306 - Roger's Unease and Rayleigh's Thoughts of Retirement

News that Roger had become King of the Pirates continued to spread across the sea. Many people refused to accept it, but the World Government had imposed the title on him anyway.

It was exactly what Roger wanted, the dream he had pursued all along.

The Roger Pirates had been spotted several times during this period. Each encounter ended in slaughter, until the whole sea was stunned by the bloodshed.

Gradually, people began accepting Roger as King of the Pirates. Wano was the first to recognize him openly; Imu sent Gloriosa out to make the announcement herself.

Once she had spoken, the former officers of the Rocks Pirates followed suit. Even that crew's ordinary members were formidable. After a few 'friendly' conversations with the people in their respective territories, support for Roger's new title spread rapidly.

Such was the influence the Rocks Pirates still commanded.

Newgate, Shiki, Silver Axe, and many others publicly acknowledged him. With their endorsement, the title of King of the Pirates settled firmly on Roger.

On an unnamed island somewhere in the New World...

The crew had just finished another battle and were washing the blood off themselves. Excitement still ran high.

Whatever else happened, they had achieved something no other crew had managed. Even Rocks had never reached this goal.

Of course, had Rocks come back to life, he would have scoffed at them. What was King of the Pirates to a man who intended to become king of the world?

Although he might have kept that ambition to himself now, for fear of Caius killing him. Caius, after all, was married to the world's actual ruler.

For the moment, Roger and his crew were delighted. Rayleigh sensed something was wrong too, but kept it to himself. This was a time to celebrate.

"Rayleigh, I keep feeling as if some danger we don't know about is getting closer. Do you feel it too?"

Roger asked the question when the two of them slipped away to relieve themselves.

"Roger, you've become King of the Pirates, but that makes you a target. Countless pirates will come to challenge us. Still, it's a good thing. At least we've achieved the dream we set sail for."

Rayleigh answered with an easy smile.

What he did not say was that Wano's endorsement almost certainly concealed a scheme. In truth, plenty of people thought Caius was the only man who deserved the title. He had long been the strongest pirate alive.

The moment Wano spoke in Roger's favor, countless others accepted him. Even ordinary villagers revered Caius of Wano as a savior, practically a god.

To them, even a King of the Pirates was merely another pirate. If Lord Caius wanted these people gone, he could dispose of them whenever he pleased.

Rayleigh had seen all of this, but could hardly say it to Roger. In fact, he had begun thinking about retirement himself.

He could find a woman and settle down. He had lived this life long enough, and had no desire to die now. There were still good years ahead of him.

"I know all that. But the pressure's getting to me. The strongest people in this world are always strange. Who knows whether someone will turn up one day and wipe out our whole crew?"

"Two people like that showed up at God Valley, remember?"

Roger sighed.

He did not know Imu and the others already had their sights on him, but he understood that a clash with Wano was inevitable. He had been avoiding the place all along.

Caius was simply too strong, and Wano itself had become terrifying. More and more fighters were reaching the limit-breaking level. The sheer number was almost beyond belief.

Strong as Roger was, he could not fight two of them at once. Rosha and Yelan alone already made two confirmed opponents at that level.

Whether there were others, he had no idea.

Rayleigh had no answer. He fell silent, glanced down at his right sleeve, and recoiled in disgust.

Roger really was losing it. The bastard had pissed on his own hand, then wiped it on Rayleigh's sleeve. What the hell was wrong with him?

Rayleigh pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead and tried to calm himself.

Then Roger reached toward him again. Rayleigh finally spoke, smiling without a trace of humor.

"Roger, you bastard! Have I been letting you get away with too much?"

"If you can't even piss properly anymore, get some fucking help! Why the hell are you wiping your hand on me? Why?"

"I'm going to beat some sense into you today, you shameless son of a bitch!"

An enraged Rayleigh chased Roger across the island, throwing the place into an uproar.

The rest of the crew spotted them and immediately began laughing.

"Look at that. Rayleigh's chasing Roger again. He must have done something awful this time."

"Hahahaha! Shanks, you and Buggy had better not pick up their bad habits!"

"You could learn a thing or two from Roger's shamelessness, though. Wouldn't the sea be boring without people like him?"

"Fair point! Hahahahaha!"

The pirates kept laughing at the pair of them.

Buggy and Shanks were used to it. This was hardly the first time they had seen Rayleigh chase Roger around.

"Shanks, is it just me, or are those two getting less reliable?"

"How should I know? But I think they've got a point about learning to be shameless like Captain Roger."

Shanks watched them with open admiration.

Clearly, he was already learning how to talk his way out of anything.

When their little chase was over, Rayleigh returned with a bruised, battered Roger in tow.

Seeing everyone waiting for them, Roger grinned.

"All right, everyone! Let's get started! We're celebrating my becoming King of the Pirates for real!"

Rayleigh watched for a moment, smiling, then joined the celebration.

...

Another two months passed in a flash. The Roger Pirates cut a bloody path through the pirates who challenged them, until, for a while, no one dared provoke them at all.

Imu and the others had already learned everything they needed to know about the crew. All that remained was to wait for the appointed time, when they could dispose of them.

The Marines kept a low profile throughout this period. Sengoku was getting closer to an Admiral's post and training relentlessly.

In previous years, his duties had left him no choice and no time to improve. Now that he had the chance, he had to grow stronger. With their current strength, the Marines could no longer keep the seas under control.