Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

1499 in the Haiyuan calendar.

After more than half a year of hard work, the Roger Pirates had searched for all the Poneglyphs on the Grand Line.

Finally, on Zou Island, they found the last historical marker stone.

Oden Kozuki, who was able to read ancient scripts, discovered the Kozuki clan's family crest in Zou, confirming the rumor circulating in Wano Country that the Kozuki clan had once been sworn brothers with the Mink Tribe. After obtaining enough information, they left Zou and headed to the final location of the Road Sign Bow.

"Hey, Bucky, are you feeling any better?"

Shanks looked at Buggy lying on the hospital bed with concern, and at the same time changed Buggy's towel to cool him down. Buggy, who often argued with Shanks, was now too weak to speak.

Shanks, am I going to die?

Bucky's voice was trembling with tears.

He was terrified of death because he had not yet fulfilled his wish: to find the world's hidden treasure.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Bucky? You just have a fever, nothing serious will happen to you."

Ship's doctor Crocus patted Bucky on the shoulder and said reassuringly.

First mate Rayleigh also came over, offering Bucky a word of comfort while giving Crocus a wink.

The two quickly left the small house.

How much longer can Roger hold on?

Rayleigh asked Crocus with a worried look on his face. As Roger's good brother, he had an obligation to know.

If Roger didn't engage in any more battles, he would probably live for another year or so.

Kurokas recalled the diagnosis he had given Roger over the past six months.

Rayleigh nodded. In a year, Roger's dream should be fulfilled; the goal was now within reach.

We're almost at our destination. Bucky should leave him here; after all, nobody knows what the final destination will be like.

If something really difficult happens, we might not be able to take care of Bucky.

As the first mate, Rayleigh was very thoughtful. Since no one knew what the future held, he naturally imagined it to be very difficult.

"Mr. Rayleigh, are you heading to the final island?"

At some point, Shanks emerged from the hut and overheard Rayleigh and Crocus's conversation. "Yes, that's right, Shanks. What I'm more worried about right now is Buggy's health; he really needs someone to take care of him."

Rayleigh nodded.

A flicker of hesitation and struggle crossed Shanks' face. On one side lay the ultimate goal—the end of the world—the final island; on the other, his sworn brothers with whom he had shared life and death.

Rayleigh and Crocus seemed to sense Shanks' inner turmoil, and both of them fell silent, giving Shanks time to process. After a long while, Shanks raised his small face and said seriously.

"Mr. Rayleigh, Mr. Crocus, I've made up my mind. I'm not going to the final island; I'll stay and take care of Buggy."

Rayleigh asked with a half-smile on his face;

"Have you made up your mind, Shanks? This is the final island; there might not be another chance to come back."

After making his decision, Shanks' face became unusually resolute. "It's alright, Mr. Rayleigh. Buggy is my good brother. He's sick, so it's my duty to take care of him. As for the final island, one day I will lead my crew back down the Grand Line to the final island!"

Young Shanks clenched his fist, full of enthusiasm for the future.

Rayleigh and Crocus exchanged a glance and burst into laughter. They hadn't misjudged him; as a young apprentice on Roger's pirate ship, how could he not have his own dreams?

Not to mention Shanks, who possesses an exceptionally strong talent for Conqueror's Haki.

Rayleigh patted Shanks on the shoulder and said;

"Do a good job with Shanks, and your pirate crew will become as powerful as the Roger Pirates."

Yes, after the Golden Lion Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates were both destroyed by the Navy, the Roger Pirates are now the strongest crew on the Grand Line.

Even without Jabba, Roger's pirate crew was still the strongest.

Are Roger and the others almost there? That's impressive.

Charlotte Linlin on Whole Cake Island was reading a newspaper while eating a donut.

This newspaper contained the Roger Pirates' itinerary from ten days ago. According to the report, the Roger Pirates had basically reached one of the last remaining islands on the Grand Line.

Further on, that mysterious final island will not be easy to find.

At this moment, it wasn't just Charlotte Linlin who was paying attention to the Roger Pirates' itinerary; the entire world was watching them.

In the office of Marineford Division 1, Kong, wearing glasses, is reading.

On the sofa, Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru each had a newspaper.

"While reading the newspaper," Karp said.

"Wow, Roger is amazing. He's a worthy opponent for me. He's already reached this level."

Just imagine, if he really reaches the final island, wouldn't he be the undisputed pirate king?

"Then wouldn't I be the nemesis of the pirate overlord?"

Garp said narcissistically, picking his nose.

Sengoku, while moving away from Garp, said earnestly:

Master Kong, I think we should upgrade the Roger Pirates to the highest level. I suggest we concentrate all the Navy's forces to destroy them in one fell swoop, just like we did with the Golden Lion Pirates.

"The Roger Pirates already have terrifying influence. If they really find the final island, they can gather a huge number of pirates based on that reputation!"

I believe his threat level is no less than that of the Rocks Pirates back in the day.

Sengoku analyzed the danger level of Roger's pirate crew very seriously. "It's not as terrifying as you say," he said. "Roger wasn't that kind of person."

Upon hearing Sengoku's words, Garp immediately retorted,

He didn't want Roger to be targeted by the entire navy with all its might.

Garp knew all too well how terrifying the Navy's power was. Even if the Rocks Pirates, who once dominated the New World, were to be resurrected and fight to the death, they still wouldn't be able to defeat the current Navy!

In that great battle back then, many captains of the Rocks Pirates did not go all out.

Including but not limited to Edward Newgate the Whitebeard, Stephen A. Smith the Golden Lion, etc.

However, the navy's combat strength at that time was not particularly large, mainly consisting of Air Force, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr.

There weren't any particularly strong naval commanders below that.

But things are different now.

Kong is still serving as Fleet Admiral, Sengoku and Garp are at their peak, and although Zephyr is emotionally wounded, his strength hasn't diminished too much.

At the same time, a large number of monsters emerged from the Navy, such as Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, and the most dazzling Raleigh.

Sometimes Garp and Sengoku doubted whether Raleigh's strength had truly crossed that threshold and reached the level of top-tier combat power.

But Raleigh always slacked off, and nobody really knew what his background was.

Kong ignored Garp's ramblings and seriously considered Sengoku's opinion.

In fact, the Roger Pirates never showed the same ambition as the Rocks Pirates, such as dominating the New World or trying to overthrow the Celestial Dragons' rule.

However, the problem is that even if the Roger Pirates didn't do such a thing, the threat they themselves posed was already significant.

Unless the Roger Pirates disband voluntarily, most pirates in the world would voluntarily join the Roger Pirates for protection.

Sometimes, it's not because a particular person or force actually did something; the reason they're targeted is simply because their level of threat has reached a certain point.

Regardless of whether the Roger Pirates had any ambitions, Kong decided to use all available resources to strike at the Roger Pirates.

Even if we can't destroy the Roger Pirates, we should at least make them fall apart like the Rocks Pirates.

Meanwhile, Raleigh, who was cruising on the Grand Line, was also looking at this newspaper.

"Is this chaotic era finally about to begin?"

A complex mix of emotions flashed in Raleigh's eyes.

He disliked the Age of Exploration initiated by Roger because it meant disaster for ordinary people around the world.

However, he was indeed an ambitious man who hoped to take advantage of the chaos of the Age of Exploration to achieve his goal of overthrowing the Celestial Dragons' rule.

In short, Raleigh chose the path most advantageous to himself when he was unable to fight against the tide of the times.

"Even if they really come, it doesn't matter. We're not helpless against pirates like we used to be."

Raleigh believed that the East Blue and North Blue he controlled were an impenetrable fortress, and no pirate, no matter what kind, could possibly gain an advantage in these two places.

Unless some pirates are returning to the four seas from the Grand Line, the Navy of the Four Seas Branch is more than capable of suppressing them.

Amidst the raging wind and rain, the members of Roger's pirate crew busied themselves on the ship.

Roger personally controlled the ship's direction and directed the actions of everyone on board.

boom!

Bolts of lightning, as thick as buckets, kept striking the vicinity of the ship.

"Rayleigh!"

Roger shouted.

"knew!"

Rayleigh leaped high into the air, unleashing a semi-circular sword beam that struck a bolt of lightning.

The air was filled with the crackling sound of electricity coursing through it.

Rumble!

The deafening thunder in the clouds never ceased.

Rayleigh wiped the rain off his face, his eyes wide open, ready for the next lightning strike.

Like him, Kozuki Oden was also holding his twin swords and staring at the sky.

Rayleigh felt a surge of emotion.

As expected of the place leading to the final island, the terrible weather along the way is simply unimaginable for ordinary people.

Even the islands of the forty-eight seasons in the latter half of the Grand Line are not as dangerous as this section.

If not for the fact that every member of Roger's crew was a highly skilled fighter, even if they knew the right path, they might not have been able to break through.

But thinking about it, it's obvious that if it weren't such a dangerous place, it would have been discovered long ago.

Although few people can understand the historical texts, they can still be found if you look carefully.

Whether it's the Kozuki clan of Wano Country or the scholars of Ohara in the West Blue, there are countless people who can decipher the Poneglyphs.

Over the years, someone must have tried to deduce the location of the final island by examining the Poneglyphs.

The reason they failed was most likely because they weren't strong enough.

It's important to understand that without sufficient strength, even the Poneglyphs cannot be collected.

Often, the Poneglyphs are in the hands of powerful factions, and of those, only four are considered road signs.

Even if they obtained everything, they would still face the same disaster that the Roger Pirates are currently facing.

In the face of this disaster, numbers are of no use whatsoever.

All you can do is pray for good luck and hope your partner is supportive.

Fortunately, the Roger Pirates were relatively evenly matched; excluding Shanks and Buggy, everyone in the crew was at least a Vice Admiral in the Navy.

However, the deaths of Jabba and Barrett, one of whom died and the other left, still had some impact.

A bolt of lightning broke through the defenses of the people on board and struck the hull hard, creating a crack.

Roger was not afraid when he saw this; on the contrary, he became even more excited.

He drew Ace from his waist, one hand on the rudder and the other pointing to the sky:

Hahahaha, come on, let me see where your limits are!

"Men of the sea never fear the trials of wind and rain, for they believe that after the storm lies a bright and free land!"

Roger's hearty laughter infected everyone on the ship, and they all laughed wildly like Roger.

Having come this far, there's no turning back; we can only move forward with a big laugh.

Rayleigh, Kozuki Oden, Crocus, Sambell, and other crew members faced the challenge from the sky while laughing heartily.

After a day and a night, the Roger Pirates finally emerged from that hellish sea.

Exhausted, everyone lay down on the boat.

The warm sunshine shone on them, making them feel so cozy that they didn't want to move at all.

"Hey, doesn't the air here smell a lot like home?"

Rayleigh grinned and asked Roger, who was lying unceremoniously on the deck beside him,

Upon hearing this, Roger used his special ability to sense it and his expression became extremely strange.

His expression was a mix of crying and laughing, his face changing from disbelief to a mocking, maniacal laugh.

"Hahahaha, I know! I know!"

So that's the secret of the final island! I see!

"I knew everyone was wrong. They'll never know the secret of the final island until they get here."

Roger laughed so hard he couldn't breathe, and he just rolled around on the deck.

Rayleigh and the others stared at Roger, who was laughing wildly, with expressions of confusion and disbelief. They had no idea what kind of secret Rayleigh had come to understand.

Roger, what exactly have you figured out?

Rayleigh asked with a puzzled look, he couldn't understand why Roger could figure out a certain secret when they arrived at the final island together, while he couldn't.

But Roger didn't answer his question directly; instead, he looked around at the seawater.

Then, with a mysterious expression, he said:

"Rayleigh, I have some ideas now. I need to verify them on the final island later. If my guess is right, it would truly be the most ridiculous thing on this sea!"