East Blue, Windmill Village
"Let's toast to Rolan!"
"Rolan is so handsome!"
"As expected of a man from the East Blue, he casually broke through his limits with sheer strength."
Thump, thump, thump!
"Yakamashi! What are you all celebrating for?" the Village Chief shouted as he stood by the side, leaning hard on his cane. "Are you celebrating that our village raised a great pirate? Or are you celebrating a man who escaped the encirclement of three Admirals?"
"Oh, Village Chief, don't be so stiff. Come on, come on, take a drink and clear your throat," someone urged with a grin.
The Village Chief snatched the bottle, took two large gulps, wiped his mouth, and scolded, "Shut up! No matter how you look at it, this is still wrong!"
Makino smiled gently and said, "Village Chief, you look happier than anyone. You are clearly proud of Rolan too, aren't you?"
The old man's face flushed slightly as he turned away. "That, that is not true."
"Hahaha, Makino, is there any new information about Rolan?" someone asked.
Just then, a familiar voice rang out from outside the lively tavern.
Bang!
The wooden door was kicked open, and Luffy dashed inside without hesitation.
"Let me see, let me see!" he shouted eagerly.
Makino handed him the newspaper.
Luffy stared at it again and again, his eyes shining.
"So cool! Rolan's companions are strong too," he said with excitement.
As he spoke, his fists clenched unconsciously.
"But I will not lose to him. I will find companions even stronger than his."
---
New World, Dressrosa
"Fufufu… hahahaha!"
Atop the King's Plateau, a man dressed in pink held the newspaper while an unreadable smile crept across his face.
"Rolan? Is he ignorant, or is he just as arrogant as his name suggests?"
His voice was filled with amusement as he continued, "If you want to overturn this world, you will find that it is far more complicated than you imagine. Even Rocks could not accomplish such a thing."
He raised both arms slightly.
"Will you walk the same doomed path as him? Heh heh heh… the world has truly become more entertaining."
---
New World, Wano Country, Onigashima
Kaido took several massive gulps from his sake gourd before throwing the newspaper to the ground.
"Orororo! Rolan is just a brat. Does he really think he is someone important?"
He picked up the massive club beside him and smashed a nearby boulder into countless fragments.
"Hahaha, still far too green."
As his laughter echoed, his expression suddenly collapsed into despair.
"Worororo… I am so lonely. There is no one strong enough to fight me! Who can kill me?"
"Why is it so hard to even find death?"
---
Grand Line, Paradise, Alabasta
Alabasta was now filled with lush greenery and no longer buried beneath endless yellow sands.
The scorching heat had faded, replaced by a climate of everlasting spring.
On the city wall, a blue haired girl stood quietly as the breeze lifted her hair into the air.
In her hands was Rolan's bounty poster.
"Should I really chase after you?" she murmured softly. "Or am I still hesitating… When will you return?"
"I can only continue building Alabasta properly, so that when you come back one day, you will still have a place to belong."
Behind the wall, two figures whispered while hiding awkwardly.
"King… ma mamama… King, do you think our princess is in love with Rolan sama? What should we do?"
The curly haired, flat faced man looked at King Cobra with concern.
Cobra nodded slowly.
"Rolan has many beautiful women around him. I wonder where Vivi's place will be then."
However, there was no real worry on his face.
Igaram tilted his head.
"King, why are you not concerned at all?"
Cobra turned to him with sparkling eyes.
"Wouldn't it be perfect if Rolan introduced a few of those beauties to me?"
Igaram immediately smacked him across the head.
"You shameless old man!"
---
Revolutionary Army Headquarters, Baltigo
"Dragon san, I remember when I first mentioned Rolan to you, you barely even glanced at his profile. Why are you suddenly paying so much attention now?" asked a man wearing a cloak and goggles.
Dragon placed the newspaper down and walked slowly toward the city wall.
The violent wind lifted his cloak, revealing the scar along his face.
"Rolan is now worth observing," Dragon said calmly.
"But what truly interests me… is Nico Robin."
The man frowned slightly.
"Nico Robin? The sole survivor of Ohara? Is she that important?"
Dragon turned back with a faint laugh.
"If Nico Robin joins us, victory will no longer be a distant dream."
He continued with authority.
"Have someone prepare a ship. I am heading to Paradise."
"Yes!" the man responded sharply.
"Are you going to meet Rolan's crew?" he asked.
Dragon laughed and nodded.
---
For a time, the reputation of the Ion Tempest spread like wildfire throughout the world of one piece.
Under the deliberate manipulation of the World Government, the image presented to the public was one of fear.
Ordinary people associated the word pirate with disaster and cruelty.
Many parents even frightened their children into sleep by saying that pirates would come for them.
Most common folk never questioned the news.
Whatever the headlines printed, they believed without doubt.
Among pirates, however, fear took a different form.
They did not fear rumors.
They feared Rolan himself.
Fortunately, the Ion Tempest had not displayed any grand ambitions yet, which allowed many to breathe a little easier.
On the ship of the Ion Tempest
Everyone had already braced themselves for their new bounties and the inevitable flood of news.
After a brief burst of excitement, they quickly returned to training.
They knew very well that their next destination would be a place filled with danger, and without enough strength, they would be crushed without mercy.
Rolan sat alone on the deck with the newspaper still in his hand.
His expression was calm and indifferent as his eyes moved across the print.
None of the exaggerated praise or slander affected him in the slightest.
Nearly three full pages were dedicated to the Ion Tempest.
It was only when he turned to the fourth page that a massive headline finally caught his attention.
"The Surgeon Born in the White Town. Who Is He, and Why Has He Become an Enemy of the Marines?"
Rolan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"White Town…" he muttered.
He unfolded the wrinkled page completely.
A large photograph came into view.
A man wearing a spotted hat stood in the image, a long sword resting against his shoulder.
A heart shaped tattoo was visible on his chest.
Rolan recognized him immediately.
Trafalgar Law.
The Surgeon of Death.
One of the Eleven Supernovas who once gathered at the Sabaody Archipelago alongside Luffy.
Rolan raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp but unreadable.
"A surgeon, huh… Looks like I will have to make a stop in the West Blue before heading deeper into the New World."
---
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