Two Years Later...

East Blue, Loguetown.

The Roger Bar was hidden deep in an alley underground, separated from the bustling commercial street by two turns.

It bore the name "Roger" only because, over twenty years ago, the King of the Pirates had downed a night of rum here before setting sail for the Grand Line.

At the wooden counter, a man with hair as messy as a bird's nest slumped over the table, slurring, "Boss, another round."

The bar owner, Raoul, wiped a glass and shot back, "Rujian Yitia, pay last month's tab first!"

"Once I catch Barzeb..."

The man's words still hung in the air as his head dropped, and he was soon snoring on the counter, drool soaking the wood.

Raoul sighed helplessly, his voice low but caught by a nearby customer: "Another poor soul driven mad by pirates."

"Boss, what's his deal?"

A customer immediately leaned in. "Two years ago, didn't he look like a proper man?"

"Exactly," Raoul set down the glass and lowered his voice. "He used to work for the World Government, so he had money."

"Then how'd he end up like this?"

Facing a barrage of questions, Raoul muttered an explanation:

"His squad had eleven men. On a mission, they ran into Roger's crew. Ten of them died. He only survived because he wasn't there."

"Ha ha ha ha!" Laughter exploded instantly.

Someone slapped the table and joked, "Boss, you're full of it again. How many of Roger's crew are even left? Probably just petty thieves using the Pirate King's name!"

Raoul snorted.

"Two years ago, the papers had it in black and white—Thunder God Barzeb Seven attacked CP9 agents and stole a heavy prisoner from the World Government!"

The moment those words landed, Rujian Yitia, who had been sound asleep, jerked up as if stung and screamed like a madman.

"Where's Barzeb?!"

"Seven, where the hell are you?"

Jaya Island, Demon Valley Town.

Two years ago, Buggy followed the trail from the East Blue all the way to Jaya Island, only to come up empty.

For the next two years, like a homeless ghost, he drifted through taverns and alleys for over seven hundred days and nights.

His captain was gone, and Shanks had betrayed their promise.

Buggy's only emotional anchors were the treasure map, the treasure, and his good brother Seven—but Seven had vanished without a trace, no news at all.

Every day, Buggy clutched crumpled Berry and bought a newspaper without fail, hoping to spot that familiar face in the news.

For two whole years, he sparked over seven hundred hopes, only to have them all mercilessly doused.

"Seven, remember Bullet, the one who tied with Vice Captain Rayleigh? The Marines got him."

The wind howled past, kicking up scraps of paper.

Buggy tightened his cloak, his gaze fixed toward the East Blue, his voice thick with melancholy.

"Seven, I'm heading back to the East Blue."

"The Grand Line's too dangerous. The East Blue's better for digging up treasure."

Before anyone knew it, the King of the Pirates' execution in Loguetown was already two-year-old news.

Roger's final words about the great treasure kicked off the Great Pirate Era, throwing the entire sea into chaos as more and more people set sail in search of it.

In those two years, many things happened on the sea.

The King of the Pirates' posthumous son, Portgas D. Ace, was born in Garp's old house in Foosha Village.

Kozuki Oden was still dancing naked.

With many pirates running rampant on Fish-Man Island, Whitebeard Edward Newgate planted his flag there, claiming it as territory of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Tom, the shipwright of Water 7, was sentenced to death by the World Government for building the Roger Pirates' ship, the Oro Jackson.

However, Tom proposed the Sea Train concept to the judge and earned a ten-year reprieve.

He then threw himself into designing and building the Sea Train with his apprentices, Iceberg and Cutty Flam.

A pirate uprising broke out in Wano Country, and the Beasts Pirates and the Moria Pirates clashed in Ringo.

Moria lost all his comrades and, fleeing Wano, turned grave robber, digging up Shimotsuki Ryuma's tomb and taking his corpse and the Sword Shusui.

The people of Wano erected a tomb for the hero who fought Kaido: Kozuki Moria.

To capture Bullet, Marine Admiral Sengoku and the Hero of the Marines, Garp, signed off on a Buster Call.

Former Roger Pirates member, the Devil's Descendant Douglas Bullet, was defeated by Marine Vice Admiral Sakazuki and locked away in Impel Down's sixth level, the Infinite Hell.

Dracule Mihawk, the Hawk Eyes, traveled widely to hone his swordsmanship, steadily rising toward becoming the world's greatest swordsman.

The World Government is searching everywhere for the Op-Op Fruit.

Skypiea, Golden City Shandora.

A tall, upright figure stood there, roughly 2.6 meters in height, with silver hair whiter than snow. A black form-fitting suit clung to his frame, tracing out smooth lines of power.

The katana at his waist gleamed with a cold purple light, matching the black cape fluttering behind him in the wind.

This was Seven, who had trained on Skypiea for two years.

"Whoosh--"

Seven took a deep breath, focusing all his concentration on the gold coin resting on his left thumb. His fingertips turned faintly white from the extreme focus.

"Test number 2688."

The moment his low murmur faded, Seven's left thumb snapped upward with force, and the coin shot into the air like a bullet leaving a barrel!

At the same time, the electromagnetic field around Seven surged violently. Blue arcs of electricity crawled up his arm, spreading outward, and a thunderous roar erupted from his throat.

"Super Electromagnetic Cannon!!!"

In an instant, with his left hand as the core, invisible electromagnetic force burst wildly from the void, swelling to its peak in a flash.

A blue-white torrent of electromagnetic energy coalesced into a thick pillar three meters in diameter. Electricity crackled and popped as it unleashed a world-destroying force upon the coin--

The air was ionized into scorching plasma. Golden structures trembled violently in the powerful magnetic field. Rubble and gold dust were swept up by the electromagnetic force, forming a howling storm.

Wherever it passed, space trembled.

It tore through the clouds, piercing the sky.

"Perfect!"

Having successfully recreated the Super Electromagnetic Cannon through his own effort, Seven's mood was explosive.

Seven hundred and some days and nights.

Seven's greatest gain wasn't awakening Armament Haki, nor awakening Observation Haki and, with the boost of radio waves, covering the entire Skypiea.

It wasn't his development of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit either.

Nor was it partially merging the training experience of the Thoughtless Sword, allowing a casual swing to split a mountain or cleave the sea.

Rather--

It was the triple boost of the Big Eater constitution, Innate Divine Strength, and the Iron Balloon passive. Like a catalyst, they had reshaped his body.

Not only had his height shot up to 2.6 meters, but his strength had grown terrifying. Even the sword aura produced by swinging his blade with pure brute force could split the clouds.

His endurance was equally monstrous.

As long as there was food to eat, he wouldn't fall!

In the Pirate World, a powerful and enduring physique was the upper limit threshold for all combat strength.

Whether it was awakening a Devil Fruit ability, mastering the ultimate Three Types of Haki, or unleashing a Great Swordsman's Flying Slash, every power had only one prerequisite: remaining stamina.

Those captured due to exhaustion were far more than just one.

Garp at Hachinosu Island, Golden Lion rampaging through Marineford, Bullet under the Navy's Buster Call, and The Lone Red, who fought the Fleet Admiral Kong for ten days and ten nights before being caught by Garp when his strength gave out.

No matter how strong you were, without stamina, it was all useless.

A powerful and enduring physique was Seven's greatest gain over those seven hundred and some days and nights.

It was the solid foundation for him to stand at the top of the world.