That bastard Queen... actually used that many people for his experiments!?
Kaidou glared furiously, panting heavily.
"Ow, ow, ow..."
From the collapsed hillside, Queen crawled out battered and bruised, face swollen, grimacing in pain.
When he saw Kaidou storming toward him with his kanabō in hand, rage boiling over, his fat body trembled uncontrollably.
"K-Kaidou-sama... I was just trying to help them get stronger," he stammered.
"If Daren and Bullet could get stronger through virus injections... I figured others could too, right?"
"If the experiment worked, we could mass-produce powerful warriors!"
"Shut it!!"
Kaidou roared, lifting his kanabō high.
Before Queen's horrified eyes, the weapon began crackling with dense purple lightning.
"No! Kaidou-sama!!"
"You think everyone's like that Marine brat?!"
Grinding his teeth, Kaidou charged.
"Raimei Hakke!!"
Boom!!
A towering column of dust exploded into the sky.
With every thunderous blow that followed, Queen's shrill, pig-like screams echoed endlessly across the valley, reverberating again and again.
King turned away, expression helpless. He stared off toward the distant sunset and let out a long sigh.
It took ten full minutes for the screaming to fade.
By then, the once-rolling valley terrain had been utterly transformed. The hills were replaced by massive craters, densely packed and jagged, like the pockmarked surface of the moon.
Dust swirled, and fierce winds howled through the air.
Kaidou finally emerged from the smoke, kanabō Hassaikai in one hand, and in the other, he dragged the unconscious Queen by the foot like a slaughtered hog.
Queen's face was grotesquely swollen, head covered in welts, eyes spinning in dizzy circles. He was completely out cold.
After venting his fury, Kaidou sat down with a heavy grunt, took a long swig from the sake flask at his waist, and let out a cold snort. His rage had mostly passed.
Seeing that Kaidou's mood seemed to have eased, King seized the moment and said in a low voice,
"Kaidou-san, the final shipment of weapons ordered by Shiki has just been sent out."
Kaidou wiped his mouth and gave a low grunt in response.
"That lunatic Shiki's been going off the rails lately, launching attacks on towns and ports like he's gone mad. Doesn't he care that he'll provoke the Marines or the World Government?"
He frowned.
"Normally, Shiki's not the impulsive type. If he's acting like this, he's definitely up to something."
King fell into thought as well, frowning.
"He's bought such a massive arsenal from us... It really feels like he's preparing for some kind of large-scale war."
"But Kaidou-san, why didn't you warn him about that Marine?"
Kaidou let out a cold snort.
"What's there to say?"
"That bastard dragged me into the Marineford invasion, and when the war ended, he just disappeared like nothing happened. Meanwhile, I got stuck with that damned Marine brat breathing down my neck!"
He ground his teeth hard enough to creak.
"Back when we were with the Rocks Pirates, Linlin already warned me—aside from our captain, Shiki is never to be trusted."
"I'd be happy to see him take a hit from that brat Daren!"
Among pirates, so-called alliances and cooperation were all just transactions of mutual benefit.
In this vast sea, aside from Linlin, Kaidou didn't trust a single soul.
King fell silent.
Kaidou's logic was sound—but for some reason, he had a feeling things were going to spiral in a direction none of them could predict.
...
At the same time...
Somewhere in the Grand Line.
On a deserted island, a bonfire crackled along the shoreline.
Members of the Roger Pirates were gathered around it, cheerfully eating grilled meat, singing songs, and bursting into carefree laughter.
Not far from the fire, behind a massive rock, Roger sat in the shade, leaning against the stone. His eyes were fixed blankly on the ground.
"Cough, cough..."
His face was gaunt, hair disheveled, and he looked as if he were recovering from a hangover, letting out hoarse coughs from time to time.
Rayleigh and Gaban stood nearby with arms crossed, silent and clearly worried.
"Oi, don't look at me like that. It's not like I'm dying today," Roger said with a grin, glancing at them.
He flexed his arm in a mock show of strength, and despite the pallor in his face, his smile was bright.
"At least, not until we finish our journey."
Rayleigh pressed his lips together and muttered, "Just shut up already."
Gaban sighed and shook his head.
Still, Roger's easygoing attitude seemed to lift some of the gloom from their expressions.
Roger, your life is nearing its end... but we'll see it through with you, all the way to the finish.
Both men clenched their fists quietly, their eyes firm with resolve.
"Captain, time for your medicine."
A voice called out from the side.
The man had a distinctive hairstyle like a blooming saffron flower, frameless glasses, a floral shirt, and beach shorts. In his hands was a bowl of pitch-black medicine.
He was the newest ship doctor aboard the Roger Pirates. Before joining, he had been the lighthouse keeper at Twin Cape, the entrance to the Grand Line. When the Roger Pirates recently decided to circle the world again via the Twin Capes, he finally accepted Roger's invitation to come aboard.
"Doctor Crocus, this stuff is way too bitter. Can I skip it? It's not like I'm dying right this second, right?"
Roger's face instantly scrunched up when he saw the bowl, and he waved it off like a child.
"You've got to drink it. Otherwise, you won't make it through your journey around the world."
Crocus looked helpless.
Before joining the crew, he never would've imagined that the legendary pirate Gol D. Roger—known across the seas—had the personality of a spoiled kid.
"I added sugar this time. Shouldn't be so bad."
He held the bowl out as if coaxing a child.
"Really?"
Roger eyed him suspiciously.
Crocus nodded solemnly.
"You're not lying, right?"
Roger turned to Rayleigh and Gaban.
They froze, then caught sight of Crocus frantically signaling with his eyes and quickly nodded.
"Definitely not bitter!"
"Alright then..."
Grumbling, Roger took the bowl and—with a grimace—tilted his head back and chugged the whole thing.
Then—
PFFF!!
The black liquid shot out of Roger's mouth like a fountain.
Crocus: …
Rayleigh: …
Gaban: …
"So bitter!!"
Roger's face twisted in agony—not a drop had gone down.
"...I'll go make another batch," Crocus muttered and turned around.
"Thanks for the trouble, Doctor Crocus!" Rayleigh and Gaban bowed deeply.
But just as Crocus walked off, steady, heavy footsteps approached.
Rayleigh and Gaban stiffened, their expressions shifting.
Turning their heads, they saw a tall, broad-shouldered blond figure standing not far away, staring darkly at Roger, who was still lying on the ground.
"So it's true... you don't have much time left, do you?"
Bullet's eyes were full of complex emotion—regret, sorrow, frustration... but most of all, disbelief.
"...Captain Roger."
Roger stopped rolling, got to his feet, and casually brushed the dirt off his pants.
He chuckled.
"Caught me, huh..."
Hearing it confirmed, Bullet stood frozen like he'd been struck by lightning.
He stared at Roger in silence before turning away.
"If you're not the strongest anymore, then I have no reason to stay on this crew."
His tone was cold, back turned.
Rayleigh and Gaban's eyes widened.
"What are you talking about? We're about to finish our journey through the Grand Line!"
"Bullet, how can you leave now!?"
They glared at his tall, broad back—unyielding, distant.
Bullet took a step, voice laced with scorn.
"A dying man has no right to be the captain of Douglas Bullet."
"You bastard!!" Rayleigh and Gaban shouted, fury in their eyes.
"It's fine."
Roger raised a hand, cutting them off with a calm smile.
"Let him go."
He watched Bullet's silhouette growing smaller, then suddenly called out with a grin,
"Sorry to disappoint you... Bullet."
Bullet froze mid-step.
Head lowered, teeth clenched, his eyes—hidden beneath a curtain of blond hair—had turned blood-red.
He gritted his fists and let out a strained, wild laugh.
"Don't talk crap, Roger!!"
"I never expected anything from you!!"
With that, he quickened his pace, making a beeline for the small submarine moored at the coast, like he was fleeing.
"Bullet... go on! I believe you'll become the strongest in the world!!"
Roger's bold, carefree laughter echoed behind him.
Bullet stumbled briefly, then clenched his fists and dove into the submarine.
It wasn't until he had fled far out to sea that he finally cut the engine.
Inside the empty, silent cabin...
Bang!
He slammed his fists into the controls, roaring in rage.
"Damn it!!"
"Damn it!!"
"Damn it!!"
"..."
Under that mess of golden hair, his face was already drenched in tears.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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