At this time, Garp was still on his way, but the Roger Pirates were already thinking about how to escape.
"If the news is true, Garp will take at least seven more days to arrive, which means we can rest for at least six days before setting sail for our next destination."
Roger openly discussed their upcoming itinerary with Shanks and the others in front of Dr. Oran, even revealing their approximate direction of travel.
"I say, there's an outsider here. Is it really okay for you pirates to openly discuss your destination?"
"Hahaha, what's the problem? Dr. Oran, you're a good person, right? When Garp arrives, just tell him where we escaped to.
But with his personality, he wouldn't trouble the locals anyway. If he loses track of us, the voyage would become boring."
Roger remained nonchalant, not caring about revealing his destination, and in his mind, Garp's pursuit seemed to be a form of entertainment.
"Speaking of which, I have a question: are you really unable to deal with Garp?"
The Roger Pirates were currently in peak condition. Dr. Oran wasn't sure of the strength of Roger's crew, but besides Roger himself, Silvers Rayleigh, Scopper Gaban, and Douglas Bullet were all on board.
If such a lineup could be chased around the world by Garp alone, it would be a bit too bizarre.
Or perhaps there were other equally powerful Marine admirals on Garp's ship.
"Ah? About that, isn't it only natural for pirates to run when they encounter the Marine? If we really get into a prolonged fight with the Marine, it would probably attract more Marine.
My goal is to sail, not to fight the Marine every day."
"Your reason is truly simple and unadorned."
Sometimes, Dr. Oran suspected that the chase between Garp and Roger was based on a 'fighting aura transforms into a horse' mode.
I am a pirate, I am being chased by the legendary Marine, but I am not flustered at all, because his ship is not as fast as mine.
"This is the life of a pirate, Dr. Oran, a king like you wouldn't understand these things, but I do have a suggestion: it's better not to reveal your treatment plan. This technique is a bit... taboo-breaking."
Transferring consciousness into a new body to gain more survival time, in the short term, means a longer lifespan, but in essence, it seems to be pursuing immortality.
Since ancient times, those in power have pursued longevity. An ordinary Devil Fruit sells for 100 million Berries, but the Ope-Ope no Mi can reach 5 billion Berries.
Although the Ope-Ope no Mi's other abilities are also powerful, the Immortality Operation is the fundamental reason for its high value.
Roger could imagine that if Dr. Oran truly created a successful example, who knows what might happen on the sea because of it.
Then Roger waved his hand, taking Buggy and Shanks back the way they came. Roger and Dr. Oran weren't close to that extent; some words were just said because they wanted to be, nothing more, no other reason.
Dr. Oran also didn't continue to report anything to the Marine. He was just profiting from both sides, not a Marine intelligence agency, so working diligently for the Marine was enough.
Sadness seemed not to last long among pirates. Now, the faces of the few people no longer showed such sadness, just as Roger said, he still had several years of life left, far from death.
"Crocus, how's the new prescription? Can you lift my alcohol ban now?"
Roger had a hint of expectation on his face. Crocus hadn't completely deprived him of his right to drink, but even at banquets, he had to drink a limited amount and couldn't drink to his heart's content, which was too painful for him.
"It's possible, but the composition of this medicine is too bold... It's not easy to prepare this medicine."
Crocus's medicine could stabilize Roger's condition. He originally thought his medicine was strong enough, but compared to Dr. Oran's medicine, it was purely a drop in the ocean.
Every item on the list was highly poisonous on its own, and only when combined could they produce such an effect.
"As long as it's possible, you can handle the medicine. I believe you can do it."
Due to its properties, this medicine had to be freshly ground and prepared, so Dr. Oran only provided the prescription. If there wasn't a capable doctor like Crocus on board, it might not have been possible.
Roger and his crew caught the last tram and returned to the port. Although they had landed on the island, unless they absolutely had to go deep inland, they would still choose to rest on the ship.
"How is it? Can Captain's illness be cured here?"
"It can be cured, but Captain refused that treatment plan."
"Huh?! Why, Roger, what are you thinking?!"
Crocus's answer shocked everyone on the ship. Rayleigh even abandoned the title of Captain, grabbing Roger's collar and questioning him.
"That treatment plan is a bit too special. All in all, this is my own choice, so you don't have to worry.
By the way, good news! I got a new medicine here, so we don't have to worry about anything when we have a banquet anymore. To celebrate this, let's have a banquet!"
Roger disregarded the crew's questioning gazes and instead pulled them to start a banquet. Seeing that Roger had made his final decision, they couldn't say much and began preparing the banquet as Roger instructed.
"Roger! Are you really giving up your chance to cure yourself?!"
Everyone else could accept Roger's own thoughts, but one person didn't understand - Douglas Bullet, the most unique person on the ship. His purpose in joining the Roger Pirates was to challenge Roger.
At that time, throughout the entire Roger Pirates, even Rayleigh could only fight him to a draw; only Roger could steadily suppress him. Challenging strong enemies was Bullet's sole goal in joining the Roger Pirates.
So when he heard that Roger was ill, he was very worried, and now he heard Roger's choice, which was tantamount to suicide.
"Bullet, I've already decided, but you don't have to worry. The doctor here is quite excellent. In the future, I will still be able to engage in high-intensity combat and will always welcome your challenge."
"Don't you worry about your crew! If you die, where will they go?"
"Hahaha, Bullet, have you finally felt the camaraderie among companions?"
"What a joke, companions are a burden! Roger, it's because of the drag of companions that you can't become stronger!"
The word 'companions' touched on Bullet's most resistant point. After that, he didn't say anything more to Roger, nor did he participate in the banquet, returning to the cabin alone.
"Meow~"
"Where did that cat come from? Does anyone on our ship have a cat?"
Midway through the banquet, Buggy heard a cat's meow. After looking around, he found that a black cat had appeared on their ship's side at some point.
"A stray cat, perhaps? Maybe it was attracted by the smell of food. Kitty, do you want some fish?"
Sanbell, the Fishman next to him, picked up a small fish and walked over, but the black cat seemed startled and jumped directly from the ship's side, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.
"Still a shy cat."
The people on the ship didn't pay attention to the cat, but after a run, the cat came to Kate's feet.
"Meow~"
"Mmm, good boy, you did great."
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