"I do what I want."
Buckin's face twisted in disbelief.
Whitebeard looked at Roy. Back in the day, Roy had asked him if he wanted to become the Pirate King, and he claimed he knew how to obtain the One Piece.
At that time, it was just the two of them. Roy told him he came from the future and knew what lay ahead. If Whitebeard wanted the One Piece, Roy would help him get it.
But Whitebeard refused without hesitation.
It was a very straightforward rejection.
Because his dream was never to become the so-called Pirate King or to obtain some legendary treasure.
All he ever wanted was a family, a group of people he could call family.
And if he'd claimed the One Piece?
The World Government would have hunted them to extinction.
After all, he had witnessed how everyone who had come into contact with the true history had died.
Even if one obtained the One Piece, if they didn't have the strength to protect it, it would be meaningless, like Marco parading a gold coin through the town, attracting attention. If the Whitebeard Pirates had reached Laugh Tale before the Roger Pirates...
There would have been two outcomes:
Either they disband the crew, and everyone goes into hiding...
Or the Whitebeard Pirates are annihilated. Back then, they could never have withstood the pursuit of the World Government.
Whitebeard's dream was to have a home, not to watch that home be destroyed.
At the time, the Whitebeard Pirates had just been formed. Roy and the others were still teenagers. No one wanted to die.
Naturally, Whitebeard chose to give up, to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Roger and his crew were fearless because they didn't know the consequences.
But Whitebeard had been with the Rocks Pirates and knew exactly what the Poneglyphs were.
Maybe if the Whitebeard Pirates had the same power level as the Rocks Pirates, they could have tried to uncover the secrets behind the so-called treasure.
But after forming his own crew, Whitebeard only wanted a home.
As for after his death, he didn't really think too far ahead.
Everyone has their own fate.
Besides, with Roy around, he believed the Whitebeard Pirates would be fine.
When Buckin heard Roy's words, she couldn't handle it and began shaking her head furiously.
"No way! No way! How could you possibly have known about Laugh Tale 30 years ago? If you really did, you should've gone there and become ruler of the world!"
"You're overthinking it. If reaching that place gave you the power to rule the world, why did the Roger Pirates disband? If there truly was a world-shaking power hidden there, do you think the Roger Pirates wouldn't have acted on it?"
"Disband the crew and hide? The Celestial Dragons aren't as simple as you think. The power to overthrow the world doesn't lie in Laugh Tale or the One Piece. Rather, that power is in people who can shake the world."
"I don't like talking about fate, but after these thirty-eight years, many events that were changed still ended up playing out the same. Even the Sea Kings at the bottom of the ocean said the kings would be born together, it's destiny. It cannot be changed."
"Since it can't be changed, all I can do is protect those around me in the meantime. You, on the other hand, should stop causing trouble. Weevil is just that. He was nothing but a cloned human. You're only crying because you lost your bodyguard. For you, nothing is more important than money."
Faced with Roy's ice-cold tone, Buckin backed away repeatedly. All her thoughts had been laid bare.
"Don't interrupt our banquet," Roy said as he brushed past her. Everyone else followed, not sparing her a single glance.
She was just an old woman; how much value could she possibly have? As far as Roy was concerned, none. Same with Weevil, he was of no use, especially to the Whitebeard Pirates as they are now.
When Roy returned home after being away for over ten days, he felt his heart melt at the sight of his daughter.
He spent time playing with her, brought her to the banquet, and even let her join in.
Rein loved the party even more than he did, clinking milk bottles with the others like she was drinking too.
Just like Katakuri had been born able to stand and use Conqueror's Haki, Roy's daughter seemed a bit unusual, too.
"Gurararara! So, Roy, what's next?" Whitebeard grinned, drinking beside him.
Roy sat next to him, while Rein had been taken off to play wildly by the others. Who would've thought she was just a baby?
"War's coming. I saw things out there… things that change everything," Roy replied.
"What did you see?" Whitebeard asked curiously.
"The ancient weapon Uranus is actually a spaceship. It was what destroyed the Lulusia Kingdom in a single strike, wiping it off the map, just like God Valley was once erased," Roy said.
Buckin, hiding behind Whitebeard, was eavesdropping. Roy knew she was there but didn't care. Letting her pass on this intel wasn't necessarily a bad thing; she'd probably try to sell it for money.
"Ancient weapons… I've heard of them but never seen one. The World Government forbids the study of the Poneglyphs, claiming it's to prevent the resurrection of the ancient weapons," Whitebeard said.
"Don't believe their lies. Though it's true that the Poneglyphs record the locations of the ancient weapons. Alabasta's Poneglyph mentions Pluton, Jaya's talks about Poseidon, and the one on Hachinosu mentions Uranus. Right now, I know the locations of all three ancient weapons."
Buckin gasped silently as she listened. She hadn't expected Roy to not only know the location of all the Poneglyphs, but also all the ancient weapons.
No wonder the Whitebeard Pirates had the guts to oppose the World Government.
She swallowed hard and kept listening, only to be grabbed by Whitebeard, who hurled her outside despite her protests.
"What's your plan now?" Whitebeard asked.
"I want to check on Pluton. Poseidon is the mermaid princess Shirahoshi on Fishman Island; she's born into the royal family every few centuries. Uranus is currently in the hands of the Celestial Dragons. It needs an enormous power source, so Vegapunk might be in danger. I plan to take the Mother Flame."
"Pluton is the only one whose condition I don't understand. I need to go and see what it actually is."
"So you're heading to Wano Country?" Whitebeard asked.
"Yeah. I'll leave tomorrow," Roy nodded.
"You sure it's not for Loxus?" Whitebeard asked with a grin.
"He has his own path. I'm just going to check on Pluton, it really isn't because of him," Roy said firmly.
"Gurararara! Whatever you say!" Whitebeard laughed heartily, clearly enjoying teasing Roy.
Roy sighed helplessly. That was the only thing Whitebeard could use to mess with him.
The banquet ended, and the next morning, Roy set off.
Buckin had already left Moby Dick Island the night before and gotten in contact with Morgans.
"Morgans, I've got some intel, want it?" Buckin said.
"What kind of intel?"
"About the Poneglyphs and the ancient weapons."
...
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu