Karl let out a long sigh of relief upon hearing it was the Roger Pirates.
The huge weight on his mind finally lifted. It was already June 1497, and if they didn't arrive soon, Karl would have doubted if he had misremembered.
"Have you notified Kaido?" Karl asked.
It wasn't impossible for Kozuki Oden to suddenly go crazy and decide to bring the Roger Pirates to challenge Kaido.
After all, it was Kozuki Oden; anything he did seemed perfectly reasonable.
"Not yet."
After a moment of thought, Karl made a decision.
"Go notify Kaido immediately. I'll go take a look first."
With that, Karl transformed into his dragon form and flew directly towards Kuri.
"Hey, Karl, where are you going? Take me with you!"
Yamato, seeing Karl fly off, chased after him on the ground, curious.
"Yamato, you go back first. I'll be back soon."
With that, Karl accelerated.
Yamato, seeing the ice dragon in the sky flying further and further away, puffed out her cheeks and stomped her foot in anger.
"What's the big idea? You don't take me along for anything fun."
How did that go again?
Oh, right! Yamato was angry, the kind that couldn't be appeased no matter what… Meanwhile, a luxurious Pirate Ship, entirely composed of black and gold, was sailing towards Kuri.
"Oden, is this your country? I really want to see it."
A man wearing a Captain's hat, with nasal hair that curled out like a mustache, was curiously gazing at the distant island.
"Roger, don't you know what state your body is in?!"
Beside him, a blond man with a scar over his right eye roared.
These two were the future Pirate King and the Pirate King's first mate, Roger and Rayleigh!
"Ah ha ha ha ha, it shouldn't take too long to go take a look, right?"
Roger completely disregarded Rayleigh's anger, laughing heartily and carelessly, as if he didn't care about his own body at all.
"Crocus!"
Rayleigh was at his wit's end. If this Captain was going to be like this, why had he, in a moment of impulse, boarded his Pirate Ship back then?
He could only call upon the only person who could currently rein in Roger, the Ship Doctor Crocus!
"Roger! You don't have much time left. If you want to reach the Final Island, you must listen to me!"
The Ship Doctor Crocus was still in his prime and had a very fiery temper.
"Crocus, don't I have you? It shouldn't take much time to go take a look, right?"
Facing Crocus, the Ship Doctor, Roger still had to listen to his advice to some extent. He had no choice; if he died on the way to the Final Island, it would be over.
"Damn you, Roger! Every day now, you could die. What if it's just one day short?!"
Crocus also had a very fiery temper; he directly grabbed Roger's collar and started lecturing him, splattering spit all over Roger's face.
"Ah ha ha ha ha, I'm not going, I'm not going."
In the end, Roger relented and decided not to go. He would wait on the Ship for Kozuki Oden to settle his family and bring the poneglyph rubbing.
Watching this scene, Rayleigh felt a mix of emotions. He was the first to join the Roger Pirates and had witnessed Roger's arduous journey.
Upon learning that Roger was terminally ill, all the crew members couldn't accept this fact, but only Roger remained as carefree as ever. Eventually, they found Crocus, and Roger's life was barely sustained.
After learning that Roger didn't have long to live, their sailing objective was no longer to adventure on an island as usual. Now, they all headed straight for islands that might have a poneglyph, and after getting the rubbing, they would leave in a hurry.
Ultimately, Rayleigh could only sigh, gazing out at the sea, lost in thought.
Kozuki Oden's mood at this moment was exceptionally heavy. Having secretly left Wano Country, he couldn't help but feel some guilt towards his retainers.
Moreover, he always had a bad premonition, a feeling that something significant might have happened in Wano Country.
The Oro Jackson was getting closer and closer to Kuri in Wano Country, and Kozuki Oden's mood grew heavier with each passing moment.
Before long, the Oro Jackson had already docked by the Kuri coast.
"Crocus, I can at least go to the seashore and take a look, can't I?"
Crocus ignored Roger, snorted coldly, and turned to Rayleigh, saying, "Keep an eye on him. Don't let him run off."
Rayleigh nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on him."
"Rayleigh, I'll go with you. I'm afraid you won't be able to keep an eye on that guy Roger!"
This was Gaban, a sturdy man with two axes at his waist, who walked over and put his arm around Rayleigh's neck.
"Gaban, you'd better watch yourself. Don't go running off with that guy Roger when the time comes!"
...Not far away, in a dense forest, a person about 1.5 meters tall with a strange mask on his face was observing this scene from a distance.
"Is this the Roger Pirates?"
Karl was quite curious about this man, the future Pirate King, who had ushered in an era with his own death.
To put it simply, he wanted to meet some of the original characters.
Immediately after, Karl saw a man with a round disk-shaped hair ornament on his head, wearing a kimono, holding two children in one arm and supporting a woman with the other.
Karl recognized at a glance that this was Kozuki Oden, that foolish Lord, and Kozuki Toki. The children in his arms were, needless to say, one who had to die, and the other was Kozuki Hiyori.
The coast was already filled with a kneeling line of people, and with the cat and dog following behind Kozuki Oden, these were Kozuki Oden's retainers, the Nine Red Scabbards!
Roger and his crew also disembarked. After getting off the Ship, Roger looked around, curiously observing Oden's country.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, he glanced in Karl's direction and then grinned.
This action greatly startled Karl.
"Did he just discover me?"
Karl was already contemplating whether to leave immediately. He hadn't done anything, nor had he shown the slightest malice, yet Roger had discovered him.
To say that Roger kept his Observation Haki on at all times was basically impossible. That would only leave the Observation Haki that could 'hear all things,' but how did that discover him?
Karl really couldn't understand.
At this time, Kozuki Oden had already left with the Nine Red Scabbards and Kozuki Toki. Roger and his crew, however, did not follow.
This made Karl breathe a sigh of relief.
Karl was also preparing to leave now. He had been exposed, and this place was not safe to stay for long.
Just as Karl had taken a few steps.
Suddenly, the hairs on his body stood on end. Karl, as if sensing something, instinctively dodged to the side.
And where he had just been standing, there was now a person.
Karl looked, and his heart sank. Damn it, how did Roger get here?!
Roger stood with his hands on his hips, displaying his signature smile.
"Hey, kid, do you want to join my Ship and come with us to the Final Island!"
Karl, who had thought he couldn't escape, was slightly stunned by Roger's words.
???
His brain was working furiously, trying to figure out why Roger would suddenly invite him.
What was Roger thinking? It was already the final stage, and he was still inviting him? What exactly was he after?
Although a million questions swirled in his mind, Karl still feigned calmness and replied, "No interest. Is there anything else? If not, I'll be leaving."
With that, he calmly took a step and walked away.
"Are you really not going to consider it? We are the Roger Pirates, one of the best Pirate Crews on the sea! Come adventure with us!"
Roger still wanted to persuade him further.
"No interest."
Karl still said the same thing. Fortunately, the Nuo mask concealed his expression, otherwise, Karl might not have been able to remain so composed.