"This…"
Seagull hesitated, unsure of how to explain.
Suddenly, Roger leapt up and landed steadily on Seagull's broad shoulder.
He drew his blade, Ace, sparks flashing as steel scraped against the sheath.
"So you're called Loki? I'm the captain of the Roger Pirates, Gol D. Roger. How about this—bring us the Road Poneglyph, and I'll take you with me to the Final Island. What do you say?"
Loki burst into thunderous laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha! The Roger Pirates? How could you possibly be worthy of having me aboard? To me, Rocks D. Xebec is the strongest man in the world! If I were to serve anyone, it would be him!"
Shiro sneered, hopping onto a boulder and deliberately twisting the knife with his words:
"Then why weren't you with him? I didn't see you at God Valley. Don't tell me… Rocks didn't think you were good enough?"
"Silence!"
Loki roared, veins bulging.
"How dare a mere mortal mock me! Do you even know how powerful Rocks is? He was a man who could conquer the entire world!"
"Rocks? Conquer the world?"
Shiro's lips curved into a playful smirk.
"Hate to break it to you, but your idol was defeated—by our captain Roger and Marine Vice Admiral Garp, together!"
"What?!"
Shock flickered across Loki's face, then gave way to dawning realization. He jabbed a finger at Roger.
"So that's it! I knew it wasn't possible for Rocks to lose to Garp alone… you and Garp ganged up on him! In that case, I'll avenge Rocks myself!"
With a roar, Loki swung his massive spiked club down toward Roger and Seagull.
Roger took a deep breath and blew into his right arm—his limb instantly ballooned in size. In the same motion, he drew Ace and unleashed a slash infused with crackling black and red lightning: "Divine Departure!"
The giant's club was blown clean out of his hands, sent crashing to the ground dozens of meters away with a deafening BOOM.
Before Loki could react, Roger's strike had already pierced his abdomen. Blood gushed as the giant dropped to one knee, clutching the wound, disbelief etched across his face.
"Impossible… your strength surpasses even Rocks!"
"Now you see?"
Shiro couldn't resist piling on more taunts.
"Damn you… you forced me to do this!"
Loki roared, his hand flying toward the white cloth wrapped around his eyes.
"No—Prince Loki, don't!"
Seagull rushed forward in panic. He knew what was sealed beneath that cloth: Loki's cursed eyes, the source of his destructive power.
At that moment, a gravelly old voice cut through the smoke:
"Prince Loki! Do not lose yourself—you would bring calamity upon all of Elbaf!"
Everyone turned. An elderly giant strode forth, his beard long and white, his body draped in a black coat, a horned helmet upon his head.
"Eld—Elder Jarul… stay out of this! They came to steal from Elbaf. I must stop them!"
Though Loki tried to sound firm, he instinctively stepped back.
Roger removed his straw hat and bowed deeply.
"Thanks… Elder Jarul."
His tone carried a warmth that eased the tension in the air.
The elder squinted at him, then suddenly his eyes widened with recognition.
"You… you are Captain Roger!"
"That's right," Roger replied bluntly. "We've come to borrow the Road Poneglyph of Elbaf. Would you permit it?"
"Borrow it? Hmph… that's fine! Come with me."
As Jarul beckoned the crew to follow, Loki tried to protest, but the elder silenced him:
"Prince Loki, the Roger Pirates are our friends. Helping them is no dishonor."
After confirming Loki's wound was not fatal, Jarul pressed on, leading the group toward the sacred site.
Loki lowered his head, fuming, clutching his stomach. But before turning away, he glared fiercely at Roger. Beneath the cloth, a crimson glow leaked from his sealed eyes.
Perched on Seagull's shoulder, Shiro whispered:
"Seagull… What was that about? Why did Elder Jarul say Loki removing the bandages would bring disaster?"
Seagull sighed deeply.
"Our Prince Loki… he is a tragic soul."
"How so?" Shiro pressed.
Seagull began recounting the story:
"Our king, Harald, once journeyed beyond Elbaf and fell in love with a gentle but plain-looking giantess named Ida. From that love came their first son, Prince Hajrudin.
The king wished to bring Ida back as his queen, but the elders objected—she lacked pure Elbaf blood. Forced to yield, the king wed the beautiful princess Estrid instead. Estrid was a devout believer in divination.
When she bore her son—Prince Loki—she saw his vertical pupils at birth and declared them 'cursed eyes,' an omen of misfortune. She denied his existence publicly and cast him into the underworld.
But Loki survived. By sheer will, he fought through monstrous beasts, dragging his wounded body up the roots of the Treasure Tree Adam. Estrid, convinced he was a demon, fell ill and wasted away. From then on, every calamity that befell Elbaf was blamed on Loki's birth.
If not for the kindness of Queen Ida, Loki would never have grown up at all.
Because of this life, Loki learned never to judge by appearances. He only cares for what lies within a person's heart… no matter how ugly they may look."
"…So that explains it," Shiro murmured.
"No wonder he fell so hard for Lola, Big Mom's daughter… despite her appearance."
The mystery finally made sense.
Thanks to Elder Jarul's intervention, the Roger Pirates were entrusted with Elbaf's Road Poneglyph. Roger expressed his gratitude, and soon the Oro Jackson set sail once more.
With this final stone, all the Road Poneglyphs were gathered—the path to the Final Island was finally complete.
From the moment Roger resolved to travel to Elbaf, to this point of holding all four stones, only a single year had passed. Truly, Roger was a man blessed by fate.
Shiro grinned ear to ear—his dream of being a "winner without effort" was finally within reach.
Guided by the inscriptions, the Oro Jackson arrived in the seas near the legendary island. Yet the entrance remained hidden, shrouded in mystery.
As the crew searched for a way forward, tragedy struck: Buggy suddenly fell gravely ill.
With no choice, Shanks volunteered to stay behind and care for his friend.
Shiro considered curing Buggy's sickness with his powers—but then remembered how, in the "original tale," the two never set foot on the Final Island. With a shrug, he let things play out.
"Those two are weak anyway," he thought. "Setting foot on that island would only twist their destinies… and for them, that might not be such a blessing."
T/N: If you would like to read up to 20 chapters ahead for all my works, check out my P@treon: patreon.com/GhidorahWriter
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