Roy took off his cloak. His Observation Haki told him no one was following him, and with a few leaps, he quickly left the district.
In Area 13, Tesoro and Stella were hiding in an abandoned warehouse, both breathing heavily.
Blood still lingered at the corner of his mouth. It seemed he was badly hurt.
"Boss... he should have succeeded, right...?"
As he was thinking about it, the warehouse door suddenly swung open.
The two nearly cried out in fright, but relaxed abruptly when they saw it was Roy.
"Boss!"
"Yeah, don't worry. I've shaken off the World Government's people. We're safe for the time being."
Without waiting for Tesoro to answer, Roy picked up the nearby box and opened it.
Two oddly shaped Devil Fruits lay side by side inside.
One was pure white, with feather-shaped patterns covering its surface.
The other was the Devil Fruit he had been longing for: the Paramecia-type Telekinesis-Telekinesis Fruit.
"Not bad luck." The corners of Roy's mouth rose slightly. "The white one should be a Zoan, right?"
With that, he picked up the pink Telekinesis-Telekinesis Fruit and took a bite.
Crunch!
An utterly revolting taste traveled from his taste buds to his brain. It was even more nauseating than the essence of canned herring mixed with all manner of garbage soaked in a stinking ditch.
"Ugh... mmph."
Although a single bite of a Devil Fruit was enough, it was said that eating the whole thing made it easier to develop its ability to Awakening. Just to be safe, it was better to eat it all.
He closed his eyes, stuffed all the remaining flesh into his mouth, and swallowed it without chewing.
After finishing, Roy lay sprawled on the floor. He was about to ask Tesoro for some water so he could rinse his mouth first.
Before he could speak, a powerful mental storm swept out in every direction with him at its center. Tesoro and Stella, who were close by, were instantly sent flying through the wall, landing on the lawn outside.
The people in Area 13 all felt as though something had struck their brains, leaving their minds in a fog. They turned to look around, while the strong looked toward Roy in confusion.
Roy sensed his mental power surge severalfold, and the range of his Observation Haki increased enormously. Where it had once covered only half the island, it could now easily encompass the entire island and extend an unknown number of nautical miles beyond it.
He opened his eyes and looked around. Outside, Tesoro, who had just been sent flying, slowly rose to his feet while holding his head and looked at Roy.
"Boss... just now..."
"Yeah! It's an ability I just got, but there's no time to explain now. Take Stella and leave first. Wait for me at Shakky's bar."
"Boss, aren't you coming with us?" Tesoro asked in confusion.
"I'm going to get some money first. After all, we've already agreed to the deal with Shakky."
"There's no need, boss. We have money now, enough to complete the deal."
With that, Tesoro took another box from a nearby corner and opened it for Roy.
"Boss, I checked. There's a full 500 million Beli in here."
"Hahaha, well done, Tesoro," Roy said, happily taking the box.
"Let's set out now, complete the deal, and then leave Sabaody."
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters in Marineford.
In the conference room, the current Fleet Admiral, Kong, was in discussion with the Marines' senior officers.
"After Rocks's death, his members scattered and formed pirate crews of their own. They're fighting one another for territory, making the situation in the New World even more chaotic."
"Among them, the Whitebeard Pirates have already taken dozens of islands around Sphinx Island in the middle of the New World."
"At the same time, the Flying Pirates, led by Golden Lion Shiki, have taken control of the first half of the New World. Their members are attacking Marine Bases like mad, trying to drive us Marines out of the New World entirely."
"Ochoku has occupied Rocks's old stronghold, Hachinosu, and is holed up there, while Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and the other members are all itching to make a move."
The senior Marine officers frowned as they looked at the reports in their hands. Faced with such a chaotic situation, they had no good solution either.
Kong looked at his silent subordinates, feeling a headache coming on. Faced with the current situation, he could only issue orders.
"Have the Marines withdraw the bulk of their forces from the New World for now. First, we'll ensure stability in the first half of the Grand Line and the four seas."
At the same time, only two Marine Bases, G3 and G4, would be kept in the New World. Two Admirals would be sent to hold them and monitor the movements of the pirates in the New World.
"Yes, sir."
Most of the officers agreed, but one asked worriedly, "Won't the World Government be displeased if the Marines withdraw from so much of the New World?"
"Hmph. If the World Government is displeased, it should increase the Marines' funding and support our expansion. We don't have enough forces right now. If there's a problem, I'll speak to them myself."
"Bulu, bulu, bulu..."
"Click."
As they were discussing the matter, the Den Den Mushi in Kong's pocket rang. As soon as he answered, he heard an order from Saint Saturn of the Five Elders, the Celestial Dragons who represented the World Government's highest leadership.
"Kong, a Celestial Dragon has been attacked in the Sabaody Archipelago. Send an Admiral immediately to arrest the culprit and bring them to the Holy Land. I'll send you the information shortly."
Seeing the Fleet Admiral's expression suddenly darken, the Marines around him realized something serious had happened.
After hanging up, Kong looked at the grim faces around him and spoke gravely. "I've just received an order from the Five Elders. Someone attacked a Celestial Dragon in Sabaody. The information will be here shortly."
As soon as he finished speaking, a young Marine pushed the door open with a stack of documents in his hands. He quickly handed them out, then stood off to the side.
"Whoa!"
"A pirate actually dared attack a Celestial Dragon near the Holy Land. But there are only two figures hidden under cloaks in here. How are we supposed to know who they are?" a Vice Admiral asked in confusion.
"Pwahaha, how interesting! I've never liked the look of those Celestial Dragons."
Seeing that someone had beaten up a Celestial Dragon, Garp the Hero, who was still middle-aged at this point, burst out laughing.
At the sound of Garp's voice, Kong, seated at the head of the table, scowled.
"Bastard, Garp, is this the time to say that? Since you're so happy, you can carry out this mission!"
"Who'd go protect trash like the Celestial Dragons? I still have to go after Roger!"
Without waiting for Kong to say another word, he got up, threw on his Marine coat, and strode away with his men.
The current Admiral seated to Kong's right, Sengoku the Buddha, known as The Strategist, hurried to soothe his Fleet Admiral, who was on the verge of exploding.
"Everyone knows Garp is a thoughtless fellow. Besides, capturing the Roger Pirates is important too."
"I'll take this mission."
Seeing Sengoku accept the order, Kong's expression eased.
"You'll be dispatched for this mission. After you capture the culprit, hand them directly over to the Marine Base on the island. Someone will take over from there."
"Yes, sir."
Sengoku gave a military salute, then turned and left the conference room as well.