Although Bullet hadn't been on the best terms with the crew, he'd spent at least two or three years aboard the ship. Now that he was gone, the mood on board was bound to be a little subdued.
Shanks and Buggy were especially downcast. After all, Bullet had saved both their lives.
"Captain, is it really okay to leave Bullet alone on that island?" Shanks asked worriedly. It would be a real shame if someone as strong as Bullet died in a shipwreck.
"Don't worry. You know how strong Bullet is. Besides, he can always go to the Kingdom of Mol and ask for a ship. Given our relationship with the kingdom, I doubt King Caesar would refuse."
"I'm sure you all know where we're headed this time. That's right—we're returning to the Grand Line to fulfill the wishes we left unfinished on our way here. For example, the legendary island in the sky."
Roger pointed upward. Though he looked battered, he seemed to be in excellent spirits.
"Captain, does Sky Island really exist?" one of the crew asked doubtfully.
"I don't know, but I believe no legend comes from nowhere. Every story has some basis. There's only one way to find out if it's real—go and see for ourselves."
Roger's spirited words roused the entire crew.
"I heard the people on Sky Island have wings. Is that true?"
The crew members below began chattering, each sharing what they'd heard about Sky Island.
"Otherwise, reaching the New World's destination so soon would be pretty boring, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah!" the crew chimed in. They were now the pirate crew closest to Laugh Tale, the New World's ultimate destination.
"Then let's set sail again!" Roger shouted, and the crew below answered with equal enthusiasm.
"Who knew the Captain was so good at riling people up?" Shirakawa leaned against the railing and remarked to Rayleigh, watching the crew's high spirits.
"He is, but Roger's not wrong. If we leave regrets behind on our final voyage, they'll be real regrets."
"Our final voyage?" Shirakawa murmured. More and more people aboard knew that Roger was ill. It wouldn't be long before everyone found out.
"Is there really no way to cure the Captain's illness?"
"Don't you know how skilled Crocus is? Even he's at a loss. All he can do is suppress it." Rayleigh's voice was tinged with sadness.
"Yeah..." Shirakawa sighed sadly.
Over the next month, the Roger Pirates got into several battles, and none of them were easy.
Roger was known as one of the New World's overlords, but those who made it this far weren't weaklings. No one reached these waters by luck alone.
Sometimes, when they encountered unusual Devil Fruit abilities, even Roger could find himself in trouble.
They'd just finished a grueling battle, and the Roger Pirates were throwing a banquet to release their pent-up emotions and grief. After all, people died in battles.
"Hey, what happened to you two? Why are you soaking wet? Did you fall into the sea?"
Shirakawa had just finished a mug of beer when he turned around and saw Shanks and Buggy, water dripping from their clothes.
"Buggy somehow ended up drowning, so I went into the sea to save him. That's why I'm like this."
"Shanks, it's all your fault! All your fault!" Buggy roared furiously as he recovered, grabbing Shanks by the collar.
"What's my fault, Buggy? Explain yourself."
"It's your fault, Shanks! You made me lose a hundred million Berry and turned me into a landlubber!"
"Buggy, did you eat a Devil Fruit?"
Shirakawa asked in surprise. He hadn't noticed Buggy eating a Devil Fruit all this time. He'd thought his arrival had caused some kind of butterfly effect, but it turned out the time just hadn't come yet.
"Yeah."
"What does you eating a Devil Fruit have to do with me?" Shanks said, sounding innocent.
"If you hadn't startled me from behind, I wouldn't have eaten it!"
"I only called you over to watch the banquet. Who knew what you were sneaking around doing?"
Their argument immediately drew everyone's attention. After all, Devil Fruit users were rare among the Roger Pirates.
"Buggy, what can your fruit do?" someone asked.
"Who knows?" Buggy was too angry to answer properly.
"Luckily, we have a Devil Fruit Encyclopedia on board. Just look it up."
At that, Buggy calmed down. After all, if the fruit could make him stronger, maybe it wasn't such a bad deal.
He quickly pulled out the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia and carefully compared its entries with the fruit he remembered eating.
"What the hell? It's the Paramecia-type Chop-Chop Fruit?" Buggy cried in disbelief. He sounded sorely disappointed.
"Oh? The Chop-Chop Fruit is a pretty powerful one." Rayleigh adjusted his glasses and said solemnly.
"Really?" A glimmer of hope appeared in Buggy's eyes. He eagerly awaited confirmation from Rayleigh.
"Of course. The Chop-Chop Fruit is a swordsman's natural enemy. No matter how many times they cut you, they can't kill you."
"Really?"
"Why don't we try it and see?" Shirakawa stood up, drew the sword at his waist, and walked toward Buggy one step at a time.
"What are you doing, Shirakawa? Stay right there! Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll get mad!" Buggy bluffed, though he was scared out of his wits.
"Heh heh. I'm just helping you test your fruit's ability." Shirakawa gave what he thought was a benevolent smile, but to Buggy, it looked like a demon's grin.
"No! Don't! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!" Buggy wailed miserably, squeezing his eyes shut and unable to bear watching Shirakawa's blade fall.
"Whoa, it's true! He's really fine!"
Shanks's startled cry rang out, joined by the amazed exclamations of the other crew members.
Buggy felt no pain. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a hand lying on the ground.
"Whose hand is that? Isn't that my hand?" The hand looked familiar. He took a closer look—and realized it was his. Buggy fainted on the spot.
"Hey, Buggy, what's wrong? Don't scare me!" Shanks frantically shook Buggy, tears welling in his eyes. It was clear how deep the bond between Shanks and Buggy was.
"Move aside. Let me take a look." Crocus came over and spoke to Shanks.
"Oh." Shanks obediently stepped aside.
Crocus crouched in front of Buggy and examined him carefully. "There's nothing wrong. He just fainted from fright."
"I see." Shanks sighed with relief. "What should we do with this hand?"
He pointed to the hand on the ground.
"Who knows? Maybe we'll have to wait until he wakes up before putting it back." Crocus picked up the hand and examined it carefully. For a doctor, this was a rare research opportunity.
But when he placed the hand beside Buggy, it reattached itself automatically.
"Remarkable." Crocus's eyes gleamed as he looked over Buggy, seeming eager to put him through a few tests.
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