"Hehehe, alright then. Roger bro, I've got one more question."
"Reid, why do you have so many questions?" Roger leaned in until his face was almost touching Reid's, giving him a sideways glance full of exasperation.
"Uh… I have to ask. A lot of people want to know. This is the last one, I swear."
"Reid, you keep saying a lot of people want to know, who exactly are these people?"
Roger backed off with a confused look, clearly not following what Reid meant.
"Heh… I can't afford to offend those people. Roger bro, about the so-called One Piece, could it be that there isn't actually a huge treasure? Or that the real treasure isn't gold or jewels, but something entirely different?"
As Reid said this, he closely observed Roger's expression, this had been a long-standing fan theory.
"Hahaha, Brother Reid, why would you think that?"
Though Roger laughed it off, he was secretly shocked. "How does Reid even know this? I only ever told Whitebeard…"
"Oh, I'm just speculating from a global perspective. The Celestial Dragons' oppression is too extreme… I wondered if some powerful force would eventually rise to overthrow the World Government controlled by them. Or maybe it's a hidden truth of some kind?"
"Reid, are you even human?!"
Roger suddenly reappeared in front of Reid again, this time pressing his face tightly against Reid's.
"Uhh… heh. I'm the Child of Destiny, it's normal for me to know a few things in advance, right?"
"Brother Reid, I'm starting to think you're kinda shameless." Roger said it with a smirk, which made Reid laugh awkwardly.
"Hahaha, I never thought I'd leave the Pirate King speechless."
"You brat, hahaha! The Roger Pirates just gained another brother who really gets me."
Roger let out a hearty laugh, took a swig from his bottle, and continued,
"I've already shared the route to the One Piece with Whitebeard. Reid, do you want to know?"
"I… don't."
Reid had intended to say yes, but for some reason, he suddenly changed his mind.
"Oh? You're not interested?" Roger was surprised, this was an enormous temptation, even for marines and pirates alike.
"Nope. As long as I'm with the people I care about, I'm happy. As for the so-called great treasure… hehe, I don't really care."
Reid waved his finger confidently.
"Hahahaha, interesting. All I'll say is: relying on a Log Pose isn't always a good thing."
"I knew it. I remember from the flashbacks that Roger once threw his navigation orb into the sea."
Reid looked like he'd just had a revelation.
"Roger, where are we headed now? Are we going to find Rouge?"
"Hah, yeah… Rouge should be about to give birth."
Roger said, pulling out a small piece of paper.
"Wait, is that… a Vivre Card? It looks just like regular paper!"
Reid stared in amazement at the piece of paper in Roger's hand.
"Hehe, yep. You don't have one, Reid?"
"Nope. Not really useful for me anyway."
"Hahaha, it's still useful, at least now, my crewmates know I'm still alive."
Roger continued grinning, seemingly tireless.
"That's true. Roger, Rouge is already several months along. We need to find her quickly and get her somewhere safe to give birth to Ace."
"Reid… if I really died, would Rouge really die too? Would the marines capture her?"
Roger, even as the Pirate King, felt a trace of fear remembering what Reid had said earlier.
"Yes, that's exactly what would happen. To evade the marines as they hunted down remnants of your crew, Rouge went to great lengths. She delayed Ace's birth for a full 20 months."
Hearing this, Roger slammed the table in fury. The table split into pieces, and his eyes reddened.
"These watchdogs of the Celestial Dragons! Totally being played like fools—what a bunch of idiots!"
After venting, Roger came over and hugged Reid. His eyes shimmered with tears.
"Thank you, Brother Reid!"
"No worries. Maybe the heavens sent me here to help you, Roger."
Reid felt a sense of achievement, and he truly empathized with Roger's emotions.
"Hahahaha! You're right. Let's go out to the deck."
"Alright."
The two walked out of the cabin, and Buggy was the first to run over.
"Captain Roger, are we heading to Wano?"
"Wano? That country is a cherry blossom paradise… too bad it'll be ruined later by Orochi and Kaido." Reid thought silently.
"Not for now. Hey, Shanks, pick up the pace! Gather everyone!"
"We're already moving at full speed, this ship's too small!" Shanks shouted back, glancing at Reid from the corner of his eye.
"Too small, huh? Yeah, definitely not as good as the Oro Jackson."
"Captain, you're gathering the whole crew… are we going to fight Golden Lion?"
Smack!
Roger smacked Buggy on the head.
"Fight your head! I'm still alive and well, of course I want to gather everyone! And bring the Jackson over while we're at it!"
"Oh… so where are we going?"
Buggy rubbed his head, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
"To our old spot, and we'll throw a party to welcome our new member, Reid."
"A party?! Hahahaha, I love parties!" Buggy touched his red nose and grinned.
"Haha, Buggy, don't drink if you can't handle it."
"Shanks, shut up! My drinking capacity is unmatched across the world!" Buggy jumped up and swung his fists, looking furious.
"You two brats are always bickering… this is no way for a future captain to act."
"Captain Roger, believe me! I'm the future Pirate King, Buggy! Even if I get sliced into dozens of pieces, I'll be fine! I'm way tougher than Shanks!"
"What did you say, Buggy? I've already beaten you!"
"Shanks! If you've got the guts, let's duel right now! I, Pirate King Buggy, have a Devil Fruit ability, you're just a normal guy! One attack and you're done! Tch!"
Buggy pointed at Shanks, shouting insults.
"I'll never lose to you, Buggy! One day, I'll be as strong as Captain Roger. Even without a Devil Fruit, I can still become a top-tier powerhouse! Hmph! I'm not like you, your ambitions are too small."
Shanks countered dismissively, though he was dead serious.
Even if someone handed him a Devil Fruit, Shanks wouldn't eat it—because Roger was his role model, and he believed in relying on himself.