A rich aroma of liquor drifted through the air in front of the little wooden cabin.
The four men sat cross-legged in a circle, each with a bowl before him.
"The Summit War?"
"Twenty years passed in the blink of an eye. Time seems to stand still here, while the world outside has changed beyond recognition."
Roger sighed softly.
Of course he knew about the great battle. Whenever he poled his little boat to other towns to buy groceries, people everywhere were talking about it.
He had even passed Marineford on his way back once, finding the entire base on high alert. Perhaps that had been just before the battle?
"What are you planning to do next?"
"River!"
Whitebeard's expression darkened as he stared at River, who was sipping his liquor across from him.
"What am I planning to do?"
At the question, River set down his bowl and smiled.
"It's simple!"
"I'm going to become a king!"
Those two declarations stunned the other three men.
"Become a king? What kind of king?"
"I know you're not interested in becoming the Pirate King, brother-in-law!"
Roger laughed heartily, his mustache trembling.
River shot Roger a glare before speaking in a low voice.
"Only a king can stand against a king!"
"So I'm going to become a king!"
"Eight hundred years ago, twenty kings founded the World Government. To overthrow them..."
"A new king must build an entirely new world!"
The three men paused, lost in thought. Though they were all renowned pirates, politics and nations were beyond their understanding.
"So you want to become the king of a country!"
Roger sighed.
"Exactly."
River nodded.
"This is an entirely new path. Will you reform the world or overthrow it?"
Roger asked with interest.
Though he did not understand such matters, he knew