The large ship flew above the cloud layer.
Roa sat cross-legged on the yardarm, quietly gazing into the sea of clouds ahead.
He had time-traveled many years ago.
Born through transmigration, his parents in this life were a pair of pirate husband and wife under the Rocks Pirates, obscure and dying together early on in an expedition.
Logically speaking, a child who had lost his parents would find it very difficult to survive on Beehive Island, which gathered vicious people.
However, Roa was getting along swimmingly on Beehive Island, and even won Rocks's recognition two years ago, officially becoming an intern of the Rocks Pirates.
The Rocks Pirates had only two interns, one was Roa and the other was Kaido; nominally they were interns, but in reality they had the status of executives with high treatment, and over the past two years Roa's life could be considered quite comfortable.
But Roa knew that such a comfortable life was almost coming to an end.
It was already the Grand Line Calendar year 1484, the God Valley battle was about to arrive, and the disintegration of the Rocks Pirates was imminent.
A new era was about to come.
Where should he go from here?
"Kid, what are you daydreaming about?"
A muffled voice came from below.
A table was set up on the deck below, laden with sumptuous food.
The man renowned throughout the world, the great executive of the Rocks Pirates, Golden Lion Shiki, was gorging himself at the table.
He ate with the bold abandonment of a true lion, eating large chunks of meat and drinking large gulps of alcohol, and even with his face covered in oil and dirt, he only gave off a bold, uninhibited, and extraordinary imposing manner.
The Golden Lion casually said, "Since you don't need to eat, give the ship some speed and stop just daydreaming."
Hearing this, Roa couldn't help complaining, "You really know how to order people around, Uncle Shiki."
As he spoke, fine black fur began to sprout from his body.
These pitch-black, shining hairs didn't look soft at all; every single one was as sharp and piercing as the spikes on a hedgehog's back, yet they also appeared unusually flexible.
Black wings spread out behind Roa's back, and above his furry cheeks, sharp horns rose high. At this moment, bronze-colored patterns spread across this pair of horns.
Whoosh!!
A violent wind suddenly rose.
The originally deflated sails instantly billowed out, causing the large ship flying in the sky to accelerate instantly.
"Hum! Refreshing!"
The violent wind blew the Golden Lion's blond hair wildly, and the male lion let out a comfortable sigh. "Such a convenient ability! Qiongqi? Is that the name? Which country's mythology does it come from again?"
Roa lazily sprawled on the huge yardarm, his tone drawn out as he said, "Who knows, I just saw it in a book—the name of a ferocious beast representing calamity. Very fitting, right?"
"Gyahahahaha! Accompanied by calamity, feeding on calamity! Your kid's ability is indeed the embodiment of calamity!"
The Golden Lion laughed heartily.
Qiongqi, one of the most renowned ferocious beasts in Roa's past-life mythology.
A winged fierce tiger, a ferocious beast accompanied by natural disasters and evil deeds.
This was the ability Roa possessed.
Strictly speaking, though, this was not a Devil Fruit ability.
Because Roa had never eaten a Devil Fruit, the power to transform into Qiongqi was innate to him, probably because he bought a Qiongqi pendant before his transmigration?
Although it was not a Devil Fruit, the form of expression of the ability was identical to a Devil Fruit, and Roa likewise possessed three forms: beast form, human form, and hybrid form.
Thus, doing as the locals did, Roa proclaimed to the outside world that his ability was Zoan, Cat-Cat Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Qiongqi Form.
This exact ability was the key reason he won Rocks's recognition and became an intern of the Rocks Pirates.
To be able to move even Rocks, who had always disliked children, was truly because Roa's ability was indeed extraordinary.
Simply put, Roa's most core ability was -- Natural and Man-made Disasters.
Qiongqi was a fierce beast accompanied by disasters, so in specific environments, the horns on his head could summon corresponding natural disasters.
When Roa approached the earth, he could make the earth shake, mountains collapse, and volcanoes erupt.
When approaching rivers, lakes, and oceans, he could make rivers change course, floods overflow, and tsunamis strike.
When flying in the sky, he could gather dark clouds, make storms howl, and bring thunder down from the heavens.
Qiongqi was an evil beast that punished the good and abetted the evil, so Roa's eyes could create man-made disasters.
Roa's eyes could see various negative emotions in humans. When the form of his eyes transformed, Roa could suppress the goodwill in people's hearts and unleash their evil thoughts.
Unless there was a sufficiently strong willpower to resist, everyone would be shaken by the malice.
It wouldn't be strange for their personality to be permanently altered, instantly transforming from a great good person into a great villain.
If it were a fellow with relatively weak willpower, they would even be completely swallowed by evil thoughts, never able to break free again, becoming mindless thralls manipulated at Roa's will.
More interestingly, disasters would transform into the nourishment for Roa's growth, physical nourishment in the true sense.
The suffering of people struggling in disasters would turn into black qi that could be absorbed by Roa.
These dark mists could act as food and water to keep Roa full. To him, high-quality dark mists were better than anything else. Beyond satisfying his hunger, replenishing his stamina and healing his injuries came as a matter of course.
And most crucially, the dark mists of suffering could also promote Roa's growth and the evolution of his abilities.
There was not a single thing wrong with what Golden Lion said about accompanying disasters and feeding on disasters.
It really was a vicious enough ability. Just the authority to manipulate Natural and Man-made Disasters alone made this ability worthy of being called the incarnation of disaster.
Yet Roa liked it very much; it suited this dogshit world quite well.
I'm full, I'm full!
Golden Lion contentedly snatched a napkin and wiped his mouth. "Kid," he tilted his head back, grinning, "keep me company to digest the meal."
"Sure."
Roa flipped down, landing lightly on the deck.
"You brat, you only get enthusiastic at times like this."
Golden Lion waved his hand, and the table and chairs in front of him flew away automatically. Instantly, two swords came hurtling through the air, embedding themselves into the deck before Roa with two thuds.
"Because we need a balance of work and rest, you see."
Roa casually pulled out the two swords in front of him. For someone only seven years old, these two swords were somewhat too long, being almost taller than he was himself, but Roa seemed already quite accustomed to it.
"Are you ready?"
Golden Lion leisurely lit a cigar, taking a blissful puff before speaking leisurely.
"Ready!"
Without hesitation, Roa had already transformed into a black shadow, the twin swords in his hands tearing toward Golden Lion like the fangs of a ferocious tiger.
"Ghahahaha! Impatient brat!"
While leisurely blowing smoke rings, Golden Lion gently flicked the fingers of his right hand.
Swish! Swish!
His beloved swords at his waist, Sakazuki and Kiyomizu, automatically unsheathed, greeting Roa like two swimming serpents.
In merely an instant, the explosive sounds of metal colliding already echoed across the entire deck, ringing out in continuous clangs.
Roa's twin swords swept like the wind, the sword light they kicked up almost completely wrapping him around so that not even water could splash through.
Even so, when facing the two Famous Sword flying back and forth in the air, he still fell short.
Even without holding the swords in his own hands, and even just using the power of the Fuwafuwa no Mi to manipulate his beloved swords, Golden Lion's swordsmanship was still not something Roa could match.
All he could do was struggle to block the onslaught of the twin swords.
"This move is really cool, Uncle Shiki!"
Roa praised repeatedly, "Flying Sword Technique!"
"Ghahahaha! It's only good for dealing with a kid like you!"
Golden Lion burst into loud laughter. "Still, Roa, you're starting to look the part. Looks like it's time to take it a step further."
As he spoke, the two Famous Swords abruptly accelerated, and Roa, who was swinging his sword to intercept, was instantly knocked back.
Not just speed, the strength had also increased immensely!
Roa's gaze narrowed slightly. You're too serious, Uncle Shiki! I'm still a child.
Though he said that, he showed no intention of retreating, instead proactively charging back up.
Strictly speaking, this was a sparring lesson.
Ever since joining the Rocks Pirates two years ago, the executives had all been very friendly toward Roa.
Roa could guess what they were thinking.
Everyone knew that the Rocks Pirates would not last long, and breaking apart was an inevitable consequence.
Therefore, everyone must have been making preparations early on.
The return journey passed amid sparring sessions, and soon, Beehive Island arrived.
Before you continue