Paper Paper Fruit In One Piece

What is a hero? 

At first, the word simply referred to someone with great talent and bravery. It had nothing to do with being noble or self-sacrificing. 

But over time, the "hero" that ordinary people admired gradually became a fearless, selfless saint—someone perfect, someone almost inhuman. 

The ironic thing is, while people demand heroes to be flawless, they never stop to think about how they themselves could never live up to those same expectations. 

So no matter the world, no matter the era, being a hero is hard, and villains always run rampant! 

In the Holy Land— 

"Neo, was I wrong?" 

During their adventures across the world, trying to mediate conflicts, the trio met many like-minded young people: 

A mermaid princess, samurai from Wano Country, a long-armed martial artist, a giant berserker, a tiny Pokémon-like warrior... They all swore to end the chaos of the world, laughing and fighting side by side, chasing their dreams together. 

But trying to bring a whole world under control? Trying to resolve the conflicts between two civilizations? That was never going to be easy. 

Even though the Great Kingdom had gained overwhelming power, most of their former allies now lay beneath the blooming flowers of their graves. 

"Well, what's there to regret?" 

Neo shrugged. Maybe he was the most carefree among them. After all, in his eyes, only a handful of people in this world truly mattered to him. 

"If you had another chance, would you still choose to be a hero?" 

"If I could be born again..." 

Clang! 

The doors of the tomb burst open. A woman with long blue hair strode in. Years of battle had stripped away her youthful innocence, leaving behind only an aura of strength and a killer's edge. 

"Imu, you—?!" 

Behind her stood a group of kings, swords drawn. 

Unlike the Great Kingdom, which stood for "freedom, equality, and brotherhood," these rulers represented the Twenty Kingdoms, built on "bloodlines, tradition, and slavery." 

"Sorry, Joy Boy." 

Imu's cold eyes no longer held any trace of hesitation. Her immense power and political skill had given her unshakable confidence—absolute security. 

"I've had enough of your naïve ideals!" 

"World peace? Everyone following the same laws? Erasing the gap between those with powers and those without?" 

"You are the king of the Great Kingdom. You yourself are a powerful ability user. You and Neo are the two strongest men in this world! What exactly do you want to erase? Yourself? Or Neo?" 

Seeing the shock in Joy Boy's eyes, Imu's lips curled into a sneer. 

"For the sake of ordinary people who live their lives in ignorance, how many more of your friends are you willing to sacrifice?" 

"Look around! Every warrior lying in this tomb—each of them was a thousand times stronger than the common folk! Their contributions to this world far outweigh those of people who can barely feed themselves!" 

"And yet they all died for your ridiculous dream. At this point—" 

"Shouldn't you join them?" 

As a sky-blue Haki surged from Imu's body, and with the kings of the Twenty Nations standing behind her, swords in hand, there was no doubt— 

"Ah, well..." 

Neo scratched his head. Just as he was about to throw out some sarcastic remark, Imu turned to him and held out the back of her hand. 

"Neo, make your choice." 

"Will you continue supporting Joy Boy in chasing his impossible dream—" 

"Or will you stand by my side and rule this world?" 

"You know, I've always liked you—" 

"Sorry." 

As Neo shook his head, Im lowered his eyes calmly. 

"No need to apologize, because—" 

Pfft. 

Blood gushed from the mouths and noses of the two strongest men in the world, right as Im's cold voice rang out. 

"Using powder to assassinate… wasn't that something you taught me, Neo? Though it doesn't work on enemies…" 

But for two "companions" who had been by his side every day, the poison had already seeped deep into their bodies! 

With this, and the combined assault of former allies and the twenty-nation coalition, the Great Kingdom collapsed like a house of cards. 

Im seized the highest authority in the world. 

The kings secured a promise of wealth and prosperity for their descendants. 

The nobles could indulge in pleasure without worry. 

The common people obtained the "peace" they had always longed for. 

The whole world celebrated the birth of the "World Government"—except for the one who had dreamed of something different: 

Neo, lying in darkness. 

Defeated. 

It didn't make sense. Where did it all go wrong? 

The once timid and obedient Im had become the mastermind behind everything. 

The once cheerful and dependable Joy Boy no longer smiled. 

So in the end— 

"It wasn't me who was wrong. It was the world!" 

As he sighed these words, Neo had to admit: 

"World peace? Equality for all? A united world? Seriously… Even in my past life, these were nothing more than slogans used to fool children… 

Could it be that Joy Boy's Observation Haki wasn't really about 'hearing the voices of all things' but rather some kind of ability to sway people's emotions, like that mermaid princess?" 

Of course, that was just a joke. 

After all, he had once stood at the very peak of the world. There was no way his mind could have been influenced by Observation Haki. 

He had simply been too stubborn—wanting to reshape this world into the image of his past life's homeland. 

But that was impossible. 

The man in the darkness closed his eyes. 

He was tired. 

Let it all be destroyed. 

"Roman~~" 

? 

"Roman——" 

?? 

"MR. ROMAN!!!" 

"A GHOST?!" 

A floating, ghostly figure with an afro, looking like it had died a terrible death, drifted past Neo, shocking him awake from his despair. 

That familiar look— 

"Brook?" 

Wait. 

I am… Roman! 

In an instant, the hazy memories faded, the dizziness subsided, and with a sudden jolt of clarity, Roman was fully awake. 

"This place is… And Brook, why do you look like that?" 

Roman rubbed his temples, took a moment to recall everything, and quickly put the pieces together. 

"I got caught in Im's ability?" 

"That's right, Roman." 

The floating skeleton with the afro nodded. 

"This is your dream world. Meanwhile, in the real world outside, we're being surrounded by the Marines. Now is not the time to dwell on the past~~ Though I must say, I myself spent decades mourning my old companions…" 

 "I get all that, but do you have any idea how to escape this dream?" 

Realizing he was dreaming wasn't difficult. 

But waking himself up from it… that was another story. 

As Roman finished speaking, he and the skeleton exchanged glances in the darkness. 

"For me, leaving this dream is easy. But for you, Roman…" 

"Well, I do have a way—" 

"Though I'd rather not use it…"

"Leave it to him." 

———— 

"Charge!" 

"Our 'Pirate King' is causing chaos in the Holy Land, Mary Geoise!" 

"This is something no one has done in 800 years! Boys, follow me—!" 

"Waaah~~~ Luffy-senpai, wait for me!" 

In the town beneath the Red Line, the entire 'Straw Hat Grand Fleet' had gathered! Leading the charge was 'Pirate Noble' Cavendish with his high-speed attacks, followed by 'Man-Eater' Bartolomeo bulldozing through everything in his way. 'Destruction Cannon' Ideo, Happo Navy's 13th-generation pillar Chinjao, and other top fighters were breaking through enemy lines. 

'Admiral' Orlumbus commanded 4,000 elite troops, Haulding and his four fellow giants smashed through obstacles, while the Tontatta warriors darted around as assassins. Even the well-trained Marines couldn't stop their advance as they seized control of the 'Bubble Cable Car' to transport their forces up to the Red Line. 

But— 

"Get down!!" 

A furious roar erupted, and the pirates who had just reached the top were sent flying like paper scraps. 

Standing on the high platform above the elevator corridor was a man. 

He was incredibly strong, with a broad chest, tanned skin, and white hair and beard shaped like the kanji for 'mountain' (山). A stitched scar ran beneath his left eye, and he wore a sleeveless black shirt decorated with medals, revealing arms as thick as tree trunks. A Marine-style coat was casually draped over his shoulders. 

"The Supreme Commander of the World Government's military…" 

"The former Fleet Admiral of the Marines…" 

"'Steel-Boned' Kong!" 

"Tch, this old man must be over a hundred years old by now. Is it really a good idea to go all out like this? What if he just keels over mid-fight…?" 

Rumor had it that Kong was already over 80 when he once fought the young Red Count one-on-one. After stepping down as Fleet Admiral, he served as the Supreme Commander for decades, outlasting generation after generation of both Marine leaders and infamous pirates. 

Looking at him now, this lively old man seemed like he could keep going for another few decades without a problem. 

"My fists aren't old enough to lose to the likes of you!!" 

With that, the old man threw off his coat and firmly planted his stance as the pirates rushed in. 

"Military Combat Style: Gatling Barrage!" 

He launched what looked like a single punch—but in truth, he had already thrown hundreds of punches in an instant! The afterimages stacked together so perfectly that it created the illusion of a single strike. 

The next moment— 

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! 

Blinding bursts of energy shot continuously from the old man's fists, falling like a torrential downpour, streaking across the sky like meteors, and roaring with the force of an army charging into battle. 

Boom! Boom! Boom! 

The deafening explosions rang out like rolling thunder, wave after wave of light radiating outward and instantly engulfing the elevator platform. 

As expected of the Supreme Commander—he had turned Shigan, an assassination technique, into an area-wide bombardment! 

But as the Haki-coated Chinjao and Ideo powered through the onslaught of "fodder-clearing blasts," Kong met them head-on with his fists, showing no hesitation. 

"Military Combat Style: Heavy Artillery!" 

BOOM!! 

A thunderous explosion shook the ground like a sudden lightning strike! 

The moment their fists clashed, a blinding flash of light erupted, and pitch-black Inazuma (lightning) crackled wildly. The sheer force shattered the ground, turning dirt and debris into dust that scattered like a hail of arrows in all directions. 

Kong's towering figure swayed slightly, but Chinjao and Ideo were sent flying, leaving twin trails of dust in the air as they crashed into rows of massive statues. The statues shattered, and the two men tumbled downward, their impact echoing like distant thunder. 

"Yikes, that old man is still as strong as ever." 

Chinjao, now sporting a bent, '7'-shaped drill on his head, rubbed his scalp. 

If he were younger, he might have been able to trade a few blows with Kong. 

But now… 

"Well, if it isn't little Chinjao?" 

Kong glanced at him—one of the few people in the world who could get away with calling the elderly, white-bearded former leader of the Happo Navy "little." 

"Retired old-timers should stay out of this mess!" 

Hearing this, Chinjao, with his kind and peaceful expression, pressed his palms together. 

"In front of Lord Kong, I dare not call myself 'old'—but still…" 

"You hit my grandson! I'm gonna hold a grudge against your whole family for three generations!!!" 

As Chinjao transformed into an enraged, petty old man in an instant, Kong simply laughed. 

"If you've got the guts, come at me." 

With the lift platform completely blocked by Kong alone, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet members found themselves stuck with nowhere to go. Meanwhile, back in the Holy Land, the battle was taking a major turn— 

BOOM! "Idiot! A sniper charging in headfirst like this?!" 

Hearing the Marine Vice Admiral's words, Usopp—who had just been sent flying by a punch—quickly scrambled to his feet and pulled something from his coat: 

A bottle of booze. 

"Heh heh, *this* was my real target! Mission accomplished!" 

…? 

As the Marine Vice Admiral stared at him in confusion, Usopp bolted over to the unconscious Roman and uncorked the bottle—pouring it straight into Roman's mouth. 

Gulp~ Gulp~ Gulp~~ ??? 

"Mehahahaha!!!!" 

A wild, arrogant laugh echoed through Mary Geoise for the first time in 800 years! Even Imu, who had been watching from the throne, suddenly stood up. 

"Neo?!" 

"Yo, Imu—" 

Dressed in a spotless white suit, Roman—no, Neo—grinned. 

Whoosh— 

In the next second, he had already crossed the entire battlefield, appearing right in front of the throne! 

Imu instantly threw up several layers of invincible barriers between them, but as Neo's fist swung forward— 

Smack! 

The crisp sound echoed across the battlefield, stunning everyone into silence. 

Because— 

The "one-armed" Neo still held his punching stance… yet, somehow, an arm had appeared past those so-called invincible barriers—landing a clean hit right on the face of the strongest person in the world. 

Door-Door Fruit Instant Cast: Splitting Iron Fist! 

"It's been a while. Have you eaten yet?" 

No? Well, eat this punch first! 

(End of Chapter)