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South Blue, Baterilla Island.
Pink petals drifted through the air. Gentle music played. Crimson wine filled glass goblets. A white wedding dress brushed against green grass. Laughter and cheers wove together into a small but joyful wedding banquet.
In this quiet, unremarkable town of the South Blue, a couple walked hand in hand, smiling with pure happiness as they stepped into the hall of matrimony.
Yes. Today, a lively wedding was being held on Baterilla Island.
On the platform, a man with a curled mustache stood beside a young woman in a wedding gown. Both were smiling as they followed the officiant's lead through the simple ceremony.
Every guest was wrapped up in the festive atmosphere. No one noticed that three men in plain clothes had quietly taken seats at a round table in the corner of the venue.
Kyle narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the couple on stage.
They had arrived in the South Blue seven days ago. After gathering information bit by bit, they finally reached this island today.
By pure coincidence, they arrived right in the middle of a wedding.
The atmosphere was warm and cheerful, but Kyle's gaze never left the couple on the platform.
No one here could have imagined that the man standing at the altar, holding a woman's hand and smiling like any ordinary citizen, was Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King known across the world.
Across from Kyle, Crocodile stared at Roger's face, his expression filled with disbelief.
"How did you know?" he asked.
The question came from the other side of the table. Bullet's voice was low and heavy.
No matter who it was, no one in the world would ever expect the Pirate King to be hiding in the South Blue, on some nameless island, in a town with only a few hundred people. Much less holding a wedding right in front of them.
Yet this man had headed straight for this island the moment they entered the South Blue.
How could he possibly know?
"Call it intuition," Kyle said with a faint smile.
After a brief pause, his eyes returned to the couple on stage.
"For now, let's just enjoy the banquet."
"This is the old captain's wedding, after all. It deserves to be witnessed, don't you think, Bullet?"
Bullet said nothing. Beneath the table, his hands slowly clenched into fists.
He could not accept it.
The man who once crushed all opposition, broke through countless obstacles, and stood at the peak of the world as Pirate King, only a single step away from ruling everything, was now getting married on some unknown island.
"You've fallen," he muttered.
"Roger."
Alongside his anger was an indescribable sense of sorrow.
Even a king who once stood at the summit could not escape returning to an ordinary life in his twilight years, quietly waiting for death?
"If this is what you've become," Douglas Bullet snarled inwardly, teeth grinding, his gaze turning vicious.
"I'd rather be the one to send you out of this world myself."
At that moment, Roger, who was in the middle of the ceremony, glanced toward the corner. His expression shifted slightly when he noticed Kyle and the other two.
"What's wrong?" Portgas D. Rouge asked softly, noticing the change.
She followed his gaze and saw them as well.
"Are they your friends?"
Roger smiled and squeezed her hand. "Friends?"
"Maybe you could say that."
Even he felt a hint of surprise. The place he was hiding in was like a single drop of water in the ocean compared to the entire world. How could the Navy have found him so quickly?
But he did not dwell on it.
Since they had not caused trouble upon arrival and were quietly attending the wedding, anything else could wait until after it was over.
The ceremony soon reached its climax. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause.
Roger remained completely at ease, as if he had not seen the three men at all.
Later, during the toast of thanks, he even brought Rouge down to clink glasses with them.
"How's your teacher doing?" Roger asked with a grin.
"He's doing well. He went to the East Blue," Kyle replied.
"That's a shame. He didn't make it to my wedding," Roger laughed.
"Maybe that's for the best," Kyle said with a smile.
They spoke calmly, like old friends catching up. Roger showed no sign of tension, making Rouge truly believe the three men were her husband's acquaintances.
"Bullet, didn't expect to see you here," Roger said cheerfully.
Crack.
Bullet said nothing, but the glass in his hand shattered.
Rouge's face changed at once. She quickly called for someone to bring paper.
"No need," Bullet said stiffly, then dropped back into his chair.
"Congratulations on your marriage," he forced out, and then fell silent.
"And you are?" Roger asked, still smiling as he turned to Crocodile.
Crocodile looked startled and honored. He raised his glass. "Congratulations on your wedding. You can call me Crocodile."
"Haha. I hope you all enjoy the feast," Roger said warmly.
The couple moved on to greet other guests.
The wedding was small. There were only a little over ten tables, mostly Rouge's relatives and friends from the town. Roger had very few friends present, so before long, the three men found themselves surrounded by enthusiastic villagers.
Overall, the mood remained lively and cheerful.
Kyle did not make a move.
He quietly observed Roger. From the outside, there was no sign of serious illness. His spirit was strong, his expression relaxed. The overwhelming presence he once had as Pirate King was nowhere to be felt.
The Pirate King hiding on Baterilla Island truly looked like nothing more than an ordinary man.
Before long, the wedding ended.
Guests said their goodbyes in small groups, and the venue quickly emptied.
"When do we act?" Bullet growled.
There was a fire burning in his chest. He could not stand seeing the former king reduced to such a powerless, unremarkable state.
"Wait," Kyle said softly.
"He'll come to us."
Crocodile hesitated. "Are we really going to fight him?"
That was Gol D. Roger.
One of the three greatest legends in the world.
The strongest of them all.
Could the three of them really take him down?
Kyle only smiled and said nothing.
They waited through the afternoon until dusk approached.
Then they saw him.
Dressed casually, a long sword hanging at his waist, the mustached man approached with an easy smile.
"Roger!" Bullet snarled.
Roger stopped in front of them and laughed. His right hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
His gaze snapped toward Kyle. The smile on his face turned imposing, heavy with pressure. All three of them felt their hearts tremble.
"Navy brat," Roger said slowly.
"In your eyes, I see ambition burning like a wildfire."
Kyle smiled back. He slammed his fists together, black and crimson lightning crackling around him as his gaze sharpened.
"I have a question," he said.
"Why did you abandon everything, disband your crew, and come to hide on this nameless island?"
Roger bared his teeth in a grin and drew his sword in one smooth motion. His presence surged in an instant.
"Because," he said.
"I have zero interest in ruling anything at all!"
"..."
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