On the sea beside Twin Capes, the Oro Jackson was currently anchored there.
This was Tom's proud masterpiece, built entirely from Treasure Tree Adam, and its current owner was Gol D. Roger.
This ship had accompanied the Roger Pirates for many years, and nearly every sea in the world bore traces of its voyage.
As for why this ship had appeared here, the reason was simple. Roger planned to begin a new voyage.
"You're sure you still want to sail? With your current condition, you should only have three to four years left. If you keep engaging in high-intensity battles without making adjustments, it'll probably be even shorter."
"It's precisely because I know I don't have much time left that I have to keep sailing... Crocus, come help me! If you come aboard, I'll definitely be able to sail even farther!"
If one spoke in the broad sense of circling the Grand Line once, Roger had already accomplished that goal. Eleven years ago, the Roger Pirates had already reached the other side of the Red Line.
On Lodestar Island, the final island indicated by the Log Pose, the Log Pose would become completely chaotic, unable to indicate any direction at all.
But that was not the final island. Roger understood this, and in order to reach that final island, he had continuously been gathering more information.
However, before his dream could be realized, his body had already begun sounding alarms, making Roger realize that this was likely his final opportunity.
Other doctors had no solution for Roger's condition, and only Crocus had found a way to suppress the illness to a certain extent. Because of this, Roger had the idea of inviting him aboard.
"If we continue sailing... you'll pass through Fishman Island, right?"
"Of course. If we're traversing the Grand Line again... that's an unavoidable route. For pirates, Fishman Island is a checkpoint that can't be bypassed."
Roger had selectively forgotten the existence of Golden Lion. In his view, pirates who sailed without going through Fishman Island were missing out on a great deal in their sailing career.
"In that case... I'll depart with you. But I can't guarantee I'll stay with you for the entire journey. Maybe I'll get off at Fishman Island."
"Hm? Is Fishman Island very important to you?"
Before Roger could even say the prepared words, Crocus had already agreed to his request, something Roger hadn't expected at all. To invite him aboard, Roger had already prepared countless persuasive arguments.
"Take a look at this."
Crocus took out some newspapers and bounty posters from the side, including several newspapers from decades ago. Even though they had been properly preserved, the pages had long since yellowed, and Roger could naturally tell how old they were.
"Rumbar Pirates... I think I heard of this pirate crew's name when I first set sail..."
"Laboon, the giant Island Whale outside, is actually the companion of the Rumbar Pirates. Back then, because the Grand Line was too dangerous, the Rumbar Pirates left Laboon here and entrusted me to look after it.
Originally, they agreed that after completing a voyage around the Grand Line in a few years, they would come back and reunite with Laboon. But not long after the Rumbar Pirates entered the Grand Line, they completely vanished without a trace..."
"..."
Roger said nothing. He had sailed the Grand Line for a very long time and traveled back and forth countless times. He knew the dangers of the Grand Line well. For the weak, it was a hell from which there was no escape.
Losing contact generally meant total annihilation.
"Although the hope is slim, maybe... they are just trapped on some island and unable to leave. I want to search for traces of them. And then there's this person."
Crocus took out the latest newspaper. It was from the past few days, and for various reasons, Nereus occupied quite a bit of space in it. Even his guards had opportunities to appear in the photographs.
"This... this skeleton looks a lot like that friend of mine from before. He seems to be a guard of Ryugu Kingdom, which is why I wanted to go to Fishman Island and take a look."
"Oh, that Nereus has been acting as a king these past few years. With his personality, if he ran into those people, he might really lend them a hand."
Roger already wanted to invite Crocus aboard, so naturally he wouldn't refuse him. Chatting like this was also meant to deepen their understanding of each other.
"Welcome aboard, Crocus, my companion."
"We're only cooperating for now. That doesn't count as companions yet."
"Wahahaha, what are you talking about? If we're sailing on the same ship, then naturally we're companions!"
Roger valued his companions greatly. If anyone insulted his companions, he would not hesitate to wipe out an entire nation's army over it.
"Oh right, don't tell the others about my condition yet. Don't let a third person know about this for now…"
After finishing his one-sided acknowledgment, Roger began instructing Crocus, not wanting his illness to affect what came afterward.
However, before he could finish speaking, Rayleigh had already pushed the door open and walked in.
"Don't let a fourth person..."
At the window, Gaban's figure appeared.
"Don't let even more people..."
Several crew members likewise entered Roger's field of vision. Roger wasn't paranoid enough to keep Observation Haki active twenty-four hours a day, so he hadn't noticed any of them.
This time, Roger said nothing at first. Instead, he activated his Observation Haki and carefully sensed the surrounding area. After confirming that no one else was nearby, he finally spoke the last sentence.
"Don't let anyone else know!"
Roger's condition saddened many people. Even though Roger himself grinned and said it was fine, the atmosphere at Twin Capes had almost turned into a memorial service, giving Roger quite the headache.
Meanwhile, Crocus was giving Laboon some instructions.
"I'll go find traces of the Rumbar Pirates. You stay here properly and don't hurt yourself, understand?"
"Waaooaooo..."
Amid Laboon's whale cries, the Oro Jackson set sail once more.
Meanwhile, on Fishman Island, Crocus's destination, Nereus paid no attention to such matters. Right now, he was in Ryugu Palace taking care of his daughter.
But not Nanamo; it was the child he had with Amphitrite, Chloe.
This was also something that had happened over the past few years, and now the child was already several months old.
The pair of small wings on her back had already grown full dark-black feathers, and flames had begun igniting on her back a few days ago. Judging from her skin color and appearance, the Lunarian bloodline occupied the greater portion.
However, she also possessed the ability to breathe underwater. As for what her Fish-Type ability was, that was still uncertain.
To be precise, because of the genetic randomness of Fish-Men and Merfolks, it was still unclear whether Chloe was a Fish-Man hybrid or a Merfolk hybrid.
"Say, Dad, back then how did you determine that I wasn't a Merfolk hybrid? I remember that children between Merfolk and humans also wouldn't have fish tails, right?"
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