Chapter 78: A Drink Beneath the Cherry Blossoms — The Roger Pirates Disband!

In the days that followed, Marine Headquarters was in chaos, with nonstop meetings. Every officer of Rear Admiral rank and above stationed at HQ was required to attend.

As the meetings dragged on, daily updates about the Roger Pirates were released to the world.

Roger’s bounty had skyrocketed to an unbelievable 5,564,800,000 Belly!

How outrageous was that number?

A comparison made it clear. More than twenty years later, at the time of the Marineford War, the highest bounty belonged to Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, at 5,046,000,000 Belly. Right now, two decades before reaching that peak, Whitebeard’s bounty was just a little over 2 billion.

Roger’s was more than double.

He had become a pirate in a league of his own. Even Shiki, the former Pirate Overlord, had only reached 2.6 billion Belly at his peak.

At this moment, no other pirate came close to Roger’s level. Even entire crews added together didn’t match his bounty. That was the price tag of the Pirate King.

The sheer absurdity of the figure left many of the great pirates fuming. What gave Roger the right?

Just because he had found Laugh Tale?

In the world of pirates, respect wasn’t earned through adventure—it was earned through raw strength, by defeating and crushing rivals until no one could deny you the throne.

And it wasn’t just pirates who took notice. With Roger’s bounty surging, intelligence networks, bounty hunters, and unaffiliated masters all turned their eyes toward him. Finding him now was a ticket to fortune. The World Government was paying top rates for leads, and anyone who could actually capture Roger would make history.

...

On a remote island in the New World, the Roger Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates were meeting face-to-face.

Beneath a blooming cherry tree, Roger and Newgate sat together on the ground.

“You took Oden away, and now you won’t give him back...” Newgate said with a trace of annoyance.

Roger grinned, poured Newgate a bowl of sake, and replied, “He said he needed to return to Wano to handle a few matters. Once he’s done, he’ll meet up with you again.”

“Of course I know that.” Newgate shot him a glare, then added, “But Kaidou is entrenched in Wano now... it’s something that worries me.”

“Oden’s strong enough. What are you worrying about?” Roger said casually, waving his hand.

Changing the subject, he chuckled. “Did you see the papers lately? I’m the Pirate King now.”

“Looks like you’ve struck a nerve with those in the World Government,” Newgate said calmly, without a hint of jealousy.

“Laugh Tale really is an interesting place. Want to know what I found there? If you want, I’ll tell you...” Roger said with a booming laugh.

“Not the slightest bit interested.” Newgate waved him off. “Maybe your treasure’s hidden there, but I reached my end long before you... my answer.”

He said this with a smile, eyes turning toward his crew in the distance. His men—his family—were laughing and enjoying themselves together.

Whatever Roger was chasing, Whitebeard had already found what he sought in this sea. He had reached his own destination.

Roger followed his gaze, then smiled and nodded. “That’s true. You’ve always been one step ahead of us.”

“Gurararara...” Newgate laughed proudly, full of satisfaction.

Afterward, he frowned slightly. “Come to think of it, your name always looks strange in the papers...”

“Gol D. Roger. Not ‘Gold.’ The World Government wants to erase the ‘D.’ That’s what I learned from Laugh Tale,” Roger said with a smile, before adding, “One day, the people of D will turn this world upside down, Newgate!”

But then his eyes clouded with regret. “It’s just a shame I won’t be there to see it. Laugh Tale... we reached it too soon.”

“D, huh?” Newgate muttered, a fleeting thought of Teach crossing his mind. Was that brat part of the D lineage?

But he quickly shook his head. “That’s nonsense. Do you really think only your so-called D can change the world? I don’t believe that, and I’ll never agree with such an absurd claim.”

Roger froze for a moment, then laughed. “You’re right.”

The idea that only the D could change the world—it was far too arrogant.

“What will you do next?” Newgate asked again.

“Nothing,” Roger shook his head. “You know the state of my body. I don’t have much time left. My dream as a pirate is already fulfilled. From here on, I just want to quietly live out the last stretch of my life. After this drink with you, the Roger Pirates will disband. I plan to head to the South Blue.”

“The South Blue?” Newgate frowned. “If I remember right, you’re from the East Blue, aren’t you? Don’t you want to spend your final days in your homeland?”

“The sea is my home. Don’t be so narrow-minded, Newgate!” Roger laughed heartily, but then his eyes softened. “I’m going to the South Blue because someone is waiting for me there.”

Seeing that tenderness on Roger’s face, Newgate grimaced. “Love? How boring...”

“A guy like you wouldn’t understand!” Roger shot him a glare, downed a large gulp of sake, then leaned in with curiosity. “Speaking of which, I heard you had a secret lover back in the Rocks days. Any truth to that?”

“Bullshit!” Newgate barked, clearly annoyed. “I live my life openly and straight. What kind of nonsense is that? I don’t know which bastard started that rumor!”

“Rumor, huh?” Roger rubbed his chin, and seeing the seriousness on Newgate’s face, believed him.

Of course, Newgate hadn’t read Rocks’ writings—otherwise he might have realized that the source of the rumor was Rocks himself.

A gentle sea breeze swept past, shaking loose cherry blossoms that rained down over Roger and Newgate.

One blossom drifted into Roger’s sake bowl. He stared at it for a moment, then smiled. “I can’t waste any more time with you, Newgate...”

“Leaving already?” A trace of reluctance flickered in Newgate’s eyes, though it vanished quickly.

He knew this was likely the last time he would see Roger, the last time they would drink together. This farewell was for life.

They had never been comrades—at times, they had even been enemies, clashing again and again across the seas. Yet at this moment, Newgate couldn’t deny the weight of parting. Perhaps it was mutual respect. Perhaps, somewhere along the way, they had become friends.

“Yeah, it’s time. A beautiful, gentle woman is surely standing at the harbor right now, gazing into the distance, waiting for my return. I’ve kept her waiting far too long. I need to hurry.” Roger laughed.

He too felt the weight of farewell. He knew this was forever, but he still had to go.

As a pirate, he carried no regrets. Now, he would face the end as an ordinary man.

Roger raised his sake bowl, lifted it with the cherry blossom still floating inside, and drained it in one gulp.

Newgate silently raised his own bowl and did the same.

Rising to his feet, Roger brushed off his captain’s coat, grinned, and waved. “Farewell, Whitebeard.”

“Mm.” Newgate didn’t stand. Still seated, he murmured softly, “Farewell.”

And so, Roger walked away. And so, the Roger Pirates disbanded.