One piece: The Greatest Swordsman of the Rocks Era! Chapter 100: Golden Lion, Let’s Turn the World Upside Down!

"His na is Tengetsu Ares. Bounty: 220 million Berries. The Navy and World Governnt have dubbed him... the 'Bloodhand'!"

With a bright grin, Spark Jabba handed the newspaper over to Rayleigh, his tone full of teasing amusent.

"What's hilarious is... the guy's bald!"

Bald pirates were a rare sight in the New World. Even more unusual was how young Ares looked in the bounty photo. No one knew why he had chosen such a bold look it definitely made an impression.

"Tengetsu..."

Rayleigh raised an eyebrow as he examined the bounty poster on the paper, the corners of his mouth curling with interest.

"That's not a surna you hear every day."

"A 220 million bounty, huh... Looks like the Rocks Pirates have been making so serious moves. I imagine the World Governnt and Navy won't stay quiet much longer."

"No wonder we haven't seen any Marines around lately... Even Garp's gone off the grid."

"So, Rocks has started targeting allied kingdoms under the World Governnt... He's got ambition, I'll give him that."

A sharp glint flickered in Rayleigh's eyes behind his tinted glasses. There was no doubt about it, this was the start of a tidal wave that would rock the world.

What intrigued him even more was Ares' surna: Tengetsu.

Rayleigh had sailed across countless islands in the Grand Line, and that na stood out, it didn't resemble any conventional family na he'd encountered. Still, he didn't dwell on it too long. Secrets like that... were always bound to unravel in ti.

Roger, cheeks flushed with drink, leaned in over Rayleigh's shoulder and squinted at the paper. His grin split wide open as he burst into laughter.

"Bwahahaha! That bald little guy... what an egghead!"

Clutching his stomach with one hand and a sake bottle in the other, Roger's booming laughter carried an infectious energy, raising the spirits of everyone at the banquet.

"With a body like that ripped and chiseled yet bald as a lon..."

"What a character!"

The bounty poster clearly showed Ares' muscular upper body bulging pecs and clean, defined lines. The man looked like a walking statue of strength... except for the glaringly shiny scalp. It was such an odd contrast that it was hard not to laugh.

Even Rayleigh cracked a smile, infected by Roger's enthusiasm.

"His bounty's been climbing fast..." he said thoughtfully. "He must be really strong. If we ever cross paths, we'll need to stay sharp."

In the pirate world, a bounty wasn't just a number, it was a asurent of threat, influence, and ability. The Marines never raised bounties without reason. If Ares' bounty had jumped so drastically in such a short ti, sothing significant must've happened.

Oddly enough, the paper only printed the new wanted poster, it gave no details on what Ares had done to earn the raise. A strategic move. After all, the Marines had a reputation to protect.

Roger slung an arm around Rayleigh's shoulders and grinned.

"C'mon, forget the paper for now."

"Let's enjoy this feast to the fullest!"

Rayleigh chuckled, setting the paper down. He took a deep swig from his sake bottle and said, "Roger, once we finish exploring this sea... let's go west."

"There's an island called Ohara. It's ho to the world's greatest scholars and the largest library on the sea."

"They might know how to read the writing on that stone."

Rayleigh knew how obsessed Roger had beco with those mysterious stone glyphs the ones inscribed on the ancient Poneglyphs. Roger had a gut instinct that those stones contained a secret... one the World Governnt didn't want anyone to uncover.

"Alright then!"

"Once we've sailed to the ends of this sea... let's head to Ohara!" Roger declared, his laughter ringing out across the clearing.

He was thrilled. For the first ti, he saw hope in deciphering those ancient characters.

He raised his sake bottle and clinked it against Rayleigh and Jabba's. The glass rang clear and crisp.

The three of them drank deeply, the atmosphere electric with excitent and purpose.

Just as the party reached its peak...

BOOM!!!

A cannon blast tore through the sky shattering the mood in an instant.

"We've got company!"

"All hands, battle stations!"

"Is it the Marines?!"

Roger's crew were no rookies. In an instant, the rry feast turned into a battlefield. The pirates drew their weapons and stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes sharp and ready.

The Roger Pirates weren't just strong they were diverse. A crew of many races united under one captain, defying the prejudice that plagued the world.

Roger himself leapt onto a boulder, scanning the sea.

In the distance, a ship was approaching. Its sail bore a fearso golden emblem a skull surrounded by flowing golden hair.

The Golden Lion, Shiki!

Rayleigh's face darkened at the sight.

"That blast was just a warning shot, wasn't it?"

The cannonball had landed harmlessly in the sea, and no follow-up had co.

Now, on the enemy ship, a man with flowing golden hair stood tall at the bow. His coat and mane whipped wildly in the wind.

It was an unmistakable display of raw, unfiltered arrogance.

And on that sa ship...

Ares stood with eyes burning, staring at the shore.

"So that's them... the Roger Pirates," he murmured.

"Roger... Rayleigh..."

Just those nas made his blood boil with anticipation.

Gol D. Roger, the man history would one day call the Pirate King.

And Silvers Rayleigh the man known as the Dark King, the one who would later clash with an admiral at Sabaody Archipelago.

Ares knew from that alone: Rayleigh was no ordinary swordsman.

Strong in both Conqueror's Haki and swordsmanship... he was exactly the kind of opponent Ares needed to study. To learn from.

His heart, as large as a cannonball, pounded fiercely in his chest.

The era of the Pirate King hasn't co yet... but I will be the one to rewrite it!

"I will shape an era of my own!"

Beside him, Kaido felt Ares' surge of energy. Grinning, the young man shouldered his kanabo.

"Still as battle-hungry as ever, eh, Boss Ares?"

He too was getting fired up.

Ares' passion was contagious. And under his influence, Kaido had found himself craving combat like never before.

Perhaps... that was the kind of bond only true n could understand. A bond forged through fire, fury, and unspoken brotherhood.

As Shiki's eyes t Roger's from across the water.

It was as if so invisible spark ignited between them, lighting the skies.

The Golden Lion bared his teeth and laughed.

"Gehahahaha...!"

"Gol D. Roger!!!"

"I, Shiki the Golden Lion, co on behalf of the Rocks Pirates!"

"I invite you to join us... and together"

"Let's turn this world upside down!!!"

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