At that moment, Gaban was on the Sabaody Archipelago.
He had been loafing around in a casino, disguised simply.
After receiving the call from Makoto, he left and found a secluded spot to answer.
Sabaody Archipelago, although close to Marine Headquarters and known as the Celestial Dragons' playground, was also the final stop on the first half of the Grand Line, a place where many different groups mingled, making it a good spot to 'hide in plain sight'.
It must be said, due to the intervention of the butterfly effect that was Makoto, it felt like Rayleigh's and Gaban's lives had been swapped.
In fact, before answering the call, Gaban had already guessed what Makoto probably wanted to say to him.
His inner self constantly warned him… don't answer this call.
However, the words Makoto had said to him on Elbaf were like Pandora's box, constantly tempting him.
In the end, he still picked up the receiver.
After Makoto finished speaking, Gaban was silent for a long time.
"You know, Rayleigh is my brother."
It sounded like Gaban was trying to convince Makoto, or perhaps himself.
"We fought side by side. I've known Roger since a long time ago. That guy is unbelievably strong. The three of us had great chemistry."
"I wouldn't do something like this for a woman."
"Really?"
Makoto asked with an exaggerated expression from Onigashima.
"While we're on this call, Rayleigh might be plunging into the Supreme Cave. Don't you really want to take his place and experience it for yourself?"
At these words, Gaban, who had been suppressing himself for over ten years, felt a stirring within him.
The thing below couldn't help but start to rise.
After another long silence, Gaban finally couldn't help but ask, "So what do you suggest?"
Hearing Gaban's words, Gloriosa, Shakky, and others familiar with the Roger Pirates on the other end of the line couldn't help but slap their foreheads.
They knew… the Roger Pirates were truly finished in the real sense.
Makoto smiled and gave Gaban an idea.
"First, find an opportunity to invite Rayleigh and Roger to drink together at Elbaf."
"Then, wait until the banquet, when Roger, the 'Suppressed King', gets drunk and goes crazy, trying to forcibly take his sister-in-law Ripley. Then you and Rayleigh fight back against him, and let Rayleigh die at Roger's hands."
As he said this, Makoto's smile deepened.
"Then, wouldn't you, Gaban, naturally become the hero who saved his sister-in-law? Ripley would surely be grateful to you, and you can take advantage of the situation to win the heart of this beautiful giantess!"
Kaido's group, Yukino, and the others listening nearby were completely stunned.
'Wow, he's really going to destroy Roger!'
Yukino couldn't help but recall the rude things she had said when she first met Makoto, and she suddenly felt a bit relieved.
'Thank goodness I hadn't caught his eye back then.'
'Otherwise, even without using force, he could have ruined me just by using his brain.'
And Gaban, on the other end of the phone, upon hearing Makoto's plan, his first reaction was that it didn't seem bad.
But then, he realized something was wrong.
First, Roger had a high tolerance for alcohol. It would be difficult to get him drunk enough to act crazy.
And even if he did act crazy, it was unlikely he would want to forcibly take Ripley.
If it were Shakky, maybe.
And according to Makoto's plan, with both him and Rayleigh present, no matter how suppressed Roger was, he wouldn't openly make a move on Ripley, right?
Makoto then said with a smile, "You just invite them. Leave the method to your big brother here."
Hearing this, Gaban was speechless.
He thought: 'Who's your brother? We're enemies, and I'm over ten years older than you.'
But before Gaban could respond, Makoto had already hung up.
Gaban fell into a long silence.
Finally, he found a random bar.
Just as the bartender was about to pour him a drink, Gaban snatched the bottle and chugged it straight down.
Scenes of him, Roger, and Rayleigh being like brothers over the years flashed through his mind like a slideshow.
Roger's outstretched hand when he first invited him onto the ship.
Rayleigh sharing his drink when he was injured.
The three of them laughing at the sunset on the deck, saying they would travel the whole world together.
Scene after scene, vivid in his memory.
Finally, Gaban drained the entire bottle, smashed it on the ground with a heavy 'smack'.
Enough, enough.
Just pretend that he, Scopper Gaban, had never had any of this!
On the other side, Makoto also hung up the phone and said with a smile, "Before we leave, let's watch one last good show."
"Great, great!"
Chika, Moeha, Yamato, and other girls who thrived on chaos immediately raised their hands in support.
While Yukino, Shakky, Kaido, and others remained silent.
Even Yukino, a player who had witnessed the famous [Ultimate Humiliation] scene, was now too frightened to speak.
Although they had often seen Makoto deal with people before, it was mostly through brute force.
But this time, Makoto was purely scheming against someone, which felt more terrifying than violence.
Just then, Makoto took something from his inventory and handed it to Queen.
"Oh, Queen, take this and study it. Then..."
…
Elsewhere.
Roger, who had disbanded his crew, sought out Whitebeard to drink with him.
Although Whitebeard was curious why Roger had suddenly disbanded his crew, he chose not to meddle. They sat under a cherry blossom tree, raising their cups together.
Although Roger didn't say what he had seen at Laugh Tale, he did reveal that his time was short.
Whitebeard was stunned for a moment, but ultimately said nothing, just silently refilled Roger's cup.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi in Roger's pocket suddenly rang.
Answering it, he found it was Gaban calling.
Roger was a bit puzzled.
Because when he disbanded the crew, he had told everyone they probably wouldn't see each other again.
Gaban said he wanted to invite Roger and Rayleigh to have one last drink together, setting the location at Elbaf.
Roger didn't refuse. He had originally planned to spend his last year wandering the world, seeing if he could encounter any more adventures in his final days.
So, he might as well go to Elbaf again.
Then, Roger bid farewell to Whitebeard and set off for Elbaf.
…
A month later.
Elbaf.
The second-in-command of the Roger Pirates looked at the third-in-command, who kept glancing sideways at his wife, and asked somewhat irritably, "Why does the drinking have to be at Elbaf?"
Rayleigh hadn't refused when he received Gaban's invitation either, but he had wanted the three of them to gather for a drink at Sabaody, mainly because he didn't want Gaban to see his wife.
Gaban said with a smile, "Colon was just born. I thought it wouldn't be good to take him away from his father, so I came with Roger to see you. I'm just thinking of you."
As he spoke, Gaban took another look at Ripley, who was sitting behind.
Although he claimed to be looking at his nephew, the newborn Silvers Colon, Rayleigh was one thousand two hundred percent sure that this bastard was looking at his wife.
Roger, on the other hand, was genuinely looking at Rayleigh's son, Colon. He stroked his beard enviously and said, "Nice. But my son will definitely be no worse than yours."
Rayleigh looked confused.
Before the Roger Pirates disbanded, Roger had also said, "The person who can reach Laugh Tale again in the future will definitely be my son."
Rayleigh had been full of question marks then.
'How could a dying man have a son?'
Just then, Colon in Ripley's arms suddenly burst into loud wails.
Ripley, flustered, said, "Oh dear, the baby is hungry. I need to nurse him."
With that, Ripley started to lift her clothes.
Gaban's eyes went wide.
Rayleigh shouted, "Go nurse him outside! There are people here!"
Ripley said with a smile, "I'm just kidding."
With that, she left the room with the child. Soon, the sounds of a baby suckling came from outside the door.
Hearing this sound, Gaban felt restless.
He had been conflicted about Makoto's plan, wondering if he should just clear the air with Roger and Rayleigh.
But Colon's sudden move made Gaban lose his mind.
'Sorry, Roger. Sorry, Rayleigh.'
'I want Ripley too much. I, I dream about her! I want her so badly.'
After several rounds of drinks, Ripley came back in to refill their cups.
Suddenly, Roger, his face flushed red, stood up and started dancing a ridiculous dance.
Gaban and Rayleigh didn't find anything wrong with this. After all, Roger's personality was somewhat similar to Luffy's... he loved doing abstract things at banquets.
To be honest, one might suspect Luffy was actually his biological son.
And considering the starkly different attitudes Rayleigh had towards those two, it was easy to wonder.
However, as Roger continued his drunken dancing, shedding one piece of clothing after another, until he was completely naked, Rayleigh and Gaban vaguely realized something was wrong.
"Roger! You've had too much!"
Rayleigh shouted.
At the same time, Rayleigh kept waving at his wife, signaling her to leave.
He didn't want his wife to see another man's thing.
But then, Roger suddenly started swinging his thing and said flirtatiously to Ripley, "How about it, Ripley? It's a lot bigger than Rayleigh's, isn't it? Want a taste?"
At these words, Rayleigh's face changed dramatically. He shouted angrily, "Roger! What are you saying?!"
Gaban, on the other side, looked just as shocked as Rayleigh.
He truly hadn't expected that, just as Makoto had planned, Roger would actually say such a thing.
'Was he really that suppressed?'
However, even with Rayleigh's harsh reprimand, Roger didn't stop. He continued swinging his thing, slowly approaching Ripley, a lecherous smile on his face.
Ripley was also terrified. Holding her child, she screamed and tried to run away.
But Roger leaped up, aiming straight for Colon's 'dining hall'.
Rayleigh could no longer contain himself. He rushed out and kicked the naked Roger out of mid-air.
"What are you doing?!"
Rayleigh demanded.