"Come on, Roger, smile for the camera."
Roa pointed a Den Den Mushi at Roger. "This photo will be seen by the entire world, so at least be a little serious."
"Just take the picture and get lost."
After their conversation, Roger's expression toward Roa had completely soured. He stood in the middle of several mountains of gold, his voice cold.
"My, how ungrateful."
Roa sighed dramatically. "Just moments ago you were so respectful, but now that you've squeezed out my usefulness, you're going to kick me to the curb?"
Roger's lips twitched. He really wanted to cut this guy's tongue out with his sword!
"To make it more believable, let's take a few more photos of the treasure."
Roa jumped up and took several more shots of the mountains of gold below. To be honest, it was a magnificent sight. The Golden Bell of Skypiea and the treasure of the Happo Navy were already impressive, but in front of these mountains of gold, silver, and jewels, they seemed completely insignificant, even pathetic.
"Perfect, that's enough."
Roa put away the Den Den Mushi, satisfied. He couldn't understand how the original Roger proved that he had found the final island. Did he take photos too? But whether or not it proved it was the final island, Roa felt that these photos were more than enough to prove that Roger had indeed found an unprecedented treasure. If these photos were to be shown to the world, they would instantly drive everyone crazy.
"Take as much of the treasure as you can. The rest is mine."
Roa said with a smile. "I'll send people to collect it later."
"Wait! Roa!"
Roger was a little anxious. "If you take all the treasure—"
"Don't worry," Roa said casually. "The important thing isn't whether it's here, but whether the world believes it's here."
Roger was instantly speechless. That was true.
"Ultimately, this money is just start-up capital that Joy Boy left for his successors," Roa said, sounding completely justified. "Am I not a successor?"
Roger's lips twitched again. He was right. And this guy had found this place fair and square. He had more right to inherit this treasure than Roger, who had come here with his help.
"Well then, you guys can continue your feast," Roa said with a grin. "I'll be on my way."
"Gana."
With that, black fur grew on Roa's body, and his wide wings flapped. He dived directly into the dark sea below.
"What?"
Roger was shocked. This guy was a Devil Fruit user, yet he jumped straight into the sea? But he quickly remembered what happened at Fish-Man Island last year. Roa had the power to control seawater. As expected, a sweep of his Observation Haki showed that Roa had parted the sea, creating a huge empty space that he filled with air so he could move freely at the bottom of the ocean.
"What a terrifying ability. Even the sea can't stop him?" Roger sighed, then turned back. Now that he had made up his mind, he would just enjoy this last bit of time to the fullest. Thinking this, a brilliant smile appeared on Roger's face.
"Huh? Roger, where's everyone else?"
Seeing him return with a smile on his face, Rayleigh was surprised. "Where's Roa?"
"He's already gone."
"Gone? How?"
Gaban looked confused. The only way to leave this place was through those channels, wasn't it? Or could Roa walk through walls?
"Forget about him!" Roger laughed, grabbing a bottle of sake. "Come on! Let's drink until we drop!"
Rayleigh and Gaban, who were already a little tipsy, instinctively exchanged glances. Although they didn't know what had happened, they both raised their glasses in unison. "Cheers!"
Roger seemed much happier now than he was before. Since that was the case, they would just drink with him for now and worry about the rest later!
"The captain is finally happy."
Standing nearby, Shanks looked at the uninhibited smile on Roger's face and finally let out a genuine sigh of relief. What did he and Roa talk about?
"Huh?" Buggy, who was happily gnawing on a large piece of roasted meat beside him, tilted his head in confusion. "Wasn't the captain always happy?"
Was there a reason for him to be unhappy? He had just achieved his lifelong dream and found the legendary final island.
Shanks gave his good friend a helpless look, then said with a resigned tone, "Eat more, Buggy." If his brain was already a little slow and his body couldn't keep up, what would he do in the future?
"I don't need you to tell me!"
As the atmosphere of the feast on the Roger Pirates' ship grew livelier, Roa moved through the water. Even the narrow waterway inside the Red Line was like a flat road to him, unable to stop him in the slightest. Roa even had the leisure to pull out a Den Den Mushi and make a call.
Soon, the call was answered.
"Boss! I just got a big scoop!"
It had to be said that the signal from the Den Den Mushi was ridiculously good. Even in a place like this, the communication was completely unaffected.
Morgans' voice on the other end was still loud and clear. "The Marines are holding a massive conscription! Hahaha! Who would have thought that the world-ruling Marines could be pushed to such a state! It's incredible, Boss, you're the only one who has ever done this in eight hundred years!"
He started with a string of flattery. However, Roa had already heard about the conscription from Stussy. The Marines had indeed suffered some heavy losses. Just from the destroyed G-series bases, they had lost a double-digit number of headquarters vice-admirals, not to mention countless rear admirals, commodores, and even lower-ranking officers. And that was not even counting the final destruction of the Marine Headquarters. The Fleet Admiral had been killed, and all the high-ranking Marine officials stationed on that island had also died.
The Marines had lost at least a quarter of their strength. It would be impossible to make up for these losses in a short time by just recruiting and training new soldiers. That's why they were holding this massive conscription.
"I don't care about that," Roa said. "I'm contacting you for a truly big scoop."
"A big scoop!!" Morgans' voice suddenly became high-pitched. "If the Marine's massive conscription is 'whatever' in front of this, then what kind of big scoop is this!"
"Hold on, Boss! I'll get ready first!"
"Hehehehe..." The sound of him taking deep breaths could be heard clearly through the Den Den Mushi. Then, Morgans' voice became firm. "Come on! Boss! I'm ready!"
"Roger has found the final island." Roa was direct and to the point. But the fewer the words, the bigger the news.
"Eh—" Morgans was stunned. The only sound from the phone was a long, confused, meaningless voice.
Then...
"EH!!!"
A sharp shriek instantly sounded a little grating to Roa. Morgans' voice trembled with excitement. "Boss! Are you saying that the legendary final island really exists, and Roger has already found it?!"
"That's right," Roa had already broken through the underwater channel and returned to the deep sea at the end of the New World. He glared, and a violent surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted. The approaching Sea Kings immediately fled in terror.
As he surfaced, Roa said casually, "It's not just the final island. The legendary Great Treasure is also on that island."
"Oh! The legendary Great Treasure really exists too!!" Morgans' voice became even more high-pitched. "That treasure that contains all the wealth, fame, and power in the world is real?!"
"Huh?" The excited Morgans suddenly paused, and his tone became a little cautious. "But Boss, how do you know?"
Weren't the Roger Pirates just fighting Roa's pirate alliance to the death? It was said that Golden Lion's Golden Lion Pirate Crew was even shattered, and if the Boss hadn't saved him in time, the lion would have already been dead.
Since their conflict was so sharp, how did the Boss know the Roger Pirates' movements?
"Oh, that," Roa said casually. "I reached the final island with Roger. I even gave that island a name, Laugh Tale."
You went with Roger? Morgans didn't dare say a word.
So, how did Golden Lion lose? What was hidden behind all this? Morgans didn't even dare to think about it.
It's dark. The world of pirates is so dark.
"Worthy of the Boss! An unprecedented and unheard of journey around the entire world, truly conquering the Grand Line!"
A string of compliments came flooding in. "The title of Emperor is far from enough to describe you! You have surpassed all pirates in pirate history, you are the king of pirates!"
"The Pirate King!"
Roa's lips twitched. This was why this guy was able to become his subordinate. Their words were all from the same script.
"I have reached the final island, but I have not reached the final island," Roa said.
Morgans on the other end of the line instantly understood. "I see! Boss, just report the Roger Pirates, right!"
"Use all your connections. Contact every newspaper you can." Roa said. "This time, even if it angers the World Government, it doesn't matter. You must do your best to let the entire world know that Roger has conquered the Grand Line and obtained the legendary Great Treasure."
"He is the unprecedented Pirate King."
"Yes! Boss!" Morgans' voice was trembling a little. "I'll start writing the article right away!"
"Hahaha! This time, the whole world is going to go crazy! This is the truly big scoop I've been waiting for!"
"Wait," Roa said. "Empty words are not enough. Not many people will believe it. I have some photos here. Take them and publish them in the newspaper as well."
"Photos too? Worthy of the Boss! You're so thoughtful!"
When the call finally ended, Roa had already broken through the surface of the water and soared into the sky.
In this volatile weather of the New World, it was a rare clear day. The sun shone down, bathing Roa in its light. He stretched slightly, a wide grin on his face.
"Let the new era begin."
On a deserted island in the New World, there was a tall, wooden building in the middle of a dense forest.
"Oh!!! This—this—this is the legendary Great Treasure!" Morgans' hands were shaking as he looked through the photos that had just been printed. The huge mountains of gold in the pictures made his breathing quicken. "Incredible! This scale of treasure could buy half the world, if not the whole world!"
"What kind of person could have left behind such a Great Treasure!"
Morgans realized that on the island the Boss had named Laugh Tale, this treasure was probably the least important thing! There must be an even bigger secret hidden there! But the Boss hadn't said anything, which meant he didn't want people to know. So no matter how restless Morgans felt, he could only endure it.
Was it not time yet?
But even the news that Roger had found the Great Treasure was enough to cause a sensation!
"Hahaha! Worthy of the Boss! You never disappoint me!" Morgans let out a strange cackle.
The Boss always creates the biggest scoops! Choosing to follow him was the wisest decision I've ever made! Boss, I adore you!
Morgans gripped the photos in his hand. The Boss had already created a super big scoop, and he couldn't let this news die down! Morgans immediately pulled out a Den Den Mushi. He was going to start calling people too.
Such an unprecedented and world-shaking scoop should be something that no journalist would refuse.
"World, are you ready?"
Just half a day later, in the New World, Paradise, North Blue, West Blue, and East Blue, white newsbirds began to fly. They raced toward every inhabited island in the world, trying to deliver the world-shaking news to everyone in the shortest possible time.
And so, in various parts of the world, newspapers fell like snowflakes. People who picked them up out of curiosity were caught off guard and left stunned.
"Roger found the final island?"
"The final island really exists? The Great Treasure also exists?"
"This, this, the treasure is piled up in mountains! This is the Great Treasure!!"
"Laugh Tale, is that the name of that island?"
"The Pirate King! Roger conquered the Grand Line, so he's the Pirate King!!"
The entire world fell silent for a moment. After a brief silence, the whole world erupted. Everyone was talking about it.
"The Roger Pirates completed an unprecedented adventure! They are the first in history to truly circumnavigate the world! This is a great feat that no one has accomplished in eight hundred years!"
"He is the Pirate King, truly deserving of the title! Even Rocks can't compare to him now!"
"Who cares if he's the Pirate King or not, how much is that legendary Great Treasure worth? It could probably buy who knows how many countries!"
"No wonder it's a Great Treasure that contains all the wealth, fame, and power! With such a treasure, getting it truly means getting everything!"
"Did the Roger Pirates take all the treasure? They must be as rich as a country now, no, their wealth is probably comparable to the World Government!!"
And so, the allure of the treasure instantly made all the ambitious people restless.
"Roger got that treasure! Find him! Find them quickly!"
"Let's take that treasure from them!!"
Many people immediately prepared to take action. They didn't think about how to find the Roger Pirates or how to defeat them. They just set sail with a passion.
Of course, the most intense reactions came from the people who ruled the world.
On a newly airborne island in the latter half of the New World.
"Roger! You bastard!! You really didn't disappoint me! Pirate King? What a joke! I don't recognize that title! Just you wait!"
Hachinosu.
"What? The Great Treasure actually exists! That kind of treasure—damn you, Roger!! You have everything in the world!!"
Wano Country.
"No! There must be something else besides the treasure! It was all piled up on the outer edge of the island! Roger, what else did you get? What else is hidden on the final island?!"
Gingaxe's territory.
"The legend is true! Damn Roger! Did he take all the treasure? Damn it! I should have joined Big Mom's operation. If I had, maybe I would be the one who found the Great Treasure!"
Dressrosa.
"How incredible. So, is there any connection between Roger finding the Great Treasure and Big Mom's stolen treasure?"
Totto Land.
"Roger! You damned thief! That treasure was supposed to be mine! Just you wait! I'll hunt you down!"
In the North Blue, a ship shaped like a whale slowly sailed.
"The Pirate King, huh? Roger, you're going to be a target for everyone now."
New Marine Headquarters.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Hero Garp looked at each other.
"Wahahaha! Worthy of Roa"
"Get out!"
Sengoku rubbed his forehead. Roger's fame had completely overshadowed the pirate alliance, which was a good thing for the Marines; it would divert the public's attention. But the bad news was that the sea would become even more chaotic now. Who knows how many people would set sail to chase after the Roger Pirates. Would the massive conscription plan they just came up with be enough?
Brother Kong, I wish you were still alive!
Mary Geoise .
In the Room of Flowers.
The Five Elders knelt respectfully on the ground, not daring to make a sound. In front of them, under a large, leafy tree, the King of the World quietly read the newspaper.
"The rumor of eight hundred years is actually true," a cold voice rang out. "Did Joy Boy really leave something behind? Im is not pleased."
The Five Elders lowered their heads even more, their foreheads almost touching the ground.
"Find him. Im needs to know what Joy Boy left behind."
"Yes! Lord Im!" The Five Elders said in unison.
The Pirate King? This world doesn't need such an arrogant person!
The World Government's target would now shift from the pirate alliance and Roa to Roger and the Roger Pirates!
But no matter what was happening beneath the surface, the title of Pirate King had already resounded throughout the world. Everyone knew that the pirate Gold Roger had conquered the Grand Line, and everyone knew that he had obtained the Great Treasure that contained all the wealth, fame, and power!
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