One Piece: Lord of Calamity

Boom!

A colossal monster crashed down, hitting the sea and creating enormous waves.

This was a Sea King over a hundred meters long, merely a small one within its species, but for humans, it was indeed a leviathan.

There was a massive wound on the monster's body, yet, strangely, not much blood flowed from it.

Roa, in his tiger-man form, stood on the Sea King's corpse, holding his blade high.

The famous blade, named Tiger's Soul by Roa, was now so crimson it almost glowed. Faintly, a reddish current of air swirled around the blade.

The legendary blade, rumored to continuously evolve by devouring blood, seemed to have evolved once more.

However, Roa sighed, saying with a hint of disdain, "Not being picky with food isn't a good thing for a gourmet."

Sea Kings possess intelligence no less than humans.

They also provide black mist when they suffer.

But the quality is just so-so, not much different from an ordinary person. Does it even justify all this meat, I ask you!

Contrary to Roa's disdain, Tiger's Soul drank heartily; after all, a 'child' hadn't tasted many good things.

And since both were intelligent creatures, the nutritional value of a Sea King's blood should be similar to human blood.

Indeed, after absorbing the Sea King's blood, Tiger's Soul underwent a brand-new evolution.

Roa casually swung his hand.

The air current swirling around the blade suddenly transformed into a scarlet sword energy, shooting out and dissipating only after flying over twenty meters.

"Flying slash."

Roa nodded in satisfaction. Not bad.

He was still a long way from comprehending the realm of "breathing all things."

This was like getting to enjoy the benefits of a sword master's realm prematurely.

"Lord Roa."

From behind, Dylan's voice came from the pirate ship quietly anchored on the sea. "We have news from God Valley."

He dangled a newspaper in his hand.

"Oh?"

Roa sheathed his blade. This action was a bit strenuous for him, given his short arms and legs. "What's the news?"

Dylan calmly stated, "The Government issued a statement saying that Marine Vice Admiral Garp the Fist defeated the Rocks Pirates and personally killed Boss Rocks."

"Oh! How truly amazing!"

Roa exclaimed repeatedly. "I didn't know there was anyone in the world who could single-handedly defeat the Rocks Pirates."

Dylan continued, "The newspaper is already calling Garp the Fist a Marine hero. Lord Roa, do we need to do anything?"

"Do anything?"

Roa leaped lightly onto the ship's rail and sighed. "Let's mourn for the Captain then. Sigh, my poor Captain. He's gone, yet he's still being slandered. If you know anything in the afterlife, haunt their dreams and curse them well. Clarify that it wasn't a lack of strength, but merely being ganged up on."

Dylan's usually unruffled face twisted slightly, almost losing its composure.

"Anyway, let's head back to the New World first. Sailing on the sea is so boring; I'm starving to death!"

Roa waved his right hand, and a fierce wind suddenly rose, instantly filling the slack sails. The large ship slowly began to move in the windless sea.

Soon after, Hachinosu Island.

The news of the Rocks Pirates' defeat had spread worldwide.

After a brief silence, the island, of course, erupted.

Some pirates wanted to cause trouble, while others, rushing in, wanted to seize the opportunity to plunder.

The island almost faced utter destruction.

But thankfully, though the Rocks Pirates had fallen, most of their major executives were virtually unharmed.

A few phone calls later, forces loyal to the Rocks Pirates were mobilized, and Hachinosu Island was preserved intact.

And so, now.

In the meeting room of the Skull Building, the former executives of the Rocks Pirates gathered.

"Mamamama! This old hag never thought this day would come so soon!"

Aunt Linlin laughed heartily.

"That idiot Rocks almost got all of us killed!"

Silver Axe cursed with a displeased look. "He deserved to be taken down!"

"Who would've thought Roger and his crew would show up too?"

Gloriosa was still shaken. "And the Holy Knights and the Five Elders, all monsters! It's scary just thinking about it now. Luckily, we made it back alive. I wonder how little Roa is doing; one of the Five Elders went after him."

"That kid gained quite a bit this time,"

Captain John said drunkenly. "I don't think he's that easy to kill."

"Let's get to business,"

Wang Zhi(Ochoku) sat with his legs crossed. "Now that the Captain's gone, everyone speak up. What's the plan next? Are we disbanding directly?"

"I can be the second Captain!"

Uncle Shiki volunteered.

"Dream on until nightfall!"

Brother Kaido sneered, arms crossed, coldly glaring at Uncle Shiki. "What are you, thinking you can stand above me?"

He was very arrogant now, having gained new power.

"Kaido,"

Uncle Shiki's eyes instantly turned dangerous. "You brat, do you have a death wish?"

"Mamamama! Shiki, this old hag actually thinks Kaido's right,"

Aunt Linlin supported her junior. "What do you think you are? You think you can be like Rocks?"

"Gahahahaha!"

Golden Lion laughed instead of getting angry. "Then it seems there's nothing more to say!"

"Are the pleasantries finally over?"

Whitebeard, who had been silent, slowly spoke. "Except for that brat Roa, everyone is here. If you want something, fight for it with your fists!"

"Oh! Whitebeard, how rare,"

Aunt Linlin scoffed. "This old hag thought you'd say again that you want nothing but family."

"Hmph."

Whitebeard sneered.

He became a pirate partly to gain a family, and partly for money. He had no choice; his hometown was too poor, and his burdens were not light.

And so, the executives' battle began.

As the monsters began to contend for their inheritance, Katakuri stood quietly on the coast of Hachinosu Island.

The young man's eyes were filled with worry and doubt.

Roa, you're safe, right? The arena was cleared out beforehand; you must have foreseen something, right?

Don't die. You said that next time we meet, I'd make you look at me differently!

A few days later.

A certain sea area in the New World.

Roa stood at the bow, flipping through a newspaper. It reported the news of the former Rocks Pirates executives fighting fiercely on Hachinosu Island, then going their separate ways, and how the once dominant Rocks Pirates in the New World finally disintegrated.

"Oh, Captain. Your bones aren't even cold, and the uncles and aunts are already fighting over the inheritance. If you know about this in the afterlife, don't just bother cursing the Government people; remember to curse them too, and tell them to save my share of the inheritance for me."

Roa lamented.

But the Captain himself probably wouldn't care, right?

He was the kind of person who only cared about his life, not his reputation after death.

"Lord Roa! We've arrived!"

Dylan's voice came from behind.

Roa looked up.

In the distance, a large island was visible to the naked eye.

"Oh! What a great place!"

Roa's eyes instantly lit up. "My journey wasn't in vain; what a truly excellent place!"

From such a distance, he could already see the black mist rising from the island.

"Dylan, we'll be staying here for the next few years!"

Roa said with a smile, "Sorry, our era will have to wait a little longer."

"Of course, Lord Roa!"

Dylan's gaze towards Roa's back was exceptionally fervent.

It wasn't until he joined the Rocks Pirates that he realized how vast the world truly was.

His distance from the pinnacle of the sea was like the difference between the sky and the ocean; he probably wouldn't be able to ride the waves of the era even if he lived his entire life. In the Rocks Pirates, he was an unnoticed stray dog by the roadside.

So two years ago, when Roa joined the Rocks Pirates, Dylan realized that if he followed behind this child, who was destined to step onto the world's summit, could he too glimpse the scenery at the forefront of the age?

Thus, at that time, Roa gained a loyal and capable follower.

"Let's land, The Land of Endless War! How exciting!"