Vivi saw the handcuffed Pirate King Gol D.
Roger sitting calmly on the execution platform, looking like an emperor in his own palace.
His hair was a bit messy, and the gaze peering through his locks was peaceful, devoid of any hostility.
He was smiling—smiling at himself, at the people around him, and at the world.
Vivi’s gaze darted through the crowd.
Through their inner voices, she identified them one by one, even though she had never met several of them before.
Among them were Red-Haired Shanks and Buggy the Clown with tear-streaked faces; Sir Crocodile hiding in the shadows, showing only his back; young versions of Gekko Moriah and Doflamingo; Hawkeye Mihawk without his hat; the Revolutionary Monkey D.
Dragon, whose face didn’t yet have the slipper print left by his father; Smoker, the White Hunter, who already had a head of white hair as a child; and, of course, the interloper Princess Nefeltari Vivi of Alabasta.
Two soldiers stood beside Gol D.
Roger, ready for the execution.
Even though she knew this event had happened twenty years ago and had nothing to do with her, Vivi still felt a heavy pressure squeezing her heart.
She had never believed in the concept of ‘personal charisma,’ thinking it was just a temperament composed of status, knowledge, and life experience.
But today, she believed.
Some people simply possess an incredibly powerful charisma.
It isn’t the peerless beauty of a pretty boy, nor a face or figure that could topple nations.
It has nothing to do with art or the golden ratio; it is a type of spirit, an innate and unique aura.
“Old man, your era is over…
Do you need me to do anything for you?
Do you have any enemies, relatives, or friends you need me to help kill or take care of?” During this process of “Listening to All Things,” Vivi’s ability seemed temporarily enhanced.
She could use the resonance between her two abilities to transmit her inner voice across time and space to question Roger.
Vivi, who usually followed the path of extreme caution, made a rare promise.
If he asked her to help take care of Ace, she would do her best.
There was no particular reason; she just felt she should.
Sitting cross-legged on the execution platform, Roger identified the message appearing in his mind: “Hahahaha!
My life has been a happy one.
I’ve had many rivals, but I have no enemies…
My wife and son will have their own wonderful lives; they don’t need the interference of outsiders.
Go, child!
Follow your own path and turn this world upside down!
Hahahaha!”
“What the hell!
I want to stay low-profile, to be like the Hidden Sword God!” Vivi grumbled a few words, which drew a burst of laughter from Roger.
His laughter was so pure—not the strange laughs common in the world of pirates, but a simple, direct expression of pure joy.
Vivi felt the pressure on her heart growing.
“Thump…
Thump-thump…
Thump-thump-thump,” it beat incessantly like a drum.
After Roger shouted his famous words—”Want my treasure?
If you want it, you can have it all!
Go find it!
I left everything in that place!”—his body was pierced by the soldiers’ spears.
Blood flowed from his body, and the Pirate King Gol D.
Roger closed his eyes with a smile.
Was she angry?
Actually, Vivi wasn’t angry.
Even Roger himself wasn’t upset; why should a complete bystander like her get worked up?
It wasn’t worth it.
Yet, she still felt uncomfortable.
If she had to explain it, she’d call it a lingering sense of injustice—a feeling that the death of such a man was a great tragedy and a terrible waste.
Roger was dead.
The resonance between their abilities was about to vanish.
With only seconds left, Vivi’s gaze swept quickly over the future powerhouses in the square.
In the future, they would be Four Emperors, Shichibukai, and the World’s Greatest Swordsman.
But at this moment, their feelings were much like those of any other bystander.
Regardless of their faction, or whether they agreed with Gol D.
Roger’s views,
this man’s personal charisma had reached the pinnacle of the world.
Some would curse him, some would worship him, and some would see his death as an opportunity.
But he didn’t care at all.
He was a man of ultimate freedom; the rules and moral standards of the mundane world could not bind him.
Even when faced with his destined death, he chose to end his life in a world-shaking manner.
He was a man of absolute purity.
The resonance ended.
Vivi’s consciousness withdrew from the vortex of twenty years ago.
The violent pounding of her heart severely hindered the speed of her consciousness returning.
To the outside world, she appeared to be standing blankly in the square, unresponsive to her surroundings.
“Hey?
You okay?”
“Why is this girl standing here?
Is she an idiot?”
As the entrance from the East Blue to the Grand Line, Loguetown swarmed with pirates.
Although a Marine Headquarters Captain was stationed here, all sorts of thugs still emerged in endless waves.
Several thuggish-looking men closed in from three directions.
“Looks a bit young.
Might need a few more years.”
“Doesn’t matter.
Those nobles love this kind of fresh merchandise.
Hehehehe…”
“Guys, let’s move fast.
This deal will definitely make us a fortune!”
The men’s eyes were full of greed.
They tightened their circle bit by bit, using their bodies to block the view of distant passersby.
On the roof of a tall building two streets away from the square, the sniper Van Auger, holding his long rifle ‘Senriku,’ watched from a distance.
“How difficult.
Another crossroads…
For this lost little bird, should I save her or kill her?
Fate has given no sign.
How should I choose?”
He thought for a moment, then pulled out a coin.
“Heads, I help you; tails, I kill you.
Let’s see your fate.”
The moment the coin was flipped into the sky, Vivi finally woke up from the consciousness vortex of twenty years ago.
She opened her eyes and saw several thuggish men standing around her.
Seeing the ropes and bags in their hands, the greed, desire, and madness in their eyes were completely undisguised.
Such blatant malice made Vivi feel angry—angry at Roger’s death, angry at this chaotic world, and angry at herself!
Had she been too much of a coward?
Now even these few ants dared to provoke her!
As her anger coalesced, the heat flowing through her heart like a volcanic eruption could no longer be suppressed.
Vivi straightened her back and clenched her fists.
Her boiling, lava-like anger transformed into a near-tangible force and erupted entirely through her eyes!
“GET LOST!!!”