The sun over Sabaody Archipelago was still bright, and the resin bubbles from the Yarukiman Mangrove still floated dreamily through the air. But beneath the shade of the giant trees, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt suffocating, as if all the air had been sucked away. The wind rustled the leaves, a sound like a thousand silent sighs.
Rayleigh's tightly clenched fist slowly loosened, then tightened once more, before his arm finally dropped to his side in resignation. His face, which usually wore a calm and composed smile, was now a mask of powerless, ashen despair. He knew Roger too well. Once that man made up his mind, you could present him with all the reasons in the world, but nothing would ever make him turn back.
Kyle didn't say a word. He just tilted his head back and chugged the rest of the rum straight from the bottle. The spicy liquor burned his throat, but it did nothing to calm the frustrated storm raging in his heart. He casually tossed the empty bottle aside. It landed on the grass with a dull thud, a sound that was part frustration, part farewell.
Roger looked at his two oldest friends, and the smile on his face grew even wider, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He knew how reckless his decision sounded, and he knew how cruel it was to the companions who meant everything to him.
"Hey, don't look like you're attending a funeral," Roger said with a chuckle, nudging the silent Rayleigh with his elbow. "I'm the one who's going to die, not you guys. Besides, this isn't just for me."
His smile faded slightly as he began to explain. "The people I've wronged the most in this life are you bastards, the ones who followed me through thick and thin. When I die, the Roger Pirates will become a thing of the past. But the World Government won't just let you go. The Marines will hunt you to the ends of the earth like sharks that have smelled blood."
"So what?" Rayleigh snorted. "When have we ever been afraid of them?"
"I know you're not afraid," Roger laughed, his voice filled with an unshakable trust and pride in his crew. "But I don't want my death to become a burden that you have to carry for the rest of your lives. I want you to be able to live like normal people. Open a bar in some quiet town, find someone to love, or just keep sailing to see all the sights we never had time for. I don't want you to spend your lives hiding in the shadows, always known as the remnants of the Pirate King's crew."
He paused, his expression turning deadly serious. "So, I'm going to use my life to make one final deal with the World Government. I will trade them the head of the 'Pirate King,' Gol D. Roger. In exchange, all crew members of the Roger Pirates will be pardoned. From the moment I step onto that execution platform, there will be no more Roger Pirates in this world—only a group of free men."
The air grew heavy once more. The anger in Rayleigh's eyes was instantly extinguished, replaced by a vast, unspeakable shock and a deep, cutting sorrow. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Kyle, who had been reaching for another bottle, froze, his golden eyes dark and unreadable.
This bastard… this selfish, reckless, incredible Captain… even at the very end, he was still thinking only of them.
Seeing the look on their faces, Roger knew they finally understood. The heavy expression on his own face vanished, and he was back to his usual carefree self, as if he hadn't just been discussing his own death sentence.
"Kuhahaha! Don't look so sad! This is great news!" He clapped both of them firmly on the shoulders. "Speaking of which, there's something else I haven't told you yet." He leaned in conspiratorially, a huge, mischievous grin spreading across his face. "I'm going to be a father!"
"What?!" Kyle and Rayleigh exclaimed in perfect unison, their heads snapping toward him with identical expressions of disbelief.
"Kuhahaha! Surprised, aren't you!" Roger puffed out his chest with immense pride. "So, that means you two are getting a promotion. Rayleigh, you'll be the kid's first uncle! That bastard Jabba can be the third uncle! And as for you, Kyle…" Roger pointed a finger at him, grinning widely. "You get to be the fourth uncle! How about it? Happy with your rank?"
Rayleigh was stunned for a long moment before a bitter, yet relieved smile appeared on his face. Kyle, on the other hand, looked completely disgusted.
"Fourth uncle? Why am I ranked after Jabba? I was the third person to join this crew!"
"Because you're the youngest, brat!" Roger laughed, ruffling his hair.
After a brief moment of laughter, Kyle's expression darkened again as a serious thought occurred to him. He stared at Roger, asking the most crucial question of all. "Then who… are you going to entrust Rouge and the child to?"
This was an incredibly heavy topic. The Pirate King's wife and child would be the World Government's top targets, hunted relentlessly no matter where they hid. Rayleigh also put his smile away and looked at Roger, his expression serious. He was ready to accept the burden, to protect them with his life.
Roger scratched his head, a look of annoyance on his face, before he uttered a name that made the air freeze for a third time.
"Oh, that. I already asked Garp."
A second of dead silence passed. Then two.
"HUH?!"
A startled cry shattered the quiet. Kyle shot to his feet, his face a mask of pure indignation.
"You're entrusting the child to that old fool Garp? The man whose brain is filled with nothing but cannonballs and rice crackers?!" Kyle began to pace back and forth in anger. "So what if Rayleigh's getting old and Jabba's a musclehead? What about me?! Why can't I take care of them?!"
He grew more agitated as he spoke, planting his hands on his hips. "Open your eyes and look at my record! Who was it that basically raised those two brats, Shanks and Buggy? Look how they turned out under my guidance! One's a future great swordsman, and the other… well, the other one is really lucky! I have plenty of experience, so why wouldn't you trust the child to me?!"
Rayleigh's eye twitched as he listened, silently pushing up his glasses.
Watching Kyle's genuinely distressed and exasperated expression over the "custody" issue, Roger was stunned for a moment, then burst into earth-shattering laughter. "Kuhahaha… You… Do you really want to be a nanny that badly?"
"This isn't about what I want!" Kyle's face turned red with frustration. "This is an insult to my teaching ability! You're questioning my character!"
Rayleigh shook his head helplessly, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a small smile. He knew Kyle didn't truly care about being a "master teacher." He just couldn't bear the thought of being left out of Roger's final, most important request.
After laughing for a long while, Roger slowly stopped. He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and the smile on his face became incredibly gentle. He looked at Kyle, this man who was like a younger brother to him, who had traveled the world searching for a cure for his illness, and who was now throwing a fit over a matter of trust.
His eyes, which always seemed to burn with a wild fire, were now filled with a deep, quiet warmth.
"Kyle," Roger's voice was no longer booming. It was soft, with an unprecedented calm.
"The Pirate King's younger brother is free."
All of Kyle's questions, all of his anger, and all of his frustration were shattered by that single sentence. He stared blankly at Roger, his captain's gentle yet resolute face clearly reflected in his golden eyes.
"Rayleigh can retire and watch a new generation rise. Jabba can continue his training and challenge new frontiers. After I'm gone, their lives can start over."
"And so can yours," Roger said, his voice laced with a fond indulgence. "If you take on my child, from that moment on, your life would be tied to the 'Pirate King's bloodline.' You would become the World Government's biggest target. You wouldn't be able to go wherever you please or cause whatever trouble you want. Your life would be shackled by that identity."
Roger pulled his hand back and grinned, a smile so bright it seemed to dim the sun.
"I traded my life for your freedom, Kyle. And your freedom… is the one thing I want to protect the most."
Kyle stood frozen to the spot, unable to move. He felt something hot and sharp welling up in his eyes, making them ache.
"...You… self-important bastard."
He forced himself not to let the burning feeling spill over, squeezing out a muffled curse through gritted teeth.
The sunlight was a little too dazzling.
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