Hearing Zoro's unwavering resolve—
Even after Lucian Thorn tried to hold back his grin following a hearty laugh, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise again.
He looked at Zoro, eyes gleaming with unprecedented excitement, his heart pounding wildly with exhilaration.
"Zoro!"
"Future World's Greatest Swordsman, Roronoa Zoro!"
Lucian was elated beyond measure.
Originally, his goals had only been Peak Rayleigh and Peak Nika Luffy.
Those two—one the peak of the old era, the other the embodiment of the new—were meant to be his ultimate trump cards for the Battle of Marineford.
But he never expected that after securing Luffy, he'd gain such an incredible surprise bonus!
Zoro!
The same man who had just defeated the Beasts Pirates' All-Star "King", fully fused Conqueror's Haki into his swordsmanship, and awakened the Santōryū Ōgi: Rengoku Oni Giri—a monster of a swordsman capable of tanking a dual attack from two Yonko!
In terms of raw strength, Zoro was now among the absolute pinnacle of Emperor-level right hands.
In pure offensive power, he might already be closing the gap with Peak Rayleigh himself!
And now—this powerhouse had asked to join, voluntarily!
This wasn't a request—
It was a golden pie falling from the heavens, landing straight into Lucian's mouth.
'Jackpot!'
'A total jackpot!'
'I didn't even have to lift a finger!'
His excitement nearly overflowed, but Lucian still kept his composure on the surface.
Internally, he frantically called to the system with all urgency:
"System! System! Answer me, quick!"
"Can I mark Zoro too? Can I give him the [Temporal Summoning Imprint]?"
The question lodged in his throat.
He was terrified of a rejection.
After all, the rule until now had been that he needed to fight the target directly and raise their Compendium Sync to 100% before unlocking their powers or performing further actions.
And he'd never fought Zoro.
Ding!
The system's cold, familiar voice echoed like music in Lucian's mind.
『Request detected...』
『Target "Roronoa Zoro" is recorded in the Compendium. However, host has never fought the subject (past self), current Sync Level is 0%. Ability download unavailable.』
Lucian's heart sank after the first part.
'So it's not possible?'
But then the system's tone abruptly shifted.
『However, due to the subject's strong will and voluntary request to join, he meets the conditions for a "Special Summon."』
『System judgment: [Special · Temporal Imprint] may be applied. This imprint does not support ability parsing, but full summoning functionality remains intact.』
Lucian exhaled in relief.
So he couldn't obtain Zoro's swordsmanship or physical traits like he could with Rayleigh and Luffy—but that didn't matter.
What mattered was that he could summon the future World's Greatest Swordsman to Marineford.
That was more than enough!
"Perfect!"
He could!
He really could!
"Hahahaha!!"
Lucian finally stopped suppressing his joy and laughed wildly to the sky.
The sudden burst of laughter left Luffy, Zoro, and Marco stunned.
"Hey, what's with you?" Luffy asked with a confused face.
Lucian stepped forward, eyes blazing with excitement as he looked at Zoro.
"It's nothing."
He approached Zoro, then said solemnly:
"I'm just happy for Luffy."
"To have a companion like you—it's the greatest blessing of his life."
"And I respect you deeply, Roronoa Zoro."
Lucian's voice was full of sincerity.
"Your resolve—I accept it."
"You have earned the right to stand on that battlefield."
"To stand beside your captain, and help him fix what he regrets most."
"Future World's Greatest Swordsman, Roronoa Zoro—"
"I believe in you."
As he finished speaking, Lucian raised his right hand, golden light gathering in his palm once more.
With a swordlike gesture, golden light flared at his fingertips—identical to what he used to mark Luffy earlier.
It shone brilliantly but not harshly, glowing with a mysterious aura that transcended time and space.
Zoro didn't flinch.
There was complete trust in his gaze.
Buzz—!
Lucian pressed his palm to Zoro's chest.
In that instant, a complex seal composed of golden runes lit up on Zoro's body before fading from sight.
[Special · Temporal Imprint] applied successfully!
Thus, following Peak Whitebeard, Peak Rayleigh, and Sun God Nika Luffy, Lucian's banner welcomed another unmatched warrior—
"Demon God" Roronoa Zoro!
"It's done!"
Lucian withdrew his hand and let out a long breath, still unable to suppress the smile on his face.
"Zoro, you're coming too!" Luffy cried joyfully, jumping up and throwing his arm around Zoro's neck with a laugh.
Zoro's lips curled into a nearly imperceptible smile.
He said nothing, but the grip on his sword eased just a little.
Marco, meanwhile, had gone completely numb.
He stared at Lucian like he was looking at some space-time-controlling monster.
'Time travel…'
'Going back to the past…'
'And now he's stamping top-tier powerhouses like a passport—turning them into summonable allies?!'
'What kind of broken ability is this?!'
Marco felt like his entire worldview had been shattered, rebuilt, and shattered again—over and over.
He even began to wonder if he was trapped in some insane dream.
But Lucian paid no mind to Marco's existential crisis.
He could feel the four blazing marks in his mind—each one shining with brilliance—and a new, towering confidence surged within him.
Peak Whitebeard.
Peak "Dark King" Rayleigh.
Awakened Nika-form Sun God Luffy.
Emperor-level powerhouse Zoro.
And himself—who had merged the peak abilities of Whitebeard, Rayleigh, and Luffy, along with top-tier control of all three Haki types.
'What a terrifying, godlike lineup!'
Four trump cards!
When those four world-shaking cards appeared together on the battlefield of Marineford—
Marine Headquarters?
The Three Admirals?
World Government?
Lucian's lips curved into a cold, fanatical smile.
"Let this world… tremble at my arrival."
He glanced at Luffy and Zoro, then spoke with gravity:
"Alright. We don't have much time left."
"You two—be ready."
"Await my summons."
"The next time we meet—will be on the battlefield."
Luffy and Zoro exchanged a look, then nodded firmly together—flames burning in their eyes.
"Leave it to us!"