"Seriously... there's really nothing I can hide from you, you bastard of a captain."
Ritter sighed.
The relaxed expression on his face faded slightly.
He really did have something weighing on his mind.
And it was a heavy one.
Ever since returning to this era, one question had been lingering in the back of his mind like a shadow.
Just how powerful was Imu now?
To be honest, Ritter had also wanted to witness Joy Boy's final battle with Imu.
Unfortunately, Vitan's memories did not extend to that period.
And Ritter couldn't simply wait around until the two of them finally fought.
He didn't have that kind of time.
If he really waited until then, Luffy might already have become the Pirate King by the time Ritter returned.
Maybe he still wouldn't even be back.
He had spent less than two years in the past.
Yet nearly ten years had passed in the present.
You had to understand that, excluding the time Luffy spent training during his two-year journey, he had only been out at sea for less than two years.
And within just a few months, that lunatic had already been capable of clashing with the world's greatest powers during the Summit War.
The timeline they were talking about was the moment Luffy left the barrel.
Who knew how long that massive idiot had actually been drifting around the sea before that?
Imu was an undisputed genius.
Ritter had already experienced that firsthand eight hundred years ago.
And while Ritter had been away, those eight hundred years had passed in their entirety for Imu.
Eight hundred years of uninterrupted time.
The resources of the World Government.
With Imu's temperament and natural talent...
Just how terrifying would his growth have been?
Ritter himself was becoming stronger as well.
He had even absorbed an enormous amount of life energy from Piruka.
But he knew very well that most of that energy had been used to lay the foundation for Vitan and extend her lifespan.
As for the violent energy he had absorbed directly, he still needed time to completely digest and integrate it.
The energy he transferred to Vitan was gentle.
But energy was still energy.
Conservation of energy existed for a reason.
The more violent energy he absorbed, the more difficult it was to truly transform it into a part of his own strength.
Every single step required time.
A genius who had cultivated for eight hundred years...
Ritter could almost imagine how monstrous Imu had become by now.
That was not an opponent he could face by simply piling up more raw power.
So he had to be careful.
"I need time."
Ritter looked at Roger.
"I need to fully digest everything I gained from this trip."
"Until then, I don't want the World Government, especially Imu, to know that I've returned."
"Let them think I'm still missing."
Low profile.
It wasn't just to avoid Barrett's endless challenges or Tesoro's mountain of paperwork.
More importantly, Ritter needed time to accumulate strength.
At present, he could be considered one of the absolute peaks of the sea's publicly known powers.
But the publicly known peak of the sea wasn't enough.
Roger looked at him.
The joking expression disappeared from his face.
He nodded.
Although he didn't know the specific details, he could feel the seriousness in Ritter's voice.
"Need help?"
Roger's question was simple and direct.
Ritter shook his head.
"No."
"This isn't a battle I can fight alone anyway."
"And... to put it bluntly, if I don't want to die, there's nothing they can really do to me."
There was one thing Ritter didn't say.
He now possessed Pluton.
He even had an immature Poseidon on his side.
And his connections spread across the entire sea.
The ocean was simply too vast.
If Ritter wanted to run, nobody could stop him.
Besides...
Wasn't there a Chosen One in this world?
Ritter had come here to enjoy the world.
He had never intended to save it.
So the pressure he felt was actually far smaller than most people would imagine.
In the future, Luffy might defeat Imu.
Imu might even be redeemed.
Maybe there was some tragic backstory behind everything.
Anything was possible.
But there was one thing Ritter was absolutely certain about.
If one day Luffy was defeated by Imu...
Then Oda would have to commit ritual suicide.
Ritter paused.
"Wouldn't it be more interesting to secretly become stronger..."
"And then shock everyone?"
Roger burst into laughter again.
"Gurarararara!"
"Exactly!"
"Now that sounds like you!"
His laughter echoed through the peaceful evening of Foosha Village.
The heavy atmosphere was swept away slightly.
But the string in Ritter's heart had already been pulled tight.
The two of them were still talking when Makino walked over from the direction of the bar.
She was holding several newly arrived newspapers and wanted posters.
She smiled brightly.
"Rouge! Mr. Roger! Ritter?!"
"You're back!"
"These are the latest newspapers and wanted posters."
"Some of them are actually quite interesting."
Ritter nodded at Makino.
"Please keep my return a secret, Miss Makino~"
Makino looked rather confused.
But she still nodded.
Roger curiously took the newspapers from her and began flipping through them.
When he saw one particular report, his eyes immediately lit up.
He pointed at the photograph and called out to Ritter.
"Oi, Ritter! Look at this kid!"
"You've been away for so long that you probably don't know him!"
"He's that old geezer Garp's grandson!"
"Monkey D. Luffy!"
"Shanks really likes this kid too."
"He even gave him the straw hat!"
The newspaper carried a report about Luffy attacking Captain Morgan's base.
There was also a slightly blurry photograph.
Even so, the boy's straw hat and brilliant smile were clearly visible.
Ritter cooperated perfectly.
He put on an appropriately surprised expression and leaned over to take a look.
"Vice Admiral Garp's grandson?"
"And he's wearing Shanks' hat?"
"Hoho... this kid certainly knows how to cause trouble."
Ritter naturally knew Luffy.
But at this point, he really had never met him.
So he pretended to be seeing Luffy for the first time.
Inside, however, he was thinking:
The gears of fate have finally started turning.
Roger then pulled out two more wanted posters.
One was Ace.
The boy in the photograph wore an orange cowboy hat and had a confident smile on his face.
His epithet was Fire Fist.
His bounty had reached a terrifying 450 million Berries.
The other was Ann.
The girl on the wanted poster had a calm expression.
Her long golden hair fluttered gently in the wind.
She was still holding that familiar sunflower plushie in her arms.
Her epithet was Giant Sword.
Her bounty had reached an even more astonishing 500 million Berries!
Ritter even caught a glimpse of Kuina in Ann's appearance.
"These two little brats!"
Roger cursed them despite the pride practically overflowing from his eyes.
"They've actually made a name for themselves!"
"It's just a shame they don't know how to come home and visit!"
Rouge also walked over.
She looked at the wanted posters of Ace and Ann.
Her expression was complicated.
There was worry.
There was relief.
But more than anything else...
There was a deep longing.
She gently sighed.
"At least Ace and Ann still send us news."
"I know they're out there making their way across the sea..."
"But that boy Sabo..."
Her voice was filled with worry.
"After he went to sea, aside from being wanted once at the beginning, we haven't heard anything from him at all."
"That is what worries me the most."
Ritter looked at Rouge's worried expression.
His heart stirred slightly.
I really want to know where Sabo is.
But he couldn't tell Rouge these things yet.
Sabo's identity was too sensitive.
The fewer people who knew, the safer he would be.
And Ritter had no intention of dragging Rouge into even deeper worry.
As for Sabo dying...
How was that even possible?
That was a kid trained by both Ritter and Roger.
Ritter could only comfort her.
"Sis, don't worry too much."
"That brat Sabo is smart as hell."
"And his strength isn't weak either."
"He'll definitely be fine."
"Maybe he's secretly training somewhere."
"Or perhaps he's carrying out some kind of special mission."
"Sometimes, no news is actually the best news."
Rouge forced a faint smile.
She nodded.
But the worry in her eyes did not completely disappear.
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