The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

Garp didn't answer, but just chewed the senbei vigorously, as if he were chewing on some indescribable emotion.

"Are you going alone this time?" Garp asked, glancing sideways at him.

“Of course I’ll bring Lipo and Tesoro along,” Gern shrugged. “After all, I need some help too.”

"Haha!" Garp suddenly regained his composure and burst into laughter: "You little rascal, you're trying to take their credit, aren't you!"

"Hey, Lieutenant General Garp!" Gern raised his index finger, feigning seriousness.

"You can't just say things like that. This is a serious mission that Marshal Steelbone Kong just personally issued."

"Don't give me that!" Garp laughed and scolded, then suddenly his expression changed, and he mysteriously pulled an object from his pocket.

It was clearly a poorly made shoe sole with obvious signs of wear on the edges.

“Take this ‘symbol of fatherly love’.” Without further ado, he shoved the “supreme shoe plate” into Gern’s hands.

“This is…” Gern looked down at the legendary “symbol of fatherly love.”

On the sole of the shoe were four crooked characters: "Education of Love".

"If I see that unfilial son..." Garp gritted his teeth and cracked his knuckles.

"You're going to use this to really hurt him! He didn't even invite his own father to his wedding? Is that even acceptable?!"

Garp grew angrier as he spoke, his fists clenching so tightly they cracked.

"I should have been the one to teach him a lesson, but I'll let you, my half-disciple, do it now..."

"Won't this be a bad idea...?" Gern weighed the "divine weapon" in his hand.

He said it was bad, but his smile never left his lips.

At the same time, his fingers gently stroked the uneven texture on the sole of the shoe, as if he could already foresee that Dorrag would receive his exclusive mark.

"Just tell me, are you going to help or not?"

"Rest assured, Lieutenant General Garp! I will make sure that Dragon experiences your 'fatherly love' deeply through my hands."

Garp nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly lowered his voice.

"Remember, aim for the left cheek; it's fleshy there, so it feels best to hit there..."

……

Meanwhile, in the South China Sea, on the island of Baterila.

As the sun sank below the horizon, it dyed the entire sky yellow.

On the cliffs at the edge of the town, the sea wind howled, whipping up waves that crashed against the rocks with a dull roar.

Shiki the Golden Lion sat cross-legged on the edge of the cliff, with a peculiar ship's wheel above his head, and cigar smoke swirling in front of his ferocious face.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of teeth: "Roger, how does it feel to become the 'Pirate King'?"

Opposite him, Gol D. Roger leaned casually against a rock, a peculiar hat pulled low, obscuring most of his face.

"Feelings? Ha..." He held a bottle of rum in his hand, tilted his head back and took a swig before slowly answering.

"It's like standing at the end of the world, only to find that there are even higher mountains ahead."

“Shiki.” Roger sighed deeply, then smiled slightly as he recalled what he had seen.

"It seems like we had our child too early!"

"Huh?!" Shiki looked puzzled, but quickly realized what he meant and burst into laughter, a laugh tinged with sarcasm.

"So, after going to all that trouble to reject me, and traveling the world in pursuit of your dreams, you come to this conclusion?"

Roger did not respond immediately, but looked out at the distant sea where a fishing boat was slowly passing by.

After a long silence, he spoke again: "Ski, you didn't come to me just to ask me such a pointless question, did you?" With that, Roger threw the bottle away.

The golden lion casually took the drink, took a swig, his smile vanished, and his eyes suddenly sharpened: "Of course not."

He exhaled a smoke ring and said in a low voice, "I'm here to ask you... what exactly is on this 'Laugh Tale' you're talking about?"

Why did you disband your pirate crew? Didn't you fulfill your dream, Roger?!

Chapter 180 The Last Meeting

"Didn't you fulfill your dream, Roger?!"

Shiki's shouts came along with the sound of waves crashing against the shore.

Roger looked up at his old rival, a smirk playing on his lips, and burst into laughter as he reopened a bottle of rum.

Then, he lightly tapped the bottle with his fingers, making a crisp sound: "Guess?"

"Stop playing games with me, you bastard!" The Golden Lion suddenly stood up, his cloak fluttering in the wind.

"Roger, we were enemies, but we're also old acquaintances. Tell me the truth!"

Roger finally raised his head, his eyes beneath his hat gleaming with a complex light: "The truth... is sometimes crueler than a lie."

"Hmph!" the golden lion sneered. "You think I'm afraid?"

Roger stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed: "Alright, since you're so eager to know..."

He stood up, brushed the sand off his trousers, and said, "The answer to this world is hidden on Laugh Tale."

"Answer? What answer?"

“The answer is, we are not the people ‘it’ needs…” Roger’s voice was soft, but it was like a sharp knife piercing the heart of the golden lion.

The golden lion's pupils suddenly contracted, and its breath caught in its throat for a moment.

"Heh, just as I thought." But soon, he regained his arrogant expression: "I didn't expect you to deny yourself, Roger."

Roger shrugged, then suddenly felt a wave of discomfort, but he couldn't reveal his terminal illness to Shiki.

So he chose to tough it out, using the choking from drinking to cover up his embarrassment.

"Cough cough cough, Shiki, my adventure is over."

"So what?" The Golden Lion, oblivious to Roger's unusual behavior, grinned maliciously, a blazing fire of ambition burning in his eyes.

"Now you are the Pirate King!! I acknowledge your strength."

Roger shook his head: "Ski, times have changed."

Now, all alone, what do you have to fight against the World Government's navy?

"Who says I'm a person?" The golden lion spread his arms wide, the wind whipping his golden mane like a lion's mane.

"As long as I raise my arm and call, the pirates of the New World will respond once again!"

Roger, join me! With your current title of "Pirate King," we can totally..."

"No need," Roger interrupted him directly, his tone resolute. "My journey is over."

The golden lion's smile froze on his face: "What do you mean by this? Even though your dream is over, you still won't help me?"

Roger didn't answer, but instead tilted his head back and drank the last of the wine in the bottle in one gulp, then forcefully threw the bottle into the sea.

The glass bottle traced an arc in the air before disappearing into the surging waves.

"Roger!" Shiki's voice was filled with rage. "Are you really content with this? You are the Pirate King!"

"The Pirate King?" Roger chuckled, removing his hat and letting the sea breeze tousle his hair.

“That’s just a title.” He turned around, his back to the golden lion, his voice low and firm.

"Ski, our legendary era has come to an end."

The stage ahead... belongs to the people of the new era.

"Then we should join forces to usher in a new era!" The Golden Lion stared intently at his back, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Roger didn't turn around, but simply waved his hand casually: "Think what you want." He strode forward, his voice gradually fading into the sea breeze.

"Moreover, I haven't retired; I just want to take a break."

He paused for a moment, then looked up at the night sky where stars had already appeared: "And then... I will personally usher in a true era."

Having said that, Roger paused for a moment, but ultimately did not stop, his figure gradually disappearing into the twilight.

On the cliff, only the Golden Lion remained.

After hearing Roger's words about starting a new era, he stomped his foot, and the ground instantly cracked open with spiderweb-like fissures.

"A new era? Ha..." He sneered, his eyes flashing with a mad light. "Hahaha! I knew I hadn't misjudged you, Roger!!"

"I'll come back to you after you usher in the new era you speak of!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shiki activated his Devil Fruit ability and soared into the air. His floating figure quickly turned into a black dot and disappeared into the clouds.

Roger, who had been holding on, finally knelt down after confirming with his Observation Haki that Shiki's aura had completely disappeared.

Fresh blood gushed from his mouth, blooming into a glaring red on the ground.

"Hahaha!!" He lay on his back, gazing at the starry sky, and suddenly burst into laughter.

Laughter mingled with blood and foam echoed across the desolate coastline.

“Shiki…” He raised his hand as if to grab something, but in the end it just fell limply to his side.

"This is probably the last time we'll see each other."

The waves continued to lap against the shore, as if playing a lament for the end of an era.

.........

The Grand Line, the Kingdom of Nicholas.

The streets of the capital were filled with the smell of gunpowder, and the flags of the revolutionary army fluttered in the wind above the ruins.

The civilians held simple weapons, their eyes burning with long-lost hope.

The street fighting continued, and the remnants of the King's army were retreating step by step. The one leading this storm was the man in the dark green cloak—Monkey D. Dragon.

At this moment, he stood beside the dilapidated fountain in the center of the square, coldly directing the revolutionary army's actions.

"The east gate has been breached, but the royal palace is still defended by the royal guards!" A revolutionary soldier rushed over to report.

Dorag nodded slightly, his voice low: "Have the third team lead men to break in through the sewers, and leave Ivankov to hold them off from the front."

"Yes!"

The revolutionary army's offensive was in full swing, and victory seemed to be just around the corner.

However, at that moment, a cold voice suddenly rang out, breaking the clamor of the battlefield.

"Long time no see, Dragon."

"That voice!!!" Dorrag's pupils shrank, and he turned around abruptly.

On the flat roof of a building not far away, three figures stood against the light.

The leader, Gern, had his hands in his pockets, the Black Blade Eight Desolations hanging diagonally at his waist, and his Justice Cloak fluttering in the wind.

Lipo, standing beside him, wiggled her rabbit ears and curiously surveyed the battlefield below, while Tesoro crossed his arms, his gold ring gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

“Gern…” Dragon’s voice turned somber, and the surrounding Revolutionary Army soldiers immediately raised their weapons in alarm.

Gern leaped lightly and landed on the roof, with Libo and Tesoro close behind.

The three of them stood in the open space between the revolutionary army and the royal palace.

"It's quite lively here." Gern looked around, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"They didn't even send out invitations for their wedding, and now they're making such a big fuss here..."

"Dorag, you really are... getting more and more rebellious."

Chapter 181 Farewell to "Revolution" Dragon

In the smoke-filled square, Dorrag's heart sank, and his fingers clenched involuntarily.

"Trouble..."

He knew Gern's strength better than anyone else.

The destructive power of the Heaven-Shattering Fruit, the sharpness of the Black Blade Eight Desolations, the oppressive aura of Conqueror's Haki...