Crocus was stunned. He couldn't understand what Rojen was saying, and he highly doubted the truth of those words.
Yet when he met the young man's gaze, all he saw was sincerity.
This kid is actually serious?! There wasn't the slightest trace of deception or falsehood in his eyes.
"Alright, Daz Bonez, bring some specialties from the East Blue for Crocus. It's time for us to leave."
Rojen didn't care whether Crocus believed him or not. Everything he had said was true.
He had indeed met Brook. It was just that he had met him in the anime from his previous life.
In the future, when the Straw Hat crew reached that sea region, Brook would naturally return to this world.
Daz Bonez nodded, turned around, boarded the ship, and carried down some local specialties and wine, placing them inside Crocus's house.
"Leaving already, kid?"
Crocus sighed.
Hardly anyone ever came to his place. Even when visitors occasionally arrived, they rarely bothered chatting with an unremarkable old man like him. He had finally met someone he could almost call an acquaintance, yet the brat showed no consideration for the elderly and was preparing to leave after only a few words.
"Yeah, we're leaving, Crocus. You know, Shanks has already entered the New World, while I'm still stuck here. I'm moving a bit too slowly."
Rojen waved his hand.
"Go on, then. Go on!"
Crocus understood young people well. They hated admitting defeat.
"Want to hear some advice? About your route."
"Oh?"
The crew all turned their attention toward Crocus. The experience of an old sailor was invaluable and always worth listening to.
"What do you suggest, sir?" Rojen asked.
"Where's your navigator?" Crocus looked around but couldn't find anyone present who seemed like a navigator.
"We don't have one for now." Rojen answered somewhat awkwardly.
Although he had quite a few crew members, not a single one held a proper professional position. Most of them were combat specialists.
Even he himself was serving as both captain and part-time cook.
As for a navigator, they simply didn't have one.
"You dare venture into the Grand Line without a navigator?"
Crocus was shocked.
These guys really embodied the phrase the ignorant fear nothing.
What did they think the Grand Line was?
The unpredictability and strangeness of those waters were beyond imagination. Even veteran sailors who had traveled through them multiple times had to proceed with extreme caution, doing everything possible to avoid unknown routes. Otherwise, if they accidentally wandered into an unexplored sea region, they might not even know how they died.
"We should be fine. Besides, I've studied some navigation." Rojen replied with a smile.
Crocus was speechless. Looking at the confidence in Rojen's eyes, he almost couldn't bear to crush the young man's optimism.
"Forget it. As for your route, I suggest you follow the path Roger once took."
His serious tone immediately drew everyone's attention, and puzzled expressions appeared on their faces.
Rojen, however, wasn't surprised at all and simply listened with a smile.
"As everyone knows, within the Grand Line, the geomagnetic fields, weather patterns, ocean currents, and air currents are all in complete chaos. Even determining your own location is extremely difficult."
"If you want to find islands, the experience and techniques you've accumulated in the Four Seas are practically useless. Only an Eternal Pose is truly reliable."
"Starting from Reverse Mountain, seven magnetic paths extend outward, forming seven different routes. All seven routes can eventually lead to your final destination—Raftel."
"But!"
Crocus's voice suddenly became stern.
"I don't know whether Roger ever told you this."
"And I don't know whether you're already aware of it."
Some of the crew were hearing this information for the first time and were greatly astonished. The fact that there were seven separate routes through the Grand Line that could all lead to Raftel came as a complete surprise to them.
"The truth is something you'll only understand once you enter the New World. Of those seven routes, only one can truly reach Raftel. And beyond that, it will open up an entirely new course!"
The moment those words were spoken, everyone's pupils contracted and their expressions changed dramatically.
"The true location of Raftel is extremely difficult to determine. Even Whitebeard could not pinpoint it."
"Otherwise, why is it that Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and countless other pirates dominated the New World for years, yet only Roger became the Pirate King?"
Rojen's eyes flickered.
He had read the original story. Although One Piece had not yet been completed when he left his previous world, he still knew some of its secrets.
"The four red Poneglyphs indicate the locations of four islands. By connecting those four points, the intersection they create reveals the location of Raftel. Isn't that right?"
he said softly.
The unexpected statement shocked Crocus.
"How do you know that?"
"Roger never told me, but I simply know. In fact, I already know the location of one of those islands."
Rojen chuckled.
"You really are unbelievable."
Crocus was deeply shaken.
Countless pirates had slaughtered one another and shed rivers of blood for the locations of those four islands and the four red Poneglyphs. Yet this man had not even entered the Grand Line and already possessed the location of one of them!
"Since you already know this much, then you should understand why I advised you to follow the route Roger once traveled."
After letting out a long breath, Crocus continued.
"I do."
"Then there is one island that you absolutely must visit."
"Which island?"
Jason quickly asked from the side.
He had been to the Grand Line before and had always believed that its waters held no mysteries beyond his understanding. Yet after hearing Crocus speak, he realized just how little he truly knew.
There were simply too many things he didn't know.
The others felt the same way.
The world was far larger and more mysterious than they had ever imagined.
Even Trens and Crocodile, both of whom had already been to the New World, listened attentively.
"Skypiea."
Crocus spoke with a solemn expression.
"Skypiea?!"
The crew stared in astonishment.
"The legendary Skypiea really exists?"
Trens instinctively looked up at the sky. A rainbow hung high above after the rain, while scattered white clouds drifted lazily across the heavens. He simply could not imagine how people could possibly live in a place above the clouds.
"It exists."
This time, it was Rojen who answered, a smile in his eyes.
"In fact, Skypiea is my primary destination on this voyage."
"As for the journey after Skypiea, we've already traveled those seas before. There's nothing particularly special about them."
"Is that so?"
Crocus suddenly felt at a loss for words.
This kid seemed to know everything already, so what was the point of his continuing to explain?
"There seems to be something Roger left behind there."
In the end, Crocus only added that final remark.
Naturally, Rojen agreed with him. Even if the old man had said nothing, he would still have done the same.
The seven routes might appear similar on the surface, but choosing the wrong one meant facing entirely different dangers and opportunities.
"Set sail, brothers!"
"Our next destination… the Grand Line!"
With those words, Rojen strode forward, and the others followed him toward the ship.
(End Of This Chapter)
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