"Wake Roger?"
Shanks' sudden shout even stunned Caesar.
Not just him—everyone present was dumbfounded, all turning to look at Shanks.
"Hey! Kid from Roger's crew, what are you talking about? Isn't Roger dead?"
Shiki couldn't help but yell.
Hearing Shanks' cry, Rayleigh couldn't help but recall the words Roger had spoken to him many years ago.
"Rayleigh! I won't die!"
The corners of his eyes grew moist.
Rayleigh looked at Buggy beside him. "Buggy! I'm counting on you!"
Hearing this, Buggy handed the Luffy he was holding to Rayleigh, then flew to the top of the giant egg and stretched out his hands toward it.
Whoosh!
A fierce gale suddenly swept across the world, dark clouds rolling in from the horizon accompanied by flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder.
An aura erupted from Buggy that shocked everyone present!
Boom!
As if the true king of this world had descended, a blurry figure slowly emerged from Buggy's body.
"That is...?" Shiki's eyes widened.
The figure seemed somewhat familiar.
But before anyone could react, the figure emerging from Buggy vanished into the surface of the giant egg before him, as if diving into the egg.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
In less than ten seconds, cracks began to appear on the shell of the giant egg before Buggy.
Crack!
A crisp sound rang out as, under everyone's gaze, a strong, powerful arm pierced through the thick eggshell and reached out from inside!
"Hahaha, hahaha!"
Wild laughter echoed from within the egg, spreading far and wide.
Shiki showed an expression of disbelief, exclaiming, "Roger??"
Crack!
The giant egg completely shattered.
A naked, three-meter-tall, powerfully built man stepped out from within, spreading his arms to embrace the world.
"Shiki! Long time no see!"
His face was youthful, his smile brilliant.
Though the hair on his head and the mustache above his lips hadn't yet grown, his appearance was unmistakably familiar to everyone present!
Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King!
The man who single-handedly created the Great Pirate Era, the only one ever called the Pirate King!
He was a legend of this world, the object of worship for countless pirates!
Because of him, countless brave men rushed to the seas without hesitation, chasing after the elusive great treasure!
Because of him, families across the world were torn apart every moment, plundered and slaughtered by locust-like pirates!
Because of him, the four seas, the Grand Line, the New World—everywhere was filled with slaughter, schemes, and rebellion!
Those who worshipped him revered him as a god!
Those who hated him saw him as a devil!
If asked who had the most renowned name in this world over thousands of years,It wasn't Rocks,
It wasn't Joy Boy,
It wasn't Imu,
It wasn't Whitebeard,
It was Gol D. Roger!
"Captain Roger!"
Buggy instantly burst into tears.
"It's Buggy! Long time no see. Thanks to you being in Loguetown back then, I had the chance to inhabit your Fruit!"
Roger smiled and patted Buggy's head.
Behind them, the old members of the Roger Pirates were all in tears, gazing at that tall figure.
Rayleigh tossed over a few pieces of clothing and scolded with a laugh, "Roger, you bastard, hurry up and put some clothes on!"
Roger chuckled as he took the clothes and put them on.
Just as he was about to exchange a few words with Rayleigh and the others, he noticed Luffy in Rayleigh's arms.
The smile vanished from his face as he stepped forward and picked up the Straw Hat resting on Luffy's chest.
"Shanks, is this the successor you were searching for?"
Shanks appeared silently beside Roger, sighing bitterly:
"Captain Roger, his name is Monkey D. Luffy, a child with limitless potential.
In just over two years, he went from a clueless boy who had just set out to sea to becoming a Yonko of the New World who defeated Kaido.
If given a little more time, he might even be able to fulfill your dream!"
"Also, he is Garp's grandson."
Roger's body trembled as he looked at Luffy's face, Garp's image surfacing in his mind.
"To think he's Garp's grandson. He seems quite young. Shanks, my... son, was entrusted to Garp to raise. His name is Ace, have you... heard of him?"
Roger looked at Shanks with unease.
He was different from Rocks.
For the past twenty years, Roger had been dormant within Buggy's body.
He hadn't died accidentally like Rocks.
Even if the execution at Loguetown hadn't taken place, Roger's terminal illness would have soon claimed his life.
During the great battle with Rocks, Roger had comprehended the Destruction Rule and gained the ability of the [Soul Parasite Devil Fruit].
Roger was naturally gifted with the ability to harmonize with all things. While dormant within Buggy, though unconscious, he naturally emitted this special power.
It was precisely because of this that Buggy's luck became extraordinarily good.
"Ace, he..."
Shanks showed an even more bitter expression, making Roger's heart tremble.
"I see, I understand."
Roger looked up at the sky, his emotions in turmoil, lost in thought.
Shiki flew directly in front of Roger, scrutinizing him up and down with suspicion and disbelief:
"Roger! You bastard, how exactly did you manage to come back from the dead? What's the deal with that egg?"
Seeing Shiki, a faint smile reappeared on Roger's face.
"Shiki, how did you become so tall? How about it, want to join my pirate crew? If you join, I'll tell you."
"Hmph! Don't dream! I'm part of the Beast God Pirates now. Your crew is full of old, useless trash—I wouldn't give them a second glance!"
Shiki made no attempt to hide his disdain.
Rayleigh and Gaban and the others immediately glared in anger.
"Beast God Pirates? That name sounds familiar. To have a man like you join them, I wonder who your captain is?" Roger asked curiously.
"It's me!"
Caesar strode forward, holding the long sword Candle Dragon.
Buggy's face showed fear as he immediately hid behind Roger.
Roger's eyes sparkled with interest as he looked up at the mountain-like Caesar, then glanced at Kaido nearby, a familiar figure flashing through his mind.
"So it's you! Oni Caesar!"
Roger said, the shock in his eyes growing more intense.
Within his Observation Haki that surpassed everyone else's perception, among the many experts present, only Caesar's aura was the most immense and profound!
"You've actually grown this strong? Kunpeng Fruit awakening? No... that's not right, is it the Power of Rules? You've also mastered the Power of Rules!"
At this moment, Roger's expression became unprecedentedly grave.
Because in his perception, the Caesar before him was like a twisting, rotating black hole!
[Regarding the setting where comprehending rules allows for an alternative form of soul immortality, it was mentioned earlier. The original manga also hinted at this concept, though it didn't specify it as rules, but rather as the will of the Devil Fruit.]
[Joy Boy parasitized Luffy's Rubber Fruit and lived for eight hundred years.]
[Rocks parasitized Teach's Darkness Fruit.]
[Roger parasitized Buggy's Chop chop Fruit.]
[What happened with Carmel wasn't parasitism - she was just the previous owner of the Soul-Soul Fruit, creating a nested situation after being eaten by Linlin.]
Therefore, in this story, the revivals of Joy Boy, Rocks, and Roger are all self-consistent.
Luffy is the child of destiny, Teach always talks about fate's arrangements, and Buggy is a bearer of Conqueror's Luck - these three are clearly different from Shanks.