Pirates: A Family Slaughtered, the Celestial Dragons Must Die!

That was right. The man before him was the future Pirate King, Gol D. Roger—the man pirates across the world would revere, the man who would usher in the Great Pirate Era single-handedly!

By the timeline, Roger had indeed only just set out to sea. He was still alone, without a single crewmate.

"You're Roger?" Rono asked, quickly collecting himself.

"Huh? You know my name? Am I that famous?"

Roger grew excited too. He had never expected to be recognized. Was he already well known out on the seas?

"Oh, right. What's your name?" Roger was too easygoing to wonder how Rono knew his name, and simply asked for Rono's instead.

"I'm Rono."

Rono had not expected to run into Roger just by stopping at an island to replenish his fresh water.

His eyes lit up as he looked at Roger, like a starving man faced with a feast.

He had actually met the future Pirate King here!

Roger looked a little goofy, but he was still the future Pirate King!

If Rono could pick up some special ability from him, he would hit the jackpot. He could hardly wait.

"So your name's Rono! That's great!"

The moment Rono introduced himself, Roger perked up.

"Rono, don't you think it was fate that brought us together here?"

"Want to come with me and turn this world upside down?"

With his trademark grin, Roger invited Rono to join him on the spot.

That line sounds familiar.

Isn't that what he said when he invited Rayleigh?

P.S. I've seen a lot of people arguing about when Roger set out to sea.

First, the original work never gives an exact date.

Second, a lot of people base their guesses on what Brook said about Roger.

Please go back and look carefully at Brook's actual words in the Sabaody Archipelago arc:

"Gol D. Roger? I feel like I heard of some rookie by that name... or maybe I didn't!"

I went back to check that line specifically. That is what Brook said!

He might have heard of him, or he might not have!

Do you understand what that means?

It means he wasn't sure!

That's a trick Oda uses all the time!

A line like that can become foreshadowing, or it can go nowhere. It leaves him room to maneuver!

So why are you treating the date Roger set out to sea as settled fact?

Third, please look at the original manga chapter where Sengoku reveals God Valley. Sengoku says Rocks was the first enemy Roger encountered, and the strongest!

Pay attention to "first"!

By your logic, Roger set out to sea more than ten years earlier. Are you saying he didn't meet a single worthy opponent in all that time?

And Rocks was still the first enemy they encountered?

That clearly makes no sense!

Roger obviously set out to sea not long before the battle at God Valley!

Fourth, everyone knows Oda loves parallels. Luffy set out to sea in 1520. How much time had passed by the Paramount War?

Only a few months!

Add another two years, and Luffy had gone from a rookie to his current standing as one of the Four Emperors in barely two years!

He even rose from the level he was at when he fought Katakuri to the Admiral-Emperor level, where he could trade blows with Kaido!

He learned Ryuo and Conqueror's Haki Coating and awakened his Nika form in just a few days!

The manga took years, but only a few days passed in Wano Country!

For a true genius, a few days can be enough for their strength to skyrocket!

So there is nothing wrong with my decision to have Roger set out to sea now!

You don't have to like this book, but stop saying I don't know the source material, all right?

Between reading the One Piece manga and all the forum analyses, news, SBS columns, and so on, I'd conservatively say I know more than ninety percent of One Piece fans!

Call my book trash, say the writing is bad or the prose is awful—I can take it. I can't please everyone.

But whenever I see people who haven't read the manga carefully lecturing me about things the original never even established, then confidently claiming I don't know the source material?

I can't help wanting to fire back!

Advanced Haki in All Three Forms! Thank You, Teacher Roger

Rono was stunned that Roger had invited him outright.

Rono could not imagine approaching some random person and asking him to become a crewmate.

What if that person was an ordinary man with no talent, or had completely different ambitions?

Roger's way of doing things really did rival Luffy's.

But Rono firmly refused his invitation.

His ambitions were different from Roger's. Rono's goal was to destroy the Celestial Dragons.

Roger would later save the Celestial Dragons alongside Garp at God Valley. They might well become enemies. How could Rono join him?

Of course, judged purely as a captain, Roger was practically perfect—certainly ten times better than Rocks.

Even against a powerful enemy, Roger was the kind of dependable captain Rono could trust with his back.

But Rono had chosen his goal, and he could not accept Roger's invitation.

"Hey, come on! It'll be fun with me!"

Roger did not give up. His instincts told him Rono would make an exceptional companion.

Like Luffy, Roger had been born with an uncanny intuition that was almost always right.

"I refuse. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

Roger's eyes had dimmed at the word "refuse," but the moment he heard there was a chance, they lit up again.

"You'll have to show me you're strong enough. Nobody wants to follow a captain who's weaker than his crew."

As he spoke, Rono slowly released his Conqueror's Haki. His meaning could not have been clearer.

Roger needed to prove he was strong enough to be Rono's captain.

"Hahaha! So that's it! Fine by me. What right would I have to invite you if I couldn't even match my own crewmate?"

Roger burst out laughing at the challenge.

He was supremely confident in his strength.

He was not like Luffy, who had set out to sea at seventeen, still a teenager.

Roger would die at fifty-three, in the year 1498 of the Sea Circle Calendar.

It was now the year 1483, which meant Roger had to be at least thirty-five.

Even if he had not reached his peak, he was likely at least at the level of an Emperor's top commander. He might even be at the Admiral-Emperor level.

"Come on, Rono!"

Roger shouted in excitement and unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki.

Boom!

Roger's Conqueror's Haki was vastly stronger than Rono's had been. The moment he released it, the sea turned rough.

Clouds churned overhead and thunder rolled, as though violent weather might descend at any moment.

Worse still, Roger's Conqueror's Haki covered a terrifying range. Everyone on the island was knocked unconscious before they knew what had happened.

As expected of the future Pirate King! He's only just set out to sea, and his Conqueror's Haki is already this powerful!

Rono's eyes burned with excitement!

The stronger Roger was, the more Rono stood to pick up from him!

Sure enough, the instant Roger used his Conqueror's Haki, Rono's system chimed in.

[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have picked up Conqueror's Haki (advanced)!]

As the system's voice faded, Rono felt a power within him undergo a dramatic change!

The next moment—

Boom!

Conqueror's Haki no weaker than Roger's surged out of Rono and slammed into Roger's!

Has he been hiding his strength all along?

Roger stared in surprise.

He had Observation Haki and could sense Rono's strength. Rono should not have possessed Conqueror's Haki at this level.

Can this guy hide his strength from me too?

The two clashed with Conqueror's Haki.

Crack! Crack!

Black arcs of lightning, born from the collision of their Conqueror's Haki, flashed through the air.

The sea churned several times more violently than before. Waves dozens of meters high rose up, while lightning and thunder raged overhead as though the end of the world were at hand.

They pitted their Conqueror's Haki against each other for several minutes. Neither could overpower the other.

"Hahaha! Now this is interesting!"

Roger burst into excited laughter.

He had not expected Rono's Conqueror's Haki to match his own.

To possess such powerful Conqueror's Haki at so young an age, Rono had extraordinary talent!

Looks like I'll have to get serious. I have to beat him and make him want to join my crew!

Seeing that their Conqueror's Haki was evenly matched, Roger withdrew his.

Then he drew his sword.

Judging by its appearance, it had to be Ace, the Famous Sword that would accompany Roger in years to come and one of the twelve Supreme Grade Swords!

He released his Armament Haki, and Ace instantly turned jet-black.

This was Armament Haki coating. It could be applied to a weapon to increase its destructive power.

Its telltale sign was the weapon turning black. Over time, constant exposure to Haki could turn a sword into a Black Blade!

[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have picked up Armament Haki (advanced)!]

The instant Roger used Armament Haki, Rono picked it up from him.

A dense power flooded into Rono's body. This was Armament Haki.

Another advanced form of Haki!

I'm growing so fast. This feels incredible!

The system divided every skill into five ranks: beginner, intermediate, advanced, top-tier, and divine!

Advanced still had top-tier and divine above it, but it was already immensely powerful.