"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I assumed the bar would be located in the tourist or hotel districts, so we didn't search the lawless zone carefully enough!" Raijin Kisu said apologetically.
It was understandable—the lawless zone was vast, stretching from District 1 to District 29. Many areas were desolate, and because they were dangerous, even locals avoided them. They had checked the busier places like District 1, but not thoroughly.
"It's fine. We were in a hurry anyway. You've already worked hard, arranging my lodging and searching for the place," Rosinante said casually.
Although Rosinante wasn't bothered, Kisu still blamed himself deeply. He was a man who took things very seriously, and he felt guilty for letting assumptions cloud his judgment.
"We're not in a rush. In a few days, go check the lawless zone again—especially District 13," Rosinante instructed.
"Yes!" Kisu replied firmly.
The bubble car sped along, and before long, they were nearing District 38—when suddenly the lead vehicle came to a stop.
"Hm?" Kisu raised his head in confusion.
At that moment, his Den Den Mushi rang.
"What's going on?" Kisu asked into the receiver.
"Seventh Seat, there's a pirate battle ahead. Both combatants have bounties of at least 100 million. To avoid disturbing His Majesty, we've halted the convoy for now," came the voice of a Bloodsworn Guard member through the line.
"Understood. I'll handle it," Kisu said, hanging up.
"Your Majesty, allow me to take care of this," Kisu said respectfully to Rosinante.
"Pirates with bounties over 100 million? Interesting. To have that kind of strength even before entering the New World… They must be rising stars. Come on, let's go see—maybe we'll run into someone familiar!" Rosinante said with a grin.
In this era, pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million before entering the New World were very rare.
Anyone with such a bounty in the first half of the Grand Line had to be extremely strong and dangerous—so much so that the Marines deemed them a high-level threat.
Rosinante was curious. Who could these two be?
After all, those who became "supernova pirates" at this time—if they survived—would inevitably grow into the level of Warlords of the Sea, or perhaps even greater figures.
With that thought, Rosinante led the group toward the site of the battle.
Before they even arrived, his Observation Haki sensed an overwhelming aura emanating from the combatants.
"Hm… Conqueror's Haki," Rosinante muttered in surprise.
"That makes things even more interesting," he said, his eyes lighting up.
"A kingly spirit like Rosinante-nii?" Robin asked, astonished. She didn't seem to feel the pressure herself.
The others looked equally shocked.
Conqueror's Haki was said to appear in only one in a million people—those with the qualities of a king. While not all who possessed it were strong fighters, anyone born with it had the potential to become a great figure as long as they lived long enough.
"Not only does this person have Conqueror's Haki, but he can control it well—targeting only his enemy without wasting its force on bystanders. Very impressive. I'm even more curious to see who's fighting," Rosinante said, eyes gleaming with interest.
Hearing this, Ryan and Kisu exchanged a glance, their expressions growing serious.
Originally, they had assumed that even pirates with bounties over 100 million were just small fry.
After all, within the Blood Oath Guard, many members had comparable strength. It wasn't something that concerned them.
But Rosinante's words changed everything—whoever was ahead wasn't ordinary.
Anyone capable of wielding Conqueror's Haki was already worthy of attention.
To control it precisely was something only true powerhouses could do.
Conqueror's Haki was notoriously difficult to control, and it couldn't be trained in the usual way. Its mastery depended on the user's own growth and willpower.
If this person could use it with such precision, it meant their strength was already at a level far beyond an average 100-million-berry pirate.
Raine and Kisu immediately grew more alert.
As members of the Blood Oath Guard, their foremost duty was to protect Rosinante.
Though they didn't believe anyone on Sabaody—perhaps not anyone in the entire area—could truly harm him, they couldn't allow anyone to get close enough to even try.
If some nobody managed to attack Rosinante, they would lose all face as his guards.
So they silently readied themselves. If anyone dared strike at Rosinante, they would block them at all costs.
Rosinante noticed their vigilance but merely smiled faintly and continued forward at a calm, steady pace.
Before long, they reached the site of the battle.
"So it's him. Already trying to break into the New World?" Rosinante said with mild surprise as he spotted one of the fighters.
"But if it's him, then this all makes perfect sense. The real question is—who is the other one?"
"To think someone could fight him to a standstill…" Rosinante said, turning his gaze to the second combatant.
One of the fighters had fiery red hair and wore a straw hat. He was dressed in a white shirt with half the buttons undone, a cloak draped casually over his shoulders, and in his hand was a rapier. His swordsmanship was breathtakingly precise.
Red-Haired Shanks—future Yonko, one of the Four Emperors of the New World.
Rosinante hadn't expected to run into Shanks here of all places—on Sabaody Archipelago. One of the men with the strongest Conqueror's Haki in the world… Suddenly everything felt natural, as though events were falling into place.
But the one who intrigued Rosinante most wasn't Shanks—it was the man fighting him.
Who was he, to be able to clash with Red-Haired Shanks as an equal?
This opponent seemed to be a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user.
Rosinante couldn't tell which animal exactly—his head was partially transformed, resembling a weasel.
He had never heard of such a person in later years. With this level of strength, if the man had survived into the future, there was no way he would be an unknown.
Aside from Shanks and the mysterious Zoan user, the Red-Hair Pirates were all present.
Benn Beckman, Yasopp, Lucky Roux—the core members were practically all here.
They didn't interfere in Shanks's battle, but when they noticed Rosinante and his companions approaching, they immediately became alert, watching them closely.