Roy picked up Trafalgar Law's arrest warrant and looked at it.
The photo shows Luo looking the same as always, wearing a polka-dot hat, with tattoos on his fingers, and a bounty of 200 million Beli.
His gaze lingered on the photo for a second, then he put down the wanted poster and activated his Observation Haki.
The Observation Haki is like an invisible giant net, enveloping the entire Sabaody Archipelago.
He sensed several familiar yet unfamiliar presences—in some corner of the Lawless Zone, the young man in the spotted hat was leading his Heart Pirates down the street.
The aura emanating from Law was far stronger than when he trained on Hachinosu, and the fluctuations of the Op-Op Fruit's power were very stable, clearly indicating that he hadn't wasted his abilities.
Roy withdrew his Observation Haki and used his Telekinesis to condense an extremely thin line, extending it towards Roy's direction.
At this moment, in Grove 24 of the Sabaody Archipelago, Trafalgar Law was strolling along a commercial street with the members of the Heart Pirates.
Bepo followed behind Law, carrying a large bag of snacks, his mouth stuffed full, his cheeks bulging like a real bear.
Penguin and Shachi walked on either side, each carrying supplies they had purchased, occasionally stopping to look at the unusual items displayed by roadside vendors.
Luo suddenly stopped in his tracks.
His crew also stopped, looking at their captain with suspicion.
"Captain, what's wrong?" Bepo asked in a muffled voice, still chewing on some squid strips.
"Nothing."
Luo's expression remained unchanged, but his fingers unconsciously tightened.
A familiar voice echoed in his mind. He hadn't heard that voice for over two years, but the deep-seated familiarity made him recognize it instantly—it was Roy.
"Luo, come to Grove 13. You know where Shakky's bar is."
Luo handed the shopping bag to Penguin, his tone brief:
"Come with me, we're going to see someone."
The members of the Heart Pirates exchanged glances, but having followed Law for so many years, they had long since learned not to ask questions they shouldn't.
The three followed Luo through several streets and turned into a deep alley in the Grove 13. When they pushed open the wooden door and entered the bar, this was the scene they saw—
Behind the bar stood a woman smoking a cigarette, and in the corner sat a Kuma, over two meters tall, flipping through a book.
The man sitting at the bar, wearing a long black trench coat and with a knife at his waist, was raising his glass towards the door.
"You've arrived? Have a seat."
Penguin's pupils dilated first.
His gaze swept over Roy's face three or four times, and after confirming that he wasn't seeing things, his legs began to tremble.
Shachi whispered in his ear, "That person wouldn't happen to be—",
Penguin nudged him with his elbow, signaling him to shut up.
Bepo blinked, and the snack bag slipped from his arms, falling to the ground with a thud, scattering potato chips all over the floor.
He didn't notice at all, just stared at Roy for several seconds, then suddenly turned to Roy, his voice trembling:
"Captain, he--he--"
"Please sit down."
Lola pulled out a chair and sat down, while the rest of the crew were still in shock at meeting such an important figure.
Don't be nervous.
Roy pushed another glass of rum in front of Roy, smiled and nodded to Roy's crew, and then looked Roy over seriously.
"You did a great job after you went to sea."
I heard you destroyed quite a few of Doflamingo's strongholds; Doflamingo side must be grinding their teeth to powder.
Luo took the wine glass, his fingers finally relaxing slightly:
"You've been watching me?"
"Nonsense, you're mine."
Roy spoke as if it were perfectly reasonable.
"Although you are now the captain of your own ship, you ultimately came from Hachinosu."
For every victory you achieve, the intelligence department will give me a report.
Luo was silent for a moment, then the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
The smile was faint, almost imperceptible, but those who knew him well knew it was a sign that Luo was in a better mood.
"You didn't just call me here to catch up, did you?"
"Of course not."
Roy put down his glass and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the bar.
The Straw Hat Pirates will be arriving at Sabaody Archipelago soon.
You know Luffy, he gets into trouble wherever he goes.
It's impossible for a bunch of Supernovas to get together without causing some trouble.
My request isn't much—just to help Luffy out in a crucial moment.
Luo raised an eyebrow. "That's all?"
"It's that simple."
"Of course, it's your freedom to do whatever you want."
Luo picked up his glass, took a sip, then looked at Roy with his dark eyes and nodded seriously.
Bepo finally snapped out of his shock and stammered:
"Captain of the ship—is this truly the Heavenly Dao Emperor?"
That's the one who defeated Big Mom—that's the one—"
"Sit down and eat."
Luo picked up the snack bag that had fallen on the ground and put it back in Bepo's hand.
Roy chuckled at the sight, stood up, and patted Roy on the shoulder.
"Alright, you've met your people, now go do whatever you were doing."
The Sabaody Archipelago will be very lively these days, don't miss the opportunity.
Luo stood up, hesitated for a moment, and then bowed slightly to Roy.
This action stunned his crew—their captain, Trafalgar Law, the man feared by countless pirates in the North Blue, was actually bowing to someone?
Luo offered no explanation, turned, and left the bar with his crew.
After stepping out of the bar, Penguin finally couldn't hold back any longer and grabbed Luo's sleeve.
"Captain! You know that guy? He's the boss of Hachinosu! The Heavenly Dao Emperor! The most untouchable person in the entire New World —how do you know him?"
Shachi also leaned closer, his face full of question marks, "And he seemed quite polite to you? What exactly is your relationship?"
Luo didn't stop walking; he simply replied casually at the corner of the alley.
He was, in a sense, my mentor.
After saying that, he fell silent. The Heart Pirates crew erupted in commotion behind him, with Penguin and Shachi bombarding him with questions about the details.
Bepo jogged after him, picking up the snacks he'd dropped along the way, but Law remained silent the entire time.
In the bar, Shakky lit another cigarette, and her gaze towards Roy held a new layer of scrutiny.
"You even have people working for this year's Supernovas. What exactly are you planning?"
"I really just came to watch the show."
Roy shrugged.
"This year's Supernovas are about to meet on this island. With several groups of people gathered on one island, something interesting is bound to happen."
Shakky snorted, clearly not believing a word of it. She exhaled a smoke ring, leaned against the bar, and her tone suddenly became more serious:
" Roy, let me make this clear from the start. I can't control what big moves you make in other seas, but Sabaody Archipelago is where Rayleigh and I live."
If you blow up another street or burn down an auction house—"
"No, it won't."
Roy picked up his glass, his gaze passing through the bar window to the bubbles floating down from a mangrove tree in the distance.
"I really won't this time. I'll just sit here and watch the show."
Shakky stared at him for several seconds, then sighed.
She has known Roy for over a decade, from a greenhorn who had just entered the Grand Line to a ruler who even the Five Elders find troublesome.
Every time he came to the Sabaody Archipelago, it meant that something big was about to happen on the island, the only difference being whether it was passive or active.
"Does Rayleigh know you're coming?" Shakky suddenly asked.
"Have no idea."
Roy put down his glass.
"However, his Observation Haki should have already sensed me."
"Since just now, someone has been watching this area from the direction of Mangrove Tree No. 25."
Shakky shook her head helplessly, stubbed out her cigarette, and picked up the rag again to wipe the bar counter.
She decided to stop asking—it would be pointless anyway.