The Fleet Turns Back, and Olvia Leaves

The three men watched Izan leave, struggling to make sense of what had happened.

No one spoke. It took a long while for them to recover.

"We were almost there. Taking out the Roger Pirates would have made our work at sea so much easier. And now we're just abandoning it? I don't..."

Kong sighed in frustration.

He had hoped to eliminate Roger's crew here, leaving the Marines free to concentrate on Shiki, Newgate, and the others. That was no longer possible.

None of them knew who had called Izan or why the operation had been halted at the critical moment.

"But..."

"Fleet Admiral, do we really have to obey the Elders on this? If we capture Roger now, it would take so much pressure off us."

"What if we just..."

Zephyr was tempted to act.

He had his own grievances with the World Government. The Celestial Dragons were a burden on the Marines, nothing more. If they had a chance to eliminate the Roger Pirates, he thought it might be worth defying the order. They could accept the punishment afterward.

He looked to Kong, ready to move if the Fleet Admiral gave the word.

Kong could barely answer. Did he want to attack?

Of course he did.

But he was afraid of what would follow. The Marines still depended on the World Government. Angering the Five Elders now could make their position unbearable.

He was about to refuse when Garp spoke.

"Let it go, Zephyr. We can't act on impulse. Headquarters needs us, and it needs the World Government too. Disobeying now would be an open insult to the Five Elders. That's bad enough, but if something happens to us, the Marines really will be..."

Garp frowned as he spoke.

Everything he said was true. He did not want Roger captured, but that was not the main issue. They could not afford to defy the order.

Zephyr understood that as well as anyone. He dropped the subject and accepted the situation.

"Fine. It's just a waste. We had them right where we wanted them, and now they're getting away. It doesn't sit right with me."

He sounded thoroughly dejected.

"Then we'll follow orders. If there's any blame to take, I'll take it. The rest of you needn't worry."

Kong sighed and made his decision.

"Signal the whole fleet to turn around. We're returning to headquarters. As far as anyone is concerned, this was a training exercise."

Before long, the Marine ships were retracing their course.

The men knew why they were turning back, but no one dared say a word. The decision had come from the Five Elders.

...

At Laugh Tale, Roger and his crew were preparing to leave. None of them imagined the Marines would withdraw, so everyone was ready for a fight.

They sailed for half a day without meeting a single Marine ship. By then, they were beginning to question their information.

"What is going on? Weren't the Marines right behind us? Where are they? Did someone stop them?"

Roger turned to Rayleigh, baffled.

"How should I know? Our last report put them close behind us, no more than half a day's sail from Laugh Tale. I've no idea why they've disappeared."

Rayleigh was equally puzzled.

Neither could explain it, but the immediate danger seemed to have passed. They would have to wait for news from outside to learn why.

Three days passed quickly.

No one stopped them on the return voyage at first. Then, from an unknown source, a story spread: Roger had become the Pirate King and claimed an unimaginable fortune on Laugh Tale.

The news swept across the world. Countless pirates cheered, while others studied Roger's picture in the newspapers with greed.

They wanted a share of whatever this so-called Pirate King had found.

Soon pirate crews were launching one attack after another on the Oro Jackson.

Roger's crew won every time, of course. But the relentless attacks grew so tiresome that even the pleasure of becoming Pirate King disappeared.

In its place came a deep sense of unease.

They had no doubt this was a scheme devised by the World Government.

Everyone became cautious about showing themselves. Meanwhile, Olvia was discussing her departure with Roger and Rayleigh.

Their agreement had only been for her help deciphering the Poneglyphs. With that work finished, it was natural that she would want to leave.

"Olvia, are you sure? You know what the sea is like right now. If they catch you..."

Roger frowned.

He would miss her, but concern for her safety weighed more heavily.

"Don't worry. That won't happen. Staying with you would be more dangerous. Hardly anyone out there knows about me. As long as you say nothing, I should be all right."

Olvia smiled as she answered.

She was counting on most people at sea still not knowing who she was. The World Government's inquiries in Ohara had produced little, and she hoped her part in this voyage remained hidden from it too.

Leaving now seemed the right choice. Staying with the Roger Pirates out of fear might only expose her further.

"If you've decided to go, we won't stop you. Just remember not to tell people what you saw. It could get you killed."

Seeing that she could not be persuaded, Rayleigh offered only a final warning.

If she encountered trouble, the Roger Pirates would help where they could. Where they could not, there was little to be done.

"I know. I'll be careful."

"You should be too. I'd hate to hear you were all captured right after I left."

She did not believe that was likely, so she said it as a joke.

After a few final words, she left them.

Sailing the seas for research required some ability to defend oneself. Olvia was not nearly as helpless as she might appear.

Her destination was Wano, not Ohara. If Caius agreed, it could become a second home.