"So... what should we do next?" Crocus asked casually, sitting down on the grassy ground.
He was fundamentally an unambitious doctor.
Had it not been for Roger and Rayleigh's enthusiastic invitation, he would still be living his carefree days as a lighthouse keeper at Twin Capes.
Roger broke into a radiant, blinding smile. "HAHAHAHAHA! Guys! Having discovered the world's ultimate, most ridiculous secret... isn't this worth celebrating with a drink?!!!"
"PARTY! PARTY!!!"
Everyone was stunned for a moment, but quickly grasped their captain's infectious mood.
Though this outcome differed entirely from the mountains of gold and jewels they had anticipated, they had to admit the truth of the world was quite fascinating.
For the members of the Roger Pirates, who loved holding feasts everywhere they went, this was absolutely perfect.
The crew hurriedly unloaded countless heavy barrels of premium rum from the ship—the very rum they had been saving throughout their perilous journey, which they intended to drink to their hearts' content today!
"Hahahaha! Seriously, he fooled everyone!"
"If only we could tell outsiders, I'd say this Joy Boy guy is a master at playing people!"
The crew gulped down large mouthfuls of rum, not particularly concerned about what the prophesied Joy Boy truly represented.
Still, the fact that they hadn't discovered a traditional, physical grand treasure left them somewhat speechless.
However, after downing several bottles of strong rum, they quickly forgot their disappointment.
Singing loud, off-key pirate shanties, they reminisced about their incredible journey—the bitter memories, the joyful moments, and all sorts of thrilling, near-death adventures.
Perhaps this unbreakable bond of brotherhood was the very courage that had driven them to persevere until they reached the end of the world.
Roger watched the boisterous, happy crowd around him and raised his wooden tankard high.
"Guys! That bastard Joy Boy played me for an absolute fool... but I still wish I could have met him over a drink!" Roger laughed, wiping a tear from his eye. "Sadly, my illness will not allow me to hold on much longer. If any of you survive the coming storm, make sure to see for me what kind of person Joy Boy is in the next era!"
Then, a proud, unmatched smile spread across Roger's face.
"But no matter how great Joy Boy may be in the future... this era belongs to Gol D. Roger!"
Hearing their captain's legendary boast, the crew erupted with even greater, deafening enthusiasm.
The pirate life was all about indulging in moments of pure joy—a fleeting, beautiful feeling they called freedom.
Drunkenly, Roger stood up.
He drew his Supreme Grade sword, Ace and slashed a massive, permanent mark into a nearby stone cliff.
"Guys, I have decided to give this island a name!" Roger declared, his voice echoing across the empty sea.
"To commemorate our conquest of this island, untouched for eight hundred years, and the hilarious truth it holds... I name it..."
"LAUGH TALE!!!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
...
The news of the Roger Pirates successfully reaching the final island spread like a hurricane across the world immediately after they departed from Laugh Tale.
Even the World Government and the Five Elders, despite their desperate, frantic political efforts, ultimately failed to suppress the news.
Countless independent newspaper agencies, big and small, were astounded by the information.
Upon learning the undeniable truth, they completely disregarded the World Government's strict censorship orders and immediately dispatched millions of copies worldwide.
The skies across the globe were literally blacked out by massive flocks of flying News Coos.
Tasked with delivering the most important news in centuries, these birds carried the information to every single inhabited island across the globe within a week.
Countless people read the shocking, bolded headlines dropped by the News Coos.
"Hey, hey, hey! How can this be true?!"
"My God... someone in this world actually managed to do it!"
"The Roger Pirates... what kind of monster pirate crew must they be to accomplish the impossible feat of circumnavigating the globe?"
"I really want to join the Roger Pirates! I wonder what their recruitment conditions are?!"
Apart from the ignorant, excited masses, powerful forces both overt and covert across the world received this earth-shattering information.
In countless secret underworld locations, powerful crime bosses and rookie pirates were exchanging hushed whispers.
"After the fall of Rocks... has another world dominator emerged?"
"I feel the title 'world dominator' does not do justice to Gol D. Roger. I believe he fully deserves to be called the Pirate King!"
"You are absolutely right. Across the entire sea, if there is one single person worthy of the title Pirate King, it can only be Gol D. Roger!"
On this day, the entire world was irrevocably shaken by the monumental achievements of the Roger Pirates.
Countless citizens watched the seas with mixed feelings of awe, terror, aspiration, and deep resentment.
...
At Navy Headquarters in Marineford, high-alert alarm sirens continued to blare endlessly.
This time, it wasn't because the headquarters was under physical attack, but rather signaling that the Navy was about to face an unprecedented powerful opponent.
All officers and soldiers at Headquarters had to be fully prepared for battle, ready to receive deployment orders from the Fleet Admiral's office at any given moment.
Simultaneously, Headquarters issued a massive, global summoning order.
All high-ranking officers patrolling the Four Blues and the Grand Line—except those strictly required to guard essential choke points like Enies Lobby and Impel Down—along with elite soldiers of Lieutenant rank and above, were rapidly ordered to converge on Marineford.
Without knowing the Roger Pirates' next move, the Navy had to make thorough preparations for an all-out war.
Even if the Roger Pirates remained inactive, the Navy simply could not afford to let their influence grow any stronger!
Fleet Admiral Kong massaged his temples furiously while glaring at the newspaper on his desk with a helpless, exhausted expression.
Roger becoming the Pirate King could not have possibly come at a worse time.
Just a few more quiet years, and Kong would have peacefully retired from the Navy with a perfect record to become the Commander-in-Chief of all World Government armed forces.
Now, because of Roger's impossible achievement, the World Government would absolutely not let Kong leave his post until the Pirate King was dead.
Sengoku entered the office carrying a massive stack of deployment documents, his expression dead serious.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, we have issued the summoning order to the Four Blues branches as planned. Here is the personnel information and the estimated arrival schedule. Additionally, I have officially announced the massive expansion of our soldier recruitment draft, as you requested."
Kong sighed heavily. "This will have to do for now. Have a seat, Sengoku. Things haven't deteriorated to total war... yet."
Today, the crescent-shaped bay of Marineford was filled with heavily armed warships of all sizes.
Some of the returning officers had not stepped foot in Headquarters for over a year, having spent most of their time maintaining bloody order in various, chaotic parts of the Grand Line.
Now, because of the terrifying intelligence regarding the Pirate King, they had been temporarily summoned back by Fleet Admiral Kong.
The hundreds of warships lined up in the port extended even beyond the harbor gates, with many vessels having to secure themselves tightly together to prevent being swept away by the crashing waves.
Vice-Admiral Raleigh returned relatively late to the gathering, his sleek warship arriving right behind Sakazuki's imposing, magma-powered vessel.
After brief communication between the two ships, Raleigh emerged from his office and looked toward Sakazuki, who was standing stoically at the bow of his ship.
Using the Geppo, Raleigh casually flew over the water and landed on Sakazuki's deck.
"Sakazuki-senpai!" Raleigh appeared genuinely happy, calling out enthusiastically.
A rare, faint trace of joy appeared on Sakazuki's usually stern, scarred face.
He hadn't seen Raleigh in a long time, either. "Raleigh. It has been a while."
"Master!"
A young, handsome lad suddenly ran over from the deck, calling out to Raleigh with pure excitement.
"Hmm? Miles?"
The young, handsome lad standing before him had nearly caught up to Raleigh in height.
Back when Raleigh had first found him in the North Blue's Eryoku Kingdom, Miles still had some childish baby fat on his cheeks.
But after spending over a year surviving the brutal, hellish training under Sakazuki's strict command, the boy's features had become sharply three-dimensional, as if carved from solid granite.
"Master, did you miss me?!" Miles stepped forward excitedly, offering a crisp salute.
It had been a long time since he last saw Raleigh, and all the incredible information about his master's exploits could only be learned from exaggerated newspaper reports.
"How has the training under Vice-Admiral Sakazuki been? Have you grown stronger?" Raleigh asked, deeply concerned about the progress of his very first disciple.
Miles proudly flexed his robust, battle-hardened muscles. "Master, Vice-Admiral Sakazuki's training has been highly effective! I feel I am almost at the level of a Commodore!"
After hearing Miles's confident words, Raleigh nodded with deep satisfaction.
This new era was one of absolute chaos, a time of great, violent contention.
If you wished to rise quickly through the ranks of the Marines, this era was the perfect opportunity.
Because Roger's proclamation as King had completely disrupted the Navy's order of maintaining world peace, numerous pirate crews had rebelled across the globe.
Because of the sheer volume of enemies, the Navy's strict, bureaucratic promotion criteria were no longer being heavily enforced—only raw strength and results mattered now.