Snake in the Grass! The Savior of the North Blue!

The jet-black dragon had completely disappeared from the sky.

Roa still felt somewhat lost and disappointed.

How did Robin manage to get away?

That would make me look really stupid. After all, who knew that such a reinforcement would suddenly appear?

Even he himself was startled by Níðhöggr's sudden appearance.

It's not that I'm afraid Robin will cause any uncontrollable chaos; after all, she's had her Rubber Fruit stolen, so it would be a miracle if she could reach Katakuri's level within a few years.

From the current perspective, Big Brother Kaido's claim that Haki transcends everything is actually quite absurd. For the people of this world, the only way to surpass human limits and reach the level of Joy Boy and Imu is through Devil Fruit that are called gods.

Apart from that, no matter how exceptionally talented or how extraordinary your bloodline, the King-level level, like Captain Roger, is the limit.

Roa simply felt that the woman was a valuable collectible.

What a pity.

Of course, compared to Níðhöggr, Robin is not that important.

Who could have imagined that the egg on Roger Pirates back then actually contained Níðhöggr, the Dragon of the End?

Judging from Gaban and the others' reactions, even Roger himself probably didn't know about this.

Looking back now, in the original Paramount War, the Red-Hair Pirates were still fighting the Beasts Pirates in the New World the day before, and then they appeared in Marineford the next day. It's most likely that Níðhöggr led them across mountains and seas.

This is truly astonishing; a biological weapon comparable to the Ancient Weapon has fallen into the hands of the remnants of the Roger Pirates.

Doesn't this mean that there's now another player on the chessboard of the world?

It's actually quite interesting.

Doesn't this mean that the power Imu possesses is far weaker than originally imagined?

Roa stroked his chin.

There shouldn't be a second Níðhöggr in the world. If the Dragon of the End was still in Imu's hands eight hundred years ago, it should have appeared long ago when Mary Geoise was destroyed.

In other words, Imu only has one half-crippled Uranus.

Thinking about it this way, the World Government doesn't seem so bad after all.

At least she and the remnants of Roger Pirates possessed a complete Ancient Weapon. Although Shirahoshi's abilities hadn't fully Awakening and the Dragon of the End hadn't fully developed, having one was better than having none.

Meanwhile, Shirahoshi has been actively training her abilities, and Níðhöggr's growth rate is also astonishingly fast. In just a few years, the two of them will probably be able to recreate the power of the Ancient Weapon that possessed the power to destroy the world eight hundred years ago.

There is only one World Government, Imu.

It's not that possessing Ancient Weapon guarantees victory over Imu; at least Roa doesn't know how Shirahoshi could possibly handle Imu, even if her abilities were fully Awakening.

Simply because, in that case, Imu has no cards left in his hand.

Once I become stronger than that guy, everything will be over.

Okay, in that case, let's take some time to calm down and reflect.

His own Armament Haki and Observation Haki were still too weak, even inferior to Katakuri's, after all, he lacked twenty-five years of training.

Once the intensity of these two Haki is increased, coupled with the continuous growth of the body, surpassing Imu's original form will not be difficult.

Let's set a goal: take down that guy Imu within two years.

As Roa was setting goals for himself,...

"Where's the dragon?!"

With a deafening roar, Loki screamed and raced back from the distant horizon.

Níðhöggr can only be immune to Devil Fruit abilities; he cannot completely nullify abilities like the Dark-Dark Fruit does.

Therefore, even though he took a direct hit from Ancient Weapon, Loki, being Rubber Man, was not harmed.

But now's the time.

According to Joy Boy, Níðhöggr possesses great intelligence, and the Dragon of the End from eight hundred years ago could even use Haki.

Um?

Etc!

Roa narrowed his eyes.

Speaking of which, could I, in my current state, turn non-human beings with human intelligence into cougars?

I've never tried it before.

If you can--

Hey!

It's good to have feelings for each other; the richer and more abundant the feelings, the better. It would be best to cultivate more feelings with the remnants of Roger Pirates!

By the way, speaking of the remnants of Roger Pirates, Roa floated down from the sky and landed beside Gaban.

"Boss!"

Gaban bowed respectfully.

Roa did not respond, but simply looked down at Rayleigh and Shakky lying on the ground.

"What a pity,"

He suddenly sighed, "I can't make my puppets immortal like Imu did."

Given their injuries, even if they were turned into vengeful spirits, they wouldn't survive.

"Roa..."

Rayleigh, whose entire left chest had been cleaved in two blows by Gaban's axes, was somewhat dazed, and his voice was very soft, "The children will stand before you one day. They already possess the power to fight back, to fight back against you. It's not over yet..."

"Don't keep me waiting too long."

Roa smiled and said, "Farewell, Mr. Rayleigh."

Rayleigh's presence grew weaker and weaker until finally, he fell into complete silence.

In mid-air, Hancock, gripped tightly by the Haki hand, hung her head in anguish. Even someone as proud as her couldn't help but shed tears, "Rayleigh!"

"Old Lei..."

Although Shakky was very weak after being cut in half at the waist, she was still not dead.

The once world's most beautiful woman now wore a smile on her pale face, and she even managed to tilt her head back to Hancock, "Don't be afraid, Hancock, Robin, Robin and the others will come back."

"Shakky..."

Hancock's voice trembled.

"Alright, don't keep Rayleigh waiting."

Roa tapped his finger lightly.

A point of light formed between Rayleigh and Shakky, then slowly expanded until Rayleigh engulfed Shakky both.

The light vanished in the next instant.

Everything that was once covered by light has disappeared, leaving only a smooth, hemispherical crater.

It's not just the strength of their abilities that has become stronger; their control has also become more powerful.

"Shakky!!"

Hancock screamed almost maniacally, "Roa! You wretched creature!! I'll kill you! Sooner or later, I'll kill you!!"

On the nearby mountainside, Gloriosa and Olvia, both defeated by Enel, were also in tears.

Actually, it's not just them.

"Waaaaaah!!"

Gaban almost burst into tears, "Rayleigh, my brother! You idiot! Why did you have to go against the Boss?! Wouldn't it have been better to live happily with Shakky?!"

Looking at him with such grief-stricken expression, who could possibly tell that he had personally killed Rayleigh and Shakky?

Oh, no, it was Roa who killed Shakky.

Like Gaban, his eldest son Coron also silently shed tears. Although he hadn't seen him many times, Uncle Rayleigh was still an elder he respected.

Seeing the two of them like this, Hancock's eyes widened in fury.

Roa!!

How could a person be so wicked?

"Ugh!"

Roa, who was being harshly rebuked, simply raised his head in rapture and exclaimed, "Just right!"

"Boss! Where's the black dragon?"

Loki, who had been searching high and low in the sky but couldn't find Níðhöggr, crashed to the ground with a thud. The giant, over a hundred meters tall, was furious. "Did they run away?"

"If you're so unwilling to accept this, then let's just look forward to our next meeting."

Roa chuckled softly, "Rayleigh said that sooner or later, they will stand before us again."

So, what will these remnants of the Roger Pirates do?

They have acquired enough power to disrupt the game.

It seems unlikely they'll help me, but helping Imu is even less likely.

If they choose to stand by and watch, and wait until they've dealt with Imu and taken over the Uranus, wouldn't that just create a situation like the Three Great Weapons versus the Dragon of the End happened eight hundred years ago?

In that case, would I really become Joy Boy's successor?

Just thinking about it is fascinating.

It remains to be seen whether Robin and her team can assemble a large force like Imu did back then.

"Let's go back."

Roa chuckled softly.

Although the process was somewhat bumpy, and the ending made me seem a bit naive, overall I gained a lot.

Loki obtained the Rubber Fruit, and in return, he gained Hancock and a group of beautiful women from Amazon Lily.

Yeah, let's just call over two more ships and take everyone off Amazon Lily. It'll definitely be a huge help when we face Robin later.

As Roa prepared to retreat, a jet-black dragon flapped its wings and sped forward in the sky some distance away.

The atmosphere on the monster's back was unusually oppressive.

Robin was silently shedding tears, Shanks remained silent, and the remnants of Roger Pirates also had their eyes lowered and their faces ashen.

Of the Kuja Pirates, only Robin escaped; or rather, apart from Robin and Hancock, who was captured by Roa, the rest of the crew were wiped out.

The Coron Pirates were also completely wiped out; apart from Coron, who was under Roa's control, not a single member survived.

Even the Straw Hat Pirates suffered heavy losses. Beckman, Yasopp, Lucky Roux, Buggy, and other high-ranking officers and ordinary members were reduced to less than one-tenth of their former members, and the crew's size was instantly reduced to only eight people.

Unfortunately, the volcanic eruption that Roa ultimately brought about was not something that just anyone could escape unscathed from.

"Absolute!"

Robin's eyes were bloodshot, and black and red Conqueror's Haki Inazuma was involuntarily crackling around her. "I absolutely must kill that scum!!"

"That's right!"

Buggy, tears streaming down his face, gritted his teeth and shouted, "So many people died at that scum's hands! One day he'll pay!"

No matter how unreliable he may seem, Buggy's care for his companions is genuine.

Not to mention, Uncle Rayleigh and Aunt Shakky are dead too!

"Well."

Crocus couldn't help but sigh at this moment.

Roger was right.

That guy Roa is way too dangerous.

This world is truly unlucky. Eight hundred years ago, Imu appeared, and now a monster like Roa has been born.

"At least, with Níðhöggr around, we're not without a fighting chance!"

A member of Roger Pirates said, "In fact, Níðhöggr is even more effective than other Ancient Weapon in one-on-one combat!"

"It's just that Níðhöggr isn't fully developed yet; perhaps it will take a few more years."

"Call--"

Shanks let out a slow sigh, his hand pressing against the Straw Hat on his head. The rough texture made him involuntarily grip the hat tighter with his right hand.

"Níðhöggr alone is not enough; our strength is far too weak compared to either Roa or Imu."

"Especially Roa, I have no doubt that if he loses, he will not hesitate to manipulate Aquaman to destroy the entire world and take him with him!"

We need more strength!

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

More power?

The current global situation is a confrontation between the pirate alliance led by Roa and the World Government.

Beyond these two sides, where are there many others with the ability and courage to stand up and confront them?

Suddenly, Crocus spoke after a moment's thought, "How's Whitebeard? The Whitebeard Pirates have just returned to the first half of the Grand Line from Twin Capes, and they've been chased all over the place by that Roa guy."

"Whitebeard?"

Shanks thought for a moment, "We can give it a try, but a Whitebeard alone is far from enough."

The Whitebeard Pirates' strength is beyond doubt; they are widely recognized as one of the Pirate Emperors.

However, compared to Roa or Imu, they were simply too insignificant.

But who else could they turn to? Who else could stand shoulder to shoulder with them against Roa and Imu?

As the music ended and the crowd dispersed...

The expansion of the pirate alliance has begun again.

Large airships roamed the skies above the West Blue and North Blue Seas, while on the sea, nine large fleets began to move again.

Several countries were conquered within just a few days.

Then, news of the pirates' renewed activity spread like wildfire across the seas through the World Economic News's newspaper.

This was not entirely unexpected. Although the pirate fleet had inexplicably ceased operations some time ago, the Sea Beast had still managed to shock the entire world.

Now that the Sea Beast have blockaded most of the West Blue and North Blue, it's no surprise that the pirates will start moving again.

Wherever the pirates pointed their swords, the countries that had initially come to them naturally surrendered without a second thought.

But then, something interesting happened.

This is the Kingdom of Solanchar in the North Blue.

This was a World Government Member States, so its royal family was also wiped out early on by the assassins under Roa's command.

The recent disturbances caused by the Sea Beast had already plunged the people of this country into fear, and now that the pirates have begun their expansion again, the country's rulers are ready to surrender without hesitation.

But it was at this very moment that people in many parts of the country stepped forward and began their sermons.

"Fellow countrymen! We have been abandoned! The World Government has abandoned us, the Navy has abandoned us! Now even the great figures who rule this country are betraying it and kneeling before the pirates!"

"Roa is a madman! The Flevance catastrophe was caused by him! The seas he ruled back then were a true hell on earth! There was no order, only the survival of the fittest, utter chaos!"

"If this country falls into his hands, then our families, our friends, everything we have will be at their mercy!"

"Resist! Fellow countrymen! Now we can only trust ourselves!"

"Fight on, my fellow countrymen! Only we can protect our homeland!"

When everyone was panicked and didn't know how to make amends, someone stepped forward and said they would take them to protect the country!

So, the panicked people subconsciously thought they had seen a glimmer of hope.

And so the resistance began.