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"So, can I let them go now?" After a moment of silence following the decision, Rojen asked calmly.
"Yes!" Sengoku nodded and was about to order Sakazuki to clear the path.
"Wait," Rojen suddenly called out.
"Hmm?" Sengoku's gaze sharpened, his eyes fixed intently on Rojen.
"I'd like to say goodbye to them. You don't mind, do you?" Rojen asked with a faint smile.
"Fine! But you don't have much time!" Sengoku hesitated briefly, then agreed with a frown.
"Thank you," Rojen said with a smile, turning to walk toward Jason and his group.
Sengoku kept a close watch on Rojen, wary of any unexpected moves.
"Come on, Sengoku, don't be so tense," Garp said casually. "The kid's character is trustworthy."
"Hmph! If you hadn't been slacking off, we could have captured them all if we'd worked together!" Sengoku retorted angrily.
"Hahaha! Isn't the current situation perfect? After all, you just need to save your pride." Garp simply laughed, completely ignoring Sengoku's curses.
Before Jason and the others, Rojen approached swiftly.
"Leave this place. I need to discuss some further matters with them."
Rojen's words revealed none of the details of their earlier conversation.
"Rojen, did you agree to some condition they set?" Lordling asked anxiously.
"Don't worry. Just leave first. I'll join you later," Rojen reassured them with a smile.
"Captain, we heard everything that old man said clearly. Are you using yourself as a substitute to keep us here?" Jason asked in a muffled voice.
They weren't fools; they simply refused to accept the truth, clinging to self-deception.
'Who said the big guy was always dumb?' Rojen thought helplessly, but he still refused to admit it aloud.'
"Leave this place immediately, go into hiding, and wait for me to return!"
"It seems that's the case," Trens murmured suddenly.
"Let's fight, Captain! We fear nothing!"
"Mountains of blades and seas of fire, we'll charge through them with you!" Jason roared.
"You said it yourself, Captain, comrades share everything!" Crocodile added earnestly.
"You guys..."
For some reason, Rojen felt a sudden stinging sensation in his nose. This feeling of being cared for, of having comrades willing to risk their lives alongside him, was just... damn good! It made him want to cry!
But precisely because of this, Rojen couldn't let them act rashly.
These were comrades to be cherished. He didn't want them to take unnecessary risks; their strength wasn't enough, they were still too young, too inexperienced.
He took another careful look at the group before him, etching their faces deeply into his memory.
Jason, clenching his fists and ready to strike at any moment, was a simple, honest man with a prodigious appetite and immense strength. Their first meeting, when he devoured mountains of food and drank rivers of liquor, had been unforgettable.
Crocodile's cigar trembled in his mouth, as if it might fall at any moment. This fiercely independent, aloof man had been arrogant and domineering when they first met, but now he had become a selfless young man willing to sacrifice himself for others.
He was ugly, yet so gentle.
Trens, the clever fellow, had likely already guessed something was amiss. His entire body trembled, but he understood his own heart well enough to suppress his suspicions, burying his thoughts deep within.
He was so fragile, on the verge of tears, yet he stubbornly held them back.
Lordling, the girl who had first appeared as a mere kitten, who could have imagined she was a beautiful princess? Her pure face and delicate aura made one instinctively want to protect her.
Now, she sobbed, wracked with pain, likely sensing something was wrong as well.
'Ah, how I long to hold her again! The feeling was truly wonderful.'
The last one, the carefree young man, glared at him with undisguised jealousy, as if Rojen had stolen his girlfriend. Rojen didn't recognize him, giving him only a cursory glance before dismissing him.
'What a lovable bunch of fellows. They'll be hard to forget.'
But all gatherings must eventually end. Today, their shared fate would have to pause for a time.
"I'll be back. Don't worry about me!" Rojen smiled, showing no sign of weakness.
"Captain, we're waiting for you!" Trens said through gritted teeth.
"I'll watch you leave," Rojen replied.
He slapped the gourd at his waist. The Jasper Gourd immediately expanded, its mouth opening to spit out Zephyr.
"Kid!" Zephyr exclaimed, his face twisted in pain. After taking in the scene, he fell silent. Severely injured, he could only lie limply on the ground, unable to move.
"Suck!" Rojen channeled his energy, and the gourd's mouth sucked again, swallowing Jason and his group whole.
"Go!" With a wave of his hand, the Jasper Gourd shot into the sky, transforming into a streak of light before vanishing completely.
"Captain!" Jason and his group cried out from within the Jasper Gourd as they sensed the sudden movement.
"The gourd will take you to safety. Don't worry about me," Rojen called out. "My comrades, take care of yourselves. One day, we'll meet again!"
"Don't act rashly until I return. Train diligently and strive to become stronger!" His voice was calm and steady, neither hurried nor slow. After speaking, he fell silent.
"Waaaaah!"
Finally, after a brief silence, the first sob erupted, it was Lordling's.
Rojen exhaled, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead, but his face beamed with a smile.
"Finally got it done!"
With the Jasper Gourd and the promises from Sengoku and Garp, Jason and the others' futures should be secure.
This was the most perfect solution, the best he could devise.
Perhaps this temporary separation would forge them into even stronger individuals in the future!
"You broke your promise, Rojen!" Sengoku said darkly as Rojen returned to his side.
"But I'm still here, aren't I? Come on, take me to Impel Down! The legendary Seabed Great Prison! I wonder what the scenery's like?"
"I'm so curious!"
Rojen burst into laughter.
"You're quite the optimist. You'll be spending the rest of your life there, with plenty of time to admire the scenery." Sengoku snorted coldly.
The seastone shackles clicked shut around Rojen's ankles, instantly draining his strength.
"I really shouldn't have eaten that Devil Fruit," he murmured weakly, struggling to stay on his feet.
"Take him down! Temporarily confine him with the Golden Lion. Once headquarters matters are settled, transfer him to Impel Down!" Sengoku barked, ordering the soldiers to escort Rojen away.
"What a waste of talent," Garp sighed, shaking his head as he watched Rojen's retreating figure.
Soaring through the skies, the Jasper Gourdspeed moved with incredible speed, covering vast distances in an instant. It soon reached the area where their wooden boat had been docked.
Strangely, a figure was already aboard the wooden boat.
"You've arrived?"
(End Of This Chapter)