...…
Seeing on the light curtain that in the future he not only suffered from a terminal illness but also personally disbanded the Roger Pirates that he had poured his heart and soul into, the young Roger felt utterly devastated.
That feeling was like receiving the script of his own life in advance, only to discover that the final ending was like this…
It was as if Roger had been invisibly sentenced to a "suspended death." Anyone who heard it would feel an inexplicable irritation and oppression, let alone him right now—at his peak, full of vigor and ambition!
"Laugh Tale…"
Roger repeated the name in a low voice, his eyes suddenly flashing with intense curiosity and the light of an explorer!
The previous depression seemed to be diluted quite a bit by this surge of curiosity: "Where exactly is this place? Hey, guys!"
Roger abruptly turned around, looking at his crew members, his face breaking into that familiar, eager grin: "How about we find some time and go check it out too?! An island that no one has landed on in eight hundred years—it sounds exciting enough!
And that treasure left behind by whatever Joy Boy is— what the hell is it that made the future me laugh like that!"
Completely hooked, Roger's adventurous blood boiled within him. Right now, his mind was filled with nothing but how to find that final island!
To see with his own eyes what this so-called "one hell of a joke" really was.
"Roger, calm down."
Rayleigh watched his captain get worked up again and had no choice but to helplessly pour cold water on him. He pointed at the light curtain and analyzed rationally: "The things mentioned up there—the Poneglyphs, the golden city of Shandora, Fish-Man Island, Zou's giant elephant… these locations and clues—we know absolutely nothing about them right now…
We don't even know where to start looking.
If it weren't for this inexplicable light curtain spoiling things, we wouldn't even know these events would happen in the future.
That path probably won't be that easy to walk."
"Roger! No matter what happens in the future, no matter what illness you get, in my heart, you'll always be the best! The one and only number one!"
Gloriosa saw Roger afflicted with a terminal illness in the light curtain and felt heartbroken. Once again, she tightly hugged Roger.
This time she even buried her face directly into his solid chest, her muffled voice coming through again and again, expressing her burning and resolute love.
"Gloriosa, can you not be so hopeless~"
Stussy nearby saw her start "clinging" again and couldn't help but cross her arms, speaking in her characteristic tone laced with laziness and mockery: "In front of everyone, can you pay a little attention to your image?"
Gloriosa immediately lifted her head from Roger's embrace upon hearing this and shot back without any courtesy: "Are you talking about yourself? Stussy! From earlier, you've been hanging on Newgate like a koala and haven't come down…
How do you have the nerve to lecture me! We're the same, you and I!"
The two women, with completely different styles yet equally outstanding, locked eyes in midair, instantly sparking invisible fireworks…
The air was thick with gunpowder; neither was willing to yield.
"Hey, Roger!"
Golden Lion Shiki floated in midair, stroking his chin. While watching Roger's life flashing before his eyes, one scene had particularly caught his attention.
"Actually, there's one thing I'm really curious about! Looks like you and I had quite a few intersections in the future! That Edd War—at the end, who won?!
The light curtain didn't make it clear, and it's been driving me crazy with curiosity!"
Golden Lion Shiki was still hung up on the outcome of that earth-shaking great battle.
"I have no idea about any of this stuff!"
Roger rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling the information overload: "Don't ask me—these are all future developments. How could the current me possibly know who won?"
He needed time to quietly digest these sudden "spoilers."
In the future, he had become the Pirate King and ushered in a magnificent yet chaotic and bloody "Great Pirate Era"…
At this moment, Roger seemed to vaguely understand why later generations would be so obsessed with the title of "Pirate King," and why the World Government would be so wary of it—even unable to tolerate Ace's life…
The source of it all seemed to point to that declaration he made before his death.
"Hey, Rocks! This thing… can it really see the future?!"
The Giant King Harald, sitting nearby with his massive body still resembling a small mountain even while seated on the ground, looked up at the light curtain emitting its mysterious glow.
Even this king of the giants had never seen anything so miraculous, almost divine, and his voice was filled with shock.
"Of course! When has Rocks ever lied to his own brothers?"
Rocks grinned, walked over to Harald, and patted his thick leg that was like a stone pillar (he couldn't reach any higher).
"I forgot to tell you—earlier in the battle scenes the light curtain showed, I spotted a few giants wearing Marine uniforms.
Harald, it looks like the wish you've always held—to have giant warriors step out of Elbaf in the name of 'justice,' integrate into the world—might actually come true in the future!"
The news Rocks dropped made Harald's enormous body tremble violently…
Those torch-like eyes instantly lit up, staring fixedly at Rocks: "What did you say?! The giants… joined the Marines?! You saw it clearly?!"
"Absolutely true!" Rocks nodded firmly.
"Though it was just a fleeting glimpse, there's no mistake. The ones attacking Whitebeard Newgate, and the ones chasing after Garp's grandson—they were all wearing Marine uniforms!
Using standard Marine weapons and tactics."
Rocks had keenly noticed this detail back when watching the Summit War.
For Harald, this news was undoubtedly a huge stone thrown into the calm lake of his heart.
He had always worked to change the relatively isolated state of the giant race, hoping that powerful giant warriors could gain the respect and status they deserved in the world, rather than being seen merely as "monsters" or "barbarians."
If in the future some of his clansmen truly succeeded in joining the Marines, representing "justice," that would undoubtedly be a massive breakthrough and recognition!
While everyone in God Valley was lost in their own thoughts and discussions due to the information from the light curtain and the revelations from Rocks, the scene on the light curtain changed once again.
It did not continue showing the story after the Roger Pirates' disbandment but instead turned its perspective to the wider world!
It began using a montage technique to rapidly flash through scenes of the world surging with winds and clouds after the Great Pirate Era began:
Countless crude or brand-new pirate ships poured into the Grand Line from the four seas like dumplings being dropped into a pot, their masts flying all kinds of ambitious pirate flags in various designs.
These fragmented yet vibrant images pieced together like a puzzle, outlining the embryonic form of a new era.
Countless threads of fate began to intertwine; those figures who would one day stir up storms were, at this moment, merely sparks scattered in the corners of the world.
Then, the scene froze on the front page of a brand-new, still-inky newspaper. The massive headline was earth-shattering:
[Pirate King Gol D. Roger publicly executed at Loguetown! The Great Pirate Era officially begins!]
Below the headline was a close-up of Roger laughing on the execution platform, along with that final wanted poster that ignited countless dreams and nightmares.
...…