In early 1520 of the Sea Circle Calendar, Roy sat in his office with a huge New World sea chart hanging on the wall.
The nautical chart was marked with various colored symbols: red for the Hachinosu forces, blue for the Marines, yellow for Whitebeard, green for Kaido, orange for Red Hair, and black for the remnants of Totto Land.
Every important island, every shipping route, and every ambush point was clearly marked.
Roy picked up a pen and drew a circle around the location of Alabasta. Then he drew an even bigger circle around the location of the Florian Triangle.
Then he put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long sigh.
Ten years of planning, one piece at a time.
Now only one piece is missing from the chessboard.
That chess piece's name was Marshall D. Teach.
Three months later, Luffy sail. Everything will begin to fall into place.
The year was 1520 in the Sea Circle Calendar.
East Blue, Foosha Village Port.
Luffy stood on a pitifully small wooden boat, hands on his hips, grinning at the villagers seeing him off at the dock.
The Straw Hat was perched on his head, the brim slightly upturned by the sea breeze.
"I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
After shouting that, Luffy grinned and untied the mooring rope, and the small boat swayed away from the harbor.
Makino, standing on the dock, wiped her eyes and waved her apron.
The villagers of Foosha Village stood in twos and threes, watching the troublemaker they had watched grow up set off.
If Roy were there, he would probably remark, "This kid is even more stubborn than he expected."
The ship didn't even have a proper sail; it was just a wooden boat that floated. Luffy aimlessly with a wooden oar. After paddling three times, the boat spun around twice in place.
But Luffy didn't care; he set sail, and that was enough.
Over the next few months, Roy's intelligence network relayed messages back to the East Blue on a weekly basis.
Luffy defeated Alvida and his bounty is now 30 million.
Luffy defeated Morgan the Axe-Hand in Shells Town and recruited a green-haired swordsman as his companion; that swordsman's name was Roronoa Zoro.
In Orange Town, Luffy encountered a female thief named Nami and, through persistent pestering, dragged her onto his ship.
Then it's Usopp, and then Sanji.
The Straw Hat Pirates caused a huge ruckus in Loguetown. Smoker personally led a team to intercept them, but they were rescued by a mysterious cloaked figure. Luffy grinned on the Execution Platform, shocking all the Marines present.
Finally, the Straw Hat Pirates escaped the sudden storm and plunged into Reverse Mountain.
After entering the Grand Line, the Straw Hat Pirates encountered an ambush by Baroque Works at Whiskey Peak, and in the process, they met Princess Vivi of the Alabasta Kingdom.
Then there's the Little Garden, where two Giant Tribe fought for a full hundred years.
Then there's Drum Island. Nami has a persistent high fever, Luffy climbs the 5,000-meter-high Drum Mountain barefoot, dragging the unconscious Nami and Sanji behind him, his arms covered in frostbite.
Roy tapped his fingers on the table as he read the intelligence report.
He remembered this scene very clearly— Luffy would do anything for his crew, and he hadn't changed at all since he was a child.
After Drum Island, Dr. Tony Chopper, the reindeer doctor, joined the Straw Hat Pirates.
Now, there are six people on the Luffy. If you include Vivi and the duck, there are eight in total, and they are heading towards Alabasta at full speed.
It was at this moment that news arrived from the New World that caught everyone off guard.
Marshall D. Teach, a member of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates, murdered Thatch, the fourth division commander, and stole the Devil Fruit- Dark-Dark Fruit before defecting.
When the news spread, the entire New World was in an uproar—everyone knew the rules on Whitebeard's ship: killing one's own crewmate was a capital offense.
This fat, dark-skinned man named Teach had been on the ship for over twenty years, keeping a low profile. Who would have thought he would kill someone and run away just to steal a fruit?
Whitebeard was furious.
Ace was the first to volunteer to go after Blackbeard.
Whitebeard remained silent for a long time before finally refusing.
But Ace, taking advantage of the darkness, disobeyed Whitebeard's orders and went out to sea alone to hunt down Blackbeard.
Roy set off immediately from Hachinosu upon receiving the news.
He didn't bring anyone with him; he went alone, following Ace's trail into the Grand Line.
His goal was simple—to follow Ace and ensure the plot progressed as planned.
But there's a problem here.
A problem Roy created himself ten years ago.
The current Ace is far stronger than in the original story.
Before Roy left Foosha Village, he filled Ace and Luffy's minds with a lot of training tips.
The Awakening gained from awakening Armament Haki, Observation Haki, Taijutsu, and Conqueror's Haki are all firsthand experiences compiled by Emperor-level powerhouses.
Luffy was only six years old at the time, so his capacity to digest information was limited, but Ace was already eight years old, which was a good age to build a foundation.
With Garp's later rigorous training of his two grandsons, Ace's strength at sea was at least a level higher than in the original story.
His use of the Flame-Flame Fruit was far more sophisticated than in the original story; the flames were hotter and had a wider attack range.
Combined with the Three Types of Haki, this strength would be formidable even in the New World.
The question is—could Blackbeard defeat Ace like this?
In the original story, Blackbeard didn't win easily against Ace. Now, Ace is stronger than in the original story, while Blackbeard is weaker.
The group of subordinates this guy had in the original story— Burgess, Van Augur, Lafitte —were all snatched away by Roy more than a decade ago and are now all working for Hachinosu.
Blackbeard is now only accompanied by Doc Q and two nameless pirates he somehow found, greatly diminishing his strength.
Roy had to follow behind and keep an eye on things.
If Blackbeard can't defeat Ace, he'll have to find a way to intervene secretly.
Ace must be captured by Blackbeard for the Paramount War to take place.
Paramount War hadn't happened, several of Roy's plans over the past decade would have been for naught.
Roy flew very fast and found Ace's trail a few days later.
He didn't show himself, maintaining a sufficient distance, relying solely on his Observation Haki to pinpoint Ace's location.
Ace's fiery aura was too obvious. In the first half of the Grand Line, he was like a burning torch, which could be sensed even across several islands.
Ace's tracking route was consistent with the original story, following him all the way from the New World to the Grand Line, finally stopping in the direction of Alabasta.
Roy knew that Ace had come to see Luffy. The fates of these two brothers would briefly intersect in this desert kingdom.
Roy arrived in Alabasta first, landing on high ground in the Rainbase.
The dry, hot winds of the desert swept over me, and the city beneath my feet appeared gray and hazy under the blazing sun.
His Observation Haki spread out, and he quickly detected several auras on the edge of the city.
Luffy and his crew had just arrived and were wolfing down their food at a restaurant.
Meanwhile, another, more distant aura was approaching—fiery, warm, and dangerous.
Roy leaned against the building's shadow, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Let's wait and see; we'll only intervene if things get really bad.
The Alabasta story is far from over; Crocodile, that "traitor," is still waiting for his protagonist to appear.
Roy shifted his position against the wall, closed his eyes, and his Observation Haki enveloped the entire Rainbase.
He's been waiting for this day for ten years, so what's a little longer?