East Blue, Twin Capes
An old man with glasses lounged on a deck chair, basking in the sun, a cigarette in one hand and a newspaper in the other.
He was Crocus, the former doctor of the Roger Pirates.
"Sigh... Even if he escaped, it doesn't change much. Roger's life is almost at its end—this illness won't give him more than a few months."
Shaking his head, Crocus closed his eyes.
South Blue, Baterilla Island
Rouge, heavily pregnant, sat at the bar counter, sipping alcohol.
"Rouge, Captain Roger is probably... Well, never mind. But you're pregnant—you shouldn't be drinking."
The speaker was a middle-aged man with blue hair, wearing a hat, sporting a horizontal mustache, and dressed in a casual floral shirt.
"It's fine, Elio. I know my limits."
Outwardly calm, Rouge's mind was replaying the newspaper headlines from days ago—Roger was about to be executed.
"Gulp, gulp..."
As she spoke, she downed several more mouthfuls, unconcerned about the effect on her unborn child.
"But Rouge, Captain Roger entrusted me with taking care of you and Ace!"
Elio's mouth hung open, his expression a mix of exasperation and worry.
"Relax. Roger already told me about his incurable disease, and I still chose to marry him. Ace is Roger's only child—I won't let anything happen to him."
Rouge smiled softly, gently rubbing her belly. "I have to delay the birth like this... Otherwise, the Marines will never let Ace live."
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside.
"Breaking news! Breaking news! The Pirate King Roger has escaped!"
"Everyone, come see! The legendary Pirate King fled the execution platform at Loguetown in East Blue!"
"What?!"
Rouge immediately jumped off the barstool and rushed outside.
"Rouge, slow down! Be careful!"
Elio hurried after her.
Rouge snatched the newspaper, tears streaming down her face.
"Roger... Roger... Thank goodness."
"Rouge, take care of yourself!"
Elio stood beside her, glancing at the newspaper before tears welled up in his own eyes.
"Wahh... Captain Roger... You're safe..."
Impel Down, Level 6
"HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA!!"
"You seem thrilled, Bullet. Then again, Roger is your captain."
The speaker was Magellan, the warden of Impel Down.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Bullet didn't answer, simply continuing to laugh wildly.
A Small Island in East Blue
Gaban stopped chopping wood, his axe embedded in a log. His lips curled into a grin, but tears flowed uncontrollably.
"Captain Roger... That's great. Even if you don't have much time left... I, Gaban, will follow you to the end."
The Next Day
The Roger Pirates' ship arrived at Baterilla Island.
"Captain Roger, is this where Rouge lives?"
"Yeah, Red-Hair. It's been a year since we parted... Now I'm back."
Roger gazed at the island ahead, his heart unusually at ease.
"Captain, just call me Shanks. 'Red-Hair' is what you called me when I was a kid."
"HAHAHA! What, you think you're all grown up now?"
"Heheh, 'Red-Hair'—still a brat!"
Buggy couldn't resist teasing him.
"Damn you, Buggy! Fight me!"
"Bring it on!"
Just as Shanks and Buggy were about to brawl, Roger grabbed both by the head.
"We don't have time for this. The Marines will be here soon. Let's go."
Reid looked toward the island—it seemed vast to him, covered in towering, lush trees.
"So this is Baterilla Island... Where Rouge will give birth to Ace. Huh, the Lord of the Coast."
Reid glanced at the sea king waiting nearby, debating whether to tell Roger to kill it. If he had to do it himself, he wasn't sure he could yet.
While he hesitated, Roger had already stepped onto the island, waving a hand—prompting the sea king to dive back into the ocean.
"Ah, my bad. I should've mentioned it earlier."
Following Roger ashore, Reid resolved to deal with it himself next time.
"Damn humans! Treating the mighty Lord of the Coast like a mere tugboat?! Just you wait—one day, I'll devour you all!"
Reid paused mid-step.
"Was that... the sea king's voice?"
He glanced back at the sea.
"Reid."
Roger approached him.
"Roger."
Roger looked at the water, then grinned at Reid.
"Reid..."
"Did you hear that?"
Roger stared into Reid's eyes; his heart filled with astonishment. Could it be that Reid also has the ability to listen to the Voice of All Things?
"Mmm, I heard that Sea King say it wants to eat you."
"Hahahaha, just as I thought. Reid, you must keep growing. You're only the second person I've met who can listen to the voices of all things."
"I know. The other one is Oden."
Reid nodded.
"Exactly. Alright, let's hurry onto the island. The Marines will be here soon."
"Mhm."
Just who is this Reid? Captain Roger seems to value him so much. I need to find a chance to ask.
Shanks made up his mind—keeping his curiosity bottled up was unbearable.
Buggy also frowned, scratching his head.
"What a weird guy. He doesn't even look that strong."
As soon as they set foot on the island, the locals spotted them.
"You… you're… Ro… Roger!"
"Roger?! Ah, it really is Roger! Roger has actually come to Baterilla Island!"
The surrounding crowd reacted with either excitement or fear—after all, this was the legendary pirate, Gol D. Roger!
Ignoring the reactions of the onlookers, Roger strode forward with a grin.
"Heh heh."
"Heh heh."
Feeling a sense of pride, Shanks and Buggy puffed out their chests, walking confidently on either side of Roger.