Chapter 129 - 17

Chapter 219Luffy remembered the Arlong Pirates.From the sound of it, Rayleigh was only on good terms with Hatchan, but had no connection to the Arlong Pirates."I have a question."Robin asked, her hands folded in front of her: "The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was publicly executed 22 years ago. As his vice-Captain, why weren't you captured and executed by the Marines? Instead, you've been living right under the nose of Marine Headquarters on Sabaody Archipelago for so long."According to Hatchan, Shakky and Rayleigh had been on Sabaody Archipelago for many years.Luffy was also quite puzzled.Logically, the core members of the Roger Piratesshould all be considered targets that the World Government must eliminate.The smile on Rayleigh's face faded slightly, his expression turning somewhat subtle. He adjusted his glasses, and in the reflection of the lenses, Luffy's image appeared."He wasn't caught. Roger turned himself in.""Turned himself in?"Luffy couldn't help but ask, "Why would the Pirate King turn himself in?"It was incomprehensible. How could the man who stood at the pinnacle of piracy choose such a path?Rayleigh's gaze grew distant, as if piercing through the mists of time, returning to that magnificent yet farewell-filled era:"Because he saw the end of our journey, and he saw the end of his own life."It was a past he didn't much want to recall.Chapter 308: The Karmic Fire That Ignited the WorldRayleigh said: "Roughly four years before that public execution day, Roger contracted an incurable disease. It was an illness no one could cure. Even his incredibly resilient body weakened day by day under the torment of the sickness, suffering terribly."At that time, there was a doctor, Crocus, widely recognized as having the best medical skills on the seas, who was also the keeper of the Twin Cape lighthouse. Only he had the ability to alleviate Roger's pain.So Rayleigh and the others pleaded with him to join, to accompany the Roger Pirates as their ship's doctor for the final leg of their journey.In the end, Crocus agreed.Three years before the public execution, guided by Roger's ability to hear the Voice of All Things, the Roger Pirates reached the end of the Grand Line, Laugh Tale.Roger, nearing the end of his life, accomplished the feat deemed impossible by the world.He conquered the entire Grand Line!"Mr. Crocus?"Luffy was taken aback, the image of that kindly old man under the Reverse Mountain lighthouse, guarding the giant whale Laboon, surfacing in his mind."Didn't that old man say he'd been at the cape for 50 years? So he was also a crew member of the Pirate King."Nami also recalled: "Now that you mention it, he did say something about being a pirate for a few years. I never imagined those three years were spent on the Pirate King's ship!""The fact that you've met him proves he's doing well now."Rayleigh smiled, his tone lightening a bit: "That guy Crocus, back then, it seems he agreed to board Roger's ship because he wanted to find a certain missing pirate crew, thinking Roger's ability might help him find a clue.""Brook's old crew, the Rumbar Pirates."Luffy said, "Mr. Crocus went to sea to look for Brook and Laboon, right?"Putting it that way, it seemed all the threads of fate were connecting at this moment.Rayleigh raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Oh? You even know about that? It seems your adventures have been quite remarkable.Although Crocus was only a crew member for three years, without a doubt, he was also an important comrade of ours. At my age, I find myself wanting to see these old friends again even more.""So, what happened after conquering the seas?" Luffy pressed.He was full of curiosity about the Pirate King's story.Rayleigh said: "It was after that, Roger was crowned by the world with the title of Pirate King."Merry also listened wide-eyed, as if hearing a story.This was the unknown tale of the Pirate King."But he couldn't remain the Pirate King forever. Titles are meaningless to a man about to die. However, that guy Roger, he enjoyed himself to the very end."A nostalgic smile appeared on Rayleigh's face. "He was a man who loved doing everything with a grand flourish.Whether it was throwing a banquet, fighting a battle, or even planning his own not-so-distant future.He still seemed to be thoroughly enjoying life."And not long after that, following their Captain's orders, the Roger Pirates quietly disbanded.All members went their separate ways, disappearing one by one, hiding their identities.Rayleigh hardly knew where his former comrades, with whom he had fought desperately, were now or what they were doing.Perhaps it was truly as Rayleigh said; he was already a retired old soldier. Old age meant his body couldn't keep up in all aspects—willpower, energy, physique... Even Garp no longer chased pirates all over the world like he used to. When he had nothing to do, he'd just go back to East Blue to relax.As for someone like Zephyr, still active on the front lines, to be honest, he'd likely just be continuously broken through by the new generation of pirates like Luffy and his crew."Then, one year after the disbandment, Rogerturned himself in and was arrested. The public execution was announced in the city of his birth, Loguetown in East Blue."Rayleigh seemed to return to that square in the town known as the Town of Beginnings and Endings."I heard that on that day in the square, many young pirates who are now famous across the seas gathered there. The Pirate King's execution drew the attention of the entire world."Rayleigh didn't go, remembering what Roger had told him back then."I won't die, brother."And the facts proved that Roger never truly seemed to have left."The World Government and the Marines must have been quite surprised."Rayleigh said: "Because the public execution they held to warn other pirates, due to Roger's final words, suddenly became the ceremony that kicked off the Great Pirate Era."In everyone's ears, it was as if they could hear that legendary man's final declaration to the world from the execution platform:"My treasure? If you want it, I'll let you have it! Go find it! I left everything this world has to offer there!!"Rayleigh's gaze was contemplative.Looking back on his life, had it been magnificent?It was absolutely not as spectacular as his own Captain's."Roger transformed the last flickering flames of his life, mere seconds remaining, into the karmic fire that ignited the entire world.Never again did we laugh like we did that night, never again did we cry like we did that night. Even the nights where we all drank our fill became things of the past.Our Captain lived an incredibly splendid life."Rayleigh shook his head and laughed.Nami murmured: "We seem to have heard an incredibly significant story, yet hearing it from someone who was there makes it feel so tragically heroic.""Put that way, this Great Pirate Era is practically something Roger planned single-handedly!"Luffy clenched his fist. "Is everything happening now within his expectations?"Hearing this, Rayleigh laughed heartily and adjusted his glasses: "That's not easy to answer. Roger is dead. The only ones who can shape this era are the people living in it.That day in the square, there were indeed people who inherited some sort of will from Roger, and they exist in this era. Shanks, whom you know well, is one of them.""Uncle, you know Shanks?" Luffy was taken aback."In East Blue, have you heard of a pirate named Buggy?" Rayleigh asked instead.For a moment, Nami and Zoro's expressions turned a bit strange.That red-nosed fellow, they were all too familiar with him."Those two brats were both apprentice crew members on Roger's ship back in the day," Rayleigh said casually."Shanks was once on the Pirate King's ship?!"This time, Luffy was genuinely shocked. He couldn't help but look at Uta beside him. "Did you know?""I knew.""Why didn't you tell me?!"Uta pursed her lips, shooting Luffy a somewhat displeased glare. "You never asked me.""What? Shanks didn't tell you?"Rayleigh looked somewhat surprised at the interaction between Luffy and Uta. "About ten years ago, I happened to run into him on this island. I noticed his iconic Straw Hat, and his left arm, were both gone. When I asked him why, he spoke of you with great joy."Rayleigh recalled the scene from back then.Shanks, looking delighted, recounted his experience to him. "Mr. Rayleigh, I was really shocked back then. There was a kid in East Bluewho said the same thing as Captain Roger, the Captain's vow!""So you gave away the Straw Hat Roger entrusted to you?" Rayleigh looked at Shanks's severed arm. "But what happened to your arm?""I bet it on the new era!" Shanks's expression turned grave. "Lately, I've been dreaming often. I dreamt of seeing a face that closely resembled that kid's in the place you all talked about when we were children..."Shanks felt it seemed like some sort of cycle of destiny.The things Shanks had been anticipating until now seemed to be developing in the best possible direction."Your name is Uta, right?"Rayleigh's gaze shifted to Uta. He smiled and said, "Shanks's adopted daughter. He mentioned you to me too, said you possess a remarkable ability, that you're a musical genius."Uta forced a somewhat strained smile onto her face, then lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.She didn't much want to talk about Shanks.Rayleigh noticed but didn't press further."Anyway, after that, I thought I must meet you, Monkey D. Luffy, someday. However, since Shanksdidn't tell you these things himself, I can't overstep and do it for him."Rayleigh looked at Luffy and said, "In any case, I'm glad you managed to reach here through all your hardships. That guy is probably waiting impatiently for you in the New World.""Yeah, I'm looking forward to it too,"Luffy pressed down on the Straw Hat on his head, turned, reached out, and took Uta's slightly cold hand. Smiling, he said, "When the time comes, let's go see him together, okay?"Uta's head jerked up, a flash of panic and complexity in her heterochromatic eyes.Luffy said seriously, "If there's something, wouldn't it be better to ask him directly?"He wasn't insensitive. He could sense Uta's attitude towards Shanks was somewhat delicate, not like before when she always had Shanks's name on her lips.Perhaps there was some hidden reason behind Utagetting off the ship last time.Uta's lips moved slightly. Finally, she gave a soft "Mm," and didn't pull her hand away.At that moment, Robin, who was nearby, stepped forward."Mr. Rayleigh, I have a very important question."Robin's expression was serious. Recalling the journeys of these years, all she had seen and heard pointed to the same question."What exactly is the so-called Will of D?"She paused, then continued asking: "On the poneglyph I saw on Sky Island, there was Roger's name written in ancient script. Why was he able to use that writing?"She remembered the message she and Luffy saw beneath the golden bell tower."I have come here and will guide this text to its final destination. Pirate, Gol D. Roger."The truth Robin had been pursuing all along—she had thought there was no more hope back in Alabasta.Then, reaching Sky Island, seeing the poneglyphthere.About whether Roger and his crew knew the truth of the world.She desperately wanted to know."Do you know what truly happened in the world during the Void Century that began 900 years ago?You reached the final island, Laugh Tale. What kind of truth is hidden there?"The sky seemed to darken with her words, and the wind seemed to still.Everyone's gaze focused on Rayleigh.Rayleigh was silent for a moment, then said: "Yes. We know."They knew all of history.This brief admission exploded like thunder in Robin's heart.