Damn, the new One Piece Live Action Season 2 Trailer looks amazing!! I highly recommend you to check it out.
By the way, for anyone who's confused or doesn't know my posting schedule, here's how it works: If I post an update on a Monday, I won't posting on Tuesday, and the next update will be on Wednesday.
Also, with Valentine's Day coming up, I'll be taking a short break. That means my usual schedule (posting the day after a break day) will be delayed for a bit. But, don't worry, I'll be back by the 15th or 16th.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Happy Valentine's Day, to all <3
- Isopuff
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They were afraid.
After witnessing Rosh's overwhelmingly terrifying combat power, not a single person in the conference room could remain calm. The usual confidence and authority of America's highest-ranking officials had evaporated entirely, replaced by unease and something far worse.
Fear.
The reason was painfully simple: The power Rosh had demonstrated wasn't just frightening; it was incomprehensible.
If he chose to, couldn't he destroy any location in the United States as effortlessly as he had erased the Ninth Air Force base?
The White House.
The Pentagon.
Every military installation scattered across the country.
Which one could truly stand against him?
And if none of them could… then what did that mean for the nation itself?
This man possessed power capable of overturning the United States.
That wasn't speculation. It wasn't an exaggeration.
It was a cold, undeniable fact.
Faced with a threat of this magnitude, no one could remain composed.
"Mr. Secretary," a senior official from the Department of Homeland Security finally spoke after a long, suffocating silence. His voice was low and heavy as he turned toward the Secretary of Defense. "Who exactly is this Rosh? And why did he destroy our air force base?"
The Secretary exhaled slowly before answering. "According to our investigation," he said, "Rosh's background is clean. No criminal history. No suspicious affiliations. On paper, he's just an ordinary Chinese-American."
A pause followed.
"However, seven months ago, Rosh suddenly opened a shop called Home of the Devil Fruits. The store sells a special kind of fruit known as 'Devil Fruits.'"
The Secretary's gaze swept across the room. "It's rumored that consuming one grants the eater superhuman abilities."
'Devil Fruits? Gain superpowers just by eating them?'
The room fell silent.
The officials stared at one another, stunned. Their first instinct was to reject it outright. The idea sounded absurd and pure fantasy, something ripped straight out of a comic book.
How could something so miraculous exist in the real world?
And yet...
Almost instinctively, their eyes drifted back to the frozen image of Rosh hovering above the ruined air force base.
No one said a word.
"According to our records," the Secretary continued, "Rosh is not a registered mutant. We've already contacted Professor X, and it has been confirmed that he is not one of theirs."
"That gives us strong reason to believe that Rosh's abilities originate directly from the Devil Fruits he sells."
The weight of that statement settled heavily over the room.
"And as for why he targeted the Ninth Air Force base," the Secretary added grimly, "earlier this morning, Major General Carlos ordered personnel to shut down the Home of the Devil Fruits."
The reaction was instant. Shock rippled through the conference room like a physical force.
'Just because his shop was shut down… he wiped out an entire air force base?'
That wasn't merely domineering. It was tyrannical.
The United States had always prided itself on acting from a position of strength, on being the undisputed power on the global stage.
But now, when compared to Rosh…
They suddenly felt laughably small.
"Everyone," the President finally spoke, tapping the table lightly as his gaze swept across the room, "you all understand what just happened. So tell me, how should we deal with this?"
No one answered immediately.
The officials exchanged glances, their expressions conflicted, then slowly fell into silence.
On one hand, this was an insult they couldn't simply swallow. An entire air force base had been erased. Doing nothing would be unthinkable; it would shatter America's authority and dignity on the world stage.
But on the other hand…
Rosh had truly frightened them.
His power was right there, undeniable and terrifying beyond reason. No matter how unwilling they were to admit it, the truth was painfully clear: at this moment, they had no way to deal with him.
Modern weapons were completely ineffective. Missiles, warheads, heavy artillery, none of it worked. And worse still, he wasn't even classified as a mutant, which meant all the countermeasures designed to restrain mutants were likely useless as well.
If they pushed him further…
The consequences were unthinkable.
Anyone who would annihilate an entire air force base simply because his shop was shut down was not someone known for patience or restraint.
In a situation like this, who would dare act recklessly?
"L-Look… what's that?!"
"What's happening?!"
Suddenly, panicked shouts broke the silence.
Golden light began to seep through the cracks of the conference room doors, flooding inward like liquid sunlight. It surged across the floor, climbing the walls, rapidly converging toward the center of the room.
Right before their eyes, the light condensed. A humanoid silhouette slowly took shape, glowing gold from head to toe.
The sudden, impossible development left everyone frozen in place.
Wide eyes stared at the brilliant figure as hearts pounded violently in their chests. Tension, confusion, and fear twisted together. Some seemed to realize what this meant, and cold sweat instantly soaked their backs.
Then...
The golden light flickered and vanished. A young man stood calmly where it had been, hands in his pockets, expression relaxed as if he'd merely stepped into an ordinary room.
"R-Rosh?!"
"Oh my God!"
Gasps erupted throughout the conference room. Several officials recoiled instinctively, shock written all over their faces.
For a brief moment, the room was in complete chaos.
But these were not ordinary people. Within seconds, the nation's leaders forced themselves to regain control. Expressions hardened. Breathing steadied. Order was restored with remarkable speed.
"Rosh," the President said grimly, meeting the young man's gaze head-on. "You are Rosh, correct? You certainly gave all of us quite a shock just now."
"Did I?" Rosh replied with a casual shrug, clearly unconcerned. "Then I suppose introductions aren't necessary."
"Rosh," the Secretary of Defense said sharply, staring at him without blinking, "why are you here? What is your objective?"
"Why so tense?" Rosh replied lightly, spreading his hands as if to show he meant no harm. "I just dropped by to say hello."
Just to say hello? No one in the room believed that for a second.
"And while I'm here," Rosh continued, his tone still relaxed, "let me offer a small, friendly reminder. I welcome anyone who wants to buy Devil Fruits. Business is business."
His eyes flicked across the room, and the air seemed to grow heavier.
"But if anyone starts getting ideas they shouldn't have," he added calmly, "I might get upset."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"And when I get upset," Rosh said softly, "even I don't know what I might do."
Heavy, labored breathing filled the room.
Every official present burned with anger at Rosh's blatant arrogance, but beneath that fury lurked something far deeper.
Fear.
Because every single one of them knew he wasn't bluffing.
This man had walked straight into the Pentagon and openly threatened the highest leadership of the United States.
It was outrageous. An unforgivable humiliation.
Never before had the United States been insulted so blatantly, so directly, right at the heart of its power.
"Well then," Rosh said cheerfully, as if he were completely oblivious to the dark, livid expressions surrounding him, "greetings delivered."
He stretched casually, completely at ease.
"Time for me to head out. Bye, everyone." He even raised a hand and waved.
The very next instant, his body broke apart into countless particles of golden light, dispersing silently into the air. In the blink of an eye, he was gone, as if he had never been there at all.
After his departure, the atmosphere in the room grew even heavier. Their fear of Rosh reached an entirely new level.
Silence crashed down on the room.
After Rosh's departure, the atmosphere grew heavier than ever, thick enough to suffocate. The fear gripping everyone present deepened, sinking into their bones.
His ability to appear and disappear at will made him infinitely more dangerous than before. No one dared underestimate him now.
Because it revealed a terrifying truth.
If Rosh wanted to, he could kill anyone in the United States at any time.
Slaughtering every person in that conference room would have taken no effort at all.
The meeting that followed grew increasingly somber. Discussions dragged on. Arguments flared, only to die out. Every proposed solution led to a dead end. There was no strategy, no countermeasure, no acceptable response.
In the end, after hours of tense deliberation, the officials reached only a single conclusion...
The destruction of the Ninth Air Force base would be sealed as a top-level state secret.
Buried. Classified. Erased from public knowledge.
And beyond that…
Nothing would be done.
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Next Chapter: Tony Stark Realizes How Dangerous Rosh Is
Next Next Chapter: Tony Stark Strikes Back
Next Next Next Chapter: He Has to Kill Tony Stark with His Own Hands!
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