One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 186 The roots of the world have rotted!

half a month later.

"So I'm saying—what's going on here? The Warring States Marshal?"

Inside the marshal's office in the castle tower, Roy slammed his hand on Sengoku's desk, which was extremely impolite.

"Roy, don't rush. Sit down and have some tea first."

"I don't drink tea!"

"That's Coca-Cola—I knew you were going to ask for it."

The attitude of the Warring States period was quite humble.

"I guarantee tomorrow will be the last time this week."

"But tomorrow is already the weekend. Glug glug, I've participated in a full twelve patrols this week! Twelve!"

"I've only been back at headquarters for less than twenty minutes, and you're already telling me there will be another one tomorrow?"

Loy complained bitterly.

"'Mad Fang General' Mor, 'Black Spider' Harland, 'Origami' Callissis. I didn't capture these pirates, nor was I in charge of detaining them. Why is the credit being given to me?"

"Also, considering my recent travels around the world, isn't the government giving me a bit too much publicity?"

What he was saying at that moment was exactly what he had recently been experiencing.

Yes.

Since the Battle of Totland, Roy has been almost constantly busy for the past two weeks.

To his surprise, the world government, for some inexplicable reason, began to promote him and create momentum for him.

Enies Lobby, Impel Down, and the Marine Headquarters all joined forces, attributing many credits that did not originally belong to him to him. Roy had investigated and found that these arrested pirates were not captured by people within the Marines; most likely, they were pirates secretly dealt with by the World Government itself.

This also led to Lloyd's growing fame while he was sitting at the base.
Even today, he is still a 'general candidate'.

However, in terms of reputation, he was even more famous than the three admirals—especially after his plaque, which he had obtained by accident, was exposed. Many member states of the World Government even invited him over, just to have him come and appease the people.

In the World Government's propaganda, he has been officially defined as "the backbone of the fight against the Twelve Constellations" and "a new generation of hero of the Navy".

But the key issue is...
“I’ve never seen the twelve constellations before, I don’t recognize any of them—and that plaque isn’t what I wanted!”

Roy was truly speechless.

What kind of situation is this—making the Star Lord fight against the Twelve Constellations?
What genius came up with this idea?

"In fact, you won't have much of a chance to deal with them."

Upon hearing this, Sengoku said seriously, "Roy, I know you are very dissatisfied with this—but you also see. The stability of the sea needs you now."

"Whether it's an accident, a misunderstanding, or your ability—your 'reputation' is indeed very important."

He was somewhat helpless when he said this.

After the Totto Land incident a while ago, the Navy Headquarters was naturally one of the most overwhelmed places.

The fall of the Four Emperors had far-reaching consequences.

The complete rise of the Twelve Constellations has made the situation in Paradise and the original four seas unstable—recently, countless pirates wearing sea beast masks and claiming to be members of the Twelve Constellations have appeared on the high seas.

The situation within the various countries of the entire ocean is also unstable. Recently, the kings of two member states even died of depression because they were worried about the twelve constellations.

Therefore, the Warring States period, which had experienced the most chaotic era of the seas, would have accepted the World Government's request to promote Roy.

In fact, this situation was not unfamiliar to him.

In the past, the God Valley incident caused the sea to tremble, and the Pirate King 'Roger' began to rise.

The Navy also used a similar approach to create the 'Naval Hero' Garp.

Of course, the difference between the two is...

Garp did participate in the God Valley Incident, and subsequently spent half his life dealing with Roger.

But Roy had never seen the twelve constellations.

Moreover, as Sengoku said, even if the Navy Headquarters were to discover traces of the Twelve Constellations in the future, it would be difficult to consider Roy, this 'idol,' as a primary consideration.

After all, if he loses to the twelve constellations, the subsequent impact will be even greater.

"Please, Roy—this is for justice, not for the stability of the sea."

The Warring States period sighed.

He said something similar to Karp back then.

Once the ocean becomes unstable, countless people will die in its turbulent whirlpools.

But as long as the situation at sea remains stable, at least most people can survive.

Stability is the most important thing.

For this reason, Sengoku was even willing to go against his conscience and temporarily acquiesce to the 'dark side' of the World Government.

He believed that as long as the sea remained stable and given enough time, he could gradually resolve those problems.

If he fails, he will find a qualified successor—he believes that generation after generation, one day true 'justice' will reign supreme.

"."

As for Sengoku, Roy didn't say much.

He simply raised his can of cola, drank it all in one gulp, and then walked out.

But before leaving, he turned his head slightly and glanced at Sengoku: "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, was the injury on your face inflicted by Vice Admiral Garp?"

He asked this question.

Yes—at this moment, there were clear fist marks on Sengoku's face again.

It's a little lighter than last time, but it's still quite noticeable.

".Um."

Sengoku nodded slightly.

"Your boxing skills are quite good."

Roy smiled, then waved and walked out of the office.

Yes.

He certainly couldn't agree with what the Warring States period said—and now he was entitled to express that 'disagreement'.

Stability is certainly key to the existence of the world, and taking a gradual approach in the big picture is the wise choice.

But
"No matter how much you try to stabilize a tree that is rotten at the root, it is meaningless to prune its branches."

"Only by knocking it down and digging out its roots can it survive."

Roy murmured to himself.

On the surface, he returned to his dormitory with a sour face.

The soldiers in the detention center, who were well aware of Roy's recent situation, naturally did not disturb their superior, who had been working long hours lately.

Well, in fact, not long ago, Lieutenant Hans, who had just been discharged from the hospital and promoted, did go and bother them, and is still in charge of cleaning the toilets in the detention center.

Meanwhile, back in her dorm, Roy expertly closed the door.

[Fruit Loaded - Baby Fruit - Mirage Form LV5]

After creating the illusion that he was sleeping in the room, Roy did not hesitate to grab at the air.

The portal opened, and he stepped inside.

Inside the alternate dimension, Roy strolled slowly.

Soon, he saw a simple nursery in the alternate dimension.

The plants in the nursery are like a dream, and in the center of all the nurseries is a huge flower.

As Roy stepped inside, the flower slowly opened.

From within the petals, individual 'soul stardust' were shimmering with dazzling light.

"almost."

Roy glanced at it briefly and murmured to himself.

Then, he casually grabbed at the air.

He put on a sea monster headdress.

Then, streaks of starlight surged around him.

In just a moment, the recently renowned Navy Vice Admiral 'Black Xie' transformed into 'Star Lord'.

Then, he gently waved his hand at one of the soul fragments.

[Fruit Loading: Hades Fruit LV5 - Gain absolute control over the soul]

The fragment of soul star slowly flew to the Star Lord's side.

And only now can we clearly see that the essence of that stardust is a ghost-like 'spirit'.

Within the spirit body lies a pink fragment of the soul.

Of course, calling them 'fragments' at this point is not entirely accurate.

Because that wisp of soul, which was originally broken and on the verge of extinction, has now almost been restored to a state of perfection.

"Mmm, I slept so well—wait, is that the Star Lord?"

At that moment, an innocent voice came from within that soul.

"it's me."

The Star Lord nodded slightly and spoke gently.

Then, he gently waved his hand.

"Buzz!"

An invisible change appeared around him.

[Fruit Awakening - This is the Underworld]

[A designated area can be designated as the Netherworld, where souls can exist in a soul form, possessing a physical body and senses, and can even eat food, but cannot attack people.]

The next moment, the spirit body underwent a transformation—it expanded in an instant, then grew hands, feet, and a body. A few moments later, a semi-transparent figure appeared before the Star Lord.

She was a chubby little girl with pink hair.

And the Star Lord naturally knew who she was—she was BIGMOM, Charlotte Linlin.

only.
"As expected. My soul is stuck at six years old, no, is it seven now?"

Roy muttered to himself.

"Ok?"

At this moment, Lingling, who had reappeared, looked as if she had taken a very long nap.

She rubbed her eyes sleepily at first, but then seemed to notice something special about her hands: "Huh!? Lingling isn't dead? — Eh!? How amazing, I'm actually transparent?"

Children's attention is always easily drawn.

But Lingling was a good child, so she quickly remembered the important thing: "Star Lord, Xiu."

She seemed to instinctively want to ask Sister Carmel, but then she seemed to remember something and frowned: "Oh right, the nun was a bad person, and she wanted everyone in Tottoland to die with her."

She said this while biting her lip, still seeming somewhat sad.

But the next moment...
"clatter."

The Star Lord snapped his fingers lightly.

The next moment, countless sweets and desserts appeared out of thin air from the dream clouds.

【Dreamy Creations: Dessert Mountain】

then
"Ah! It's a cake!"

Lingling instantly cheered up again and rushed towards the snacks and food.

She popped more than ten pieces of cake into her mouth, then happily chewed, covering her chin with her hand: "So delicious—ah, Star Lord, is this one for you?"

She picked up a piece of cake, hesitated for a moment, and then handed it to the Star Lord.

The Star Lord chuckled as he accepted the cake, then calmly watched Lingling enjoy the meal.

But after eating for a while
"By the way—this food is so delicious, we should all share it!"

At that moment, Lingling seemed to suddenly remember something and exclaimed, "Star Lord, where are Katakuri and the others? Where are the people of Totto Land? And where are the people of the House of the Lambs?"

She asked this question, but the Star Lord didn't find it strange.

After synthesizing and mastering the 'Netherworld Fruit', he was very clear about Lingling's current situation.

In the past, her soul and the souls of the children of the House of Lambs were absorbed and merged by Sister Carmel when she was six years old, and they coexisted in her body as "soul fragments," with no distinction between them.

Lingling's soul was already shattered at that time, remaining frozen at the age of six.

But at the same time, it seems that due to her innate strength—her soul was also extremely resilient, so much so that even at the age of six, her soul could suppress Sister Carmel for many years.

So, compared to the other children, Lingling has retained the memories of these years.

She remembers that she is the queen of the Totto Land family, she remembers her children, and she still possesses the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit.

But there was no longer anything unclean in her soul; only seven-year-old Lingling herself remained.

"Katakuri and Tottoran are both very good."

Then, the Star Lord said softly, "As for the other children of the Lamb's House—their soul fragments are much weaker than yours, and it will probably take a few more days for them to recover."

"Everyone's waking up? Great—we can play together again!"

"But in that case, these snacks..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Lingling's face light up with a surprised smile.

But then, she scratched her head in annoyance.

Then, she gritted her teeth and put down the pastry in her hand.

"We need to save this for everyone to eat together!"

Having said that, she reluctantly left the pile of pastries.

Star Lord: "."

"As for snacks, you can have as many as you want—"

That's what he said at first.

But after seeing Lingling's eyes light up instantly, he added, "But before that, Lingling, I need to confirm two things."

"no problem!"

Upon hearing the Star Lord's words, Lingling patted her chest readily and said, "You saved Lingling and everyone else—anything Lingling can help you with is no problem!"

Upon hearing Lingling's answer, the Star Lord nodded slightly.

"First of all, can you still use Conqueror's Haki?"

He said this in a gentle tone.

"Conqueror's Haki? Not bad!"

After hearing this, Lingling thought for a while before she seemed to remember what Conqueror's Haki was.

Then, without hesitation, she closed her eyes.

then
"Buzz!"

An invisible spirit bursts forth at this moment!
But
"Ah, why is it so weak?"

While unleashing her Conqueror's Haki, Lingling opened her eyes and looked around with some confusion.

At this moment, the Star Lord frowned.

A look of understanding flashed in his eyes, but there was also a hint of regret.

Taking advantage of Lingling's rare and special situation, he confirmed the characteristics of Conqueror's Haki.

"As expected—Conqueror's Haki is the 'spirit of the soul'."

"Even if only the soul remains, it can still be used."

This was one of the things he was satisfied with.

However, the star lord can also confirm another fact.

"The intensity of Conqueror's Haki is not constant."

Because at this moment, the power that Lingling unleashed was indeed Conqueror's Haki.

However, compared to what she displayed on Cake Island before.

Lingling's Conqueror's Haki is now significantly weaker—the two are not even in the same league.

The reason for this, of course, could not be because Lingling lacked Sister Carmel.

To put it bluntly, in the eyes of the Star Lord, that kind of trash doesn't even deserve to possess Conqueror's Haki.

Therefore, there is only one possibility for Lingling's weakening domineering aura at this moment.

"Does the perception of the soul also determine the strength of Conqueror's Haki?"

The Star Lord murmured to himself.

According to Shiki, every user of Conqueror's Haki is the king of their own 'world'.

The intensity of their inner world determines the intensity of their Conqueror's Haki.

And it is obvious
Even if seven-year-old Charlotte Linlin had a complete memory, her soul would never possess that level of spirit.

Therefore, her Conqueror's Haki will also weaken.

".pity."

Therefore, the Star Lord secretly sighed with regret.

In fact, his reasons for saving the children of the Lamb's Home and Lingling's soul were not only based on his values ​​and basic moral sense.

Another key reason is the words spoken by the Golden Lion before his death.

"Find powerful Conqueror's Haki users, feel their 'will' with your soul, and let their domineering nature temper your soul—this is how to awaken Conqueror's Haki."

"The stronger the Conqueror's Haki user you find, the stronger your Haki will be."

This is only natural—those who can fight against a powerful 'king' are certainly not weaklings.

So Roy's original plan was very simple.

If Lingling uses her Conqueror's Haki to clash with him, he will have a chance to awaken his Conqueror's Haki.

If one of the Four Emperors were to act as the guide, the intensity of his Conqueror's Haki after awakening would inevitably reach an extremely high level.

But now it seems that this plan is clearly not going to work.

"We need to find an even stronger Conqueror's Haki user."

With this in mind, Luo Yi also told Lingling to stop activating her Overlord Haki.

Subsequently
"Don't resist."

He made his second request.

As he spoke, he slowly extended his hand to Lingling.

"I want to see your memories."

"memory?"

"Yes, memories about someone."

Lingling seemed a little curious.

But as I said before—she's a good girl.

So, despite her curiosity, she closed her eyes.

　The ECG results showed sinus tachycardia and ST-wave changes. I don't quite understand them, but they don't seem to be any special indicators.
　　I went to the hospital for a blood test and was surprised to find that my blood pressure was a bit high. The blood test also revealed some inflammation in my body, which may be due to a cold that I hadn't even noticed. Combined with the fact that I've been quite tired lately, this caused my heart discomfort.

　　I'll check my cardiac enzymes again in a couple of days. Overall, everything seems fine, so updates will continue as usual. However, I might not have much time to revise or add extra chapters in the next few days. [But anyway, these next few days are mainly for laying the groundwork for the main storyline and upcoming events.]

　　
　
(End of this chapter)