Laugh Tale

And so it was settled.

After Sengoku, Tsuru, and Zephyr left, the office fell quiet again.

The thick walls shut out the noise outside. Only the sea breeze came through the half-open window, lifting a corner of the papers on the desk.

Rock sat alone behind the desk. The photographs Kuzan had sent back still lay before him.

But he wasn't looking at them. He was gazing out at the sea.

Memories surfaced in his mind, one after another.

Ever since the day he arrived in this world, Rock had sensed one thing with growing clarity.

This world seemed to be waiting for a certain moment.

It was like a machine made of countless enormous gears, its unseen parts slowly turning.

The Marines.

Pirates.

The World Government.

The Revolutionary Army.

Every faction and every person was a component fitted into that machine.

And once a certain critical moment arrived—

The entire machine would roar to life, and the era would burst through every barrier like a flood.

Rock's gaze sharpened slightly as a name came to mind.

"Nika..."

He murmured it under his breath.

In this world, Rock had no system.

No mission panel, no rewards for leveling up, no cheat ability.

If he had any advantage at all, it was just one thing.

He knew the future.

He knew the great events that were about to happen in this world and the powerful figures who would one day sweep across the seas.

He knew the buried secrets. He knew of Devil Fruits, the Ancient Weapons, and the Void Century.

And the starting point of it all was a single event.

Roger turning himself in after becoming the Pirate King.

Rock tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.

"Tap... tap... tap..."

The future timeline grew clearer in his mind.

Roger