"Hahahaha! I won't die that easily! Did you forget what I said, Buggy?"
Roger gently patted Buggy's head like he was comforting a child.
Buggy sniffled and looked up. "Captain Roger… What did you say? I don't remember."
Smack!
Buggy got a whack on the head from Roger.
"Ow!"
"I told you I wouldn't die! Do you still see me as your captain or not?"
"Captain Roger… So what you said back then was true? But at the time, the atmosphere felt really sorrowful…"
Buggy still seemed doubtful. He didn't think he was dumb, he could feel how heavy the mood had been back then.
"Hahaha, anyway, I'm doing just fine now."
"Hello, Buggy." Reid stepped forward with a smile and greeted him.
"Huh?" Buggy turned around. Until now, his full attention had been on Roger, he hadn't even noticed someone else sitting nearby.
"My name's Reid. I'm now a member of the Roger Pirates."
"Reid? Who's that? Never heard of him."
Smack!
Roger hit Buggy on the head again and knocked him down.
"Reid is my brother now. His status is equal to mine."
That statement gave Reid a lot of face, and he was quite pleased hearing it.
"Equal… to Roger?" Buggy was dumbfounded. It was the first time he'd heard Roger speak of someone like that.
He couldn't help but examine Reid closely, still full of doubt. "Who is this guy, to earn such respect from Captain Roger?"
"You know me?" Buggy asked tentatively. From Reid's tone earlier, it was obvious he already knew who Buggy was.
"Who doesn't know the famous Buggy? Hahaha."
"Hahahaha! That's right! I, Buggy, am the future Pirate King!"
But as soon as he said it, he regretted it, he forgot Roger was still alive and well.
"Hehe… Captain, I wasn't cursing you or anything, please don't misunderstand."
"Hehe, you want to be Pirate King? Go for it. I support you." Roger took a big swig from the bottle, clearly in a great mood.
"Hahaha, that's right! As Pirate King Buggy, I won't let Captain Roger's name be forgotten. One day, I'll flatten Marineford! I've had enough of those so-called 'justice' marines!"
Buggy, easily flattered, immediately revealed his true nature after Roger encouraged him.
"Looks like Clown Buggy had the makings of a big shot even in his youth… The Chop-Chop Fruit… I wonder what kind of awakening it might have in the future."
Reid looked at Buggy showing off, but didn't underestimate him at all, he already knew what the future held.
"Alright, get out. Reid and I have important matters to discuss." Roger waved Buggy off.
"Captain Roger, as the future Pirate King, don't I have the right to listen in?"
"I'm gonna count to three. If you're still here, I'll toss you into the sea. One, two—"
Whoosh!
Buggy became a blur and instantly dashed out of the cabin.
"Hehehe." Roger grinned.
"Brother Reid, if I were to die… would the world change drastically?"
Roger stared at Reid, as if trying to confirm a suspicion.
"Yes. It would change a lot."
Reid nodded. He was a One Piece fan who never missed a single chapter or episode.
"Oh? Can you tell me more?" Roger took another sip of wine.
"I won't get into the details, but because you revealed the secret of the One Piece treasure, the Grand Line will enter the Great Pirate Era. All four seas will be flooded with pirates setting sail in search of treasure."
After hearing this, Roger burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! Just as I thought! Even though I'm still alive now, the words are already out there, it must've spread."
Roger grinned, full of confidence.
"Roger, I have a few questions. I'm not the only one—there are lots of people who've wanted to ask you this."
"Oh? About the One Piece?" Roger squinted, smiling knowingly.
"That's not something I'm really curious about."
"Hahahaha! Then ask away, I'll tell you whatever I can."
"Hehe, first question: Where did you leave your Supreme Grade Sword, Ace?"
Roger's pupils contracted sharply.
"Reid… how do you know the name of my sword? And you also know I named my son Ace?"
"Hehe, I'm the Child of Destiny. That sword followed you, and it inherited your will. You probably hope your son Ace will inherit that same will too, right?"
Reid was feeling smug. With knowledge of the story from the original manga, he was showing off without hesitation, Roger already knew he had future knowledge anyway.
"Your abilities are amazing… I admit I can't match you. If you master all three types of Haki and learn Advanced Conqueror's Coating, there won't be many who can stand against you."
Roger suddenly said this, and it stirred something in Reid's heart.
"He's right. I should be able to do that by now. But my control over Haki still feels clumsy. I can use it, but that's only thanks to the system's help…"
With that thought, Reid said decisively,
"I'll work hard. Roger, you can teach me too."
"Hahahaha, I'm not good at teaching that stuff. But Rayleigh is perfect for it. When you meet him, I'll have him train you."
"Rayleigh… Right! When Luffy trained, it was Rayleigh who guided him. I just thought about that, and now Roger brings him up…"
Thinking about Luffy's growth, Reid couldn't help but imagine himself developing his Devil Fruit powers too.
"Roger, so where did you leave the sword? I just want to know—don't tell me you hid it on the final island?"
"Hahahaha! I gave it to someone."
"Oh? Who?"
"Not telling! Hahahaha!"
Reid pouted. He hadn't expected Roger to keep it secret.
"Alright, second question: Can every type of Devil Fruit be developed to unlock more abilities? Like… upgrades or evolutions?"
"You've thought about that too?"
Roger looked at Reid with fresh eyes. Anyone who could ask that question and didn't lack talent would surely become a powerhouse.
"Yeah. It's just a hunch I've had."
Reid nodded.
"You're right. It's closely tied to your mastery of Haki and physical ability. Conqueror's Haki is tied to innate spirit—you can't improve it through training. But Armament and Observation Haki can be honed. The stronger your physique, the more powerful your Haki becomes."
"I see… So spirit and physical strength are key."
Reid said to Roger, "Doesn't that make you a great teacher?"
"Hahaha! I'm not interested in that stuff. Just go to Rayleigh. Hahaha!"
Roger quickly pushed the responsibility to Rayleigh—he'd rather spend his time drinking.
"I can't rely on the system too much. I need to train seriously. If I could go to an island like Luffy did and train with wild beasts… maybe I could create attacks like 'King Kong Gun' or 'Hydra Cannon.' If I could develop multiple abilities for each fruit… Forget being Pirate King—ruling the entire world wouldn't be impossible!"
Reid was fired up. He secretly vowed: since he had this god-tier system, he'd make full use of it.