Arrival! The Day Roger and Oden Departed!

The instant they passed through the Light Gate, it was anything but the ease of stepping into a new world.

Instead, it was an extreme distortion and tearing sensation.

Chen Ye felt as though his body had been kneaded into a ball, then stretched infinitely long. The very concepts of time and space became a meaningless slurry at that moment.

Countless bizarre and fantastic colors surrounded them, as if God's palette had been overturned, spinning, intertwining, and colliding wildly.

The sensation lasted less than a second.

Then, the next moment—

Boom!

It was as though an invisible giant hand had violently yanked them out of the chaotic paints. At last, solid ground met their feet.

The blinding sunlight made all three of them squint instinctively after emerging from the darkness.

The fresh sea breeze, carrying the fragrance of earth, flowers, and grass, rushed over them, washing away the heaviness and gloom of the future that clung to their bodies.

Marco staggered before barely managing to steady himself. Clutching his dizzy head, he looked around in shock.

It was a scenic island.

The sky was a flawless blue, and white clouds drifted lazily overhead.

The forest not far away was lush and verdant, brimming with primal vitality.

Everything seemed so alive, a world apart from the oppressive atmosphere of their own era.

"Is this... the past?"

Marco muttered, his voice filled with disbelief.

Whitebeard said nothing.

He simply stood there with his eyes closed, his towering body like an ancient mountain that would never change.

He greedily breathed in the air here, and an incredibly complicated hint of nostalgia appeared on that weathered face.

This scent...

This feeling...

There was no mistake.

This was his era!

Chen Ye took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

He could clearly sense an indescribable "flavor" permeating the air of this era.

It was a scent mixed with gunpowder smoke, strong liquor, freedom, ambition, and dreams.

It was the scent of adventure unique to that Legendary Era!

Just then—

Wooo—!

A long ship horn sounded from the distant harbor.

Immediately afterward came deafening cheers and the thunderous roar of cannon fire!

It was not the cannon fire of battle, but a farewell salute!

All three of them turned their eyes toward it at once.

On the azure sea, a magnificent and imposing ship was slowly leaving the harbor.

Its hull had been built from the treasure tree Adam, which emitted a faint glow, and its prow bore a majestic lion figurehead.

A pirate flag fluttered from its main mast in the wind.

It bore the image of a skull wearing a Straw Hat!

The Oro Jackson!

The ship of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!

Marco's breathing stopped instantly. He stared fixedly at the ship, as though he wanted to brand every detail of it into the depths of his soul.

Because he knew that ship all too well!

And the instant Whitebeard saw that flag, his body shuddered violently!

His fists clenched instinctively.

Chen Ye's gaze went straight to the deck of the Oro Jackson.

Many figures stood there, but two of them were the most eye-catching.

One was a man wearing an utterly ordinary Straw Hat. He grinned broadly, laughed without restraint, and waved farewell toward the shore.

His smile was filled with a freedom and boldness powerful enough to infect the entire world.

Gol D. Roger!

And beside Roger stood a tall man with a chonmage hairstyle.

He wore a kimono with two Famous Blades at his waist, smiling as he waved to the people on shore.

That man—Chen Ye would recognize him even if he turned to ashes.

Kozuki Oden!

On the shore, countless people wept, shouted, and reluctantly saw them off.

Among the crowds bidding farewell, Chen Ye even spotted a young figure with a distinctive pineapple head, standing there with his hands on his hips and an unhappy expression.

The instant he saw that, Chen Ye's breath caught sharply!

All the clues instantly linked together in his mind!

The Oro Jackson!

Roger!

Kozuki Oden!

The Wano Country samurai and Mink Tribe members seeing them off from the shore!

They... they had arrived at this point in time!

Chen Ye's heart began pounding uncontrollably, not from fear, but from utter exhilaration!

He abruptly turned toward Whitebeard and Marco beside him, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"Pops! Brother Marco!"

"We... came to the right place!"

Marco snapped out of his immense shock and looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

A sharp gleam of strategy flickered in Chen Ye's eyes.

"Look!"

He pointed at the distant ship and the crowd on shore.

"Roger... took Mr. Oden with him!"

"Don't you understand what that means?"

A storm gathered in Whitebeard's deep eyes.

Of course he understood!

The Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates had fought for three days and three nights without a victor.

Afterward, Roger had taken notice of Oden's ability to decipher Poneglyphs. He had lowered his head and pleaded, "borrowing" Oden from Whitebeard's ship for one year.

What they were witnessing was the very day Kozuki Oden had been "poached" by Roger and officially boarded the Pirate King's ship, beginning the final leg of his journey!

The smile on Chen Ye's face grew even brighter.

"Excellent!"

"This is perfect!"

"There couldn't be a better time!"

He clenched his fists tightly and growled with excitement.

"Think about it—what kind of mood was Pops in at this time?"

"His most valued brother, his most interesting companion, had been 'tricked' away by his greatest rival in that manner!"

"He might have said, 'I'm leaving that guy to you,' but inside, he must've been so frustrated he wanted to shatter the whole sea!"

"At this time, he looked calm on the surface, but inside, he was holding back a towering rage!"

Chen Ye's words were like a key, instantly opening up Whitebeard and Marco's line of thought.

They understood.

Chen Ye's plan.

If they sought out a Whitebeard at the height of his power, high-spirited and full of confidence, he might disdain their request for help from the "future" out of sheer pride.

But!

If they sought out a Peak Whitebeard who had just been played by his mortal rival, who was currently furious and depressed beyond measure...

Then the result would be completely different!

This was simply a heaven-sent opportunity!

Whitebeard fell silent.

He slowly turned around and stopped looking at the Oro Jackson as it gradually disappeared beyond the horizon.

His gaze shifted toward the depths of the island.

There.

He could feel it.

Another version of himself—a young, healthy self at the peak of his strength—was holding a Banquet with his family, drinking away his frustration.

A terrifying aura that had lain dormant for decades—the aura of one who had once reigned over the world—slowly rose from Elderly Whitebeard.

He bared his teeth in a bold, domineering grin identical to Roger's in the distance.

"Gurararara..."

"Let's go, my sons."

"Let's go meet... the old me from the past."