As the youngest admiral in the entire Navy, the strength Roy had displayed had reached a level beyond ordinary imagination.
Yet on this vast and boundless sea, was he truly the only one?
Needless to say, the other Navy admirals were all monsters in their own right, and the Four Emperors, whose might shook the world, were no exception.
Take Akainu and Aokiji, for instance; their earth-shattering battle lasted a full ten days and ten nights!
And Kaido, known as "the Beast," possessed what was practically an immortal body—such feats left the world in awe. These individuals earned their title as the strongest through undeniable power.
In comparison, despite leveraging his formidable Glint-Glint Fruit abilities and his foreknowledge of certain events to secure his position as a Navy admiral, Roy was still far too young.
It had to be admitted that, given the current situation, this was already the limit of what he could achieve.
In fact, in recent years, Roy himself had gradually come to realize a serious issue—his rate of growth was becoming increasingly sluggish.
Although there was still room for improvement in areas like developing his Devil Fruit abilities and training his Three Colors of Haki, that room was indeed limited.
As things stood, the Four Emperors still dominated the vast seas, firmly controlling their respective territories.
And within the World Government, all was shrouded in an impenetrable fog, its depths unfathomable. Even the mysterious Im, despite Roy's position as an admiral, remained someone he had yet to fully understand.
Faced with such a complex situation, Roy had previously considered that even if he managed to make further breakthroughs in the future, even if he could defeat one of the Four Emperors, could he really expect to take on two or even more at once?
In the world of One Piece, such a scenario was virtually impossible.
However, the appearance of the Myriad Heavens Chat Group had changed that.
In Roy's eyes, while the mid-tier and lower-tier combat strength of the Naruto world paled in comparison to that of the One Piece world, it held a significant advantage at the top.
The legendary beings there, such as the enigmatic Sage of Six Paths and the terrifying Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, wielded power so immense that even the entire One Piece world, exerting its full might, would struggle to contend with them.
At that thought, excitement stirred within Roy.
If he could cleverly leverage the formidable power of the Naruto world, then breaking through his current limitations and achieving a qualitative leap in strength was entirely possible.
Roy nodded slightly, thinking to himself, "That settles it. I need to firmly latch onto this 'treasure' that is Sasuke."
But at that moment, Uchiha Sasuke was completely unaware; he had no idea he was being treated like a plump sheep for shearing.
On the contrary, he was filled with respect for this man who called himself Kizaru.
In Sasuke's eyes, this powerful individual, whose strength far surpassed Kakashi's, was not only immensely capable but also generous and amiable—truly a rare kind of good person.
Sasuke was about to inquire about training when he saw Roy raise his left arm.
"Ara ara, there's still an hour until the end of the workday. If I don't head back soon, I'll be working overtime for Fleet Admiral Sengoku for free."
Roy muttered.
"I barely slacked off at all today. Overtime is a sin."
"I'm logging off now. If something comes up, chat via the group."
With a wave of Roy's hand, the conversation ended, and Uchiha Sasuke was ejected from the space.
"Workday? Slacking off?"
Back in reality, Uchiha Sasuke was a bit bewildered. Did someone this powerful still have to work?
He recalled the knowledge of Armament Haki in his mind; it was still there, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Regardless, gaining access to new power was ultimately a good thing.
Even if he hadn't yet mastered it, he believed he could.
"Alright, break's over. Time to keep moving."
Kakashi's voice sounded beside him. Uchiha Sasuke steadied his mind and continued forward.
Back in the One Piece world, Roy checked the time. There was still an hour left until the end of the workday.
"Ara ara, Fleet Admiral Sengoku really squeezed me dry today!" Roy shook his head helplessly, muttering as he pushed open the office door.
He thought to himself: As a seasoned expert in slacking off and a master of time theft, not managing to slip away half a day early was a complete and utter failure.
Just as Roy had taken a few steps, an unusually tall, elderly man suddenly appeared ahead of him.
This elderly man was walking toward him with a loud laugh, constantly stuffing rice crackers into his mouth as he did so, looking utterly comical.
"Ha ha ha, you brat Roy, what's going on today? Out this late, looks like that old Sengoku really piled the work on you!"
The elderly man's booming laugh echoed through the hallway as his hand moved swiftly, grabbing two more rice crackers and tossing them into his mouth with a satisfying crunch.
Roy focused his gaze and realized the newcomer was none other than the famed Marine Hero, Vice Admiral Garp.
Unfazed by Garp's teasing, Roy responded with a calm smile, "Vice Admiral Garp, aren't you in the same boat, leaving this late?"
After all, the two of them were a famously notorious duo for showing up late and leaving early, so they naturally had plenty in common to chat about.
Hearing Roy's words, Garp let out another hearty laugh: "Ah ha ha ha, it's not the same with me! I just snatched these rice crackers from Sengoku—they're delicious!" With that, he deliberately smacked his lips.
But suddenly, he scratched his head and looked at Roy.
"Hmm? What's this? Why do I sense a change in the aura coming from you, kid? Could it be… did you get stronger?"
Garp eyed Roy with suspicion, a glint of curiosity and inquiry in his gaze.
Roy felt a slight jolt in his heart upon hearing Garp's words. He had thought that, with his newly activated chakra now well-controlled, it wouldn't be so easily detected. Yet, Garp was perceptive enough to catch on immediately.
"Well… it's probably just your imagination," Roy replied with a smile.
"No! It's definitely not my imagination. Your aura is different from before."
Garp frowned and said with certainty.
---