Roger

The atmosphere within the Blood Hand Pirates was incredibly oppressive. Cutter Barlo was a highly competent First Mate. Their captain was a man of grand dreams and a careless nature, so as his First Mate, Barlo had always been sharp, decisive, and driven. For this pirate crew, Captain Rhode was their pillar of support, their guiding light. As for the First Mate, he was the de facto navigator and helmsman, steering the ship's course.

But now, this man was dead, brutally so. Even in death, he had suffered the most vile insults. Though the killer had been dealt with, receiving similar treatment, if the price of killing a sworn enemy was the death of a dear friend, then no matter how you looked at it, it was a losing deal.

Captain Rhode was unusually silent that day, lost in thought.

It was at this time that Louis stepped forward. Despite being a newcomer, his displayed strength was now second only to Rhode's on the ship, enough to command respect. While Rhode was in a daze, Louis began to manage the crew's affairs.

The day after Barlo's death, the Golden Lion Pirates set sail. Golden Lion would certainly not alter his strategic deployment due to the death of one pirate under his command. Rhode and Louis didn't even have time to hold a funeral. In fact, because Golden Lion would be flying all his ships directly, there wasn't even an opportunity for a sea burial.

Rhode wailed and burned Barlo to ashes with a fire.

"Captain."

It was time to depart. Louis pushed open Rhode's cabin door. "We're leaving."

"En."

The cabin windows were tightly shut, making it dim. The man climbed out of bed and sat on the ship's railing for a while before standing up, rubbing his head. He walked to the door. Though only a day had passed, his face was already gaunt, his beard unshaven.

"Let's go."

Rhode took the lead.

Louis followed behind Rhode. The man's sturdy back now seemed particularly desolate. The loss of his dear friend had dealt a severe blow to the boisterous man.

"..."

Louis forced himself not to smile. This feeling of having quietly destroyed everything for someone else was truly not bad.

Once aboard, all the crew members were waiting. Everyone remained silent. Rhode quietly sat on the ship's railing, gazing up at the sky.

"Captain, it's about time, isn't it?"

Louis leaned against the railing, arms crossed, and spoke. "What awaits us next is a brutal battle. Do you intend to lead us all to our deaths?"

"..."

Rhode turned his head to look at Louis. "Mario."

"Captain Rhode, we are all deeply saddened by the First Mate's passing," Louis said frankly, looking at Rhode. "But please, enough is enough! Our adventure isn't over yet. There are still more beautiful, more magnificent sights waiting for us! Don't disgrace yourself too much! Loss is painful, but it is also irreversible! If you dwell on the past, how can you move forward! How can you follow Admiral Golden Lion!"

"Captain! Admiral Golden Lion needs our strength now! Please pull yourself together! I believe this would also be the wish of First Mate Barlo."

"Mario, you brat..."

A smile slowly bloomed on Rhode's lips. "I'm actually being lectured by a kid?"

"No, I just want to survive the upcoming battle, Captain. Don't forget, you are everyone's..." Louis wasn't lying. "...only reliance!"

"..."

Rhode scanned the deck. All the pirates looked at him with anticipation.

"Hahahahaha!"

Rhode suddenly burst into laughter. "Seriously, I almost forgot. To be dejected because of a loss, yet almost lose so much more. Ha, I'm truly pathetic."

"No, realizing that is already quite remarkable," Louis said with a smile.

Boom!

The ship suddenly jolted and began to ascend into the sky. Other ships around them also started to rise one after another. At the highest point in the sky, its base made of earth and stone, its main body a large ship, with a giant lion's head at the bow – this was the Golden Lion Pirates' flagship.

Soon, the sky was obscured by dark clouds. Each dark cloud was a massive ship.

"Hahaha! We're off!"

Rhode laughed, looking up at the sky. "No matter how many times I see it, it's always this magnificent!"

Over a hundred pirate ships, with nearly ten thousand pirates just here. Furthermore, many larger pirate crews were fleets of large ships. Unable to reach the sky islands, they had already set off ahead. The total number of people mobilized by the Golden Lion Grand Fleet this time might be as high as thirty thousand. A terrifyingly vast scale.

"You're right, Mario," Rhode sighed, taking out a small box from his pocket, containing Barlo's ashes. "Barlo is gone. I can't be dejected because of it! Before, Barlo was with me. Now I'm alone, so I have to work even harder."

"No, Captain," Louis smiled. "How can you be alone? Aren't there me, and aren't there us?"

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Truly..." Rhode laughed heartily, opening the lid of the box and lowering his head. The ship had already flown out of the sky island, and below was the proper sea. "Then this is it! Goodbye! Partner!!"

The ashes scattered in the air.

What must be said is that the Roger Pirates did not flee, nor did they show any intention of hiding. They cruised leisurely on the sea. Even facing the Golden Lion Grand Fleet, Roger would never evade. He was always that kind of man.

"The opponent is... Roger!"

Louis trained diligently on the deck. Armament Haki required constant practice. Even a genius like Monkey D. Luffy, with the guidance of the Pirate King's second-in-command, Silvers Rayleigh, took over a year to master. Louis didn't believe he could learn it quickly through cramming.

His training was focused on Observation Haki. With his strong mental power, he believed he should awaken Observation Haki relatively easily. His training method was to cover his eyes and have people attack him, sensing their movements by constantly perceiving their aura. In this regard, he was making steady progress, but true awakening of Observation Haki was still a distant prospect.

Although the results were minimal, Louis couldn't stop trying, because his opponent was Roger, and death could come at any moment. Louis wasn't as calm as he appeared; all he could do now was to eliminate his inner panic through relentless training.

Time flowed by. On the third day, Louis, who had mostly recovered from Baro's attacks with the help of Life Return, found that the Golden Lion Pirates had finally caught up to the Roger Pirates in a sea area called Aethelwold.

"Jiehahahaha!! Roger!!!"

A bold voice boomed from the descending large ship. "It's been a while!!"

Louis looked down from the ship's railing. A ship bobbed on the waves.

"Shiki!!!"

"When does a person truly die?

Is it when their heart is pierced?

Is it when they contract an incurable disease?

Is it when they drink poisonous mushroom soup?

No!

It's when they are no longer recommended, collected, or tipped!"