One Piece: sign-in to Ryujin Jakka

Above the vast ocean, the News Coo birds soared freely across the skies.

Not long after the Buster Call ended, Big News Morgans, the head of the world's largest newspaper, received the news and immediately rushed to print.

 As for the dignity of the Marines? He didn't care the slightest. All that mattered to him was whether there was big news!

And now, with the addition of Roman's exploits, Morgans had not just one, but two stories powerful enough to throw the seas into chaos!

Already, the entire ocean was in an uproar!

The first shockwave: Roman, who destroyed a Buster Call with a single slash, now had a bounty skyrocketing to an insane 3 billion berries — and this was only his second bounty!

Compared to before, this time, Roman's strength truly drew the attention of all the major powers.

After all, neutralizing a Buster Call in one strike was something few could even dream of achieving.

The second piece of explosive news: Golden Lion Shiki had escaped from Impel Down — the prison tower said to be impossible to break free from!

Shiki's escape shattered the decades-long record of "zero prison breaks."

Both incidents surely humiliated the Marines and the World Government, a slap across their faces, one after another. The seas grew even more turbulent.

West Blue, Ohara, within the Tree of Knowledge.

Roman had been staying here for a day, holding the little Robin in his arms as he read the newspaper.

When he caught sight of the news about Golden Lion Shiki, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind:

[Ding! New Check-In Mission Released: Vermillion Island. Reward: One Random Zodiac Talisman. Time Limit: 5 Days.]

Hearing the system's notification, Roman narrowed his eyes.

If he remembered correctly, after escaping from Impel Down, Golden Lion Shiki traveled to a certain island, trying to use the mutation-inducing IQ plants there to once again attempt to conquer the world.

Sensing the shift in Roman's aura, little Robin tugged at him and asked, "Big Brother Roman, is something wrong?"

Roman smiled slightly and answered gently,

"Robin, big brother has some matters to take care of. I'll have to leave Ohara for a little while."

Nearby, Olvia heard his words and stepped forward.

"Roman, where are you headed? Is there anything I can help with?"

Handing Robin over to Olvia, Roman asked,

"Olvia, have you ever heard of Vermillion?"

"Vermillion..." Olvia repeated softly, then her eyes lit up.

"I know that place! I passed by it once during my Poneglyphs research trips. I didn't leave a Log Pose, I know the way. The villagers there are also very kind."

Then she said quickly,

"Wait a moment, I'll draw you a rough sea chart to guide you!"

Robin, watching her mother sketch, turned her gaze back to Roman.

Though she couldn't see Roman's face beneath his cloak, she clutched at his robe, tears brimming in her big eyes.

"Big Brother Roman… will you come back? When will you come back?"

Seeing this, Roman squatted down, gently wiped her tears, and said warmly:

"I'll only be gone for a while. I'll come back to visit if I can. If you work hard on mastering your Devil Fruit abilities, when you grow up, you can sail across the seas to find me. We'll explore the wonders of the sea together!"

"Really? Promise you are not lying to me?"

"I promise."

"Then… pinky swear!"

Robin stuck out her pinky finger.

Roman hooked his finger with hers, thumbs pressed together in a seal, and Robin declared:

"One hundred years — no breaking promises!"

"Mhm. I won't break it."

After making the vow, Olvia handed over the freshly drawn sea chart to Roman.

"Roman, Ohara will always welcome you back."

"Thank you."

Roman took the map, nodded slightly, and left the Tree of Knowledge.

As he walked toward the shore, he realized — without even noticing — that many villagers had quietly gathered behind him, silently seeing him off.

It was because of him that Ohara had survived. To them, Roman was their savior.

Seeing their grateful faces, Roman's heart stirred. He paused at the edge of the island and turned back. Though he knew the Marines wouldn't dare attack Ohara again anytime soon, it was best to be safe than sorry.

With a deep breath, Roman rapidly formed a sequence of hand seals.

"Wood Release — Nativity of a World of Trees!!!"

With a thunderous slam of his hands against the ground, torrents of life energy surged into the earth. The roots of the Tree of Knowledge burst forth anew, thicker and more intertwined than ever, weaving a natural fortress around the island, leaving only a few narrow entrances.

Now, Ohara had become a near-impenetrable stronghold.

Only after doing all this did Roman finally board his ship, setting sail for Vermillion Island.

Three days later, somewhere on the Grand Line.

A dog-headed warship and two regular Marine warships sailed rapidly across the ocean.

On the deck of the leading ship stood a tall, broad-chested, heavily muscled old man — Vice Admiral Garp.

His sharp eyes seemed to pierce through the endless waves, as if already locking onto the fleeing figure of Golden Lion Shiki.

Garp's deep voice rumbled:

"Never thought that lunatic would actually sever his legs to escape from Impel Down... He must have been planning this for a long time."

"Vice Admiral Garp, according to intelligence from the World Government, Shiki seems to be heading toward an island called Vermillion," an officer reported.

"Vermillion, huh?" Garp muttered.

"Then we're on the right track. Full speed ahead! We must recapture Shiki and lock him up again, no matter what it takes!"

"Yes, sir!"

Just then, the navigator shouted:

"Vice Admiral Garp! There's an unidentified ship ahead — no pirate flag! Only a cloaked figure standing on its deck!"

Garp's brows furrowed.

Lately, rumors have spoken of a mysterious cloaked man wreaking havoc across the seas, directly clashing with the Marines multiple times.

Could it be…?

Garp made a quick decision:

"Change course. We're checking it out. If it really is that guy — heh — we'll deal with two problems at once!"