The sun, a fiery ball in the sky, slowly sank below the horizon. Two figures, covered in soot and smoke, tumbled from the clouds, crashing hard onto Thunder God Island.
"Roya!"
Smoker yelled, racing toward the fallen figures. The rest of the crew of the 11th Division warship, along with the G-5 branch marines, followed close behind.
Ten minutes later, inside the warship's medical room, Roya lay still on the operating table. His body was a mess of burns and scrapes. Even his face was damaged. His skin was peeling off.
Looking at him, anyone would think he was about to die. It seemed like it was time to start planning a funeral.
Smoker, his face red with anger, grabbed Bartolomeo by his shirt. "You idiot! Why didn't you put up a barrier to protect the Colonel?" he roared.
"I... I couldn't see!" Bartolomeo cried, clearly upset. "Roya was surrounded by lightning! I couldn't see anything. How could I put up a barrier?"
"Quiet!" Lu Yun snapped. She grabbed a bag of nutrient fluid. "The Colonel isn't dead yet!" She knew exactly what Roya needed to recover.
Roya's mouth was clamped shut. He couldn't swallow anything. Lu Yun quickly changed her approach. She grabbed a huge syringe and jabbed it into Roya's rear!
"Hiss--"
Everyone gasped. They instinctively touched their own behinds and took a step away from the woman. Even a pig wouldn't need a needle that big!
After that shot, Roya's heart rate became more stable.
Lu Yun sighed in relief. She hooked up an IV tube to Roya, then ordered everyone else to leave the medical room. "Colonel Roya is in my care. Set sail! Meet up with Teacher Zephyr and Vice Admiral Tsuru, and then head back to the G-1 Branch!"
"Understood!"
Knowing they couldn't do anything to help, Smoker and the others hurried off, barking orders to their subordinates to get the ship moving.
The longer they waited, the more problems could arise. They needed to get Vergo and the three Donquixote Family executives back to the G-1 Branch as quickly as possible.
Bang!
The medical room door slammed shut.
----
The next evening, Roya's eyes snapped open. The burned skin that had peeled off his body had grown back, soft and new, so delicate it looked like it would bleed at the slightest touch.
He didn't feel hungry.
His body didn't feel too weak, either.
He looked at the IV tubes connected to him and at Lu Yun, who was sleeping by the operating table. He understood why.
She might not be the strongest fighter, but this girl's help in other areas is amazing.
"So, a day has passed," Roya muttered, looking at the calendar on the wall.
Even the best plans can go wrong. I trained hard to be able to face Vergo, but I still wasn't strong enough to beat him.
That guy is one of the strongest of the Headquarters Vice Admirals. He's much stronger than Vice Admirals Maynard and Bastille.
Even with my improved Haki, I could only hurt Vergo. I didn't have what it took to defeat him.
His original plan was to use Bartolomeo's barrier to buy time, along with the power of The World to heal himself, and then go another round with Vergo.
But during the fight, Roya realized that even if he could gain an advantage, it would be hard to capture Vergo. They would likely just end up in a stalemate.
To make sure he took Vergo down, he changed his plan at the last minute. He remembered Diamanti's fighting style and came up with a risky move.
He faced Vergo head-on while Smoker and Hina used their powers to create a trap that would bring down a storm of thunder.
Then, he used The World's power to survive the lightning.
Lu Yun had told him that during The World's healing process, a special light would surround him, and time would flow backward within that light for about 30 seconds.
Those 30 seconds were my lifeline.
Even with that, the lightning had badly hurt him. Only after his mind had recovered could he use The World again to heal his body completely.
Being on the warship meant he had won.
His movement woke Lu Yun. The girl looked up, a bit of drool on her face. When she saw Roya sitting up, she jumped to her feet.
"Senior, are you okay?"
"Not bad," Roya said, getting off the operating table. He stretched his arms and legs. He wasn't in perfect condition, but he could move normally. "How's Vergo?"
"He's still alive. He's being held in the warship's prison."
Lu Yun told him everything that had happened.
After the battle, they were both in bad shape. But Roya's healing power was stronger.
Vergo was still unconscious.
Roya started to leave. He wouldn't be able to relax until he saw Vergo with his own eyes.
"I'll go take a look!"
"Wait, Senior!" Lu Yun grabbed a roll of bandages. Smiling, she said, "Let me bandage you up."
"Alright," Roya said helplessly, holding out his arms. She's already seen everything, so there's no point in being embarrassed.
Soon, he was covered in bandages like a mummy, with only his eyes and mouth showing.
----
The warship sailed on.
Roya went up to the deck. The sea breeze felt good on his face.
His tense mood began to fade.
Bartolomeo saw the mummy-like Roya and nervously walked over, circling around him, looking suspicious.
"Who are you?"
"It's me!" Roya said, annoyed.
"Roya Boss?" Hearing Roya's voice, Bartolomeo's face lit up. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Roya Boss is awake!"
In less than three minutes, every marine on the warship knew that Roya was awake. They all rushed over to stare at him, as if he were some rare animal.
"Go do your jobs!" Roya said, waving his hand. Then, he headed for the prison.
Vergo, Diamanti, Señor Pink, Machvise.
All four Donquixote Family executives were in the prison, covered in blood-stained bandages, barely breathing.
Only then did Roya feel relieved.
Diamanti and the others might have a chance of being rescued by Doflamingo, but Vergo definitely won't.
For the Marines, the fact that a Headquarters Vice Admiral, someone at the core of their organization, was actually a pirate spy was a huge scandal.
No matter how powerful Doflamingo was, Headquarters would never let Vergo go. Vergo would either be executed or imprisoned on the sixth level of Impel Down.
----
Back on the deck, Teacher Zephyr had arrived. He looked at Roya with satisfaction. "Roya, it's been half a year. You've grown!"
"It's because you taught me well, Teacher." Roya was rarely so humble.
"What does it have to do with me? This is because of your own hard work," Zephyr said with a smile. His expression grew serious. "Headquarters knows about this incident, but because it involves a Seven Warlords of the Sea and a Headquarters Vice Admiral, Vergo's trial will be held in secret."
"I understand," Roya said.
This matter can't be made public. It would ruin the Marines' reputation.
Roya grinned. "Teacher Zephyr, I don't care if it's public or not, as long as the 11th Division gets what it deserves."
"You kid!" Zephyr glared at Roya. He was so focused on getting credit. Zephyr didn't know whether to be angry or proud. "Don't worry, no one can steal your credit!"
*
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[T/N:
Latest Chapter translated on Patreon - Chapter 287 (+148 Chapters Ahead!)
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 391 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
Here are the novels I'm currently translating:
-> Naruto Paradise: An Evil Uchiha's Rise
-> One Piece: I'm Destined to Be the Son-in-Law King!
-> Young Master, Please Become Hokage!
Today's Chapter releases includes the +2 bonus chapter(s)!
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]