Somewhere in the New World.
Aboard the great whale ship, the Moby Dick.
A young Jozu sat beneath the mast, holding a newspaper with an emotional look on his face.
"I used to not be convinced. Roger wasn't any stronger than Pops, so how did he get called Pirate King? Now I'm convinced. Forget everything else — that guy's balls are huge. Does he think life after retirement is too boring? He's deliberately writing this kind of stuff to provoke the Marines. He's scared they won't be able to find him, huh?"
Once again, the title of Pirate King was not something the crews of top great pirates truly accepted.
But now, the Whitebeard Pirates were honestly convinced.
Leaving behind more than sixty billion Berries was already shocking enough. But after retiring, he wrote spicy stories to provoke the Marine high command.
That was truly one of a kind on this sea.
They had never even heard of such a strange thing before.
When it came to courage, it really had to be Roger.
No wonder that man could become the Pirate King.
Newgate sat on his broad throne, also reading the newspaper with an admiring look on his face.
"Back on Hachinosu, during our last drink together, that guy got all fired up and said our booze tasted bad, called us tasteless country bumpkin pirates. I wasn't happy about it at the time… but thinking about it now, I really should've been convinced. This guy stopped being a pirate and went into the arts instead. Compared to him, aren't we just a bunch of tasteless country bumpkin pirates? Gurararara…"
"Was he always like this? Talented enough to write something with this much… artistic value?" Vista asked curiously, leaning closer to Newgate.
"In the past…" A look of memory flashed in Newgate's eyes. Then he shook his head. "He was not like this. To be honest, even now I do not think these things were necessarily written by him. That guy was a rough fool who only knew how to charge straight ahead…"
After a slight pause, Newgate added, "But when I saw him for the last time on Hachinosu, I did feel that he was different from before… So I cannot say for sure what kind of person he is now."
"Looks like there really is something special about Laugh Tale. Roger went there, came back, and became a writer. That island must have an incredible treasure!" Gram shouted loudly.
And honestly, after this issue of the newspaper sold well across the sea, many people, especially those who had dealt with Roger before, began to believe that Laugh Tale really did have something amazing.
Look at Roger.
Did that man ever look serious before?
But after going to Laugh Tale and returning, he settled down for two years. Now he had become a great figure in literature, and each of his works was more explosive than the last.
Did that not prove there was a great treasure on Laugh Tale?
"Laugh Tale…" Newgate muttered, feeling slightly tempted.
To be honest, he had never planned to search for Laugh Tale before. He had no interest in that thing at all. When they had drunk together on Hachinosu, Roger had even wanted to point him in the right direction, but Newgate had directly refused to listen.
But now, looking at Roger's artistic level, Newgate felt a little moved.
Who could say that Whitebeard did not also want to become a great literary master?
Roger went to Laugh Tale and came back able to write such art.
There was no reason Newgate could not do the same, right?
"Ahem…" Newgate coughed lightly and pretended to stay calm. "Since we have nothing much to do anyway, keep an eye out for more news about Laugh Tale when you have time."
When everyone heard their Pops say that, they all showed knowing smiles and chuckled.
"Pops, I heard that in a few days, every island with a World Economy News Paper branch will release deluxe and collector's editions of these three books. Should we go buy a few copies?" Jozu asked.
Newgate glared at Jozu. "You want to make a trip just for that? Are you that restless?"
"The food these past few days has been too dry. I really am feeling a little fired up, Pops!" Vista also joined in, clearly interested.
"Yeah, brother, even my piss is yellow!" Gram laughed.
They were pirates, after all. Their words were always rough.
"Ahem…" Newgate cleared his throat in a fake serious way, then said, "Marco, isn't the ship running low on alcohol?"
Marco froze at first.
Had they not robbed a passing cargo ship just the day before yesterday? And that ship had been carrying alcohol. How could they be low?
But seeing his dear Pops keep giving him meaningful looks, Marco reacted at once.
"Yeah, Pops. We're also running low on fresh water. We need to resupply…"
"Then let's find an island to stop at and restock. While we're at it…" Newgate looked at everyone and finally grinned. "Gurararara… while we're at it, we can support our old friend Roger's masterpiece…"
"HELL YEAH!!!"
"Pops, you're the best!"
"I love Roger!"
"He is forever the Pirate King in our hearts!"
"We love it! We want to read it! We respect you, Roger!"
...
Also in the South Blue.
A dragon-headed ship was sailing there.
On the deck, Dragon, the leader of the Freedom Fighters, stood beneath the mast as the sea breeze blew past him. Since he was not wanted yet, there was no need for him to hide himself. He was not even wearing his cloak.
"Mr. Dragon, Baterilla Island is up ahead!" Ginny's voice came from the lookout at the top of the mast.
"We are finally here? I hope we do not leave empty-handed…" Dragon smiled and muttered to himself.
Over the past few years, the Freedom Fighters had been active all over the South Blue. They could be considered locals of the South Blue, so their information network was very good.
Not long ago, Dragon received some intelligence. It said there was a very rich landlord on Baterilla Island named Portgas D. Gold. He had vast fields, countless tenant farmers, and so much grain stored in his warehouses that there was almost no place left to put it.
So Dragon planned to meet this landlord and ask for some support. It would be best if he could get some money for the Freedom Fighters. If not, even some grain would satisfy him.
In truth, Dragon had done this many times over the years, and not only in the South Blue.
For example, in Shimotsuki Village in the East Blue, he had met the local landlord, Shimotsuki Koshiro, two years ago. From Koshiro, he received a large amount of grain, which helped the Freedom Fighters survive a food crisis.
There were many similar landlords in the South Blue who often supported the Freedom Fighters.
There was no helping it. There were too many islands like that. Even if they were under certain kingdoms, those kingdoms could not place standing forces in every remote corner. Their troops were mainly used to protect the main island.
So the landlords on those remote islands needed protection.
The Freedom Fighters just happened to fill that need.
After all, the upper nobles had their own private armed forces, stood behind kingdoms, and had regular armies and Marine branches as deterrence. Unless something special happened, they did not need the Freedom Fighters' protection.
On the other hand, these middle and lower-level landlords and rich men, who had money and grain but no armed forces, needed exactly that kind of service.
This was the path Dragon's Freedom Fighters was currently taking.
While Dragon was thinking about how to persuade Lord Portgas, the cabin door was pushed open. Ivankov walked out noisily with a newspaper in hand.
"Dragon, was your father really this wild when he was young?"
Dragon's cheek twitched.
Of course he had read this morning's newspaper.
And then he saw a novel about his father's romantic affairs, which almost knocked him senseless.
But just from the opening line about "his middle school grades were not very good," Dragon immediately judged that the story was a setup, pure nonsense, and slander.
After all, everyone knew his father had no education.
Calling him someone who failed before birth would be hard to refute. How could he possibly have had the chance to attend middle school?
It was only by chance that he joined the Marines and began learning to read while searching for justice. Otherwise, if he had been left on the sea, he would have become a disaster no less troublesome than Roger.
"I have told you ten thousand times. That is Roger's damn slander against my father! He never went to school. Where would his middle school grades come from?" Dragon cursed.
"Can someone who never went to school become a Marine Vice Admiral?" Ginny asked in confusion as she slid down from the mast.
"Maybe he went to Marine middle school? Look at Sengoku and Zephyr from before. They both had stories too, didn't they? Maybe when those three were young… Huh? Think about it. The three of them are so close, so they must have dirt on each other, right? I think these three books might actually be revealing secrets. After all, even if your father was wild when he was young, he would not tell you, his son, would he?" Ivankov started analyzing wildly.
It could only be said that his relationship with Dragon was truly close. Even after saying all that, Dragon still did not turn hostile.
Ivankov's words left Dragon stunned. For a moment, he actually wavered.
But soon, Dragon came back to his senses and cursed, "The Marines do not have middle school either…"
"The Marineford residential area definitely does! Otherwise, where would the families and children of Marines go to school?" Ivankov argued.
Dragon had nothing to say to that, because it was true.
"Look, the book said Zephyr disguised himself as an old gatekeeper at that school when he was young, and Sengoku used his rank as a Rear Admiral to start a company in the residential area and control the business there. Your father was probably pointed at and mocked for having no education, so maybe he secretly signed up for night school to learn reading and writing. Isn't that normal?" Ivankov added.
The logic had somehow completed itself.
Dragon fell silent for a moment, then cursed angrily, "Do not let me find Roger. If I do, I will kill him!"
As he said this, the ship gradually docked at Baterilla Island. Dragon then disembarked and stepped onto the island, preparing to visit Lord Portgas and discuss support for the Freedom Fighters.
"I heard Lord Portgas is extremely wealthy, far beyond an ordinary landlord. His connections are likely deep too. When we meet him later, be polite…" Dragon reminded the people beside him.
On Baterilla Island, everyone knew where Lord Portgas's manor was. So after randomly finding someone to lead the way, Dragon soon arrived in front of the luxurious estate.
Looking at the style and taste of the manor, Dragon felt it carried the depth and air of a great noble family. It was far beyond what an ordinary rich man or landlord could understand. This made Dragon even more certain that Lord Portgas was not simple.
In truth, Roger had spent so many years enjoying fine food and fine living with Lord Valthior. His taste had grown a great deal. In a rural place like the South Blue, when it came to style, he truly was an authority.
After the gate servant went in to report, he soon returned and led Dragon's group into the manor.
But when Dragon saw Lord Portgas sitting under a big tree, enjoying the shade, he froze on the spot.
Then his eyes turned red, and he roared in fury, "Roger! You dared humiliate my father like this! Today, I will make you pay with your life!"
Roger, who was wearing sunglasses and had dyed his hair blond, was also stunned.
Who the hell are you? When did I humiliate your father?
And how did you recognize me?
Luckily, Ivankov reacted fast and grabbed Dragon at once.
"Politeness! Where is your politeness!? This is Lord Portgas! Where is Roger?"
"I would recognize him even if he turned to ash! This man is the Pirate King, Roger!" Dragon struggled and shouted.
Back in the West Blue, he had personally seen his father join hands with this man to fight Rocks.
Someone like Roger could never be forgotten after seeing him once.
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