Sami's weak voice caused Aldo and the others to freeze in shock.
They turned toward the blood-soaked figure on the deck, disbelief written across their faces.
"Boss, they're—"
Aldo's words were cut off by Sami.
"Help me up."
Supported carefully by several crew members, Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami shakily forced himself upright.
The agony from his severed arm sent cold sweat pouring down his body, and the freshly wrapped bandages were quickly soaked crimson again.
Yet his mind remained unusually clear.
That slash just now had completely shown him the gulf between himself and Roger.
This was not a difference that could be overcome by risking one's life.
Right now, the only thing he could do was…
He lifted his pale face and looked toward the legendary pirates standing a few steps away.
"Gol D. Roger… I never expected to meet you in the first half of the Grand Line in this kind of situation."
A trace of surprise crossed Roger's face as he raised a brow.
"Oh? You know me."
Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami took a breath but did not answer that question.
Instead, he continued,
"The order to ram your ship… was mine alone. It had nothing to do with my crew."
He turned his head, his gaze sweeping across every face beside him.
"They were only carrying out my orders. So if you want revenge for your ship, you can take my life… but let my brothers go."
"Boss!!"
"Captain! What nonsense are you talking about?!"
"We'll fight them to the end!"
"Yeah! If we die, we die together!"
Shouts erupted across the deck alongside the sound of blades leaving their sheaths.
Even against Roger—the man who had crippled their captain in a single strike—they would never allow Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami to bear everything alone.
Roger looked at the tragic determination on Sami's face, then at the furious members of the Jellyfish Pirates around him.
A puzzled expression slowly appeared on his face.
"Ahh—I say," he suddenly laughed, "haven't you brats misunderstood something? When did I ever say I was here to settle scores with you?"
"Huh?"
Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami and the officers froze simultaneously.
The overwhelming tension on deck instantly deflated by half.
Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami stared at him in disbelief.
"You're… not going to pursue the matter of us wrecking your ship?"
"Hahahaha!"
Roger burst into loud laughter.
"That's right, normally a ship is the most important thing to a pirate crew. But our old companion has already weathered countless storms with us. The hull was already close to its limit anyway."
Rayleigh pushed up his glasses and sighed helplessly.
"We came back from the New World this time specifically because we planned to head to Water 7 and commission a sturdier ship."
He paused.
"It's just that Garp chased us too relentlessly. The ship reached its limit sooner than expected. Honestly, the fact that it survived this long was already a miracle."
Gaban folded his arms and added,
"We originally figured we'd squeeze one last trip out of her before letting her retire honorably in Water 7."
He glanced at the mangled collision point between the two vessels and snorted.
"Well, now she's retired ahead of schedule."
Roger walked to the Flame Fang's railing and gazed at the horrifying rupture carved through his beloved ship.
A trace of sadness flickered through his eyes.
"Yeah… it was sudden," he said softly, "but for a pirate ship to sink into the sea like this… that's pretty romantic too, isn't it?"
So that was it.
Seeing that Roger's crew genuinely didn't seem angry, the tension in Sami's chest loosened slightly.
Roger turned back toward him.
"By the way, kid. Where was your ship built? It took all that damage and only lost a single ram."
Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami steadied himself before answering,
"Water 7. Tom's Workshop."
"Tom's Workshop?"
Roger's eyes instantly lit up.
"Great! We'll go there too and have them build us a ship. But…"
That "but" instantly caused Aldo and the others—who had only just relaxed—to tense again.
Roger ignored their reactions and continued,
"Looking at our situation now, there's no way we're reaching Water 7 on our own."
Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami raised his head to meet Roger's gaze.
"If your destination is Water 7…"
He paused briefly.
"Then perhaps you can travel aboard our ship. After all, your vessel was destroyed because of my actions."
His eyes drifted toward the horrifying collision damage before he added,
"If you don't mind, come with us. I was heading back to see Mr. Tom anyway…"
"…to repair my ram."
"Oh?"
Roger grinned broadly.
"Then we'll gladly take you up on that."
Soon afterward, the Roger Pirates packed up everything salvageable from their ruined vessel and transferred it aboard the Flame Fang.
Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami also ordered enough rooms prepared for them.
Fortunately, the Flame Fang had originally been designed to accommodate over two hundred people.
Even after adding the Roger Pirates, there were still plenty of vacant cabins left.
At first, an awkward atmosphere lingered between the two crews.
After all, they had nearly fought to the death only moments ago.
One captain was gravely injured.
The other crew had lost their beloved ship.
Such barriers did not disappear easily.
Yet the stiffness didn't last long.
With plenty of naturally sociable people on both sides initiating conversation—and alcohol working its magic—the unfamiliarity quickly faded.
Before long, conversations and clinking cups began spreading across the deck.
"This ship's incredible!"
Rayleigh stood with Donquino, Petam, and several members of Roger's crew beside the railing, pointing toward a section struck earlier by Garp's Fist Bone: Meteor Shower.
"Look at this. It only cracked a little. If that had hit our old ship, there'd already be a massive hole there."
"Seriously!"
Petam nodded repeatedly.
"This thing's amazing! Captain absolutely needs to get us one like this. Otherwise that lunatic Garp's gonna keep making our lives miserable."
Marcus, who happened to overhear them nearby, casually interjected,
"Our ship cost over six hundred million Beli to build."
"Six hundred million?!"
Donquino's eyes bulged.
"Our old ship only cost around one hundred million total!"
At that moment, Isaac wandered over while leading his triceratops, Toriggy, by the reins.
"That's different. The materials are completely different."
He proudly patted the ship's railing.
"The main material here is Treasure Tree Adam. Of course it's expensive. And Mr. Tom specially customized the whole design for us…"
"HOLY SHIT—A DINOSAUR!!!"
Someone suddenly shouted.
The deck instantly fell silent for a moment before erupting into noisy excitement and curious onlookers.
Toriggy, meanwhile, seemed perfectly comfortable being the center of attention and proudly let out a childish roar.
"That thing wouldn't happen to be from Little Garden, would it…?"
Elsewhere on deck, Roger and Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami leaned casually against the railing, clinking cups together.
"Really sorry about this," Roger said after taking a huge gulp of alcohol, his eyes drifting toward Sami's empty right sleeve.
"Cutting your arm off during New Year's celebrations and all."
Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami held his cup with his left hand and smiled faintly.
"It's fine. It'll grow back in a couple months."
"Hah?!"
Roger's eyes widened so much he nearly spat out his drink.
"There's actually something like that?! Don't tell me…"
"…those rumors about you being a jellyfish are actually true?"
Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami didn't answer.
He simply tilted his head back and took another drink, a faint smile lingering at the corner of his lips.
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