV drip in her wrist smiling at him, and—

Luffy sits in front, with his back to the others.

Ugh, Luffy must be furious...

I might get hit soon—

Bang!

A tingling sensation ran down Roman's cheek, and the 'world' he saw began to shake violently, accompanied by a burst of rapid noise.

"Luffy, what are you doing—"

"Stop him!"

"The wound, the wound has reopened!"

·······

"You put—"

"What have you taken our comrade for, Roman?!"

A roar drowned out all other sounds. Roman, who had been punched in the face, Guotou and saw Luffy's bloodshot eyes.

"Roman, you're smarter than me, you know a lot of things I don't! But—"

"You have no idea what a partner is!"

"You think that rushing in to fight a powerful enemy makes you a partner?"

"Even if I die, I can still say with style: 'Look, I've done my best, so you guys should run away now.'"

"Asshole!"

"You never considered us partners!"

If it weren't for the furious Luffy being held firmly by Zoro and Sanji on either side, he would have been ready to rush up and give Roman a few punches.

"You think it's impressive or great to risk your life alone? You're wrong—"

"You should risk our lives together!"

"This is what true partners are like!!"

--Quiet.

·····

Luffy,

You're right.

The one who's wrong is me, the 'time traveler'.

Even without any cheat codes or special abilities, Roman still harbors the pride... or rather, arrogance, that comes with being a 'transmigrator'!

Mere natives... mere plot characters... merely...

I know your abilities, I know your weaknesses, I know your past, present, and future...

So, no matter what it is, I'll definitely be able to find a solution! As for Luffy, Zoro, Nami... you guys just need to stand by and cheer, and watch how I gracefully take down all the bosses.

Even if I lose or die, it doesn't matter; these things are all within my 'calculation'.

I, a dignified time traveler, am just like this...

Arrogant,

Madness.

"That's right,"

Roman sighed, and for some reason, he recalled the old ship doctor at Twin Cape who, upon learning that he had been secretly studying Haki, gave Roman a deep look and said, "You are truly arrogant."

Now it seems...

"I was too arrogant."

He always tries to solve everything himself, without ever considering Luffy and the others' feelings. He talks about doing it for his crew, but it's just self-pity.

"I·····"

Crackling sounds

"What are you doing?"

"Don't get up, you bastard!"

"The wound, the wound has burst open!!"

Amidst the horrified and worried gazes of the others, Roman sat up abruptly, the bandage on his waist once again seeping crimson blood. But this did not stop Roman from bowing to the crowd, lowering his head, and apologizing.

"I'm sorry, Luffy, everyone."

"My actions do not deserve the title of 'partner'! I—"

——!

In that instant, Roman froze! Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji all turned to look in the direction they came from.

Roman finally noticed that he and the rest of the Straw Hat crew were sitting atop a giant crab. They were speeding across the desert, with the silhouette of a city gradually disappearing in the distance.

"This is·····"

The heavily injured Roman forced a smile. Even without seeing the figure, the chilling aura, like a sandstorm sweeping across the land, devouring everything in its path, was unmistakable:

"It's that 'Crocodile' who's caught up."

Zoro and Sanji released Luffy and stepped forward, one on each side.

"Let's just stay here—"

Brush,

A figure leaped down from the crab's head before the two of them, turning around in mid-air to look at the crowd.

"You guys go first!"

"Luffy— "

"The other side is Crocodile..."

"Chopper, keep going!"

Chopper nodded in response to Zoro's words and then began communicating with the giant crab that the group was riding on.

"But even Roman— "

"Leave it to Luffy," Zoro said, pulling Vivi back as she prepared to jump. "That's his fight. We'll take care of getting you safely to Alubarna (the capital of Alabasta)."

"Luffy is very strong!"

"Don't worry--"

········

Is this the difference between us?

Roman lay back down and closed his eyes. Luffy was facing the battle alone with everyone's blessings and trust, while he... had only caused everyone worry.

Cut,

To be a transmigrator this badly is truly pathetic. They'll probably get kicked out of the 'Transmigrator Alliance' group, right? However:

Splash,

In Roman's outstretched palm, a piece of white paper quickly formed the shape of a paper crane, and then glided down from the giant crab.

"Boss, Princess Vivi has escaped."

Robin, wearing a white overcoat, glanced at the Straw Hat crew disappearing into the desert, a smile on her face that betrayed no hint of her true thoughts.

"All cadres are assembled in Alubarna. Instruct them to intercept!"

As for you—

Crocodile, dressed in a black fur coat, looked at the Straw Hat boy blocking his way with indescribable disgust.

"Straw Hat Kid, the one who challenges my patience..."

"That girl, Vivi,"

"He can barely take care of himself, yet he's thinking of helping others. It makes me very angry—"

?

"Roman, that idiot,"

"It also makes me angry that he always thinks he can shoulder everything alone."

??

"Oh? Looks like you're not so stupid after all."

Crocodile looked at Luffy and arrogantly raised his chin.

"Therefore, smart people shouldn't deal with these emotional types. You think so too—"

"No!"

Luffy assumed a fighting stance, one fist forward and the other gripping his waist.

"I'm going to beat you to a pulp!!"

"That way, they won't have to worry about these messy issues anymore!"

!!

"You've got guts—"

Boom—

A fist rapidly enlarged in Crocodile's pupils, interrupting his next words.

Puff,

Yellow sand flew, and skulls exploded.

PS: Actually, I was planning to release both chapters together. After all, in this chapter... Roman got beaten up and can't get back up (tears). I was afraid that if it was neither here nor there, it would affect your mood. The next chapter is where the real change will happen.

Since you guys are urging me, I'll post it now.