"It's... it's Roger... ROGER!!!"
The startled cry of the lighthouse keeper, Crocus, echoed across the open skies above Twin Cape.
As a former member of the Pirate King's crew—someone who had seen and conquered the Grand Line—Crocus was a man who had weathered countless storms. Nothing, not even the collapse of a mountain, could easily shake him.
Yet now…
The usually composed and calm Crocus could no longer contain the surge of emotion rising from deep within his heart.
He stared at the familiar face atop the whale nearby.
His aged eyes suddenly widened to the limit, his pupils contracting sharply.
His mouth dropped open, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.
He simply couldn't believe what he was seeing!
He absolutely couldn't believe that a companion who had died twenty-two years ago was now standing before him—alive!
Unconsciously, Crocus's vision blurred.
Tears welled up, unbidden, clouding his eyes.
"This… how is this even possible?!"
"Roger couldn't possibly have risen from the dead!!"
Looking at the blurry figure of his former captain, Roger, Crocus convinced himself he was dreaming.
Surely… this had to be a dream.
And when he woke up—
Roger would be gone.
But…
When he wiped away his tears and focused his gaze—
That all-too-familiar figure remained, still standing there under the twilight sky, grinning joyfully, looking straight at him.
As if no time had passed at all.
"Hey there, Crocus! It's been a while, ship doctor! We meet again!"
Roger waved cheerfully and greeted him with ease.
Crocus, however, stood frozen in place.
Refusing to believe what he saw, he rubbed his eyes.
Finally, he slapped himself—hard.
So hard, in fact, his face nearly swelled.
Feeling the pain on his cheek…
The humble lighthouse keeper, Crocus, finally confirmed—
This wasn't a dream.
His once-dead captain—the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger—had truly returned from the grave!
"Crap!!!"
A thousand words compressed into a single exclamation as Crocus shouted out.
"Roger… you're really a zombie!!!"
"Ahahahaha!"
Roger slapped his thigh and laughed heartily.
"A zombie, huh? From your point of view, maybe it is like that. But Crocus—look! I'm standing right here, alive and real! If you don't believe me, come touch me!"
Crocus, still in disbelief, cautiously stepped forward.
He grabbed Roger's wrist.
It was warm—alive.
Then his hand moved to Roger's chest.
He felt a heartbeat—strong and steady.
Crocus's expression shifted with emotion.
He had no more doubts.
This man was without a doubt his former captain—the one and only Roger.
As the former ship doctor of the Roger Pirates, Crocus knew better than anyone about Roger's terminal illness.
In this world—
Even if someone could perfectly imitate Roger's appearance, they could never replicate his disease.
"Roger! It really is you! But… how on earth did you survive for more than 20 years?!"
Crocus's face was filled with shock and confusion as he asked.
According to the diagnosis he gave back then—
Roger had, at most, one or two years left to live.
But now—
He stood here, alive and well, two decades later.
This was a miracle among miracles!
If the reason could be discovered… perhaps that illness could be completely cured.
"Crocus, you might not believe it, but I haven't actually lived through those twenty-two years. Right now, I'm still just fifty-five years old!"
Roger grinned.
"…What do you mean by that?"
Crocus instinctively asked, startled.
"I traveled through time—twenty-two years into the future—to arrive in this era."
Roger said solemnly.
"!!!"
Crocus was stunned speechless.
Roger didn't hide anything from an old comrade.
He explained everything that had happened in full detail.
Upon hearing Roger's unbelievable tale, Crocus felt completely numb.
"In this world… aside from Lady Toki's time-traveling abilities, there are actually other forces that can traverse time? That's… hard to believe!"
"The sea is vast, Crocus. Even though we conquered the Grand Line, that doesn't mean we understand everything."
Roger said with a deep sigh.
"In this vast ocean, anything is possible—no matter how strange. And beyond these seas, there may be entire worlds we've never even imagined."
"In any case… the fact that you're standing here, alive in this era, is already an incredible miracle. But Roger—"
Crocus's expression suddenly changed as if he remembered something important.
"You said earlier that you came to this era because there was something you had to do. What is it?"
Roger didn't answer directly. Instead, he pointed to the newspaper hanging at Crocus's waist.
Crocus took it down and unfolded it.
He had already read the front page that morning.
"You want to get involved in the war between Whitebeard and the Navy?"
"But why?"
Crocus raised an eyebrow, full of confusion.
Sure, Roger and Whitebeard had a good relationship—
But not that good. It seemed excessive to travel twenty-two years forward in time just to help him.
Besides, this war was between Whitebeard's pirates and the Marines.
Roger's crew had no reason to be involved at all.
"It's simple—because the man being executed this time, Ace… is my son!"
Roger said with a smile.
"WHAT?!"
Crocus's eyes bulged again in utter disbelief.
"Whitebeard's Second Division Commander… is your son?! Are you serious?!"
"Of course! Fate really is something, huh? Who would've thought my son would end up aboard Newgate's ship—and take Oden's old position, no less!"
Roger chuckled.
But then—
His expression gradually turned serious.
"Crocus, aside from wanting to see you again, I also need your help with something."
"You need medicine to suppress your illness?"
Crocus guessed.
"That's right. I don't need anything extreme—just something to help me hold out long enough to fight in this war."
Roger said firmly.
"I understand."
Crocus nodded in agreement.
"But Roger… getting from here to Marineford within a week won't be easy."
Twin Cape was at the beginning of the Grand Line.
Marineford was closer to the end of the first half.
The distance between the two was immense.
"I'll manage somehow!"
Roger smiled.
He wasn't unprepared.
He planned to go straight through the Calm Belt—
And use his ability to hear the Voice of All Things to summon Sea Kings to pull his ship.
By alternating Sea Kings when they tired out—
He could likely make it in time with a nonstop journey.
However…
Roger didn't expect that, in this different era—
Crocus would offer him a solution even more convenient than that.