"Oh right, you probably have never seen people with wings. There are some there."
"And have you ever seen an island sitting on the back of a giant elephant? I am telling you, the animals there can talk. It is just like a fairy tale kingdom."
Roger puffed out his chest proudly. "I have been there. Hahaha…"
After laughing, Roger paused. "I wonder how that cat and dog traveling with Oden are doing now. Oh, and that closed off samurai country. Their daimyo was once my crew member. I took him from Whitebeard's ship. Impressive, right?"
After a brief moment of quiet, he burst into laughter again.
Rowan sat down, resting his head on one hand. "An island above the White Sea at ten thousand meters, Skypiea. The golden city Shandora. The island on the back of the elephant is Zou, the Mokomo Dukedom, right? At this point, that cat and dog should still be in Wano. They are probably struggling to survive, and in a few years they will return to become rulers."
"And also… Kozuki Oden, who could read the ancient text, was someone you begged Whitebeard for, kneeling in front of him. How did that turn into you stealing him?"
For a moment, Roger's soul froze in embarrassment.
Bragging was a pirate's hobby, but being exposed on the spot was the worst outcome.
And this young man even knew the details.
He almost wanted to die again.
"Haha… you are really terrifying, young man. But how do you know all this at your age?"
Roger tried to change the subject, but suddenly paused. "Wait. How do you know about the ancient text? My old companions would never reveal that. And the part about the cat and dog becoming rulers in the future… that sounds like…"
Rowan looked at him. "Are you thinking I can see the past? Or that I can see your memories?"
In an instant, Roger cleared all thoughts about Laugh Tale from his mind.
For someone like him, that was not difficult.
"Do not overthink it. And right now, I am not interested in One Piece."
Rowan continued, "Compared to that, I am more interested in what kind of hidden methods those people in Mary Geoise have, aside from the weapon that destroyed God Valley."
"God Valley?"
Roger looked at Rowan. "At your age, you should have been just a baby back then. But that kind of power cannot be used freely."
Rowan thought for a moment. "Not enough energy, right? But even so, that alone should not have been enough for them to defeat the Great Kingdom eight hundred years ago. As far as I know, that kingdom's technology was far ahead of the present."
A trace of surprise flashed in Roger's eyes.
After a long silence, he exhaled. "I did not expect to still be thinking about these things after death. But the one they are waiting for is not you, so there are many things I cannot say. That history carries too much weight. Even someone like me does not want to interfere with it lightly."
Silence filled the platform at the center of the prison.
After a while, Rowan spoke again. "Then let us not talk about that. But there are a few things you might be interested in."
"First, your death has ignited a wave of piracy across the world."
"The idea that the Pirate King left behind all his treasure has driven people into madness. In just a few days, countless people have set sail across the four seas and the Grand Line."
Roger crossed his arms and laughed loudly, clearly pleased.
Rowan continued, "Your wife in the South Blue will give birth to your son in one year and three months. But by then, she will be at the end of her life."
The time frame made Roger's soul tremble.
No one understood better than him how much the World Government feared him.
Laugh Tale contained all their forbidden truths.
To them, as the Pirate King, he was already the enemy of the gods.
Because of that, his bloodline would never be allowed to exist.
So Rouge had been discovered.
Roger covered his eyes.
"…"
So Garp really was unreliable.
He should have entrusted Rayleigh or Scopper Gaban instead. But that would have exposed them and put them in danger.
After a long silence, Rowan asked, "So you are not going to ask me to help?"
Roger shook his head slightly. "Someone like you always has a purpose behind your actions. Garp may be unreliable, but he will let my son be free."
Free.
And so, Ace would still go out to sea and become a pirate.
Rowan stood up. "This is why I do not like people like you. Freedom, in your case, comes without any sense of responsibility."
He waved his hand and walked away, ignoring Roger's continued chatter.
It sounded grand, but in the end, it was just abandoning family to chase the sea.
Responsibility?
Did pirates even have such a thing?
…
West Blue, near Rasgap Town.
Not long after leaving the prison space, Rowan heard the whistling sound of cannon fire cutting through the air.
As a mere seaman, he immediately received orders to head to the deck.
However, unlike ordinary soldiers, after eliminating pirates in Loguetown, his rank had already been promoted at Headquarters. He only needed to formally receive it back in Rasgap.
So instead of loading cannons, Rowan went straight to the deck.
"Damn Roger. It has only been a few days, and even the West Blue is in chaos."
"Sink them all."
"Fire. Fire."
…
On the noisy deck, Rowan looked out at the sea.
Five pirate ships, flying skull flags, were approaching the warship.
Their destination was Reverse Mountain, but before that, they did not mind using a Marine warship as the beginning of their plunder in the Grand Line.
"Whoosh…"
Five cannonballs shot toward them. This was already the third round of fire, now properly aimed.
Just as cries of alarm rose on the deck, a figure leaped into the air.
"Whoosh."
"Boom boom boom."
The sound of air being stepped on echoed. Using Armament Haki, Rowan detonated all the cannonballs mid air.
But he did not stop.
Instead, using Geppo, he moved toward the pirate ships.
Once his physical ability reached a certain level, the improvement in mental strength made techniques come naturally.
And Rowan understood the principle of Geppo very clearly.