"The Treasure Tree Adam!"
Roger's eyes began to shine brighter than gold, as if he could already see the ship of his dreams crashing through the waves. Rayleigh and Jabba also looked on with hopeful expressions.
"Kuhahaha! What are we waiting for? Let's go buy it! How much is it?" Roger laughed heroically, patting his chest.
Master Tom took a long drink from his bottle and held up three thick fingers.
The wide smile on Roger's face instantly vanished. He turned to his first mate, Rayleigh, with a questioning look. Rayleigh silently avoided his captain's gaze and began to study the intricate patterns on the hilt of his sword with intense focus. This is a very fine sword, he seemed to think.
Roger then turned his pleading eyes to Jabba. Jabba simply looked up at the sky, as if he were admiring how nice the weather was. What a beautiful sky, his expression said. The most valuable things on their ship were probably the bounty posters on their own heads. Kyle watched from the side, shaking his head. It was a classic tradition for the Roger Pirates—being completely broke right when it mattered most.
"Ahem," Roger cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to hold on to some of his dignity as captain. "Uh… Master Tom, we're a little short on Berries right now. Is there any chance we could pay you later?"
"Wahahaha!" Tom's laugh boomed like a giant bell, shaking the sawdust in the shipyard. "Boy, you're even more interesting than I thought! DON!" He laughed until he was out of breath, then his expression turned serious. "The Treasure Tree Adam is not something you can just buy with money. It only shows up at the most exclusive black market auctions, or… it's owned by certain powerful people. I don't have any of it here."
The excitement on the crew's faces immediately faded.
"However," Tom continued, slapping Roger's shoulder so hard that the pirate captain stumbled, "I, Tom, have the most respect for men who dare to chase their dreams! I don't care about the money. If you can get your hands on the wood from the Treasure Tree Adam, I'll build your ship for free! I'll use all my skills to build you a ship fit for a king, one that can conquer the seas! DON!"
Free shipbuilding!
Roger was stunned for a moment, then he grabbed Tom's hand excitedly. "Really? Tom! You're a great guy!"
"Don't get too excited just yet," Tom said, pulling his hand away. "Without the Treasure Tree Adam, it's all just empty talk."
After saying goodbye to Tom, the four of them returned to their ship. When the rest of the crew heard the news, they immediately began a heated discussion about where they could find the legendary wood.
"We can forget about a black market auction. We probably can't even afford the ticket to get in," Jabba said bluntly.
"Then that only leaves the 'powerful people' Tom mentioned," Rayleigh concluded.
"Speaking of the richest and most arrogant powerful people in the world…" Spencer said as he elegantly wiped a wine glass, letting his sentence hang in the air. Everyone knew exactly who he was talking about. The World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons1.
"I've heard some rumors," Colonel Mu Gulian said, blowing a ring of smoke. His eyes grew sharp. "A World Government fleet is scheduled to pass through this area soon. They're escorting the 'celestial tribute' from an allied kingdom. I heard that besides gold and jewels, the ship is also carrying special building materials for a new palace for one of the Celestial Dragons."
Everyone's eyes immediately turned to him. The air grew thick with tension. Robbing a ship belonging to a Celestial Dragon? That was crazier than attacking a Marine base. It meant becoming a direct enemy of the World Government and challenging the highest authority in the world2. The newer crew members, like Nozdon, swallowed nervously.
"Kuhahaha!"
Roger's wild laughter shattered the silence. He stomped his foot on the ship's rail and faced the sea breeze, his eyes burning with an intense fire. "What are we waiting for! The Treasure Tree Adam, the celestial tribute… we'll take it all! Get ready, boys, it's time to work!"
"Oh oh oh oh!" A thunderous cheer erupted from the deck. The crew's fear was completely washed away by their captain's incredible boldness. Kyle rubbed his forehead, but he couldn't help but smile. He walked over to the sea chart and started planning their route and attack strategy with Rayleigh and Spencer.
…
Three days later, on a calm sea, a fleet flying the flag of the World Government appeared on the horizon. Three Marine warships were guarding a large, luxurious merchant ship, which was heavily protected.
"Everyone, get ready!" Roger shouted, drawing his cutlass with a wide grin. "Let's show the World Government who the real kings of the sea are!"
The battle started in an instant.
"Tidal Roar Ripple!" Kyle placed his hands on the ship's rail, and an invisible ripple spread across the ocean. The calm sea suddenly erupted, and two massive waves, each over ten meters high, crashed into the escort ships on either side, breaking their formation.
"Fire!" the Marine commander roared.
"Not a chance!" Kyle sneered. "Light Illusion Mirage!" Light bent around the Roger Pirates' ship, creating an identical illusion of their ship nearby. More than half of the cannonballs missed their target, exploding in the empty water and sending huge columns of water into the air.
"Now! Charge!" Roger roared. Their ship shot forward like an arrow, heading straight for the center of the fleet.
"Leave it to me!" Isaac's eyes narrowed as he drew his sword. He leaped from the railing like a hawk, landing on the nearest warship and cutting down its main mast with a single, precise slash. As the mast came crashing down, the rest of the Roger Pirates landed on the enemy ship's deck and began their attack.
Meanwhile, Roger, Rayleigh, and Jabba had already jumped onto the large merchant ship. They were met by CP agents, but the three of them displayed overwhelming power. Roger unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, and the weaker agents collapsed, foaming at the mouth. The rest were easily defeated by Rayleigh's swift sword and Jabba's massive axe.
The battle was over much faster than anyone expected. When Roger kicked open the door to the cargo hold, he didn't find the mountains of gold and treasure he was expecting. Instead, he was hit by a disgusting smell and a dead silence. Inside, hundreds of people in ragged clothes were locked in cages, crammed together like animals.
Slaves.
The smile on Roger's face disappeared, replaced by a cold, murderous rage. The veins on Rayleigh's hand bulged as he gripped his sword, and the blood on Jabba's axe suddenly felt like a mark of shame.
"These bastards…" Jabba growled through clenched teeth.
Kyle, who had followed them, felt a surge of anger, even though he had been expecting this. He saw the terrified eyes of children, the hopeless faces of women, and people who deserved to be free treated like cargo. In one of the cages, a little girl, startled by their sudden entrance, began to cry. Her mother quickly covered her mouth, trembling with fear that the noise would earn them a beating.
Roger slowly walked over and knelt in front of the cage. The killing intent on his face softened, replaced by a gentleness no one had ever seen from him before. "It's okay now." He reached out and, with a single slash of his knife, cut through the thick iron lock. "You… are free."
For the first time, a glimmer of light appeared in the slaves' empty eyes.
At the other end of the hold, they found what they were looking for—several huge, indestructible pieces of wood that gave off a faint glow. It was the Treasure Tree Adam. Next to it were several chests filled with treasures for the celestial tribute.
"Captain, what should we do with this treasure?" Miller Pine asked.
"We'll take half," Roger said without even looking at the jewels. "The rest will be exchanged for Berries. It's for them, to help them start a new life somewhere else."
"And these people…?"
"We'll find the nearest island and drop them off at a Marine base," Rayleigh decided.
"The Marines?" Nozdon asked, surprised.
"That's right," Kyle nodded. "Right now, only the Marines can protect them. We're pirates. If they stay with us, they'll only be in more danger."
"Kuhahaha! That's the plan, then!" Roger burst out laughing, the darkness from before completely gone. "We'll do a good deed without anyone knowing, and we'll give that old Garp some trouble at the same time!"
Under the cover of darkness, the Roger Pirates' ship silently approached an island with a Marine branch. Kyle used his powers to create a noisy illusion on the other side of the port, drawing the attention of most of the Marines. While they were distracted, Rayleigh and Jabba quickly brought the freed slaves and the treasure ashore, leaving behind a note. By the time the Marines realized what had happened, the Roger Pirates were already gone, disappearing into the night.
On the deck, the crew silently watched the island fade into the distance.
"One day, I'm going to drag those scumbags who call themselves gods… every last one of them… down from their high thrones!" Roger's voice cut through the night wind, strong and determined.
Kyle stood behind him, looking at the wood from the Treasure Tree Adam piled on the deck. It was more than just material for a ship; it was a symbol of their journey, a witness to the greatest freedom and the deepest evil on the seas. The ship that would be built from this wood was destined from the very beginning to carry a dream that would turn the world upside down.
"Back to Water 7!" Roger shouted, turning around, his spirit fully restored. "Let's go show Tom the treasure we brought back!"