Inside the Level 6 cell. Rhett stared at Roger's still-bright eyes, his throat tight.
"I can take you away right now. Impel Down's walls can't stop my mist. Navy Headquarters can't hold you either. I'm telling you."
Roger sat cross-legged on the cold floor, his chains rattling. He suddenly reached out and ruffled Rhett's hair, just like he used to do in the tavern all those years ago.
"Kuhahaha! You little brat, always worrying too much."
"I'm serious!" Rhett slapped his hand away. "And I have a very detailed plan. The biggest challenge is getting you to agree to it."
"Rhett." Roger suddenly cut him off. "You know what? When we reached Laugh Tale, I saw the sunset there. It took my breath away."
Rhett froze.
"That golden sea..." Roger's fingertip traced an arc through the dim cell, as if depicting some magnificent景象. "When the sun sinks below the horizon, the whole sky turns the color of burning wine."
His smile slowly settled into an expression Rhett had never seen before.
"We heard the world breathing. So heavy. So painful... like a giant bound in chains. So oppressive. The last time I felt like that was at God Valley. I think you know what I mean."
Footsteps from the guards echoed in the distance. Rhett's mist illusion surged and strengthened.
"Enough." Roger grabbed his hand. "What I need isn't an escape. It's a chance for that giant to break its chains. To give the world an opening to breathe."
"Captain..."
"Listen carefully, kid." Roger suddenly became serious. His voice, though low, stirred up a silent storm in the cramped cell. "The Navy needs a public execution to deter pirates. And the world needs a shocking death to light a fire."
He pointed at Rhett's heart. "You and I both know what this rotten World Government fears most."
Rhett didn't respond.
The guards' footsteps stopped at the corner. A flashlight beam swept across the corridor. Roger suddenly lowered his voice.
"Now tell me. On the day of the execution... did I succeed?"
"Yes."
Roger laughed so hard he slapped his thigh. Then he suddenly started coughing violently. Rhett immediately reached out to support him. Blood mist flowed into Roger's body through the point of contact. It was the same as always. Roger's body was like a leaky bucket. It couldn't hold anything.
"It's useless." Roger waved his hand. "My body has reached its limit."
The blood mist began to stir uneasily. Rhett stared at Roger. "At least let me..."
"Rhett." Roger shook his head. "Do you remember that night at Laugh Tale? What kind of pirate did you say you wanted to become?"
The image of his younger self holding the Black Tide Greatsword in front of the campfire, shouting "I'll become a legend that the whole world remembers," flashed through his mind.
Rhett clenched his jaw. "...I remember."
"Then watch for me." Roger's smile was unusually bright in the shadows. "Watch how this era tears open its gap. Watch how the flames we ignited..."
Roger was stunned by the calm expression on Rhett's face.
"Captain, you don't still think your words have some special effect on me, do you? If you don't listen to your elders, you'll suffer. Alright, alright. That was very moving. I'm so moved, I could cry. Now, let's talk business."
Rhett was no longer young. "What if I have a way to achieve the effect you want without killing you? How about that?"
Roger laughed heartily, not taking it seriously.
"Don't you want to see your wife again? Your children?"
"Children? I have more than one child?"
"Yes. An older brother named Ace and a younger sister named Ann."
Did Rhett really think he would come without preparing dozens of arguments? When he was young, Roger had convinced him. All he could say was that Roger's words were better than his. If Roger convinced him now, he would change his name to Roger.
You couldn't convince someone like Roger with arguments about life and death. If Roger was determined to die and unafraid of death, then his guilt toward his wife and children would be his only weakness. No father didn't want to see his own children grow up with his own eyes.
At this point in time, Roger's guilt toward his family would reach its peak. It was like sadness and despair. Even if you had arranged everything, even if you trusted your crewmates, understanding that didn't make the feeling go away.
Rhett watched Roger's smile suddenly freeze. He knew his words had finally pried open the iron curtain of Roger's resolve.
Hehehe. Little Roger. Rhett had more experience than him.
"Rouge stands at the coast of Windmill Village every morning, staring out at the South Blue." Rhett's voice was soft. The blood mist in his palm condensed into a blurry image. The blond woman stood on the shore of Windmill Village. "She never cries. But Ann secretly told me that Mom is always flipping through an empty photo album at night. Why is it empty? I have to criticize you here. You lived for all those years and didn't leave behind a single photo."
Roger's fingers unconsciously dug into his chains. The Seastone scraped against his skin, drawing blood.
The image changed. Ace ran on the beach, swinging a wooden sword. He suddenly turned around and shouted, "Take this, old man!" He swung at an enemy who wasn't there.
"I am the children's admired, handsome, reliable, profound uncle. But I can't take your place, Captain."
"This kid always says he's going to surpass the Pirate King." Rhett grinned. "But the only bedtime story he wants to hear is about the 'Battle of God Valley.' He's heard it hundreds of times and never gets tired of it."
The temperature in the cell seemed to drop suddenly. Roger's throat bobbed. The shadows covered his eyes.
"They shouldn't..."
"Shouldn't what?" Rhett suddenly grabbed his shoulders. "Shouldn't be alive? Or shouldn't remember you? You abandoned your family for your ideals. Now there's a chance to have both your ideals and your family. Why not take a chance?"
The blood mist exploded violently, then gently wrapped around Roger the moment it touched him.
"Listen, Captain. I have two plans."
"Actually, never mind. You wouldn't understand anyway. Just do what I say."
Roger: ????
Rhett's voice was full of temptation. "The great era you wanted will still come. All you have to do is nod, and you can watch the sunrise with Ace and Ann in your arms."
Roger suddenly burst out laughing. He grabbed Rhett by the collar and pressed their foreheads together.
"Kuhahaha! You little brat, when did you learn to use family as leverage?"
"The moment I found out you could be afraid too." Rhett looked him straight in the eye. "But it worked, didn't it? Captain!!"
Roger looked at Rhett and smiled. He didn't answer.
Rhett knew. He had won.