Chapter Twenty-One: The Aftermath of Hive Island—A Nation of Endless War!

Boom!

The massive creature crashed down with a thunderous roar, falling onto the sea and sending towering waves surging outward.

This was a sea king species over a hundred meters long—small among its kind, yet an absolute behemoth to humans.

A huge wound marred the monster’s body, but curiously, little blood flowed from it.

Roaya, transformed into a tiger-man, stood atop the sea king’s corpse, raising his sword high.

The blade, which Roaya had named Tiger’s Soul, glowed an intense crimson, almost radiant. A faint red aura swirled around the edge of the blade.

Legend said this sword could continuously devour blood to evolve, and it seemed to be undergoing another transformation.

Yet Roaya sighed, a hint of disdain in his voice. “Not picky about its food—bad news for a gourmet like me.”

Sea kings possessed intelligence rivaling humans. When in pain, they would release dark energy. But the quality was ordinary, hardly better than that of an average human.

Is this worth all that flesh? he wondered aloud.

Unlike the disdainful Roaya, Tiger’s Soul greedily absorbed the blood—after all, a child had never tasted such delicacies before.

Being intelligent beings, the blood of sea kings and humans likely shared similar nutritional value.

After absorbing the blood of this sea king, Tiger’s Soul indeed underwent a new evolution.

Roaya casually waved his hand.

The aura surrounding the blade suddenly transformed into a scarlet sword energy that shot forward, dissipating only after flying more than twenty meters.

“Flying Slash,” he said with satisfaction. Not bad.

He was still far from mastering the Breath of All Things, but he was already enjoying the benefits of the Swordmaster realm ahead of time.

“Lord Roaya.”

From behind, a voice came from the ship silently floating on the sea—Dillon’s voice.

He waved a rolled-up newspaper.

“Oh?”

Roaya sheathed his sword with some effort, short arms and legs making the motion awkward. “What’s the news?”

Dillon spoke calmly, “The government issued a statement declaring that Navy Vice Admiral Iron Fist Karp defeated the Rocks Pirates, personally killing their leader.”

“Oh! That’s truly remarkable!” Roaya exclaimed repeatedly. “I never imagined anyone in the world could single-handedly crush the Rocks Pirates.”

Dillon continued, “The newspapers already hail Iron Fist Karp as a Navy hero. Lord Roaya, do we need to do anything?”

“Do anything?” Roaya leapt lightly onto the ship’s rail and sighed. “Let’s just hold a moment of silence for the captain. Poor captain of mine—dead and yet still slandered. If you hear me from beyond, haunt their dreams and give them a good scolding. Clear up the misunderstanding that your strength wasn’t lacking, just that you were outnumbered.”

Dillon’s usually impassive face twisted slightly, almost unable to hold back a smile.

“Anyway, let’s head back to the New World first. Sailing on the sea is so boring—I’m starving!”

***

With a wave of Roaya’s right hand, a fierce wind rose suddenly, swelling the shriveled sails. The great ship slowly set off in this windless sea.

Not long after, Honeycomb Island.

News of the destruction of the Rocks Pirates had spread across the world.

After a brief silence, the island erupted.

Some pirates sought to cause chaos; others hurriedly arrived, eager to seize the opportunity to plunder.

The island was on the brink of disaster.

Fortunately, though the Rocks Pirates had collapsed, most of their senior officers remained unharmed.

Several calls came through, and the forces loyal to the Rocks Pirates were mobilized, preserving Honeycomb Island intact.

Now, in the conference room of the Skull Tower, the former senior officers of the Rocks Pirates gathered.

“Mother, mother! I never thought this day would come so soon!” Aunt Lingling laughed heartily.

“That idiot Rocks almost had us all killed!” Silver Axe scowled angrily. “Serves him right!”

“Who would have thought Roger and the others would come too?” Gloriosa said, still shaken. “And the Divine Knights and the Five Elders—all monsters! It’s terrifying to think about. Lucky to be alive. I wonder how little Roaya is doing now. One of the Five Elders went after him.”

“That kid gained a lot this time,” Captain John slurred. “I don’t think he’ll die so easily.”

“Let’s get to the point,” Wang Zhi said, crossing his legs. “Now that the captain’s dead, what’s the plan? Are we just disbanding?”

“I can be the second captain!” Uncle Shiki volunteered.

“Dream on!” Big Brother Kaido sneered, folding his arms and staring coldly at Uncle Shiki. “Who do you think you are, wanting to stand above me?”

He was feeling proud, having gained new power.

“Kaido,” Uncle Shiki’s eyes turned dangerous in an instant, “you little brat, are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“Mother, mother! Shiki, I think Kaido’s right,” Aunt Lingling supported the younger brother. “Who do you think you are? Want to be like Rocks?”

“Ha ha ha ha ha!” Golden Lion laughed without anger. “Looks like there’s nothing left to say!”

“Enough nonsense,” Whitebeard finally spoke after remaining silent. “Everyone’s here except that damn Roaya brat. Whatever you want, settle it with your fists!”

“Oh! Whitebeard, how rare,” Aunt Lingling mocked, “I thought you were going to say you want nothing but family again.”

“Hmph.”

Whitebeard sneered.

He was a pirate partly for family but also for money—his homeland was too poor, and his burdens were heavy.

Thus, the battle among the officers began.

As these monsters fought over the inheritance, on the shores of Honeycomb Island, Katakuri stood quietly.

The youth’s eyes were filled with worry and doubt.

Roaya, you must be safe, right? You anticipated the arena being emptied early, didn’t you?

Don’t die! I promised that next time we meet, I’ll make you look at me in a new light!

***

Several days later.

A certain sea area in the New World.

Roaya stood at the ship’s prow, flipping through a newspaper reporting on how the senior officers of the Rocks Pirates had brawled fiercely on Honeycomb Island before each went their separate ways, leading to the ultimate disintegration of the once-dominant Rocks Pirates.

“Captain, you’re barely cold in your grave, and your uncles and aunts are already fighting over the inheritance. If you can hear me from beyond, don’t just curse the government—make sure you scold them too. And tell them to save my share of the inheritance for me,” Roaya sighed.

But the captain himself probably wouldn’t mind, right?

He was the kind to care only for life, not for what came after.

“Lord Roaya! We’ve arrived!” Dillon’s voice sounded from behind.

Roaya looked up.

A large island was visible on the horizon.

“Oh! A fine place!” Roaya’s eyes lit up instantly. “Well worth the long journey—truly a wonderful place!”

From such a distance, the dark energy rising from the island was already visible.

“Dillon, we’ll be staying here for the next few years!” Roaya smiled. “Sorry, but our era still needs to wait a little longer.”

“Of course, Lord Roaya!” Dillon’s gaze at Roaya’s back was fervent.

Only after joining the Rocks Pirates did he realize how vast the world truly was.

The distance between him and the pinnacle of the sea was like the difference between sky and ocean. Even a lifetime wouldn’t be enough to ride the waves of the era. Among the Rocks Pirates, he was like a stray dog unnoticed by anyone.

So two years ago, when Roaya joined the Rocks Pirates, Dillon realized that if he followed this destined-to-reach-the-top child, perhaps he too could catch a glimpse of the cresting waves.

From then on, Roaya gained a loyal and capable follower.

“Landfall, to the endless land of war. Truly something to look forward to!”