One Piece: I'm not Roger

Augustus D. Aether had no idea what kind of changes Akainu had gone through, nor did he care. What he had done back then was nothing more than a passing whim.

Right now, he stood on the shore, watching a pink-haired woman tied up and glaring at him while biting her lip.

"Miss Jewelry Bonney, didn't I warn you not to provoke Blackbeard? How did you end up getting captured again? I have to say, that's impressive."

Bonney immediately snapped back, refusing to accept the blame.

"You bastard Augustus! I didn't provoke Blackbeard at all, those bastards attacked my crew first!"

Aether fell silent.

His gaze shifted to the dozen or so corpses lying nearby. For a moment, he did not know how to evaluate her situation.

In less than a month, her pirate crew had been wiped out twice.

Both times, only the captain survived. Both times, he happened to be the one who saved her.

This woman truly brought disaster wherever she went.

"The sea only respects strength. Figure it out yourself."

Without another word, Aether cut through the chains binding her hands with a single slash. Then he turned and walked away, clearly unwilling to involve himself further with her.

Bonney immediately followed after him.

She had no ship, and as a Devil Fruit user, she had no way of leaving the island on her own. Boarding his warship was her only option.

"Hey, I need you to give me a ride."

Aether stopped instantly and turned around. Bonney, not paying attention, walked straight into him.

A soft, elastic sensation pressed briefly against his chest before she quickly stepped back, covering herself. Even someone as bold as Bonney was not entirely unfazed by such contact.

Aether glanced at her once, then looked away without interest.

"What do you mean 'hey'? I have a name. And I'm older than you. Show some respect. Is this how Bartholomew Kuma raised you?"

At the mention of her father, Bonney's expression tightened. She wanted to lash out, but the indifferent look on Aether's face made her swallow her anger.

"Hmph… Fine. My father has been gone for a long time. Mr. Augustus D. Aether, can I board your ship? Otherwise, I'll be stuck here."

At that moment, Rayleigh stepped forward, acting as the mediator.

"Roger, what's her connection to Bartholomew Kuma?"

Aether pointed lazily at Bonney.

"His daughter. Princess of the Sorbet Kingdom. A troublesome one."

Rayleigh nodded in understanding. Since Aether had no real intention of abandoning her, he stepped in smoothly.

"In that case, Bonney, you can come aboard. We'll drop you off at the next inhabited island."

Bonney shot Aether an annoyed look, then turned to Rayleigh with a much softer expression.

"Thank you, Senior Rayleigh. Please wait for me."

About ten minutes passed.

Aether and Rayleigh chatted casually, showing no impatience.

On the shore, Bonney dug over a dozen deep holes with her bare hands. Her eyes were dim as she buried the bodies of her fallen crewmates one by one, setting up simple stone markers for each.

They had only been together for a short time, but they were still her crew.

She would at least see them off properly.

When she finally returned to the ship, she was covered in dirt from head to toe.

Aether instinctively stepped back in disgust. The smell of mud clung heavily to her.

Bonney ignored his reaction completely and even stepped closer on purpose, forcing him to retreat off the deck and into the cabin before she stopped.

Only then did she turn to Rayleigh.

"Senior Rayleigh, where are you heading?"

"The next stop is Fish-Man Island," Rayleigh replied. "Since people have started calling Roger one of the New Emperors, it's only natural to check on our territory."

Bonney's eyes widened.

Although she already knew Aether was Roger, hearing that he had become one of the Emperors still shocked her.

Rayleigh handed her the morning newspaper.

After reading it, she finally confirmed the truth.

With nearly forty subordinate pirate crews under his command, each with considerable strength, Aether fully qualified for the title of Emperor.

Still, the idea of the Pirate King being labeled as one of the Four Emperors felt strange.

Had his status risen, or fallen?

The warship continued forward.

At the same time, not only Bonney, but all the other Supernovas had entered the New World.

Their arrival stirred chaos across the seas.

X Drake led his crew to a winter island under Kaido's control. In order to attract Kaido's attention, he fought the island's guardian, Scotch, and barely secured a victory.

Urouge, captain of the Fallen Monk Pirates, ventured onto a dangerous island but was defeated by massive creatures, suffering heavy losses.

The most reckless among them was Eustass Kid.

After encountering the Red Hair Pirates at the edge of their territory, he boldly ordered his crew to approach.

"A mere Emperor? I can replace him."

Despite their actions, the Supernovas were still insignificant compared to the true powers of the New World.

One day later, Fish-Man Island.

Located 10,000 meters beneath Mary Geoise, it served as a mandatory passage to the New World and was home to countless Fish-Men and Merfolk. Known as the Underwater Paradise, it was a rare and vibrant world beneath the sea.

With a population of five million, it rivaled large human nations, though its people remained a minority compared to humanity.

Three pirate ships with coated hulls sailed through the deep sea, flying the flag of the Big Mom Pirates.

They passed through the pitch-black depths before emerging into the illuminated waters surrounding Fish-Man Island.

Despite being deep underwater, the area was filled with light, thanks to the Sun Tree Eve, which transmitted sunlight from the surface down to the ocean floor.

The ships approached the massive bubble barrier protecting the island.

No guards dared to stop them.

The flag they carried belonged to Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors.

A tall, blue-haired woman nearly four meters in height stepped off one of the ships first, her tone cold and displeased.

"Fish-Man Island… this place is disgusting. I won't be coming back here again."

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