"So that's it... the world eight hundred years in the future?"
Sitting atop a small hill, Joyboy listened as Roy gave him a brief explanation of who he was and where he had come from. Stroking his chin with two fingers, he clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Eight hundred years... That's a very long time."
Then he broke into a wide grin.
"But hey, that also means the world managed to survive for eight hundred years."
Roy blinked in surprise.
He had expected the legendary figure from eight centuries ago to bombard him with questions about the future, what the world had become, who ruled it, what had happened over all those years.
Instead, Joyboy didn't ask a single thing. He seemed completely uninterested.
"Don't look at me like that," Joyboy chuckled after noticing Roy's expression. "It's not that I don't want to ask. It's just... what would be the point?"
He pointed at himself.
"Eight hundred years, remember? I'd have been dead long ago. And besides, I'm just a fragment of will left behind inside this Haki. Everything I am exists only here."
He gestured toward the island around them, the island formed from memory itself.
"The past and the future aren't things I can interfere with."
His tone was light, almost carefree.
"The only reason I exist here is to protect my friend... and my friend's friends when the most important moment comes."
That was exactly why he had left the knot behind in the original story. He had hoped Emeth would use it if his life was ever in danger, or if someone precious to him needed saving.
"So... you're actually angry with me?" Roy scratched his cheek awkwardly.
When he'd taken the knot, he'd never imagined he'd end up meeting Joyboy face-to-face. Looking at it now, it really did seem like he'd stolen a life-saving gift someone had left for a dear friend.
"Yeah. If it were the real me, I'd definitely be a little upset," Joyboy laughed. "Sure, who ends up with the knot comes down to freedom. But nobody likes seeing a gift they gave a friend get snatched away."
Then he tapped his own chest.
"But I don't have the ability to be angry."
Roy immediately understood.
The Joyboy before him wasn't truly alive. He was only a lingering will preserved within an incredibly powerful burst of Haki, a memory given form. For some unknown reason, he could perceive Roy and even hold a conversation with him. But in the end, he was still only a memory. His thoughts and emotions were forever frozen at the moment the knot had been created.
After a brief silence, Roy looked him in the eye.
"I promise you this. If Emeth is ever in danger, I'll save him." He spoke with complete conviction. "Your Haki is better off in my hands than sealed inside him."
That wasn't just empty reassurance. Now that Roy had all but accepted that he would eventually stand against the World Government, Emeth, the ancient robot from eight hundred years ago, would become an invaluable ally. Whether out of gratitude or practicality, Roy had no intention of letting him be destroyed by the Five Elders like in the original story.
"Oh?" Joyboy raised an eyebrow. "You're a confident one."
He stared into Roy's unwavering eyes before flashing another broad grin.
"If you can say something like that to nothing more than a memory... then I'll take your word for it."
"Hahaha!" His laughter echoed across the island. "Well then, we're almost out of time. This Haki is about to fade away. So let's begin."
"Begin?" Roy frowned.
"That's right." Joyboy laughed. "I don't know how you pulled it off, but the fact that you came here after untying the knot means our Haoshoku Haki is clashing."
He grinned knowingly.
"You came here because you want my Haki to guide you through awakening your own Haoshoku Haki, didn't you?"
He had guessed Roy's purpose perfectly.
"...You're willing to help me?" Roy couldn't hide his surprise.
"Of course," Joyboy answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Haoshoku Haki is the freedom of the soul. Everyone born with it is someone who refuses to abandon who they are, even when trapped in a world full of chains and surrounded by darkness. They're the rhythm of liberation. The sparks that keep the world alive."
He raised a thumb and tapped his own heart.
"And I'm Joyboy. As long as someone is chasing freedom... I'll always lend them a hand."
With those words, he spread his arms wide, as though he meant to embrace the entire world.
"Watch closely, one from the future."
"This... is my ambition!"
The moment those words left Joyboy's mouth, the hill, the setting sun, and the island all vanished.
Roy felt his perspective shoot upward. Then he saw the sea, an endless, azure ocean stretching farther than the eye could see.
There was no Red Line. No Calm Belt. No war. No ugliness.
Scattered across the sea were countless islands, yet none stood isolated. They seemed connected, as though the world itself had become one.
Celebrations filled every island. Bonfires blazed beneath the open sky, and food and drink were everywhere.
Roy saw Giants dancing, their every step making the earth sway. He saw Tontattas darting nimbly between the Giants' toes.
Mermaids no longer hid in the deep sea; they stood in the shallow waters along the shore, singing without fear. Humans laughed and played alongside the Mink Tribe.
Enormous Sea Beasts floated near the coast, carrying delighted children on their backs.
The Longarm Tribe, the Longleg Tribe, the Shandians... Every race in the world had gathered upon this sea.
They laughed together. They danced together. They celebrated together.
There was no discrimination. No barriers. No oppression.
Only laughter.
And one shared cry: "To freedom!"
The voices of every race merged into a single roar that echoed across the sea.
When the feast finally came to an end...
Some people sailed back out to sea with carefree laughter. Others stayed behind on the islands with the people they loved.
Sunlight bathed the world. Flowers bloomed. A gentle sea breeze drifted through the air.
Only then did Roy truly feel it, that pure, blazing will.
Just as Joyboy had said, Haoshoku Haki was the manifestation of the soul. Every wielder of Haoshoku possessed an ambition unconstrained by reality, a vision of the world they wished to create.
And what Roy was witnessing now... was Joyboy's ambition.
A world where the Four Seas were no longer divided. A world where every race stood together. A world where everyone could laugh, where every person lived equally beneath the same sky.
He wanted to hold one enormous banquet, one attended by the entire world.
Or, to put it more simply... he wanted the whole world to be free.
Whether someone wished to sail the seas or stay beside their family, everyone would be free to live the life they chose.
"I see..."
At that moment, Roy finally understood the overwhelming force of that spirit.
He also realized the role Joyboy played in this free world. He was the sun, the one whose light spread freedom wherever it reached.
Where Joyboy existed, there could be no chains. Where the sun's light shone, darkness and cold were driven away.
"...What incredible spirit."
Even though Roy had expected something extraordinary, he still couldn't help but marvel. This was the ambition Joyboy had carried across eight hundred years. It was so overwhelming that even Roy felt the urge to throw himself into that world... to laugh, to live freely.
But…
'Bzzz!'
At that instant, as Roy gazed upon the world below, something began surging from the depths of his soul.
Instinctively, he realized something wasn't right.
Then, in a sudden flash of insight, it hit him.
"So that's it..." he spoke aloud. "Your ambition... is completely a pirate's dream!"
The moment those words fell, the magnificent world of freedom before him seemed to freeze.
"...A pirate's dream?" It was as though the world itself questioned his accusation.
"That's right." The power welling up inside Roy only grew stronger.
What was a pirate?
Someone who roamed the seas without restraint. A wanderer with no borders to their journey. Someone who acknowledged no imposed order.
Freedom was everything to them. If they wanted something, they took it. If they wanted a feast, they held one. If they wanted to do something, no one could stop them.
Luffy was like that. Roger was like that. Joyboy was no different.
That was why they could attack those they despised without a second thought... and raise a cup with their friends just as easily.
"Come, enemy. Let's fight."
"Come, friend. Let's drink."
That spirit gave them an irresistible charm. It inspired countless people to follow them.
But...
"A world where everyone is completely unrestrained... where absolute freedom belongs to all?" Roy stopped there. He turned his eyes away from the sea below. "That's nothing more than the absurd dream of a pirate."
Roy raised his head, as if looking the world itself in the eye.
Then... he took a step forward.
'Boom.'
The instant his foot came down, the entire world shuddered.
The vast, boundless spirit of freedom transformed into a raging storm. It was as if the whole world was pushing back against that single step.
'Boom. Boom. Boom.'
But Roy never hesitated. With every step he took, his conviction only grew stronger.
The world beneath his feet began to crack.
"Overthrowing the World Government and Imu... banishing the darkness. There's nothing wrong with that." He acknowledged Joyboy's extraordinary spirit. "Wanting people to laugh and live freely... that's a wonderful dream."
He acknowledged the charisma that could make countless people follow Joyboy.
"But if everyone in the world were given absolute freedom... what do you think would happen then?"
Roy asked the question, though he already knew the answer.
Absolute freedom gave birth to chaos. Perhaps the world would become a better place, for a while. But differences between races, competition for resources, and countless other conflicts would eventually tear it apart once again.
"That's why you failed, Joyboy."
Roy kept walking forward. The world around him shattered with every step, until, at last, that perfect world of freedom collapsed completely, leaving nothing behind.
The next moment, he found himself standing once more atop the little hill. Joyboy was still there, facing him.
"Your ambition... is a fairy tale that can never become reality. Even if you liberated the world, that freedom would only be temporary. One day, sooner or later, the world would descend into chaos all over again."
Roy met Joyboy's gaze. Joyboy remained unruffled; instead, he smiled.
"Well, of course my dream is a pirate's dream." He burst into laughter. "Because at the end of the day... I 'am' a pirate. I want to defeat the abyss and free the world simply because I can't stand the way it is. I hate seeing my friends oppressed. I hate being chained down. So I'll tear it all down. That's all there is to it."
He didn't deny any of it. If anything, he laughed even harder, because it was true.
Joyboy had never been a flawless hero. He wasn't a god, nor was he some saint destined from birth to lead the world into a perfect utopia. He was just... a pirate.
He wanted to drive away the world's darkness. He wanted to set everyone free. And beyond that, he didn't care.
How the world would be governed, whether it would fall into disorder again, what happened afterward, what did any of that have to do with a pirate?
"The people who come after me will figure something out," Joyboy said without the slightest concern. Then he looked at Roy, unmistakable anticipation in his eyes. "So what about you, successor?"
Everything that had just happened had already proven one thing: Roy hadn't been overwhelmed by Joyboy's spirit. Which meant the soul before him possessed potential every bit as great as his own.
This man was different.
"What kind of world do you want to see? How would you build order? Govern the world? Preserve peace? You…"
"I have no idea," Roy cut him off without the slightest hesitation.
Joyboy froze. "You don't know? Then why…"
"Because I've seen a better world," Roy interrupted him again. "It isn't perfect. But it's better than this one, and it's better than the lawless world you want to create."
He spoke quietly.
"And after meeting you today, I'm more certain than ever: this world can't be entrusted to pirates like you."
"...Huh?" Joyboy looked even more bewildered before a hint of indignation crept onto his face. "You don't even know what kind of world you want to build. So what makes you think it'd be any better if the world were left to you?"
"Because it would." Roy looked straight at him, his calm voice carrying an undeniable weight.
He truly didn't know what the perfect answer was. He didn't even know where the edge of the universe lay; how could he possibly know how to create a flawless utopia?
But there was one thing he knew for certain. The world as it existed now, and the world of absolute freedom Joyboy dreamed of... both were the wrong path.
If there was anyone in this world who could find the right one, Roy believed there was only one answer.
"It can only be me." He had that much confidence.
"Hahaha!"
When Joyboy heard those words, he looked straight into Roy's eyes and burst into the loudest laughter yet. His whole body shook with it, and tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.
"Seriously... you really are arrogant to the core, aren't you? Deep down, you probably don't even see the Abyss as something above you."
For that brief moment, it felt as though he could see directly into Roy's heart.
"...Yeah," Roy didn't deny it. "In fact, I only just realized it myself."
Only now did he finally begin to understand why Shiki had once said his soul possessed the qualities of a king. Roy himself had rarely been fully aware of it.
But... he was a soul from another world. Someone who had witnessed a different era with his own eyes, who knew this world's future. Deep inside, he had always carried a pride unlike anyone else's, one that no one in this world could ever truly understand.
It wasn't arrogance in the usual sense; it was the confidence that came from seeing the world from a higher vantage point.
Especially after awakening the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, as his strength continued to grow... that pride had only grown stronger.
The Pirate King. The ruler of the world. Joyboy. Davy Jones. Even the so-called God himself.
Roy respected them. He was wary of them.
But deep down... he had never doubted that one day he would surpass them all.
And at that very moment,
'Bzzz!'
The world around them began to dim. Joyboy's figure slowly started fading away before Roy's eyes as the power stored within that fragment of Haki finally reached its limit.
"...How fascinating."
Yet Joyboy didn't seem to care that he was disappearing. Instead, he stared intently at Roy.
"Hey... man from the future. What's your name?"
"Roy Amos," Roy answered calmly.
Joyboy softly repeated the name twice. "Roy... Amos..."
Then the legendary man from eight hundred years ago let out a heartfelt sigh.
"What a shame we weren't born into the same era." His fading smile remained as bright as ever. "I really wanted to see... what kind of fascinating world you'll create."
With those final words, Joyboy vanished completely.
---
North Blue.
The Calm Belt.
Night had fallen, and thick clouds covered the sky.
Aboard the 'Black Loyalty', the crew on watch suddenly felt an indescribable tremor rise from the depths of their souls.
'Bzzz!'
An invisible force burst outward like a tidal wave, sweeping across the surrounding sea. It carried no hostility, no killing intent, yet merely passing through it made their hearts pound uncontrollably.
"W-What..."
The sailors instinctively looked around, then saw an unbelievable sight.
The thick clouds overhead were torn apart by an unseen force. The waves rolling across the sea abruptly froze before being crushed downward.
Then,
'Boom.'
Without a single sound, the mighty Sea Kings lurking beneath the Calm Belt floated to the surface, bellies up. Schools of fish followed. Birds flying overhead dropped straight into the sea.
'Creak... Craaak...'
Even the warship itself groaned under the immense pressure.
The terrifying aura disappeared almost as quickly as it had come, but the deck immediately erupted into chaos.
"What the hell was that?!"
"It came from the captain's cabin!"
"Are we under attack?!"
"A Devil Fruit user?"
Hans and Fal exchanged a glance, immediately pinpointing the source of that overwhelming burst of power. Without another word, both men sprinted toward Roy's room.
Just then,
'Click.'
The cabin door opened, and Roy stepped outside.
"Captain!"
The two of them stopped in their tracks. They wanted to say something, but the words caught in their throats.
Because they could both sense it: Roy had changed. It wasn't anything they could put into words. His presence had become sharper, more overwhelming.
"What is it?" Only when Roy spoke did they snap back to reality.
"C-Captain, that just now..."
"Oh, nothing," Roy answered casually. "I just gained a little insight during training."
He offered no further explanation. Instead, he looked out across the sea.
"Where are we now?"
"We've almost crossed the Calm Belt," Fal replied after a brief pause. "We'll be entering the North Blue very soon."
"Good." Roy smiled.
He slowly clenched his fist.
Without a sound, black-and-red lightning quietly danced across his hand.
'Haoshoku Haki.'
'Awakened.'
(End of Chapter)
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