“Setting sail, huh… That feels like such a distant topic. Before I knew it, decades have already passed.”
For Roger, the words “setting sail” felt incredibly far away. No matter how many times he restarted his journey, it could never bring back the same feeling as his very first voyage.
The companions who had stayed by his side for so many years rarely discussed that topic anymore, but Nereus’ words caused Roger to sink into his memories.
Back then, he had merely been a straw hat boy from Loguetown. Now, he already had dozens of companions, and even the straw hat itself had found someone to inherit it.
“When I first went out to sea, I wanted to turn the whole world upside down. Not long after that, I met Rayleigh.
At the time, Rayleigh’s home had burned down. He’d stolen a small boat and had been living on it ever since.
The moment I first saw him, I felt he was the companion destined for me. Then we set sail together on that little boat…
By the way, don’t tell me a palace this huge doesn’t even have any alcohol? We may not be close friends, but we’re old acquaintances at least. Are you really going to make me talk dry like this?”
As he spoke, Roger’s craving for alcohol seemed to kick in, and he directly asked Nereus for a drink.
“Give him some.”
Nereus waved toward the side, and before long, Hermes returned carrying several different bottles of liquor.
Nereus himself did not understand alcohol very well. These had all been gifts from passing merchants, extra gifts in addition to their customs taxes.
According to one merchant, giving gifts might not necessarily make you memorable, but if you were remembered for not giving gifts, then you were finished.
Compared to an entire ship’s cargo, these things weren’t even a drop in the bucket. Only after properly smoothing things over here would they feel safe traveling through these waters.
“Oh, this bottle will do. The liquor from East Blue isn’t very strong, but it still tastes like home… Thanks. Crocus has been getting stricter and stricter with me lately. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to drink like this.”
Roger gulped down half a bottle in one go, then let out a satisfied sigh.
“If he weren’t keeping an eye on you, you probably wouldn’t even make it through this year.”
“Maybe. But since I’m already at the end of my time, at least let me be comfortable… A long time ago, I reached Lodestar Island. After realizing there was something wrong there, I started searching for the final island.
But not long after that, the God Valley Incident happened…
That mysterious monster from the World Government… Even a guy like Rocks got infected by it. [TN: The word author used here could have different meanings: tricked, infected, taken down. I don’t know what author wanted to use here.]
Honestly, I hate those World Government b*stards. Quite a few of my crewmates were forced to go out to sea because of them.
But an ability that even a monster like Rocks couldn’t avoid… opposing them won’t be easy.
I heard from Oden that you can also read the ancient script?”
At first he had only been talking about setting sail, but as he continued, Roger ended up recounting nearly his entire voyage history, almost as though he were chatting with an old friend.
Roger only appeared relaxed on the surface. Despite looking slightly tipsy, his body’s condition remained quite good.
His illness affected his endurance. While he could no longer fight nonstop endurance battles lasting days and nights, bursting out with full power for a short period was still no problem.
“Is that important?”
“Not really. I just wanted to say that during the time I sailed with Oden, I was constantly searching for the Road Poneglyphs. Along the way, we also encountered some ordinary Poneglyphs.
The history recorded on them is the truth hidden by the World Government. Although they only reveal fragments, many things happened during that void century.
At the same time, they left me with many questions.
And on that final island, perhaps I’ll find the answers I seek.
It’s not just a dream. Those are also the reasons I must complete this voyage.”
“After talking this much… what was your reason for setting sail back then?”
“Change. I hated what Fishman Island was like at the time. Rather than drifting along with the current, I wanted to prune it into the shape I desired.”
“And what if the pruning doesn’t turn out right?”
“Do you even need to ask? Then I’ll pull it out by the roots and plant a new one.”
“Wahahaha, that sounds like a tyrant.”
“If kindness could bring peace, Fishman Island would not have centuries of dark history. Only a hardline militant faction can change all of this.”
After a brief silence, Roger opened another bottle and spoke a new word.
“Poseidon.”
“Oh? Let me think… the Poneglyph from Sky Island?”
“So you knew as well. Then are you waiting for Poseidon’s awakening?”
“That’s not something you need to concern yourself with. Take what you came for and complete your final voyage.”
Looking at the rubbing of the Poneglyph that Nereus tossed over, Roger suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as though he had been targeted by some ferocious beast.
“You’re just… giving it to me this directly?”
Originally, Roger had believed obtaining a copy of this Poneglyph would require paying an enormous price. The whole thing had gone far too smoothly.
“Aren’t you a pirate? What’s wrong with getting something for free?”
“When I think I should pay, I’ll still pay.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. When it’s time to collect payment, I’ll come to you myself. Nobody escapes owing me.”
“Hey, hey, hey! Haven’t I been saying this whole time that I’m willing to pay?! You’re the one refusing to say what you want right now!”
Touching the ink traces on the text in his hand, Roger realized this clearly wasn’t freshly copied. It had been prepared long ago.
Nereus had known he would come and had already prepared all of this beforehand. That was the feeling Roger had at this moment.
He felt as though Nereus was playing an enormous game of chess, and he himself had willingly stepped onto the board, becoming one of the pieces in Nereus’ hands.
Roger wanted to pay for the item outright in full, but as the seller, Nereus had instead shoved an installment contract into his hands without even specifying what payment would eventually be collected. The feeling was far from pleasant.
“You can choose not to take it. As for the rest, we’ll discuss it the next time we meet.”
Looking at the Poneglyph rubbing in his hand, Roger still did not hand it back.
Even with Crocus’ medical skills, Roger did not have much time left.
There was no written contract whatsoever, but Roger clearly understood that he had seemingly signed an unknown IOU with an unlimited value.
When Roger returned to the ship, the first thing he did was call Oden back, after which the translation work immediately began.
The moment the translation was completed, everyone aboard moved into action at full speed. Based on Oden’s translation, Gaban began creating a new navigation chart. Crocus monitored Roger’s physical condition.
Rayleigh reapplied the coating to the ship. The shipwright Blumarine began inspecting the ship. Even the ordinary crew members were cleaning the deck and checking the sails.
At this moment, everyone’s goal had become completely unified. Everything was for the sake of Roger successfully completing this final voyage…
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