"Geppo!" (Moonwalk)
The three CP0 agents still alive clearly knew exactly what they were—and what they weren't.
At best, they were only around near–Vice Admiral or Rear Admiral level.
The only reason they could swagger in front of Marines was because of the CP0 badge on their backs.
But if they actually tried to fight a freak like Rono—someone who could one-punch a Vice Admiral—they'd be wiped out in minutes.
"Trying to run?"
Rono lifted a brow. With Observation Haki, he read one of their escape routes cleanly—and stepped right into the path, cutting him off.
"Shigan: Break!" (Finger Pistol)
That CP0 wasn't a lamb waiting for slaughter. The instant Rono closed in, he struck first.
"AAAH—!!"
A scream ripped out of him—so sharp and miserable it turned heads.
His Shigan had slammed into Rono's arm… except Rono's arm was coated in Armament Haki.
And when Rono applied even a little pressure—
crack.
The CP0's finger snapped, broken clean.
Ten fingers were linked to the heart. That kind of pain wasn't a joke.
"Die."
Rono's fist drove straight through the man's chest.
The CP0 agent died on the spot.
But the other two used that moment to widen the gap.
"Damn it… I still got here too late—only two left, huh?!"
…
"Watch my blade!"
Roger finally arrived.
The second he appeared, he brought his sword down on one of the fleeing CP0 like a storm.
That agent didn't even realize Rono had a partner.
He died before he could process what was happening.
"There's a second one?!" the last CP0 survivor shouted in panic.
He bolted like a man possessed, fleeing without any plan—pure instinct, pure terror.
"Heh. Geppo."
Rono didn't intend to let a single one escape.
If there were no Celestial Dragons here, then he'd vent his rage by slaughtering the Celestial Dragons' dogs instead.
Geppo was something the System had just let him pick up.
And besides Geppo, he'd also picked up two more Rokushiki techniques:
Shigan and Tekkai.
"Rono—I'll help you!" Roger called, joining the pursuit.
"Don't kill him," Rono said quickly. "Just catch him."
Roger looked at him, surprised.
Rono's reason was simple:
This man was CP0.
That meant he could contact the Celestial Dragons—or at least the CP0 assigned to escort them.
If Rono killed him, the trail might die with him.
"Alright. Got it."
Roger nodded.
With the two of them flanking left and right, they closed the trap fast—and seized the last CP0 alive.
"Give up, you filthy commoners!" the captured CP0 snarled. "I won't tell you where the Celestial Dragons are!"
He knew he was dead either way.
Still, he spat on them anyway, eyes full of hatred.
Rono wasn't surprised. CP0 were broken in the head to begin with.
He ignored the barking and searched the man's body.
Soon, Rono found exactly what he wanted—
a specially modified Den Den Mushi.
One look at the symbol on it was enough to tell him it was a private line, the kind CP0 used to contact each other.
If he could activate it, he could likely reach the CP0 unit escorting the Celestial Dragons.
But when Rono tried to trigger it…
nothing happened.
"Hahahaha!" The CP0 laughed like he'd won. "It's custom-made. Without the correct passphrase, you can't activate it!"
For an intelligence agency, basic anti-countermeasures like this were child's play.
"Rono," Roger asked quietly, turning to him, "do you have a grudge with the Celestial Dragons… or CP0?"
On his way over, Roger had felt it—Rono's rage.
The moment Celestial Dragons were mentioned, Rono's emotions detonated, like he became a different person.
Rono didn't answer.
Because he didn't want to.
It was the deepest wound in his heart—the secret he never wanted to speak aloud to anyone.
"Alright," Roger said, unbothered. "Then I'll help you."
Even without an answer, Roger wasn't blind.
His intuition was too sharp.
And Roger's Observation Haki… wasn't ordinary Observation Haki.
It was the kind that could hear.
Not someone's literal inner thoughts—but the "feel" of things, the truth hidden in tiny shifts, the whisper of what couldn't be said.
Roger could sense it clearly:
Between Rono and the Celestial Dragons, there was a past soaked in blood.
Even if they weren't crewmates, Roger had already started treating Rono like a friend.
And if a friend needed help…
then it was time to show what he could do.
Roger leaned down beside the captured CP0, bringing his ear close as if listening to something invisible.
"This is…?"
Rono's eyes widened.
That posture—
Wasn't this Roger's special form of Observation Haki… the Voice of All Things?
[Ding~ Congratulations, Host successfully picked up: God-tier Observation Haki — Voice of All Things!]
The instant Roger used it, the System's pleasant chime rang in Rono's head.
He got it.
Voice of All Things.
A God-tier Observation ability.
Like Katakuri's Future Sight, or "Red" something's ability to peer into hearts—these were all special forms of Observation Haki.
But the Voice of All Things was rarer.
It let you "talk" to the world itself.
In fact, you could even say it was a level above Future Sight and mind-reading.
Because this was the kind of power only "main characters" were worthy of having.
Luffy had it.
Roger had it.
And more importantly—
maybe, through CP0, he could finally scrape up something—anything—about the Celestial Dragons' whereabouts…
and avenge his parents.
"Don't even think you'll get anything out of me!" the CP0 suddenly roared. "Just wait—you'll face endless pursuit from the World Government and Marine Headquarters!"
Then, as if he'd sensed what Roger was doing—
his eyes went hard.
And he bit down on his own tongue.
Hard.
"Shit—stop him!" Roger barked.
Rono and Roger moved at the same time—
too late.
The CP0's body went slack.
He was already dead.
"…Didn't think scum like that could be this loyal," Roger muttered, stunned.
Suicide.
That level of "loyalty" was sickening.
What kind of brainwashing did the World Government use to create CP0 like this?
"He's just terrified of exposing the Celestial Dragons' trail," Rono said flatly. "Because what would happen to him after that would be worse than death."
To CP0, the truth was simple:
They were the Celestial Dragons' house dogs.
And if a house dog failed a mission, the master's punishment would be hell.
Rono had no illusions about it.
In the original story, Who's-Who—a former CP0 member, later one of the Beasts Pirates' Tobiroppo—
was thrown into Impel Down after failing to transport the Gomu Gomu no Mi, and eventually defected to Kaido.
That alone showed how brutal the consequences were.
So even if Rono didn't kill CP0…
they'd often kill themselves anyway.
Better death than falling into the Celestial Dragons' hands.
"Hahaha! Fight's over—let's go!" Roger slapped an arm around Rono's shoulder, dragging him toward the transport ship's interior. "Let's see what kind of goodies this Heavenly Tribute has!"
Observation Haki showed the Heavenly Tribute was stored inside the hold.
Rono was excited too.
Heavenly Tribute—
besides gold and jewels…
could there be powerful Devil Fruits?
Or other rare treasures?
Roger didn't eat Devil Fruits, and he had no interest in them.
So if they found one…
it would be Rono's.
"Maybe there's a stash of fine wine," Roger said dreamily. "Ahh… I can't wait~!"
Rono nearly tripped.
"What is wrong with your brain?" he snapped.
Good wine was just money.
With enough cash you could buy as much as you wanted.
And Celestial Dragons certainly wouldn't be short on alcohol.
The Pirate King's thought process really was beyond normal people.
"St—stop!"
A young, trembling voice suddenly rang out.
"Oh?" Roger and Rono both paused, surprised. "Someone's still awake?"
They turned toward the sound.
It was a young Marine—a fresh recruit, green as grass.
And yet he'd been the first to regain consciousness.
Rono's Conqueror's Haki was advanced-tier.
To wake up this quickly, this kid's willpower was frighteningly firm.
This kind of talent…
Could he be one of the future three—Pheasant, Dog, Monkey?(The Admirals' code-names.)
No.
At this point in time, those three weren't even in the Marines yet.
Sengoku? Garp? Zephyr?
Also no.
Those three were already famous by now—Marine HQ Vice Admirals, even considered Admiral candidates.
And besides—
Rono couldn't shake the feeling he'd seen this face somewhere before.
But he couldn't place it.
"I saw everything you did," the young Marine said, gripping a short recruit's blade and pointing it at them. "I won't allow you to take the Heavenly Tribute."
"I represent justice," he declared, painfully earnest—almost embarrassingly so.
"Justice?" Rono mocked. "Even the Celestial Dragons' dogs can ride on top of you. And you call that justice?"
"It's only temporary!" the young Marine shot back, teeth clenched. "When I grow strong enough, I'll change what the Marines have become!"
"Change the Marines?" Rono's eyes narrowed. "Big words."
He was genuinely interested now.
A man who dared to dream didn't deserve to be laughed at.
And someone who swore he'd reshape the Marines…
was never going to be ordinary.
But that only made it stranger.
This kid couldn't be the "Pheasant-Dog-Monkey," and he couldn't be Garp, Sengoku, or Zephyr either.
So who was he?
Fujitora?
No.
That chuunibyou-level earnestness didn't fit Fujitora at all.
A few people did have that exact kind of ridiculous, shining idealism…
but one was Luffy, and one was Roger.
It couldn't be them.
Rono forced himself to remember—had he forgotten some important original-story detail?
A Marine like this… how had he never heard of him?
BOOM—!
Mid-thought, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from the young Marine's body.