Ever since the Roger Pirates reached Laugh Tale, all manner of rumors had been flying across the seas. Those newspaper folks were fanning the flames, publishing stories as if they'd witnessed everything firsthand.
But the Roger Pirates themselves remained remarkably low-key.
After repelling the Golden Lion in the Edd War, virtually no one had heard any news from the Roger Pirates.
"Captain, are we really disbanding the crew?" A young Shanks was extremely reluctant when he heard the news.
Unlike the original story where he stayed behind to look after the sick Buggy, this time even he had made it all the way to Laugh Tale.
Shanks couldn't understand why the Roger Pirates had to disband at the height of their glory.
"I've already reached an island no one else has ever been to. My adventure is over, isn't it, Shanks?" Roger said cheerfully.
"It's a bit of a shame—it's decades too early—but that's alright. Someday someone new will find Laugh Tale. Maybe that someone will be you."
With that, he pulled out an Eternal Pose.
"How about it? You can hold onto this."
"No way. I'm going to get there with my own power next time." Shanks had no intention of taking shortcuts.
He figured that once he grew up a bit, he'd form his own pirate crew and set off on his own adventure.
Even though he'd already been to Laugh Tale once, for a kid not even ten years old, he had no real memory of how to reach that island.
And for him, the sea still held plenty of unknowns. Even the Pirate King Roger hadn't visited every island in the world.
"Before everyone goes their separate ways, how about it—want to come see my homeland, Wano Country?" Kozuki Oden invited.
"Wano Country, huh? Sounds pretty good." Roger looked quite interested.
"It's about time you went home to visit, too. Otherwise, even your son is going to end up growing up on a pirate ship like Shanks."
Kozuki Oden had gotten involved with an ordinary woman three years ago when they'd stopped at a certain island.
Speaking of which, Ren hadn't expected that even after carefully timing his removal of Amatsuki Toki—who had crossed over from the past—he still hadn't prevented the birth of that brat Kozuki Momonosuke. By now, even his son Momonosuke was already two and a half years old.
Roger felt that since he'd already accomplished his goal, it would be a perfect opportunity to see what Kozuki Oden's homeland was really like. That country which, according to Oden, had sealed its borders for hundreds of years—Wano Country!
But just as Roger was about to respond to Oden, his face suddenly took on a terrible pallor.
"Alright, in that case, let's set our course for—"
This towering man's face twisted in agony. He turned pale and blue, his entire body locked in place—and the next moment, he collapsed straight to the ground.
"Roger!"
"Are you alright, Roger!"
"Captain..."
Roger felt his consciousness gradually being stripped away. The urgent cries of Rayleigh, Oden, and the others reached his ears from increasingly far away, as if something had draped a veil of gauze over his hearing.
When Roger's consciousness returned, he found himself back inside the ship's cabin, lying in his own bed.
"You're awake, Captain!" Shanks, who had been keeping watch at his side the entire time, leapt up joyfully.
"I knew you'd be fine, Captain!"
"Quiet down!" A still-sturdy Crocus reached out and whacked Shanks in exasperation.
Then he fixed Roger with an extremely grave expression.
Considering that Shanks was still a kid present in the room, he didn't directly reveal the truth about Roger's condition.
"Hey Shanks, go to the galley and have them prepare some food. Don't forget Roger has been unconscious for four days."
"Oh right, right, right! Wait just a moment, Captain!" Shanks rushed out in a hurry.
Even after the door closed, his excited voice could still be heard. In just that short time, the kid had already spread the news of Roger waking up throughout the entire ship.
Roger grinned broadly. "Don't look so serious, Crocus. With that expression on your face, you'd think I was going to die tomorrow."
"You won't die tomorrow, but you probably won't last much longer either." Crocus said angrily. "Roger, you've pushed yourself way too hard!"
"What, was it really from that time with Shiki?" Roger still hadn't grasped the true nature of his condition.
In the original course of events, he wouldn't contract his terminal illness until next year. But for some reason, it had struck a year early.
"It's not just that one time." Crocus grew angry seeing how nonchalant he was. "Have you already forgotten how many injuries you've suffered along the way?"
People who didn't know how to cherish their own lives were the absolute worst.
Crocus was one of the original members who had gathered with the Roger Pirates, having boarded the ship right after Rayleigh. He had left Twin Cape and followed Roger's crew into the Grand Line in order to help Laboon search for the Rumbar Pirates, who had disbanded thirty-one years ago.
But by now, he could already confirm that the Rumbar Pirates had been annihilated. At least the majority of the crew had perished, with the only survivors being the former captain Yorki and a few others who had departed early after contracting the plague.
But even those people's lives had likely reached their end. The plague was a terrifying disease even in this era.
Not to mention they had left the Grand Line through the Calm Belt, where the number of Sea Kings was simply overwhelming.
"How much longer do I have?" Roger asked.
"If you actively pursue treatment, I'd say four or five years at least." Crocus glanced toward the doorway.
There were probably quite a few people crowded there by now, just waiting for their "healthy" captain to walk out and tell them it was all a false alarm.
"What, that's still a long time!" Roger immediately brightened up.
"Crocus, you bastard, with that serious face of yours, you had me thinking I'd die tomorrow."
Four or five years was enough for him to accomplish a great deal.
"You really are something. I bet even if you were about to drop dead this instant, you'd still be grinning." Crocus grabbed his head in exasperation.
Then he walked to the door and shoved it open. The people pressed against it instantly toppled inward.
"Yo, you alright, Roger..." Oden waved awkwardly.
"Still full of energy! But Oden, I'm afraid I won't be able to visit Wano Country for now. I'll have to wait and go see it later."
"That's quite a shame." Oden didn't overthink it.
He simply said, "Then how about this—once I open Wano Country's borders, everyone can come visit together."
Then he looked around, and seeing that his wife wasn't nearby, he lowered his voice.
"When that time comes, I'll treat you all to the finest p
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leasure quarter."
"What's a pleasure quarter?" Shanks squeezed out from between the crowd, clutching a bowl of porridge.
"That's a trial that'll turn you into a man! Shanks, you absolutely have to experience it properly when the time comes."