The six uncrowned kings of the underworld who would shake the world twenty years later had not gathered here.
In fact, several of them hadn't even made their fortunes yet.
Even the famous Morgans had only been invited because he had reported on the exploits of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
By now, no one questioned Roger's title of Pirate King. After all, even the Golden Lion had lost to him.
No one had ever seen the real Laugh Tale, and no one had actually laid eyes on the legendary One Piece.
But considering the sheer power of the Roger Pirates, people were more than willing to believe that this Pirate King truly possessed a treasure vast enough to buy the world.
Compared to that, Captain John's treasure that had stirred up the seas a few years earlier was nothing.
And so, Morgans had become almost the most dazzling figure at this party, second only to the host Charlotte Linlin herself.
Many assumed that since the World Economic Journal had reported on this story, they must be sitting on undisclosed information.
Everyone knew Morgans had a master photographer working under him — that fellow once known as the Flame Photographer, capable of capturing any shot no matter the circumstances.
As the tea party's atmosphere grew increasingly lively, Stussy subtly steered the conversation toward Laugh Tale and the One Piece.
She played the part of a curious onlooker perfectly, raising no suspicions whatsoever.
But Ren knew that this woman was actually a CP0 agent under the direct command of the Celestial Dragons.
Stussy had hidden her identity flawlessly. Even Charlotte Linlin, who had known her for years, had no idea her old friend was a World Government operative.
What Ren was more curious about, though, was Stussy's age and her skincare routine.
Time was ruthless in the pirate world — Big Mom was living proof of that.
Someone like Shakuyaku could already be considered to have dodged time's blade. But Stussy? This woman hadn't changed her appearance at all, even twenty-nine years later.
Such trivial matters, however, were hardly the focus of a tea party.
After Stussy "casually" brought up the One Piece, even Big Mom and Kaido were completely hooked.
Their eyes locked onto Morgans with predatory intensity.
For the great pirates who roamed the seas, it was all about face and reputation.
They had all been equals before. If it came down to a fight, Big Mom wasn't necessarily afraid of Roger.
But now someone else had become the first and only Pirate King in history, trampling every other pirate underfoot.
It wasn't that no one had tried to claim that title by force — but even Shiki had failed.
The other pirates didn't stand a chance.
Under these circumstances, becoming the second person to find the One Piece seemed like a viable alternative.
Whether for fame or fortune, no pirate could easily walk away from that.
Forced into the spotlight, Morgans was drenched in sweat. He looked like he'd been fished out of the ocean — every feather on his body was soaked.
The old rooster cursed Stussy under his breath, then stammered out his reply.
"Well, I... I don't actually know the location of the Final Island..."
He was telling the truth. He wasn't a member of the Roger Pirates — how could he possibly know something like that?
"In that case, how can you be sure that Gol D. Roger and his crew actually found this Laugh Tale place?" Stussy pressed on.
"Morgans, if you have any intelligence, why not share it? Or do you think Linlin isn't worthy of becoming the second Pirate King?"
Stussy put on a show of championing Charlotte Linlin's cause. In reality, she was simply gathering intelligence for the World Government.
Regarding Laugh Tale, the World Government and the Five Elders took the matter extremely seriously.
It wasn't just about the wealth — more importantly, that island could very well be connected to the Great Kingdom.
"Mamamama, that's right! Morgans, spill everything you know!" Charlotte Linlin gripped her teacup with her massive hand, a hint of threat creeping into her tone.
But she still secretly observed Ren and Kaido with her heavy-made-up eyes.
Out of everyone present, only these two had any chance of competing with her for the title of Pirate King.
She noticed that Ren seemed completely uninterested. Kaido, however, looked visibly unsettled.
This annoyed Big Mom. The timing of the tea party was off — she shouldn't have pressured Morgans like this.
Fortunately, Morgans genuinely had no valuable intelligence.
"I really don't know!"
He explained the situation in detail. In truth, a news bird had simply been near the Roger Pirates by chance and followed them to Laugh Tale. But the island had quickly vanished again.
Even with a news bird's sense of direction, it couldn't find the island's location a second time.
As for what the treasure on the island actually was, Morgans had no idea either.
He could communicate with news birds using his Devil Fruit ability, but with a bird's brain capacity, he couldn't expect much useful information.
Having obtained no intelligence, Kaido was clearly disappointed. Stussy, on the other hand, felt relieved.
She didn't need to know what Laugh Tale's secret was anyway.
She only needed to confirm that the World Economic Journal hadn't obtained any information they shouldn't have.
The World Government was still aggressively hunting down the remnants of the Roger Pirates.
Once all of them were dead, there would be no need to worry about the Great Kingdom's secret leaking.
"But still — I never expected that the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, would choose to retire after achieving something so incredible."
"Is that rumor true? Has the Roger Pirates really disbanded?" someone asked.
Morgans nodded. He could at least confirm that much.
"The members of the Roger Pirates have all disappeared by now. The world is vast — if they truly want to hide, finding them would be nearly impossible."
And now, Roger — who already knew he was terminally ill — had ultimately settled in the West Blue.
The youngest member of the crew, Shanks, was still following him.
Unlike the original story, Shanks was only ten years old now. It was impossible to just send him out to brave the seas alone.
Roger figured he still had a few years left to live, so he might as well keep the boy around.
He could use this time to teach Shanks properly.
Before leaving the New World, he had gone to share a drink with Whitebeard.
The next time they met would likely be their final farewell.
"Come on, Shanks. Let's see how long you can last today."
Roger drew his beloved sword Ace and threw open his coat with a bold grin.
Further away, a woman with cherry blossom-colored hair watched the two of them — one big, one small — with a serene gaze.
[
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