Sabaody Archipelago, night.
Rowan had already left. Acting against Wano would require more than just his own strength. It would require the Revolutionary Army as well.
He needed to brief Dragon and Kuma. That was the purpose of high-level meetings.
Also, there was that stubborn idiot in the Marine Headquarters training camp who showed up every day asking for a beating. So tomorrow morning, Rowan's main body would have to return to headquarters.
Swordsmanship class had to be attended, and Smoker still needed to be beaten.
Inside Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, only Roger and Rayleigh remained.
Shimotsuki Hikogoro, who had been emotional all afternoon, had already returned to his place to rest. Shakky, knowing the two had things to discuss, had also left early.
And it wasn't just reminiscing.
"Resurrection, or rather, soul revival, should come with certain restrictions, right?"
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed slightly as he took a sip of his drink.
"Your actions, or even the words you speak, are they controlled by that Revolutionary Army member?"
As he spoke, Rayleigh stared closely at his captain. Any inconsistency compared to earlier, he would notice immediately.
But Roger simply laughed, slinging an arm over Rayleigh's shoulder.
"You've always been much smarter than Gaban. Hmm… Rouge too. She's very smart."
"Rouge?"
Rayleigh paused, then frowned.
"You're still the same even after dying once. What we're discussing now will determine what we do next."
"Do next?"
Roger's mustache twitched.
"From the moment we met today until now, everything I've said has been my own will, not something he made me say. We won't have our own separate actions. We'll act together with the Revolutionary Army to rescue Oden."
He didn't use the term "sir," but instead followed Rayleigh's wording and referred to Rowan as "that man."
Rayleigh seemed to relax slightly.
"Although I'm certain of your identity, Captain, I was still unsure whether you were being controlled."
"But from what you've said, that ability to revive the dead also allows him to control them, doesn't it?"
Roger didn't deny it.
"He can control actions and combat. But compared to letting me act with my own will, the difference is significant. He can also stop me from speaking, but he can't make me say what he wants me to say. Hmm… that sounds a bit confusing."
Rayleigh fell silent for a moment, then asked,
"So you chose this to personally witness the future? Or is it really…"
"I don't know."
Roger interrupted before he could finish.
"The World Government is hiding something very deep. Even what we saw at God Valley wasn't everything. Those five old monsters from Mary Geoise personally appeared. Five beings that felt like demons. It's quite ironic."
"The fall of the Rocks Pirates wasn't just because of me and Garp. That crew of monsters made even us suffer heavily."
Rayleigh said, "So you're relying on this revival just to witness the future twenty years from now? The King of Fish-Man Island hasn't even been born yet."
Roger shook his head slightly, his gaze falling on the bottle in front of him.
It was a shame. With this body, he could no longer taste the wine.
"That's not it, Rayleigh."
"In the afternoon, what he said about D… do you think it's right? If everything is simply destiny, then what meaning is there in the sacrifices made by those trying to change the world?"
Roger let out a breath.
"We love the feeling of adventure. We've been to countless hidden places in this world. So when we learned the truth of the Void Century at Laugh Tale, we found it fascinating, even looked forward to the huge changes the future would bring."
"But if all of this is destined…"
"Then the ordinary people who died after being swept up in the Great Pirate Era, the scholars of Ohara who chose to die under the Buster Call, the slaves who perished here in Sabaody… wouldn't they all just be a joke?"
Rayleigh frowned and fell silent for a while, then looked up at Roger.
"Captain, you've changed a lot. The Roger I remember wasn't like this."
Roger reached up and touched his face.
"Have I? Even though sir said this body isn't great, once my soul settled in, it became my original appearance. There shouldn't be any difference, right?"
Rayleigh sighed helplessly.
"You know that's not what I meant. And…"
"After God Valley, that island was erased from the map. The kind of power that could do that, along with the so-called great cleansing mentioned in the records, I don't think the Revolutionary Army has the strength to oppose it."
God Valley had been erased in a literal sense. That kind of attack alone was enough to instill a sense of absolute helplessness in anyone.
Even Rayleigh himself did not know how the future could possibly stand against such power.
As for the Revolutionary Army…
Although the cloaked man had already killed three Celestial Dragons, in truth, unless all Celestial Dragons were wiped out, the power of Mary Geoise would remain largely unaffected.
At present, the only force Rayleigh could clearly see was that single cloaked man.
"You'll see it."
Roger smiled.
"You should know, Rayleigh, the reason I can tolerate this half-alive state isn't just to see the future twenty years from now."
"You must have thought about it. Teleportation and changing appearance. To us, those are two different Devil Fruit abilities, yet one person possesses both."
"His power doesn't come from a Devil Fruit. And don't you think the timing of going to Wano now is a bit too perfect? You and I both know what exists there."
Rayleigh's expression changed, but Roger spoke even faster.
"I haven't told him anything about Laugh Tale, and he never asked."
That answer cut off Rayleigh's doubts before they could even form.
Not a Devil Fruit ability.
And choosing this exact moment to move on Wano…
From the very beginning, he had been planning for the power of Pluton in Wano. The reason he waited until now was because he was finally confident enough to face the Beasts Pirates.
That was why he never went to seek Whitebeard.
New World, second half of the Grand Line, on a deserted island.
Looking at the pirate ships in front of him, Roger turned to Rowan.
"Sir, you've always dealt with pirates without mercy, yet now you're letting the Revolutionary Army take on a pirate identity?"
As one of the high-level fighters heading to Wano, Dragon spoke up.
"No matter the identity, as long as it allows the Revolutionary Army to remain hidden, it's the best choice. Holding onto meaningless principles will only lead to more deaths. These people are the future force that will change the world."
There were ten large ships in total, all flying the same skull flag of the Evil Wolf Pirates.
It looked crude, but the captain of this pirate crew was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user who had already been captured by the Revolutionary Army.
Since killing him might cause the Devil Fruit to reappear and attract unnecessary attention, this man, who had over seven hundred points of sin value, had been kept alive and imprisoned.
"It's not time to confront the World Government openly yet."
Rowan spoke while looking at Roger.
"Laugh Tale should have mentioned the methods used by Mary Geoise, right? What I want is to change this world, not destroy both the World Government and the world itself."
Beside them, Bartholomew Kuma clenched his fists.
"No matter what methods they have, once the flames of revolution are ignited, they will never be extinguished. One day, they will be overthrown."
Large amounts of weapons and supplies were being carried onto the ships.
This time, the Revolutionary Army had brought nearly four thousand troops to Wano. Almost all of them had mastered Armament Haki, enough to be considered lower-tier combatants in the New World.
Even for Rayleigh and Roger, this number was surprising. While Haki users were common in the New World, a force of nearly four thousand still felt excessive.
Moreover, even these lower-tier members of the Revolutionary Army, whenever they carried supplies onto the ships, would cast burning gazes toward Rowan, who stood masked as Spark.
Along with that, Kuma, who came from the South Blue's Sorbet Kingdom, displayed an equally unwavering and almost fanatical belief in the Revolutionary Army.
After the meeting at Sabaody, Roger and Rayleigh had come because of their former comrade Oden. As for Shakky, she remained at the Rip-off Bar, quietly polishing glasses, because her stance was different.
This was an action by the Roger Pirates to help an old companion, while Shakky's position was tied to Amazon Lily. Neither Kaido nor the Revolutionary Army, now under the World Government's attention, were forces Amazon Lily could afford to oppose.
"What an incredible Revolutionary Army."
Rayleigh sighed, then looked at Rowan.
"It feels like every one of them truly believes they can change the world. That belief is probably the key to them being able to use Armament Haki, isn't it?"
Rowan replied,
"When they were on the brink of starving to death and were saved, when pirates invaded and they were saved, when they realized their future no longer had to mirror the past… they naturally understood what they were fighting for."
Willpower.
Roger laughed loudly.
"Fighting for their own future, how could they not give it everything they've got? They're ordinary people, with no inherited will or grand legacy. Before this, the only thing they held onto was survival."
Rowan smiled as well.
"And now they've gained one more reason. When they can't survive anymore, they'll flip the entire table at the cost of their own lives."
At that moment, squad leader Ahu ran over, sweat still on his face as he bowed slightly to Rowan.
"Everything is ready, sir. We can depart at any time."
Rowan patted his shoulder.
"Good work. Have everyone stand firm and hold tight. We'll be moving shortly."
At that, Ahu straightened instantly, his face flushed with excitement.
"Understood, sir!"
After Ahu returned to relay the orders, Rowan nodded to Dragon.
Rayleigh frowned slightly in confusion, and beside him, Kin'emon, who was guiding them, looked just as puzzled.
All ten ships were ready to set sail, yet none of the sails were raised, nor did it seem like they would be.
"Um… benefactor, are we setting off?"
Rowan glanced at him.
"Our method of travel is a little different. Once everyone is ready, we'll leave. No need to rush."
In the next moment, Dragon, gripping the Rooster Talisman tightly, frowned as his stamina was rapidly drained, converted into the power of levitation.
"Whoosh…"
The ten massive twin-masted ships rose from the sea's surface. Water cascaded down as they lifted, splashing back into the ocean below.
Rayleigh froze for a moment, then looked at Dragon.
"Is that Shiki's Devil Fruit ability? I remember after the captain was executed, he attacked Marineford, got captured by Garp and Sengoku, and later escaped again."
"Thud."
Roger's hand landed on Rayleigh's shoulder.
"That's not Shiki's Devil Fruit ability. It's a power granted by the man himself."
Granted power?
Rayleigh's thoughts raced.
He had already learned last night that Rowan's abilities did not come from Devil Fruits…
But he could actually grant such abilities to others as well?
Rayleigh's mind immediately drifted back to the ancient history they had uncovered at Laugh Tale.
Devil Fruits are not fruits that grow from some single tree.
They are special abilities born from the deepest desires and unwavering will within a person's heart.
Some people long for the power of animals. Some wish for legs that can bounce like springs. Others dream of possessing flames like the mythical phoenix, capable of healing.
And the awakening of a Devil Fruit depends on whether the user's will aligns with the will of the fruit itself.
So… this is the real foundation?
At that moment, Kuma rose into the air and extended his hands, beginning to send the twin-masted ships flying one by one.
With the effect of the Rooster Talisman reducing their weight, the ten massive ships carrying nearly four thousand people had already entered the range Kuma could repel.
Even so, the sheer weight continued to drain Dragon's stamina.
"Levitation combined with the Paw-Paw Fruit's repulsion… it allows large objects to fly. Though it consumes quite a bit of stamina."
Roger spoke as he glanced at Rayleigh.
"The weapon that destroyed God Valley… one day, Spark might be able to achieve that level of destruction with a single strike on his own."
That statement genuinely shocked Rayleigh.
The battle of God Valley had been the moment pirates truly witnessed a portion of the World Government's true power.
Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and even Shiki back then… after God Valley—
Big Mom built Totto Land through political marriages among her children. Kaido sought to create the Beast Army. Shiki, on the other hand, constantly tried to form an alliance with the captain.
Because all of them had understood the sheer terror of the World Government's strength.
"We should go."
Rowan's voice interrupted Rayleigh's thoughts as he placed a hand on Roger's shoulder.
"Yeah."
In an instant, the group vanished.
The next moment, they appeared directly in the waters near Wano Country.
"We need to hurry…"
Dragon's voice trembled slightly.
At this moment, he not only had to maintain the levitation of ten massive ships, but also keep everyone beside him suspended in midair.
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