Roger: Let's Find a Way to Hit Charlotte Linlin Hard!

After Charlotte Linlin gave her orders, Katakuri frowned slightly, seeming somewhat concerned.

"Mother, against Shiki, we only stand a chance of winning if we go all out. If we assemble the fleet this time, we'll definitely be stripping Whole Cake Island's core regions of their forces... Could that lead to some other consequences?" Katakuri hesitated before asking.

"You're worried someone might raid our headquarters?" Charlotte Linlin smiled. "Shiki is growing too powerful. Whether it's Ochoku, Silver Axe, or that brat Kaido, they can all see that if Shiki is allowed to continue, people like us will all be in trouble sooner or later. That lion thinks he's above everyone else... He won't let us off. But even Rocks couldn't make us submit to him, much less Shiki."

Back then, although they had all been members of the Rocks Pirates, there had not truly been any hierarchy among them. They had gathered for the same goal, not as subordinates who had submitted to Rocks.

Every one of those great figures was ambitious and unruly. How could they possibly truly submit to anyone else?

To be fair, although that bastard Rocks had been arrogant, impulsive, reckless, and full of all sorts of bad habits, he really had not been the type to place himself above everyone else.

That was precisely why they had been able to sail together for so long.

But Shiki was different. Even when they had been on the same ship, Shiki had been defiant and utterly self-important.

If he wanted to unify the pirate forces of the New World, he definitely would not treat everyone as "partners" like Rocks had. He would certainly try every possible way to make them submit beneath his feet.

And that was something Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, Ochoku, Silver Axe, and the others could never accept.

That was why Charlotte Linlin believed that, under the current circumstances, once she clashed fiercely with Shiki, Kaido, Ochoku, and the others would not even need to discuss it. They would probably join forces with unspoken understanding and hammer Shiki together!

In fact, that was why Shiki had still failed to completely take over the New World.

When he remained still, his old friends might clash with him often enough, but they would also fight one another until blood ran like rivers.

But the moment he made a move, those "old friends" could immediately set aside their grudges and join hands to deal with him alone.

It truly disgusted Shiki. Although he was currently the strongest pirate in the New World, he really did feel like a fierce tiger unable to withstand a pack of wolves.

Charlotte Linlin had now grasped the situation clearly, which was why she dared to concentrate all her strength on the front lines and leave the waters around Cake Island undefended.

Because she knew that once she entered into a major conflict with Shiki, powerful figures such as Ochoku and Kaido, who could threaten her, would never choose to attack her. On the contrary, they would certainly lend her a hand, lest Shiki take her out and they became the next ones to suffer.

This was the unspoken understanding between them.

Shiki had been pinned down by this situation, and in order to realize his ambitions and dreams, he naturally racked his brains for a way to break this awkward deadlock.

And in fact, he had come up with a solution: join forces with Roger!

Back then, Roger and Garp had joined forces and, through a fortunate turn of events, directly crushed the Rocks Pirates.

And now, if he, Shiki, joined forces with Roger, wouldn't they be even more formidable?

Especially since Shiki knew that Roger had been searching everywhere for Poneglyphs and had obtained some crucial information from them. That information very likely pointed to Ancient Weapons buried in history!

Ancient Weapons were terrifying forces. Once he gained control of such power, combined with Shiki's troops and strategy, wouldn't he be able to sweep across the world immediately?

At that point, Charlotte Linlin, Whitebeard, Kaido—none of them would be able to stand in the way of Shiki's rise to supremacy!

As it happened, Shiki was arrogant and self-important, yet there was one person who could make him set aside that pride and willingly stand as an equal, sharing royal power.

That person was Roger.

If you can't find the book by searching its title, try searching for the author instead. It may simply have been renamed!

Now, Shiki was thinking that he could negotiate with Roger in complete sincerity. He would have no problem making Roger a co-ruler beside him, with the two of them dividing the world between them!

He felt that such sincere terms would surely tempt Roger at least a little.

This was how the great pirate figures of the New World schemed against one another. Charlotte Linlin had her own considerations, while Shiki was also plotting how to break the deadlock.

In short, under Charlotte Linlin's orders, although Katakuri still felt slightly worried, he quickly passed along the command. The fleets, family combatants, and officers near Cake Island began gathering in an orderly fashion toward the front-line waters.

In this era, Charlotte Linlin had not yet suffered the consequences of having her home base raided. Thus, the waters of Whole Cake Island were nowhere near as terrifying as they would be twenty years later, filled everywhere with surveillance sea slugs that allowed the Big Mom Pirates to learn of any disturbance at the first possible moment.

And at this moment, in the waters near Cake Island, a ship was stealthily making its way toward the headquarters of the Big Mom Pirates.

That ship was the famed Oro Jackson!

The vessel of the Great Pirate, Gold Roger!

That was right. At this time, Roger had not yet been called the "Pirate King" by the world. Among pirates, he was currently known as "Gold" Roger, a joking transliteration based on the sound of his name.

On the deck, Roger sat cross-legged before a sea chart. A red circle had been marked on it, indicating Charlotte Linlin's lair—Cake Island.

Around Roger stood his companions, including Pluto Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban, along with two little brats. One was Red-haired, and the other was Red Nose. These two bright-red fellows would later both become Four Emperors.

Of course, one relied on strength, while the other... well, also relied on strength. Luck was part of strength too, after all.

"Linlin has a Road Poneglyph. That's our target this time. Once we get that Poneglyph and find the final one, we'll be able to determine the coordinates of Laugh Tale. The secret of the Final Island will no longer be hidden from us!!!" Roger slapped the sea chart, his tone excited.

"That may be true, but the Big Mom Pirates aren't so easy to deal with. Charlotte Linlin is as strong as a monster..." Rayleigh reminded them, stroking the stubble on his chin.

"First Mate, we're strong too! We're not afraid of them at all!" Shanks said boldly, patting his chest.

The moment the little fellow spoke, the crew around him burst into laughter.

Although Shanks still had a long way to go, just as he had said, the Roger Pirates were very strong.

But... there was one matter they had to take into account: Roger's physical condition.

"If we can avoid a direct conflict, then we should avoid one. Roger's body cannot withstand anything too intense. It would affect him afterward..." Doctor Crocus said with concern.

Roger was extremely strong, the kind of strong who stood at the pinnacle of the world. Very few people could match him, and even Charlotte Linlin was a step below Roger.

But the problem was that Roger's physical condition was now very worrying. He suffered from an incurable illness, and his attacks came from time to time, severely affecting Roger's ability to fight.

According to Doctor Crocus, if he did not fight anyone, he could still live for a few more years. But once he fought powerful enemies, the fiercer the battle, the more his remaining vitality would weaken. Put simply, it would cost him years off his life!

More worrying still, if his illness flared up while he was locked in fierce battle with a powerful enemy, they would be in serious trouble. He might even get killed on the spot!

"The doctor's right. We should figure something out, make a plan, and sneak in. If we can steal the Poneglyph, that would be best..." Rayleigh said at once.

"Huh? But wouldn't that hurt our image, Vice Captain?" Shanks asked awkwardly.

Wouldn't that make the Roger Pirates look like they were afraid of the Big Mom Pirates?

Rayleigh raised a hand and rubbed Shanks's head, then burst out laughing. "What image? We're pirates! What kind of image do pirates need? Despicable and shameless—that's our trademark!"