While Marineford dispatched an Admiral to Jaya Island.
Eddie was already heading towards East Blue.
"Is it really Kaido…? Something feels off."
Crocodile, squeezed by the dragon's claw, was still shocked.
Calming down and thinking about it, he felt something was wrong.
He had seen Kaido with his own eyes before!
Firstly, their heights didn't match; one was over three meters, the other over seven meters.
Secondly, the man with the demon mask had no horns on his head, while Kaido had a pair of exaggerated long horns.
Finally, this mysterious Eddie referred to him as the Azure Dragon.
These inconsistencies led him to one conclusion.
It wasn't the same person!
But why did this person possess the power of the Blue Dragon Fruit?
"What exactly is going on?" Crocodile couldn't figure it out.
Eddie could probably guess what was going on in the guy's mind, but he had no interest in explaining.
The two remained silent throughout the journey, arriving in East Blue that same night.
Loguetown.
In recent years, it has also been known as the "Town of Beginnings and Ends," all because of Pirate King Roger.
Gol D. Roger, who set out from here, gathered a group of reliable companions and accomplished an unprecedented feat:
He reached the final island that no one had ever reached before and named it "Laugh Tale."
While being honored by the world as the Pirate King, Roger disbanded his pirate crew, surrendered to the Marine, and was eventually sent back to his hometown, Loguetown, ending his magnificent life.
This is where it began, and where it ended.
As a prosperous port town, it was still bustling even at night.
When an Azure Dragon flew over Loguetown, pedestrians on the streets all looked up.
"What is that…?"
"A dragon! It's a dragon!"
"Such creatures actually exist in this world!?"
Countless people screamed and gasped, and panic spread.
Eddie ignored the people below and, following Crocodile's instructions, headed towards Roger's grave.
The Azure Dragon came quickly and left just as quickly.
The Moonlight was only obscured for a moment; when the Moonlight once again illuminated the earth, the Azure Dragon had already disappeared into the night.
"It… it flew away?" Someone said blankly, "Go inform the Marine… That was definitely not an illusion just now!"
On the other side.
About twenty kilometers outside Loguetown.
The three of them stood before a tombstone, which had no name on it.
"Are you sure this is Roger's grave? It doesn't even have a name, so inconspicuous."
"What would happen if it had a name? He's the Pirate King."
Eddie pondered Crocodile's statement for a moment and found it quite reasonable.
When Garp buried Roger, he certainly didn't want anyone to disturb his peaceful rest.
If the tombstone read "Tomb of Gol D. Roger," it would surely attract a lot of attention.
"Roger lived near here before he set sail," Crocodile explained further.
"Then what are we waiting for? Start digging."
Eddie raised his chin, signaling the other party to act.
What an asshole, I'm seriously injured right now, can't he let his subordinates do the work?
Crocodile grumbled inwardly but dared not defy Eddie.
After digging for half an hour, they finally unearthed a coffin.
Upon opening the coffin, a foul odor immediately permeated the air.
Eddie covered his mouth, took a few steps closer, and looked inside the coffin.
The body inside the coffin had already decomposed; a dirty skeleton lay quietly within.
"No matter how glorious one is in life, in death, it's all the same."
Eddie shook his head.
He was too late; he didn't know if he could still extract the Lineage Factor.
Extracting from blood was the simplest and most time-saving method.
"Azure Dragon, go pick up a finger bone."
The Azure Dragon jumped down, while Crocodile climbed out.
He couldn't help but ask, "You specifically came here just for a bone?"
Eddie glanced at him, chuckling, "You want to know?"
"…"
Crocodile immediately shut his mouth.
"I'm going to resurrect Roger," Eddie suddenly said.
"What?" Crocodile was shaken, "How is that possible! To resurrect someone who died four years ago with a decomposed finger bone?"
What kind of ability could do such a thing?
Crocodile quickly searched his memory for the Devil Fruit abilities he knew.
"The wisdom of mortals."
Eddie smiled faintly, "What kind of power do you think is the strongest in this world?"
Crocodile was silent.
"It's the power of science."
After saying this, Eddie turned and left. The Azure Dragon had retrieved Roger's finger bone and immediately followed suit.
Crocodile stood rooted to the spot.
Others might have scoffed at these words, but he believed them.
After his crushing defeat by Whitebeard, he realized that a single person's strength had its limits.
Thus, he learned of the existence of a certain powerful weapon.
The Ancient Weapon, Pluton!
Rumor had it that it was a battleship, capable of wiping out an island with a single shot!
"Can a single finger bone truly revive the dead?" Crocodile asked, filled with doubt.
As he pondered, he prepared to follow.
A single sentence from Eddie stopped him.
"Ancient Weapons exist. Pluton slumbers somewhere, and this information is your reward for leading the way…"
"Remember to fill the dirt back in."
"Finally, you're no longer useful, no need to follow."
He was discarded like trash.
Crocodile stood still, watching the two mysterious figures disappear into the night.
In the dead of night, he felt a chilling sensation in his hands and feet.
Why did this person know what he was just thinking?
An unknown fear enveloped his heart.
…
Your Research Reputation has increased…
Eddie indeed saw the system prompt.
He deliberately told Crocodile that he was going to revive Roger…
More accurately, he was going to clone a Roger.
The purpose, of course, was for reputation.
Research Reputation: 1% → 11%
"It jumped so much at once; there's only one possibility: he believed it! He really believed it, didn't he?"
Eddie's gaze was strange.
He wasn't even sure himself if he could extract Lineage Factor from bones.
Crocodile had more faith than he did.
"What a good person! First, he contributed a Logia-type Lineage Factor to me, then he brought me to Roger's grave, and before leaving, he even gave me 10% reputation!"
Eddie was very satisfied with the gains from this trip.
"Let's go. We've been busy all day; let's stay here for the night."
The two arrived in Loguetown and found a hotel to stay in.
The next day.
Eddie and his companion were having breakfast at a restaurant.
Many diners around them were discussing the Azure Dragon that appeared last night.
"You saw it too, didn't you?"
"You mean last night's… dragon?"
"Exactly! A dragon flew across the sky, and many people saw it."
"Yes, someone reported the situation to the Marine base, and guess what happened?"
"What happened?"
"When I passed by the port just now, I saw a warship arrive! It's a Marineford Vice Admiral, Hero Garp!"
Hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Eddie's eyes.
He had only arrived last night, and Garp appeared the very next day? When did the Marine become so efficient?
"Finished eating, let's go."
Eddie finished his coffee and got up to walk out of the restaurant.
Kuzo silently left a golden bean on the table.
Leaving the restaurant, they walked down the street.
They immediately saw a group of Marines, led by a jovial man with a large bag of senbei in his left arm, constantly pulling out and eating from it with his right hand.
"Vice Admiral Garp, we have thoroughly questioned last night's eyewitnesses; there was indeed a dragon…" Deputy Officer Bogard quickly reported.
"What dragon? That must be Kaido. He went to Jaya yesterday afternoon and appeared here again last night. What in the world is that bastard trying to do?"
Garp crunched on his senbei, his face full of disdain: "That Kong fellow, always causing trouble for this old man. I'm on vacation, you know."
"Vice Admiral…" Bogard's face was covered in cold sweat, "Is it really appropriate to call the Fleet Admiral 'that fellow'?"
"Hahahahaha, just pretend you didn't hear it."
Garp laughed heartily, his gaze suddenly falling upon the two figures walking by the roadside.
One was tall, wearing a mask and a wide, gray cloak.
The other wore a white lab coat, appearing to be a very refined young man.
These two people…
Garp narrowed his eyes slightly, his action of eating senbei pausing.
The two parties quickly passed each other, seemingly indifferent to one another.
"Wait!"
Walking away from each other, after a few seconds, Garp suddenly stopped.
He slowly turned around and grinned: "Leaving aside the one next to him, young man, your attire is uncommon. Although the photo sent to me was a bit blurry, the white lab coat is the same."
The voice reached Eddie's ears, and at the same time, the many Marines behind them quickly closed in.
"Hey, you two, just a moment…" Deputy Officer Bogard called out.
Eddie stopped, a slight smirk on his lips, and chuckled softly:
"Unlike your boisterous appearance, your mind works quite fast, Mr. Garp."