New World, Peach Garden.
The moment that voice fell, every guard on the shore reacted instantly.
All of them turned toward the young man standing calmly at the shoreline.
Without hesitation, they all knelt and greeted him in unison.
"Welcome, our King."
Their voices were filled with respect and excitement.
The man they were greeting was none other than the ruler of Peach Garden, Godslayer Rolan.
Rolan raised a hand slightly, signaling them to stand down.
Even among the crowd, some of the newer guards were visibly overwhelmed, their breathing uneven, faces flushed with excitement.
They had joined the guard force for one reason only, to serve under Rolan.
At that time, securing a position in the guard had been fiercely competitive.
Everyone had fought for it desperately, all for the chance to see Rolan in person.
None of them had expected that the day would come where he would stand right before them.
Kuzan looked at Rolan, then glanced at the fanatical expressions of the guards.
He let out a relaxed sigh.
"Arara, Rolan, you really are a well loved leader."
Rolan gave a faint chuckle but said nothing.
Instead, he spoke in a calm tone.
"For the Fleet Admiral of the Marines to walk alone into pirate territory, that is either courage or foolishness. Aren't you afraid you might not leave here alive?"
Kuzan rubbed his temple and raised both hands slightly.
"Spare me, I came here because you invited me, didn't you? Even Rolan wouldn't casually imprison a Fleet Admiral, right?"
Rolan smiled faintly.
"You are the Fleet Admiral. Even if I had ten times the courage, I would not dare to do something so troublesome."
He turned and began walking forward.
"I have been waiting for you."
Kuzan paused for a moment, then followed.
As they moved, Rolan casually lifted his hand.
An electromagnetic barrier expanded silently around both of them.
At the same time, invisible electromagnetic waves spread outward, entering the minds of every guard who had witnessed Kuzan's arrival.
Even the Den Den Mushi surveillance in the area was subtly disrupted.
Confusion immediately spread among the guards.
"Hmm? Why am I here?"
"Weren't you supposed to be on patrol?"
"Wait, what happened earlier?"
They looked at one another, disoriented, as if their memories had been slightly shifted.
Then, a massive Sea King corpse suddenly emerged offshore.
The confusion faded as new memories settled in.
A giant Sea King had gone berserk near the coast.
All of them had rushed to stop it together.
After a fierce battle, they successfully killed it before it could reach land, preventing any casualties.
The guards slowly accepted this version of events without suspicion.
…
"How is it? Peach Garden isn't bad, is it?"
Rolan walked beside Kuzan as they moved through the island.
Kuzan kept observing everything around him, unable to hide his amazement.
He had visited Mary Geoise before, and even Pangu City could not match what he was seeing here.
The difference was clear.
There were no Celestial Dragons, no slaves, no rigid hierarchy.
Only order, peace, and a strange sense of balance.
Hearing the question, Kuzan nodded honestly.
"Peach Garden really is, as the rumors say, a paradise."
Then he sighed lightly.
"Rolan, you really are a mysterious man. I still cannot figure out what is going on in your mind."
People who met Rolan often said the same thing.
Even those close to him, including Boa Hancock and others, sometimes found him unreadable.
If Vegapunk's science represented a future three hundred years ahead of the world, then Rolan's ideology felt at least five hundred years ahead.
Some even believed the so called Ancient Kingdom might not have been this advanced.
After all, the Ancient Kingdom existed for centuries, while Rolan had only been active at sea for a few years.
Yet he had already built something that rivaled a true utopia.
Unprecedented, and perhaps unrepeatable.
Kuzan found himself becoming more curious about why he had truly been invited here.
As they traveled, Rolan guided him through Peach Garden.
Because of the electromagnetic barrier, the two of them passed through the streets unnoticed, like invisible observers.
From island to island, the scenery changed constantly.
Different architectural styles, different layouts, different functions.
Yet the same atmosphere existed everywhere.
Peaceful, efficient, and strangely content.
No excess, no waste, everything had purpose.
Rolan never asked Kuzan directly about his reason for coming.
But he already understood it with near certainty.
Instead, he simply guided him, observing his reactions.
A subtle way of shaping trust without a single direct question.
Kuzan spoke again, his tone thoughtful.
"Besides Garp, I think I now have another person I respect."
Rolan did not respond.
But Kuzan continued listening to the voices around them as they walked.
Even with the electromagnetic barrier, faint admiration and loyalty toward Rolan could still be heard from everywhere.
"Thanks to Lord Rolan, we finally escaped the wars of the world."
"He must be a god sent to us."
"If not for Lord Rolan, this place would have been destroyed long ago by the World Government."
"The Marines are just hypocrites. Justice is whatever they decide it is."
"True justice only exists in Lord Rolan."
"I heard he killed Celestial Dragons."
"So what? Those pigs deserved it."
"The World Government is rotten to the core."
Kuzan's expression darkened slightly.
At one point, he even wondered if this entire place had been deliberately shaped to worship Rolan.
But Rolan himself showed no reaction.
No pride, no irritation, no emotion at all.
Kuzan exhaled slowly.
"Let's go. There is someone here I think you will be interested in meeting."
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