“Kid, you’re really crazy,” Rayleigh walked over and handed him a bottle of wine, casually leaning against the mast as the ship rocked gently with the waves, saying that Roy had actually dared to stir up trouble big enough to draw the Marines’ full attention, which in this era right after the God Valley Incident and with the seas still unsettled was no small feat for someone so young.
Roy was speechless as he lay there, seriously injured at only eleven years old, wondering what kind of logic led Rayleigh to hand a wounded child alcohol, so he rolled his eyes before replying with a faint but stubborn smile that he hadn’t really set anything up at all and that everything had simply worked out through circumstance and timing rather than deliberate planning.
Rayleigh clearly didn’t buy that explanation and shot him a look, but Roy didn’t bother arguing further, instead turning slightly to let Tesoro continue bandaging his wounds while adding that the only real miscalculation on his part was not expecting Sengoku himself to show up, since in his original assumption it would have been Zephyr the Marine Admiral known for his iron discipline and refusal to kill unnecessarily which might have given him a slightly better chance of escaping alive.
Rayleigh studied him quietly, noting that despite having just barely survived a life-or-death battle against a Marine Admiral and a Logia user, this kid still had the energy to joke and analyze the situation calmly, and he couldn’t help but think that someone capable of awakening Haoshoku Haki under that kind of pressure was bound to be anything but ordinary.
“What are you going to do next?” Rayleigh asked, his tone shifting slightly from teasing to genuine curiosity, because while he had seen countless pirates in his lifetime, very few had this combination of boldness, instinct, and potential.
Roy flexed his fingers weakly, feeling the lingering ache in his body but also the subtle growth in his strength, and answered that the immediate priority was to recover fully from his injuries, after which he intended to gather companions who could truly stand beside him, because navigating the Grand Line alone especially in this era of rising monsters like Whitebeard, Shiki, and others who had splintered from the Rocks Pirates was neither efficient nor wise.
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow at the mention of companions, prompting Roy to elaborate that the sea was too vast and unpredictable for a single person to handle everything alone, whether it was combat, navigation, or survival, and that if he wanted to go further truly further he needed people he could trust, not just temporary allies but a crew.
Rayleigh smiled at that, recognizing the familiar spark of ambition that defined the great pirates of the era, and remarked that Roy’s words carried the weight of someone who wasn’t aiming for mediocrity but for something far greater, something that could leave a mark on the world itself.
Roy closed his eyes slightly at the word “ambition,” reflecting that ever since arriving in this world this ocean ruled by strength, willpower, and dreams he had no intention of living quietly, because after witnessing the overwhelming presence of figures like Sengoku and Rayleigh and experiencing the power of a Devil Fruit firsthand, returning to an ordinary existence was simply no longer an option.
He wanted to carve out his own path on this sea, to experience the adventures that defined this era, to gather companions who shared his drive, and ultimately to stand at the very top, where no one could dictate his fate ever again, and with that thought, his breathing slowly steadied as exhaustion began to take over.
The ship continued forward across the shimmering ocean, the setting sun casting a deep golden-red glow over the waves, and Roy eventually returned to the cabin, his body still aching from the battle but his mind clearer than ever, understanding that everything he had gained from awakening Haoshoku Haki to refining his Observation Haki, acquiring a powerful Devil Fruit, and securing two loyal companions was now the foundation upon which his future would be built.
As these thoughts settled, he drifted into unconsciousness, his body finally giving in to the need for rest after pushing far beyond its limits during the battle on Sabaody Archipelago.
Back at Marine Headquarters, Sengoku had already returned to Marineford and was personally overseeing the arrangement of bounty posters for Roy and his group, standing by the window of his office and looking out over the training grounds where countless young Marines continued to hone their skills, driven by their belief in justice.
He knew better than most that on this vast sea, strength dictated everything, and now a new variable had appeared a boy with the potential to become a king, someone who had not only survived a direct confrontation with top-tier forces but had also awakened Conqueror’s Haki in the process, something that could not be ignored.
Picking up the freshly printed wanted poster, Sengoku examined Roy’s image and the number beneath it 200,000,000 Berries fully aware that such a bounty as an initial reward would send shockwaves across the seas and ensure that both Marines and pirates alike would begin paying attention to this new name.
The office door opened, and a Marine logistics officer entered, saluting as he awaited instructions, upon which Sengoku handed over the stack of wanted posters and ordered their immediate distribution while also instructing that Cipher Pol maintain close surveillance on any information related to Roy, making it clear that this was not a target to be taken lightly.
Three days later, in a region of the New World, aboard the Moby Dick, the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates, a grand banquet was underway as the crew celebrated another victory, laughter and drinking filling the air under the watchful presence of Edward Newgate, the man known across the seas as Whitebeard.
Marco, the pineapple-haired young commander, held a freshly printed newspaper and remarked that a new monster had appeared on the seas, pointing out the unusually high bounty for a rookie and the rumors linking him to the Roger Pirates, which immediately drew Whitebeard’s interest.
Taking the newspaper, Whitebeard scanned the contents, his eyes pausing briefly on the figure of two hundred million before letting out a deep laugh, commenting that another interesting brat had emerged in this era, one who might grow into something worth watching in the future.
He tossed the paper aside and raised his drink, telling his crew that the tides of the era were shifting again and that they would need to keep pushing forward if they didn’t want to be left behind by newcomers like this, because the sea had never been a place where only the old legends ruled forever.
Across the world, from the shadowy dealings of the Underworld to hidden bases of revolutionary forces and powerful pirate crews, countless influential figures took note of the same bounty poster, committing the name Ronamir Roy to memory as someone who might soon disrupt the balance of power on the seas.
Meanwhile, Roy himself remained completely unaware of the storm he had stirred, still lying unconscious in the cabin until a sudden crash shattered the quiet, wood splintering as a green-haired figure burst through the door and startled him awake.
He shot upright instinctively, his body reacting before his mind fully caught up, only to see Stella standing at the doorway holding a grilled fish with a surprised expression, while the damaged wall and Tesoro sprawled on the floor made it immediately clear what had happened.
Before Roy could even finish scolding him, Tesoro rushed forward and hugged him tightly, his voice choked with relief as he said that Roy had finally woken up, causing Roy to pause for a moment before pushing him away and asking what had happened to his bruised and swollen face.
Rayleigh entered the cabin shortly after, explaining casually that Tesoro had been training nonstop over the past few days and constantly asking for guidance, barely resting at all, which explained both his injuries and his exhaustion.
Roy stretched his body, feeling that most of his injuries had healed over the three days he had been unconscious, and asked how long he had been out, to which Stella immediately replied that it had been a full three days and that both of them had been worried sick, especially Tesoro, who had repeatedly checked on him.
Tesoro tried to downplay it, his face reddening as he argued that it hadn’t been that frequent, prompting Roy to chuckle lightly as he tested his strength and confirmed that the exhaustion from awakening Haoshoku had fully subsided.
Feeling his stomach growl, Roy asked for food, and Stella quickly returned with a large portion of grilled meat and fruit, which he devoured without hesitation, restoring his energy while Tesoro hesitated nearby before finally pulling out a stack of newspapers and wanted posters.
When Roy saw the numbers printed beneath their names, he couldn’t help but grin, especially at his own bounty of 200,000,000 Berries, recognizing that such a figure would immediately place him under the spotlight of the entire world, while Tesoro and Stella also received smaller but notable bounties.
Tesoro then pointed out the newspaper headlines, which exaggerated the incident and claimed that the attack on the Celestial Dragons had been orchestrated by the Roger Pirates, labeling Roy as one of their most dangerous rookies and even calling him a “Haoshoku monster.”
Roy skimmed through the article and smirked, clearly amused by how the blame had been shifted, because if there was one group on the seas that didn’t need their reputation protected, it was the Roger Pirates, who already stood at the center of countless rumors and controversies.
For Roy, this outcome was more of an advantage than a problem, as it allowed him to operate under a layer of misdirection, buying him time to grow stronger before the world truly understood what kind of existence had just emerged onto the stage of the Grand Line.