⸻
"The hell?!"
Roger?!
The moment the name appeared on the heavenly screen, countless jaws dropped.
Especially among the veterans of the old era the voice was unmistakable.
It really was Gol D. Roger.
⸻
Chatroom —
Monkey D. Garp: "Roger? You're supposed to be dead!"
Gol D. Roger: "Yeah, and you? When'd you kick the bucket?"
Monkey D. Garp: "Peh! Don't you curse me, you bastard, I'm still alive and kicking!"
Gol D. Roger: "Huh? Still alive? Then how are you talking here?"
Sengoku: "Isn't it obvious? Anyone pulled into this chatroom can speak. There's also a world channel, people are going wild over there. But you, Roger… you've been dead for over twenty years. Why are you here?"
Gol D. Roger: "Wait what? Over twenty years?!"
Edward Newgate: "Gurararara… Roger, don't tell me this heavenly screen is your doing?"
Gol D. Roger: "Cut the crap! I'm just as confused as the rest of you!"
Shiki: "I can vouch for him. I'm confused as hell too."
Kozuki Oden: "Same here!"
Rocks D. Xebec: "Count me in. I'm… confused-ish."
Borsalino: "Wuuu~~~ So many legendary pirates in one chatroom… I'm terrified~"
Aokiji: "You're an idiot."
Akainu: "Hmph. Just a bunch of relics from a bygone age."
Rocks D. Xebec: "?? Who the hell is this 'Sakazuki'? Hasn't had his face punched in yet, has he?"
Akainu: "Hah… there isn't a pirate alive who can withstand my fists. The only fate waiting for pirates is death."
Rocks D. Xebec: "Tch! Cocky fool. If this screen really does bring me back, you're the first brat I'll crush!"
Akainu: "Idiot. If you do come back, I'll send you straight to hell a second time."
Monkey D. Garp: "What's the point of this bickering? Shouldn't we be asking if this heavenly screen is even real?"
Gol D. Roger: "Real? Garp, I'm literally a corpse talking to you right now. You still doubt it?"
Tsuru: "As absurd as it is, intelligence from every branch confirms the same thing. This screen… it's visible across the entire world."
⸻
The screen shimmered, words flashing in gold.
[Ding! Randomly selecting an exposure target!]
[Ding! Selecting…]
[Ding! Selected exposure target—Buggy!]
Countless portraits spun like a lottery wheel across the heavenly screen, until it stopped on a familiar red-nosed face.
Inside Impel Down
"Buggy?!"
"That guy?"
"The clown?"
Prisoners stared in disbelief at the man sitting among them.
Even behind iron bars, their gazes seemed to pierce the walls, drawn irresistibly toward the colossal sky screen.
This entire grand display… just to expose him?
Buggy himself blinked in shock.
Expose me? Of all people? What's there to expose?
⸻
Chatroom
Gol D. Roger: "Little Buggy!"
???
The prisoners' heads snapped toward him, faces frozen.
Roger… the Pirate King himself… had just addressed Buggy in a friendly nickname.
Shanks: "Hahaha! Of course it's Buggy! My brother Buggy deserves the spotlight!"
Edward Newgate: "Gurararara! That brat! Even as an apprentice, he dared to cross blades with me!"
Gol D. Roger: "Hey, Buggy! You there? Don't just hide say something!"
⸻
"Wha-what the hell?!"
Inside Impel Down, prisoners' eyes widened with fresh terror.
Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, called Buggy his brother.
Whitebeard himself admitted the red-nosed brat once fought him as a trainee.
And Roger, the Pirate King, spoke to him with genuine affection.
A collective gasp filled the prison.
They had been living beside a hidden monster all along?!
Panic flashed in their eyes as they frantically reviewed their memories, had they ever insulted him? Crossed him?
"B-Buggy, bro… if I ever spoke out of line before, don't hold it against me, yeah?"
"Master Buggy! Let me be your loyal little brother!"
"Captain! You're my captain from now on!!
In an instant, the red-nosed clown found himself surrounded, the prisoners bowing their heads in sudden reverence.
Buggy blinked, still dazed.
Wait… what just happened? How did things… spiral into this?!