Chương 107: Chapter 107: Recalling the Past, The Disaster of Crossing.

"Wow wow wow~~~ We're flying~~!"

Carried by the 'Express Shrimp', the Golden Merry, with Luffy on board, emerged from the sea of clouds and arrived at a sea area.

Looking around, there were beaches and forests not far away, and the outlines of buildings in the distance. Without a doubt—

"This is Sky Island!"

"Hahahaha, we made it~~"

"Great, let's warm up and train for an hour—"

Boom boom boom!!

Luffy, who was so excited that he turned into a blur, was bouncing crazily on the deck. An hour of training was nothing to him.

"I'm definitely becoming the fitness king!"

"Great, swing your sword ten thousand times before relaxing!"

"I just want to slack off~~"

"Sigh, I always feel like we're getting further and further away from the definition of 'pirates'..."

Anyway, the Straw Hat crew knew that Roman's training plan was for their own good. So, despite the complaints, they spent an hour sweating, and then:

Splash, splash, splash~~

Everyone eagerly jumped into the 'sea of clouds', which was close to the shore. Although the 'sea of clouds' on Sky Island also suppressed Devil Fruit users, it wasn't as overpowering as seawater. After being tormented by Seastone wristbands every day, Luffy and the others could handle it.

"Hahahaha, even the beach here is soft~~~"

Luffy was bouncing around like a monkey.

"Is this a beach? It's my first time seeing one—"

It's quite sad, really. Since Chopper joined the crew, it's been nothing but fighting or heading to fights. He hasn't had a chance to properly experience what a 'beach' is.

"These guys, they never give me a moment's peace."

Sanji said this, but he had already taken off his shoes and jumped into the sea of clouds, clearly enjoying himself.

"Hey, where should we drop the anchor? Is there a bottom under these clouds..."

Facing Zoro's complaint, Roman sprouted a pair of wings and flew towards the shore with Nami in his arms.

"Drop it here, don't worry—the bodies of Sky Island sea creatures form a nearshore seabed."

Watching the Straw Hat crew playing around on the shore, Robin turned to Zoro.

"Aren't you going?"

...?

"Yeah, I'll go."

"I never thought before," although her face was still as gentle and intellectual as usual, the breeze brushing Robin's face made her look particularly natural.

"Sailing and landing can also be an adventure."

...?!

"Yeah, the Marines won't chase us here... we can finally relax."

Facing Nami stretching beside him, Roman also lay down on the soft 'beach' to relax, without a care in the world. Because:

Ah, a world without the Seven Warlords, the Four Emperors, and the Three Admirals is so wonderful~~~

Although there are strong people on Sky Island, whether it's the four priests of Angel Island or the elite warriors of Shandia, they are just passable in Roman's eyes.

At this level of strength, they are no longer 'strong enemies' for the Straw Hat crew. After all, if you don't surpass several levels, you can't even call yourself an enemy of the Straw Hat crew.

And the only real expert here is the ruler of Sky Island: God Enel!

The Logia-type 'Rumble-Rumble Fruit' user, known as the strongest, has developed his fruit ability to near the combat power ceiling on this island, where there isn't even a single person with a bounty over a hundred million.

He also has the 'Mantra'—Observation Haki—that can cover and monitor an entire island when combined with his fruit ability.

If Enel had ever properly trained by fighting strong opponents, he would definitely be one of the top combat powers in this world.

But:

Luffy is his natural enemy!

Forget about plasma, electromagnetism, or ionization, the Devil Fruits in this world have very unreasonable weaknesses. If it's said to be immune, it's immune, which is why Roman can relax. —If Luffy can't beat him, tying all of them together would be pointless.

A single thunderbolt can destroy an island, he's practically a human 'Pluton'!

Crocodile would be envious to tears...

Even if we take a step back, Enel's goal is to knock Shandora, which was accidentally sent ten thousand meters into the sky by the Knock Up Stream, back down to the Blue Sea, returning the land to the earth, the people to the people, and the gods to the gods. Then he plans to rule the infinite land in his heart—the moon.

So as long as we don't get killed on the spot, Roman can just drag the Straw Hat crew for a high-altitude free fall~~~

Anyway, with Enel's temperament, he wouldn't bother to come back and kill a few 'ants'.

So Roman's summary of the Sky Island arc is:

Wyper: To restore the glory of Shandora, it is our duty!

Gan Fall: I will protect everything on Sky Island!

Enel: Because I am the rightful god!

Straw Hat Crew: As long as we don't get killed, it's a success...

The current situation is what you call a 'reckless game'. Apart from trusting Luffy's recklessness, any other means are meaningless! So Roman simply gave up thinking.

As his mind went blank, memories flooded in.

Three years had passed, from the initial fear and unease, sleeping with a knife in hand, walking close to walls; to the first time participating in a battle, the first time going berserk and hacking the opponent to pieces, the first time calmly slitting the throat of a pirate who provoked him...

At first, he didn't dare to escape because the fate of a traitor was to be skewered by Captain Silverlight and fed to the sharks; later, with intense training, he gradually got used to the daily killing, got used to speaking with a knife, got used to the fear and dread in others' eyes.

When he had the strength to protect himself in front of Captain Silverlight, he realized he had already gotten used to the pirate life. If it weren't for that Devil Fruit, maybe Roman would still be the combat leader of the Silverlight Pirates...

If it weren't for Luffy, Nami, Zoro... maybe another 'Blackbeard' would be plotting some terrifying scheme by now?

No, knowing himself, Roman would definitely do something even more insane than Blackbeard.

Because a traveler with no attachments is the most reckless kind of person!

So many travelers who kill entire families over a single trashy treasure or a word aren't without reason.

...

Crunch, crunch!

"Can't bite it!" Holding a pumpkin-shaped fruit, Luffy turned to the other side, habitually looking for the all-purpose...

"Ro..."

Slap,

A hand grabbed Luffy by the neck and dragged him away. Sanji, dragging him, impatiently waved at Chopper and Usopp.

"Go, go, go, play somewhere else."

Although not quite understanding, Chopper and Usopp rolled away to play. Left on the beach, Roman lay sleeping with his head on Nami's lap.

"Frowning even in sleep, not cute at all."

Nami gently stroked Roman's forehead, trying to chase away his worries.

"Roman, you look stronger than anyone... but you're the loneliest, aren't you?"

Luffy has his caring brother and the grandfather who always beats him up.

Zoro has his master, Usopp has his childhood friend, Sanji has the old chef, Chopper has his mentor, and she has her sister... and in their hometowns, they all have a group of warm and lovely villagers.

These are the light in the hearts of the Straw Hat crew, the lights that never go out in the face of despair.

Only Roman—

He never mentioned any family or friends, as if they didn't exist! Even his 'happy' past seemed empty and hollow. Nami had seen many people like this:

Those pirates who lost their homes, family, friends, and everything, with only chaos and death in their eyes!

They are the most dangerous kind of people, even ordinary pirates don't want to get close, because these people will destroy everything around them while destroying themselves.

"Speaking of which, that Nico Robin…"

Nami looked up at the intellectual beauty sitting under a tree reading a book. Although she and Roman seemed reliable, they were actually the most 'unreliable' people in the Straw Hat crew.

When faced with a desperate situation, they are the ones most likely to feel trapped and unable to move forward."

They all rolled in the darkness, lost everything, and were fearless of death.

It's not that they were 'brave', but because they 'didn't care' about death. Just like when Roman challenged Crocodile, did Nami think that with Roman's shrewdness, he wouldn't have considered the possibility of his own failure?

Of course, he had considered it! The message on "The Thief's Extreme Art" was the best proof, but Roman—didn't care.

Although Roman often openly said he was afraid of death, Nami knew that he was essentially someone who was indifferent to death.

It wasn't the courage of a warrior facing death, but the coldness of someone who had nothing to lose.

"Roman, you saved me from Arlong's shadow..."

So, how should I save you?

---

PS: Well, when it comes to emotional lines... I wish I could write sweet stories! A transmigrator is inherently a lonely person abandoned by the world, so I wrote about Luffy teaching Roman what companionship is, and Nami teaching Roman what family is. Of course— This isn't meant to be sad, definitely not!

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