Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
Leaning casually against a sideboard near the corner stood a man wearing a spotted hat, a long sword resting against his shoulder.
His posture was relaxed, yet there was a dangerous sharpness in his eyes.
Rolan's gaze shifted instantly.
So this was what it meant to find what you were searching for without even trying.
He had expected to spend a long time combing through the vast West Blue in search of a single man.
Instead, that very person had appeared right in front of him.
Rolan studied him from head to toe, his eyes calm and assessing.
Yes, this was indeed the man he remembered.
Trafalgar Law.
Lina, Nami, and Robin all stared at the newcomer in disbelief.
"Rolan… isn't that the one you were looking for?" Lina whispered.
Rolan gave a faint nod in response.
Babu Ye Er, however, looked at Law with open disdain.
"Oh? So you are that newly famous Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar Law?
What, are you also here to die under my gun?"
Law adjusted the brim of his hat slightly and said coolly,
"Since you recognize me, should you not also recognize the man in front of you?"
Babu Ye Er frowned and finally took a closer look at Rolan.
The longer he looked, the more familiar the face seemed.
Still, he shook his head in irritation.
"I do not care who he is.
These three women are coming with me today.
No one is stopping me.
I said it!"
He pressed the muzzle of the gun against Rolan's temple once again.
At that moment, one of his subordinates rushed forward, holding a newspaper with trembling hands.
"Ca… Captain… he… he is Ro… Rolan…"
The man's hands shook so badly that the newspaper nearly slipped from his grip.
Babu Ye Er snatched it away impatiently and cursed,
"What nonsense is this?
A name alone scared you half to death?
You are disgracing the Big Beard Pirates."
"What Rolan or not Rolan, what is there to be afraid of?"
Even as he spoke, his eyes drifted down to the headline and the massive photo printed beneath it.
The gun slipped from his fingers.
It hit the floor with a dull clatter.
His legs gave out completely, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Ro… Rolan?
One of the Five Emperors…
Rolan sama?"
His face turned deathly pale.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
He began slapping himself violently, again and again, his voice breaking as he begged,
"Rolan sama, I am just a small fry.
I was blind just now and did not recognize your greatness."
"Please, for your generosity, forgive my stupidity.
Let me live."
He raised his head as he begged.
Both sides of his face were already swollen, proof that he had put his full strength into each strike.
Rolan looked down at him silently, his expression cold and unreadable.
Babu Ye Er continued in desperation,
"Rolan sama, I was blinded by lust.
I did not know they were your companions.
Please treat me like dust in the wind and spare me."
At some point, the remaining members of the Big Beard Pirates had already fled the tavern in a panic.
Rolan finally let out a slow breath.
"I already told you.
You should never have insulted my companions."
The moment those words fell, Babu Ye Er understood that his fate had been sealed.
A terrifying pressure flooded the space around him.
Rolan's killing intent and overwhelming force pinned him to the floor so completely that he could not move a single finger.
Rolan reached out and patted his shoulder lightly, then stood up.
Law watched with narrowed eyes.
The next second, his pupils shrank sharply.
Babu Ye Er's body began to convulse violently.
Green smoke poured from his mouth and nose.
A moment later, his entire form collapsed into a pile of white ash.
Onlookers who had been peeking through the broken windows outside stared in horror.
None of them had ever seen such a terrifying method of execution.
By the time they realized what had happened, Rolan was already standing in front of Law.
"Trafalgar Law," Rolan said calmly,
"I did not expect to meet you here.
It saves me time."
Law lifted his gaze to the young man before him.
"Judging by your words, Rolan sama, did you come here specifically for me?"
Rolan gave a short nod.
"Yes."
At that moment, a large white bear in a yellow jacket suddenly jumped out from the side.
"What do you want to do to our captain?
Let me be your opponent!"
Law raised a hand.
"Bepo, step back.
This is not something we can interfere with."
Bepo lowered his head immediately.
"I… I am sorry."
Lina, Nami, and Robin all stared at the tall bear with shining eyes.
To them, he looked no different from a giant plush toy.
Even Rolan found the scene mildly amusing, though his face showed no clear emotion.
Law's heart tightened.
"Then may I ask what business Rolan sama has with me?"
Rolan did not answer immediately.
Instead, he sat down slowly on a nearby stool.
"Should I address you as Trafalgar Law," he said,
"or as Trafalgar D. Water Law?"
Law's pupils contracted violently.
No one should have known that full name.
Rolan continued calmly,
"Flevance, the town rich in lead ore that caused the earth itself to turn pure white.
The world hailed it as the White Town, unaware of the poison buried beneath its wealth."
Law's brows slowly knitted together.
"The World Government concealed the truth.
The raw lead was highly toxic.
As mining continued, more and more citizens were infected with an incurable disease known as Amber Lead Syndrome."
"When the truth could no longer be hidden, the royal family fled.
The infected were sealed inside the country, abandoned to die."
"Some tried to escape.
War broke out.
Countless sick civilians and even doctors were slaughtered."
Law's breathing grew heavy.
"A child watched his parents fall to gunfire.
He saw his sister die.
Even the nun who once tried to save the people was killed."
"A ten year old boy survived by hiding among corpses."
"Yet he himself was already poisoned, with little time left to live.
Seeking revenge on the world, he joined the Donquixote Family with bombs strapped to his body."
"In that hell, he met the one man who would save his soul.
Donquixote Rosinante, Corazon."
Tears finally spilled from Law's eyes.
His legs gave out, and he knelt heavily on the floor.
"Stop… stop talking…
How do you know all this…
Why…?"
For the first time, he felt completely exposed.
Every scar, every secret had been laid bare before another man.
Rolan's voice remained steady.
"Corazon found the Ope Ope no Mi, the only known cure for Amber Lead Syndrome, caught between the Marines and the Donquixote Family."
"To protect that child, he died at the hands of his own brother."
Law collapsed forward, his tears soaking into the floor beneath him.
Rolan stood and extended a hand toward him.
"I came to invite you to join me.
I know what you want most right now.
I also have the power to help you achieve it."
Law slowly lifted his head, his eyes burning with hatred and grief.
"I want to kill Doflamingo with my own hands."
Rolan smiled faintly.
"Of course.
If you cannot even take him down, you are not worthy of standing beside me."
Seeing the hesitation flicker in Law's eyes, Rolan continued,
"I will never force you to betray your conscience.
I will not command you to act against your will."
Law had searched for allies for years.
Now, one had appeared before him, powerful beyond measure, and offering him the very thing he desired most.
Yet, when his gaze shifted to Bepo and his remaining crew, doubt crept into his heart.
_____
The rate at which I get little to no power stones, lol💀
Well, if you want to at least read ahead (60+ to 90+) chapters in advance.
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