Surrounded by Carl and the other Vice Admirals, Rayleigh had no choice but to entrust Buggy to Shanks before drawing his sword to face them.
Shanks held the trembling Buggy in his arms, tears streaming down his face as he looked sorrowfully at Roger. With a choked voice, he called out,
"Captain Roger…"
Roger coughed violently, a guttural sound escaping his lips.
Seeing this, Shanks leaned closer to Roger, placing his ear near the captain's mouth.
"Sh...Shanks…catch me a News Coo...one carrying Den Den Mushi…"
The battle was nearing its end, but a large flock of News Coos still circled the skies, many flying at low altitudes. Interestingly, the number of birds lost to the shockwaves of the battle outnumbered the human casualties.
Without hesitation, Shanks rummaged through Buggy's belt and pulled out a sheathed sword. Taking aim at the lowest-flying News Coo, he threw it with precision.
Bang!
The unfortunate bird was struck, falling unconscious along with the Transponder Snail it carried. Shanks reached out, catching both mid-air. After retrieving the snail, he turned back to Roger.
"Captain Roger, what now?"
Roger, his voice barely audible, replied,
"Bring it closer...to my face…"
Shanks did as instructed, holding the Den Den Mushi before Roger. The Pirate King's face, once pale and wan, now flushed unnaturally. Given his condition, this was clearly his final surge of energy.
With eyes wide open, Roger summoned the last remnants of his strength and bellowed through the Transponder Snail, his voice broadcast to the entire world:
"One Piece! My greatest treasure! Everything I own...is there! Go! Set sail for the seas!"
As the words left his mouth, Roger coughed up a massive amount of blood. The brilliance in his eyes dimmed, fading into lifeless hollows. His body twitched violently before going still, and his pupils dilated. The life of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, came to an end.
The entire world bore witness to the moment of his passing.
Across the globe, reactions to Roger's death varied wildly. Some cheered the demise of a "great criminal," while others were stirred by his final words, igniting their dreams of the sea. Few, if any, mourned him.
In a rainy town in the East Blue, two cloaked figures made their way through a jubilant crowd. The smaller figure sniffled, her quiet sobs betraying her grief.
"Stop crying," the taller figure said gruffly. "It's not good for the child in your belly."
A flash of lightning illuminated his face—a young man with no eyebrows and a fierce expression. This was Monkey D. Dragon, the marine deserter. Beside him stood Portgas D. Rouge, a woman Roger had known for only three months but with whom he had shared a deep connection.
Roger and Rouge had spent only seven days together, yet in that brief time, she had become pregnant. Now three months along, she placed a hand on her stomach, staring sorrowfully at the screen showing Roger's lifeless face.
"Roger…I'll make sure this child is born," she whispered.
Dragon placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Roger was a hero. The bloodline of a hero flows within your child."
On the Moby Dick, Whitebeard poured out a barrel of sake onto the deck.
"Roger…so this was your 'destiny' after all," he murmured.
In the chambers of Mary Geoise, the Five Elders gathered, their moods jubilant.
"Good!" Garling exclaimed, leaping from his chair in uncharacteristic excitement.
Even Saturn, normally stoic, allowed himself a rare smile.
"Not bad, Carl. You've proven yourself invaluable once again."
Garling nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. In critical moments, it's always our people who get the job done. If Garp had been sent instead…" He trailed off with a scoff.
Saturn smirked and added teasingly,
"Garling, didn't you want Carl out of the Marines not long ago?"
Caught off guard, Garling's face turned awkward. He coughed and sat back down.
"I only said that because I didn't want him to feel stifled in the Marines."
The mood turned somber as Saturn spoke again.
"Roger's final words are a problem. They'll stir up countless fools to take to the seas."
The others nodded gravely. Figarland Nusjuro broke the silence.
"But my biggest concern isn't that…"
All eyes turned to him as he continued,
"The Nika Fruit will now reincarnate."
The room fell silent, and then, in unison, they all said,
"The Nika Fruit must not fall into the wrong hands."
Garling crossed his arms, his tone grim.
"The fruit's power is still as troublesome as ever. We need to dispatch agents to retrieve it immediately."
"CP9 will handle this," Saturn decided. "But keep it quiet."
Back in the Ed War Sea, Shanks knelt beside Roger's lifeless body, clutching his straw hat as tears streamed down his face.
Rayleigh appeared beside him, breathing heavily. His upper body was bare, his clothes burned away in his earlier clash with Borsalino. A glowing cross-shaped scar marred his chest.
Sliding his sword into its sheath, Rayleigh pulled Shanks and Buggy close, preparing to retreat.
As they leapt towards the sea, a thunderous voice roared behind them:
"Dark Hound!!!"
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+210 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg