Scenes from their time together surfaced one after another in Gaban's mind.
Twilights spent fighting side by side.
The deck where they sang drunkenly at the top of their lungs.
But just as those images were about to join into a warm memory, they shattered without warning, like a mirror struck by a sledgehammer.
At that instant, Gaban's eyes grew wet, and tears streamed down his face.
Roger was still repeating the motion of kowtowing like a puppet.
Gaban's gaze darkened. His right hand shot out, seized Roger's dirt-covered collar in a crushing grip, and hauled him up as he shouted angrily.
"Roger, how long are you going to stay like this? What would Rayleigh think if he saw you now?!"
Roger's gaze returned to Gaban's face. Those eyes that had once burned with boundless wildfire and free will were now bloodshot, vacant, and lost.
But the instant his eyes met Gaban's, he could no longer hold back his tears.
"Gaban..." Roger choked out.
"Pull yourself together! If you're going to be a pirate, you have to be prepared for what that means!"
"We're all going to die. The next one could be me, or it could be you, but so what? No matter what happens, our goal will never change."
Roger said nothing. He simply lowered his eyes in silence, letting Gaban hold him by the collar.
"Once you've thought it through, get back to the ship, take a proper bath, and put on some clean clothes."
With that, Gaban released Roger's collar, turned, and strode away.
Soon, everyone in the Roger Pirates learned that Rayleigh had died in battle. At that moment, they all sank into profound grief.
And Roger told no one who had killed Rayleigh.
At that moment, Roger silently made up his mind. He would