Kyle's smile grew wider. This confrontation for the ages, somehow involving three future Yonko, was an absolute mess. Two clowns, one scaring himself and the other being scared by the first, were staring each other down across a bonfire, creating a strange and hilarious balance of fear.
Just as Kyle was settling in to enjoy the ridiculous scene a little longer, his Observation Haki picked up on a shift in the atmosphere. High above the rowdy banquet, three powerful figures were gathering on the giant mushroom that had somehow survived the clashes of Haki in the island's center.
It was Roger, Whitebeard, and Kozuki Oden.
The combined aura of the three men seemed to create a quiet space around them, pushing back the noise of the party below. It was a private world that belonged only to them. Kyle raised an eyebrow. With a few light-footed leaps, he silently landed on a branch not far from the giant mushroom. He was close enough to see and hear everything without disturbing them.
On the wide cap of the giant mushroom, Roger's usual carefree expression was gone. In its place was a look of seriousness that no one had ever seen on his face before. He carefully pulled a huge, rolled-up paper from within his coat and slowly unfolded it between the three of them.
It was a rubbing of a Poneglyph. Its ancient, mysterious symbols seemed to hold a strange power under the moonlight.
Whitebeard set his large gourd of sake aside. His massive body leaned forward slightly, and his eyes, sharp as an eagle's, studied the strange text. As for Kozuki Oden, the moment he saw those characters, all signs of drunkenness vanished from his face. He looked surprised, yet also deeply familiar with what he was seeing.
"Oden," Roger's voice was deep and steady, but it held a hint of excitement he couldn't control. "Can you… can you really read these characters?"
Kozuki Oden looked up from the rubbing. He scratched his head and replied in a simple, matter-of-fact tone, "I can read them. This is a secret code that's been passed down in my family, the Kozuki clan, for generations. Roger, where did you find something like this?"
"A secret code?" Roger looked stunned for a second, but then his face broke into a massive grin of pure joy. "As long as you can read it! That's all that matters!"
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
"Newgate, Oden," Roger said, sitting cross-legged. His eyes moved from his greatest rival to the samurai from Wano. "I need to tell you something. My crew, the Roger Pirates, we've already reached the final island the Log Pose can point to—Lodestar Island."
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed, and Oden's widened in surprise. Oden had always dreamed of seeing the world, but he didn't fully grasp the final goal of a pirate's journey. Still, he could feel the importance of those words just by looking at the serious expressions on Roger and Whitebeard's faces. The end of the Log Pose... didn't that mean they had already sailed around the entire world?
"But!" Roger's tone suddenly changed, his voice filled with a mix of frustration and excitement. "That isn't the true end! When we got there, we found out the Log Pose stops working completely. To keep going, to reach the real 'Final Island' and do something no one has ever done before… we need a different kind of compass!"
He pointed a finger down, tapping it hard on the Poneglyph rubbing.
"This!" Roger's eyes were shining so brightly they looked like they were on fire. "There are four of these red Road Poneglyphs in the world. If we can find all of them and read the information they hold, they'll give us four locations. When you connect those four locations on a sea chart, the point where they cross… that's the location of the legendary Final Island!"
"If we can get there," Roger's voice grew louder, each word bursting with passion, "we'll be the greatest pirate crew in the world, and no one will ever be able to dispute it!"
As he finished speaking, a heavy silence fell over the giant mushroom.
Whitebeard was completely stunned. After the God Valley incident, he had stopped chasing fame and started searching for a "family." But even so, he understood the meaning of Roger's words. It was a secret big enough to drive the entire world into a frenzy. This wasn't just another adventure; it was a chance to discover the truth of the world, the highest peak any pirate could ever hope to reach.
Kozuki Oden's mouth hung open. He couldn't find any words to say. He thought going out to sea was about meeting new people and having exciting adventures. He never imagined that a secret this grand was hidden at the end of the Grand Line. In that moment, he felt the adventurous blood in his veins begin to boil with excitement.
In the middle of this tense silence, Roger turned his gaze to Whitebeard. His expression became incredibly earnest.
"Newgate…"
He stood up and faced Whitebeard directly.
"I need your help. To reach that final place, to unlock the world's greatest secret… let me borrow Oden for one year!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Whitebeard's brow furrowed in anger. A powerful, unseen wave of Haki exploded from him. Kozuki Oden was his brother, a member of his family. He wasn't some tool to be "lent out."
"Roger, are you trying to steal a member of my crew?" Whitebeard's voice was dangerously low.
"No!" Roger answered without hesitation. "I am just… asking!"
His words were incredibly sincere. As he spoke, the proud man who looked down on even the Marine Fleet Admiral began to bend his body forward, his knees starting to buckle. For the sake of his lifelong dream, he was willing to throw away all his pride, even if it meant bowing his head to his greatest rival.
But just as Roger was about to perform the shocking act of kneeling, his eyes happened to catch a glimpse of the relaxed figure watching from a nearby tree branch.
Kyle was leaning against the tree, one hand holding up his chin. His eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, were perfectly calm. He didn't look surprised or disappointed. He was just quietly watching. His expression wasn't angry or encouraging, but it was like a mirror, reflecting the deepest part of Roger's own soul—a king on the verge of claiming his throne.
And a king could never kneel.
Even if he was making a request, he had to do it like a king.
Roger's body suddenly went rigid. His knees, which had been about to hit the ground, straightened instantly. He slowly stood up straight, all traces of pleading gone from his posture. He was now calm, proud, and powerful. He was still asking, but his entire aura had changed. It was no longer a desperate dreamer begging a strong man for a favor. It was a solemn invitation from a king who was about to change the world to a rival he truly respected.
"Newgate," Roger's voice rang out again, calm but full of undeniable power. "I, Gol D. Roger, am asking you to let Oden sail with me for one year. After that year is over, he will have seen the greatest treasure in the world, and I promise I will bring him back to you myself, completely unharmed."
He looked Whitebeard directly in the eyes, not backing down for a second.
"Please!"
He spoke this final word with absolute clarity, force, and conviction.
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