One Piece: sign-in to Ryujin Jakka

The Paramecia-type: Illusion-Illusion Fruit appeared shrouded in mystery.

After fiddling with it for a while, Roman directly took a bite out the fruit.

Strangely enough, perhaps because it lacked any side effects, the fruit was completely tasteless.

One second… two seconds… three seconds…

A full minute passed, yet Roman felt no noticeable change in his body.

Did it… not work?

Just as that thought formed in his mind—A figure materialized in front of him.

It was an exact replica of himself—down to the cloak he wore.

Seeing this, Roman instantly understood—the Illusion-Illusion fruit had indeed taken effect!

He scrutinized the illusion that perfectly mirrored him, then reached out to touch it.

The illusion felt solid. Tangible. It even possessed a sliver of actual strength. This newly added ability, he realized, could be further developed and expanded with practice.

Coating his arm in Armament Haki, Roman struck decisively—shattering the illusion before him.

"Not bad. Its durability is decent too. As long as it's not a fatal attack, the illusion shouldn't dissipate easily."

He murmured to himself, then smirked, "Alright… how about this!"

With that, the entire warship was suddenly filled with hundreds of illusions.

Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, Red-Haired Shanks…All infamous figures who made the seas tremble, now standing on his deck in phantom form.

If the Marines—or any outsider—were to witness this, they'd probably be scared half the way to death's door, imagining some terrifying conspiracy.

However, Roman frowned slightly as he looked at the illusion figures in front of him. The more illusions he summoned, the more diluted their strength became. Each one appeared weaker and more transparent.

Made sense—he had spread that portion of power too thin.

With a casual wave, all the illusions dispersed into nothing.

Back on the warship, Roman continued experimenting with the fruit's powers.

He realized: the Illusion Illusion Fruit didn't directly boost his personal combat power much…

…but its potential for supporting abilities was terrifying.

It could even create full illusionary realms—enough to completely disrupt his enemies' senses. Just as the system had described, it was a top-tier devil fruit. Like always: There are no useless Devil Fruits—only useless users.

With that conviction, Roman knew that through continuous development, he would have access to greater powers and would only become more formidable in the near future.

A slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he threw himself fully into honing his new abilities—naming each technique as he went.

Then, the ship's Den Den Mushi began to ring.

"Brru brru, brru brru."

Following the sound, Roman made his way to the control room.

After a brief pause, he picked up the receiver.

"All units be advised, all units be advised! The Marineford Promotion Conference has officially begun! Maintain tight security—any sightings of pirates or suspicious activity, regardless of severity, must be reported immediately!"

"Repeating—Marineford Promotion Conferen—"

Roman cut the call off, but at that moment, the system's familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind:

[Ding! Sign-in mission issued: Marine Headquarters – Marineford.]

[ Reward: Peak Mastery of Marine Six Styles! Time limit: 7 days!]

At his current speed, he could arrive at Marineford well before the deadline.

But he couldn't just waltz in and sign in. This was a high-profile event—filled with powerful top brass. If he carelessly barged in, he'd be putting a giant target on his back. Worse yet, he might not even be able to leave. That… was not a result he desire.

Fortunately, he had thought of a secure idea.

Over the next few days, Roman didn't head straight to Marineford.

Instead, he went pirate hunting across the sea—perfecting his fruit's abilities in real time battles. Every pirate he targeted had a bounty of no less than 100 million Berries!

In mere days, the Grand Line was abuzz with rumors of a new, mysterious bounty hunter.

That bounty hunter—was Roman.

The Promotion Conference was a grand ceremony ushering in a new era for the Marines.

With Fleet Admiral Kong stepping up as Commander-in-Chief, and Sengoku replacing him as Fleet Admiral, many Admiral and Vice Admiral seats were now vacant.

Aspiring elites from all corners of the Marines flooded in, eager for a chance to climb the ranks.

A lone wooden boat cut through the waves. Roman stood atop it, Marineford drawing ever closer on the horizon, the sunlight warming his face.

He had removed his cloak—sailing boldly, upright, into Marineford.

"Vessel ahead, halt immediately!"

"Vessel ahead, halt immediately!"

Before he could reach the harbor, a patrol ship intercepted him.

A stern Marine officer aboard—a rank of Commodore—shouted down, "Who are you? Why are you approaching Marineford?!"

"I heard there's a promotion event happening," Roman said calmly. "I'd like to join and test myself. See where I stand."

The Commodore frowned. "The Promotion Conference isn't open to outsiders. What makes you think you're qualified? You're probably nothing but cannon fodder!"

Unbothered, Roman lifted the large sack behind him and set it down with a thud.

"In that case… what if I use these as my entry fee?"

The officer scowled. "What do you take me for? Someone who accepts bribes? I would never—wait… what is that…?!"

Before he could finish, Roman tipped the sack open—

Heads. Severed pirate heads.

Dozens of them.

"All of them criminals who wreaked havoc on the seas. Each bounty no less than a hundred million berries. You tell me—does this count as a valid entry fee?"

Roman's tone remained eerily calm.

But to the Commodore, it sounded like a thunderclap.

He gulped instinctively, recognizing several of the infamous faces.

"Jack Scythe—170 million Berries!"

"Captain Fireworks—320 million Berries!"

"T-That one… that's Every, the brute with the Monster Strength Fruit! His bounty is over a billion Berries!"

The Commodore's legs nearly gave out.

Was he hallucinating?

Those pirates were monsters who terrorized the seas.

Now… their heads were here. In a sack. Like groceries.

If this man was just cannon fodder—then what the hell was he?!

"W-Wait right here! I-I'll report to my superior immediately!"

The Commodore was panicking. As one of the lower-ranking officers, he had never seen anything like this.

His words began to slur from sheer shock—because what he had just witnessed was utterly beyond his comprehension.