At Beehive Island's port, a large ship set sail.
Standing at the stern, Roa waved to the people on the dock. "Dylan! I'll leave the place to you! Don't forget what I told you!"
On the dock, Dylan gave a slight bow in response.
"What are you getting ready for this time?"
Without turning his head, Rocks replied from the large chair in the middle of the deck, "Brat, you'd better behave yourself. I don't want to see a repeat of what happened last year!"
"Captain, don't look down on me so much."
Roa turned around and said indignantly, "I'm not a six-year-old brat anymore. I won't do something that boring again!"
Actually, it hadn't been boring at all.
Or rather, precisely because he had been so bored, Roa had organized an unprecedented battle royale on Beehive Island the previous year.
He had selected four pirate crews as prey, then mobilized the pirates on the island to hunt them. One could say he had made an indelible contribution to world peace.
Of course, Roa, the peace ambassador, had also enjoyed a hearty meal. He had been thrilled.
Unfortunately, the pirates had gotten a little too excited and caused considerable damage to Beehive Island. Afterward, Rocks had given Roa a brutal thrashing.
"See that you don't."
Rocks snorted.
Whitebeard, who was sitting on one side of the ship's rail and silently drinking, snorted as well.
They both understood Roa far too well.
That brat was practically born evil. Not everyone could treat other people's suffering as food without the slightest hint of malice.
They shared the same understanding, but their attitudes differed. Whitebeard strongly disliked it, while Rocks loved it.
"Who doesn't know that I, Roa, am the most obedient seven-year-old in the Rocks Pirates?"
Roa grinned brightly.
"Brat!"
Rocks couldn't help laughing.
There was only one brat in the Rocks Pirates, and he was a very good brat.
"Get ready. Once the war begins, you won't be able to escape either!" said the most dangerous man in the world.
"Huh? But I'm still a child."
Roa complained, "I'll definitely get killed instantly."
Sorry, Captain. I did tell Dylan to get ready, but I was actually preparing for the Rocks Pirates to fall apart.
You won't be able to overthrow the World Government and become the king of the world anymore.
"Quit talking nonsense. You're one of the officers under me!"
Rocks snorted again. "If you don't want to die, then get stronger!"
"Oh!"
Roa's eyes lit up. "Captain, can I organize a few more activities on Beehive Island?"
"If you want to die!"
Rocks stood up and turned back toward Roa impatiently. "Instead of spouting so much nonsense, brat, let me see how much you've improved."
"Oh! Captain, are you going to personally train me again?"
Roa looked moved. "Captain, you care about me so much. Could it be that you want me to inherit the Rocks Pirates?"
Whitebeard's mouth twitched. What nonsense is this brat talking about?
Everyone knew that the Rocks Pirates existed because of Rocks.
"Inherit them?"
Rocks sneered and placed a hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist. "I don't need an heir! After I die, let the world drown in floods for all I care!"
"Is that so?"
Roa looked disappointed. "If I can't inherit the Rocks Pirates, fulfilling my dream will be a little troublesome."
"Your dream?"
Rocks was rarely surprised. "What dream could a brat like you have?"
"Well..."
Roa awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "It's a little embarrassing to say, but I actually want to become a gourmet. I want to eat all the delicious food in the world."
Rocks froze completely.
Then—
"Hahahahahaha!"
The man who sought to rule the New World laughed so hard he rocked back and forth. "You brat... You really are something!"
Whitebeard pursed his lips. The disgust in his eyes as he looked at Roa deepened.
This brat really had been born evil. He was beyond saving.
"Once I conquer the world, I'll fulfill your wish!"
Rocks said generously, "But on the condition that you don't disappoint me!"
"The captain is so generous!"
Roa was delighted. "Then watch me perform!"
Black fur sprouted across his body. In the next instant, Roa pounced at Rocks.
Strictly speaking, Rocks wasn't a good teacher.
Or rather, most pirates who had come up through unorthodox means weren't good at teaching others.
Rayleigh had only taught Luffy the basics of Haki.
Even the renowned Teacher Kaido relied on wildly swinging a giant iron club to make his student figure things out for himself.
Thus, Rocks taught Roa in the same way as Golden Lion: through sparring, allowing Roa to learn how to fight.
The difference was that Shiki used two swords, while Rocks used one.
But Roa felt there was no difference. As long as he could cut people, one sword or two didn't matter. He was fine with either.
Beehive Island wasn't very far from Elbaf. After a little over a week, the large ship had already approached the waters where the Giant Kingdom was located.
But that was when an accident occurred.
"Oh!"
Standing on the ship's yardarm, Roa looked out over the distant sea through a monocular telescope. "That's a warship!"
With its blue hull and the enormous word "Justice" on its sails, there was no doubt that the ship they had encountered by chance at sea was a Marine warship.
"They're not taking you seriously at all, Captain!"
Roa shouted. "They actually dared to enter these waters! Don't they know the New World is the territory of the Rocks Pirates?"
"You're right."
Below, Rocks took a drink. "Brat, go deal with them."
"Huh?"
Roa instinctively pointed at himself. "Me?"
He hurriedly waved his hands. "I can't do it, Captain! For them to have come this deep into these waters, they might have Sengoku or Garp aboard!"
"Just go!"
Rocks said casually. "It's only a patrol ship. They're just a bunch of nobodies."
Oh?
Does that mean he already scanned them with Observation Haki?
The strong people in this world weren't like the Z Warriors from Dragon Ball, who could suppress their own auras. An Observation Haki user skilled at sensing the strength of auras could distinguish between strong and weak at a glance.
Then there's no problem.
I can finally have a big meal!
The black tiger spread its wings and rose from the deck.
On the distant sea, the Marines on the warship's deck were already in complete disarray.
"The Rocks Pirates! It's the Rocks Pirates' main ship!"
"Damn it! Running into the Rocks Pirates would be bad enough, but it had to be their main ship!"
"Rocks might be aboard! We're finished!"
The Marines, who should have been elite soldiers, were now panicking in terror.
"Quiet!!"
A man with the rank of vice admiral on his shoulders roared, "Panic will only let them catch up faster!"
He was speechless inside as well. Why are we so unlucky? Beehive Island should still be some distance away.
"Turn around! Full speed ahead!"
he roared.
There was no other option now. They had to run!
"Yes, Vice Admiral Jensen!"
The Marines, who had been at a complete loss, found a pillar to rely on. They each took up their positions, turned the large ship around, and prepared to flee with all their might.
But—
"Sorry, everyone."
A childish voice came from above. "The captain told me to deal with you."
"What is it?"
The vice admiral abruptly looked up.
A black tiger floated in the sky, flapping its wings as it silently looked down at them.
"You're—"
Jensen's pupils contracted. "Black Tiger Roa!"
Hearing that, Roa's furry face immediately showed a look of distaste. "Could you contact Headquarters and have them give me a different nickname? Do you know how much such an ugly nickname hurts a seven-year-old child?"
So he's a vice admiral?
I have no impression of him from either my previous life or this one. He probably isn't anyone important.
Then there's no problem. As everyone knows, the Marines have the greatest number of weaklings among their vice admirals. An ordinary Headquarters vice admiral is like a stray dog by the roadside—someone who can be kicked to death and used as a stepping stone.
Jensen, however, didn't dare lower his guard.
Black Tiger Roa, the youngest member of the Rocks Pirates and an intern alongside Kaido, was only seven years old, yet already had a bounty of three hundred million Berries! Even Charlotte Linlin hadn't matched him at the same age. He was a monster among monsters!
"Prepare for battle!"
Following the vice admiral's roar, the Marines on the deck raised their weapons toward Roa in the sky.
"Don't put on a brave face."
Roa's eyes inverted from black and white. "I can see it—the fear in you."
Blackness swiftly surfaced in the Marines' eyes.
Then—
"Waaaaah!"
Overwhelming fear instantly made the Marines scream one after another. Tears and snot streamed down their faces, and some even wet themselves. None of them dared raise their heads to look up again.
"What?"
The vice admiral's face twisted.
Is this Black Tiger Roa's ability?
"Hm? There are still this many people?"
Roa looked at the Marines on the deck who hadn't lost their fighting ability and couldn't help sighing. Regular troops really were different. Their mental conditioning was obviously far ahead of the pirates'.
"Then I'll give you a great present."
Bronze patterns spread across the large horn on his head.
"Marines, have you ever seen a move that falls from the sky?"
Vice Admiral Jensen suddenly heard the sound of wind.
He instinctively looked up.
Then his pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinpricks.
A gigantic ball of fire was falling from the sky!
No, it wasn't a ball of fire. It was a solid rock!
A meteorite!
It was a meteorite dragging a long, blazing tail!!
That guy had summoned a meteorite!
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