Marine Headquarters
A personally escorted Rosinante to a secret naval base.
A child of the Celestial Dragons...
Speaking of which, Roger is also raising one.
Shanks isn't a baby anymore; he's about seven or eight years old and is starting to learn how to be a pirate.
However, unlike Roger, who kept Shanks by his side, An placed Rosinante in a training camp for recruits.
This training camp was the same one she once stayed in. It's not just for one or two kids; many children are around Rosinante's age.
"Did Uncle Water Behind just leave like that?"
As they were about to enter the training camp, Rosinante was still in a daze.
Everything had happened so quickly that he couldn't quite grasp what had transpired.
His brother killed their father, he ran away and was found by Uncle Water Behind.
Before he could stay long, the navy brought him to Marine Headquarters.
He had been feeling like he was in a dream this whole time.
"I don't know, maybe he'll come find you once he's done with his tasks." A gently patted Rosinante's head and said softly, "Go on and do your own things. When you see him again, you shouldn't be as weak as you are now."
"Hmm..." Rosinante fell silent, perhaps because recent events had been too cruel to him.
An wasn't focused on Rosinante at this moment; she was thinking about the intelligence the navy had gathered.
Water Behind...
Are we rapidly approaching her true self?
Is he looking for Roger?
Why?
He mentioned his goal was to 'eliminate the root causes of chaos in this world.' Could that be Roger?
What a joke.
She relayed what she knew to Roger, who was momentarily stunned as he sailed on the distant sea.
Water Behind...?
An's knowledge about Water Behind came from A Xing and Tsuru's accounts. She was unaware of the ongoing conversations in Mary Geoise between Makima and the Five Elders.
So she only knew that Water Behind might be from the era of demons. No, not might—definitely!
An had access to intelligence surpassing that of the navy, including Roger's discovery of a strange box. The box had eight symbols: earth, fire, water, and wind.
That was enough to prove Water Behind was telling the truth. The four kings he faced were indeed four of the demon lords.
God's Right Seat...
She was worried, but Roger conveyed a rather relaxed feeling.
"Maybe he's just coming for a drink," Roger told An. But after ending the communication, he couldn't help but smile wryly.
"What's going on?"
Seeing Roger step out of his room, Rayleigh asked curiously.
"A friend is coming..."
Roger sensed it was a turbulent time, but he also felt a bit of anticipation.
Since becoming this strong, few could match him in battle.
Fighting Aatrox and Kozuki Oden had been out of responsibility and anger, not bringing the thrill of battle.
Only Mihawk could fully engage him for many years, but Mihawk was a very passive fighter, and fighting him didn't excite him much.
Now, this mysterious Water Behind might satisfy his anticipation.
He wasn't a demon so he could be a human opponent!
Roger looked into the distance, sensing a powerful presence slowly approaching.
Roger always kept his Observation Haki fully active, so after An's reminder, he soon noticed someone approaching.
Walking on the sea sounded quite romantic. Having a drink together once he boarded the ship would be nice.
Roger's words drew the attention of those around him. They soon gathered and noticed a person slowly approaching the sea ahead.
He wore a white shirt and blue pants, with no visible weapons. His golf shirt stretched over a strong body, leaving no space for hidden weapons.
Despite this, Roger remained extremely cautious.
He claimed to be a Saint and a God's Right Seat member. Leaving aside what a Saint is, God's Right Seat members were said to be rival demon lords.
Just for that, Roger had to be cautious.
Finally, Water Behind stopped less than a hundred meters from the Roger Pirates.
He seemed to hold a crystalline object, which he casually flipped. The crystal fell into the sea like raindrops.
Immediately, within seconds, a change occurred.
Whoosh~
A special sound spread rapidly, and the sea was frozen in a radius of tens to hundreds of kilometres around Water Behind!
?!
Oddly, this extreme cold only affected the sea, not people. At least the Roger Pirates felt some chill but weren't in mortal danger.
Such a cold force could theoretically freeze people to death in seconds.
Yet, in Water Behind's Hands, it merely created a battlefield for a full-on fight.
Terrifying...
So terrifying!
"Who... is he?"
Rayleigh's eyes widened in disbelief at the scene.
Even after witnessing countless incredible things, this was reminiscent of only one being—a demon.
Aatrox!
"Don't worry."
Roger smiled at Rayleigh and said, "It's fine. No Name, take everyone away from here."
"What are you talking about?" Jaba protested. "Are you asking us to run away?"
"No, no. It seems that he wants to talk to me alone." Roger said softly. "Trust me, I'll catch up soon."
"..." No Name paused, then whispered, "I'll be back later. Be careful."
Roger grinned. After hearing No Name's response, he jumped off the ship and onto the frozen sea.
In the current state, the ship couldn't sail. It wasn't a breaking-ice vessel.
He should figure out a way to get a ship that can navigate any environment in the future!
Thinking this, Roger's body moved toward Water Behind.
As he walked forward, the ship and its crew were teleported away by No Name.
However, moving so many people and the ship in one go must have been taxing. Considering the radius of the frozen area was a hundred kilometres, No Name couldn't return anytime soon.