Chapter 108: The Handsome Old Man Who Sold Himself for Booze
Splash.
The crash of waves filled Roy's ears.
His body cut through the water with steady strokes. Even with the waves battering him, the three girls tied to him by rope, and the female slaves helping support them, Roy still showed no sign of slowing down.
Sometimes the sea was calm, as still as a polished mirror. Other times it roared and heaved, the surface rising and falling in rolling swells. Blue waves rippled to the horizon, white foam blooming and vanishing in endless patterns. Far away, sea and sky blended into a single line.
Under the bright sun, the surface glittered with silver light. Deep below, in the dark water, shadows of fish flickered past now and then.
Thankfully, no Sea Kings or giant sea beasts came close. If one had surfaced beside them, the numb faces of the female slaves would probably have broken into pure screaming terror.
That same day, a tide of slaves burst out of Mary Geoise, fleeing not long after Roy and his group escaped. The moment they tasted freedom, their will to live ignited like oil on a flame. They were nowhere near as strong as Roy, but in a crisis with no escape route, anyone could show a terrifying will to survive.
Because there was no going back.
Behind them was hell, the holy land on top of the Red Line.
Splash.
Cold seawater slapped against his cheek. Roy was soaked from head to toe, his muscles burning as he swam, one arm wrapped firmly around Hancock.
Nearby, the other female slaves were doing their part. They took turns guiding Sandersonia and Marigold across the open sea, sharing the strain of dragging a chain of exhausted Devil Fruit users.
Roy had been right to take these women with him.
With them here, he could distribute the burden and still keep the Boa sisters afloat. Alone, even he would have struggled to tow them all for long.
"Damn it…"
Pressed against Roy's chest, Hancock bit her lip.
The icy seawater had seeped into her bones. The only warmth she could feel came from the boy holding her, his body heat bleeding through their soaked clothes.
But that was not what she hated.
Hancock's hatred was directed inward. She hated her own weakness.
She had been forced to eat a Devil Fruit, turned into a helpless ability user. Now she could not help at all. Worse, she had become dead weight for someone who could swim.
What would someone as proud as Hancock think?
She wanted to help him. She needed to help him.
Even a monster would collapse from exhaustion one day, right?
Then…
Feeling light headed from the seawater and the cold gnawing at her strength, little Hancock shifted slightly, adjusting how she rested against him.
"Do not worry. I am not going to collapse from exhaustion," Roy said.
Then he immediately shut his mouth.
Ugh. Salt water tasted awful. One word was enough.
Disgusting.
He had the stamina to keep going. He had to.
If he collapsed here, they would all drown together.
He could not collapse, and he would not collapse.
Held firmly in his arm, Hancock looked up at his face from the corner of her eye. She murmured a soft "Mm," and forced her fear back down.
…But it was strange.
Could he read her expression?
Did he have some kind of mind reading ability?
How had this guy guessed exactly what she was worrying about?
(Toki: Ah, little sister, you are way too young.)
"Look, an island!"
"No… wait, cough, cough, it looks more like a tree?"
Two of the female slaves squinted toward the horizon, shouting with joy. The next moment both of them choked on a mouthful of seawater.
Not long after that, they dragged themselves ashore.
Sabaody Archipelago.
Roy, the three Boa sisters, and the female slaves sprawled across the damp ground, then slowly pulled themselves upright and took in their surroundings.
Sabaody was not a proper landmass.
The entire "island" was made from the tangled roots of colossal mangrove trees, the Yarukiman Mangroves, the largest mangrove species in the world. The place was divided into seventy nine numbered zones, each one built around a towering tree.
Dreamlike bubbles drifted up everywhere, rising in clusters and ribbons into the sky. They were formed from sticky mangrove resin, expanding as gases built up and then breaking free in translucent spheres.
The bubbles floated upward, rode the air currents out of the local climate zone, soared into the sky, and then popped with soft cracks.
In his previous life, Roy had loved One Piece.
Luffy's ridiculous jokes and the Straw Hats' friendship were each worth five points.
Another big part of that love was the girls, of course.
But beyond that, the original author's imagination was what fascinated him. All these strange islands, fantastical landscapes, bizarre customs, and vivid cultures, all scattered across the Grand Line like jewels.
It had been his happiness from childhood, through his school days, all the way into adulthood.
Damn it. He had started reading as a kid, had worked for years in his last life… and it still had not ended.
The sound of footsteps reached him from the distance.
Roy's fingers curled around the hilt of his blade. He raised the sword and held it horizontally in front of him, gaze locked on the direction of the noise.
Whether it was Marines stationed at Sabaody, human traffickers, or pirates, none of it was good news for them.
"Oi, look at that! Such pretty girls and women. We can definitely get a good price for them."
"Hehehe, look at that handsome little brat. I bet some female Celestial Dragons with special tastes will love him too."
"He could easily sell for one hundred million Berries!"
Roy stared at the approaching group.
A bunch of human traffickers were trotting toward them, drool practically hanging from their chins.
When he heard their words, his face went dark.
Damn it. When the nun had set a value on his life back then, even the CP agents chasing him had been worth at least a billion… maybe several billion.
And that was decades ago.
Now these idiots dared to look down on him like this?
Without a word, Roy drew his sword and charged straight at them.
You dare underestimate me?
I will chop you all into pieces.
"Hahaha, did the brat lose his mind?"
"Overestimating yourself, kid."
"He is begging for it. Brothers, watch the goods. Do not damage them, or we will lose money."
"Got it, hahaha!"
The traffickers smirked as they readied their weapons. Some hefted swords, others raised flintlock pistols. Looking at Roy rush at them, they felt nothing but amusement.
In their eyes, it was like watching a bag of walking Berries run into their arms.
After all, he was just a ragged child. How dangerous could he be?
Roy had vanished from the world decades ago, and the people of that era had long forgotten him. To them, he had been nothing but a flashy but short lived genius who died young.
As for the younger generation… none of them even knew his name.
Clang.
Roy's blade came down, and the leading trafficker lazily brought up his curved sword to block.
A heartbeat later, his eyes bulged.
The impact hammered through his arm. Roy's sword hit like a cannon shot, smashing his scimitar aside and flinging him backward.
Puff.
Steel flashed, and Roy's next thrust punched straight through the man's chest. Blood sprayed the ground.
Without slowing, Roy ripped his blade free and swept it sideways at the others.
"Shoot him!"
The sight of one of their own being butchered in an instant wiped the grins off their faces. The traffickers finally realized they had run into a little monster.
At that point, there was only one thing to do.
Forget the goods.
You protected your life first. They all understood that simple truth.
Unfortunately for them, Roy was only small in appearance.
His strength was already far beyond what small time scum like them could handle.
Like a young tyrannosaurus dropped into a flock of sheep, Roy tore through them in a brutal slaughter.
"Oh?"
Not far away, in another zone of the archipelago, a handsome older man in flip flops strolled lazily along a street.
He paused, turning his head toward the distant commotion.
What a skilled kid.
What a quick sword.
"Wait…"
The older man's expression shifted. He stared at the distant young swordsman, surprise flickering in his eyes.
That face, that style of movement.
Why did that boy look so familiar?
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