“Hah? What kind of nonsense is a porcupine who died over ten years ago spouting?!”
“I’m saying, you idiot gorilla, you’re the one who doesn’t belong here! You should’ve been paired up with that idiot Garp!”
“Who are you calling an idiot gorilla?!”
“Whoever answers is who I’m talking about! Isn’t that obvious?!”
The two heads collided, and they glared at each other, neither willing to back down.
If this had been more than ten years ago, before Shakuyaku’s succubus halo had spread to Fullalead Island, they would have started fighting almost immediately upon meeting.
But now, Roger believed he was dead.
As for Rocks, after all these years, a familiar face had finally arrived. While it wasn’t exactly a good thing, as an “experienced senior,” he finally had someone to show off his qualifications to.
The God Valley Incident had eased some of the grudges between them, and in the end, they merely argued.
“Is the underworld really that short on people?! I remember old folks in town talking about ferrymen of the dead. Can a b*stard like you actually do that kind of job?”
“Which idiot told you this is the underworld?! Do you think dying automatically sends you there?!”
“If dead people don’t go to the underworld, where else would they go?!”
Hearing that, Rocks suddenly froze. He abruptly realized there was no point arguing with Roger.
At their core, powerful people like them all shared the same trait. Once they had made up their minds about something, they wouldn’t change because of someone else’s opinion.
Even if the endeavor ultimately failed, they wouldn’t think the idea itself had been wrong from the beginning. They would only believe that something had gone wrong in its execution.
Trying to speak in riddles to Roger would only result in getting mocked by him.
“Looks like I’ve been here too long…”
Within the River of Death, time was a meaningless concept. Time did not truly exist in this place.
The souls living here could only perceive the outside world through the permissions granted to them by Nereus.
Rocks would occasionally go out and act as Nereus’s black glove. Sometimes, when permitted, he would observe changes in the outside world through Nereus’s shadow. The rest of the time, he spent “seeking enlightenment.” [TN: It refers to a person, organization, or company acting on behalf of a hidden, powerful figure or entity to carry out dirty work, illicit transactions, or shield the real mastermind from legal and public scrutiny.]
Roger’s arrival gave Rocks the feeling of someone who had been lonely for far too long and had suddenly run into an old acquaintance, making him unusually talkative.
“Nereus! Where are you?! That b*stard Roger is already here! Aren’t you going to show yourself?!”
Rocks suddenly looked around and shouted toward the sky.
That single shout made Roger, who had just been arguing with him, freeze.
“Nereus? What does this have to do with him?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. Assuming the man himself actually shows up.”
Seeing Roger finally encounter something he didn’t understand, Rocks wore a smug expression. But he had no intention of explaining anything.
Watching Roger remain completely clueless about this place was entertaining in its own way.
But that state of affairs didn’t last long. Before long, Nereus’s figure manifested within the space of the River of Death.
“Ordinarily, the dead should indeed enter the underworld. But unfortunately for you, I intercepted you first. This place is a space created by my Devil Fruit ability, a temporary residence for souls.”
“Isn’t your ability Vampire? A Mythical Zoan Bat-Bat Fruit… It can do something like this too? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“There’s a lot you haven’t heard of. For example, did you know that the Paramecia-type Gum-Gum Fruit is actually the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Nika?”
Nereus casually waved his arm, and several chairs formed out of thin air, as if he intended to sit down and have a proper conversation.
“Wait! You’ve been to Laugh Tale? No… what exactly is going on here?!”
Nereus’s words weren’t complicated, but the amount of information packed into them was immense. The last time Roger had received such an overwhelming flood of information was when he arrived at Laugh Tale.
At this moment, Roger was thoroughly confused and had no interest in sitting down. He was eager to get answers from Nereus.
“Vohahahahahaha! Roger, that expression of yours is much more pleasing to the eye!”
Rocks burst out laughing. This was exactly what he had been waiting for.
“I’ve never actually been to Laugh Tale. As for those things, I have my own sources. What, was there information about Nika on Laugh Tale too?”
“Something like that… Though that island is more like a giant time capsule. Landing there only has meaning if it’s done at the right time…”
Once the initial round of cryptic remarks ended, Nereus stopped joking around and explained the true nature of the River of Death to Roger.
“What is your objective?”
“What else could it be? To increase my military strength. Those Knights of God chased you for so long, don’t tell me you still don’t understand what they really are.”
“Their immortality. But Conqueror’s Haki can suppress their regeneration. If you coat attacks with sufficiently powerful Conqueror’s Haki and kill them enough times, their regeneration and resurrection become slower and slower.
But before reaching their limit, those b*stards always retreat. I don’t know where the limit lies or how many times they can truly be killed.”
Because of Shanks, Roger’s crew had fought the pursuing Knights of God for a long time. It could be said that aside from the Celestial Dragons themselves, Roger’s crew understood those people better than anyone.
“Only a handful of people can skillfully use Conqueror’s Haki Infusion. And among them, there are plenty whose abilities are troublesome.
Their immortality makes them difficult to deal with. So I need a Death Legion of my own to deal with their undying bodies.
Perhaps I should issue you a certificate to congratulate you on your successful selection?
Didn’t you ask me what reward I wanted for the Road Poneglyph?
This is what I wanted.
Once everything is over, I won’t continue restricting your souls. But until then, I’ll have to trouble you for a while.”
Within the River of Death, Nereus possessed absolute control. However, a soul that willingly chose to fight could display far more power than an unconscious puppet.
Whenever possible, Nereus preferred to sit down and talk things out with these people.
“It seems I now have plenty of time to wait for that day.”
Roger suddenly recalled the days before the Roger Pirates disbanded. Back then, his terminal illness was no secret aboard the ship. Even Rayleigh, his first mate, had been deeply saddened by it.
People die, but their will lives on.
Roger believed that what he wanted to pass on would eventually be inherited.
And while comforting his companions, he had once said this to Rayleigh:
“My friend, I won’t die.”
Looking back now, those words of comfort seemed almost like a prophecy.
Roger knew that vampires could steal lifespans.
As long as Nereus remained alive, the world of the River of Death would not collapse. Which meant that he, within this place… had truly become an “immortal” being.
“You never said this was what you wanted back then…”
“This is interest.”
“Hey, hey, hey! Back then I told you to name your price. You’re the one who refused to say what you wanted!”
“Everyone has their own goals, don’t they? Just like your choice. That declaration about the ONE PIECE—what was it really for?”
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