"Tokovich Neo?"
Luffy scratched his head, deep in thought.
"That name... Could it be Roman's relative—"
*Thud!*
"Luffy, can't you remember anything?!"
After giving Luffy a punch, Usopp grabbed his captain and shook him.
"Neo is just Roman's alias! When talking to others, remember to call him 'Neo'! How many times do I have to tell you?!"
"Sorry,"
Luffy apologized without thinking, only to immediately act like he just had a revelation.
"Oh! So the person who left the message was Roman?"
"Yeah, you're only realizing that now?"
"Hahaha~~"
"Haha..."
"Huh?!"
"...Wait, wait, wait!!!"
As the entire crew turned to stare at him in shock, Roman rubbed his temples. All the clues were lining up. Just as he suspected... But the truth was—this was ridiculous.
"I know what you're all thinking—"
"So, Roman... you've been alive for 800 years?"
Chopper was stunned. A medical miracle!
"Wait, does that mean you were the first Pirate King?"
Luffy was just as shocked. That would make him the junior?!
"Hold on... Roman, you can write directly on Poneglyphs with your fingers?"
Usopp joined in the shock. Fingers harder than giant blades?! Wouldn't that make Roman the ultimate lathe machine—
"I was a fool to believe in your intelligence," Roman rolled his eyes.
"Is now really the time for this? Can't you guys think normally for once... Never mind."
With a swift motion, a long sword crackling with lightning patterns appeared in Roman's hand. He turned around, pointing his weapon in the direction their enemy was coming from.
"Get ready for battle. We can talk about everything else later."
"So, you've finally reached this point."
A cold voice echoed through the air.
The trees on both sides of the path bent backward, as if pressed down by an invisible force, revealing a wide, open road.
It wasn't just *like* servants welcoming a king—
No.
It *was* exactly that.
——
"You are one, yet you are all!"
"You are the moment, yet you are eternal!"
"You are the creator, yet you are the ruler!"
The trees, flowers, rocks—everything around them suddenly came to life, bowing down and shouting in praise. Even the clouds in the sky seemed to be singing in unison, making the newcomer appear almost godlike.
"You are the god of the Celestial Dragons, the king of all kings on the seas!"
"Your will shall be carried out in this world, just as it is in your land—"
"...I don't even know where to start with this,"
Roman was so overwhelmed with secondhand embarrassment that he could almost dig a hole in the ground with his toes. From a distance, a woman in a flowing, luxurious robe, with a dazzling crown on her head, spoke in a calm voice.
"Isn't this exactly the grand entrance of a king you described? Why does it make you uncomfortable?"
Stare—X10
The Straw Hat Crew all turned to look at him with unreadable expressions. Roman immediately shook his head like a fan, denying everything.
"I'm not, I didn't, stop making stuff up!"
As the woman slowly approached, the world still singing her praises, a wave of shock rippled through the group.
"Vivi?!" X7
As she floated closer, the long sky-blue hair under her crown danced in the wind. Her face looked incredibly similar to Nami's—and to Vivi's.
"How did you end up in Laugh Tale?"
"No… this can't be Vivi—"
Flying through the air and arriving with the entire world praising her? Sure, that could be explained with a Devil Fruit ability. But for it to be Vivi? No way!
"Vivi?"
The moment the regal woman spoke, a visible wave of sky-blue Haki swept over Laugh Tale, crashing down on the Straw Hat Crew like a tidal wave. The overwhelming force dyed the entire island in blue!
This Conqueror's Haki was unlike anything they had ever seen before! It carried an absolute authority—submit or be crushed. The more one resisted, the colder and more merciless it became, willing to erase everything in its path. Only those who completely surrendered could bask in the wealth and status it offered.
Within the boundless Haki, faint echoes of millions of voices could be heard—furious roars, sorrowful cries…
They were the voices of those who had dared to defy her. The fallen, the erased. Even those merely connected to the rebels—family, friends, entire nations—had been reduced to ghosts.
"You must be talking about Nefertari Vivi."
The mysterious woman casually twirled a strand of her sky-blue hair around her fingers.
"That little girl is a descendant of my uncle's line. It's only natural that she resembles me. Now then—"
Even though she looked like Vivi, her presence was entirely different.
If Vivi was a kind and determined princess, then this woman was a true queen.
A ruler in every sense of the word. Someone who sat high above, controlling everything with absolute authority.
"As a reward for making it this far, I will allow you to know my name."
"Nefertari Imu."
"As for my identity… I'm sure you've figured it out."
"…It would be kind of hard not to."
Zoro grinned, gripping his sword, Wado Ichimonji, as he readied himself.
The way the 'Homies' around them were shouting in worship made it obvious—
She was the god of the Celestial Dragons!
The very person Kaido, Blackbeard, and countless others had spoken of.
The one who had ruled the world for 800 years!
"W-Wait… C-Celestial Dragons… don't they… s-stay in… the Holy Land?"
Usopp's legs were shaking so badly he could barely speak.
"What… are you doing here?"
Luffy glared at her, his expression serious.
She glanced at him, her look calm but assessing.
"Joy Boy. The former 'Child of Light,' 'Savior of the World,' 'King of the Great Kingdom'—"
"That's enough!!"
Luffy suddenly cut her off, his voice filled with anger.
Something about this woman disgusted him—more than anything.
Even more than Blackbeard.
"If you wanna fight, I'll take you on!"
"If you've got nothing to do, then get lost! I've got a feast to enjoy with my crew!"
For the first time, Luffy shouted at a stranger with pure fury.
Usually, when he met someone new, he was all smiles and carefree energy.
"…How pitiful."
The woman sighed, shaking her head.
"What could have turned the once-polite boy into this?"
"You—"
The woman named Im stopped paying attention to Luffy, who was being held back by Chopper and Usopp. Instead, she turned to the other side.
"I'm here to take my 'fiancé'."
?!
"You owe me a wedding. Though it's 800 years late—"
She raised her slender hand, adorned with a gemstone bracelet, pointing in Roman's direction.
"But I forgive you."
"...Wow, I smell trouble."
"Yohohoho, I get the feeling we've been dragged into some kind of romantic mess..."
A glance.
Her cold eyes landed on the two with the most life experience and the fastest reactions—Franky and Brook.
"I don't recall allowing you to stand."
Boom—
The moment Im spoke, a massive pressure crashed down like an invisible mountain, forcing all of Laugh Tale to sink slightly!
Half of the Straw Hat Crew was instantly crushed to the ground by this overwhelming force. It felt as if the *sky itself* had become something solid, exerting a crushing weight that could flatten even the strongest bodies, pressing down on anyone who dared to stand.
"More More: 100x Gravity Reversal!"
With a single upward motion of Roman's hand, the invisible pressure on the crew suddenly eased!
But—
Only by half.
"Isn't this Marine Admiral Fujitora's Gravity Fruit power?"
Franky groaned as he pulled himself out of the dirt, his Wapometal body creaking under the strain. He looked up at the woman floating in the sky—Im.
"This fighting style... Why does it feel so similar to you, Roman? And you too, Nami?"
"It's not just similar."
Sheets of paper from *The Thief's Secret* fluttered around Nami, counteracting the gravity. She let out a sigh.
"It's exactly the same!"
"Hmm?"
Im's gaze shifted to Nami, who remained unharmed in the gravity field. Her cold eyes flickered with a trace of memory as she noticed the pages floating around her.
"You're still the same, Neo."
"Always giving away books containing your powers. But this time..."
In an instant, an unbelievably powerful Observation Haki swept over Nami.
For the first time since appearing, Im—who had maintained an invincible, emotionless expression—was visibly shaken.
"You... you all... have already..."
??
"Ahem, don't panic. Nami—"
"Got it."
With Nami activating *Featherlight Pages*, she and Roman combined their powers to finally counter Im's terrifying gravity.
The weaker members—Robin, Usopp, and Chopper (in his normal form)—were finally able to stand up.
"Luffy, everyone, this is the final 'boss' of this world."
"The god of the Celestial Dragons, the one who has made countless strong warriors back down—the true strongest."
"Well then—"
"I'm gonna send her flying!!"
Luffy, furious, slammed his fist onto the ground.
"You messed with my crew, so you'd better be ready for what's coming!"
"The strongest, huh?"
Zoro held his three swords, his fighting spirit burning.
"This world sure knows how to keep things exciting!"
"I knew it,"
Sanji calmly lit a cigarette.
"An adventure without a fight just wouldn't be our style."
"We're not handing Roman over to you!"
Chopper, in his monster form, let out a furious roar.
"Roman, I think you should try taming—no, I mean convincing her to leave on her own."
Compared to fighting, Usopp felt that talking things out was a more civilized approach.
"Clinging on too hard doesn't make you a good woman… uh—"
Franky's words made Imu's icy gaze land on him. He was already pulling aggro before the fight even started.
"I've heard about the Celestial Dragons' god before, but…"
Jinbe took his Fish-Man Karate stance.
"For one to actually leave the Holy Land—"
It was hard to believe.
Especially the part where she was supposedly Roman's 'fiancée.' Even in his wildest dreams, Jinbe could never have connected the two.
"Roman, I'm very interested in the history… of your relationship."
Robin crossed her arms, looking intrigued. Whether she was genuinely curious about 'history' or just excited by gossip was anyone's guess.
"Yohohoho! That means I'm no longer the oldest one in the crew!"
Brook was overjoyed—finally, someone with an even more ridiculous age had appeared! An 800-year-old Roman, huh…
"Roman,"
"No matter what you decide, I'm with you."
Nami held Roman's hand, and high above, Imu's gaze grew even colder.
"So, you're not going to let me take my 'fiancé' quietly, huh?"
"In that case—"
Imu spread her hands and swept her eyes over the entire Straw Hat Crew.
"All of you, come at me together."
'Mehahaha~~ A Devil Fruit's power is all about creativity… ahem, I mean, mastery! Yes, mastery.'
A memory grew clearer and clearer.
'Let me show you my unbeatable Paper-Paper Fruit! Imu~'
"Witness the invincible power I've wielded for 800 years! Neo—"
(End of Chapter)