Several hours later, at dusk, off the coast of the Mackintosh Kingdom, next to the Sorbet Kingdom.
A sun umbrella, beach chair, and ice-cold wheat beer formed a complete leisure set on the beach.
A man with a large beard lay on the beach chair.
"Hey, Captain~ Let's go play~"
The ten-year-old Shanks pushed Roger.
"The kingdom here must be really fun. Buggy, you want to go too, right?"
Buggy, nearby, was sticking out his butt and pouting, intently drawing a treasure map.
"Ahaha, finished! This is Buggy-sama's treasure map!!"
"What did you just say, Shanks?"
"I said… your treasure map is really well drawn! You've got talent, Buggy!"
Buggy put his hands on his hips and laughed, "Of course, hahahaha~
"I think you should quit being a pirate and take up painting instead, Buggy. Maybe you could become the King of Artists."
Faced with Shanks's teasing, Buggy's proud smile instantly stiffened, "Why would I want to become the King of Artists? You idiot, Shanks! Damn it, who are you calling red-nose?!"
Shanks looked bewildered, "I didn't call you red-nose."
Buggy grabbed a nearby wooden stick and swung it at Shanks.
"Don't run, Shanks! I am not red-nose!!"
"Captain Roger, save me~!!"
The two little ones ran off fighting.
The newly drawn treasure map was blown by a gust of wind onto Roger's face.
"You're back, Rayleigh. How did it go?"
Half a minute later, Rayleigh swam out of the sea.
Using Observation Haki to scan the beach and confirming that besides Roger, only Shanks and Buggy were fighting in the distance, he sat down.
He picked up Roger's ice-cold wheat beer and took a big drink.
"Just as the two of us thought, although the lady didn't answer directly, it's highly likely that Bazel is indeed Rocks's son."
Roger removed the treasure map covering his face, sat up, and smiled playfully.
"Does Bazel know about this?"
Rayleigh shook his head.
"Oh~ I see. So it's to protect her son. Hehe, this makes things interesting."
"Roger, you're not planning to spill the secret, are you?"
Faced with Rayleigh's question, Roger shook his head, "I can't be bothered to do something like that. It's enough that the two of us know. Don't tell anyone else."
"Kaido, who was an apprentice on Rocks's ship, actually took in Rocks's son."
"Now it seems that Bazel himself is probably the only one who doesn't know his own origins."
Rayleigh tossed away the empty bottle and asked curiously, "You mean Kaido figured it out too? Impossible, right?"
"Don't underestimate the new generation, Rayleigh."
Roger stroked his beard with his right hand, narrowed his eyes slightly, and deliberately lowered his voice, "Kaido has been with Rocks for so long, after all. If it were you, wouldn't you recognize that somewhat similar aura?"
"And I heard from Newgate that he once fought with Kaido over a rookie but lost."
"Why do you think Newgate, given his personality, would want to fight an apprentice for someone?"
"There's only one possibility: when that man's aura appeared, both Newgate and Kaido recognized the uniqueness contained within it."
"Rocks's madness is etched into his bones… it's a unique aura that can't be erased."
"The reason Newgate eventually gave up was probably because he couldn't confirm the bloodline's authenticity."
"After all, during the time Rocks disappeared, there weren't any members of the Rocks Pirates around him."
"So Newgate didn't dare easily conclude that Bazel was Xebec's descendant!"
"After that, I guess Bazel just happened to be picked up by Kaido by chance."
Rayleigh listened and nodded.
"Now that you mention it, Bazel does look more like his mother. The woman I saw in that place also had white hair."
"Although their facial features aren't identical, you can still tell they're mother and son from the same mold."
"Now it seems those slight differences might be due to Rocks's bloodline."
"This really is a secret on par with the Great Treasure!"
Roger stood up, excitedly waving his arms.
"Incredible, incredible! Hahaha!!"
"If those monsters from the World Government knew he existed, they'd be terrified, right?!"
"If it hadn't been for me and Garp joining forces back then, the seas would already have been overturned by Xebec!"
"But it's not too late now…"
Suddenly calm again, Roger crossed his arms and squinted at the sea.
"Rayleigh, I'm really looking forward to what the future of these seas will be like!"
"Although he's Rocks's descendant, Bazel's madness seems to be shackled."
"As long as his mother is alive, even if the Rocks era returns, it won't matter, because the shackles will restrain that man."
"But if the shackles are gone... tsk tsk tsk."
Roger shook his head and sighed, his face full of schadenfreude.
"Although we don't want to do something like that, just thinking about that kind of future…"
"You'd better stop thinking. That lady has a very powerful man with her."
Rayleigh kicked Roger flying, then lay back comfortably on the beach chair.
"Probably a special race. With that man around, even if the trash from the Grand Line comes, they won't be able to do anything to that kingdom."
"Unless the remnants of Rocks show up, that might be a different story."
"Besides, Roger, even if the guys out on the sea notice something different about Bazel, they'll tacitly keep silent."
"Because they've already tasted the flavors of freedom and power."
"They don't want to see a second Rocks appear again. That kind of dominance that overwhelms an era isn't something ordinary people can achieve."
"So I'm the same as you, Rayleigh…"
Roger brushed the sand off his hat, raised his head, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing how strong that young man becomes after he grows up!"
"I look forward to the day I can fight him at full strength!"
"That will definitely be the most wonderful battle!"
"And his captain, Kaido, who, after recognizing and acquiring Bazel, still treats him like a brother."
"He's definitely going to be an incredible man in the future, at least much better than Xebec's other companions!"
"Kaido of the Beasts~ that guy's talent for Haki is terrifying."
Rayleigh opened his eyes, staring blankly at the sun umbrella.
"Another genius? What a pity. If only they had been born a few years earlier, maybe, like Shiki, they could have had the capital to make us go all out."
Roger grinned, about to speak, but before any sound could come out, Buggy and Shanks's shouts and screams interrupted.
"Captain~!"
"Gaban and the others are back with supplies!!"
"Gaban's back? Shanks, Buggy, return to the ship! We're setting sail!"
Roger immediately changed the subject, dropping all talk about Bazel.
"We're returning to the Grand Line to find that guy Newgate!"
Several more days passed.
Night, near the Calm Belt between the South Blue and the Reverse Mountain.
Thunder rumbled within the black clouds, occasionally releasing a lightning dragon that swiftly dove back into the clouds on the other side.
"Thunder, huh, Rayleigh? I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about this."
Roger stood at the ship's bow, his right hand drawing his sword, his expression grave.
"It's a familiar friend... That bastard's aura has gotten stronger!"
"Wahahaha, Roger, I've come to fight you! This time, I'll definitely send you to Impel Down!!"
"Fist Bone Lightning Strike!!"
Roger's expression changed drastically. He stared at the sky in disbelief, curses spilling from his mouth.
"Goro Goro no Mi!? You bastard!! You said you wouldn't eat a Devil Fruit?!"
"Wahahaha~!!"
Boom!!
A powerful bolt of lightning struck down but was blocked by Roger's Haki-infused slash.
"In order to completely end the era of pirates, I've gone against my own principles, Roger!!"
Garp appeared on the deck amidst the electric light, his expression excited.
Watching Garp's right arm elementalize, Rayleigh rubbed his eyes hard, looking like he'd seen a ghost.
"Hey hey hey, this is a huge joke, Roger! What do we do now?!"
"He's just one man, don't be afraid!"
Gaban drew his axe, just about to boast that they had more people, when a massive warship suddenly emerged from the mist of the Calm Belt.
"The voyage of the Roger Pirates ends today!"
Sengoku, draped in a Justice cloak, stood at the bow, with Garp's eternal adjutant, Bogard, by his side.
"Garp is just our vanguard. We've waited a long time for this ambush!"
"Admiral Sengoku, so that was your plan…"
Rayleigh and Gaban moved to Roger's side. Before they could unleash their Haki, another player quietly arrived.
Bullet, who had recently joined Roger Pirates, cracked his neck and laughed, "Don't forget about me. I can't easily miss out on a big battle like this!"
Four different Conqueror's Haki auras burst forth, pressing toward the enemy.
"Sengoku, attack!!!"
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