Roland’s Death, Card of Virtue

In the sky behind Luffy, the time illusion created by Ubik continued. Within the desert kingdom of Alabasta, Roland, on the verge of death and covered in blood, watched in despair as his companions turned into Scarlet Drop Cards. The Morning Star of Hope fell, and he looked at the Egg of the King that had appeared in his hand at some unknown moment. As his heart convulsed violently, the Egg of the King rapidly hatched.

Then the Netherworld descended. Amid immense sin, Roland became God Hand, while Guts, who had rushed over, looked on in despair.

Guts painfully lowered the Dragon Slayer, his expression halfway between laughter and tears. So he had never escaped the Abyss God’s mockery. After Griffith, another dear friend of his had activated the Egg of the King as if it were fate.

When that new Eclipse descended, Guts calmly accepted everything. He no longer resisted. Leaving behind that pitch-black Dragon Slayer, Guts voluntarily leaped into the Netherworld’s vortex and vanished.

Afterward, God Hand: Roland corrupted everyone on Sky Island until Black King Luffy descended, slaughtered everything, and brought this tragedy to an end.

The real Roland should have died long ago. But his obsession made him a target for the Abyss God’s exploitation. Or rather, even Roland’s obsession was within the Causality Law.

It was precisely because Roland was an extraordinarily idealistic, pure-hearted good man who wished for everyone to receive a happy ending that he had plunged headfirst into the Berserk Derivative World, wanting to give Guts a good ending. That was why the Abyss God had set Its sights on him.

Because he sought good, evil coveted him;

Because he held hope, he ultimately fell into despair.

The one who had failed to escape the Causality Law was not Guts, but himself…

Roland smiled as though he understood everything, but that smile was more painful than tears.

Watching this kind, good man wear such an expression, veins bulged one by one across Luffy’s forehead. This damned space, these damned worlds—they always made good people bear suffering, while those evildoers, even in death, felt no regret.

A fierce malice rose from him. Black King Luffy no longer retained even a trace of his former innocent purity. That shōnen who had laughed heartily and wanted to become the freest person on the sea had died in countless worlds. All that remained was a vengeful king who wanted to destroy everything with violence.

More vicious than Reincarnators, more brutal than Reincarnators.

With a cold snort, Luffy turned away. As his long black hair swayed, Conqueror’s Haki once more coiled around his body.

Watching Luffy walk away, Roland recalled Sky Island. After killing him there, Luffy had also left with such resolve. Perhaps, after suffering countless losses, every loss had carved another wound into the heart of that former shōnen.

And his own stubborn refusal to die, his ugly desire to live, and his obsession with striking the Abyss God with that one slash were, in a sense, repeatedly stabbing into Luffy’s heart as well.

He was forcing Luffy to kill his friend once again.

"Ha…"

Roland looked at his pitch-black spirit body. The cloth draped over his head was the burial shroud used in his homeland to cover the bodies of the dead before burial. Looking down, his spirit body was already riddled with holes, horribly warped by God Hand’s corruption.

The Abyss God would not directly control him. It had merely seen all his possibilities and thus knew what choice he would make based on his character. Therefore, the Abyss God only needed to make a few subtle arrangements to achieve Its goal while he believed he was acting according to his own heart.

Looking at those Netherworld demons and the already shattered Skuld Island, Roland finally realized that he had once again caused the deaths of tens of thousands.

Including the nearly ten million people who had vanished in Alabasta, perhaps he was even more vicious and brutal than the Reincarnators who had once done those terrible things to Luffy.

Roland looked at his hands, feeling as though they were already drenched in blood.

Seeing Luffy preparing to head toward Bai Cangshu, he suddenly spoke.

"Luffy."

Luffy stopped. Even this name felt somewhat unfamiliar to him now. He remembered that only these friends and those companions from his old memories would call him that.

Others had once called him Straw Hat Kid—the Marines and One Piece pirates alike—while the later Reincarnators called him "that guy" or "the one from the Black King Society"…

He turned around. Through the entrance to the Netherworld that he had smashed open, beneath the Light Pillar’s radiance, Roland seemed to return to how he had once been: blond hair falling to his shoulders, innocent and idealistic.

"Tell the captain, and everyone else, that I’m sorry."

"This time, I caused everyone trouble."

Luffy’s pupils trembled. For the first time in a long while, his heart felt that hot current surge through it again.

Tears streamed down Roland’s face. At this moment, there was no longer any regret or resentment within his spirit body.

"Since joining Azure Sky, all this way… I have no regrets."

BZZT!

Roland’s spirit body stretched out. Elsewhere, white light suddenly flared from within Bai Cangshu’s body.

Luffy sensed it, and his right arm instinctively began to rise, but he quickly forced himself to restrain it.

Even in death, a companion’s resolve should be allowed to run its course.

Within Bai Cangshu’s Consciousness Sea, Satoru Gojo watched the incomplete spirit body suddenly blaze with white light. In an instant, he formed a hand sign, preparing to unleash Domain Expansion. But the white spirit body had already been extremely insubstantial. The moment it bloomed with light, it turned into white mist and dispersed upon the Throne of the Heart.

Bai Cangshu had been cutting down enemies to his heart’s content when he suddenly discovered that his body had begun to glow. Intense soul fluctuations appeared. Turning around, he saw that the half of Roland’s spirit body corrupted by God Hand had already lunged at him.

Bai Cangshu instinctively raised his right hand.

PFFT!

There was no need to use any ability. He inherently possessed the trait of being able to touch and attack spirit bodies, while the lunging spirit body had no defenses at all. Spreading its arms, it allowed Bai Cangshu’s right hand to pierce through its chest.

Bai Cangshu’s pupils contracted as he saw Roland reveal a relieved smile.

And through Roland’s transparent spirit body, the Black King in the distance stood with his long hair flying, pitch-black Conqueror’s Haki continuously battering the surroundings. His eyes were sorrowful as they slowly closed.

"You…"

Roland looked at Bai Cangshu’s ugly Avatar form. Without saying anything more, he dispersed into the wind.

You killed Special Reincarnator Roland

Special Cooperative Mission: Chaos' End has been completed. All Reincarnators will begin mission settlement.

Settlement complete. Your completion rating for this cooperative mission: S+

You obtained A-rank Anomaly Point*1, Dimensional Points 12000

You killed a Supernatural Being: God Hand (Secondary Demon)

Special Trial: Path of Transcendance progress updated. You have broken through the Mental Extreme Value and obtained the Supernatural Trait: Active Spirit

Active Spirit: Your spirit possesses powerful invasiveness and infectivity. You may use Mental Power to interfere with and control weaker creatures, and upon direct mental contact, inflict corrosion and infection effects upon others' minds. This ability's effect depends on the gap between both parties' Mental Power.

You have unlocked a new efficiency: Spirit

Efficiency: Physique (Flame Dragon Scales) · 1.8

Efficiency: Spirit (Active Spirit) · 1.7

(Note: Efficiency represents the conversion rate of physical abilities. At present, your spirit attribute's conversion efficiency in corresponding mental resistance, Mental Power, immunity abilities, and other aspects is 1.7 times the First Tier default value.)

A card glowing with white light slowly formed in Bai Cangshu’s right hand. It was the last thing Roland had left in this world. His Reincarnator body had long since died; not even a Scarlet Drop Card had appeared.

You obtained the special item, Card of Virtue