His gaze swept over the crowd. In an inconspicuous corner, a tall man cloaked in a cape stood quietly—Monkey D. Dragon, the King of Sandals.
On the rooftop, Donquixote Doflamingo watched the execution platform with a faint smile.
Little Hawk and Little Crocodile. They were here, too. Not bad, I guess.
Suddenly, the crowd stirred.
"He's here! It's Gol D. Roger!"
Navy soldiers pushed Roger onto the execution platform. Shackled with seastone cuffs, he stood straight, the familiar smile on his lips.
"Is that... the Pirate King?"
"He doesn't look like anything special!"
"Dammit! He caused so much chaos on the seas!"
Insults and jeers rose and fell. Roger calmly scanned the crowd, his gaze finally settling on Rhett.
(Captain...)
Rhett grinned, revealing white teeth: "Boys, get ready—"
He raised his hand, and crimson mist gathered in his palm.
"—Give this world a 'greeting'!"
"Dragon God's Wrath, fire!!!"
Boom—!!!
A scarlet beam erupted from the ship's cannon, tearing through the air and charging toward the execution platform. Buildings from the port to the Loguetown platform were destroyed. Garp shattered the beam, but it still left a deep trench.
Through the destruction, Roger saw Rhett and the Oro Jackson.
"Enemy attack?! It's an enemy attack!!" Navy soldiers shouted in panic.
"What a joke... that ship is..." Sengoku stood beside the platform, his face dark.
Kong immediately ordered: "Proceed with the execution!!!"
He didn't care about Rhett's shot, or whatever it signified. Roger had to die. Now. The whole world was watching.
If they failed this time, the Navy's authority would completely collapse.
Buggy's body trembled, and he almost rushed forward: "No! We can't just—"
Shanks grabbed his shoulder: "Buggy, don't move."
"But—"
"This is the Captain's will!" Shanks growled, his voice filled with suppressed pain.
Buggy froze. He lowered his head and slammed his fist into the rooftop.
As the tension peaked,
Someone finally asked:
"Hey, Pirate King, where did you hide your treasure?"
On the platform, Roger burst into laughter: "You want my treasure?"
Silence.
"If you want it, go find it! I left everything in the world there!"
Rhett stood at the ship's bow, his crimson cloak billowing in the shockwave.
Behind him, Moria and his zombie army, Perona and her negative ghosts, and Laboon with his small top hat all bowed deeply with Rhett.
Roger glanced at Rhett, and for a moment, he seemed to see Rhett transform from a three-year-old child into a towering man. Amusement filled his eyes.
"Swish—!"
The executioner was stunned. As he regained composure, the blade swung down.
Blood dripped.
The world froze.
Then—
"Boom!!!"
A thunderclap exploded in the sky, and rain poured down as if the sea itself was roaring.
The world boiled! Roger's voice spread across the globe through the Den Den Mushi.
"ONE PIECE! It really exists!"
"The Pirate King's treasure!"
"Set sail! I'm going to set sail!"
Frenzied shouts drowned out Loguetown. Countless eyes burned with ambition.
In the rain, Shanks and Buggy stood silently on the rooftop.
Buggy's tears mixed with the rain: "Bastard... that bastard Captain..."
Rhett jumped off the Bluma Jackson and walked toward Roger. Everyone held their breath.
"Rhett! What's he doing!"
The Navy surrounded Rhett. Kong, Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru—the "Three Admirals"—were all present.
The Den Den Mushi connected to the entire world. The Navy couldn't afford any mistakes.
Garp shouted: "Rhett, don't forget your promise."
Roger had told him Rhett wouldn't interfere with the execution.
Rhett glanced at Garp expressionlessly: "I've already fulfilled my promise to the Captain."
Garp fell silent. Rhett hadn't interfered with the execution.
"Gorosei, you'd better watch carefully.
I believe you should recognize me.
I'm Rhett, former crew member of the Roger Pirates. I'm here to take our Captain away. Tell these Navy men to step aside."
Loguetown fell silent.
Navy soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons, sweat dripping down their foreheads.
Sengoku's face darkened, while Garp seemed indifferent. Vice Admiral Tsuru narrowed her eyes.
Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji all took a step forward, their pressure enveloping the area.
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, in the Chamber of Authority in Mary Geoise, the Gorosei's eyes were cold.
"Rhett..." the blond Gorosei spoke slowly, "Are you threatening the World Government?"
Rhett grinned and slammed his Black Tide greatsword into the ground, splashing water: "Not a threat. A trade."
"A trade?" Sengoku frowned.
A promise. That's all it took to get their attention, to make them listen. I could see the wheels turning in their heads, the calculations. Good. Let them stew. Let them wonder what I wanted in return.
The Gorosei fell silent. Finally, the bald old man holding a sword spoke: "Speak."
"I'm taking the Captain away." He pulled out the Black Tide greatsword, its blade glinting coldly in the rain.
The crowd erupted!
Rhett sneered: "You all know it well." He slowly raised his greatsword, pointing it at the sky, "If you disagree..."
Akainu roared: "Outrageous!"
But the Gorosei remained silent.
They knew the fear. Everyone did. Two and a half billion credits on his head, and that was when he was at his most dangerous.
The shadow of Rocks. We saw it. Not again. We won't let another one exist.
That bastard Rhett was laying it all out, wasn't he? God Valley. The Roger Pirates. He was reminding those old geezers in the Gorosei that the World Government owed them a favor. A big one.
From the Den Den Mushi, the Gorosei's voice was cold and authoritative:
"Rhett, aren't you afraid of the World Government's pursuit?"
Rhett grinned. Bribery hadn't worked, as expected. Guess threats were the only card left to play.
Rain dripped down his face.
"It's not that I want to do this. It's that you have to."
Sengoku roared: "Arrogant! Do you think you can walk out of here unscathed?"
Rhett didn't answer. He raised his hand slowly, palm facing the sky—
"You can try.