The sea shimmered beneath the sun.
Though the deck had been thoroughly cleaned, the scent of alcohol still lingered stubbornly aboard the Oro Jackson.
"Well, everyone… this is where we part."
Gol D. Roger stood at the edge of the ship, a small bag slung over his shoulder, smiling brightly as he waved at his crew.
But compared to his smile, the expressions on the faces of the Roger Pirates were far from cheerful.
Rayleigh forced a grin, muttering to himself from time to time.
Scopper Gaban wore his sunglasses, but the eyes behind them were already wet.
Most of the crew looked the same.
The most miserable of all were the two apprentices—
Buggy and Shanks.
The two brats were crying their hearts out, tears streaming down their faces. Shanks wore the straw hat Roger had once worn.
"Adventuring with all of you… was the greatest time of my life."
Roger's smile faltered slightly.
"But it's time to say goodbye."
He inhaled deeply.
"I hereby declare—"
"The Roger Pirates are disbanded!"
With that final captain's order, the legendary crew that had conquered the Grand Line… ceased to exist.
Roger chose to disembark here.
His time was short.
Stricken with an incurable disease, he had already been selfish—spending most of his life chasing adventure.
Now, someone was waiting for him.
Before the news of reaching the Final Island had even cooled—
Another bombshell exploded across the world:
The Roger Pirates had disbanded.
The shock of that announcement surpassed even the birth of the Pirate King.
Who relinquishes everything immediately after reaching the throne?
If Roger wished, the title of Pirate King alone could rally tens of thousands—even a fleet of a hundred thousand.
With such power, he could have claimed half of the New World. Even the World Government would hesitate to provoke him.
Yet he walked away.
Why?
Roldy was already searching for the Roger Pirates when he read the headline.
Veins bulged on his forehead.
With a violent motion, he shredded the newspaper.
"You've got to be kidding me, you bastard!"
"You become Pirate King and then retire?! There's no such thing as walking away clean! Our score isn't settled yet!"
His fury flared.
He immediately ordered the fleet to increase speed.
But once the anger subsided, doubt crept in.
Roger was not that kind of man.
He must have learned the world's ultimate secret.
And with his personality, he should have done something to change it.
So why—
Did he withdraw?
Did even a man like Roger believe in fate?
Roldy wasn't the only one thinking that.
When word spread that Roger had resurfaced, Vice Admiral Garp could no longer sit still.
He immediately set sail with his forces to hunt Roger down.
But if Roger truly intended to retire—
That complicated things.
Garp wasn't a fool.
He understood Roger's value in the eyes of the World Government. They would never allow someone who knew the truth to live freely.
Yet after countless battles, he and Roger had become something beyond simple enemies.
Would that man really choose to vanish quietly?
There must be a reason.
"Well, I'll know when I see him."
And so—
Garp set out in pursuit.
Roldy set out in pursuit.
Time accelerated.
One year passed.
Roldy stood over a lifeless body, casually shaking blood from his hand.
The island beneath them had nearly been sunk in their battle.
In the distance, a merchant ship floated quietly.
A woman stood on its deck, cradling a newborn child.
"Let them go."
Roldy waved his hand.
The six pirate ships surrounding the merchant vessel parted, clearing a path.
Sheen surfaced from the sea and climbed back aboard.
"Big Brother… that was one of his relatives?"
"Grudges don't extend to family."
Roldy shook his head.
"My quarrel is with that bastard. A newborn child is innocent."
This marked the fourth former member of the Roger Pirates he had hunted down.
He did his best not to involve civilians.
For a full year, he scoured every island along the Roger Pirates' known route.
But he found only minor figures.
No trace of Rayleigh.
No sign of Gaban.
And Roger himself—
Nowhere.
"Boss, intelligence from the underworld. You need to see this."
One of his captains handed him a report.
Roldy scanned it briefly—
And his Conqueror's Haki erupted skyward.
Crimson-black lightning tore through the heavens.
Most of the crew collapsed instantly, unconscious.
Clouds were ripped apart.
Fish in the surrounding sea floated belly-up.
"B-Big Brother…?"
Sheen stared in confusion.
What kind of information could provoke such a reaction?
Roldy's eyes were fixed on the horizon.
The violence in his heart could no longer be contained.
"Change course."
"To the World Government's great prison beneath the sea."
He wasn't the only one who reacted.
"What a joke. Roger was a man I once acknowledged!"
"That kind of guy… captured by the Marines?"
Shiki the Golden Lion sat upon his throne, half a cigar in hand, reading the report with a scoff.
But unlike the original course of history, he did not immediately storm the great prison.
Instead—
"Wait."
"The great prison… with Roldy's temperament…"
Shiki's eyes narrowed.
He knew the depth of the grudge between Roldy and Roger.
With that hot-headed brat's personality—
"Jihahahaha!"
"It's been a while since I've stretched these old bones."
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