One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Kaido took a swig of sake.

"If that brat is really as unkillable as Jack says, then I'll have some fun with him."

"Beat him to the point of near death and see if he can unleash the kind of power you described in a desperate situation."

Roy nodded, stood up, and walked to the entrance of the main hall.

Outside the hall, the red historical text was being carefully moved into the warehouse by the henchmen.

The ancient characters glowed faintly in the firelight, each symbol carrying a secret from eight hundred years ago.

The destination that this stone points to is Laugh Tale.

Roy reached out, his fingertips touching the cold, etched marks.

The Poneglyphs were what Roger used to find his way to the end, and what Whitebeard used to confirm the existence of the D. clan.

Now that it's in my hands, I have another bargaining chip.

Of course, the most important one is still Straw Hat Luffy.

That brat in the straw hat has already arrived in Zou, and next up is Wano Country.

Kin'emon will take him to Kyoshiro, Kyoshiro will take him to Hiyori, and Hiyori will tell him everything about the Kozuki family.

Then Luffy will head straight for Onigashima without hesitation.

Everything is proceeding according to plan.

Jack has already taken his leave and left the main hall.

Kaido sat on his throne, took a couple of swigs of wine, and suddenly spoke up: "Roy, aren't you going to talk about Nico Robin?"

Roy didn't reply, but simply raised his glass and clinked it against Kaido's.

Two of the strongest warriors in the new world toast to the impending storm under the cover of night on Onigashima.

Kaido threw the empty gourd on the ground and wiped his mouth:

"But speaking of which, can that straw hat kid really awaken the kind of power you mentioned?"

Nika, the sun god—just hearing the name sounds intimidating enough.

"He can."

Roy looked at the swirling liquid in his glass.

"Because he must be able to."

If he can't, then our plan to overthrow the world government will have to be readjusted.

"So you're gambling?"

"It's not gambling."

Roy put down his glass, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"We are waiting."

Wait for the fruit to ripen, then pick it.

Looking at Roy's expression, Kaido suddenly felt a chill.

It wasn't because of Roy's strength, although he knew Roy's strength was indeed ridiculously high.

It's because this person can always place all the pieces in their proper positions.

Straw Hat Luffy, Nico Robin, the Beasts Pirates, and even himself, all have their own place on Roy's chessboard.

"You're terrifying," Kaido said.

Roy smiled and did not deny it.

···········

The training ground on the back mountain of Ghost Island, in the early hours of the morning.

Roy sat cross-legged on the ground, surrounded by two completely different energies.

In his left hand was a dense, inky black mist—the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit. The mist spun rapidly in his palm, forming a dark vortex the size of a fist.

The surrounding air was being pulled in so violently that even the leaves on the trees dozens of meters away were rustling and tilting in that direction.

A cluster of pale blue soul flame flickered in his right hand. That was the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit.

The flame danced nimbly on his fingertips, sometimes expanding and sometimes contracting, emitting not heat, but a chill that struck the depths of his soul.

The Dark Fruit can devour everything; even light cannot escape it.

The Soul-Soul Fruit can manipulate souls and directly affect the spiritual essence of a living being.

If these two forces could be combined, perhaps a completely new method of attack could be created.

It devours both matter and spirit, suppressing the opponent both physically and in terms of ability.

Black mist and soul flames slowly approached his chest.

The moment the two energies came into contact, an extremely sharp screech was emitted, and the space around the point of collision began to distort and deform.

Some small pebbles were sucked in and turned into dust the moment they came into contact with the point of impact.

Roy's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat.

He could feel the two forces violently repelling each other.

The Dark Fruit wanted to devour the Soul Flame, while the Soul Flame instinctively and desperately resisted the suction force.

It feels like trying to tame two wild beasts that are unwilling to give way to each other; if you're not careful, you'll be devoured.

He took a deep breath, and his three hearts pounded simultaneously.

The power of thought surged from the third heart, acting as a harmonizing agent between the two energies.

Under the suppression of psychic power, the repulsive reaction between the black mist and the soul flame gradually weakened, and they began to permeate each other at an extremely slow speed.

But it exploded halfway through the penetration.

The shockwave spread in all directions, snapping several large trees at the edge of the training field in half.

Roy was pushed backward by the recoil and slid back more than ten meters, plowing two deep furrows in the ground.

He stood up, dusted himself off, and his expression remained unchanged.

This is the fourth failure this week.

"Almost there."

Roy muttered to himself, the black mist and soul flame in his palm slowly dissipating.

"The Dark Fruit's devouring properties are too domineering; any soul flame that gets close will be absorbed."

"We need to first get the Dark Fruit 'accustomed' to the frequency of soul energy, rather than treating it directly as food."

Roy had been thinking about this problem for a long time.

But everything he did was in order to test whether he could find that glimmer of opportunity while developing his capabilities.

This allowed him to break through the "barrier" that had already been overcome by the immense power of his spiritual energy, which had brought the Soul-Soul Fruit to its limit.

This will allow my mental strength to be enhanced once again.

In that way, he could focus all his energy on the Dark-Dark Fruit and explore what kind of power this fruit, which is opposed to the Sun God, possessed.

However, it seems that awakening the Soul-Soul Fruit still requires some pressure, just like when I awakened the Mind-Mind Fruit.

"Roy!"

Yamato's voice came from the entrance of the training ground, interrupting Roy's thoughts.

She strode over, carrying a spiked club, still sweaty from her morning exercise, her hair disheveled by the wind.

Why weren't you cultivating today?

Roy shook his head:

"I've been cooped up on the island for days, time to go out for a walk."

He looked at Yamato, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"Come on over too."

After all, this is your hometown; you should know it better than I do.

Yamato paused for a moment, then nodded silently.

She hasn't returned to Wano Country for many years. Ever since she went to Beehive Island with Roy, this land has only existed in her memory.

To be honest, her feelings about this place are complicated.

Wano Country is her hometown, but it is also where she was imprisoned by Kaido.

Every inch of this land is etched with the shadows of childhood, yet deep down there is an inexplicable sense of belonging.

The two left Onigashima and boarded a small boat to travel to the mainland of Wano Country.

The two strolled along leisurely.

The Kuri region of Wano Country was the most polluted place during Kaido's reign.

Back then, factory chimneys emitted thick black smoke, the sky was stained gray, water sources were polluted by heavy metals, and large tracts of farmland were left barren.

But now, walking on the streets of Jiuli, Roy saw a much better scene than he had expected.

The factory is still operating, but the smoke coming out of the chimney has clearly been purified and is much lighter in color.

People were working in the fields. Although the farming tools were rudimentary, at least the soil could still grow crops.

There were no starving people or forcibly conscripted laborers on the streets.

Occasionally, you can see a few children chasing and playing in the alley, their laughter ringing out.

At the entrance of a teahouse, the proprietress was pouring tea for passing workers from a steaming teapot.

The workers took the rough porcelain bowls, gulped down the contents, wiped their mouths, thanked him, and then carried their tools back towards the factory.