61. Roger's Shock!

"That is..."
"The Pirate King Gol D. Roger?!"
"Oh my god! Overlord actually resurrected the Pirate King Roger?!"
"Am I dreaming? How can the dead possibly be resurrected?!"
The sudden turn of events caused the surrounding crowd, the undercover pirates, and even the marines who had been preparing to raise their guns and fire at Overlord Chu, to turn pale and take half a step back. Even the hands gripping the rifle stocks trembled involuntarily.
"Gulp..."
Even Smoker, who was usually calm, secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
That was the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, the legendary pirate rumored to have mastered the world's power, fame, and wealth!
He was the greatest glory of the previous era!
A ruthless figure of his generation who outshone the Flying Pirate, Golden Lion Shiki, and the world's strongest man, Whitebeard Edward Newgate!
He was also a mortal enemy deemed extremely dangerous by the Marines and the World Government, with an unprecedented bounty as high as 5.5648 billion Berries!
Even the former overlord of the seas, Rocks, fell slightly short in comparison.
Yet.
That man had clearly been publicly executed by the Marines years ago and died in Loguetown, yet he had returned to this world once again!
How could this be possible?!
It was only at this moment that Smoker realized his own blind spot.
From the very beginning, he had never taken Overlord Chu seriously—a man dressed in a white suit, as refined and elegant as an immortal descending from the heavens, yet carrying a bounty of a mere ninety million Berries.
But right now, Overlord Chu had completely shattered Smoker's worldview, leaving him trapped in a state of utter stupefaction!
Just as the terror and shock of the crowd were about to reach their threshold, Gol D. Roger, whose figure was becoming increasingly solid, began to speak.
It could be seen that this man was still wearing his iconic attire.
A red captain's cape, adorned with the golden shoulder tassels exclusive only to the Pirate King, fluttered wildly in the breeze under the setting sun.
No one would doubt that the Roger before them was fake.
For no other reason than that near the chest of Roger's clothes, there were two large, ragged holes—the very wounds left behind when the soldiers had run Roger through with their pikes!
"Where... is this?!"
Roger's voice carried a hoarse rasp, and his figure swayed slightly, seemingly still in a daze.
He slowly raised his head, looking down condescendingly at Smoker and his troops, completely ignoring the hundreds of armed marines.
When he finally realized that he was in his hometown of Loguetown, a deep sense of nostalgia and lingering attachment flashed through the depths of his eyes, before fading back into calmness.
"So... it's Loguetown..."
"To think that I would actually have the chance to return to my hometown."

Roger finally regained his wits, turned to Overlord Chu, who wore a faint smile, and asked in a deep voice:
"Was it you who resurrected me, Over... Over..."
The final word—"lord"—was simply too much for him to force out.
The calmness on Roger's face instantly turned ashen!
What the hell is this?!
How on earth could someone name themselves "Dad"? Are you out of your freaking mind?!
Overlord Chu shrugged indifferently, seemingly having anticipated Roger's reaction long ago, and smiled:
"That's right, I resurrected you."
To Overlord Chu's surprise, Roger did not throw a punch at him despite having just called him "Dad."
Though, upon second thought, someone with nerves as thick as Roger's probably wouldn't let such a "trivial matter" weigh heavily on his mind and fester in his heart.
Roger raised an eyebrow, remained silent for a brief moment, and then said, "I am already a dead man."
"My will has already been passed on, and I have no regrets in death."
"Though I cannot fathom what method you used to resurrect the deceased souls,"
"Yet since this world already has its predestined destination and course, why bother going out of your way to resurrect me?!"
Overlord Chu narrowed his eyes, unmoved.
Roger had gone to his death with this exact mindset before he passed.
As long as his own will could continue to be passed on, did life and death really matter that much?!
Thunder suddenly rumbled across the heavens and earth.
A storm was gathering, and the wind swept through the pavilions.
A cold and slightly brisk sea breeze hit them head-on, feeling as though it could tear a person in two.
Roger likewise narrowed his eyes, new waves of turbulence stirring in his heart:
"Such terrifying aura! Even the霸气 (Haki/Domineering aura) pressure that the sea overlord Rocks once inflicted upon me was nothing more than this."
"It is truly unimaginable what kind of changes this world has undergone during the time I've been gone!"
"Such a young punk, yet he possesses the aura of a king! This is simply too shocking!"
"Or could it be... that Overlord is the successor who inherited my will?!"
If he had truly been indifferent to his own life and death at the very beginning,
then right now, for the very first time, Roger felt a deep, intense curiosity toward Overlord Chu.
He wanted to know whether Overlord Chu was indeed the new Pirate King!
A fierce wind rose, whipping Overlord Chu's white suit wildly and arrogantly.

Overlord Chu narrowed his eyes slightly, sizing up this legendary man before him—the pirate whom countless people chased after as their ideal, and whom countless others cursed and detested from the bottom of their hearts.
He suddenly spread his arms wide, as if embracing the entire universe, and burst out laughing:
"Because I have come to this turbulent sea!"
"Yet, a sea without you cannot please this Overlord!!"
With you here, this sea will become all the more magnificent, and it will bring this Overlord even greater pleasure.
So, raise all the hell you want!
To please this Overlord, make the world feel pain!
"A challenger, is it?"
A sharp glint flashed through Roger's eyes, and the fighting spirit in his chest boiled over.
"Over... Overlord, is he actually provoking the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, who stood at the pinnacle of the world more than a decade ago?!"
The onlookers across the entire plaza all wore expressions as if they had seen a ghost, every single one of them dumbfounded and shaken to their very souls.
What they found most unacceptable was:
Roger actually looked thoroughly interested!!
You are the Pirate King Roger!
The number one in the world with a total bounty of 5.5648 billion Berries!
Why accept the challenge of a mere villain worth only 90 million Berries?!
They couldn't understand it.
Why was it that Roger, who a second before was utterly fearless of death and without the slightest attachment to the world, had suddenly ignited such blazing fighting spirit at this very moment?
Overlord Chu remained silent, a faint smile hanging on the corners of his lips.
The wind howled, and the world seemed to roar with iron and blood, pressing down so heavily upon the crowd that they could scarcely open their eyes.
Looking at this young, unfamiliar, handsome face that had called him "Dad" the moment they met, Roger's expression suddenly shifted with a jolt.
A flash of shock and awe swept through his eyes as sudden realization dawned upon him:
"So that's how it is!"
"You don't care at all whether this world is sinful, nor do you care whether the inheritance can proceed smoothly!"
"All you want..."
"...is conquest!"