"Honestly, Lord Roa,"
At the island's shore, Stussy gazed at him with deep resentment. "You made such a mess of my place, and now you're just patting yourself down and getting ready to leave?"
Roa glanced back at the aggrieved woman and said with a stern face, "Why are you taking things so seriously with a child? I'm still so young and immature. I was only playing around."
The illegal big sister, Stussy, kept her expression unchanged. "Brother Roa, I'm even younger than you."
"You're different."
Roa reached out and stroked that stunning, almost godlike face. He had to admit, Whitebeard's ability to keep his gun down really was something.
"Judging by this face alone, little sister Stussy, you could be my mother!"
She was not merely stunning. The tenderness and tolerance Stussy displayed before Roa were practically overflowing with maternal affection.
The otaku boys were in for a treat.
"It's not impossible."
Stussy smiled sweetly. "Lord Roa, you're an orphan, aren't you? Do you need the warmth of a mother's embrace?"
"Are you trying to make me no longer invincible? You, Stussy!"
Roa wore a smug expression, as if he had seen through everything. "Absolutely impossible! From the moment I was born into this world, I, Roa, have been invincible!"
Invincible?
Stussy could not help sighing inwardly.
How frightening, Brother Roa.
"Anyway, if I don't contact you, just pretend this never happened."
Roa patted Stussy on the shoulder. "Take good care of yourself, little sister Stussy. It would be such a pity if a face this magnificent ended up with a blemish."
"I'll protect this face properly for you, Brother Roa."
Stussy answered obediently.
"Good girl."
After giving Stussy's head one last affectionate rub, Roa boarded the ship and left.
His next destination was the North Blue.
Stussy remained standing on the shore, gazing after the ship as it sailed away.
The breathtaking woman kept smiling throughout, occasionally waving goodbye.
Only after the ship had completely vanished beyond the horizon did the woman finally breathe a sigh of relief. Her body swayed, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
Cold sweat now covered her fair, smooth, flawless face, while her back was already soaked through.
Dealing with a monster like that while pretending to be friendly—she had thought countless times that he was about to crush her head!
"Doctor, what am I supposed to do..."
On the sea vessel sailing farther and farther away.
Roa had gotten smarter this time. He had captured several heinous pirates from Stussy's island, making another contribution to world peace.
Of course, he could also take the opportunity to add some extra food to his meals.
"Lord Roa, will relying on that woman alone be enough?"
Dylan asked calmly.
Roa knew he was referring to the intelligence network.
Since he had decided to establish a war company, an intelligence network was naturally indispensable. Otherwise, how could he accurately grasp the world's war situation?
"For now, let's leave it at that."
Roa spoke casually. "After all, we don't have enough people."
Their combat strength was more than sufficient, but he could hardly expect the mindless wraiths to handle intelligence gathering, could he?
"I'm sorry, Lord Roa."
Dylan said self-reproachfully, "I was too negligent over the past six years. I never considered this aspect."
Looking back now, during his six years in the Land of Endless War, he had done almost nothing.
Most of the time, he had been handling Lord Roa's miscellaneous affairs. Otherwise, he had been following Lord Roa's instructions and experimenting with advanced Haki training.
"Don't worry."
Roa yawned and spoke lazily. "Isn't everything only just getting started?"
Once they found Judge, everything would get better.
The North Blue bordered the New World, separated only by the narrow Calm Belt. Thus, they merely had to travel north to reach the North Blue smoothly.
After six years, Roa crossed the Calm Belt once again.
Six years ago, when he had passed through the Calm Belt while returning from the West Blue to the New World, it had been quite troublesome. Sea Beasts had attacked continuously as if they had gone mad, giving Tiger Soul a feast.
This time, however, things were much easier.
Roa released his Observation Haki. Once he sensed the approaching Sea Beasts, he released his Conqueror's Haki, scaring away those giant beasts with human intelligence from far away.
He reached the North Blue without a hitch.
What Roa had never expected was that the New World and the Calm Belt would cause him no trouble, while the far more peaceful North Blue would give him a rude welcome.
"So..."
Roa stood by the ship's rail, gazing at the calm sea. Unlike the New World, where the weather could change dramatically at any moment, the North Blue's weather was excessively predictable.
Young Roa turned his head back, somewhat baffled. "We're lost?"
They had been sailing through the North Blue for several days. They should have reached an island long ago, but there was still nothing ahead except an endless ocean.
Dylan's usually impassive face was slightly flushed. "I'm sorry, Lord Roa. I forgot that I had never been to the Four Seas before. I'm not very good at navigating with a compass and a chart."
He had only become a navigator halfway through his life, and he had been born on the Grand Line. The Four Seas were far too unfamiliar to him.
"Don't let there be a next time, Dylan."
Roa spoke.
"Yes, Lord Roa! There absolutely won't be a next time!"
Dylan felt an incomparable sense of shame.
The only reason he could follow behind Lord Roa was that he could handle all sorts of matters for him.
This blunder tormented him.
"Then let me take a look."
Roa transformed into a tiger and shot into the sky. From high above, he looked down and finally spotted an island nearby.
Not long afterward, the ship docked along the island's shore.
Dylan hurried off with several people to find a navigator and replenish their supplies.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Roa also went ashore with Bullet.
Since they were already there, it would not hurt to look around.
Walking along the city's fairly clean streets, Roa drew a deep breath. "Non-Affiliated Nations really are better."
Even in this seemingly well-developed non-Affiliated Nation, quite a lot of dark energy permeated the air.
Bullet merely followed silently behind Roa, his sharp gaze scanning anyone who came near him.
Suddenly, Roa stopped at an intersection.
He turned his head in surprise and looked toward the end of a road to one side.
"Lord Roa?"
Bullet was somewhat puzzled. "Is there something over there?"
"I saw it—the fury of a volcano! The resentment of a tsunami!"
The corners of Roa's mouth curved upward. This looked like it would be interesting.
At the end of the street was a garbage dump.
Two tiny figures wrapped tightly in tattered cloaks were digging through the garbage with their heads lowered.
"Brother, are you... are you sure this is okay? What if we're discovered..."
The smaller figure's voice was filled with fear.
"Rosinante! Do you want to starve to death?"
The slightly larger figure turned around. A bruised and swollen face emerged from beneath the cloak, with a tiny pair of glasses perched on its nose. His small face was twisted with the ferocity and savagery of an evil spirit. "Mother is already dead. Do you want to die too?"
"...Brother!"
The younger brother was frightened by his brother's appearance and fell backward into the garbage.
But the older brother completely ignored his reaction. He merely clenched his fists. "I want to live! I have to live! One day, sooner or later, I'll destroy everything!"
"That's a fine dream. I heard it loud and clear."
An interested voice came from the side.
The two brothers instinctively turned their heads. When they saw the extravagantly dressed boy ahead of them, expressions of terror appeared on both their faces—even the boy who had just made his bold declaration was no exception.
Looking at the two battered brothers, Roa focused mainly on the bespectacled little devil. "Nice to meet you, Angry Boy. Perhaps fate guided me here to stand before you."
"Are you ready to face your destiny?"
Before you continue