An unknown island. Gol D. Roger wore a drunken expression, having completely begun indulging himself. Having accomplished his ultimate goal, he suddenly felt as though there was nothing left for him to do.
“D! My name is D!”
Roger drunkenly emphasized his name, seemingly mixed with mockery toward the World Government, finding their attempt to conceal his name utterly pointless.
However, Roger understood very clearly that such things were meaningless. Something like this could never truly be hidden.
“What a shame. We arrived too early. I no longer have the chance to see those things. Newgate, don’t you really want to know how to get there? I can tell you the route.”
“Gurararara, not interested. I’ve already obtained what I wanted. More importantly, Roger, where did my little brother go?”
“Oden, huh… I got off the ship relatively early. Oden should’ve already returned to Wano Country by now. He said Izou had already integrated into your crew, so there was no need to bring him back.”
Originally, the agreement had been to lend Oden to the Roger Pirates for one year, after which Oden would return to the Whitebeard Pirates.
However, after landing on Laugh Tale, Oden changed his mind and directly returned to Wano Country.
“Oden…”
“That was his own choice. But Newgate, if you don’t want to learn from me how to get there, then that guy probably won’t tell you how to reach it either.”
“Hm? Your companion? Or are you saying someone else has been to Laugh Tale too? Don’t tell me it was Morgans’ reporters, gurararara…”
Whitebeard himself treated it like some kind of terrible joke, after all, the newspapers had already published photos of Roger and his crew returning to Lodestar Island.
“No, that route is very special. Without obtaining that method, even if you followed behind, you’d still get lost. But if you’re not interested, I won’t say more.
“My time is already running short. Farewell, Newgate… if we still have another chance.”
At this point, the Roger Pirates were already in a half-disbanded state. That was Roger’s final captain’s order.
If the road to Laugh Tale had been the Roger Pirates’ final voyage, then the remaining stretch of the journey was the final voyage for everyone else.
Roger’s departure and Oden’s return to Wano Country were merely the beginning, not the end. Every time the Oro Jackson sailed another stretch of sea, several more crew members would leave the ship.
Some returned to their homelands, while others reached new countries and chose to live in seclusion. Each of them had made their own choice.
The voyage of the Oro Jackson did not stop. It once again passed through the islands they had previously visited, and when they passed by Fish-Man Island, Brook boarded the Oro Jackson together with Crocus.
Fish-Man Island did send out ships abroad, and over such a long period, Brook had more or less traveled throughout the New World in scattered journeys. Aside from Laugh Tale, he could be considered someone who had circled the Grand Line.
Crocus had specifically made this trip for Laboon’s sake. Laboon was undoubtedly full of anticipation, so it was best not to disappoint it.
Beyond the Grand Line, the Four Seas also lay along the Oro Jackson’s route. Delivering all the crew members back home had already become the ship’s final mission.
Likewise, the people paying attention to Roger were not limited to the Grand Line. Plenty of people in the Four Seas had also learned of that name.
Because Loguetown in the East Blue was Roger’s hometown, quite a few people had even begun boasting about all sorts of interactions they supposedly once had with Roger.
Far away in the North Blue, another group of people was discussing something similar.
On a medium-sized Marine warship, the seagull flag had already been erased, replaced by a moon-emblazoned banner instead.
They were called the “Don’t Know What It’s Called” Pirates, and the people aboard were Luna’s group, who had once departed from Delta Island.
The group that had continuously trained themselves on the open seas truly had exploration as their goal, but because of a Poneglyph, they came into conflict with the Marines and were ultimately labeled as pirates, complete with bounties.
Back then, they had not intended to sail under Nereus’ banner, since that would make training meaningless. Everyone also had different opinions regarding what the organization should be called, so the matter had remained unresolved.
When the geniuses in the Marines’ news department were taking photographs, they heard these people say “don’t know what it’s called,” and by the time it reached Marine headquarters, the phrase had simply been treated as the pirate crew’s name.
And the topic currently being discussed aboard the ship was also about what kind of impact Roger becoming Pirate King would have on Fish-Man Island, as well as why the World Government wanted to alter Roger’s name.
As they chatted, the conversation eventually drifted toward the Void Century.
“Who knows what exactly happened during those hundred years? Kuma, do you know?”
Back when they first set out, Kuma and Ginny had also boarded this exploration ship, and the ship even carried the eavesdropping equipment Ginny needed.
Because the World Government had spared no effort in suppressing the Void Century, the events of that era had become an enormous blank throughout the entire world.
Aside from scholars specifically researching history, only a few long-lived races or rulers of isolated nations with long histories had some slight understanding of that period.
Wano Country, Lunarians, and Elbaf could all tell a few things about the past.
Because Giants could live up to three hundred years, combined with their powerful national strength, they also possessed far more enduring traditions.
The reason Luna asked Kuma this question was because they now knew that this companion of theirs was a member of the Buccaneer race.
Given the composition of the crew aboard this ship, that was actually quite normal.
The Buccaneers were a mixed race descended from Giants, so perhaps some things had been passed down among them as well.
“I don’t know either. I’ve never heard anyone talk about it. But I once heard my father mention that in the past there was a hero named Nika.
“He would dance the Dance of Liberation like this, bringing laughter to everyone…”
As he spoke, Kuma imitated the movements of the legendary silhouette of Nika, performing a somewhat comical dance step.
“Oh right, remember not to mention that name to outsiders. It’ll bring trouble.”
After several years of sailing together, Kuma believed the people aboard the ship were trustworthy, which was why he spoke to them about these things.
No matter what attitude the outside world held, Roger and his crew maintained a state of complete disappearance. Ever since Roger became Pirate King, no similar reports about Roger had appeared on the seas again.
However, this period did not last very long. Some time later, Barbell went on vacation, while Nanamo took over his position.
But not long after she assumed the post, she saw two “old acquaintances” at the office.
“Well now, isn’t this the mighty ‘Dark King’ and the ‘World’s Most Beautiful Woman’? What are you two doing here? Honeymoon trip?”
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