The rest of the commanders shared the same thoughts as Marco—a mix of shock and anxious hope.
Because honestly… even at their full power, not a single one of them could have nullified Vista's Rose Waltz the way Roya just did.
Roya.
In that moment, his name carved itself into their minds like an eternal brand.
Regardless of how bizarre it all seemed, at this crucial juncture—preparing to storm Marineford and rescue Ace—the sudden emergence of such a powerhouse could only be a blessing for the Whitebeard Pirates.
So what if he was made Vice-Captain, one of the most respected positions in the crew?
> Saving a brother—Ace—was all that truly mattered.
While the captains could accept that with maturity and vision, the same couldn't be said for the rank-and-file pirates.
Vista's shaken demeanor and the captains' stunned silence only fueled suspicions that…
> Vista had lost.
And just like that, the lower deck exploded into fiery debate.
> "Judging by the captains' expressions… did Vista really lose?!"
> "Didn't you just say Vista was testing him a minute ago?!"
> "Nonsense! There's no way a commander would lose! How could he lose to a trainee lookout?!"
> "Trainee lookout? That's Vice-Captain Roya now! Losing to the Vice-Captain isn't strange at all!"
Even Whitebeard himself stayed silent, so the arguments below grew louder and more reckless.
---
Suddenly, a voice rang out—lazy, annoyed, and crystal clear:
> "So damn noisy… I thought this was supposed to be a meeting. Can't a guy even sleep around here?"
Roya waved a hand around his ear as if swatting flies, then finally sat up with a sigh.
> "Huh? Brother Vista, why are you standing there? Trying to mount me like a flying dragon or something? Better watch out—I might punch you."
He chuckled and raised a playful fist.
But Vista, already in a fragile mental state, flinched hard and leapt back in panic—then shing! Drew his swords once again.
> "I know I'm no match for you… but I'll fight with everything I've got!"
"Come at me, newly appointed Vice-Captain!"
His posture was dead serious—as if preparing for his final stand—and Roya blinked, still groggy.
> "Newly appointed what-now?" he asked, pointing at himself.
"You mean me?!"
Finally snapping out of his sleepy fog, Roya hopped off the mast and landed softly before Whitebeard.
> "Oi, you old geezer—you really pulled a fast one on me, huh? Slapped a title on me while I was sleeping? What's your deal?"
Whitebeard let out a hearty laugh, stroking his crescent-shaped mustache, but said nothing.
That laugh, that motion—Marco, Vista, and the other veterans recognized it immediately.
> It was Whitebeard's guilty laugh.
Which meant… he really had appointed Roya as Vice-Captain while the guy was asleep.
And seeing Roya stand there, fists on hips, acting like he was about to scold a parent—
> Whitebeard didn't just tolerate it. He looked like he was trying not to feel guilty.
The captains and core officers were completely dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Roya was genuinely pissed.
He didn't mind being a pirate—after all, he had joined Whitebeard's flagship—but being shoved into a position like this without warning?
> That rubbed him the wrong way.
Just as he was about to go off, a voice echoed inside his head:
> "Congratulations, Host. You are now an official member of the Whitebeard Pirates. Bounty Achievement System unlocked!"
Roya paused and opened the interface in his mind.
> "Tch. Thought it was something good. Just a stat reward system based on bounty levels?"
> "Every 100 million in bounty earns 100 attribute points. Not bad, I guess."
> "If I reach a Yonko-level bounty, I'd rack up around 5,000 points… enough to max out the other Haki types and fighting skills."
As he focused, system data filled his thoughts:
---
Name: Roya
Occupation: Pirate
Affiliation: Whitebeard Pirates
Rank: Vice-Captain
Conqueror's Haki: 0 (Locked)
Armament Haki: 0 (Locked)
Observation Haki: 1500 (Extreme Mutation)
Vitality: 999 (Maxed)
Combat Skill: 66 (Barroom Brawler)
Weapon Mastery: 0 (Untrained)
Special Techniques: None
Bounty: 0 (Unknown Nobody)
---
This was his default template—no customization allowed.
Aside from an absurdly high starting Vitality stat, the rest were flat zeroes.
Fortunately, the system had gifted him 1,000 attribute points.
Naturally, Roya dumped all of it into Observation Haki.
That alone had pushed it to a fully awakened state, far beyond normal.
It advanced past simple sensory enhancement to an externalized form—an omnidirectional, passive autododge system that worked even if he was drunk… or asleep.
Satisfied with the ridiculous defense boost, he thought that was it—until the system awarded him 500 more points after boarding the Moby Dick.
Which made him wonder:
> "What happens if I pump those 500 into an already-maxed Observation Haki?"
He tried it.
Result?
> Observation Haki: 1500 – Extreme Mutation.
Now it wasn't even Haki anymore—it had become a field around him, a kind of defensive aura that could only be described as miraculous.
Roya called it: "The Observation Field."
> "No wonder Whitebeard noticed something off. Even with the field restrained, he saw through me and stuck me with the Vice-Captain title."
> "Guess this is his way of pushing me to help rescue Ace…"
Roya glanced at Whitebeard again, who now looked faintly pleading.
And with that, he softened.
> "Just an old man trying to save his beloved son… What's so wrong with that?"
He sighed deeply.
> "Alright, fine. I'll accept the Vice-Captain position—for now."
Whitebeard beamed, his mustache curling proudly.
But Roya wasn't finished.
> "But let me be clear: I'm not going to fight anyone for you. If you want to deal with the Marines, that's on you."
The commanders were stunned.
Whitebeard had swallowed his pride for this guy, and all he got was arrogance?
Even Marco had been frowning the whole time—until he saw Whitebeard's face.
The old man looked relieved.
That's when Marco finally understood.
> "So Pops knew about Roya's strength all along…"
> "And he made this decision now because he sees what's coming."
> "Is that it, Pops…? You've lost confidence in the war ahead?"
The realization hit Marco hard.
But then, a thought brought him peace.
> "Vice-Captain or not… it doesn't change what I have to do."
He smiled faintly, ready to speak with Roya—when suddenly…
> Something changed.