Vegapunk frowned deeply, clearly troubled.
Sakazuki looked at him and said:
"Let's not worry about that for now. Take your time with the research."
"What you need to do now is rest."
Only then did Vegapunk come to his senses, as waves of exhaustion overwhelmed him.
"Apologies, Vice Admiral Sakazuki."
"Seems I really do need to rest first."
Sakazuki replied:
"It's fine. Get some rest."
Watching Vegapunk turn around with that tired figure, he shook his head.
Time flew by...
A new era was about to begin...
...
The Grand Line, New World.
At the summit of the towering hidden land, "Merveille."
A chilly breeze swept across the mountain top, making the grass and hems of clothing flutter gently.
Golden Lion sat on the edge of a cliff, gazing down at the countless giant beasts moving below.
In his hand was a newspaper detailing the latest movements of the Roger Pirates.
"Roger..."
As the Roger Pirates approached a crucial turning point in their journey, the entire world watched them closely.
At that moment, an odd shuffling sound came from behind.
Puh puh puh—
Ignoring the strange noise, Golden Lion spoke without turning his head:
"Dr. Indigo, how's the research progressing?"
Dr. Indigo, dressed like a circus clown, said:
"There's been a new discovery."
"This island maintains its balance through a few specific plant species."
"And all the creatures on this island—every single one—are species not found anywhere else on land."
"If we want to..."
Golden Lion impatiently cut him off:
"Enough. Get to the point."
"How many more years until my plan can be realized?"
Dr. Indigo lowered his head, counting on his fingers:
"Hmm... let's see... five... ten..."
"No."
"At the earliest, fifteen years."
Golden Lion's mouth curled into a wide grin:
"Good."
"Then in fifteen years, the plan begins."
His sinister smile was unmistakable:
"I'll plunge this world into disaster..."
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the office of Fleet Admiral Kong.
Slam—
The door burst open with force.
"Ahahahahaha! Fleet Admiral Kong!"
"I'm back!"
Fleet Admiral Kong, irritated at the visitor, slammed the desk:
"You bastard!"
"Be more gentle with the door!"
"And!"
"It's been months already!"
"You call that a vacation?!"
"If you stayed away any longer, I'd have thought you were leaving the Marines for good!!!"
Garp laughed heartily as he stuffed donuts into his mouth:
"Ahahahaha."
"Blame that brat Dragon. He ran too far."
"Hard to catch."
Fleet Admiral Kong snorted coldly:
"Speaking of which—"
"How is Dragon?"
"What the hell has he been doing this past year?"
With his mouth full of donuts, Garp replied unclearly:
"Nothing much. Just saw some darkness."
"Got a bit lost."
"I smacked him around, and he was fine."
"Locked him up at headquarters for a bit."
"Ahahahahaha."
Fleet Admiral Kong frowned:
"Stop trying to solve everything with violence."
"Have Tsuru talk to him later."
Garp laughed again:
"No worries, that's how I raised him."
"It's not a big deal."
Veins bulged on Fleet Admiral Kong's forehead:
"Get out of my sight!"
"Just looking at you pisses me off!"
He slammed the desk and stood up, while Garp hurriedly slipped out of the office.
Fleet Admiral Kong shook his head. This unreliable guy...
He reached for the Den Den Mushi...
"Hello? Tsuru..."
...
Nighttime, Marineford, Archives Room.
This place held the records of criminals and pirates from all over the world.
Dragon slipped inside like a breeze.
He passed by the pirate archives that filled most of the room...
And moved toward the section documenting the world's most dangerous criminals...
...
Several days later.
Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral, Monkey D. Dragon, defected... along with several confidential documents.
The news wasn't widely released—only circulated among high-ranking officers.
When the Revolutionary Army rose to power later on, and the photo of its leader "Dragon" was distributed...
Almost no one recognized that the leader of the Revolutionary Army was the same person as the Rear Admiral who had defected years ago...
...
New World, the Final Island.
The Roger Pirates stared blankly at the unimaginable treasure before them.
Suddenly—
At the front, Roger—
His lips curled uncontrollably into a wide grin:
"Ahahahahaha!!!"
"This is just too funny!!!"
The crew paused, then burst out laughing—because yes, this really was... absolutely hilarious!
"Ahahahahaha!!!"
"Exactly!!!"
"And it turned out to be this of all things."
"We really do look like fools!!"
"No! The entire world got played!!"
"This is too damn funny!!"
"Ahahahaha!!!"
The crew laughed until they were gasping for air, some even laughing until tears streamed down their faces.
After a long laugh, Roger, still teary-eyed, said:
"Joy Boy..."
"I..."
"I wasn't born in your era."
He suddenly paused, then laughed again, this time with a tinge of helplessness:
"To think you claimed to have left behind a great treasure."
"I really have to hand it to you."
He turned back, facing his laughing crew:
"Guys."
"Why don't we name this island—"
"This island that no one has reached in eight hundred years."
Roger grinned:
"Let's call it..."
"Raftel!!!"
"Ahahahahahaha!"
...
That day, newspapers flooded the world like rain...
With news birds scattering them everywhere, the entire world learned of the event in an instant.
Countless civilians picked up the papers, staring in shock at the front page.
"Hey, hey—is this for real?!"
"The Roger Pirates actually pulled it off!"
"Pirate Roger completed the world's first global voyage!"
"Has the King of the Seas been born?"
"He is... the Pirate King!!!"
The world went mad that day...
All over the globe, people showed awe, fear, admiration, hatred—the entire spectrum of emotion.
...
Golden Lion stood at the prow of his fleet's ship, his black collar and cape fluttering.
He stared at the boundless sea in the distance... then let out a soft chuckle:
"As expected of you, Roger..."
...
Whole Cake Island, base of the Big Mom Pirates.
Charlotte Linlin looked at the newspaper in her hands and snorted coldly:
"Pirate King..."
She tossed the paper into the air and slashed it apart.
...
Steam Pirates.
Knock, now bearing several sword scars on his face, looked at the newspaper:
"A great treasure, huh..."
Whoosh—
He slowly exhaled smoke from his cigar, his aura far more imposing than before.
...
Fish-Man Island, Ryugu Kingdom.
King Neptune sat on the throne, passing the newspaper to those beside him with a laugh:
"Roger became Pirate King, hahaha."
"Let's celebrate for our good friend!"
...
Grand Line, first half, Kegesi Island.
The island had only recently recovered after Roger slaughtered their army years ago.
Looking at Roger's smiling face in the newspaper, people were filled with despair.
"No way..."
"That bastard actually..."
"That damned butcher!!!"
"Is revenge impossible now?"
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Countless people wept and cursed...
Their cries could be heard from the royal palace miles away.
Inside the palace, the King of the Darlons Kingdom clenched the newspaper tightly.
"Damn it..."
...
Under orders from headquarters, all Marine officers were rushing back to Marineford.
Aboard Sakazuki's warship.
Staring at the newspaper in his hand, Sakazuki let out a cold snort.
At that moment, Karol approached:
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki."
"The target in the South Blue, Baterilla Island, has been confirmed."
Sakazuki nodded:
"As long as it's confirmed, have the personnel withdraw for now."
"It's not time yet."
"Pirate King... heh."
Boom—
The newspaper in his hand suddenly caught fire.
And turned to ash...
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