The whole square fell into deathly silence.
Ritter knew that no matter what the Five Elders said next be it threats or promises it wouldn't matter anymore.
The grudge between them had already been forged. The World Government would never allow someone who threatened the Celestial Dragons to live.
Did they really think a single favor would make the World Government back down? Ritter's strength was out in the open now this was just giving the Five Elders a face-saving exit.
After a long silence, one of the Five Elders finally spoke.
"…Warlord of the Sea."
"Accept the first seat as a Warlord, and you can take Roger's body."
Ritter laughed.
He knew the Five Elders didn't care about the Navy's pride. They only cared about the Celestial Dragons' safety. The Shichibukai system? The Navy probably didn't even know it existed yet.
"Deal."
Ritter understood they would never truly let him go, and the Five Elders knew Ritter would never obey them. But this was enough. The World Government got to save face who cared about the Navy's dignity?
To Ritter, this Warlord title was nothing but a temporary pass.
He turned toward the execution platform. Navy soldiers instinctively stepped back. No one dared stop him.
He reached down and gently picked up Roger's severed head. With a swirl of mist, he reattached it to the lifeless body and lifted the corpse onto his back.
Roger's head drooped slightly, as if he were only resting on Ritter's shoulder.
And then
Boom!!
Ritter crushed the execution platform beneath his feet!
The entire structure collapsed, sending wood splinters flying. With a single sweep of his massive Black Tide greatsword, he unleashed a blade wind that scattered the shattered wood like a storm of arrows toward the port of Loguetown.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each fragment pierced the ground with pinpoint precision, stacking into a crude yet solemn funeral pyre.
Stepping through the air with Moonwalk, Ritter strode above Loguetown.
He shifted Roger's weight slightly. "You're so light, Captain."
But there would be no response.
Arriving at the harbor, Ritter gently placed Roger's body atop the wooden pyre.
Dark clouds loomed. Lightning flickered in the distance.
Ritter looked up toward the sky.
"Captain, this weather's no good for adventuring."
"Mist Realm: Rebirth Bloom."
Raindrops evaporated the moment they touched the blood-red mist.
A funeral blossom bloomed in the fog, its petals glowing with a crimson light. It cradled Roger's body gently above the pyre.
Ritter stood before the structure, his Black Tide sword planted in the ground beside him. He reached into his coat and pulled out a bottle of rum.
"One last drink, old bastard. Up there, you can drink all you want."
The rum soaked the pyre, its strong scent mixing with the salt of the sea breeze. Ritter snapped his fingers, and a single petal from the funeral blossom drifted down.
When it touched the rum
Boom!
A plume of ghostly blue fire surged skyward!
This was no ordinary flame it was the flame of rebirth, woven from blood mist and Conqueror's Haki.
Within the blaze, the phantom outline of the Oro Jackson shimmered.
Roger stood on the ship's deck, smiling at Ritter, giving him a thumbs-up.
In Ritter's mind, Roger's voice echoed:
"The Pirate King?! Hahaha, that's a good one! Alright then it's decided! We're gonna be Pirate Kings!"
"Haha, little Ritter, you've done great!"
Ritter looked at him and said firmly, "Captain, I'll become even stronger."
"Hm? Hahahaha, is that so? I believe in you." Roger chuckled, ruffling Ritter's hair affectionately.
The clouds slowly parted, and sunlight poured through, bathing Roger's body in gold.
The flames roared higher, the pyre becoming a towering inferno as Roger's form faded into ash.
The sea wind howled, scattering the ashes over the ocean.
Ritter stood at the harbor, his long hair dancing in the heat waves.
"The new era the Captain started…"
"…I'll be the one to witness it."
Doflamingo's sunglasses reflected the eerie blue fire. His grin stretched wide. "Fufufufu… What a dramatic funeral."
Shanks held his straw hat down low, tears mixing with the rain. Buggy bit his lip until blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Ritter drew his Black Tide sword, blade pointed skyward.
"The Blood-Dawn Pirates set sail!"
He'd already noticed Shanks and Buggy. But he didn't call out to them. They weren't strong enough yet to walk freely out of a Navy blockade.
Walking past the burning pyre, Ritter murmured softly,
"Rest easy… you dumbass big brother."
Due to the Five Elders' direct orders, the Admirals couldn't pursue Ritter.
By the time the Navy fleet finally broke through the blood mist blockade, only a charred platform remained at the port.
When the Oro Jackson slowly sailed into Water 7's harbor, the setting sun cast a long shadow across the deck.
Its hull gleamed with a fresh polish scraps of Adam Wood that Tom had repurposed to give the old vessel a dignified finish.
So childish, really.
Water 7's harbor.
Ritter stood at the bow, blood mist coiling gently around him. He stared at the cloaked figure on shore, and his throat tightened.
He didn't know how to face her. Didn't even know what emotions he should be feeling.
Portgas D. Rouge stood there, cradling a bouquet of sunflowers. The sea breeze lifted her long hair, revealing a gentle yet resolute smile but her eyes still held traces of a long, hard cry.
As soon as Ritter leapt off the ship, Rouge walked quickly toward him.
Ritter opened his mouth, but the words he had prepared caught in his throat
"I saw everything. That's enough. You did great, Ritter."
She gently embraced him. The scent of sunflowers surrounded them.
"You must've been hurting too, right?"
Ritter froze. He had come to comfort her, but now she had seen straight through him.
"I'm fine." He turned his face away, voice hoarse. "The Captain, he…"
Rouge suddenly hugged him tighter.
Ritter didn't rest his forehead on her shoulder, but he could still smell the sun-dried cotton and a faint trace of medicinal herbs the scent of the potions he had brewed for Roger after he left the ship. When boiled, they smelled just like this.
"Cry if you need to." She patted his back like comforting a child. "There's no Navy here, no enemies… only family."
The first tear hit the sand with a soft splash, and Ritter heard the sound of his heart shattering.
His body began to shake violently. He clutched at Rouge's cloak with trembling hands.
"Th-that bastard…" His voice was broken and raw, tears falling in heavy drops. "He said… we'd watch the new era together…"
Rouge gently stroked the back of his head, feeling the tremors of his grief.
Ritter's sobs grew louder until they became heart-wrenching wails. For the first time in decades, he cried like a child.
Twenty years of buried emotions surged forth. That crushing helplessness knowing the outcome and still being powerless to change it
He'd wanted so badly to pretend it didn't hurt, to honor the Captain's wishes and act unfazed.
But from the moment he arrived in this world, he had always been Roger's crewmate.
"How could he… just leave like that…" Ritter's voice was hoarse beyond recognition.
Blood mist leaked uncontrollably from his body, forming a scarlet domain around them.
Rouge's cloak was soaked through, but she only held him tighter the towering man in her arms, reduced now to pure grief.
"He was still smiling at the end…" Ritter whispered. "That idiot… he must've been proud of creating a new era."
"I know I should be strong. I'm a grown man, and I'm still crying. I'm Shanks and Buggy's big brother at Loguetown, I tried to act like it didn't matter.
But at the time, I wanted to kill every Marine. Kill the World Government. Kill the Celestial Dragons.
Who cares about a sinful age I just knew my brother was being executed right in front of me, and I couldn't do a damn thing."
Rouge felt the wet heat on her shoulder grow larger as Ritter's sobs slowly turned into low, broken gasps.
She softly began to hum an old lullaby from the East Blue one Roger used to sing to them.
"…Did he… did he say anything at the end?" Ritter finally looked up, eyes swollen and red, voice thick with sorrow.
Rouge gently wiped the tears from his face and whispered,
"He said, 'If you get the chance… take care of my little brother. The one who always tries to act strong.'"
Ritter froze for a moment. Then, crying again, he muttered,
"That bastard…"
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