Chapter 392: Two Emperors Join Forces, The God of the Celestial Dragons  

"A World Conference?" 

"That's right." 

On the newly set sail Sunny, Luffy sat on the ship's figurehead, munching on a snack, unusually interested in current events. Of course, that was only because— 

"Vivi's going too? Man, I miss her. It's been ages since we last saw her." 

Sanji took a puff of his cigarette and nodded calmly, causing the crew to glance at him in surprise. Normally, wouldn't he be going, "Ah~ Miss Vivi must have grown even more beautiful~ It's definitely because she misses me so much..."? 

"Pudding, another dessert, please!!" 

At Luffy's shout, the twin-tailed girl Pudding appeared with a large tray of chocolate. 

"Here you go! This is the masterpiece that Sanji and I made together~!" 

As she clung sweetly to Sanji's arm, the crew all silently nodded. 

Got it. 

"So... this is Vivi, our old crewmate?" 

Two kids in raincoats also joined in, looking at the newspaper. The girl in the golden-yellow coat, Merry, pointed at the people in the article—Vivi, Dr. Kureha—while telling Sunny about the Straw Hat Crew's past adventures, from Alabasta to Drum Kingdom. 

"Anyway, the Marines are focused on the World Conference right now." 

Roman, who had a front-row seat to everything, knew the Marines' movements better than anyone. He also knew exactly what the Straw Hat Crew was about to face. 

"Since we just humiliated Big Mom, the 'Big Mom Pirates' are already on our tail. In other words, when we reach Wano, we'll be facing both the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates at the same time." 

!? 

"No way... Two Emperor crews?" 

Usopp's eyes welled up with tears. Why couldn't they just have a fun and peaceful sailing adventure? As soon as they entered the Grand Line, they had to face a Warlord of the Sea. Now, the moment they stepped into the New World, they were constantly fighting the Four Emperors... The difficulty level of their journey must be set to "nightmare" mode, right? 

"Roman—" 

Zoro, who was leaning against the ship's railing with his arms crossed and eyes closed, opened one eye and looked at the crew's strategist: Tokovich Reliable All-Knowing Doraemon Roman. 

"The Four Emperors are supposed to be rivals, right? Why aren't they fighting each other? Why are they teaming up against us instead?" 

Normally, that would be the case. The Four Emperors, as pirate crews, each had their own territories and power. Since they were used to taking what they wanted by force, it would make more sense for them to start fighting the moment they clashed. 

"The reason for this goes back a long time... to a pirate crew called the Rocks Pirates… No, actually, it all starts with their captain, Rocks D. Xebec." 

"Another 'D'?" 

Thanks to Trafalgar, the Straw Hat Crew had already learned that people with a "D" in their name were known as the "enemies of the gods"—the sworn enemies of the Celestial Dragons. Of course, there were exceptions, like Luffy's grandfather, who had joined the Marines. But everyone knew what kind of person Garp was—he would never bow down to the Celestial Dragons. 

"Rocks D. Xebec was a powerful figure more than forty years ago. He had ambitions of ruling the world and gathered a crew of strong fighters. He planned to attack the Celestial Dragons and their slaves at a place called 'God Valley'..." 

"Whoa, he sounds like a good guy!" 

Luffy's eyes lit up with interest. After all, the Straw Hat Crew had nothing but bad impressions of the Celestial Dragons. Even though Roman was technically a Celestial Dragon himself, he never considered himself one and spoke about them with pure disdain. 

"But his ambitions were stopped. Back then, Marine Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp defeated him. That's when Garp became known as the 'Hero of the Marines.'" 

"So he was a bad guy after all." 

Luffy's excitement immediately faded. "Man, you really switch between good and bad way too—ah, whatever. But my grandpa wasn't the only one who stopped him. There was another rising pirate crew involved—their captain was named Gol D. Roger." 

The Pirate King!? 

"Now you understand." 

As the rest of the crew listened intently, Roman slowly revealed these hidden truths. 

"This was a guy so strong that it took both the Marines and the top pirates of that era to bring him down. He was one of the strongest people in the world! And what's even scarier is the crew he commanded—" 

"Whitebeard, Shiki the Golden Lion, Big Mom, Kaido, Captain John, …" 

With each name Roman mentioned, he raised a finger. Before long, he had run out of fingers to count them all. 

"All of these legendary pirates who later shook the world—even three of today's Four Emperors—were once part of the Rocks Pirates!" 

Sssss— 

The Straw Hat Crew collectively sucked in a sharp breath. Just one Four Emperor was enough to dominate the New World, build empires, and even make the Marines think twice before acting. And yet, the Rocks Pirates had three of them? Even if they hadn't reached that level yet at the time, their strength must have been... 

"I see," Zoro was the first to react. "So, Big Mom and Kaido were actually crewmates? But what about Whitebeard—" 

"He was different," Roman shook his head. "The Rocks Pirates weren't like us. They weren't united by friendship. Instead, they were just a group of powerful individuals forced together by Rocks D. Xebec's strength and charisma. The moment their captain fell, they broke apart. There was never any real bond between them. However—" 

Right now, the strongest people in the world could sense that the title of "Pirate King" was about to fall into someone's hands, and the final great battle of this era was fast approaching. 

Before that happens, gathering as much power as possible is the smartest move. That's why, instead of fighting, Big Mom and Kaido are choosing to join forces. 

"...I get it now, but there's still one thing I don't understand." 

Since they were all among allies, Nami raised her hand and voiced the question that had been on everyone's mind ever since they heard about the Rocks Pirates. 

"Why? Why did Luffy's grandpa and Pirate King Roger team up to take down the Rocks Pirates?" 

"Everyone here knows what the Celestial Dragons are like. We've seen entire cities destroyed by pirates just because they couldn't afford to pay the 'Heavenly Tribute'... No, even the ones who do pay still live miserable lives…" 

After spending two years with the Marines, Nami had seen countless cities reduced to ruins by the Great Pirate Era. Thousands of families torn apart. That's why, despite the corruption within the Marines and the fact that they acted as the Celestial Dragons' lapdogs, most ordinary people still saw them as heroes. And why so many strong fighters were still willing to join them. 

"But let me be blunt—why didn't Garp and Roger just let Rocks destroy the Celestial Dragons first, and then—" 

Nami trailed off, but her meaning was clear. Garp could have just "let things play out." No matter what kind of person Rocks was, wiping out the Celestial Dragons wouldn't have been a bad thing for the world. Then, once the Rocks Pirates were weakened from the fight, he could have taken them out easily. That way— 

"Wow, Nami, you're getting a little 'evil' now~" 

Robin teased with a playful smile. 

Nami's face turned red. "This is all Roman's fault! Watching him scheme and plot every day is starting to rub off on me…"

"Tsk, what a nasty way to put it. Do you guys even use your brains for thinking, or are you saving them for making tofu pudding?" 

"And if a strategist doesn't make plans, are they just supposed to charge into battle with everyone else?" 

In an instant, Roman's "area attack" included all the empty-headed ones around him. But the most clueless of them didn't care at all. 

"That 'Rocks' guy must be a huge villain. If he gets his way, the world will fall into even worse chaos!" 

Even though Luffy and his grandpa had very different views on "ideals," Luffy was still incredibly proud of everything Garp had done. 

"That's just one part of it." 

Roman glanced up at Jinbe, Pedro, Carrot, and Pudding. 

"What I'm about to say involves the biggest secret in this world. If you know it, your enemies won't just be the Four Emperors or the Admirals—they'll be something far more terrifying... So, does anyone want to back out?" 

Jinbe's face remained completely steady. 

"I've already accepted Luffy as my captain. Unless he orders me to leave, I have no reason to abandon ship halfway." 

"You all saved my country. And the only reason I'm still alive is because I want to witness the dawn of a new era..." 

Jaguar Pedro touched the empty socket of his left eye. 

"If it's for Luffy, then betting my life is more than worth it!" 

"I'll go wherever Sanji goes," 

Pudding clung to Sanji's arm, her face full of quiet happiness. 

"Even if it's hell, I'll gladly follow him." 

"I..." 

"Good, that's the right attitude!" 

Roman completely ignored the wide-eyed, innocent-looking Carrot. After all, this was her first time leaving Zou—what could a naïve rabbit girl possibly understand about the state of the world? She was just an adorable airhead with an intelligence stat of 9... though, to be fair, she was still pretty strong in battle. 

"What do you all think of the Celestial Dragons?" 

The Straw Hat Crew immediately looked disgusted. 

"Scum." 

"Trash." 

"Unburnable waste." 

"I'm gonna punch them into the sky!!" 

"...Uh, Roman, we weren't talking about you. I mean, even you wouldn't compare yourself to those idiots, right?" 

Hearing their flood of insults, Roman nodded, then threw out his second question. 

"Then, why do you think the Celestial Dragons have ruled the world for 800 years?" 

"The Marines?" 

"The CP agencies?" 

"A massive army?" 

"Controlling other nations through the 'Heavenly Tribute' tax?" 

As everyone threw out different guesses, Roman shook his head. 

"Sure, all of those things play a part in their rule. But you're all missing one key point—strength." 

"When people think of the Celestial Dragons, they imagine a bunch of useless, fat, and dim-witted pigs. They sit at the top of the world, doing absolutely nothing except bullying the weak, playing with slaves, and collecting absurd amounts of money through the 'Heavenly Tribute.'" 

"But here's the real question—" 

"If they're such worthless trash, why haven't they been wiped out?" 

"And don't just say 'attacking them would bring an Admiral.' Admirals are people too. They have their own values, their own sense of 'justice.' They're not blind to the Celestial Dragons' true nature. So what is it that makes them turn a blind eye to their crimes?" 

Roman scanned the deck, even noticing that Merry and Sunny—who were basically the ship's Pokémon—were holding hands and listening seriously. 

"The answer is exactly what I said—strength!" 

"Among the Celestial Dragons, there's an elite group called the 'Five Elders.' They are not only skilled in politics but also incredibly powerful. It's because of them that the massive machine of the World Government operates in favor of the Celestial Dragons. That's the first point." 

"But this only works against ordinary people... or rather, ordinary pirates. If someone fearless and incredibly strong were to attack Mary Geoise, they could easily take out a large number of Celestial Dragons before the Admirals even had time to react. If that happened multiple times, there wouldn't be any Celestial Dragons left. But strangely enough, that has never happened in history!" 

"Even fifteen years ago, when the Fishman hero Fisher Tiger climbed the Red Line, sneaked into Mary Geoise, and set it on fire, all he did was free a thousand slaves—he didn't harm a single Celestial Dragon. And honestly, that's probably why he even made it out alive." 

As Nami, Zoro, Robin, and Franky pondered this, Roman changed the topic. 

"By the way, do you all remember how Trafalgar Law's 'Ope Ope no Mi' supposedly has the ability to grant someone eternal life?" 

"Huh? It does?" 

Luffy looked surprised, while the others frowned, trying to recall. 

Roman, ignoring their reactions, continued. 

"If there's a rumor about it, that means someone must have undergone the 'Immortality Surgery' before." 

"Wait—!" 

Jinbe suddenly realized something. 

"That's right. There's a hidden 'god' among the Celestial Dragons! That person... no, that woman, once received the 'Immortality Surgery.' She has lived for 800 years and ruled over the world for just as long!" 

Without her, the pig-like Celestial Dragons would have been wiped out long ago! 

In this world, Haki is tied to one's willpower. A group of CP0 agents who only know how to follow orders could never possess the highest level of Haki. And in every era, there have always been strong warriors dissatisfied with the Celestial Dragons' rule. Logically, they should have overthrown them by now! 

But that never happened. 

Those eyes... 

"Do you get it now? This is why Luffy's grandpa and Roger had to stop Rocks D. Xebec. Even if he gathered powerful warriors, overthrowing the Celestial Dragons' rule was never realistic—it would only bring even greater destruction to the world." 

Like... increased taxes after war. 

Like... mass killings to make an example out of rebels. 

Like... entire nations vanishing in storms, tidal waves, lightning, and earthquakes—all because those eyes were disturbed and lashed out in irritation. 

"And according to... certain sources, the key to changing all of this lies in Laugh Tale!" 

"You can only unlock the conditions to defeat that 'god' by reaching there at a specific time—" 

Roman slowly clenched his fists at his waist. The Straw Hat Crew, knowing him well, immediately recognized this as his subconscious reaction when facing a powerful enemy. 

"Now you understand. If we keep pushing forward toward the Pirate King's throne, we won't just be facing the Four Emperors or the Marines—we'll also have to take on the 'god' who has buried countless top-tier warriors over the past 800 years!" 

Shock? Speechlessness? No. 

The crew on the deck were so stunned that they couldn't even react. 

No one had expected the pursuit of the Pirate King's title to be tied to such a deep secret... 

"What's the big deal?" 

A calm voice broke the silence. 

Luffy adjusted his straw hat. When he looked up again, the familiar carefree smile was back on his face. 

"So we've got one more enemy to fight. Why is that a big deal?" 

"…Hey, this isn't just 'one more' enemy. This is someone so strong that—" 

"Hehehe, doesn't that make it even better?" 

Luffy stretched his arms. 

"If there were no powerful foes left on this sea, that would be way too boring!" 

"…Fine, as long as you're happy." 

Roman sighed, but he had to admit—Luffy's carefree attitude had completely wiped away the heavy atmosphere from earlier. 

"Anyway, leave the complicated stuff to me." 

Roman rubbed his chin. 

"I'll make sure we all reach Laugh Tale together, because—" 

That's my dream! 

(End of Chapter)

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