Ten thousand meters above the ground,
The frigid high-altitude currents blew against him, but they had little effect on Austin. He flew straight toward the South Blue.
He did not want to rush so much either.
But only two days remained until the execution. As he remembered, not long after the execution, the Marines followed scattered clues and found Baterilla Island in the South Blue.
Captain Roger's wife, Portgas D. Rouge, had forcibly delayed her childbirth for over a year to evade Marine inspections.
In the end, she died after giving birth.
To be safe, Austin could only act in advance.
With his ability to teleport wherever he could see, reaching the South Blue would take no more than an hour or two.
If things went smoothly, he should still make it back in time for the execution.
South Blue,
Baterilla Island.
It was a beautiful country. At least, Austin thought it was a perfect place for romance.
Love always blinded people, and young girls in the throes of love often fell for the fine men of the sea.
But Rouge understood that although Roger loved her, a man like him could never be bound by love, especially when his days were already numbered.
He loved her, but he loved this sea even more. He loved his dream even more.
Still, Rouge was willing—willing to leave behind a continuation of the bloodline for the man she loved.
Standing beside the cliff, Rouge gazed out at the sea as the breeze stirred the tips of her hair.
She looked at Roger's Wanted Poster, and scenes of the two of them leaning against each other still surfaced in her mind.
"If it's a boy, call him Ace. If it's a girl, call her Ann."
Those were the names Roger had once decided upon.
Only, he would never have the chance to see his own child.
"My condolences, madam."
A voice broke Rouge from her thoughts. She turned around warily and saw a tall young man in a black military uniform standing beside her, though she had no idea when he had appeared.
Panic.
Her first thought was that she had been exposed.
After all, Roger was too famous. Whether pirates or Marines, neither would want to spare his bloodline.
She had to run!
"Don't be nervous, madam... I'm not a bad person. Captain Roger was worried about your safety, so he entrusted me with coming here before he left."
Roger?
Perhaps it was because of that name, or perhaps because Austin had not done anything extreme, but Rouge finally remained where she was for the moment.
After all, she was a pregnant woman. How far could she run from a man so tall and strong?
Seeing that Rouge had stopped running, though her eyes remained full of vigilance, Austin felt a bit of a headache.
What could prove his identity?
I should've had Captain Roger write a letter or something.
After thinking for a moment, an idea suddenly struck him.
He took out his Wanted Poster and held it directly before Rouge, pointing at the section introducing himself.
"Madam, you'll understand once you see this."
Seeing how earnest he sounded, Rouge looked where Austin was pointing on the poster.
"...Dead or alive, heinous criminal?"
After reading the description, Rouge looked at the "villain" before her even more warily.
Austin: "..."
He had pointed to the wrong place.
"Austin... a member of the Roger Pirates?"
Perhaps noticing the confusion in Rouge's eyes, Austin rubbed his head. He felt rather helpless too.
There was nothing he could do.
He had already forcibly boarded halfway through the journey, ridden Roger's coattails to enjoy the dividends of the era, and become someone carried straight to victory.
He ought to pay some kind of price for it.
After all, unlike Roger's other crew members, who followed Roger simply out of friendship born from shared ideals or in pursuit of their dreams,
Their relationship was one of equals. The Roger Pirates were not some family built around bloodlines, and they had no obligation to do anything for the widow and child Roger left behind.
Whether they did not know or simply did not care, no one could fault them for it.
The main task Roger entrusted to them was to guide the one who inherited Roger's will to Laugh Tale at the proper time,
Not the one who inherited Roger's bloodline.
But Austin was different from Shanks and Buggy. After they boarded the ship as children, Captain Roger had undeniably taught and protected them.
Under such a relationship, Shanks and Buggy, as those of the New Era with the hope of competing for One Piece, could best repay him by devoting themselves to the New Era.
Shanks inherited the straw hat and carried on Roger's will. He had the potential to reach Laugh Tale at the proper time.
Even if he could not, he would maintain the balance of the sea and pave the way for the next person to inherit Roger's will.
As one of the potential seeds of the New Era, Roger did not place much hope in Buggy, but neither had he invested too much in raising him. The two could be considered even.
Only Austin belonged to neither category.
He was both a remnant of the Old Era and a young man living in the New Era, and Roger had never even asked him to do anything.
On the journey back from Laugh Tale, after learning that Austin's greatest pursuit was happiness and freedom,
Roger had not even asked him to safeguard the person who would inherit his will. He had merely told him to leave the world's [Hope] to someone else, with no other demands.
It was precisely this awkward position that made Austin feel he ought to do something.
After all, he was not carrying on any will, yet he had received every bit of the power and benefits he had gained.
So,
Taking care of Captain Roger's wife and child was the only thing Austin could think of to repay Roger.
"Yes, before Captain Roger left, he was worried about you, so he specifically asked me to look after you."
Austin wore a faint smile as he told a well-intentioned lie without the slightest trace of acting.
And those simple words shattered the last line of defense in Rouge's heart.
Tears welled and fell like beads from a broken string. Rouge rested her forehead against Austin's chest, biting the corner of her lip while still tightly clutching the newspaper about Roger's impending execution.
The two had a large age gap. She had fallen in love with Roger because of love itself, so she respected Roger's dreams and choices.
But that did not mean she did not care about their love.
After learning that Roger still cared for her and their child, Rouge harbored no doubts. She immediately chose to believe Austin, Roger's crew member.
And she was willing to leave with him.
After all, she and her child needed a safe environment, and Austin, as Roger's crew member, looked so reliable.
The two did not waste any more time. Austin still needed to return to watch the execution.
Austin followed Rouge back to her cottage, where they quickly packed some luggage.
Easily lifting an enormous bundle, Austin looked around and suddenly spotted a somewhat dusty sword in the corner.
Roger's sword,
One of the Supreme Grade Swords,
Ace.
"If you want it, I can give it to you." Rouge noticed his gaze and spoke with a smile.
After all, she had no use for it. Roger had left behind more than one belonging, and Austin was now the only person she and her child could rely on. He was also Roger's crew member...
Doing him a favor along the way,
Would put her mind at ease too.
Before you continue