Roger's Message
"Captain."
Shanks stood in the middle of the deck, the bottle of liquor in his hand unopened.
Benn Beckman didn't try to dissuade him.
Yasopp took off his hat and placed it on the gunwale.
Rakiro took a bite of meat, but stopped halfway through.
Rayleigh sat on a wooden chair in Sabaody, his hand covering his wine glass.
Luffy's eyes widened.
"Roger's voice."
Garp cursed something at Marine Headquarters.
That bastard was still laughing even as he died.
Sengoku glanced at him.
You could tell from that?
Garp said.
"I've been pursuing him for so many years, I know he's going to cause trouble the moment he laughs."
Roger's voice continued through the Sky Screen.
"I can't finish reading the part about the Laugh Tale for you."
"Because the door doesn't accept those who listen to stories, it only recognizes those who come here."
"However, there are a few things I can say that I'll stay."
Buggy jumped up from the ship in the distance.
"Captain!"
He had just shouted it out when he covered his mouth again.
A crew member next to him asked.
"Captain Buggy, are you crying?"
Buggy kicked him.
"It's windy!"
The sound from the Sky Screen continued.
"The Gate of Old Days are not some kind of treasure vault."
"And don't even think about knocking on doors with a crown."
We saw what was behind the door.
The veins on the back of Rayleigh's hand bulged, then gradually relaxed.
Luffy asked immediately.
What is it?
Rayleigh looked at him.
"Go by yourself."
Luffy puffed out his cheeks.
"Not again."
Robin said softly.
"Mr. Roger also said he couldn't finish reading for those who came after him."
Nami clutched her notebook.
"But he said if there's no treasure trove behind the door, then what is ONE PIECE?"
Rayleigh chuckled.
Will your captain ask this?
Luffy turned his head.
I won't ask.
Usopp shouted.
"If you won't ask, then we will!"
Sanji stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
"Asking is pointless."
"From inside the Sky Screen, "Roger said.
We laugh because those people eight hundred years ago hid their hopes too foolishly, and too earnestly.
"They were afraid that later arrivals wouldn't be able to find it, and they were also afraid that bad people would find it first, so they broke the road into many sections."
"We can't get a complete answer about bloodlines."
"We can't get the complete answer regarding weaponry."
No one can get the complete answer.
"There needs to be someone willing to carry it, someone willing to laugh, and someone willing to bring everyone in front of the door along."
Vegapunk was stunned.
"Multi-factor authentication."
Kizaru looked at him.
"Doctor, you really know how to use technical terms."
Vegapunk spread his hands.
"The security logic of the Ancient Kingdoms is far superior to that of the people in the Holy Land."
Sabo asked.
"What makes it so clever?"
Vegapunk said.
"They set the conditions for activation as human-to-human relationships; the World Government will only look for answers in terms of bloodlines and sacrifices."
The bear looked at the Sky Screen.
"Therefore, the Buccaneer Tribe's ability to bear pain was seen as key material by them."
Bonney said.
"But Dad isn't key material."
The bear nodded.
"I am a human being."
S-Bear echoed.
"People."
Bonney glanced at him.
"Yes, you are too."
Suddenly, new characters appeared in the Sky Screen.
[Roger's message, second paragraph.]
Roger's laughter subsided somewhat.
"If that Red-Hair hears this, don't think you're the key."
Shanks looked up.
The wind on the deck ruffled his cloak.
Roger continued.
"You are the treasure we found in the chest."
"Who put you in there, who rescued you—that's for later investigators to find out."
Don't let your birth determine your path.
"If you choose someone else, don't walk in their place."
Shanks closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, he placed the bottle at his feet.
"Captain, I didn't go in his place."
Luffy shouted at the screen.
"I'll walk by myself!"
Shanks laughed out loud.
"I heard you."
Roger's message wasn't over yet.
"Hey kid in the Straw Hat, if you heard that too."
Luffy points to himself.
"I?"
Usopp almost fell over.
Did he really mention you by name?
Roger said.
Don't rush to the Laugh Tale.
"Bring everyone you want to bring first."
"If there's one less person willing to smile at the door, there's one less piece of the answer."
Luffy touched his Straw Hat.
"I know."
Nami looked at him.
What do you know?
Luffy said.
"Not a single one can be lost."
Chopper's eyes were brimming with tears.
Luffy.
Zoro placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"I understand what you mean."
Sanji looked at Robin.
You can't lose it either.
Robin smiled and looked down.
"Um."
The Golden Light in the Sky Screen turned towards the Marine Headquarters.
[Roger's comment mentioned the Hero of the Marines Garp.]
Garp bit into a senbei (rice cracker) with a crunch.
The question from the Sengoku.
Are you nervous?
Garp said.
"Who's nervous?"
Roger's voice rang out.
"Garp."
Garp stopped chewing.
Roger laughed.
"If you're still alive, you bastard, don't pretend you didn't hear me."
In the headquarters plaza, many marines looked at Garp.
Garp threw the bag of rice crackers onto the table.
"Just say it, stop talking nonsense."
Roger continued.
"On that day at the God Valley, you saved more people than you can remember yourself."
"But then you let them put the word 'hero' around your neck."
You owe a sentence to those who weren't rescued.
Garp looked down at the scattered senbei crumbs on the table.
The Sengoku remained silent.
Akainu wasn't there either.
Sky Screen didn't force him.
But the entire Marine Headquarters is waiting.
Garp stood up, the chair legs dragging on the ground.
"I owe you."
He looked up at the Sky Screen.
"Those who were taken back from God Valley, those who were later used as samples, those who died in the Holy Land and the testing grounds—I owe you all a debt."
He paused.
"Sorry."
The marines in the square did not cheer.
Someone took off their hat.
Someone pointed their gun at the ground.
Roger's voice lowered.
"You bastard, you finally told me."
Garp looked up and cursed.
You're no better than me!
Roger laughed.
"Of course not."
This time, Rayleigh smiled too.
As he laughed, he raised his glass.
"Captain."
Golden lettering appeared on the Sky Screen.
[End of Roger's publicly available comments.]
[The complete traces of the Laugh Tale must be witnessed upon arrival.]
[Stage Reward: Permanent backup of the Roger Pirates' rescue record at God Valley.]
[Stage reward: Garp's public apology is included in the God Valley Truth Archive.]
[Punishment: The World Government is no longer permitted to monopolize the God Valley narrative under the guise of protecting the Celestial Dragons.]
Inside the Holy Land temple, Saint Saturn sneered.
"No longer allowed to monopolize it?"
Saint Warcury said.
"Public memory can be overwritten by new fears."
Imu's voice came through.
"Old Archive."
Saint Nusjuro immediately turned around.
"Yes."
The guards at the Old Archive gate have been changed three times.
Red Mark crept outwards along the crack in the door.
One of the guards couldn't help but step back.
"It's generating heat."
The officer in charge shouted.
No refunds allowed!
The next moment, the Sky Screen lit up.
[World Government Error Index Verification Detected.]
[The Old Archive is attempting to match the Gate of Old Days with residual permissions from the Corona Crown Plan.]
Vegapunk's expression changed drastically.
"No."
Kizaru asked.
What could happen?
Vegapunk grabbed the communicator.
"Error Indexes can turn validation failures into a backlash. If the Holy Land continues to use fake permissions to try to access the site, the Old Archive will mark all participants as tamperers."
Sabo said.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Vegapunk looked at him.
"If the Old Archive is connected to the Mary Geoise underground energy network, the backlash will affect the slave quarters and the lower classes."
The dragon's face darkened.
"They'll use innocent people as scapegoats."
The Sky Screen immediately presented a new question.
[Urgent Q&A]
[After the World Government's Old Archive initiates Error Index verification, who is most likely to be pushed to the forefront of the backlash?]
[A, Five Elders.]
[B, Holy Land slaves and lower-class laborers.]
[C, Regular Guard.]
[D, All of the above, but the Five Elders can transfer the risk through their authority.]
After reading the options, Akainu slammed his fist on the table.
"Brute."
The Sengoku did not correct his wording.
"This department chooses D."
On Future Island, Bonney looked at the bear.
"They're going to make others die for them again."
"That's what the bear said."
"That's why we need to stop them."
Luffy presses D.
"I choose this one."
Nami asked.
Did you understand?
Luffy said.
They'll hide in the back.
Just as the countdown in the Sky Screen reached its halfway point, Red Mark suddenly appeared on the arm of a guard in front of the Old Archive of the Holy Land.
He cried out in terror.
Why me?
The sound of chains being dragged came from inside the door.