"Hehehe, I've already been invited once, and now it's an official invitation… If my best friends knew about this, they'd be so jealous."
Reid secretly felt a wave of delight in his heart.
"Ahem… Alright then, I, Reid, accept your invitation, Roger."
Reid faked a couple of coughs, grinning broadly as he looked at Roger.
"Hahaha, great! Come, cheers!"
Clink! Their bottles collided, both of them grinning ear to ear.
Gulp gulp gulp… They drank several bottles in a row until the crate was empty.
"Gone already? I'll go grab another crate."
Roger looked a bit drunk, hiccupped, and staggered to his feet.
"Roger's drunk? That's weird. I drank the same amount, but I don't feel tipsy at all."
Meanwhile on the deck, Buggy's eyelids fluttered open slowly.
"Where am I…?"
He looked around and realized he was on a ship.
"Hey, Buggy, you're so useless. Took you long enough to wake up."
"Huh?"
Buggy turned and saw Shanks.
"Ah! Shanks! You bastard, what are you doing here?! Are you trying to kidnap me? Hmph! I, Buggy, will never join you!"
"Hahahaha!"
Shanks burst out laughing, mouth wide open.
"Damn you, Shanks! You wanna fight?!"
"I don't have time for that. We're heading back to the old spot."
Shanks ignored him, too excited by the fact that Roger was not only alive, but apparently cured of his illness.
"That guy Reid… is his medical skill really that incredible?"
"Hey! Shanks! How dare you ignore me, Captain Buggy?! I'm talking to you! I'm the future Pirate King! Ah~ how glorious that will be—Pirate King Buggy, revered by all! Shanks, you'd better join my crew. I'll graciously make you my first mate, hahaha!"
Buggy puffed out his chest, hands on hips, his red nose twitching twice.
"What, you're leaving Roger's crew?"
Shanks asked with a meaningful tone and a smirk.
"You've lost your mind, Shanks! Roger's dead! Ah~ Roger, how could you abandon me like this? Boohoo… Shanks! Don't tell me you want to replace Roger, huh?! Hahaha, don't make me laugh. If anyone can lead the Roger Pirates, it's obviously me, Buggy! Nyahahaha!"
Buggy pointed crazily at Shanks, his eyes squinted in wild arrogance.
"Tch. I'm not leaving the Roger Pirates. If anyone's leaving, it's you."
"You two brats, shut up already."
"Who?! Who just spoke?!"
Buggy looked left and right in confusion.
"Looks like Clown Buggy's finally awake. He's a real wild card. Even Roger probably wouldn't have guessed he'd become one of the Four Emperors in the future… But wait, the Four Emperors system only came after Roger's death. Now that I've saved him, will there even be Four Emperors?"
That thought suddenly occurred to Reid.
As a time traveler, he had changed the course of history, and no one could predict how events would unfold from here.
"Hahaha! Brother Reid, this little guy Buggy is pretty funny too. In the Roger Pirates, we don't care about strength. If someone's interesting, I'll take 'em all in!"
Gulp gulp gulp… Roger grabbed another bottle and started chugging.
"Ah~ Hahaha! A man has to drink, or women will look down on him, hahaha!"
"Hehe~ Sounds like Sister-in-law Rouge really supports you drinking, huh?"
"Rouge… Haha, not long now until my child is born. The family's about to get a new member."
When Rouge was mentioned, Roger's eyes sparkled with joy.
She was the wife who had always supported his pursuit of freedom.
"Roger."
Reid put down his cup, looking at Roger seriously.
"Brother Reid, you've got something to say?"
Roger immediately noticed that Reid wasn't joking. A strange tension began to build.
"Yes. What I'm about to say, Roger, you must believe."
"Go ahead, Brother Reid. With your strength, I trust you."
Roger also put down his bottle. The drunken flush faded instantly from his face.
"Looks like people in the One Piece world only pretend to be drunk. They drink when relaxed, but they don't actually lose control."
Reid realized something.
"If I hadn't saved you today, Rouge—fearing the Navy would find out she was pregnant with your child—would've done everything she could to delay giving birth. In the end, she would've died right after childbirth."
Roger's expression changed dramatically. In a flash, he stood up.
"Reid… Are you serious?!"
Roger's eyes turned razor-sharp. A wave of kingly Haki erupted from him, causing the entire ship to shake. Had he not restrained himself, the ship would've shattered.
"Wahh… What's going on?! Why is the ship shaking so much? Is a Sea King attacking us?"
Shanks wobbled, barely able to stand.
"Hey! Shanks! Can't you even steer a ship properly?! Ah—I get it! You're jealous of me, Pirate King Buggy! Hmph! How could you treat a kind soul like me this way? I'm disappointed in you!"
"What did you say? You want a beating, Buggy?"
Inside the cabin, Reid nodded solemnly.
"Yes. That's why we need to warn Rouge in advance. Otherwise, she'll die. And later, Ace will live his life resenting you."
"You… You even know about Ace?"
Roger's jaw dropped, eyes nearly popping out.
"Crap, I said too much again… I need to be more careful. If the World Government or some big shots find out, I'm screwed."
Reid thought.
"Roger, I trust your character, so I won't hide it from you. I know a lot—things that haven't happened yet, too."
"You can see the future? Is that a Devil Fruit ability?"
"Not exactly… I… sigh, I don't really know how to explain. Just think of me as the 'Child of Destiny.' I can foresee certain things."
Even though Roger was his idol, Reid had no intention of revealing his God-tier Encyclopedia System.
That secret was his alone.
"Incredible."
Roger gave him a big thumbs-up.
"Heh… Oh, by the way, Roger, you must keep my ability secret. Not even Rouge, Ace, or Rayleigh can know."
"Got it. Uh… heh, Reid, I might've accidentally told Shanks about your miraculous healing earlier on the deck…"
Roger looked sheepish and took another swig from his bottle.
"Ah… Dammit. Red-Hair is still just a little brat. If he spills the beans, I'm screwed."
"Don't worry. I only said you were a great doctor. I didn't say anything else."
"Still not ideal… He's in his rebellious phase. Whatever… At least I've got some life-saving abilities. I'll have to find Bartolomeo later. That should make things safer."
Reid remembered he currently had the Chop-Chop Fruit ability, which could protect him from most attacks for now.
"AAAAHHHHHH?!?!"
Roger and Reid turned their heads simultaneously, only to see Buggy screaming like he'd seen a ghost.
"Red-nose! Long time no see! Hahahaha!"
"R-R-Roger Captain!!"
Buggy leapt to his feet, pointing at Roger in complete disbelief.
Roger grinned widely at him.
"Uwaaah… Captain Roger, you're not dead…"
Buggy ran up and jumped into Roger's arms, squeezing his eyes shut as tears streamed down his face.