'When does a human truly die?'
This question caused Kojin to freeze for a moment.
'When they stop breathing? No, that's not it.'
'When the heart stops beating? That doesn't seem right either.'
'When the body is placed into a heavy wooden coffin amid the cries of loved ones and buried beneath the soil?'
That's not it either!
So what exactly is death?
Roger laughed and tilted his head back to look up at the sky. He spoke his own answer.
"When do you think a person dies?"
"When their heart is pierced by a bullet?"
"When their body is hanged on an execution platform?"
"When they contract an incurable disease?"
"When they know their time is short, yet they fail to achieve their dreams and fall into despair?"
"No, none of those are right!"
Roger grinned widely.
"A person dies when they are forgotten by the world!"
"So if you're asking me if I have any regrets?"
"I can give you that answer."
He paused, then turned his head with a smile to look at the woman approaching from the courtyard behind him, carrying a steaming bowl of pork rib soup.
"I have no regrets whatsoever!"
"Because I will live on forever!"
With that, the man stood up and strode toward the woman, laughing heartily all the way. When he took the bowl of soup, he shouted about how hot it was, prompting the woman to warn him to be careful.
Kojin turned his head to watch the scene and suddenly froze.
'What truly defines death? And what is regret?'
'Or perhaps... What does it mean to be alive?'
'Is it living comfortably, eating and drinking well, and waiting peacefully for death?'
'Or is it striving desperately for one's dreams, charging forward until death arrives?'
Perhaps both are forms of living, as long as one follows their heart's desires and realizes their own freedom.
"Kojin, come and eat!" Rouge's laughter rang out, snapping Kojin out of his deep contemplation.
Shaking his head to dispel the impossible-to-answer philosophical questions, he stood up and walked over with a smile on his face.
He had essentially been living with Roger and Rouge for five months now. Crocodile, Bullet, and the others had built him a small house next to the couple's home.
Every few weeks, Evans and his group would deliver fresh supplies, and Rouge had taken on the role of cooking.
"I've always been curious, what exactly do you do, Kojin?" Rouge asked.
"Are you married? I can personally introduce you to Nina from the village."
"Don't end up like Roger, getting married at such an old age."
"I'm the only one who sees his worth," Rouge said with a smile during dinner, not forgetting to tease Roger, who was grinning sheepishly beside her.
"I'm not in a hurry," Kojin could only decline awkwardly, lowering his head and quietly eating.
From appearances alone, Roger and Rouge were both good people, just ordinary civilians living their days peacefully.
During this period, aside from learning swordsmanship, it was also a rare stretch of peace for Kojin.
He continued practicing his sword techniques, but he knew in his heart that this peace would eventually come to an end.
In the blink of an eye, nearly a year had passed on Baterilla Island.
"This is Kamusari (Divine Departure)!" Roger said softly, sheathing his longblade.
The moment he finished speaking, he suddenly bent over, coughing violently. When he slowly straightened up and removed his hand from his mouth, the blood in his palm was vividly red.
Kojin turned around, his gaze tightening as he looked at the blood in Roger's hand.
Over the past two months, Roger's physical condition had deteriorated visibly. It was a palpable weakness, and it was as if an invisible force were rapidly draining the life force from his body.
And yet, even when facing the sea, this man could unleash a slash that would split everything apart.
Ahead of him, the massive chasm stretched on endlessly, cleaving the sea in two.
Just moments ago, Roger had been teaching him one of the few techniques he had mastered in his life: Kamusari (Divine Departure).
It was a powerful slash born from the perfect fusion of Haoshoku Haki and supreme swordsmanship.
"This is all I can teach you," Roger said with a smile, unconcerned about the blood on his palm.
Kojin nodded, then suddenly swung the military sword in his hand and slashed fiercely towards the sea ahead.
"Buzz!!"
The powerful strike smashed through everything, swiftly cleaving the boundless Sea in two and revealing the bottomless chasm beneath.
At the same time, the system status panel displayed the words:
'Kamusari (Divine Departure).'
This was not just the name of a technique; it was the ultimate culmination of Roger's lifetime of swordsmanship.
"Your talent is astonishing. I didn't have much time. I thought I wouldn't be able to teach you much."
Roger looked at the parted sea ahead and nodded with satisfaction.
Kojin fell silent. He suddenly felt a heavy weight pressing on his heart.
"The time has come," Roger murmured.
He gripped his sword Ace, raised it high, and pointed it at Kojin.
"This may be the final duel of my life! Let me see just how much you've truly learned from me!"
Kojin remained silent and completely still.
"Hesitation will never let you move forward. Doubt and indecision are the greatest obstacles of all! Kojin, I don't need to teach you that lesson, do I?" Roger said with a smile.
His face was pale. The sea breeze swept over him as though he might collapse at any moment.
Upon hearing this, Kojin took a deep breath, slowly raising the military sword in his hand and pointing it at Roger.
"My stamina won't last long in a prolonged fight," Roger said, smiling. "So, let's settle this with the Swordsmanship you've learned over the past year!"
"All right." Kojin nodded.
In the next instant, a dazzling light erupted along the shores of Baterilla Island. The waves were forced back, and time itself seemed to freeze for a few moments.
"Kamusari (Divine Departure)!"
The same shout. The same technique. Echoing between sky and earth.
The sea exploded, transforming into a raging, surging, roaring rainstorm that poured down in torrents.
"Thud!"
A figure collapsed limply to the ground, his sword clattering beside him.
"You've mastered it, Kojin."
Kojin stood quietly, looking down at the man seated on the ground in front of him, with blood flowing from his body.
"Crack!"
The Military Sword in his hand suddenly shattered, disintegrating into countless fragments that scattered into the air.
After a long time, he suddenly smiled.
"You won't die. And neither will I."
Roger roared with laughter. "That's right!"
"I won't die!"
He forced his body upright once more and slowly stood up.
"Please allow me to bid farewell to some old friends and family," Roger requested.
Kojin nodded with a complicated expression on his face.
He knew it.
A magnificent new era was about to begin.
The old age would pass.
A new age would dawn.
The old would depart.
The new would be born.
At this very moment, the gears of history were beginning to turn.
That afternoon, Roger said goodbye to Portgas D. Rouge. He didn't tell his wife much, only that he needed to go out for a while.
Rouge smiled as she always did, not stopping him but saying gently, "Remember to come back early."
Kojin stood quietly outside the door, waiting.
He watched them embrace. He watched Roger gently stroke his wife's face. He watched Roger crouch down to listen to the heartbeat coming from her belly, and then he burst into joyful laughter.
A long, long time later, Roger turned and left.
As the two of them walked out of the courtyard, they heard faint sobbing from behind them.
When they boarded the battleship, Bullet, Crocodile, and the others were stunned... because they saw shackles on Roger's hands.
Everyone understood perfectly what that meant.
Kojin said nothing more, only instructing them not to spread the news just yet.
Then, with a heavy and solemn expression, he turned towards Roger.
"She's pregnant."
Roger smiled. His gaze locked onto Kojin, who looked more serious than ever before.
"Then I'll leave her in your care, Kojin."
Kojin frowned and sighed. "That's a troublesome responsibility."
Roger didn't care in the slightest. He grinned widely.
"I've given you Ace."
Hearing this, Kojin's headache worsened as he lowered his head to look at the sword named Ace hanging at his waist.
(End of Chapter)
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