The Oro Jackson.
The reason for Gol D. Roger's sulking was simple.
It stemmed from the last skirmish between the Roger Pirates and the Kuja Pirates two years ago—right before Shakky resigned as Empress.
During a lull in the battle, Shakky had slipped Silvers Rayleigh a small note.
It read: 'Come pick me up — Shakky.'
If Rayleigh had shared this immediately, Roger wouldn't be mad. He liked Shakky, but he respected her choices.
The problem was that Roger really, really wanted to be the one Shakky loved!
But Rayleigh? That handsome scoundrel had kept the note hidden for two whole years.
His excuse? "I didn't want to be tied down by romance."
"That bastard..." Roger grumbled, clutching the railing. "He only cares about his 'cool wanderer' image! Does he not know that hiding it is more annoying than just rejecting her?!"
Scopper Gaban noticed Roger's mood. He slung an arm around Rayleigh's neck, grinning mischievously.
"Rayleigh! I've noticed something!"
"Roger's depression started right after you two talked in the Captain's quarters. What exactly did you confess to him?"
Rayleigh flinched, his eyes darting away nervously behind his glasses.
"N-nothing..."
How could he tell Gaban that he ignored the Pirate Empress for two years because he was too lazy to deal with a relationship?
Fortunately, Roger's mood swung like the weather on the Grand Line.
In a flash, he stood up, his mustache twitching with renewed energy.
"Everyone! I will not give up!"
"Plunder! That is the essence of a Pirate!"
"If you want it, snatch it! Let's set sail for Hachinosu!"
"OOOOOOOHHH!!!"
The Roger Pirates cheered, adjusting the sails.
"Fair play, Rayleigh!" Roger shouted. "I'm going to snatch Shakky for myself!"
Hachinosu Island. Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
After two years, the bar had become a legendary landmark in the New World.
Any pirate worth their bounty had to visit. If you hadn't been ripped off by Shakky, were you really a pirate?
The queue outside was insane. It stretched for blocks, meaning a normal pirate would have to wait a month just to catch a glimpse of the retired Empress.
"Woah~ Still so many people."
Rocks D. Xebec led his crew through the crowd. They had just returned from a raid.
As the lords of the island, they didn't queue. The crowd parted in fear as the monsters walked in.
Inside, they took their exclusive booth. Shakky ignored the other customers to serve them personally.
"What's wrong, Rocks?" Shakky asked, placing a bottle down. "You have a satisfied look on your face, but your eyes are looking right through me. How lonely~"
"Huh?!"
Rocks blinked. He hadn't even noticed her approach.
"Mamamama! Hahahaha!"
Charlotte Linlin burst into laughter, slapping Rocks on the back hard enough to break a normal man's spine.
"Terrifying, isn't it? A woman's intuition!"
Whitebeard looked confused. "What exactly happened?"
Stussy took a long drag from her cigarette. She exhaled a cloud of smoke, her eyes sharp.
"Of course it's about a woman. Or rather... the result of one."
Stussy smirked.
"That's the look of a father. He looks like a child has been born."
As she spoke, her expression darkened slightly.
She glanced to her right at Whitebeard. The man was a stone wall. Two years of flirting had yielded nothing.
Then she looked to her left at York.
For the past two years, York had relentlessly attacked her during missions—"friendly fire" that was actually aggressive courtship. But lately... he stopped.
Since he got Gloriosa, his attacks were just... friendly. He had lost the hunger for her.
Am I... really that unattractive? Stussy thought bitterly, downing her glass of rum in one gulp. Or am I just getting too old for these rookies?
Rocks, oblivious to Stussy's mid-life crisis, turned red.
"You're too loud! Shut up! This is a secret! No one speaks of this! It is strictly confidential!"
York, who was cuddling with Gloriosa, froze. He thought it was a joke.
"Hey, hey, hey! Rocks! No way! You actually have a child?!"
"Shut up, York!" Rocks roared, but the grin on his face betrayed him. He looked genuinely happy.
"You seem a bit lacking, kid," Rocks teased, deflecting the attention. "How long have you been with Gloriosa? No belly yet? Are you impotent?!"
Gloriosa flushed crimson, sitting up to argue. York pulled her back gently.
He looked at Rocks with a calm, serious expression.
"My Devil Fruit allows me to control my body perfectly. I decide when life is created."
York lowered his voice, his eyes scanning the room—specifically looking at Shiki, John, and Silver Axe.
"Besides... I don't trust this crew."
"If I had a child now, some of the scoundrels in this room would use it as leverage against me."
York leaned forward.
"Rocks, take my advice: Hide your wife and child well."
"If these monsters find out where they are... heh heh heh..."
The atmosphere chilled.
Rocks dropped his smile. His eyes hardened as he scanned his own subordinates.
"Ah~ Don't worry," Rocks muttered, his voice dropping to a growl. "I've already taken care of that."
BANG!
Suddenly, the bar's main door was kicked off its hinges.
A group of rowdy, colorful strangers rushed in.
"SHAKKY! IT'S ME!!"
"Hi~ Shakky-chan~~"
Click! Click!
Flashes from old-fashioned cameras illuminated the dim bar, blinding the Rocks Pirates.
"Who the hell..." Shiki growled, reaching for his swords.
Shakky didn't flinch. She smiled.
"It's Roger."
WHOOSH!
Rocks vanished from his seat.
BOOM!
He reappeared at the door, slamming his forehead directly into the intruder's forehead.
Black lightning crackled between them. The shockwave shattered the windows.
"ROGER! You scoundrel! How dare you come to my island?!"
Gol D. Roger, grinning like a maniac, pressed his forehead back against Rocks', refusing to yield an inch.
"This is Shakky's shop! Fighting is forbidden between customers! Stop yelling, you Porcupine-Head!"
"There was a queue outside!" Rocks roared. "Did you wait?!"
"Queue? What queue?!" Roger laughed. "There was no one standing when I walked in! Let's drink, lads!!"
"OOOOOOOHHH!!!"
York turned to look out the window.
The "queue" that usually took a month to process was currently a pile of unconscious bodies stacked in the street.
"They've all been knocked out with Conqueror's Haki," York noted, smiling calmly.
He looked at the chaotic man with the straw hat.
"A worthy opponent has finally appeared."
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