The Roger Pirates weren't a large crew, and their supply needs weren't great. One day was enough to finish restocking.
By the battered dock, the Roger Pirates were now saying their farewells to Shiki's group.
"Even though we got along pretty well yesterday, next time we meet, we'll be enemies again. And when that happens, I won't hold back, Shiki," Roger said, looking at him.
"Jihahahaha!" Shiki laughed wildly and arrogantly. "You're damn right. We got along this time, but next time, I'll cut your head off, Roger!"
Roger didn't bother trading more words on that topic. He waved his hand and boarded the ship.
Soon, the Oro Jackson raised its sails and departed the island.
After watching them leave, Shiki turned to Silver Axe. "Let's head to Water 7 on the Grand Line first. Build ourselves a proper warship, recruit some new blood, and then go back to the New World to stir things up, huh, Kyo?"
Shiki didn't mention anything about forming an alliance, and Silver Axe didn't bring up who would be in charge.
It was as if, in that moment, they had already come to an understanding.
Silver Axe nodded. "I've been itching to get back to the New World and cause chaos. Riding your ship will definitely be faster."
Seeing this, Babel said nothing more about splitting the loot and parting ways.
And so, the three of them formed a team. Once their preparations were complete, they would return to the New World to stir up a storm.
...
A few days later—
Somewhere in the West Blue.
On board the Roger Pirates' ship—
Valthior was coating his fists in Armament Haki, repeatedly smashing them into a square iron block on the deck.
The once-smooth surface of the iron block was now dented and uneven, covered in fist marks.
With every punch Valthior threw, his Armament Haki improved ever so slightly, becoming heavier and more condensed around his fists.
Since he was training, he wasn't wearing much—just a gray-black pair of pants and a plain black tank top.
Yet this simple outfit perfectly showed off his physique.
He fully embodied the phrase "slim in clothes, muscular without"—his muscles were well-defined but not bulky. Every punch drove coordinated muscle movement, rhythmic and precise, almost pleasing to watch.
Sweat soaked through his tank top, radiating a strong aura of raw vitality.
Unfortunately, there was only one woman on the Roger Pirates' ship—Shakky—and her eyes were entirely on Rayleigh.
As Valthior trained on deck, Roger pushed open the cabin door and walked out from the egg-shaped structure.
Yawning, he listened to the repeated banging sounds and said, clearly used to it, "You're up first again, Valthior. Hammering iron this early in the morning—so damn noisy!"
Valthior slowed his punches slightly and replied with a grin, "Once I hammer this refined iron into a flat plate with my fists, I'll give it to you. You can wear it as an iron hat, and then follow me back to Mary Geoise. I'll make you an Iron-Crowned King…"
At this time, Roger didn't always wear his straw hat, though he still took it out now and then.
"I'm not wearing some iron hat. That'd look ridiculous," Roger shot back.
"Then Straw Hat King works too," Valthior replied casually.
Just then, Gaban walked up from behind and shoved Roger aside from the cabin entrance. "Move. Don't block the way. I need to calculate our course."
Originally, the Roger Pirates had come to the West Blue just to rescue Shakky.
But Valthior's arrival had gradually brought clarity to what had once been a directionless adventure.
Before he joined, they had no idea how to find the Final Island.
Now, they knew they needed to search for Poneglyphs, accelerating their progress significantly.
As for whether there were any Poneglyphs in the West Blue, Valthior wasn't entirely sure. There might have been one on Ohara Island—but he had already obtained a rubbing of it back when he captured Professor Clover for the second time.
That rubbing was now stored in the Roger Pirates' library.
So now, they were heading toward an ancient ruin in the West Blue—Vesfura Island—hoping to find clues related to Poneglyphs.
While Gaban was calculating whether their course had deviated, a News Coo flew in from the distance.
Roger flipped a coin into the air with his thumb, the reflected sunlight flashing into the bird's eyes, drawing it closer.
Then Roger tossed the coin upward. The News Coo caught it in its beak and dropped several newspapers in return.
Catching them, Roger casually opened one, glanced at it, and said in surprise, "Huh? That brat Kaido from Rocks' crew got captured by Zephyr in the New World…"
"Oh?" Valthior asked curiously. "Is the source reliable?"
"There are photos—take a look." Roger tossed the paper to Valthior and reached for another.
Valthior opened it and saw that it was indeed set on a New World island. Two warships were slowly sinking offshore, while Marines rushed around the shoreline conducting emergency rescue efforts.
At the center, a tall, powerfully built man wearing a Marine justice coat sat on a broken reef.
Not far in front of him, Kaido lay sprawled on the beach, looking half-dead.
"Have you guys ever fought this Vice Admiral Zephyr?" Valthior asked casually.
But before anyone could answer, Roger suddenly exploded in anger.
"What the hell is this damn World Economy News!? Since when did I team up with Shiki!?"
Clearly, while most newspapers were reporting Kaido's capture, Morgans' paper had gone the opposite direction—claiming Roger and Shiki had formed an alliance!
With the tavern and street photos included, it looked incredibly convincing.
"Huh?" Valthior took the paper from Roger and grinned. "Hey, they made me look pretty handsome here. Hahahaha!"
...
Meanwhile—
Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Inside Pangaea Castle, in Saint Saturn's private office—
Fleet Admiral Kong stood before Saturn's tea table, his expression somewhat helpless—and a bit awkward.
"After the God Valley incident, the Marines were preparing to issue new bounties for the Roger Pirates and the remnants of the Rocks Pirates, but nothing has been finalized yet. Now this newspaper has listed Saint Valthior as a new member of the Roger Pirates… so we're unable to make a decision. We need your instruction on how to proceed," Kong said.
Saturn looked at the photo in the paper, feeling a bit strange.
He had long known Valthior had joined the Roger Pirates, but he hadn't expected to see him mingling with Roger and the others so soon.
Especially with Photo King's angle—he had made Valthior, who was actually still a minor player, look like a big shot casually drinking and chatting at the same table as Shiki and the others.
It left Saturn feeling complicated.
"Have we confirmed whether Roger and Shiki truly formed an alliance?" Saturn asked quietly.
"No," Kong replied immediately. "Headquarters investigated right away. We can confirm that Shiki's group and the Roger Pirates parted ways on Stania Island a few days ago and did not deepen their relationship. Intelligence believes the newspaper report is entirely false. Based on their past behavior, the likelihood of them forming an alliance is very low."
Hearing this, Saturn let out a quiet breath of relief. "Good. If they had truly joined forces, it would be no different from the emergence of a new 'Rocks Pirates.'"
He tossed the newspaper onto the table and continued, "As for Valthior, register him under the name 'Jaygar Valthior.' I don't care whether the Marines issue a bounty for him later, but if he continues down the path of piracy, it's only a matter of time. I have just one requirement—mark it clearly: 'ONLY ALIVE.'"
Kong silently repeated the name "Jaygar" in his mind, then nodded. "Understood. I will follow your orders, Saint Saturn."
He understood clearly—
Saturn had no intention of excessively interfering in Valthior's actions, nor of overly protecting him.
But he had drawn a very clear line for the Marines:
Don't kill him.