Rouge and Her Child's Arrangement!

Marineford.

Rouge, her entire body hidden beneath a black robe, kept her head expressionless and lowered as she walked step by step between the layered stone buildings.

The smooth concrete beneath her feet was so hard and cold.

More than a dozen female naval officers surrounded her.

Each wore a broad, spotless white Coat of Justice.

Several of them appeared to be a full two or three meters tall.

The powerful aura radiating from each of them made the marines on both sides straighten their chests and salute.

Just before this, when Rouge had disembarked from the warship, Navy Admiral Sengoku had handed her over to the female Vice Admiral leading the group ahead.

Roger, meanwhile, was imprisoned aboard another warship.

After the magnificent, enormous Gate of Justice opened, he was led by Marine hero Garp in another direction.

Rouge knew they had gone to the terrifying undersea prison of legend, Impel Down.

At the time, her gaze had lingered there for a long while.

Rouge raised her eyes slightly and looked at the female Vice Admiral known as Tsuru.

She looked to be in her forties or fifties. Though the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were rather noticeable,

her long dark-blue hair did not contain a single strand of white, and her two-meter-tall frame seemed comparatively normal.

More importantly, she did not give off an overly intimidating presence, instead making people feel she was very gentle.

Rouge had heard Roger mention her before. She seemed to be an upright marine named Tsuru.

That allowed Rouge to relax somewhat.

But what she cared about more was how these marines—no, how the World Government—would treat the child in her womb.

After all, this was the bloodline of the Pirate King.

As for her own life, honestly, she did not care that much.

Under the gazes of many male marines, the group of female officers finally arrived before the gate of a compound on the western side.

Female soldiers stood guard on either side of the gate.

Looking farther inside, she could clearly see many small buildings and a spacious training ground.

Rouge followed Tsuru into the compound and discovered that it was filled entirely with female soldiers and officers.

At that moment, she understood that she had been brought to an area exclusively for female soldiers.

"You can all go back and rest. Leave the rest to me."

Vice Admiral Tsuru stopped and spoke to the female officers escorting them.

"Yes, Vice Admiral!"

The female officers answered without hesitation, then quickly dispersed in groups of two and three.

Tsuru then turned to Rouge with a smile. "Come on. I'll show you your room."

Rouge chose to remain silent.

Tsuru did not mind. She turned and continued walking, while Rouge followed silently behind.

Before long, the two arrived at a rather plain-looking little courtyard.

Rouge was led into a small room within it.

"This is my home. From now on, you'll live here with me. Generally, no one will enter without permission, and there are female doctors in the camp at all times, so you can stay here without worry."

Hearing Vice Admiral Tsuru's words, Rouge looked over the room.

Golden sunlight streamed in through the glass window. There was not much furniture, but it had everything: a bed, a table, cabinets, even a bathroom with separate wet and dry areas.

It also looked very clean, and the air carried a faint floral scent.

"However, there are some things you need to keep in mind. It's best not to leave this courtyard on your own."

"After some time, you'll be able to walk around the camp with someone accompanying you."

"But that is the limit. You absolutely cannot leave the Female Soldier Camp."

Rouge nodded, then pulled back the black hood over her head and asked softly, "How does the World Government intend to treat my child?"

Tsuru noticed the worry and unease in Rouge's eyes and gave her a kindly smile.

"Fleet Admiral Kong's order is to place you under house arrest in the Female Soldier Camp. Your child will live here as well until he is six."

"But after turning six, he will attend Navy Primary School with the other children on the island. He may return home once every seven days, and he will also receive two long vacations each year, thirty days each."

"When he turns twelve, he will enter the Marine Headquarters Academy. Four years later, he will be granted different ranks based on his grades and formally become a qualified marine."

In just a few sentences, Vice Admiral Tsuru laid out what Rouge's unborn child's future would be after his birth.

At the same time, she was telling her: Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Your child will grow up healthy and safe.

"Become a marine?" Rouge looked at Vice Admiral Tsuru in disbelief. "Roger's child can become a marine too?!"

"Heh, that is the information I received. But there's one thing you got wrong."

Tsuru was equally moved.

When she had heard from Fleet Admiral Kong about the World Government's arrangements for Rouge and her child, the shock in her heart had been beyond description.

Moreover, judging from the voice and tone on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Fleet Admiral Kong himself had clearly been stunned as well.

"What?"

Rouge immediately tensed as Tsuru continued.

"The child in your womb may not bear either Roger's surname or yours, nor may you tell him that Roger is his father. You must remember this!"

"According to the World Government's orders, if it is discovered that your child learns of his origins before the ban is lifted and displays hostility toward the World Government or the Marines, he will be arrested, or even executed!"

Rouge fell silent for a moment after hearing this.

Tsuru did not rush her. She simply watched quietly and waited for her answer.

"I understand. From now on, this child will have no surname."

Rouge softly said this as she stroked her still-flat stomach.

She knew this was already the best possible outcome.

That the World Government would treat her so well was far beyond anything she had imagined.

"Good. As long as you understand. Oh, I also have a younger sister named Gion. She comes to see me from time to time. I'll introduce you when she comes by."

"Alright."

Several days later, the latest issue of the World Economic Journal was released to great fanfare. Hundreds of thousands of News Coos airlifted it across every sea, kingdom, island, and even ship.

When people around the world saw the front-page headline, they all froze in place, followed by waves of startled cries.

[The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, Has Been Captured by the Marines!!!]

The article briefly described how Navy Admiral Sengoku and Marine hero Garp, leading Vice Admirals Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan, had successfully captured Roger on Baterilla Island in the South Blue.

It also announced that at exactly eleven o'clock in the morning on January 1st of next year,

he would be publicly executed before the world at Plaza of Justice in Marine Headquarters Marineford.

It even mentioned that Roger's birthday was December 31st.

It lavishly praised the World Government for allowing Roger to finish celebrating his birthday, calling it exceptionally merciful.

At once, the entire Grand Line erupted into an uproar because of that thin sheet of newspaper.

Especially the New World, where great pirates gathered in droves.

Aboard the Moby Dick, the blond-haired Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, held an enormous bottle of liquor as he gazed silently in the direction of Marineford.

The newspaper he had already finished reading lay at his feet.

The surrounding crew members looked at one another.

For a time, the only sound on deck was the ceaseless rise and fall of the roaring waves.