That night, the moon shone bright among sparse stars.
It was June. Though daytime temperatures already felt like midsummer, they dropped sharply at night, leaving the air feeling barely above ten degrees Celsius.
On an island in the latter half of the New World.
The Roger Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates, having successfully escaped Water Seven where the Marines were stationed, gathered together. The once-desolate island became the site of a pirate banquet that night.
"Ha ha ha! Oden, how did it feel traveling with Roger?"
"Did you run into anything interesting? Tell us about it."
A roaring bonfire illuminated the island's shore. The Roger Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates sat around it, happily feasting and chatting.
Whitebeard, who had not seen Kozuki Oden in a long time, held a tankard in one hand and draped the other around Oden's shoulders as he asked with a laugh.
"I really did encounter so many interesting things along the way."
"An island floating in the sky, with a huge city built entirely of gold."
"Fish-Man Island, deep beneath the sea. The deep-sea fish there was a delicacy I had never tasted before."
"When we were in Dressrosa, I even met the Tontatta Tribe. They really were incredibly adorable!"
"And not just that. Along the way, I saw countless powerful pirates and powerful Marines."
"Only after leaving Wano Country did I truly understand just how vast this sea is!"
"I really want to keep traveling forever, Whitey."
Holding a cup of sake, Kozuki Oden briefly recounted his time sailing with the Roger Pirates. His eyes were filled with longing for the sea. Yet by the end, a trace of disappointment appeared on his face.
"If you want to keep traveling, then just keep sailing."
"What are you planning to do next? Even if you've completed