Chapter Twenty-Seven: Roland's Plan

“So he’s made arrangements for us too? That’s quite interesting.” Jason chuckled, realizing his nephew was clearly confident and prepared. If he truly intended to look after him, perhaps following him wasn’t such a bad choice.

“Lord Roland, please go ahead,” Arkin said expectantly, his eyes fixed on Roland. He needed to prove his worth and was eager to demonstrate his value.

Roland gave a slow nod as he looked at the two of them. After using his Observation Haki to confirm that only they were present and there were no surveillance snails nearby, he finally spoke:

“Uncle Jason, do you remember I once told you that ten years ago I was saved by a powerful figure?”

Jason nodded. Roland had indeed mentioned this before, though at the time he hadn’t paid it much mind.

Roland continued, “The remarkable person who saved me was none other than the captain of the Flying Lion Pirates, the legendary pirate Golden Lion Shiki, who broke out of Impel Down twenty years ago. He’s now my mentor. Everything I know, I learned from him.”

Roland spoke slowly, but the words struck Jason and Arkin with a profound shock.

In fact, not only they but even the nearby pirates keeping watch were deeply shaken.

Golden Lion Shiki, captain of the Flying Lion Pirates—his name was legendary, even among small-time pirates in the East Blue. What kind of legend was he? He’d fought a naval battle against Pirate King Roger at Edd War, and it’s said that if not for a sudden storm, Roger wouldn’t have been the victor.

But could such a figure really save someone? In their minds, Golden Lion was infamous for his ruthless nature.

Had Roland not said it himself, neither of them would have believed it.

“And I am now the heir to the Flying Lion Pirates—the sole successor.”

Roland dropped another bombshell, leaving the pair utterly stunned and overwhelmed by a tangle of emotions.

Was such news really something that should be shared? For the heir of the Flying Lion Pirates to appear in East Blue, and even plan to join the Navy—

If the Navy found out, Roland would probably be publicly executed the very next day, just for being connected to such a legend.

Arkin swallowed hard, finally understanding why Roland had said that ship was unreliable.

These two revelations, each more shocking than the last—if those ruthless criminals learned the truth, there’s no way Lord Roland could hold them at bay.

If it really came to that, the only way for Lord Roland to keep his secret might be to kill everyone involved.

Yet, alongside the shock, a wave of emotion swept over Arkin’s heart.

For Roland to share such secrets with him, without reservation, was proof of immense trust.

Arkin silently made up his mind: whatever plans Lord Roland had for him, even if it meant marching to his death, he would obey without hesitation.

This kind of trust—Krieg had never given him that. He’d only kept him around for his fighting skills.

“Nephew, I think I finally understand why you came to us with all this,” Jason said, swallowing hard himself. He hadn’t expected Roland’s background to be so astonishing, but it also explained his formidable strength.

Golden Lion—an equal of Pirate King Roger—wouldn’t have a disciple who was weak. Only someone strong enough would be worthy of his legendary name.

“Are you really so easily frightened?” Roland watched their reactions, shaking his head.

“What I just told you was merely to be honest about my identity. What I’m about to say is the real heart of the matter.”

“Uncle Jason, do you remember ten years ago, when you brought my father’s body back to Rosia Island, you also left me enough money to grow up on?”

“But not long after you left, the villagers of Rosia stole that money from me and drove me out of the village.”

“Later, I met Master Shiki. If not for him, I would have died a long time ago.”

“After saving me, Master Shiki asked if I hated those villagers. I told him I didn’t—after all, being the son of a pirate, perhaps that was to be expected.”

“But to say I didn’t hate them at all would be a lie. I was just a normal child—why should I be treated so, simply because my father was a pirate?”

“At that time, another thought came to me: What’s wrong with this world?”

“Why do ordinary people, clearly victims themselves, unleash all the evil in their hearts just because a child is connected to pirates?”

“Why does everyone dream of becoming a pirate, abandoning even their own families—knowing full well their loved ones will suffer for it?”

“Some islands may see piracy as an honor and don’t shun the children of pirates, but that’s a sickness too.”

“When did running amok on the seas and committing every conceivable evil become a thing of glory?”

“But when you, Uncle Jason, told me your story, I realized something else: except for a handful of dutiful officers, the Navy is rotten to the core.”

“No wonder so many people despise the Navy.”

“If you’re just going to do evil anyway, why not be a pirate and enjoy more freedom? At least pirates can do whatever they please.”

“I believe all of this—the whole mess—is because this world, this era, is sick. It’s an age of utterly twisted values.”

“Pirate King Roger—such a resounding title—was nothing but a wretch who deserved to die.”

“It was his words that ushered in the Great Pirate Era, plunging these once peaceful seas into chaos.”

“There were pirates before, of course, but the pride in being a pirate began in this age.”

“But back then, I never thought about changing any of it. I only trained hard to repay the unconditional trust of Master Shiki.”

“But just now, in the village, I saw little Donna—a girl who suffered the same fate as I once did.”

“What happened to me ten years ago has happened again, to someone else.”

“And that’s only Rosia Island. What about the rest of East Blue? The Grand Line? The whole world? How many others have suffered as I have?”

“I once heard a saying: with great power comes great responsibility.”

“And it just so happens that I have both the strength and the talent.”

“In ten years, I’ve grown from a helpless child to who I am now.”

“Give me another ten years—could I not stand atop this world?”

“So I intend to use my power to overturn it all. I don’t want to see more children suffer as I and Donna have.”

“It’s not their fault they’re born to pirates—they’re simply unlucky.”

At this point, Arkin and Jason finally realized just how insignificant Roland’s claim to be Shiki’s disciple really was.

To be Golden Lion’s disciple was merely to have a tie to a legendary pirate.

But what Roland had just said was far greater—he wanted to upend the entire world, to break the current order. Was that even possible?

Arkin and Jason exchanged glances; in each other’s eyes, they saw the same word: madness.

They truly thought Roland had lost his mind.

They knew he was strong, yes—but compared to whom? Against the petty pirates of East Blue, he was formidable, but against the real giants of the world, he was nothing.

They had never left East Blue, but they’d heard of the World Government, the three Admirals, the Seven Warlords, the Four Emperors of the Grand Line.

Those powers had shaped the world’s order—would they allow anyone to change it?

Even as Golden Lion’s disciple, so what? Golden Lion belonged to Roger’s era; he was old now. No one would fear a relic.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Roland said, seeing their expressions and smiling wryly.

“If I have these ambitions, it’s because I have a plan. I’m not just going to charge ahead blindly—that’s why I need you both.”

“And the first step in my plan is to join the Navy—to dig at its foundations and poach their best, expanding my own strength.”

“Becoming a Navy officer isn’t my goal—it’s just the beginning.”

“And as for why, even with the force of my teacher’s pirate crew, I want to enlist—it’s because, besides undermining the Navy, I want to recruit others like me, those with a sense of justice.”

“For those people, an invitation from a Navy man is far more credible than one from a pirate.”

“The Great Pirate Era won’t end through killing—so long as arrogant nobles exist, so long as predatory officers remain, so long as people glorify piracy, pirates will never be eradicated.”

“I want to build a powerful organization—one strong enough to change the world and address the root of these problems.”

“If there’s no more forcing the innocent into villainy, no more pride in being a pirate, the Great Pirate Era will dissolve on its own.”

“And what happened to me will never happen again.”

Jason nodded and asked, “So what do you want us to do?”

Roland produced a Grand Line sea chart and a log pose from his system space and handed them over. “I need you to go to the Grand Line and set up an intelligence network for me—gather information on the most heinous pirates, and also find those with great talent who have been overlooked.”

“If I’m joining the Navy, it’s with the goal of becoming an Admiral—or even Fleet Admiral.”

“To become either, I’ll need not just strength, but also merit.”

At this, both men immediately understood.

Gathering information on notorious pirates would help Roland track them down and destroy them, earning military achievements.

Finding overlooked talent was for recruitment.

If you were in such a position—talented, but ignored—and a rising Navy star came to recruit you, wouldn’t you be tempted? Wouldn’t you want to work for him?

Understanding this, Arkin and Jason shared another glance and couldn’t help but smile wryly. All their earlier worries had been for nothing.

Now that it was all laid out, they had no objections. Since Roland had already set the course, they would simply follow his lead.