Rendezvous: All Sides Assemble
It was the third day after the Void left Hachinosu.
The sea was calm, and the wind was gentle. Jin stood at the bow of the ship, one hand on the gunwale, and the entire ship rose into the air, floating among the clouds, flying towards the rendezvous point.
The Den Den Mushi rang with Ginny's voice. "At this speed, we'll arrive at the rendezvous area by tomorrow evening. Roger and Whitebeard's ships are already waiting, Golden Lion's airship is lurking nearby, Rocks' black ship has a weak signal and we can't see anyone clearly yet; Big Mom's dessert ship—"
"She will definitely come." Lin Yuan leaned against the bow of the boat and interrupted the communication.
The following evening.
The Void descended from the clouds, its hull creating a white wave before it rocked twice and came to a steady stop. On this open sea, six large ships each occupied a section of water, maintaining a distance from each other—a tacit understanding among the great pirates.
Right in the center, near the front, was Roger's Oro Jackson. Roger sat casually on the edge of the ship, one leg dangling into the sea, a barrel of liquor in his hand. Seeing the Void land, he raised his hand, waved, and laughed loudly, "Haha, finally everyone's here!"
The Moby Dick was moored on the right. Whitebeard stood at the bow, holding a bowl of strong liquor, his gaze sweeping over the ship. "Glug glug, everyone's here."
To the left, floating on the sea, was the golden airship with the Golden Lion. Shiki leaned against the ship's railing, his blond hair blowing wildly in the sea breeze. He glanced at the Void and sneered, "Heh heh heh, the last one to arrive, according to the rules, punish yourself with three cups."
Behind them was the Queen Mother's Mama Chanter, the flagship of the Big Mom Mother. Charlotte Linlin stood high on the deck, holding a wine glass, her gaze first sweeping over the Void, then looking towards the black ship in the distance. "Well, it seems the captain has arrived too."
In the most remote corner of the sea, Rocks' flagless black ship lay moored. The ship was dark and deathly silent. Slow Heartbeat stood alone at the bow, his grey robes fluttering in the wind. The cabins were tightly shut; Rocks never appeared.
The sea calmed down, and several Conqueror's Haki clashed silently in the air.
The Golden Lion spoke first, "Hahaha, this is a once-in-a-century event. Roger, Newgate, Linlin, and Xebec, who's hiding in the Black Ship, are all here."
Whitebeard, holding his wine bowl, didn't turn around. "The captain is on board, but he doesn't want to show himself."
"If he were willing to show himself, he wouldn't be Rocks." The Golden Lion tapped the deck lightly. "Back when we were on the same ship, he was a man of few words, but when he did speak, it was always an order that brooked no argument; everyone had no choice but to obey."
Roger shouted at the Ark Maxim, "Shiki, you talk too much, don't you get tired?"
Whether I'm tired or not is none of your business.
If you're tired, just say less.
"Shut up, you bunch of silent types can stay quiet all day." Golden Lion shrugged. "Roger just drinks and grins like an idiot, Newgate sips his wine silently, Linlin's head is full of sweets, Rocks just hides away. Someone has to start a conversation."
The Big Mom withdrew her gaze from the black ship, swirling her wine glass in her hand. "Well, Captain Rocks isn't planning on coming out to see us the whole time?"
The black ship didn't respond at all; its Slow Heartbeat remained unmoved, and it didn't turn around to speak. After waiting for a while with still no sound, the Big Mom spoke calmly, "If you don't want to come out, then so be it. Whether we meet or not, the path we're taking won't change."
"Whether he comes out or not is irrelevant," the Golden Lion laughed. "I'm just curious, what exactly is he planning after all this time?"
Whitebeard spoke up to dissuade them, saying, "Shiki, there's no need to discuss the captain so much; he has his own plans."
"I know he has plans, he just wants to know the details of what's to come beforehand."
Roger straightened up and placed the barrel of wine on the gunwale. "Everyone's here. Ready to set sail."
"Wait," the Golden Lion raised his hand to stop them, "We've come this far, someone needs to explain what's ahead."
"You'll know when we get there," Lin Yuan's voice came from the Void Ship.
The Golden Lion stared at him for a moment. "You've collected all four Road Poneglyphs, but there weren't any other clues left on the stone tablet?"
The Road Poneglyphs only indicates the coordinates, without any extra information.
Shiki stared at Lin Yuan for two seconds, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, alright, let's go together then, and we'll settle things when we get there."
Just as everyone was about to give the order to set sail, a white warship appeared on the horizon, its sails bearing the naval seagull insignia, and it was moving at great speed. Standing at the bow Garp, wearing a dog-head hat and a cloak of justice.
Roger spotted the warship immediately and, unsurprised, burst into laughter. "Haha, Garp, even that old codger has caught up with us!"
Whitebeard followed his gaze. "Garp? How did he find this area of the sea?"
"This guy chased Roger for most of the Grand Line, it's not surprising he managed to get here," Golden Lion, scoffing.
Garp's warship stopped a kilometer away, neither approaching nor firing. He stood alone on the deck, opened a bag of senbei (rice crackers), chewed one, and then spoke, "Hahaha, it's rare to see so many great pirates gathered together. Is something big going to happen? Roger, finally you've stopped."
Roger hailed the warship. "You've been chasing me all over the world, aren't you tired?"
"I'm tired, but I've already chased it all, it's not worth giving up halfway." Garp picked up another senbei.
How long are you planning to follow me?
"Wherever you go, I'll follow."
Roger laughed, "Then you can forget about resting for the rest of your life."
Garp stopped talking, his gaze sweeping over Roger, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Big Mom in turn, finally landing on Lin Yuan, where he paused for two seconds.
"Kid, did your shoulder injury heal after that head-on collision in Sabaody?"
Lin Yuan nodded. "I've already fully recovered."
"That's good." Garp crumpled the empty packaging bag and threw it into the sea. "Last time I let you get away, Sengoku nagged me for a while."
"Then I'll be indebted to Mr. Garp."
"That encounter left a deep impression on me." Garp brushed the crumbs off his hands. "Looks like something big is happening today? Can anyone tell me?"
Whitebeard shouted, "Gurara, you've single-handedly stormed into the heart of the six great pirate crews. Aren't you afraid you won't be able to return to headquarters safely?"
Garp glanced back indifferently. "Whether I can go back or not is my business; it's none of anyone else's concern."
Golden Lion quipped, "Hahaha, Marine Vice Admiral sneaking into a secret realm with a bunch of pirates—if word gets back to Mary Geoise, you're in for a scolding."
"Keep an eye on your Ark Maxim so it doesn't sink halfway. You don't need to worry about my punishment," Garp retorted.
The Big Mom, holding her wine glass, asked with great interest, "Well, what are you hoping to see after chasing Roger all this way?"
"I want to see for myself what the truth he has been searching for all his life truly is."
The Big Mom turned the boat around towards the open sea. "If you want to see it, then follow along, don't lose them halfway."
Roger called out, "You can go with the fleet, but you'd better not go through that archway deep inside the ruins."
"Haha, mind your own business. Whether I get in or not is none of your concern."
Roger laughed heartily and waved to signal the start of the voyage, "Haha, let's go!"
Seven large ships lined up in a column. The Void, floating in the air, led the way, followed by Roger's, Whitebeard's, Golden Lion's, and Big Mom 'Rocks ships. At the very end of the column, Garp's Marine warship followed alone.
The fleet sailed for most of the day, and the surrounding environment gradually changed.
The wind had completely stopped, the sea was calm and waveless, and the seawater slowly changed from deep blue to a nearly transparent light blue. Underwater, huge stone pillars and neat stone walls were faintly visible, with ancient script carved on the stone walls, the font of which was exactly the same as the Road Poneglyphs.
Roger, leaning over the edge of the boat and staring at the underwater ruins, couldn't hide his excitement. "Haha, this is it! The end I've been searching for my whole life!"
Whitebeard lowered his eyes to look at the seabed. "Gurara, prepare to descend."
The Golden Lion floated in the air beside the ship, looking out over the entire underwater ancient city. "Hahaha, the legendary ruins left by Joy Boy are indeed hidden in the deep sea."
Lin Yuan stood at the Void Ship and gave a brief order, "Dive."
Jin stepped forward and pressed down on the ship's side, channeling his power to form a heat-insulating and water-resistant shield on the outer layer of the ship.
"Void, descend."
The bow plunged into the sea first, the hull sinking steadily, followed closely by the other ships, forming a long line in the deep blue water. The entire underwater ancient city emitted a faint blue light from the cracks in the rocks, dispelling the darkness of the deep sea. In front stood a giant stone archway hundreds of meters wide, its walls covered with Ancient Script, the entrance to the core of the ruins.
The Void was the first to pass through the archway and disappear into the glimmer of the deep sea.
Roger's red boat followed closely behind, laughter echoing across the sea. "Ha ha, cross this gate, and the secret of the Void Century is right before your eyes!"
The Moby Dick slowly sailed through the archway, and the Whitebeard's voice was steady. "Gurara, let's step into this dusty land together."
The Big Mom's dessert boat strode straight through without hesitation. "Well, I'd like to see what Joy Boy left behind."
The golden airship of the Golden Lion followed closely behind. "Hehehe, the mystery is finally about to be revealed."
Like a dark shadow, Rocks's black ship silently glided into the archway. Slow Heartbeat remained standing at the bow, his grey robe being pulled backward by the current, the cabin remaining tightly closed throughout.
At the end of the line, Garp's warship remained outside the archway, not immediately entering.
He stood alone on the deck, gazing for a long time at the stone gate inscribed with ancient text.
"The place Roger searched for half his life was right behind this archway."
Garp brushed the senbei residue off his hands and gave the order in a deep voice.
"Drive through the archway and continue forward."
The white warship cleaved through the seawater, passed through the giant stone gate, and completely merged into the deep blue light of the ocean.
(End of Chapter 99)