Somewhere in the West Blue.
The Roger Pirates' ship drifted aimlessly across the sea.
Two days had already passed since the battle at God Valley.
At this moment, Valthior sat on the ship's railing, holding a newspaper in his hand as he read. Not far away on the deck, piles of gold and treasure were stacked together along with several chests.
Everyone aboard Roger's ship was waiting for the captain to wake up before opening the chests—that was their rule—so no one approached them.
But Valthior had already used his Observation Haki to check. Inside one of the chests among the pile of treasure, there really was a baby.
And for two whole days, the little guy still looked like he hadn't woken up properly. It was ridiculous. Shouldn't he have been crying from hunger by now? Did he really hit his head that hard?
Still, Valthior didn't meddle further and turned his attention back to the newspaper.
"Oho. After going through all that trouble to defeat the overlord of the era—Rocks—you didn't get any fame at all, huh? The newspaper doesn't even mention Roger's name. According to this, it was Marine Vice Admiral Garp who ended Rocks' era," Valthior said with a hint of schadenfreude.
Not far away, Gaban leaned against the mast, drinking, and said indifferently, "Fame means nothing to us. Why care about that? We've already got the treasure. Right now, I just want that bastard Roger to wake up so we can count how many Berries we got—and then find a lively place to enjoy the power of money."
"Hahaha, exactly! That damn Roger still isn't up—I can't wait to throw a banquet!" Rayleigh laughed heartily, one arm wrapped around Shakky.
His words immediately drew envy and complaints from the rest of the crew, who began teasing him.
"Damn you, Rayleigh. You just can't wait to celebrate landing the perfect love, can you? Shakky, what do you even see in him?"
"Exactly! I oppose this relationship!"
"Throw him off the ship! We're all proud bachelors here—there's never been a couple on board!"
"You've got your mind on Shakky now—how are you supposed to go on grand adventures with us? Get lost, you bastard!"
"Take my blessings and go be happy at the bottom of the sea!"
It had to be said—the atmosphere on the Roger Pirates' ship was incredibly lively.
Compared to that hellhole of Mary Geoise, it was downright refreshing for Valthior. Listening to their bickering, he folded up the newspaper, a bright smile appearing on his face as he said:
"They're a perfect match—talented man and beautiful woman. Who are you monsters to object? Don't worry, Rayleigh. As a comrade who escaped God Valley with you, I support your marriage!"
"Hahaha, thanks—but I don't recall fighting side by side with you, you bastard!" Rayleigh laughed.
Then he turned smugly to the others and said, "See that? Even a Celestial Dragon supports our marriage! What are you freaks opposing for? This is a union officially recognized by the World Government!"
"Wow, you've become a government lapdog now?"
"Look at him—he's completely fallen! I vote we kick him off the ship!"
"Honestly, letting Valthior join wouldn't be bad. I kind of like him. A 'noble' Celestial Dragon willing to hang out with pirates like us—hahaha!"
"Then kick Rayleigh off and make him vice-captain instead!"
Amid the laughter and chatter, the cabin door suddenly burst open.
Roger, wrapped in bandages but full of energy, strode out and declared loudly:
"Sorry to worry you all—I've already—"
Before he could finish, the crew waved him off.
"Yeah, yeah, nobody cares about that—let's check the treasure already, Captain Roger!"
Roger's face twisted in irritation. "You bastards—did any of you actually worry about me?!"
"Shakky's safe," Rayleigh said with a grin, arm still around her.
"And we got all the treasure!" Gaban and the others pointed at the mountain of loot.
"Oh! Now that's a haul…" Roger's eyes lit up as he looked at the pile.
But in the next moment, he noticed a strange figure.
"Huh? Who's this guy? Do we have someone like him on our ship?"
"Me?" Valthior stood up from the railing and pointed at himself with his thumb. "Allow me to formally introduce myself, Captain Roger. My name is Jaygarcia Valthior—currently the scholar of the Roger Pirates."
"Huh?" Roger froze.
What the hell happened while I was unconscious?
I'm the captain, right? Even if someone joins, shouldn't I be the one to approve it first?
Seeing Roger's dumbfounded look, Rayleigh explained, "Don't listen to his nonsense. From his surname alone, you should recognize it—Jaygarcia, one of the Five Elders. He's a Celestial Dragon from Mary Geoise."
"A Celestial Dragon?" Roger looked even more surprised. "You guys kidnapped a Celestial Dragon from the island? Not bad! A member of a Five Elders' family should fetch quite the ransom, huh?"
"He's not someone we kidnapped," Gaban chimed in. "He chased after Rayleigh and boarded the ship himself, insisting on joining us. You were unconscious, so you didn't know. We've been waiting for you to decide."
"A Celestial Dragon coming to our ship to become a pirate? I must still be dreaming…" Roger pinched his own arm hard, reopening his wound and grimacing in pain. "So it's not a dream?"
"Well? Roger, let me join you. Let's get along," Valthior said, looking at him.
Roger fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "No. We still have something important to do. If we take you along, the World Government will definitely focus on us even more. That won't be good for our goal, so—"
"I can decipher the Ancient Script. I can read the Poneglyphs," Valthior cut him off before he could finish.
In the next instant, Roger's expression changed. He raised his hand and shouted:
"What are you waiting for, you bastards?! Welcome our new crewmate!"
Even though there wasn't much hierarchy among them in daily life—
Roger was still the captain.
With that one sentence, Valthior's position was settled.
From this moment on, he was officially the scholar of the Roger Pirates.
After spending the past two days together, the crew had already gotten along well with him. So as soon as Roger spoke, everyone cheered.
After the excitement died down, the group gathered around the pile of treasure on the deck.
At that moment, as if finally well-rested, the baby inside one of the chests woke up and lightly knocked against the lid.
"Hm? Did you hear something from inside the chest?"
"Feels like something's in there…"
Curious, Roger crouched down to open it, while a nearby crewmate, Doringo, cautioned, "Be careful..."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Roger slowly opened the chest.
Inside, nestled among the jewels, was a tiny baby with a bright smile, reaching out his hands as if asking to be held.
"Huh?! A baby?!" everyone except Valthior exclaimed in shock.
Before the little guy could even cry, Roger slammed the chest shut and turned to the others.
"Who brought this aboard?"
"No idea. We just grabbed whatever treasure we could."
"Does anyone know where this kid came from?"
Gradually, everyone's gaze shifted toward Valthior.
After all, they had gone to God Valley to cause chaos, while Valthior had been there the whole time. If anyone knew the details, it would be him.
Valthior didn't hide anything and said directly:
"As far as I know, the commander of the Holy Knights—Figarland Garling—has a child on God Valley. Red hair, and judging by the age, just a newborn… His name is Shanks."
"Shanks, huh?" Roger opened the chest again and checked the baby's collar.
Sure enough, the name "Shanks" was embroidered there.
"So it's true? Does that mean we really kidnapped a Celestial Dragon?!" Roger said, utterly dumbfounded.