One Piece: sign-in to Ryujin Jakka

The moment Roman stepped foot into Mary Geoise, the system's mechanical voice echoed within his mind.

[Ding! Sign-in completed at Mary Geoise.

Reward: Random top-tier Devil Fruit (no side effects).]

The ability granted by the Devil Fruit perfectly aligned with Roman's ambitions.

However, he had no plans to consume it just yet.

Strolling through the streets of Mary Geoise, Roman intended to explore, to see if there were any hidden landmarks or notable places worth checking.

But everywhere he went, he was met with nothing but flames and chaos.

Slaves turned on each other for mere seconds of survival, betraying their companions just to buy themselves more time to escape.

Others, trapped by the explosive collars around their necks, descended into madness, slaughtering anyone who dared to flee, taking escapees down with them.

One even charged straight at Roman.

Swoosh!

With a single swing, Roman cut him down. His blade showed no hesitation.

Scenes like this played out too frequently.

The carnage soured Roman's mood entirely. Wandering through Mary Geoise suddenly seemed pointless.

Just as he was preparing to leave, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed behind him.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The footsteps were urgent, unhidden, and loud.

Roman turned around slowly, and in the flickering light of the flames, he saw a red-skinned Fishman charging towards him.

The Fishman had thick, curly hair and a wide mouth, his figure hulking even under the weight of numerous injuries. Slashes and bruises covered his entire body, blood soaking his skin.

Roman narrowed his eyes.

For a normal human, wounds like that would've meant certain death. Only the Fishman's natural resilience kept him upright.

The Fishman spotted Roman and paused briefly. Though Roman's attire was strange, he wasn't wearing a white cloak or a mask—he wasn't one of them.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, the Fishman shouted:

"Hey! You up front! Run, now! They're coming—masked agents chasing from behind me!"

Roman's gaze flickered.

Masked agents? CP0, then.

And this Fishman... it had to be the so-called "ringleader" of this entire rebellion—Fisher Tiger.

Roman connected the dots instantly.

But Fisher Tiger, seeing Roman unmoved, grew desperate.

"Hey! Didn't you hear me?! Run!" he yelled again.

But the effort made him cough violently, blood spraying from his lips.

He was clearly at his limit.

Still, he used every ounce of strength to warn a stranger.

That, Roman thought, was the kind of man Fisher Tiger was.

Just then, five masked figures cloaked in white emerged from the shadows behind him.

"It doesn't matter who you are. Anyone who stirs up trouble in Mary Geoise must die."

Fisher Tiger's heart sank.

"Already…? CP0 were that close behind me?"

He turned toward Roman, placed himself protectively in front of him, and growled:

"I'm almost done for. I'll hold them off. You—get out of here! Now!"

He shouted so loud it was as if his soul was poured into every word.

But Roman only chuckled lightly.

"You're quite the stubborn one. But I don't hide behind others."

A gust of wind brushed past Fisher Tiger.

Roman had already vanished from behind him. Fisher Tiger's eyes widened in horror.

He tried to yell again, to warn Roman of CP0's terrifying strength, but the blood rising in his throat cut off all sound.

'He's going to die!  He doesn't stand a chance!'

Fisher Tiger couldn't bear to watch. From his perspective, one person couldn't defeat five elite agents.

But in the very next moment—

BOOM!!!

An explosion of fire burst forth from Roman's sword like a sun on the battlefield. A wave of searing heat surged through the street.

Fisher Tiger's eyes reflected a sky full of flames.

From Roman's blade came a single, overwhelming slash.

With that one strike, the five CP0 agents who had cornered Fisher Tiger were reduced to ashes, defeated instantly.

Fisher Tiger was stunned.

'This man… who is he?! How can anyone be this strong?!'

As Fisher Tiger stood there in shock, Roman calmly sheathed his blade and walked over.

To him, it was as effortless as brushing off dust.

To Roman, those elite agents were mere cannon fodder.

Fisher Tiger coughed up blood again but forced himself to whisper:

"Th-Thank you…"

Roman shook his head.

"No need. I was just passing by." Roman replied

Without another word, Roman leaned down and lifted Fisher Tiger onto his back.

"Put me down… I'm… I'm just dead weight," Tiger murmured weakly.

His voice grew softer with every word.

Roman replied flatly:

"Stop talking. I'm taking you somewhere to stop the bleeding."

He carried the Fishman toward a nearby mansion, one that hadn't yet been swallowed by fire.

With a single kick, Roman blew the front door open.

Inside, he carefully set Fisher Tiger down and gathered materials to perform some quick first aid.

As he wrapped the wounds, he said quietly:

"Rest here. As long as I'm around, you'll be fine."

For the first time in ages, warmth surged into Fisher Tiger's heart.

He opened his mouth to say something—maybe to thank Roman properly.

But suddenly—

Creak…

A strange sound echoed from beneath the floorboards.

Fisher Tiger's instincts went on high alert. Roman held up a hand, gesturing for silence.

He turned and followed the sound to a hidden entrance underground.

A trapdoor.

Opening it, he found a dark hallway stretching into the basement.

He nudged the hilt of his sword—just enough for flames to spark along the scabbard's edge, lighting the way ahead.

As Roman descended deeper into the darkness…

The voice at the end of the hall grew louder. A faint, trembling voice—hidden in the shadows.

It was a girl.