I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

In the distance, the outlines of the Sabaody Archipelago and the towering mangrove trees could be seen.

"By the way, Roger," Crocus said with a slight smile.

“Rayle has been living in seclusion in the Sabaody Archipelago. If Ivankov and the others haven’t arrived yet, we could meet with him first.”

“Rayleigh?” Roger was slightly taken aback.

After faking his death, he actually came to the Sabaody Archipelago, but because of Sieg's plan, he did not meet with Rayleigh.

But this time, Roger's name has almost spread throughout the Grand Line, so it doesn't make much sense for him to be avoiding Rayleigh.

..........

Marineford, Naval Headquarters.

Inside the Marshal's office.

"What? The Red-Haired Pirates' ship has escaped the surveillance ship's watchful eye?"

Marshal Sengoku frowned as he listened to the report from the naval officer.

"Is it that Shanks guy again? Of the Four Emperors of the New World, he's probably the most active one."

The Four Emperors of the New World are no ordinary forces, and each of the Navys has specially dispatched surveillance ships to patrol the surrounding area to prevent any sudden actions by the Four Emperors.

However, the youngest of the Four Emperors, Shanks, is relatively active, frequently attacking surveillance ships and wandering around the Grand Line.

"Don't worry about it, Sengoku period."

Karp sat on the sofa, absentmindedly eating a donut, and interjected:

"Shanks probably just went somewhere to have some fun and drink, like he always does, right?"

"Of the four emperors, he is the only one who is always so carefree."

Most of the other emperors in the New World possess large pirate crews and fixed territories.

The Whitebeard Pirates consisted of 1600 members and included dozens of other pirate crews.

Kaido is the guardian deity of Wano Country, while Big Mom simply established her own kingdom, Whole Cake Island.

The Red-Haired Pirates are known for their small number of members, and they have the highest average bounty among their crew members, earning them the title of the most well-rounded "Iron Wall" pirate crew.

Such a small pirate crew is inherently difficult for surveillance ships to track.

In addition, Shanks himself often wanders the Grand Line, and this has happened many times.

Sengoku remained noncommittal, but then his gaze fell on Garp, and he said angrily;

"Garp, didn't I tell you to find out the truth about Gol D. Wong? Why are you still at headquarters?"

Karp paused in his eating of the donut.

"How am I supposed to investigate this? That tsunami swallowed up all traces; there's absolutely no way to find out anything."

He secretly shook his head in his heart.

In the past few days, he made a special trip to inquire about news from Donghai Windmill Village, but he did not find any sign of Wang Luojie appearing.

This matter involves Ace, and he couldn't very well explain it to Sengoku.

"Don't give me that crap. You need to leave headquarters right now!"

Sengoku shoved Garp out of the office and slammed the door shut.

"That Garp guy is such a worry."

He breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the donut that Karp had left on the table, and started eating it.

Outside.

Karp listened to the commotion inside and pursed his lips.

"Luckily, I had another bag hidden."

He took out a bag of rice crackers from his pocket and ate them as he walked.

"If Roger were still alive... he probably would have gone after Rayleigh instead of Ace..."

"Hahaha... How could Roger still be alive?"

"Forget it, let's go to the Sabaody Archipelago to escape the heat of the Warring States period."

Chapter 864 Life is but a fleeting dream

"We've finally shaken off those naval surveillance ships."

Shanks gazed at the boundless sea and sighed.

The pirate ship Red sailed on the sea, rising and falling with the waves, with no trace of naval surveillance ships around.

"Shanks, what's wrong with letting the surveillance ships follow us, just like before? At this critical moment, would the Navy dare to deliberately cause us trouble?"

Sniper Yasopp shook his head and laughed:

"Wouldn't going to such lengths to avoid the navy's sight just cause more trouble?"

The current world order is becoming increasingly precarious due to the release of the 56 Emperors from Impel Down, coupled with the rise of Shiki and Sigurd.

The Navy usually turns a blind eye to the Four Emperors and generally does not attack Shanks proactively.

“This time is different. I want to go to Mr. Reilly and ask him about Roger Wang.”

Shanks shook his head.

"At this critical juncture, my meeting with Mr. Raleigh may touch a nerve in the Navy."

Shanks didn't know Sig's whereabouts, but he did know that Rayleigh was living in seclusion on the Sabaody Archipelago.

"Roger Wang...?"

Upon hearing this name, the previously noisy pirates gradually quieted down.

Shanks made a completely different judgment regarding Roger's survival compared to Garp, Whitebeard, and others.

But for Yasopp and his crew, Roger was more than just the legendary Pirate King.

He is still their captain, Shanks' former captain.

"Shanks," First Mate Beckman suddenly asked.

"If the so-called King Roger is really the Pirate King, what do you plan to do?"

Shanks was taken aback.

This question has stumped him.

"What to do..." He scratched his head, grinning to reveal two rows of white teeth:

"Maybe we'll just chat with him and have a drink?"

These words made Beckman and the others' eyes narrow slightly, but they also secretly felt relieved.

Shanks is no longer the apprentice crew member on Roger's ship. He is now one of the Four Emperors and has already established his own empire.

But they also knew that Roger held a special place in Shanks' heart.

You can tell from that straw hat.

Given Shanks's consistent personality, they were genuinely a little worried that he might abandon his current identity and return to follow the legendary Pirate King.

.............

Sabaody Archipelago.

Xiaqi's Bar is exactly the same as usual today.

In the quiet little bar, Shakky stood behind the bar washing glasses, while Rayleigh sat in his seat, casually picking up a newspaper and reading it.

“Roger Wang…” Rayleigh murmured.

The newspaper did not contain a photo of Roger Wang; it only mentioned that Sieg and Roger Wang had previously fought off the Fifty-Six Emperors.

"The World Government's denial is certainly simple and crude."

Xia Qi, with a cigarette dangling from her lips, spoke with the cigarette holder twitching slightly.

"A mix-up caused by a punctuation error? This matter is related to Wang Xige... I mean, to Xige. That might not be so simple," Xia Qi said quietly.

“But Roger had a terminal illness that even Crocus couldn’t cure… Even if he didn’t die, faking his death doesn’t seem like something he would do.” Rayleigh shook his head.

at this time.

With a creak, the bar door was pushed open.

Several familiar faces walked in one after another.

"Sig? Crocus? Barrett?"

Rayleigh looked surprised; he never expected to suddenly see these old friends again.

“Rayleigh, you’ve gotten old, your hair’s all white.” Barrett’s gaze swept over Rayleigh, her brow furrowing slightly.

"You're not carrying a sword?"

“I’ve already retired and gone into seclusion,” Rayleigh chuckled.

But his gaze quickly fell on the fourth person.

He was a middle-aged man, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and shorts, with brown sunglasses on his face and a fine stubble around his lips. He didn't look like a pirate, but rather a tourist vacationing in the Sabaody Archipelago.

"you...."

Rayleigh hesitated slightly, his gaze lingering on the man for a moment, before suddenly shuddering.

He suddenly recalled Roger's last words from a long time ago.

"I will not die."

...............

Shaki's bar wasn't big, and Sieg didn't bring everyone in with him.

Inside the bar, apart from Sig and a few of his subordinates, almost everyone was a former member of Roger's pirate crew.

"So even with my new outfit and sunglasses, I still can't hide it from acquaintances?"