“Hey!”
“Kid, you’re the one who killed Scar.”
Buck’s voice was hoarse and heavy, then he forced a cruel grin onto his face as if trying to intimidate them.
“Boy, get on your knees and beg for mercy.
If I’m in a good mood, I might let you leave alive.”
Behind him, the pirates immediately responded to their Captain’s words, raising weapons and baring their teeth like beasts that had finally found prey.
Roy stood there calmly, looking at the noisy pirates in front of him, and shook his head lightly with visible disappointment.
In his eyes, their behavior was almost laughable.
If they were truly pirates of the Grand Line caliber, they would have attacked instantly upon confirming the enemy instead of wasting breath on threats.
“Boy, are you rejecting my offer?”
“I am Giant Axe Buck, Captain of the Giant Axe Pirates, with a bounty of thirty-eight hundred…”
Before Buck could finish his sentence, Roy slowly raised his palm.
In that instant, invisible telekinesis surged out like a crushing tide, wrapping around Buck’s neck and lifting his massive body off the ground effortlessly.
Buck’s feet left the ground as he struggled violently, his face turning red as his breathing was forcibly cut off.
Roy took a single step forward, his expression still calm.
“What did you say your bounty was again?”
Buck’s eyes widened in fear, veins bulging as he clawed at the air, but no matter how strong he was, he could not break free from the invisible grip.
Roy sighed slightly, as if losing interest already.
With a casual thought, he twisted his fingers.
A sharp crack echoed.
Buck’s neck snapped instantly.
His body went limp.
Roy flicked his hand and threw the corpse forward, landing heavily in front of the remaining pirates.
For a moment, the entire deck fell into silence.
The pirates who had once followed Buck like a wall of confidence now stood frozen, their minds unable to process what had just happened.
Their Captain, the “Giant Axe Buck” they had always feared and trusted, had been killed in a single exchange without even touching his opponent.
Some of the weaker ones immediately collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Tesoro, who had been watching from the side for a long time, finally stepped forward with excitement burning in his eyes.
“Boss, should we just kill the rest of them?”
He had been training hard these past few days, and this was exactly the kind of real combat he had been waiting for.
Roy glanced at him, then flicked his finger slightly.
The stones on the ground rose into the air, suspended by invisible force, and shot forward like bullets, instantly piercing through the remaining pirates and dropping them one after another into silence.
Only one pirate remained alive, trembling and barely standing.
Roy’s gaze shifted to him.
“After all, you’re still a beginner.
This one is yours.
Consider it training.”
He was referring to Tesoro, of course.
In Roy’s judgment, Tesoro who had only trained for a few days was still too inexperienced.
Facing a real pirate, even a weak one, was the minimum requirement.
If he could not defeat someone like this, then the title “future Gold Emperor” would mean nothing.
Roy turned slightly.
“Tesoro, don’t kill him yet.
We still need the location of their ship.”
Without waiting for a response, invisible telekinesis wrapped around Tesoro’s body and lifted him off the ground.
In the next moment, both he and Stella were pulled upward, flying rapidly toward the direction of the hotel.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
“Boru… Boru… Boru…”
The Den Den Mushi on Admiral Sengoku’s desk rang sharply as he handled documents.
Sengoku picked it up immediately.
“Hello.
This is Sengoku.”
“Fleet Admiral Sengoku!
This is the Marine base near Maple Leaf Island.
We have received confirmed reports of Pirate Roy’s presence on Maple Leaf Island!”
Sengoku’s expression sharpened instantly.
Without hesitation, he issued orders.
“Dispatch all nearby forces immediately.
Contain Pirate Roy on Maple Leaf Island.
I will send Borsalino as reinforcement right away.
Do not engage him directly.
Just hold him in place.”
“Yes!”
*Kacha.*
The call ended.
Sengoku turned toward the door.
“Contact Borsalino immediately.
Tell him to come to my office.”
“Yes, Fleet Admiral!”
At the Marine training ground, Borsalino was casually training, his usual lazy expression slightly more tense than usual.
The last encounter with Roy still lingered in his mind.
Although he was far stronger, that brief moment of carelessness had cost him his reputation for a time, and the ridicule from other Marines had been annoying.
A messenger rushed up, panting.
“Lieutenant Commander Borsalino!
Fleet Admiral Sengoku orders you to report immediately!”
Borsalino glanced at him lazily.
“Did he say why?”
“No, sir!”
Without another word, Borsalino’s body dissolved into golden light.
In an instant, he appeared inside Sengoku’s office.
“Fleet Admiral Sengoku!”
Sengoku looked up.
“Pirate Roy and his crew have been located on Maple Leaf Island.
Marine units are already moving.
You are to reinforce immediately.”
“Yes.”
For once, Borsalino’s expression lost its usual laziness and turned serious.
Without hesitation, he turned to leave.
“Don’t underestimate him this time, Borsalino.”
Meanwhile, Roy had already arrived back at the hotel entrance.
He ignored the surrounding curious gazes and walked straight inside.
Activating Observation Haki, he scanned the building.
He confirmed Stella’s location quickly, but something else caught his attention.
From the emotions of the hotel owner, he sensed subtle tension and unease.
He glanced briefly at the bar where the owner pretended to remain calm, then ignored it completely.
Roy went upstairs, called Stella, and instructed her to pack their belongings.
With a flick of his hand, everything in the room floated behind him under telekinetic control.
He then left the hotel with Stella and flew toward the weapon shop.
At the same time, Tesoro had already finished his fight.
He stood on top of the defeated pirate, breathing slightly heavier, occasionally rubbing his chest where he had been hit.
It was clear the victory had not been effortless, but he had won.
When Roy and Stella arrived overhead, Tesoro immediately stood up.
“Boss, I’ve already found the ship’s location.
Should we keep this guy alive?”
Roy did not hesitate.
“Kill him.”
Tesoro nodded once.
No hesitation, no words wasted.
He grabbed the floating sword and drove it straight into the pirate’s heart.
The pirate’s body went limp.
Killing and being killed had already become part of the rhythm of this world.
With Tesoro joining them again, Stella transformed into a white dove.
Following Tesoro’s directions, the three of them moved toward the port.
After they left, the nearby civilians slowly approached, only to find the identity of the corpse.
Shock spread instantly.
“The Giant Axe Pirates were wiped out… by a child.”
The news spread quickly across the town like wildfire.
At the port, the Giant Axe Pirates’ ship sat waiting.
Roy, Stella, and Tesoro descended onto the deck.
A few remaining Marine grunts were present, but Roy raised a hand and sent them flying into the sea without even looking at them.
No resistance followed.
They immediately began preparations.
Anchor lifted.
Sails raised.
Stella quickly adjusted the ship’s direction with surprising skill, while Tesoro assisted, learning the handling of the vessel as they moved.
Roy stood at the bow, golden hair flowing in the sea breeze, watching the island shrink behind them.
He suddenly raised his voice.
“Destination: The Country of Endless War!
Set sail!”
“Yes!
Captain!”
“Hahaha”
Laughter broke out between the three of them.
But the calm did not last long.
Soon after departure, three Marine warships appeared on the horizon, forming an encirclement as they advanced.
“Boss, it’s the Marines!” Tesoro shouted.
Roy remained at the bow, calm as ever, a faint smirk forming on his lips.
“It seems that hotel owner did report us.”
He turned slightly.
“Tesoro, Stella, ignore them.
Keep moving forward.
We will directly… crush them.”
On the lead warship, a Marine Commodore raised a megaphone.
“Pirate Roy!
Surrender immediately or we will use force”
He did not finish.
Roy lifted both hands.
Invisible telekinesis surged outward.
The sea responded violently.
A massive wall of water rose into the sky and crashed down toward the Marine warships.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!”
“Are you serious?!”
“Can a human even do something like this?!”