On a giant mushroom, Roger crouched low, both hands pressed to the damp ground. His expression was uncharacteristically serious as he looked toward his guest.
"Oi, Oden… you really understand this?"
Kozuki Oden frowned, eyes fixed on the paper spread between them. The strange characters carved into it tugged at his bloodline, the centuries-old duty of Wano's Kozuki family. "Yes. This is our secret script, passed down for generations. But… why do you even have a document like this?"
Roger didn't answer immediately. Instead, he grabbed the wine bottle at his side and tilted it back. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. He set it down with a heavy thunk. His eyes sharpened.
"It's been thirteen years. At last, we reached the end of the Log Pose, the place every pirate dreams of. Lodestar Island." His voice grew heavy with memory. "We thought it was the end… but when we arrived, the Log Pose spun uselessly, pointing nowhere. That wasn't the end. There's still one last island, a place no one has ever reached."
Whitebeard and Oden listened silently, sensing the weight in his words.
Roger tapped the paper, smiling faintly. "The path is hidden in four great red stones, carved with this writing. Poneglyphs. The World Government forbids anyone from reading them but I've realized they're not just relics. They're a map. The key to reaching the final island."
He leaned back, arms spread wide, voice rising with conviction. "They say that island holds unimaginable treasure. The Government's desperate warnings not to go there? That just makes it all the more real!"
Then Roger's laughter thundered through the forest, shaking birds from the canopy. "If we can reach it—if we set foot where no one else has—then we'll be the greatest pirate crew in the world! I'll be… King of the Pirates!"
Oden's breath hitched, sweat dripping down his brow. Whitebeard's grip tightened around his wine bottle, brows trembling as though he'd just been told the seas themselves would split in two.
"Gurarararara!" Whitebeard suddenly bellowed with laughter, snapping Oden out of his daze. "What nonsense are you spouting, Roger? You're no kid anymore."
But even as he mocked, there was no malice. He was happy for his rival, for the dream burning in Roger's eyes.
Roger straightened, fists clenched, eyes blazing. "I'm serious, Newgate. Please..."
Whitebeard stiffened. He already guessed what was coming, and his chest burned with anger.
"Just one year. Lend me Oden." Roger extended one finger, voice unwavering. "With him, I can reach the last island."
The words struck Oden like lightning. His fists clenched against the ground. Borrow me? His pride screamed in protest. "Hey! What the hell are you talking about?!"
But Roger wasn't deterred. He bowed deeply to Whitebeard, eyes shut, voice ringing with sincerity. "Please, Newgate. I'm begging you."
Even Gaban of the Roger Pirates shouted in shock. "Captain! He's the enemy!"
Across the battlefield, pirates from both crews gasped. Roger, a legend equal to Whitebeard, kneeling? It shook them to their cores.
"Don't!" Oden muttered, startled by how far Roger would go. This man was supposed to be Whitebeard's equal, yet he lowered himself without hesitation.
"Just one year," Roger pleaded again. Then, turning toward Oden, he locked eyes with him. "Please. Come with us."
That was enough to ignite Whitebeard's fury. The wine bottle shattered in his fist as he slammed the air itself with a quake-punch. The very atmosphere cracked, shockwaves tearing the sea into towering waves.
"Roger! Are you trying to steal my family from me?!"
The Whitebeard Pirates stiffened. Pops' rage was like the sea itself rising against them. Teach, watching silently from afar, smirked faintly. So it begins. Oden's departure… the era I've been waiting for draws closer.
But Oden's heart pounded, blood boiling. His family's duty to the Poneglyphs… his fate, standing here at this very moment before Roger.
He didn't even realize he was shouting until the words left his mouth. "Pops! Let me go! I want to see it—the last island Roger spoke of!"
Roger blinked, stunned. He hadn't expected Oden to declare it himself.
Whitebeard's face twisted, torn between fury and pain. "Of course I'm displeased! You and I are brothers, Oden!"
"Just one year, Pops," Oden begged, head lowered, teeth clenched. "I have to know. I have to see it with my own eyes."
Whitebeard's fists cracked the very sky as shockwaves rolled outward again and again. Yet he knew Oden's heart. Nothing could cage his spirit. With a bitter growl, Whitebeard turned away, unable to stop him.
Days later, the Whitebeard Pirates gathered on the Moby Dick's deck. Farewells filled the salty air.
"Take care, Oden," Marco said, gripping his hand tightly.
"Mm. I'll be back," Oden promised with a smile.
Izo forced a laugh. "We'll stay here. We love this ship. We'll wait for your return."
Behind him, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi tried to look casual, sweat beading as Vista's suspicious gaze lingered. They were hiding something, but Oden ignored it, simply grinning.
Teach, however, didn't approach. When Vista nudged him, asking if he'd say goodbye, Teach just shrugged. "No need. If Oden's strong enough, he'll be back. If not—well, I'll bring flowers to his grave."
Vista frowned, unsettled by the strange confidence in Teach's tone. Something about him felt… heavier, darker. But he said nothing more.
Later, as Roger's ship Oro Jackson raised anchor and drifted from shore, the Whitebeard Pirates gathered, waving.
"Goodbye, Lord Oden!"
"Come back and tell us your adventures!"
From the departing ship, Oden leaned over the rail, waving furiously, voice cracking with laughter. "Take care, everyone!"
Behind him, Rayleigh, Crocus, and the Roger crew smiled warmly. Oden was one of them now.
But when the Whitebeard Pirates turned back inland, someone shouted in alarm. "The cat and dog are gone!" Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had vanished, of course, sneaking onto Roger's ship with Oden.
Whitebeard seethed, fists trembling. Damn those brats. He wanted to fight Roger's crew for three more days and nights.
But life moved on. Though Oden's absence cut deep, everyone knew he would return. For now, Whitebeard needed another outlet for his fury. And so the crew turned their sights outward—to the Marines.
A report came through the Den Den Mushi; a rising Marine star, a Logia user, patrolling nearby waters. Perfect bait. Pops' anger demanded release, and the real prey would be the Admirals sure to come chasing afterward.
The sea rumbled with new storms on the horizon.