At the banquet, cups clinked and laughter never stopped.
Roger raised his cup, his face flushed, as he clinked glasses with Laboon. It looked like Laboon wanted to have a serious drinking contest with his juice. Either you get drunk today, or I'll have to go to the bathroom.
Rhett leaned back against a cushion. His blood mist formed chibi little blood dragons that poured juice for the little ones. Aside from Laboon, the recently acquired Perona, and the other little ones, none of them had permission to drink freely. They were still growing their teeth. Oral hygiene was important.
But it was worth mentioning little Perona, the queen of the children. As the big sister, she had to lead by example. Even though she really wanted to drink, seeing Hiyori and Hizumi staring at her, she couldn't keep this "suffering" to herself. Just like Lord Rhett, she had to go first.
But in the midst of all the noise, Oden seemed distracted. He held his cup, his gaze occasionally drifting toward Roger, his brow slightly furrowed.
Rhett noticed his strange behavior. The blood mist silently spread to Oden's side and formed a little hand that poked his cheek.
"Hey, Oden." Rhett spoke lazily. "With that face, it looks like someone stuffed rotten fish in your mouth. What, is Lady Toki's cooking not to your taste?"
Oden snapped out of it and forced a smile. "No, the food is delicious. It's just..." He trailed off, then set down his cup.
Rhett glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Oden, what's with that face? You're the one who started this banquet. Don't ruin the mood."
Oden took a deep breath. He suddenly stood up. He walked over to Roger. Under everyone's confused gaze—
"THUD!"
He dropped to both knees. His forehead pressed against the wooden floor.
"Captain Roger... I have failed you!" Oden's voice was hoarse and heavy. "I brought shame to the Roger Pirates!"
The banquet fell silent instantly. Even Roger's smile faded slightly.
Roger froze. His cup fell to the ground with a clatter. He immediately reached out to help Oden up.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing? Get up!"
But Oden stubbornly stayed on his knees. "I brought shame to the Roger Pirates... I failed your expectations. I failed the trust of my crewmates!"
His fists were clenched. His knuckles were white from the pressure.
"I naively believed the enemy's lies. I danced like a coward. I let Wano fall into crisis... I don't deserve..."
Roger didn't let him finish. He grabbed Oden by the collar and pulled him to his feet. He slapped him on the shoulder.
"Oden, stand up. The children are watching! And what are you talking about? What dance? What nonsense? Come on, let's drink!!"
Oden continued. "...I disgraced the name of the Roger Pirates!"
His voice was almost forced through his teeth. "I... no longer deserve to call myself your crewmate!"
The air froze for a moment.
Roger stared at Oden. Then—
"Kuhahaha!!!" He burst into laughter.
"Oden, you idiot!" Roger grabbed Oden by the collar and forced him to look him in the eye. There was no blame in his gaze. Only burning spirit. "A man of the sea doesn't let the past hold him back!"
Oden was stunned.
Roger let go and slapped him on the shoulder. "So what if you made mistakes? I was chased all over by Garp back in the day! What matters is—" He grinned his signature wild grin. "You're standing up now, aren't you?"
Oden looked up sharply. Shock flickered in his eyes.
Roger continued. "Mistakes aren't scary. What's scary is letting them crush you. The man standing in front of me right now doesn't look like the Kozuki Oden I know. The one who used to drink Rayleigh under the table. The one who sparred with Jabba!"
Rhett leaned against the doorframe, the corner of his mouth curling up. He chimed in. "That's right. Being stupid once is enough. If you keep being stupid, I really will have to clean house for the captain."
Oden's pupils trembled slightly. Roger's words seemed to hit something deep inside him. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Rhett let out a scornful laugh. The blood mist formed a little fist and gently tapped Oden on the head. "You hear that? Even this old bastard says so. Why are you still struggling?"
Roger turned and glared at Rhett. "You little brat, who are you calling an old bastard?"
Rhett rolled his eyes. "Whoever answers is the one."
Their bickering brought the lively atmosphere back to the banquet.
Oden watched Roger and Rhett. The gloom in his eyes slowly faded. He took a deep breath and suddenly straightened his back. He spoke loudly.
"Captain Roger, Rhett! I understand! I will never let anyone look down on the name of the Roger Pirates again!"
"That's more like it! Come on, cheers!" Roger nodded with satisfaction and raised his freshly filled cup. "But you know, the Roger Pirates ended the day I announced their dissolution. This era now—"
Roger looked at Hizumi, Hiyori, Perona, and even little Rati.
"— belongs to these young ones. Let's drink to this era!"
"Cheers!" Everyone answered together. The sound of clinking cups was crisp and pleasant.
Rhett comforted Oden. "That's right. The new era belongs to us young people."
"Huh?" Roger looked confused.
"Bastard!!!! Why are you so confused?! What is there to be confused about?!" Rhett shouted with shark teeth.
......
The next morning, on the coast shrouded in blood mist, Rhett was working on Roger's face.
"Don't move, you old bastard." The blood mist on Rhett's fingertips moved like a living thing, slowly changing Roger's facial features. "If Rouge recognizes you at first glance, I've done all this for nothing."
Roger winced. "Easy!!! Your mist is cold!"
Oden watched in amazement. "Rhett, your ability is really convenient."
Toki held Hizumi and Hiyori's hands and smiled gently. "This way, Roger can see his wife without worry."
Rhett stepped back and looked at his work. Roger's once prominent nose hair was hidden by the mist. His signature straw hat was gone, replaced by an ordinary straw hat. Even his always grinning expression had been adjusted to look more ordinary.
"Perfect." Rhett snapped his fingers. "Now you're just an ordinary retired Marine named 'Roz.' Got it?"
Roger touched his unfamiliar face. A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on his lips. "Kuhahaha! Should I pretend to be that old Garp's war buddy?"
"Don't you dare!" Rhett grabbed him by the collar. "Rouge would kill me!"
Oden laughed and stepped in. "Alright, alright. The ship is ready. Let's go."
Rhett: ????