Chapter 199: You Can't Afford That Price
Counting from their renewed voyage, the Roger Pirates' latest journey had already lasted for about three years.
In these three years, Roger still hadn't found the location of the final island, but he hadn't come up empty-handed either.
By now, Roger had discovered exactly what was needed to reach the final island.
When the information recorded on the four Road Poneglyphs was brought together, it would reveal the location of the final island.
A year ago, the Roger Pirates had a chance encounter with the Whitebeard Pirates in the New World. After a fierce clash, discovering that Kozuki Oden possessed the ability to read the Poneglyphs, Roger borrowed him from Whitebeard's crew.
In the original timeline, Charlotte Linlin's Poneglyph would have already been copied by Roger long before. However, things had shifted slightly this time around.
Not long ago, the Roger Pirates had infiltrated Whole Cake Island and successfully taken a rubbing of Charlotte Linlin's Road Poneglyph. This was the exact source of her current fury.
Though she hadn't suffered any direct material loss, having another pirate crew break into her treasure room and retreat completely unscathed was, in Charlotte Linlin's eyes, a supreme humiliation.
Yet, she was entirely helpless against Roger.
On the entirety of Whole Cake Island, she was the only one capable of going toe-to-toe with the powerhouses of the Roger Pirates.
Even though the Roger Pirates had experienced quite a few incidents recently—such as Douglas Bullet's inner turmoil and ultimate departure after learning of Roger's terminal illness—the crew's overall combat strength wasn't significantly impacted.
Roger's deteriorating body meant he couldn't sustain high-intensity battles for prolonged periods, but Charlotte Linlin herself was still a notch below him in overall power.
Scopper Gaban and Silvers Rayleigh were both formidable powerhouses capable of holding their own against anyone. Conversely, on the Big Mom Pirates' side, only Katakuri could barely secure a spot in the New World's top-tier matches.
Compared to monsters like Rayleigh, Gaban, and Kozuki Oden, the gap was massive. Trying to even delay one of them would be a monumental task for her crew right now.
Realistically speaking, Roger merely taking a rubbing of the text was already an active choice to minimize conflict.
In the original timeline, Charlotte Linlin had no options; she could only swallow her pride and endure it. Any attempts at retaliation against Roger would have been entirely meaningless.
But now, Charlotte Linlin had a new option.
Due to their numerous disagreements and the fierce dispute over Nanamo's allegiance, Charlotte Linlin had absolutely no desire to communicate with Nereus. That was exactly why the name "Nanamo" had become a strictly taboo topic on Whole Cake Island.
What she couldn't obtain, she would rather destroy. A child she couldn't control, who actively rebelled against her—in Charlotte Linlin's mind, such an existence was not allowed to persist. Toward some of her children, she would even harbor genuine murderous intent.
Take Lola, for example. In Charlotte Linlin's eyes, that child had long since lost any shred of familial connection; she was merely a sinner who had delayed her grand master plan. However, considering Charlotte Linlin's obsession, Loki's talent and combat power, and the fact that Linlin was even more extreme back then, developing such murderous emotions wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
As for Nanamo...
Deep down, Charlotte Linlin didn't actually harbor a desire to destroy her. It was merely a different form of resentment born from an unfulfilled desire to possess her.
But now, Charlotte Linlin found herself caught between a rock and a hard place.
For her, neither contacting Nereus nor letting Roger off the hook were good choices. She simply had to pick the lesser of two evils.
After agonizing over it, she finally dialed Nanamo's Den Den Mushi.
As for how she got the contact info, she naturally demanded it from Katakuri. She knew Nanamo and Katakuri maintained a good relationship.
Although she had explicitly forbidden many things, Katakuri, as the only one among her remaining children capable of truly holding his own, was granted certain privileges. Charlotte Linlin simply chose to turn a blind eye to some of his actions.
"My price? The price I demand is something you cannot afford."
"Nereus?!"
"What? Is it so unusual for a father to be right next to his daughter? I heard Roger barged into Whole Cake Island a while ago. Is this call about that?"
"That bastard just sneaked into my treasure room while I was away! Are you really going to sit back and do nothing about this?!"
Charlotte Linlin had no intention of elaborating on the specific details of what actually happened. She selectively ignored the massive gap in overall strength between the Big Mom Pirates and the Roger Pirates, instead questioning Nereus with an enraged tone.
"Didn't I just tell you? You can't afford the price."
Nereus wasn't afraid of Roger. Even with the numerous powerhouses aboard Roger's ship, Nereus still had ways to crush them. But doing so would yield more harm than good.
For individuals of this caliber, their worth could no longer be measured in Berries. In a world where individual martial prowess could single-handedly dictate the outcome of a war, the influence of money dropped significantly.
As the powder keg destined to detonate an entire era, the dawn of the Great Pirate Era signified the arrival of a far more chaotic juncture in history. It was a vicious slash directly at the roots of the rotting tree known as the World Government.
Ambushing the Roger Pirates in the deep sea and returning Shanks to Mary Geoise would indeed earn him a massive wave of prestige with the World Government. If the current King of Fish-man Island were Harald instead of Nereus, he would have likely agreed to this course of action in a heartbeat.
But doing so held zero benefit for Nereus. Without Roger, Charlotte Linlin wouldn't ignite a new era, nor would she ever gamble her life and empire to clash head-on with the World Government.
Compared to the Big Mom Pirates—which was essentially just Charlotte Linlin holding the crew together alone—the Roger Pirates offered far more room for manipulation.
The only response Nereus received was the busy tone of the Den Den Mushi. Charlotte Linlin had already hung up.
Since Nereus had refused, she absolutely would not lower herself to continue begging him.
Very few people knew about this brief communication between Charlotte Linlin and Nereus. On the Big Mom Pirates' side, Katakuri was the only one who knew, and he would absolutely never speak a word of it to anyone.
He didn't know what the two of them had discussed. He only knew that after that brief exchange, Charlotte Linlin's deep-seated resentment seemed to have swelled even further.
Meanwhile, on the surface of the Grand Line, inside the cabin of the Oro Jackson, Kozuki Oden was meticulously translating three rubbings of ancient text.
"The information is still incomplete. It looks like we have to find the final piece before we can chart the complete sea map. But the fourth block... where in the world is it?"
The Poneglyphs from Wano Country and Zou had already been fully translated. Because Inuarashi and Nekomamushi hadn't accompanied Oden, finding Zou had cost them quite a bit of time, though it was a minor issue compared to locating the fourth block.
"I think... I know where it is."
[Do you want me to tell you how to get there?]
[You will come back to me eventually.]
Roger adjusted his captain's hat. Recalling Nereus's words from a few years ago, the answer finally clicked into place in his mind...
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