Lloyd stood nearby as Shanks and Buggy rushed excitedly toward Roger's side. Roger smiled when he saw them, saying with genuine warmth, "It seems Buggy's illness has healed. You look very energetic."
Buggy hadn't spoken yet when Shanks proudly thumped his chest and said, "Captain Roger, don't you think I took good care of him?"
Buggy actually felt grateful that Shanks stayed behind to help him, but seeing Shanks's self-satisfied expression made him flare up and shout, "I didn't need your care at all! Idiot!"
"What? Buggy! You're truly heartless!" Shanks retorted.
They were on the verge of another argument when Roger waved his hand with a helpless look and said, "Alright, alright. Why are you two arguing again? Let's head back to the ship."
Shanks and Buggy turned their heads away, snorted, and followed Roger toward the Jackson on the shore.
While walking, Buggy couldn't hold back and told Roger about his earlier guess. Roger looked at him with genuine surprise, then chuckled and said, "Buggy, you truly have a unique mind. You got half of it right."
"What do you mean by half right, Captain Roger?" Buggy asked quickly.
Roger still smiled, but Shanks felt that the smile carried a hint of self-mockery.
"That place… I named it Laugh Tale. It really does reject Logia users, but there's one Devil Fruit that's an exception. Only the person who ate that Devil Fruit can obtain the true treasure of Laugh Tale. If you were to earn that person's recognition in the future, perhaps you could ignore the curse."
"Something like that exists?" Buggy's eyes widened.
"Then what's the name of the Devil Fruit you mentioned, Captain Roger? We can go find this fruit and have you eat it! Wouldn't that be great?"
Roger shook his head and said, "Sorry, Buggy, it's something better left unknown. As for that Devil Fruit, it's not destined to be mine. And I don't have much time left."
After saying this, Roger glanced at Shanks but said no more and quickened his pace toward the Jackson.
Buggy wanted to ask more, but Roger showed no interest in talking, so he gave up.
Shanks frowned. From the moment Roger mentioned the fruit until now, he hadn't seen any joyful emotion in Roger's expression, even though it was a dream Roger had carried for so long, and Shanks found this strange.
When they reached the Jackson, Roger declared a feast to welcome Shanks and Buggy back to the ship.
The celebration lasted from daytime into the late night. Roger ignored any attempts by Crocus to intervene, and his cup of wine never stayed empty for long. By the end of the feast, he was thoroughly drunk, finally becoming loud with laughter and crying to the sky.
Rayleigh, seated beside him, quietly watched with no intention of stopping him.
It wasn't until Roger collapsed into a chair that Rayleigh addressed Shanks, who was playing rock-paper-scissors with Buggy, saying, "Shanks, come help Roger back to rest."
"Okay," Shanks replied, jogging over to lift Roger. Because of the size difference, it looked rather difficult for him.
Several people wanted to help, but Rayleigh gently held them back and sent them back to drinking.
After Shanks helped Roger into his cabin and laid him on the bed, he was about to turn and leave when Roger — unconscious from drink — suddenly grabbed Shanks's wrist and spoke quietly, "Wait a moment, Shanks. I have something to tell you."
Shanks was startled and turned to look at him. Even though Roger's face was flushed from drinking, the dazed look was gone.
Roger glanced at the straw hat on Shanks's head and asked, "Shanks, you really love this straw hat, don't you?"
Shanks nodded, touched the straw hat, and smiled. "Yes, Captain Roger. I will take it with me everywhere in the world."
Roger became silent.
Shanks, noticing his silence, asked curiously, "Captain Roger, what's wrong?"
Roger took a deep breath and began to speak slowly, "Shanks, there's something I need to tell you…"
What he said after that was unknown, but when Shanks finally walked out of Roger's room, his face was filled with confusion.
The feast on deck had ended, and most of the crew had returned to their rooms to rest. Only Buggy, who hadn't drunk, stayed behind to clean.
Buggy muttered to himself as he cleaned up, "Seriously, where did Shanks run off to? How am I supposed to finish this alone?"
Just as he finished speaking, Shanks approached. Buggy wanted to call him over to help, but seeing Shanks looking distant and troubled made him frown. In his mind, Shanks had always been cheerful — he had never seen him like this before.
Dropping his broom, Buggy walked over with rare gentleness and asked, "Shanks, you look upset. What happened? Did Captain Roger scold you for drinking too much?"
Shanks shook his head silently and continued forward. Usually, Buggy would have gotten angry at being ignored like this, but this time he simply followed him.
At last, they reached the bow of the ship. Shanks leaned against the railing and stared blankly at the sea, while Buggy watched him from the side.
This was the first time Buggy had looked at Shanks like this and the longer he stared, the more he realized how strikingly handsome Shanks was, just like that one person in his memories.
They stayed like this for a while before Shanks finally spoke. He took off his straw hat, placed it in front of him, and said, "Buggy, do you think a person's destiny is determined from birth? If that's true, then what does freedom even mean? A cruel joke?"
Buggy didn't reply right away. Instead, he reached out and touched Shanks's forehead, then brought his red nose close as if to sniff.
Shanks stared at him with confusion and asked, "Buggy, what are you doing?"
Buggy rolled his eyes and grumbled, "I'm checking if you have a fever or if you drank too much. Why are you doubting life like that, making me… well, making me jump!"
Shanks raised a brow, instinctively placing a hand on his hip, and said, "I was with you the whole time. Don't I look like someone who drank too much? Besides, do you think I'm you, so weak that I get sick that easily?"
"What? I think you're asking for a beating!" Buggy snapped.
"Then come on!"
Without hesitation, Shanks was the first to throw a weak punch at Buggy's nose, and the two began wrestling playfully.
They fought until they were both bruised and lying spread out on the deck, gazing up at the bright moon in the night sky.
Buggy mumbled, "Hey! Don't you feel a little better now?"
"Yeah," Shanks replied quietly.