Chapter 207: The Disbandment of the Roger Pirates
On an unknown island, Gol D. Roger wore a look of drunken haze. He had completely let himself loose. Having achieved his ultimate goal, he suddenly felt a profound sense of having nothing left to do.
"D! My name has a D!"
Roger drunkenly emphasized his name, his tone laced with a hint of mockery toward the World Government. He found their desperate attempts to cover up his name utterly ridiculous and boring.
However, Roger knew perfectly well that such actions were completely meaningless. A thing like this couldn't be covered up.
"It's a pity we arrived too early. I won't have the chance to see those things anymore. Newgate, do you really not want to know how to get there? I can tell you the route."
"Gurararara! Not interested. I already have what I want. More importantly, Roger, where is my little brother?"
"Oden, huh... I got off the ship relatively early, but Oden should have returned to Wano Country by now. He said Izo had already assimilated into your crew, so there was no need to bring him back."
The original agreement was to borrow Oden for a year, after which he would return to the Whitebeard Pirates.
However, after landing on Laugh Tale, Oden changed his mind and directly returned to Wano Country.
"Oden..."
"It was his own choice. But Newgate, if you don't want to learn how to get there from me, I'm afraid that other guy definitely won't tell you."
"Hm? Your crewmate? Or are you saying someone else has been to Laugh Tale? It can't possibly be Morgans's reporters, right? Gurararara..."
Whitebeard told a terrible joke. After all, the newspapers had already published photos of Roger's crew returning to Lodestar Island.
"No, that route is extremely special. If you don't know the exact method, you'll get lost even if you try to follow it. But since you aren't interested, I won't say any more.
"My time is running out. Goodbye, Newgate... if there's still a chance."
By this time, the Roger Pirates were already in a state of semi-disbandment. That was Roger's final captain's order.
If the path to Laugh Tale was the Roger Pirates' final voyage, then this remaining stretch was the final voyage for the rest of the crew.
Roger's departure and Oden's return to Wano were only the beginning, not the end. For every distance the Oro Jackson sailed, the number of crew members on board decreased by a few.
Whether it was returning to their homelands or finding a new country to live in seclusion, these people all made their own choices.
The Oro Jackson's voyage did not stop. It retraced the islands they had once visited. When passing by Fish-man Island, Brook followed Crocus onto the ship.
It wasn't that Fish-man Island didn't have ships venturing out. Over this long period, Brook had practically traveled all across the New World in fragments. Aside from Laugh Tale, he was also someone who had essentially circumnavigated the Grand Line.
Crocus had made this trip specifically for Laboon. Laboon's heart must be filled with endless anticipation; it was best not to let him down.
Besides the Grand Line, the Four Blues were also on the Oro Jackson's path. Safely delivering every crew member home had become the ship's ultimate mission.
Similarly, the people paying attention to Roger weren't confined to the Grand Line; many in the Four Blues also recognized his legendary name.
In Loguetown of the East Blue, because it was Roger's hometown, quite a few people even began bragging about having various connections and past encounters with him.
Meanwhile, far away on the North Blue, a group of people was discussing something similar.
On a medium-sized Marine warship, the seagull emblem had been scraped off, replaced by a flag bearing the symbol of a moon.
They were known as the "Don't Know What to Call It" Pirates. The crew consisted of Luna and the group that had departed from Delta Island.
Having tempered themselves in the outer seas, their original goal had indeed been to form an exploration team. However, because of a Poneglyph, they ended up clashing with the Marines. Ultimately, they were branded as pirates and slapped with bounties.
Back then, they hadn't planned on sailing under Nereus's flag, as doing so would defeat the purpose of tempering themselves. They couldn't agree on a name for their organization either, so the decision was constantly shelved.
When the "geniuses" from the Marine's photography department took their pictures and asked for their crew's name, they simply replied, "We don't know what to call it." Thus, when the report reached Marine Headquarters, that exact phrase became their official pirate crew name.
Right now, the topic of discussion on board was the impact Roger becoming the Pirate King would have on Fish-man Island, and why the World Government had altered Roger's name.
As they chatted, the topic naturally drifted to the Blank Century.
"Who knows what exactly happened during those hundred years. Kuma, do you know?"
When they first set out, Kuma and Ginny had also boarded this expedition ship, which even housed Ginny's wiretapping equipment.
Because the World Government spared no effort in suppressing the Blank Century, the events of that era remained a massive void on a global scale.
Aside from the scholars exclusively dedicated to studying history, only a handful of ancient races or the rulers of long-isolated nations had even a fragmented understanding of that past.
Wano Country, the Lunarians, and Elbaf could all recount snippets of the past. The Giant Tribe, possessing lifespans of up to three hundred years and immense national strength, naturally possessed a far longer continuous heritage.
The reason Luna asked Kuma this question was because they now knew their companion was a member of the Buccaneer race.
Given the diverse racial composition of this ship, such a revelation was entirely normal.
Since the Buccaneers were a hybrid race originating from Giants, perhaps they had passed down some legends as well.
"I don't know. I've never heard anyone talk about it. But in the past, my dad told me there used to be a hero named Nika.
"He would dance the Rhythm of Liberation like this, bringing laughter to everyone..."
As he spoke, Kuma mimicked the legendary silhouette of Nika, breaking into a slightly comical dance step.
"Oh, right. Remember not to mention this name to outsiders. It will bring trouble."
Having sailed together for years, Kuma firmly believed everyone on this ship was worthy of his trust, which was why he felt comfortable sharing this with them.
Regardless of the outside world's reaction, Roger and his crew maintained a state of complete disappearance. Ever since Roger became the Pirate King, not a single report regarding him had surfaced on the sea.
However, this period of quiet did not last long. Sometime later, Babel went on vacation, and Nanamo took over his post.
But not long after taking over the Sabaody Archipelago office, she spotted two highly unexpected "acquaintances."
"Well, well. If it isn't the grand 'Dark King' and the 'World's Most Beautiful Woman'. What are you two doing here? On a honeymoon?"
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you