Chapter 133: Roy: Gossip About Myself?
The young sailor who went to sea to save his mother returned from the Grand Line.
But that was not the end of the story, only the beginning.
Soon, a new maritime legend began to circulate in the Grand Line.
It was the legend of 'Neverland'.
It was said to be an incredible island, like a fairy tale wonderland.
It wasn't fixed in one place but roamed freely within the Grand Line.
On that island lived countless legendary creatures—Sphinxes, Griffins, Chimeras, as well as fire-like faeries and dancing trees.
It was said that when sailors encountered the island, a faerie would appear, guiding them to land and allowing the island's god to grant their wishes.
Whether wishing for gold and treasure, food and ships, or health and cure, they could get what they desired.
Of course, there were also rumors that the island's god disliked greedy people seeking gold and wealth—so treasures brought from the island would soon dissipate into the air.
But regardless, people yearned for it.
As things developed, some rules of the island gradually spread.
It was said wish-makers needed to bring enough precious items—gold, silver, treasures, gems were all acceptable.
Besides that, they also needed to offer their own life and part of their lifespan to exchange for the truly precious rewards.
Among all rewards, the most precious was the island's unique 'Treasure'.
Its name was—Fountain of Youth.
Just these three words were undoubtedly enough to drive countless people crazy.
Especially after a certain merchant paid over 3 billion Berries and the lifespan of fifty retinues to exchange for a drop of the Fountain of Youth, and truly regained his youth for a period.
Countless people in the Grand Line began tracking Neverland.
Nobles of various kingdoms, greedy pirates, merchants full of money—countless ambitious people flocked there. Many even saw 'Neverland' as their greatest hope for future wealth.
Finding Neverland, draining the Fountain of Youth, capturing those mythical beasts... the potential profit was so huge that just imagining it made their heads spin.
But soon, someone discovered.
That fairy tale island wasn't as weak as imagined.
It was said famous pirates in the Grand Line landed on the island with weapons.
And they never left.
Over time, more legends appeared.
For example, some claimed they learned from the Miss Faerie on the island that all legendary dream creatures had the duty to guard the island—the strongest among them were called 'Mythical Beast Lords', servants of the island god.
Anyone landing with malice and evil thoughts would eventually perish in their mouths.
Only those who landed with goodwill and followed the island god's rules had a chance to realize their wishes.
Even nursery rhymes compiled from this maritime legend began to appear throughout the Grand Line.
"Island of Dreams, Land of Wishes."
"Moon sails sway, Starlight oars play."
"Faerie with lantern sings in the mist."
"Lost souls, dream chasers, pray sincerely to the Island Spirit, return home laden with gifts."
"Greedy ones, wielding blades, vines and rainbow springs become nooses, bones sink into the ocean."
"To be honest, this nursery rhyme sounds a bit off, right? Which kid made this up?"
Marineford, Inside the Tower, Grand Conference Room.
Roy, having just heard the nursery rhyme, commented sharply.
"Indeed."
Beside him, the one responding was an acquaintance—Giant Vice Admiral 'Great Sword' Hammer.
Yes, the one Roy defeated on the spot during the Tri-Force Demonstration and learned Elbaf martial arts from.
"This nursery rhyme sounds too boring."
However, this Giant Vice Admiral who became friends with Roy after a fight seemed very cheerful.
Warriors of Elbaf never hold grudges—on the contrary, the strength Roy displayed last time earned the respect of this power-worshipping Giant warrior.
So he laughed heartily. "Still, the nursery rhymes I sang as a kid had more kick—Slash the head, crush the bone and blood, war banner flies, blood sprays..."
"Ah... enough, enough."
Roy quickly waved his hand to stop him. "The education your Giant children receive is indeed... forceful."
"Yeah, pity King Harald banned spreading those rhymes back then..."
Vice Admiral Hammer smacked his lips, then looked at Roy. "By the way, Black Judge—why are you sitting next to me?"
He looked at Roy curiously. "This is a temporary meeting for Headquarters officers... According to rank, you should sit over there, right?"
He pointed to the front.
Indeed, the Grand Conference Room was packed.
Their badges and powerful auras indicated—they were all Commodore-rank officers or above, without exception.
Sitting at the very front were 'Akainu' Sakazuki and 'Kizaru' Borsalino.
Kizaru looked sloppy as usual.
Akainu sat silently, radiating an aura of "do not approach".
The last Admiral, 'Aokiji', wasn't present. He was currently guarding Mary Geoise and wouldn't leave easily.
Behind the two Admirals sat 'Momousagi' Gion, while the other Admiral Candidate 'Chaton' Tokikake was on a mission away from Headquarters.
This was the default rule for officer meetings—Admirals at the front, Admiral Candidates next, then other Vice Admirals and Commodores.
So logically, Roy, as 'Black Judge', should sit in that position.
Of course, this rule was just a default, not mandatory.
For example, Roy right now.
"..."
He paused for a moment, then decided to tell the truth. "This is my first time attending such a meeting. I'm worried if I fall asleep in the front row later, Fleet Admiral Sengoku will give me trouble."
"...Huh?"
Bang.
Just as the Giant Vice Admiral was speechless, the conference room door opened.
Sengoku walked in.
Beside him, closely following, was 'Great Staff Officer' Tsuru.
But what surprised Roy was...
There was a clear fist mark on Sengoku's face, and his nose was bandaged, obviously bleeding.
For reference—almost all officers above Commodore rank at Headquarters were present, with one exception.
'Iron Fist' Garp.
So the source of the fist mark on Sengoku's face was self-evident.
This surprised Roy.
He heard from Zephyr that although Garp was usually heartless in front of Sengoku, laughing and fighting with him often...
After Sengoku became Fleet Admiral, Garp would still consider Sengoku's face somewhat. Even if they fought physically, he usually wouldn't hit the face.
So Roy was genuinely curious—what happened between these two?
He even regretted a bit. If he knew the meeting would start so explosively, he should have sat in the front row to watch the drama properly.
"Gentlemen, prepare for the meeting."
But Sengoku, with a fist mark on his face, looked calm.
"Today's meeting topic is 'The Zodiac'."
He got straight to the point. His words made Roy pause slightly, then turn serious.
Good grief, gossiping about myself?
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