Listening to Katakuri Tell the Story of the Past! Proclaiming My Return!

It might sound a bit ambiguous.

But at that moment, Roa was indeed pulled into Katakuri's arms.

Katakuri and embraced Roa passionately. The two remained in that position as they crashed onto the island's harbor.

How should I put it? It felt a bit like Link hugging Zelda when she turned back into human form.

Then, Bonney, who landed right after them on the port, looked at Katakuri, who was passionately embracing Roa, and couldn't help but say,

"Are they really that close? I've never seen Katakuri treat anyone like this before!"

Even when facing her own brothers and sisters, she didn't show this kind of enthusiasm.

"Roa is Katakuri's only friend and his greatest life goal! They were best friends back in the Rocks Pirates days, but what's even more interesting is..."

Perospero paused, then chuckled and said, "Bonney, you don't understand what kind of person Roa really is, so you don't know that Roa's attitude towards Katakuri is truly special."

"Eh--"

Bonney seemed to understand, but not quite.

But Xiong, who had personally experienced that era, knew what Perospero was talking about.

At that time, everyone thought that Roa was a bloodless and tearless demon.

It's a natural disaster that appears simply to make the world chaotic.

But even a man like this isn't truly heartless, is he?

"Oh my, Katakuri, you're crying?"

Roa smiled with great interest.

He was almost seventeen years old and already over two meters tall, but compared to Katakuri, who was over five meters tall, he still looked as short as a child.

So the tears dripping onto his head seemed rather annoying.

"Men are allowed to cry sometimes too!"

Katakuri chuckled. "It might not be a long time for you, but for me, it's a full twenty-five years!"

I thought I'd never have a chance to surpass you in this lifetime!

Roa couldn't help but chuckle. "So that's why?"

"Surpassing you has been my dream for most of my life! How could I possibly forget it so easily! I'm completely different now than I was back then!"

Katakuri released Roa, letting Roa land on the ground. As he looked down at his old friend, whom he hadn't seen in so long but who still looked young, a satisfied smile spread across his usually menacing mouth.

"Roa, I'm twenty-five years ahead of you! How about it, want to test my accumulated power over these twenty-five years?"

"Oh, it's been over twenty years. Is your first reaction upon seeing me to want to fight?"

Roa raised the corners of his mouth. "But before that, tell me properly what exactly happened during this time."

"Good."

Katakuri slightly. "I guessed you were also interested in these things. Perfect, I also have some questions I'd like to ask you. Let's talk somewhere else."

"Um."

Katakuri then led Roa and the other two back to the castle in the center of Cake Island.

This castle, originally built by Aunt Linlin, now belongs to the Ka family.

In the castle's drawing room, Katakuri and Roa took their seats. Also present were Kozuki Toki Amatsuki and Bonney, who had shamelessly squeezed in.

Charlotte Family, is quite interested in that part of history she is unaware of.

"Isn't it all because of this woman?"

Katakuri looked at Kozuki Toki standing next to Roa and said, "Mother said they didn't realize what had happened at first, until they contacted us and found out that two days had passed before they realized what this woman's abilities were."

"Um."

Roa nodded and said casually, "Shi is a Paramecia Time-Time Devil Fruit User, capable of making any person or object travel through time."

"Golden Lion also came to this conclusion. It's truly an amazing ability. If it weren't for her, Mother said she really wouldn't know how they would have escaped that time."

Katakuri nodded as expected. "So, Roa, what exactly happened back then? Why didn't you travel to two days in the future with Mother? If I'm not mistaken, you traveled straight to the present!"

Bonney, sitting next to Katakuri, listened intently, his eyes wide open, while simultaneously reaching for a dessert from the coffee table and stuffing it into his mouth.

The ability to travel through time?

Wow, there are such amazing Devil Fruit in the world!

So, this guy named Roa traveled from twenty-five years ago to the present in one go?

Doesn't that mean this guy is actually much younger than me?

"It's nothing, he just wanted to commit suicide with me."

Roa chuckled. "What a willful woman, isn't she? But I didn't want to die, so I had to turn her into a vengeful spirit. There was a slight mishap when I was trying to get her to activate her power, and in the blink of an eye, several days have passed."

Changgui?

Upon hearing another unfamiliar term, Bonney couldn't help but take a closer look at Kozuki Toki.

Aside from the eyes, there doesn't seem to be anything special about them.

"Huh? Suicide pact? What a ridiculous reason!"

Katakuri couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Roa, someone like you, actually missed the sea for decades for such a ridiculous reason?"

"Feelings are a strange thing, aren't they?"

Roa shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "And then, what happened after I left?"

"After realizing you weren't sent to the same time as them, Mother and the others stayed and waited for you for several days."

Katakuri continued, "But you didn't show up, and they were worried that something had happened to you."

"However, it was at this time that the World Government raised your bounty, Mother and the others realized that you definitely hadn't been captured by the government, otherwise, the World Government wouldn't have gone to such lengths."

"Hmm, that's correct reasoning. But, can my bounty actually be increased?"

Roa asked with great interest, "So how much is my bounty now?"

"Even looking at the entirety of history, no one has a higher bounty than you."

Katakuri chuckled, "Although few people know about you now because the World Government has erased your information, back then, when the arrest warrant was published, the whole world was in an uproar."

Six billion Beli! Even Roger can't compare to you.

"Eh! Cough cough cough!"

Upon hearing Katakuri's words, Bonney choked on her dessert. "Six billion?! Katakuri, really? Does this guy really have such a high bounty? Yours is only forty-one billion!"

"That's because you don't understand what Roa really meant on the high seas twenty-five years ago."

Katakuri even had a hint of pride on his face.

"Alright, alright, enough bragging. What happened next?"

Roa pressed for an answer.

Realizing you were safe and sound, and that the woman's ability was to travel to the future, Golden Lion deduced that you had likely traveled to an even more distant future for some reason.

Katakuri said, "Mother Then, they began to discuss their next move. The betrayal of Ochoku and the other two had completely shattered the Golden Lion alliance, and the balance of power had collapsed. Even if the four of them were Red, they would not be Kaido match for the World Government at that time."

"Mother said we should hide and lay low for a while, but Golden Lion believes that instead of retreating, we should retaliate fiercely."

"He said that since the World Government doesn't know you're gone, they should continue to believe it! So, he launched attacks on many Affiliated Nation! During that time, the whole world was on edge because of him, and in the end, the World Government had no choice but to negotiate with Mother and the others."

"Ochoku and his two companions became legal pirates under the World Government, the original three Shichibukai. As the World Government's Mother in the New World, they made a pact of non-interference with each other, thus ending the era of the Seven Monarchs."

"But--"

Katakuri paused.

"But none of you expected that I would never come back?"

"I'm laughing, "Roa said.

"Um."

Katakuri nodded. "A few days after that battle, your men contacted your Mother and the others to inquire about the details of the battle."

"They came to the same conclusion, but at the time they also believed you would be back soon, so they joined in the bluffing with the Golden Lion."

"But, a year, two years... you never came back. The changes started in Elbaf. Shortly after that battle, the World Government secretly sent the demonized Harald back to Elbaf. He took a group of Titans who had also been demonized with him, but he didn't stay long and left quickly. After realizing that you might be in trouble, Harald was sent back to Elbaf."

"The Demon Giant ruled that country."

"But you never showed up."

Roa nodded slightly.

The others were manageable, but the demonized Harald was simply beyond the capabilities of his former subordinates. Even Uncle Shiki probably couldn't handle him. He was already top-tier in strength, and after being enhanced by Imu, he even gained immortality, making him undoubtedly one of the world's most formidable monsters.

"Your subordinates probably realized the seriousness of the situation as well. The Calamity Company began to consolidate its forces, and the World Government simultaneously began a global manhunt. A few years later, the Calamity Company had disappeared without a trace."

Katakuri continued, "But before they disappeared, they sent us a message saying they would wait for you to return."

"After that, the World Government began to consciously erase your existence; no newspaper or book in the world was allowed to mention the name Roa."

"I see?"

Roa was not surprised.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the World Government is being overly cautious by being able to bluff for several years.

"Shortly after that, your territory was divided between Ochoku and Kaido, and they even had a few minor clashes. Then the Whitebeard Pirates returned, and the New World truly entered a new era."

"What's going on with Loki and Teach?"

Roa asked.

I knew you were going to ask that.

Katakuri chuckled. "They appeared on the sea about five years ago. Loki commanded the Giant Soldier Pirates, which originally consisted of the three hundred giant warriors you had under your command. Dorry and Brogy were both serving under him. Teach was leading Doflamingo and Bege, while Moria was leading some guys I didn't recognize at all."

"The irony is that when the three groups began their respective voyages across the seas, everyone was awestruck by their power, but few knew that they were originally your subordinates."

"Hey!"

Bonney choked again, "Teach, Loki, and Moria, are they all Roa's subordinates?"

"He wasn't even his strongest subordinate."

Katakuri once again bragged about his best friend in front of his sister, "If Roa hadn't had that accident back then, and the Calamity Company had developed smoothly to where it is today, who in the world could rival them?"

"Hey!"

The large, beautiful woman's eyes were wide open.

"So, Katakuri, have you seen them?"

Roa asked with great interest.

I know what you want to ask.

Katakuri said, "When Loki and Teach came to the New World, I went to see them, wanting to teach them a lesson for you, but those two said they were going to sea for some other reason."

"Plan?"

Roa raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, that's what they say. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

Katakuri casually remarked, "Besides, that was more than four years ago. I don't know if they've changed at all since then."

"During this time, Loki has been trying to attack Elbaf, but he's been repelled by Harald every time. Teach, on the other hand, has been constantly expanding his power and has already fought Ochoku several times. I have to say, those two guys are already surprisingly strong!"

"As for Moria, that guy has never been to the New World. He's been traveling all over the world. God knows how he became Shichibukai."

Is that so?

Roa nodded slowly, "Then let's ask them properly when we see them later."

"Haha, so, are we going to go find them next?"

Katakuri said with great interest.

"Try to find?"

Roa's lips twitched slightly. "What kind of logic is it for a boss to go looking for his subordinates? Let them come to me."

"Oh? I thought you were planning to keep a low profile for a while, and then make a big scene after you found your subordinates."

Katakuri said with great interest, "Are you ready to announce your return to the whole world now?"

"We've already made the world wait twenty-five more years, let's not waste any more time now,"

Roa pondered for a moment, "Hmm, what about Ochoku? Since he's become a lackey of the government, he doesn't deserve to occupy the captain's island anymore."

"Hahaha, after all these years you still can't forget about Rocks?"

Katakuri laughed heartily.

"It's only been nine years for me."

"However, Roa,"

Katakuri straightened up slightly, "Ochoku also possesses immortality! Otherwise, how do you think he could stand tall in the New World for decades!"

"Immortality? That's not surprising, but..."

Roa raised his right hand and clenched it slightly.

Crack!

A jet-black, Haki Inazuma leaped up, its violent aura vanishing in an instant.

However, Katakuri's eyes widened. "That Conqueror's Haki? Roa!"

What happened?

Although it was only for a moment, the intensity of Roa's Conqueror's Haki was a bit outrageous, wasn't it?

While Roa was very strong twenty-five years ago, did his Conqueror's Haki reach this level?

Surely, if Roa were to travel directly to the present day, twenty-five years in the future, he wouldn't immediately become even stronger, right?

"That should be enough for now."

Roa raised the corners of his mouth. "Silver Axe's territory is still between Totto Land and Wano Country, right? Let's use him to give it a try."

"Haha! Looks like you're going to make headlines again this time!"

Katakuri's eyes gradually became excited.

Roa is back! This sea is about to become interesting again!

"But what if Loki aren't sure they'll come to see you?"

Katakuri asked with great interest.

Roa's smile grew even brighter. "Then, we can only hope that they truly possess power surpassing mine."

"Haha, I think so too!"

Katakuri nodded as a matter of course; that kid has never been very shrewd.

Can I come with you?

Bonney, her eyes sparkling, raised her right hand. "Those two idiots, Silver Axe and Ochoku, I've wanted to kill them for ages!"

Katakuri glanced at his little sister, then smiled and said, "Let's go together! Perfect timing, let's go pick up Mother."

"Um?"

Hearing this, Roa was somewhat surprised. "What, isn't Aunt Linlin here?"

"Hehe, Mother had another conflict with Katakuri,"

Bonney said with a hint of schadenfreude, "Then we helped Katakuri beat up Mother, and she ran off to find reinforcements in a fit of anger."

"Puff!"

Roa couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Aunt Linlin, it seems you haven't been doing very well these past few years.

However, given Bonney's strength, it's only natural that Aunt Linlin would get beaten up if she teamed up with Katakuri.

"Wano Country?"

Roa asked Katakuri while laughing.

"What else could it be?"

Katakuri casually remarked, "Kaido has become even stronger than my Mother now, and his daughter Yamato is also exceptionally powerful."

"Oh, Yamato?"

Roa sighed, "She was only three years old when I left, wasn't she? Now she's older than me."

"Hmph, not that impressive!"

Bonney snorted, "One day I'll beat that guy to a pulp!"

Katakuri explained, "Bonney and Yamato have fought several times, and Pony has been at a disadvantage each time."

"They just didn't win!"

Bonney immediately bristled, "But I didn't lose either!"

"Okay, okay, I didn't lose."

Katakuri's tone was filled with doting affection.

Then.

He suddenly looked at Roa, "Have you said enough, Roa?"

"Okay, I'll grant your wish."

Roa smiled. "Perfect, I'll get used to my new power too."

"So, you really have gotten stronger too, haven't you?"

"Yes, the world has become more adapted to me, so I've evolved a little."

"Evolution? You mean Awakening?"

"You can interpret it that way."