One Piece: I'm not Roger

"Who's-Who, forget about joining my crew. That's impossible."

Aether's voice was indifferent as he looked down at the former CP9 agent.

"However, if you leave now, I won't consider you part of the Beasts Pirates anymore. Their future is already decided. Do you really want to stay behind and suffer with them?"

Who's-Who's expression shifted.

"This..."

He clearly wanted to continue persuading Aether, but after meeting those crimson eyes filled with pressure, the words stuck in his throat.

Queen's miserable condition beneath Aether's foot was already proof enough.

Without another word, Who's-Who chose to retreat.

His ship quickly pulled away from the battlefield.

Now that he had betrayed the Beasts Pirates and failed to join Aether's crew, his options had become extremely limited. The Red Hair Pirates would never accept someone like him.

That left only a few possible forces in the New World.

The Big Mom Pirates.

The remnants on Hachinosu under Wang Zhi.

Or the rapidly rising Blackbeard Pirates.

Several nearby Gifters and lower-ranking members hesitated briefly before following his example. Those with close companions took the injured with them, while the abandoned pirates were simply left behind.

"Traitors..."

Sasaki gritted his teeth furiously.

Even Queen's face twisted with rage despite his injuries.

This betrayal was not just a loss of manpower. It would severely damage Kaido's authority once word spread across the seas.

If Aether had not been standing there, they would have killed those deserters immediately.

After confirming that everyone who wanted to flee had already left, Aether no longer wasted time.

"Now then," he said lightly, "let's continue."

His figure vanished instantly.

Boom!

Before Sasaki could react, Aether's fist slammed into his face and sent him flying hundreds of meters away. Several sharp teeth shattered from the impact as blood sprayed through the air.

In the next moment, Aether appeared before Black Maria.

The towering woman visibly stiffened in fear.

Her instincts screamed danger.

Unfortunately, she had no time to react before Aether's punch struck her abdomen.

Even after heavily suppressing his strength, the force still launched her enormous body backward.

The battlefield quickly turned into a brutal one-sided beating.

Aether moved through the crowd effortlessly, overwhelming everyone in his path.

No one could withstand even a single strike.

Ulti, who stubbornly tried resisting again, was smashed into the ground once more and completely immobilized.

Throughout the entire fight, Aether never used Ace.

If he lost control of his strength for even a moment, Kaido's core forces would be wiped out entirely. That would only create chaos across Wano again, which was unnecessary.

Ten minutes later, the battlefield had completely quieted down.

The defeated members of the Beasts Pirates sat around Aether with bruised faces and battered bodies, behaving so obediently that the scene felt surreal.

As for the weaker pirates, many were still unconscious after being overwhelmed by Aether's Conqueror's Haki.

Queen slowly sat up while holding a contract in his hand.

As he finished reading it, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"How is this possible?" Queen blurted out. "Boss Kaido actually agreed to these conditions? This has to be fake!"

Aether ignored the outburst and casually pointed at the bottom of the document.

"Look carefully. That's Kaido's signature."

His voice remained relaxed.

"If you still doubt it, ask him personally after he returns. Besides, if I really wanted to destroy the Beasts Pirates, I could kill Kaido right now and lead my forces straight into Wano."

Aether smiled faintly.

"There would be no reason for me to lie, right?"

Then he turned toward someone nearby.

"Isn't that correct, my future crewmate, Page One?"

Page One stiffened immediately.

Among everyone present, he was the only one Aether had not beaten up. Earlier, Aether had casually draped an arm around his shoulder while speaking to him privately, leaving the young man completely unsettled.

Now, facing everyone's gazes, Page One swallowed nervously before answering honestly.

"Lord Roger... does make sense."

He hesitated briefly.

"I also don't think he needs to lie."

Queen fell silent.

The logic was impossible to refute.

Even if this truly were deception, they had no ability to resist anyway.

After a long pause, Queen finally sighed.

"...Fine. We'll follow the contract."

The moment those words fell, Ulti exploded in anger.

"I refuse!"

The blue-haired girl glared fiercely at Aether.

"I won't join this bastard's pirate crew, absolutely not!"

Many nearby pirates instantly frowned.

Was this really the time to provoke him?

Had she already forgotten how effortlessly Aether crushed all of them moments ago?

Surprisingly, Aether showed no anger at all.

Instead, he looked toward Queen.

"You heard her," Aether said casually. "Since Iron Head Girl refuses, I'll replace her with someone else according to the contract. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Queen barely hesitated.

"No problem, Lord Roger. Choose someone else."

Hearing that answer, Aether's smile deepened slightly.

Everything was progressing exactly as he expected.

Queen's agreement mattered far more than Ulti's refusal.

Aether slowly swept his gaze across the remaining members of the Beasts Pirates.

The moment his eyes landed on someone, they instinctively avoided eye contact.

Nobody wanted to become Aether's subordinate.

Remaining under Kaido at least allowed them to keep their status and authority.

Following Aether meant stepping into uncertainty.

Only one person continued glaring directly at him.

Ulti.

Even now, she stubbornly stared at him with angry, watery eyes.

If she had not already caught Aether's interest earlier, he might have taught her another lesson for that attitude alone.

Finally, Aether's gaze stopped on Black Maria.

The tall woman sat quietly on the ground, her earlier confidence completely gone.

Aether pointed directly at her.

"Then I'll choose her."

The surrounding pirates froze.

"From today onward, Black Maria belongs to me. She no longer has any connection to the Beasts Pirates."

Black Maria's expression instantly changed.

For a brief moment, she looked completely lost.

It felt absurd.

One moment she was one of the Tobiroppo, a powerful executive commanding influence within Wano.

The next moment, she had become part of a transaction.

It reminded her of the countless women she had seen sold away in the pleasure districts, abandoned by fathers, husbands, or those stronger than them.

The overwhelming difference in status made her breathing turn uneven.

Ignoring her fear, she instinctively tried to refuse.

"No, that's imp..."

Her voice abruptly stopped.

Aether's eyes locked onto hers.

The pressure behind that gaze made her entire body tense.

A faint wave of Conqueror's Haki pressed down silently, causing her heart to tremble.

Aether's voice lowered slightly.

"Do you still object?"

Black Maria swallowed hard.

All resistance disappeared from her expression.

"N... no."

"Then come over here."

Aether's tone remained casual.

"From now on, you belong to me. Your ties to Kaido are over."

Black Maria instinctively looked toward Queen for help.

Unfortunately, Queen completely ignored her.

To him, sacrificing one Tobiroppo member in exchange for Kaido's return was already an excellent deal.

Besides, Queen himself desperately needed Kaido's protection. Given his past involvement with the World Government's research teams and his connection to Vegapunk, losing Kaido's backing would place him in enormous danger.

Compared to that, Black Maria's situation meant nothing.

Realizing nobody would help her, Black Maria lowered her head bitterly.

"...Yes."

Her voice sounded powerless.

With no ability to change the outcome, she slowly walked behind Aether and quietly sat down beside him.

She avoided everyone's eyes completely.

From this moment onward, her fate had already changed.

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