Roya glanced at the Den Den Mushi. To his surprise, Sengoku was calling.
Wait a minute!
Shouldn't Sengoku be arranging for Admiral Kizaru to head to the Sabaody Archipelago right now?
Why was he calling me?
Puzzled, Roya answered the Den Den Mushi.
"Roya!"
"The Supernova pirates on the Sabaody Archipelago attacked a Celestial Dragon!"
"The situation has escalated badly. We need an Admiral to go there as backup!"
Before Roya could speak, Sengoku hurriedly launched into his explanation.
"Go to the Sabaody Archipelago? Wouldn't Kizaru, Borsalino, get there faster?" Roya asked.
"Because Kaido was captured, Borsalino has already been sent to monitor the Beasts Pirates in the New World to prevent an uprising. Kuzan and Sakazuki are still on their way back from the New World. They won't make it in time, so you have to act. The Science Unit has already headed there ahead of you with the Pacifistas," Sengoku hastily explained.
Roya froze for a moment.
Had the timeline changed?
"They're just a few Supernovas. The Pacifistas can handle them. There's no need for an Admiral to get involved, is there?" Roya said lazily, effectively turning Sengoku down.
After all, Roya had no interest whatsoever in the Supernovas on the Sabaody Archipelago. Mainly, they simply weren't strong enough yet. Rather than waste his time going there, he would be better off staying here and exploring higher levels of swordsmanship.
Besides!
Protect scum like the Celestial Dragons? Me?
"Roya! You're an Admiral now!" Sengoku was truly getting worked up this time.
By now, Roya was growing impatient.
He was just about to hang up and be done with it. He knew perfectly well that although he was now a Navy Admiral and Fleet Admiral Sengoku was technically his direct superior, Sengoku couldn't really lose his temper with him when push came to shove. That was the importance of personal strength.
Suddenly.
Something occurred to Roya!
Wait! The Sabaody Archipelago! Wasn't Dark King Rayleigh, the former Pirate King's first mate, there?
Dark King Rayleigh had once been a master swordsman. If Roya could find him and exchange a few moves, perhaps it would stimulate his swordsmanship again and speed up his training.
At that thought, Roya immediately agreed. "All right, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. I'll head to the Sabaody Archipelago now."
Sengoku was taken aback by Roya's response. He had been preparing to sweeten the deal, but hadn't expected Roya to agree so quickly.
"Good. Then I'll leave the Sabaody Archipelago to you. Remember, you must ensure the Celestial Dragons' safety..."
Before Sengoku could finish his instructions, Roya hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Ensure the Celestial Dragons' safety?
What the hell did that have to do with me?
Roya only wanted to find Dark King Rayleigh!
And so.
Roya put on his Admiral's cloak, boarded his personal warship, and set off for the Sabaody Archipelago.
Marine Headquarters wasn't particularly far from the Sabaody Archipelago.
In less than an hour.
Roya, the Navy's Fourth Admiral, arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.
At that moment, smoke from the fighting hung everywhere over the Sabaody Archipelago. After all, the Straw Hat Pirates had attacked a Celestial Dragon, and the Marines couldn't possibly stand by and do nothing. Long before Roya arrived, they had already dispatched plenty of elite Marines, along with the Science Unit's Pacifistas developed by Vegapunk.
"Which way is the auction house in Grove 1?" Roya looked around after stepping ashore.
Roya's purpose here was clear. He hadn't come to rescue the Celestial Dragons or arrest the Supernovas. He only wanted to find Dark King Rayleigh and fight him.
However.
The moment Roya stepped onto the island, countless pirates spotted him.
"Th-this is a Navy Admiral?"
"The Navy's Fourth Admiral! Roya!"
"He's the Fourth Admiral who seriously wounded Kaido, one of the Four Emperors!"
"Then what are you waiting for? Run if you don't want to die!"
Countless pirates began fleeing in panic.
After all, Roya's photo had made the news headlines back then, so these pirates naturally recognized him at a glance.
These pirates fled even when they encountered a Pacifista, let alone a Navy Admiral.
However.
Two Supernovas in the area had also noticed Roya.
They were X. Drake and Mad Monk Urouge!
The two had only just joined forces to take down a Pacifista. Now they were panting heavily and looking rather battered.
"How can we be this unlucky? It's actually Roya, the Navy's Fourth Admiral!" Drake frowned.
"Oh dear, oh dear. This is a man who could seriously wound even Kaido of the Four Emperors. We're no match for him!" Urouge felt the same way.
Both knew their limits. Even at full strength, they couldn't possibly match a Navy Admiral, much less after fighting a Pacifista.
Thus.
The two chose to retreat quietly, doing their best not to alert Roya.
However, Roya had already detected their presence with his Observation Haki. He simply couldn't be bothered with them and continued searching for the auction house in Grove 1.
However.
As the pirates fled in all directions, they spread the news that Roya, the Navy's Fourth Admiral, had arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.
The first to hear was one of the Supernovas, the Magician, Basil Hawkins!
He immediately took out his cards to perform a divination.
"Chance of victory in battle: zero... threat to life: zero..."
"It seems he isn't here for us!"
Hawkins calmly performed his divination, and the results put him at ease.
Meanwhile, the news spread so quickly that the other Supernovas, including Apoo, Bonney, and Bege, all heard it too.
"What?! Even the Navy's Fourth Admiral has been deployed?"
"Apparently, this Admiral is heading toward the auction house in Grove 1!"
"Come on, let's go take a look!"
Elsewhere.
Eustass Kid, Trafalgar Law, and Killer were among the Supernovas who had also received the news.
A wrecked Pacifista lay before them.
"The Navy's Fourth Admiral? The man who seriously wounded Kaido? Interesting!"
Upon hearing of Roya's arrival, Eustass Kid seemed rather excited.
"The Navy's Fourth Admiral... looks like he's going after Straw Hat and his crew!" Trafalgar Law said.
"Kid, let's get out of here. This Admiral sounds like serious trouble!" Killer urged.
Bepo, standing beside Trafalgar Law, also tried to persuade him. "Captain, let's leave too. This isn't the time to face an Admiral head-on."
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