The morning light broke over the Sabaody Archipelago, turning the sea gold and the mangrove roots emerald green. Bubbles floated lazily through the air, bursting against the warm breeze.
The storm had long passed by the time Ada's ship broke through the mists of the Sabaody Archipelago. The sunlight shimmered over the giant mangrove roots, bubbles rising lazily from the surface of the sea. To most, this place was a trap — a maze of corruption and slavery. But for Ada, it was something else today.
It was homecoming.
Ada stood at the helm, her dress snapping in the wind, her gaze fixed ahead.
The faint outline of Grove 13 came into view. She could already feel it — the familiar, untamed pulse of this island of lawless freedom.
Behind her, Crocus stood with his arms crossed, the sea spray glinting in his hair. "So this is Sabaody," he said. "Doesn't look peaceful."
"It never is," Ada replied. "But it's where they are."
Ada then smirked faintly. "Knowing Roger, he's probably making a scene somewhere nearby."
Crocus chuckled. "Then this will be loud."
————-
The ship glided into one of the quieter groves — Grove 13, where a small port lay half-hidden behind coral and mangrove roots.
They docked quietly, but the moment Ada's boots touched the pier, she heard it — the unmistakable chaos of the Roger Pirates.
The scent of rum and laughter drifted through the grove. There, beside the towering Oro Jackson, stood the crew — rowdy, alive, and loud as the sea itself.
"Sounds like we found them," she murmured, stepping down onto the pier.
When she rounded the bend, the sight before her almost felt unreal.
The Oro Jackson loomed proudly on the shore, its gold-trimmed hull gleaming. The Roger Pirates were already there — gathered in their usual chaos. Rayleigh and Gaban were repairing a mast; Buggy and Shanks, now older and louder at nine, were racing each other with swords. The crew was alive, vibrant, whole.
And at the center of it all, laughing like thunder, stood Gol D. Roger.
"ADA!" Roger's voice boomed the moment he spotted her. "YOU'RE BACK!"
Ada smiled faintly. "Took longer than I planned."
Before she could speak again, he was already storming across the pier, boots thudding, grin wide as the sun. He threw his arms open. "You took your time! What'd you do, conquer half the sea on your way here?"
Ada smirked. "Maybe a quarter. You'll have to check the papers."
The crew burst into laughter. Even Rayleigh cracked a rare grin. "Good to see you again, Ada. You made quite the entrance — as always."
Roger's gaze shifted past her to Crocus, who stood calmly with his medical bag slung over one shoulder. "And who's this with you?"
"Your new doctor," Ada said simply.
Roger blinked. Then he threw his head back and roared with laughter. "A doctor, you say? You actually found one!"
Crocus chuckled, extending a hand. "Crocus. I'm told you're in need of one."
Roger gripped his hand firmly. "Hah! You've heard right. My crew's been hounding me to find one ever since the coughing started. Welcome aboard, Doctor!"
Rayleigh sighed in relief, leaning against a barrel. "Finally. Maybe now we'll get him to stop pretending he's fine."
Roger shot him a mock glare. "I am fine!"
Ada crossed her arms, smirking. "You coughed blood the day I left."
The laughter faded for just a moment — replaced by a shared understanding. Then Roger grinned again, deflecting the weight of it with sheer will. "Bah! Just means I've got more room in my lungs for rum!"
"Or more reason to drink less of it," Crocus countered dryly.
The crew laughed again, and the tension eased like smoke carried off by the sea breeze.
————
Far from Grove 13 — in Grove 4, a Marine outpost hidden beneath the shade of mangroves — a young ensign stumbled into the command tent, pale and breathless.
"Report from Grove 13, sir! The Oro Jackson has been sighted — the Roger Pirates are at Sabaody!"
The commanding officer nearly dropped his den den mushi. "WHAT?! You're certain?!"
"Yes, sir! No doubt about it — Gol D. Roger himself is there, along with his entire crew. Locals report they've reunited with a woman identified as Nyx D. Ada! She's been seen traveling with someone."
The officer grabbed the transponder snail and barked, "Patch me through to Marineford — NOW!"
The snail's eyes blinked open, its lips warbling. "Perororororo… Marineford Communications Office, go ahead."
"This is Lieutenant Commander Brode at Sabaody Outpost! The Roger Pirates have surfaced — full crew presence confirmed!"
The voice on the other end froze. "Repeat that."
"I said the Roger Pirates are here! Gol D. Roger, Silvers Rayleigh, Scopper Gaban, and Nyx D. Ada — all of them!"
Within minutes, the report traveled across the Grand Line — through den den mushi networks, coded relays, and cipher channels.
By the hour, it reached Marineford.
————-
Marineford War Room
The room was tense. Papers rustled. The walls echoed with hurried footsteps and clipped voices.
Fleet Admiral Kong stood at the center table, arms folded, veins in his neck visible. "Roger's crew… at Sabaody?!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded grimly. "The reports are consistent. Civilians have confirmed the Oro Jackson is docked at Grove 13."
Admiral Sengoku adjusted his glasses, voice sharp. "They're too bold. Sabaody's practically under our shadow — to appear there means they're daring us to respond."
"And Nyx D. Ada was with them," Tsuru added. "We've received word of her involvement in the Sabaody slave market's destruction months ago — alongside an unidentified male accomplice."
At that, Garp laughed loudly, feet on the table, hands behind his head. "BWAHAHAHAHA! Good for her! That filthy slave ring's been overdue for a beating!"
Sengoku shot him a glare. "Garp, this isn't a joke! We can't allow the Roger Pirates and his crew to rest so close to the Red Line."
Garp smirked. "Relax, Sengoku. You really think Roger'll sit still? He's probably already planning to sail again."
Kong slammed his fist on the table. "Enough. Mobilize the nearest fleet. Send three warships immediately — their mission is surveillance and containment. If the Roger Pirates attempt to flee, engage with full force!"
Sengoku saluted. "Understood, sir."
Tsuru's eyes narrowed. "If Ada's there, she's likely the reason they risked coming back. Something's changed."
Garp's laughter faded into a knowing grin. "Yeah… something always does, when that woman's involved."
———-
Later that night, the bonfire burned bright under the glowing roots of Sabaody. The crew sat in a loose circle, mugs in hand, laughter echoing across the grove. The night was alive with the sound of clinking cups and the chatter of old friends reunited.
Shanks sat cross-legged near Ada, grinning wide. "Big Sis Ada, you really brought a doctor? You're amazing!"
Buggy scoffed, waving a half-eaten piece of meat. "Tch, what's so amazing? She probably just found him wandering around."
Ada flicked a peanut at his forehead without even looking. "Mind your manners, Buggy."
"OW!"
Shanks burst out laughing, nearly spilling his drink. "She got you again!"
Buggy glared at him. "Shut up, carrot-head!"
Rayleigh, seated beside Roger, leaned back and smiled faintly at the chaos. "You were right," he said quietly to the captain. "She's got the same kind of madness as the rest of us."
Roger's eyes followed Ada — the way her expression softened when Shanks and Buggy argued, the way she laughed quietly with Gaban, the calm precision in her every word.
Roger then grinned. "That's why she's still here."
As the night deepened, Roger finally approached Crocus, who was sitting at the edge of the firelight, examining a small vial.
"So?" Roger asked, his tone softer now. "Can you help me?"
Crocus didn't look up immediately. "Help, yes. Cure… no."
Roger nodded, as if he'd expected that. "I see."
"You're a stubborn man," Crocus said, finally meeting his gaze. "But whatever this illness is, it's not natural. You've got years left — not many, but enough. If you push yourself, less."
Roger chuckled. "Heh. Then I'd better make those years count."
Ada approached silently, folding her arms. "You don't sound surprised."
Roger turned to her with a wide grin. "Because I've already decided what to do with the time I have left."
Ada's brow arched slightly. "Another of your grand adventures?"
"Not just another," Roger said, eyes glinting in the firelight. "The greatest one."
There was something in his voice — something that made even Ada pause. A promise that whatever he was planning would shake the world itself.
Crocus looked between them, his curiosity barely hidden. "Whatever you're about to do, Captain, I'll be there to keep you alive long enough to finish it."
Roger laughed heartily and clapped him on the shoulder. "That's the spirit, Doctor!"
As the celebration waned and the others drifted to sleep, Ada remained awake by the fading fire. The night breeze carried the scent of the sea — wild, unending, free.
Crocus joined her quietly, leaning against a nearby root. "You really went far to find me," he said.
"I don't like owing debts," Ada replied softly.
He gave her a sidelong glance. "You care about him."
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded once. "He reminds me that the world isn't all cruelty and chains. Just… laughter and madness."
Crocus smiled faintly. "That's what makes men like him dangerous — and worth saving."
Ada didn't answer. Her gaze was fixed on the stars reflected in the water — endless points of light scattered across the night.
The crew's laughter echoed faintly behind them, mingling with the rustle of mangrove leaves. And above it all, the bubbles drifted lazily into the sky — fleeting, fragile, beautiful.
For the first time in years, Ada allowed herself to exhale fully.
She had returned.
And soon, the seas would tremble again.
————
The next morning the Oro Jackson was alive with motion. Crocus loaded his medical supplies onto the ship, checking each crate.
Rayleigh shouted orders while Shanks and Buggy ran across the deck, laughing as they tossed ropes and barrels.
Ada stood at the edge of the shore, the bubbles of Sabaody drifting lazily into the sky like fragments of glass. The light was soft, but the air — the air felt wrong. Heavy. Expectant.
Crocus joined her, his expression tightening as he scanned the horizon. "You feel it too, don't you?"
Ada nodded slowly. "Yeah. The air's too still. It's the kind of quiet that comes before gunfire."
A moment later, the shout tore across the grove.
"WARSHIPS! APPROACHING FAST FROM THE SOUTH!"
The peaceful chatter of the Roger Pirates vanished in an instant. Men leapt to their stations, the ground vibrating under the rush of boots.
Roger turned toward the sea, grin already spreading across his face. "Hah! About time they showed up!"
Rayleigh sighed, drawing his sword from its sheath with a smooth metallic whisper. "We can't even drop anchor without stirring the hornet's nest."
From across the water, a harsh voice thundered through a Marine transponder snail.
"ROGER PIRATES! THIS IS THE MARINES! IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE, YOU ARE ORDERED TO SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY!"
The words rolled over the waves — official, commanding, and utterly ignored.
Roger threw his head back and laughed. "Surrender? Do I look like the surrendering type?!"
The crew roared with laughter as cannons were wheeled into place. Ada leapt onto the deck beside him, wind tugging at her coat. "You do realize we could just leave quietly, right?"
Roger grinned, turning to her. "Where's the fun in that?"
Ada's eyes flicked to the line of Marine warships cutting through the bubbles, their flags stark against the shimmering sea. Her hand brushed the hilt of her pistol as she smirked. "Well… looks like the welcoming party's early."
Crocus exhaled beside her, gripping the railing. "You weren't kidding when you said this crew attracts trouble."
"Trouble?" Ada replied, a faint grin forming. "We call that breakfast."
The first cannonball whistled through the air. Ada drew her pistol, firing once — her shot hit the fuse midair, detonating it early in a burst of light.
The crew cheered. "That's our Ada!"
"Raise the anchor!" Roger bellowed. "Let's show the Marines what it means to chase the Roger Pirates!"
The Oro Jackson began to move, the waves parting as its sails filled with wind. Rayleigh gave the signal — the cannons fired in a rolling thunder, smoke billowing as Marine ships closed in.
Crocus braced himself against the rail. "You people are insane."
Ada smirked, reloading her pistol. "Welcome to the crew, Doctor."
————-
As the Oro Jackson sped into open sea, the battle behind them turned into chaos — cannonfire lighting up the horizon, smoke mingling with the glow of Sabaody's mangrove roots.
Roger stood at the prow, wind whipping through his hair, laughing as if the world itself were his stage. "The seas are ours again!"
Ada joined him, eyes narrowing toward the distant horizon. "Where to next, Captain?"
Roger turned to her, grin wild and boundless. "To the ends of the world."
And with that, the Oro Jackson disappeared into the horizon — the Marines left in their wake, smoke curling skyward, as the legend of the Roger Pirates continued its unstoppable course.