Chapter 87: Roy is a Monster Among Monsters!
"Smoker, you sure took your time!"
When Smoker finally blasted away the last Sea Beast and landed on the island, re-forming from smoke, Roy greeted his friend with his usual unique charm.
But this time, Smoker didn't get annoyed as expected.
Click.
He lit two cigars and stuck them in his mouth. "Wasn't that slow."
His tone was calm, and he seemed strangely relieved.
"Don't worry. I'll pay for dinner."
Roy paused, then clicked his tongue. "Rare to see you admit defeat so honestly, Smoke-stack."
He stopped teasing Smoker and looked around the island.
Others had landed on Island Number 7 too. Quite a few were people Roy recognized.
Besides Smoker, there were two Marine Commodores. One was the mask-wearing 'Shark Cutter' Bastille, wielding a massive shark-slaying sword. The other was the burly 'Earth Tea' Loris, a master of Earth Tea Kenpo.
Also present were Rob Lucci and Kaku. As Roy had seen, the strongest CP0 agent, Guernica, had gone to a different island.
"Counting Smoker and me, that makes six..."
Roy glanced at the giant clock on the distant coast. The one-hour time limit was up.
"The other islands should be similar. And looking closely..."
Roy surveyed his surroundings.
The artificial island was smaller than he expected. Its structure was square and flat. It looked less like an island and more like an arena.
Roy had a pretty good guess about the next test.
And he was right.
"Participants."
Sengoku's voice echoed from somewhere on the island.
"A total of 58 participants have successfully landed."
"Now, we will proceed to the second stage of the assessment."
"The test is simple—eliminate everyone else..."
As the Fleet Admiral spoke, Smoker's expression changed.
"The last person standing on each island will be the victor and advance to the final test in three days."
The moment Sengoku finished speaking...
Swish!
With the crisp sound of Soru, a figure appeared above Roy.
"Sorry! Major Roy—this is where you stop!"
Bastille's massive shark-slaying sword was coated in black Armament Haki.
He swung down at Roy's shoulder without hesitation.
"Shark Cut: Bone Cleaver!"
The wind pressure was immense—this strike could split rocks!
And he wasn't the only one.
Beside Bastille, Commodore 'Earth Tea' Loris appeared at Roy's side.
"Priority target: Eliminate! Ten Finger Pistol: Earth Tea Bite!"
His fingers, coated in Haki, snapped open and shut like beastly jaws, aiming to tear into Roy!
Furthermore...
"Four-Sword Style: Giraffe Cutter!"
"Rokushiki Secret Technique: Rokuogan!" (Six King Gun)
Two more figures flashed. Kaku and Lucci (in leopard form) appeared behind Roy.
They didn't hold back, unleashing their strongest moves instantly.
"Sorry, 'Strongest'—your fist style is too dangerous. I don't think I can handle it."
"We represent the Government. We don't want to lose ugly."
Kaku's low chuckle revealed their shared thought process.
The moment Sengoku announced the rules, they all understood one thing.
Regardless of their previous opinions or doubts about Roy fighting a Warlord to a draw...
After witnessing that punch on the sea, they had to admit.
On this island, Roy was the strongest.
Weak prey unite to take down the strongest predator—this was a survival instinct.
"Eliminate him first, then deal with the others."
With this thought, they attacked simultaneously.
They were certain their attacks had locked down every possible escape route.
But in fact—
Roy never planned to dodge.
CLANG!
The shark-slaying sword hit his shoulder.
THUD!
The ten-finger bite struck his abdomen.
CRACK!
Swords and Rankyaku slashed his legs.
BAM!
The Rokuogan hit his heart from behind.
But...
At that moment, everyone heard a soft chuckle.
Then they saw black color appearing at the points of impact.
Immediately after...
BOOM!
A massive force erupted from where they struck.
All four attackers were blasted away simultaneously, crashing heavily to the ground.
Ignoring the pain, they looked up at the figure they had besieged.
"Haki?"
Kaku gasped. "Impossible. According to Chief Guernica's intel, he shouldn't know Haki..."
"No... not just Haki..."
Rob Lucci whispered, staring intently from under his mask. "It's not just knowing Haki... that was..."
He hadn't mastered Haki yet, but as the strongest CP9 agent in history, he had access to knowledge about it.
He recognized the power.
At that moment...
Crrrk! Crrrk!
With two crisp sounds, Roy adjusted the gloves he had just put on.
"Your intel is outdated."
He wasn't his usual slacker self. He stood calmly in the center of the group.
He looked around at them and smiled.
"Your judgment wasn't wrong. I am the strongest one here."
"But..."
As he spoke, black Haki flowed and danced around his body.
The emitted Haki crushed the ground beneath him, rock fragments floating up like tethered balloons.
He slowly raised his fist.
VMMM!
On the black gauntlet, the flowing Haki looked like a lion's mane.
And then...
"'Black Mane'? And that is... Ryou!?"
On the distant high platform, watching via the snail, Sengoku gasped in disbelief.
He spun around to look at his old friend. "Zephyr! This isn't what you told me!"
He said deeply. "Didn't you say he hadn't learned Haki yet and needed a few more years?"
"That's why I'm standing here, Sengoku."
Zephyr stood beside Sengoku, his voice calm.
"I've taught many students in my life. Many had outstanding talent."
He looked down at the clamoring crowd and the three Admirals, who also wore serious expressions.
"But Roy... he is unique."
Zephyr said softly.
"His rate of improvement is beyond my comprehension."
He still remembered the day Roy came to him and demonstrated Ryou.
Honestly, Zephyr had doubted his own sanity. That was Ryou—the highest application of Armament Haki, a technique only top-tier powerhouses used.
"I see..."
Sengoku's expression was grave.
"Not an ability user, yet able to use that 'Wave Fist,' possessing an abnormally strong physique, and mastering Ryou..."
He knew what this meant.
In the Marines, true geniuses might be recruited as future Admiral candidates for special training—that was already the highest evaluation.
The current three Admirals were once called 'monsters' in Zephyr's camp.
But the talent and potential Roy displayed now exceeded that level.
His talent was beyond Sengoku's understanding. A 'Monster among Monsters'.
Since the founding of the Marines, there had been few like him.
"So... you were serious about your request earlier?"
Sengoku looked at Zephyr seriously.
"Yes."
Zephyr nodded, gazing at the figure on the distant island. "This is my choice."
He said no more.
"...Very well."
After a moment of thought, Sengoku nodded. "I will report this to Commander-in-Chief Kong tonight."
From start to finish, they didn't discuss the outcome of Island Number 7.
Because there was no need.
The weak uniting to defeat the strong is a survival tactic.
But even a flock of sheep united... can never defeat a dragon.
And it was true...
On Island 7, Roy clenched his fist.
"Ryou-Infused: Super Wave Fist!"
He raised his fist, then...
Smashed down!
But he didn't aim at anyone. He aimed... at the island itself!
BOOM!
In an instant, the massive artificial island disintegrated.
Intense shockwaves and roaring Haki split the clouds in the sky.
CRACK!
Bastille's shark-slaying sword shattered into fragments.
SNAP!
Loris's fingers broke instantly, and he was sent flying, vomiting blood.
THUD!
Lucci's leopard body cracked and popped as he was blasted away. Kaku's long nose bent at a painful angle.
A massive cloud of dust rose.
When it cleared, the snail faithfully broadcast the unbelievable scene.
Island Number 7, centered on where Roy stood... had been completely obliterated.
The steel foundation laid by the shipwrights was gone. In its place was a massive crater occupying two-thirds of the island.
In the center of the crater, only two platforms remained.
On these platforms stood Roy and Smoker.
"You should have attacked me with them. It wouldn't have mattered, but it was the only way to win."
Roy slowly retracted his fist, glancing with satisfaction at the Haki flowing on the 'Black Mane' gauntlets, then smiling at Smoker.
"I know."
Smoker chewed his cigar, his expression calm.
He wasn't stupid.
When Sengoku announced the simple rules of the second test, he realized what would likely happen.
He knew teaming up against Roy was the smartest choice for victory.
But...
"The smartest choice?"
He spat. "What does that boring crap have to do with me?"
"...I thought so."
Roy nodded.
Indeed—if Smoker chose the 'smart' option, he wouldn't be Smoker.
But then, he heard Smoker speak again.
"But you... you really surprise me."
"Really?"
Roy assumed Smoker meant his strength. "I told you, I'm terrifyingly strong right now."
To his surprise, Smoker shook his head.
"I don't mean that."
He grinned.
"I'm surprised that you... finally decided to show your true face."
"...Huh?"
Roy was confused.
Smoker's grin widened.
Yes—true face.
As everyone knew, Smoker was the 'Mad Dog' of the Marines, a rebellious problem child who obeyed no one.
Because of this, he was unpopular at Headquarters.
How did someone like him become friends with Roy?
Just because Roy said hi when they joined?
Just because Roy asked to spar one day?
Smoker wasn't someone who made friends for those reasons.
In fact, he couldn't even stand the 'Marines.'
He joined to enact his own Justice, not to serve the World Government.
On the contrary—he knew the darkness inside the Marines. He was skeptical of 'Absolute Justice' and wary of most Marines around him.
Rules? He ignored them.
Orders? He treated them like farts.
As long as he could achieve the justice and fairness he pursued, he gladly accepted punishment for breaking rules.
So he knew why he and Roy became friends from the start.
"You and I are the same kind of person, Roy!"
Smoker whispered, taking the Jitte from his back.
Like recognizes like.
Smoker could see Roy was like him.
Roy also despised the darkness, willing to disobey orders as a recruit to help a girl get her money back.
Roy had a distinct set of values and a strong moral compass, things that couldn't be hidden in daily life.
This was also why Smoker had been disappointed in Roy before.
Roy had power and talent, but he hid them.
To Smoker, Roy looked like another version of himself who had chosen to escape and conform.
So he tried, in his own way, to get Roy to leave the Detention Unit.
When he learned Roy was participating in the Tri-Force Demonstration, Smoker trained desperately.
He didn't want to lose to this person!
But now, he realized he was wrong.
"You... you never changed, did you?"
He looked at Roy.
"You were just enduring, weren't you?"
"And now..."
He finally spat out his cigar. "You're strong enough, and you don't want to endure anymore, right!?"
Hearing this, Roy paused.
He realized—Smoker might be right.
His goal in the Tri-Force Demonstration was just to secure the Detention Unit Commander position, maybe top 5.
He didn't need to draw so much attention—one-shotting Sea Beasts, instantly eliminating everyone else.
Rationally, crossing the sea normally and defeating opponents one by one would have been lower profile.
He had done that in the past.
Why not this time?
The answer was simple—he instinctively didn't want to.
It seemed, as Smoker said, this was his true face.
In these eight years, he had seen many things that disgusted and annoyed him.
He saw many rules he hated.
But he lacked power then, so he endured.
He kept a low profile, accumulating strength.
So he joined the Detention Unit and hid until now.
But now...
He wasn't invincible, and he didn't have absolute power yet.
But after recent events, he felt... at least he didn't have to be so restrained.
So...
"I don't deny it."
Roy smiled. "I do want to let loose a bit."
The two looked at each other.
"Hey—after I get promoted, want to transfer back and be my subordinate?"
Ryou flowed around Roy's hands.
"——I'd rather die."
Smoker gripped his Jitte.
The next instant, they charged.
The outcome was predetermined.
But no one could say for sure—whether this conversation marked the beginning of the turning of the era's gears.
☆☆☆
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