"Treasure Tree Adam!"
Roger's eyes sparkled brighter than gold itself, as if he could already see the ship carrying his dreams cutting through wind and waves. Rayleigh and Gaban wore equally yearning expressions.
"Gu ha ha ha! Then what are we waiting for! Let's go buy it! How much?" Roger thumped his chest with magnificent confidence.
Master Tom took a swig of liquor and held up three thick fingers.
Roger's smile instantly froze. He turned to look at his vice-captain, Rayleigh, with questioning eyes.
Rayleigh silently averted his gaze and began studying the patterns on his sword hilt with intense concentration.
What a fine sword this was!
Roger then cast pleading eyes toward Gaban, who tilted his head skyward as if pondering why the weather was so lovely today.
What beautiful weather indeed!
The most valuable things on the ship were probably their individual heads.
Kyle watched from the side, shaking his head. The Roger Pirates' signature skill—always broke when it mattered most.
"Ahem," Roger cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to salvage some captain's dignity. "Well... Master Tom, things are a bit tight lately. Think you could put it on credit?"
"Wa ha ha ha!" Tom burst into bell-like laughter that shook wood shavings loose throughout the shipyard. "Kid, you're even more interesting than I thought! DON!"
After laughing his fill, his expression grew serious: "Treasure Tree Adam isn't something money can buy. It only appears at high-end black market auctions, or... in the hands of certain big shots. I don't have any in stock either."
The excitement on Roger's group deflated immediately.
"However," Tom's tone shifted as his massive palm clapped Roger's shoulder hard enough to make him stagger, "what I, Tom, admire most in life are men who dare chase their dreams! Money doesn't matter—if you can get your hands on Treasure Tree Adam wood, I'll build your ship for free! Using all my life's skills to craft you a king's ship that can conquer the seas! DON!"
Free shipbuilding!
Roger froze for half a second, then grabbed Tom's hand: "Really? Tom! You're a good man!"
"Don't celebrate too early," Tom pulled his hand back. "Without Treasure Tree Adam, it's all just talk."
After bidding farewell to Tom, the four returned to their ship. When word spread, the entire pirate crew fell into heated discussion. Where could they find this legendary Treasure Tree Adam?
"Black market auctions are out—we can't even afford entry tickets," Gaban cut straight to the point.
"That leaves only the 'big shots' lead," Rayleigh analyzed.
"Speaking of the world's richest, most tyrannical big shots..." Spencer elegantly polished his wine glass, leaving his sentence half-finished, but everyone understood who he meant.
World Nobles. Celestial Dragons.
"I have heard some rumors," Colonel Mugren exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze sharpening. "Recently, a World Government fleet will pass through nearby waters, escorting 'Heavenly Tribute' from some member nation. Supposedly, besides gold and jewels, the ships carry special building materials prepared for some Celestial Dragon's new palace."
All eyes instantly focused on him.
The air seemed to solidify.
Rob a Celestial Dragon ship? This was far crazier than bombarding Marine bases. It meant not just opposing the World Government, but directly challenging this world's highest authority.
The new crew members, especially Nozdon, nervously swallowed.
"Gu ha ha ha!"
Roger's bold, unrestrained laughter broke the silence. He planted one foot on the ship's rail, facing the sea breeze with blazing eyes.
"Then what are we waiting for! Treasure Tree Adam, Heavenly Tribute... we'll take it all! Boys, time to get to work!"
"Wooooo!"
Thunderous cheers erupted across the deck as the captain's passion completely ignited away any hesitation or fear.
Kyle helplessly held his forehead, but couldn't stop his lips from curving upward. He walked to the sea chart and began planning routes and battle strategies with Rayleigh and Spencer.
...
Three days later, on calm seas, a fleet flying World Government flags appeared in the Roger Pirates' view.
Three Marine warships escorted a massive, luxurious merchant vessel under heavy guard.
"All hands prepare!" Roger drew his saber with a grin. "Let's show the World Government who really rules these seas!"
The battle erupted in an instant.
"Tidal Wave Surge!"
Kyle pressed both hands against the ship's rail as invisible vibrations instantly spread across the sea surface. The calm ocean suddenly raised two massive waves over ten meters high, crashing hard into the left and right escort ships and disrupting their formation.
"Fire!"
The Marine commander's roar rang out.
"In your dreams!" Kyle sneered. "Light Mirage!"
Light bent around the Roger Pirates' ship, instantly projecting an identical phantom pirate vessel nearby. Most of the dense cannonball barrage hit empty water, sending towering columns of spray skyward.
"Now! Charge through!" Roger bellowed.
Their ship shot forward like an arrow, piercing straight into the fleet's center.
"Leave it to me!" Isaac Jr.'s eyes sharpened as he drew his sword.
He kicked off the railing and soared toward the nearest warship like a hunting falcon, precisely severing that ship's main mast!
Using the chaos from the falling mast, the Roger Pirates' crew landed steadily on the enemy deck, instantly unleashing carnage.
Meanwhile, Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban had already boarded the massive merchant ship. Facing the CP agents who rushed to meet them, the three displayed overwhelming power.
Roger's Conqueror's Haki swept out, causing weaker foes to foam at the mouth and collapse. The remainder were easily handled by Rayleigh's swift blade and Gaban's massive axe.
The battle ended faster than expected.
When Roger kicked open the ship's cabin doors, the anticipated mountains of gold and jewels weren't there.
Instead, there was a nauseating stench and deathly silence.
In the cabin, hundreds of ragged, numb-eyed people were caged like livestock, packed together.
Slaves.
Roger's smile vanished, replaced by cold killing intent. Rayleigh's hand gripping his sword hilt showed bulging veins. Gaban's axe blade still dripped with enemy blood, now seeming bitterly ironic.
"These scum..." Gaban ground out through clenched teeth.
Kyle followed behind and saw this scene. The anger he'd anticipated still surged uncontrollably.
He saw children's terrified eyes, women's desperate expressions, and people who should have lived free lives imprisoned like cargo.
A little girl in one cage began crying from fear at Roger's group's intrusion. Her mother immediately covered her mouth, trembling all over, terrified the crying would bring a beating.
Roger slowly approached and crouched before the cage. The killing aura on his face subsided, replaced by unprecedented gentleness.
"It's alright now."
He extended his hand and lightly cut with his blade, severing the sturdy iron lock.
"You're... free."
A glimmer of light finally appeared in the slaves' numb eyes.
At the cabin's far end, they found their target—several massive pieces of wood radiating faint light, utterly indestructible. Treasure Tree Adam indeed. Beside the wood sat several chests of treasure meant as "Heavenly Tribute."
"Captain, what about these treasures?" Millet asked.
"We take half," Roger didn't even glance at the jewels. "The rest we'll convert to berries for them to start new lives."
"What about these people..."
"Find the nearest island and deliver them to a Marine base," Rayleigh decided.
"Marines?" Nozdon was shocked.
"That's right," Kyle nodded. "For now, only Marines have the capability to protect them. We're pirates—bringing them along would only be more dangerous."
"Gu ha ha ha! That's what we'll do!" Roger laughed heartily, as if the earlier gloom was completely swept away. "Good deeds without taking credit, plus we'll give that Garp guy some trouble!"
Under cover of night, the Roger Pirates silently approached an island with a Marine base.
Kyle used "Light Mirage" and sound waves to create a disturbance on the harbor's far side, drawing most Marine attention. Meanwhile, Rayleigh, Gaban, and others quickly delivered the slaves and treasure ashore, leaving behind a note.
By the time the Marines realized what happened, the Roger Pirates' ship had long vanished into the vast night.
On deck, the crew silently watched the island fade into the distance.
"Someday, I'll drag all those scum who call themselves gods... down from their thrones!" Roger's voice rang out in the night wind, firm and powerful.
Kyle stood behind him, looking at the Treasure Tree Adam stacked on deck.
It wasn't just shipbuilding material—it was witness to their journey, witnessing both the ultimate freedom and deepest evil on these seas.
That ship about to be crafted by both Treasure Tree Adam and Master Tom's hands was destined from birth to carry a world-overturning dream.
"Back to Water 7!" Roger turned with high spirits. "Let's show Tom what treasure we brought back!"