One Piece Nine Tails - Chapter 276
There were many familiar faces in the crowd, although the Navy had promised not to arrest anyone this time, believing that would be naive.
When have the words of the Navy ever been trustworthy?
Promises made by the World Government are as worthless as empty air.
So, those who came here were either exceptionally powerful or not under any bounty. Even so, they still blended into the crowd.
Only those like Backwater and Toguro could openly reveal their identities.
Backwater initially stayed among the crowd but soon left. It seemed he merely wanted to see Roger one last time and had no desire to witness his execution.
Thus, the Navy focused its remaining efforts on others.
Their primary concern was preventing former Roger’s pirate crew members from rescuing him, but none showed up.
Shanks didn’t cause much concern, so he was discounted. However, apart from Shanks, someone else did arrive. I noticed that Nameless had also come.
Nameless was likely spotted by others, too, but interest in him was minimal due to his exceptional mobility. He could teleport instantly, causing everyone to be on high alert as they feared he might snatch Roger away at any moment.
But An knew Nameless wouldn’t do that. Roger’s crew all understood his will.
Roger could never be captured. His presence here only proved that this was his intention.
“Time… is almost up,” Z said softly.
His view of Roger was complicated.
Initially, he didn’t want to kill pirates. Later, he hated them, but Roger was different from other pirates.
Roger becoming the Pirate King incited a global pirate craze, which Z despised, but he couldn’t deny Roger’s solid charisma. If all pirates were like Roger, perhaps they wouldn’t be so detestable.
Unfortunately, no matter who he was in the past, his life was now ending.
As Z finished speaking, the executioner approached Roger from behind.
In just a few seconds, they would achieve the supreme honor of ‘killing the Pirate King.’
“Roger! Where did you hide your treasures?”
Roger seemed to have been waiting for this question. He smiled and uttered the famous words that would be passed down through generations.
“Do you want my treasure? If you want it, it’s yours…”
“Find it! I left everything in that place!”
The Great Pirate Era had begun!
…
Roger was dead.
His death marked the end of one era and the beginning of another.
His final words reinvigorated pirates demoralized by his capture, drawing countless people to the path of piracy in search of his treasure.
Because of this final statement, countless pirates would be born, and numerous people would die at their hands.
Yet, for the era as a whole, individual lives were insignificant.
No saviors exist in this world, but there are gods and emperors.
From the start, this world was never fair.
At least now…
A savior for this world had yet to be born.
Whether one could become a savior was not solely up to them.
However, they had no idea that after Roger’s death, his soul was taken away by Genichi.
“Indeed, still very weak.”
In Wano, Roger’s soul was just a tiny light. Most of it had dissipated or perhaps gone to reincarnate in the underworld.
What remained in Genichi’s hand was a small part of Roger’s soul, influenced by the world’s rules and condensed into a weak soul.
With such a fragment of a soul, Roger probably had no self-awareness.
“Wonder when he’ll wake up.”
Genichi placed Roger’s soul into a scroll he had previously fused with the Shikon Jewel.
This scroll would gradually nurture Roger’s soul, restoring it by absorbing external spiritual energy. Perhaps, with time, Roger could recover in this ‘Hueco Mundo.’
He wasn’t just absorbing Roger’s soul; he was trying to absorb as many souls of the dead as possible to strengthen the scroll, making it more powerful.
The souls that entered the scroll slowly fused and became the lives within Hueco Mundo, the so-called Hollows. Currently, Byakuya Kuchiki is guiding the world’s development within this scroll.
…
Meanwhile, the world seemed to speed up after Roger’s death.
Pirates increased in number, and the Navy, expecting a respite, found themselves busier than ever.
Initially, An escorted Lu Jiu to a remote corner of the East Blue. But with the growing number of pirates, no genuinely safe places were left in the world.
Yet, she couldn’t take Lu Jiu to the Navy headquarters. Finally, she took her to the East Blue branch of the Cross Church.
The Cross Church had increased over the years, headquartered in the first half of the Grand Line, with branches worldwide. Regions like the Four Seas had their main branches.
But she couldn’t send Lu Jiu there now. Lu Jiu was pregnant, and with the world searching for pregnant women, sending her openly would be sending her to her death.
Fortunately, An’s presence in this timeline meant Lu Jiu didn’t have to keep running and could even give birth to Ace, unlike in the original timeline, where they might have died.
With An’s care and preparations, Lu Jiu successfully gave birth to Ace, who is Now a year older than originally.
An planned to send Lu Jiu to the Cross Church when Ace was older.
But reality often defied her plans. The world’s development was beyond anyone’s control.
Two years after Roger’s death, in 1500 of the Sea Calendar, Backwater suddenly went to the Cross Church headquarters on the Grand Line and spoke to the Pope, requesting to establish the ‘Right Hand of God.’
The Pope was overjoyed and saw no reason to refuse.
The Pope knew he was a puppet of the World Government and was used to develop the church.
Over the years, the Cross Church has built its spiritual nation but has no military power, making it a mere puppet of the World Government.
Backwater’s request was a dream come true for the Pope.
Unfortunately, Backwater had strict selection criteria for the Right Hand of God.
None of the dozens of candidates prepared by the Pope were chosen.
Backwater found Portgas D. Rouge three months later on a remote island in the East Blue.
Rouge had grown accustomed to her life over the past two years. After giving birth to Ace, she focused on raising him to inherit Roger’s will, avoiding prolonged grief.
An occasionally visited them, but she had to come secretly as a Navy admiral.
I had chosen this remote island, where people and even animals were scarce.
Most animals gathered in the forest on the island’s west side, while they lived in the desolate south, unfit for habitation.
Rouge planted some vegetables, but most couldn’t grow. To survive, she relied on the supplies An brought.
A provided generously, delivering plenty of food each visit, making Rouge’s hostility toward her fade.
Today, Backwater stepped onto this land.
Upon seeing him, Rouge panicked.
She knew him from Roger’s stories, aware of his terrifying power.
He was a man even Roger couldn’t defeat!
Why was he here?!
He had been Roger’s enemy, so was he here to kill her?
“Don’t be too alarmed.”
Backwater walked into her yard, seeing her stunned face. “I mean no harm to you.”
By saying ‘you,’ he included the sleeping Ace in the house.
“Mr. Backwater, why have you come to see us?” Rouge asked, struggling to speak.
An wasn’t here; she had to tread carefully.
No, even if An were here, she couldn’t match Backwater.
“You possess the power of fire, Portgas D. Rouge. Would you become the new ‘Right Hand of God’?”
Backwater’s words shocked Rouge. Though Roger’s wife, she was just an ordinary person. Now, Backwater invited her to join the Right Hand of God.
Backwater himself was a member of the Right Hand of God!
“No, I couldn’t possibly…”
Rouge shook her head, suspecting it was a trap. How could she join the Right Hand of God?
But Backwater said, “You must have noticed changes in your body over the past two years, right?”
Rouge was stunned. “How do you know?”
She hadn’t told anyone about her body’s changes.
After giving birth to Ace, she felt a power growing within her, increasing her physical strength and developing the power known as Haki.
Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and Conqueror’s Haki came to her naturally.
She hadn’t even told An, seeing her as a Navy admiral and the one who captured Roger.
Thinking of this always pained her heart.
So, she kept it secret.
Yet, Backwater revealed it effortlessly. How could she not be surprised?
Facing Backwater, she didn’t resist, knowing her newfound Haki couldn’t match him.
“This is ‘Idol Worship’ and ‘Miracle.'” Backwater explained. “You and Ace are similar to me, either ‘Saints’ or ‘Madonnas.'”
Genichi had recently discovered this phenomenon in Rouge and Ace.
Backwater had mentioned that his vast rules were merging with the Pirate King world, especially those related to his existence, like ‘Saint,’ ‘Madonna,’ and ‘Right Hand of God.’
A Saint, born through idol worship, naturally possessed some attributes of a Saint Child and gained immense power.
The Saint Child was the greatest miracle of the Cross Church!
These rules, merging with the Pirate King world, caused such phenomena.
As the first to reach and surpass the world’s limit, Roger was almost godlike.
Though he ultimately died, perhaps the world felt guilty, causing miraculous changes.
Through her union with Roger, Rouge began to embody the ‘Madonna,’ and Ace the ‘Saint Child,’ resembling ‘Saints’ and gaining great power.
Even if a Madonna were an ordinary woman, giving birth to a Saint Child would make her the first and most muscular Saint.
Rouge’s newfound strength, emerging post-Saint Mark, wasn’t instant but gradual.
Perhaps it was the world’s first experiment?
Besides Roger’s immense power, this phenomenon was due to idol worship.
Roger’s rise as Pirate King led many to idolize him, fulfilling the ‘idol worship ritual,’ causing changes in Rouge and Ace.
Thus, their power growth was tied to Roger’s past.
It’s a complex process.
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