Chapter 12: For the Sake of Justice, I Will Face the Danger!
On the sea, aboard the Detention Unit warship.
In his quarters, Roy's face was still lit with excitement.
"Five hundred million Berries... That's enough to upgrade one of the top-tier Logia fruits to LV2."
"And the Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Quetzalcoatlus... This was a massive score."
He muttered to himself, looking at the brand-new fruit displayed on the Fruit Encyclopedia's screen.
He was, to put it mildly, extremely satisfied with the results of his first illegal operation.
An income of 500 million Berries was enough to perform his first major fruit upgrade. And for that, his sights were set on a Logia.
He had been craving the "elementalization" ability of a Logia fruit for a long time. Even if a LV2 Logia only granted partial elementalization, it would be more than enough to let him run wild in the first half of the Grand Line.
As for the Quetzalcoatlus fruit, that was a huge, unexpected bonus.
Coincidentally, he knew of a similar fruit.
It belonged to one of the Four Emperors, the "King of the Beasts" Kaido, and was used by his top All-Star, 'King the Wildfire.'
That pirate, with a bounty of 1,390,000,000 Berries, had eaten the 'Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Pteranodon.'
The fruit Roy had just obtained was clearly in the same category.
"Although a lot of King's combat power comes from his Lunarian heritage, there's no doubt... the powerful physique and vitality unique to Ryu Ryu fruits, combined with a pterosaur's flight and high mobility... this Quetzalcoatlus fruit is a top-tier Zoan!"
"And for me, it's even more significant."
Roy knew this well.
If he had gotten this fruit before, he would have been happy, but not this excited.
But now, things were different.
Because Roy now had an extremely bold plan forming in his mind.
"Araheet Island..."
Roy whispered the port's name. "The Celestial Tribute... given the Nice-Mayer Kingdom's wealth, it must be an astronomical figure, right?"
That's right.
The moment he realized Araheet Island was where the Celestial Tribute was stored, Roy's mind had been set in motion.
As the annual 'tribute' offered to the Celestial Dragons, the value of the Celestial Tribute was staggering.
A massive kingdom like Alabasta, which lacked neither land nor resources, was rumored to pay 10 billion Berries every year.
Of course, the World Government had security measures in place for such a massive fortune.
First, the transport location for the Celestial Tribute was a top state secret.
Second, each country's tribute was escorted by dedicated Marine admirals and government agents. The transport route was often through the Calm Belt, and the surrounding waters would be locked down.
Third, any criminal who attempted to steal the Celestial Tribute was declared an enemy of the world. All the treasure was marked with the 'Hoof of the Celestial Dragon,' and anyone caught using it would be hunted by the Marines for life.
As a result, stealing the Celestial Tribute was almost unheard of. The one person who had succeeded hadn't even been after the money itself.
But Roy... Roy couldn't just let this go.
He knew the location.
He wasn't afraid of being hunted—they would only be hunting his Slice-Clone.
And, most importantly, now that he had the Quetzalcoatlus fruit, the "locked-down sea" was no longer a problem for him.
"I'm doing it."
Roy's mind was made up. He was hitting that score.
The only problem was...
"The Slice-Clone's abilities can only be 'refreshed' by the main body's touch."
"I have to meet up with my clone again. His current abilities aren't enough to steal the Celestial Tribute."
This was a problem. After a full night of sailing, his main ship was hundreds of nautical miles from Master Port. He couldn't cross that distance with Geppo.
But Roy wasn't worried. He just waited.
Because, if he wasn't mistaken, his chance to return to Master Port was about to arrive.
And soon...
"Captain! Captain!"
Hans's voice came from outside the door.
"What is it?"
Roy thought to himself, Right on time.
"It's a call from Headquarters! It's Vice Admiral Viroth!"
"Oh?"
Roy opened his door. As expected, Hans was holding a puru-puru-puru Transponder Snail.
Roy took it. "Yeah? Old man, it's me."
Vice Admiral Viroth's low, heavy voice came through. "Roy, kid. How far are you from the G-51 Branch?"
"About 700 nautical miles, I'd say?" Roy said, his brow furrowing in 'confusion.' "What's wrong?"
"Not long after you left, something happened at G-51," Viroth said, his tone grim. "The branch commander, Captain Astor, was killed in action. That royal steward from the Nice-Mayer Kingdom and all his guards were also assassinated."
"What!?"
Roy's 'shock' was audible. "How could this happen!?"
"According to the reports, a criminal hijacked the Nice-Mayer merchant ship, drawing most of the branch's forces away. Just as the Marines were about to catch him, he set the ship on fire and sank it... with himself on board."
"When the Marines returned to the branch, they found Captain Astor's body."
Viroth's voice was low. "Roy, kid, you understand what this means, right?"
What does it mean?
It means that kid, Alan, did a hell of a job.
This was, in fact, one of the two tasks Roy had given Alan. He needed Alan to create a diversion, draw off the Marines, and panic Astor and Mantal into checking on their treasure.
As a Slice-Fruit user, Alan just had to sacrifice one clone to pull off the perfect diversion. It seemed he had performed his mission flawlessly.
But Viroth didn't know this.
Before Roy could answer, Viroth gave his own conclusion. "This was a premeditated attack. The criminal who took the ship was just a pawn..."
He paused.
Roy immediately jumped in. "Sir, I request permission to return to Master Port immediately! The attack happened less than a day ago. The perpetrator is likely still there! They need a commander to coordinate the search."
"Furthermore, based on what you've told me... I believe the prisoner I am currently escorting may be connected to this. I will have my men continue to Marineford with him, while I return to Master Port alone on an emergency cutter!"
He spoke with righteous conviction, his face a mask of duty. Hans and Fal stared at him with expressions of pure, unadulterated awe.
Forget them, even Vice Admiral Viroth on the other end of the line was silent.
This was, in fact, what Headquarters wanted. The attack was severe, and G-51 was in chaos without a commander. In that entire sector, Roy was the closest, highest-ranking officer.
But...
"Roy, kid, you have to understand. This enemy is not simple."
"If you go back now... it will be extremely dangerous."
The Vice Admiral's voice was heavy.
The other Marines on the ship also looked worried. They understood. Any criminal who dared to kill a Marine Captain and a royal official... that was a monster.
But...
"For the sake of Justice, I will face the danger!"
Roy's voice boomed, filled with righteous power.
The eyes of his men... they were practically tearing up.
After another long pause, Vice Admiral Viroth spoke. "If you're sure... then go."
"When you return to Headquarters, I will personally see you commended for this."
He went silent again for a moment.
Then, he said softly...
"For Justice."