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[Roger, the Pirate King, braved countless adventures, reached Laugh Tale, and learned the entire truth of the world. He should have been the man to topple the World Government and end Im's reign, yet he arrived at Laugh Tale too soon. The destined "King" had not been born, and without the Sea King and the other King, even Roger, armed with the will of D. and all knowledge, could do nothing against the World Government. At the very end—his life ebbing away—he abandoned his unborn child, surrendered to the Navy, and used his own death to ignite the Great Pirate Era, hoping to lead all mankind to Laugh Tale.]
Koala: "So the Pirate King really could have overthrown the World Government, but he reached Laugh Tale too early?"
Belo Betty: "Because the 'King' wasn't born yet, the moment wasn't ripe? The Sea King and that other king… could they be rulers of the Clan of D.?"
Shyarly: "The Sea King… Arton really knows about this. If he knows of Shirahoshi, will he come looking for her?"
Kalifa: "Sea King—that's the same name category as Pluton among the Ancient Weapons. So by 'King' he actually means no one has found Poseidon yet?"
Stussy: "Then the king opposite the Sea King—is it Pluton, or Uranus?"
Doll: "Hold on—does Arton know where the Ancient Weapons are? If he finds one, who could stand against him?"
Sadi: "That guy's system is headache enough already. If he gets an Ancient Weapon, we might have to surrender."
Nico Robin: "If Crocodile ever hears about Arton, he'll be delighted—though even then he'd still be powerless against him."
Smoothie: "Great, yet another reason to claim Arton. Besides his templates and points, we absolutely must seize the Ancient Weapons' locations."
Ulti: "Maybe Roger wanted to force us onto the side opposing the World Government. What if One Piece isn't treasure at all? No—if we have to fight the World Government, it must hide some powerful weapon and a fortune."
Monet: "If Young Master gets an Ancient Weapon and One Piece, he could fight the World Government."
Gion: "Roger abandoned his bloodline… Arton said Roger's child still lives. Will he reveal more about that child now?"
Doll: "If the Pirate King wielded such power, his son will be frightening when he grows up. Could the future Yonko Arton hinted at actually be Roger's son?"
"Roger's feat—terminally ill yet finding Laugh Tale—shows amazing potential. If his child is alive, he might possess the same talent, enough to reach the world's summit. No wonder the Navy and World Government wanted that bloodline erased—such genius is frightening."
"Still, Roger's wife and unborn child were innocent. With proper guidance Roger's child might even become a Marine," Tashigi mused. Arton would agree: in his view, Ace could have joined the Marines—and with the smallest twist of fate, Luffy, Sabo, and Ace might all have become Admirals, toppling the World Government from within.
[By the current timeline, Roger's orphan should be close to dying. Roger never told anyone about the child, not even Rayleigh. If Arton tells Rayleigh now, the old crew would almost certainly seek vengeance. And Douglas Bullet—still monstrously strong inside Impel Down—would be thrilled to know Roger's son lives, waiting for him to mature just to challenge him. To Douglas, beating Roger's son would equal surpassing Roger, and he might skip staging any Pirates Festival at all.]
Gion: "So Roger's son is alive… but already near death?"
Doll: "Who on earth could push him to that point?"
Ulti: "Huh, maybe the kid's not that impressive after all—so young and already dying?"
Belo Betty: "No time to grow? Or is it illness?"
Stussy: "Roger had a terminal disease; perhaps his bloodline carries something similar that stunts growth."
Vinsmoke Reiju: "Or his potential deteriorated because his mother carried him too long?"
Sadi: "Arton mentioned the prison break again! Douglas Bullet, was it? Fine—I'll make sure that guy never escapes."
Domino: "If Douglas Bullet can stir up such chaos after escaping, his strength is no joke. We'd better warn Chief Warden Magellan."
Kujaku: "Will Arton really tell Rayleigh? The Roger Pirates might rise again."
Whitey Bay: "If they do, Pops will be excited. Still, Arton never told us the child's name—
[Whatever—one step at a time. I'll handle Roger's kid when we meet. For now I have to settle these World Nobles.]
After leaving three mental notes, every diary lit up with a new video feed. Everyone tapped in—and saw Tashigi, Arton, and the star of the show: a World Noble stuffed into a burlap sack, only half a head sticking out.
Gion clenched her fists. "Arton, are you really going through with this?"
Belo Betty grinned. "Hehe, this is about to get fun."
…
Loguetown coast.
"We made it in time, but how do we stop Arton?" Doll—now in plain clothes—stared toward the execution platform.
Kujaku sighed. "Since we're here, we have to look. Even if we can't recruit Arton, maybe we can infiltrate the Flameblade Pirates."
Hibari bit her lip, remembering Tashigi's actions shown in the diary. "Can we really pull that off?"
"Doesn't matter—we have to try," Doll said. "Hide your diaries so Arton's crew won't notice, or our disguises are ruined." She inhaled and hurried toward the scaffold, Hibari and Kujaku close behind.
High above, Smoker peered through binoculars at Arton and Tashigi already on the platform. "That's Tashigi? And that outfit? She's shortsighted—why no glasses?" He didn't know Tashigi's sight had healed after gaining Tier's power and she simply hadn't bought new frames yet.
"Was she kidnapped by Arton? What is that bastard up to?" Smoker ground his teeth. If he weren't outmatched—and if Garp weren't racing here—he'd have acted already.
"Wait… that's a World Noble?! What's he planning? The scaffold—a public execution?!" Smoker's jaw dropped as he saw Tashigi haul the World Noble out of the sack.
...
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