The instant Buggy blurted out that name, Jinbe's eyes flicked with surprise.
"Oh?"
"You actually know our leader?"
That one sentence was enough.
Buggy went stiff, swallowing hard—his throat dry like sand.
He didn't answer Jinbe at all.
His mind had already snapped into panic.
"Rōmu… isn't dead?"
"How is that even possible?!"
Memories slammed back into him—back when he was still a brat, hustling money by selling that God Valley battle recording.
He had watched it himself.
Rocks fell. The Navy "won."
And before those thirteen freakish, inhuman monsters appeared…
Rōmu was carving through the Navy's top forces like cutting vegetables.
Buggy's forehead beaded with cold sweat.
Fear spread through his bones.
Because he knew one thing better than anyone here:
His Captain, Roger, had deep ties with that man.
And if Rōmu really returned…
then this war wasn't just big.
It was unfair.
"Who even is Rōmu?!"
Luffy suddenly flashed to Buggy's side and poked his shoulder.
Buggy jumped back half a step like he'd been stabbed.
Luffy leaned in anyway, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Hey."
"Who is Rōmu, really?"
"He can be a Warlord's leader… that sounds insane."
The pirates on deck instantly swarmed Buggy like ducks.
"Yeah! Tell us!"
"How have we never heard of him?!"
"A Warlord's leader… what kind of strength is that?"
"Can he beat a Yonko?!"
Crocodile, sitting casually on a cannon barrel, let out a low, mocking snort.
Jinbe didn't laugh—but his expression said the same thing.
A Yonko?
Don't make them laugh.
Buggy's usual clowning finally vanished.
His face went uncharacteristically serious.
"I don't know exactly how strong he is…"
"But if it's that man…"
"…then the Navy is going to get wiped."
The deck erupted in disbelief.
"What?! Wiped?!"
"That's impossible!"
"Marineford is a pirate graveyard!"
"One man flips the entire Navy? No way—four Emperors together couldn't do that!"
Even Luffy frowned, suspicious.
He wanted to save Ace more than anything…
but one person deciding the outcome of a war that huge?
He didn't buy it.
Buggy clicked his tongue, contempt dripping.
"Bunch of country chickens."
Then he spoke—slowly, clearly—like he wanted every word to punch into their skulls.
The Name the World Buried: Rocks
"Forty years ago…"
"There was a man called the 'Sea Tyrant.'"
"Rocks."
"His crew challenged the Navy head-on like it was routine."
"They didn't even care about Celestial Dragons."
"They met them—they killed them."
The pirates froze.
A crew that fought the Navy as a habit…?
A crew that slaughtered Celestial Dragons…?
That sounded like madness.
Buggy's pride swelled.
He continued, voice rising.
"And how strong was the Rocks Pirates?"
"Simple."
"Whitebeard."
"Kaido."
"Big Mom."
"Shiki."
"All of them were Rocks' crew."
"And Rocks himself…"
"…was stronger than all of them."
A wave of shock rolled across the deck.
Then Buggy's tone turned colder.
"But later…"
"They lost."
"Rocks died."
"The crew disbanded."
Some pirates instantly went pale.
If even that crew got crushed…
then what chance did they have at Marineford?
Even if Rōmu was "Yonko level," that still wouldn't matter—
That was what they were thinking.
Buggy sneered.
Then he dropped the real bomb.
The Monster Above Monsters
"But."
"That Rōmu…"
"…was a monster even Rocks didn't compare to."
He raised a finger.
"As for what he did?"
"One versus nine."
"One move."
"Instantly deleted a top-tier Navy powerhouse."
The deck went silent.
Buggy kept going, voice sharp, almost trembling with old fear.
"After that…"
"Even with Kong, Sengoku, Garp—eight people together…"
"They still couldn't touch him."
"He played them like toys."
"As for the current Admirals?"
"They weren't even qualified to step onto the stage."
The pirates stood there like statues.
This was beyond exaggeration.
Beyond logic.
Buggy swallowed once and finished the part that made his skin crawl.
"And then…"
"Thirteen… things appeared."
"Each one beyond Admiral level."
"Even then, Rōmu fought them alone."
"In the end…"
"Those thirteen monsters and Rōmu…"
"…vanished together."
"The world believed he was dead."
A long, dead silence.
Then the pirates exploded.
"No way!!"
"That's not real!!"
"If someone like that existed, why have we never heard of him?!"
Luffy frowned hard and pointed straight at Buggy.
"Big Nose…"
"Your lie is way too crazy."
"If he was that strong, then he should've been Pirate King."
"But the Pirate King was Gol D. Roger."
Everyone nodded violently.
Exactly.
Buggy's face twitched.
Because he couldn't explain the truth.
Not here.
Not now.
Not with his life on the line.
He grit his teeth, got angry out of embarrassment, and split his head from his body in rage.
"I'm not explaining anything to you idiots!"
"Just watch!"
The Gate of Justice
Then Jinbe's voice suddenly thundered over the deck—
"Everyone, get ready!"
"The Gate of Justice is right ahead!!"
The laughter died instantly.
The sea grew heavy.
And far ahead—
a massive structure began to emerge through the mist.
The Gate of Justice.
Marineford — "The Navy's Entire Fortune"
Marineford had become a steel fortress.
Every Marine was buzzing with tension, ready to collide with Whitebeard's coming storm.
On the city wall—
Garp's veins bulged as he lowered his voice toward Sengoku.
"…Can't we cancel Ace's execution?"
He knew it was impossible.
But Ace was the grandson he'd raised.
This was his last attempt.
Sengoku's "frog" glasses flashed.
His voice was cold and absolute.
"This isn't just an execution."
"It's a declaration to the world."
"I understand how you feel."
"But Ace's execution cannot be stopped."
BAM!
Garp's fist smashed a stone pillar beside him.
"Damn it…!"
Down below, the Warlords stood in formation.
And Hancock—usually ice-cold, looking down on everyone—
quietly scanned the tens of thousands of Marines…
the three Admirals…
the execution platform.
Her lips pressed tight.
In her mind, only one name surfaced:
Leader.
Worry flickered in her eyes.
Then it vanished—replaced by unwavering resolve.
"I won't let anyone hurt him."
Even if it cost her life.
Ace Appears
Inside a dim corridor—
clang…
Chains dragged across the floor.
A worn figure emerged first—
Ace.
No longer proud or fiery.
Seastone chains bound his hands and feet, killing all strength.
Head lowered, he was marched forward by two armed guards.
The gate to the execution platform opened.
Sunlight stabbed down.
Ace blinked, adjusting to the glare—
then stepped forward, slow and heavy.
"He's here… Fire Fist Ace!!"
A roar surged through the plaza like a wave.
People couldn't believe it—
that such a young man was about to become the fuse for a world war.
The guards forced him down.
Ace knelt on the platform, head bowed, silent.
Then—
steady footsteps approached.
Kong.
Sengoku.
Garp.
They arrived and lined up before the platform.
Seagulls with video Den Den Mushi immediately zoomed in—
broadcasting their faces to the entire world.
The crowd watching worldwide went insane.
"Those are the Navy's three pillars!"
"And the Admirals!"
"And the Warlords!"
"And the Giants!"
"This is basically the Navy's whole fortune!!"
Some even laughed nervously.
"Isn't this too much… even for Whitebeard, Shiki, and Kaido?"
Then the Unthinkable Happens
A shadow moved from the deep tunnel again.
Five elderly figures stepped out.
Four in suits of different colors.
One in a loose kimono—
a long blade hanging at his side.
On the wall, Doflamingo's eyelid twitched under his sunglasses.
He whispered, shaken:
"…The Five Elders?"
Even as a Celestial Dragon, he knew what this meant.
These five weren't "politicians."
They were the true core of the World Government.
And if they were here—
this war had just crossed into a category the world had never seen.
Far Away — Rōmu Watches
Rōmu wasn't at Marineford yet.
But through Tesoro's network, he was watching the live feed.
He gave a small "oh," almost bored.
"So the five old geezers showed up too."
His expression didn't change.
Forty years ago, he could deal with them.
Now—with natural energy and Sage Mode—
they were just…
deliveries.
What he felt wasn't fear.
It was impatience.
"Eight-hundred-year-old monsters…"
"Today I'll see what you're really made of."
His eyes narrowed.
"And I'm not giving you time anymore."
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