Similarly, Roger also looked at Nicholas, as the skill of Kozuki Oden was his hope to complete the final voyage.
"Don't look at me like that, Newgate. I have no interest in that guy named Kozuki Oden," Nicholas said, surprising both Whitebeard and Roger, who found it hard to believe.
"If not for Oden, then what are you here for? Can't a unprecedented feat like circumnavigating the world entice you?" Roger looked surprised at Nicholas, thinking that circumnavigating the world was a feat worthy of the history books.
"And then?" Nicholas responded calmly.
"And then?" Roger echoed, taken aback.
"For me, what I want is to be able to sail freely on the open seas, to tread every corner of this world without any concerns. I want to visit countless miraculous islands and natural landscapes on this planet. I want to become the freest person on the seas!" Nicholas declared.
"Wow, that's an impressive dream," Roger said, raising his cup, gesturing for Nicholas to clink it with his.
"Then I wish you the best in achieving your dream," Roger added, pouring more liquor into Nicholas's cup.
"What is your purpose in coming here?" Whitebeard asked, furrowing his brow.
"I have two reasons for coming here this time, one regarding Roger and the other regarding you," Nicholas replied, taking out a small box from his pocket and handing it to Roger.
As Roger opened the box and looked at its contents, he made a puzzled face.
"Hey, Nicholas, what's this about? We're both guys. And I have someone I like!" Roger said seriously, showing the gold ring in the box to Nicholas, as if suspecting Nicholas had ulterior motives.
"Pfft, I have someone I like too. Besides, who would be interested in someone whose nose hair looks like a beard!" Nicholas retorted, unyielding.
Roger was infuriated by Nicholas's remark. "That's artistic on the pirate flag, not me! My beard is a beard, not nose hair!"
"Right, right, even if it's not nose hair," Nicholas conceded.
"It's not nose hair in the first place! What do you mean 'even if it's not'!" Roger protested.
"Does she know about your illness?" Nicholas suddenly asked, changing the atmosphere.
"She does," Roger replied, looking at his cup with a mix of longing and guilt.
"If you leave, there won't be many drinking buddies left in the world," Whitebeard lamented.
"There's still Shiki, Garp, Sengoku, Zephyr, and Linlin, right? And if you're bored, you can always go to Marineford for a stroll. With your strength, you can easily retreat if things get hairy," Whitebeard added.
"Forget it..." Whitebeard shook his head and clinked his cup with Roger's.
"I forgot, you only care about your family," Roger said, slightly surprised.
Roger hesitated for a moment, and then didn't force the issue.
"Gurararara..."
Whitebeard chuckled but didn't say anything, implicitly acknowledging it.
"Hey, Nicholas, why did you suddenly give me this gold ring?" Roger asked, playing with the ring while speaking.
"It's just a reward to attract firepower to you. And don't mess around with that thing, it's precious. It's so precious that as long as you don't get beheaded, you can live for a long time with it, even prolonging your terminal illness indefinitely," Nicholas explained, looking at Roger who was playing with the gold ring with some astonishment.
Almost at the same time, two figures quickly approached Roger. One firmly hugged Roger from behind, while the other snatched the gold ring from Roger's hand and held it carefully.
"Hey hey, Gaban, Rayleigh, you two trying to harm the captain?" Rayleigh, locked by Gaban, called out desperately.
Rayleigh, holding the gold ring, looked at Nicholas with a serious expression.
"Nicholas, are you telling the truth!?" Although Rayleigh tried to remain calm, his excitement was evident in his tone.
"Ah, it's not a fake," Nicholas said lightly, and the atmosphere suddenly quieted down.
"Of course it's not a lie. The thing in your hand can indeed save Roger. After all, there are many treasures in the sea, and the one in your hand is one of them, mixed with Celestial gold. Moreover, I also know of two Devil Fruits that can also save Roger. Remember, it's a complete salvation for him, not just prolonging his life like Celestial gold does," Nicholas said to Rayleigh, looking at him directly. It could be said that Rayleigh was the brain of the Roger Pirates to a large extent. Roger rarely interfered with Rayleigh's decisions unless it was a matter concerning the entire crew.
"Celestial gold, so you really found the lost Alchemy?" Rayleigh, holding the gold ring, tightened his grip. When he found out about Roger's terminal illness, he had tried various methods to save him, and Celestial gold was one of them.
"What Celestial gold? What Alchemy?" Roger, who had swapped positions with Rayleigh without knowing when, pressed Gaban, locked by the strong man, to the ground, looking puzzled.
"You don't need to know so much, just give me your hand," Rayleigh said to Roger.
"Huh?" Roger was baffled, apparently unaware of what Nicholas had told Rayleigh to elicit such a dramatic change in his attitude.
Out of trust in Rayleigh, Roger didn't hesitate to extend his hand, and Rayleigh quickly put the gold ring on it.
Watching Roger, who was curiously looking at the ring on his hand, Rayleigh directly said to Gaban, "Gaban, go call Crocus. Tell him the captain has a situation."
Apparently, the other members of the Roger Pirates were unaware of Roger's terminal illness.
Soon, the drunken Crocus was carried over by Gaban. It could be said that everyone on Roger's ship who knew about his condition was present.
"Hey, aren't you Nicholas, who last sent the Rumba Pirates to Twin Cape?" Crocus said with surprise. "Long time no see."
"Crocus, attend to the captain first," Gaban said, urging him.
"That's odd..." Crocus furrowed his brow after examining Roger's body, causing Rayleigh and Gaban to become tense.
"Hey, Crocus, if you have something to say, just spit it out. Don't keep us in suspense," Gaban urged.
"Gaban, don't rush him," Crocus showed good manners before turning to Rayleigh. "It seems that the progression of the captain's illness has slowed down countless times, and the rate of cell division in his body has also decreased significantly."
"So what does that mean?" Roger couldn't wait to ask.
Bam! Roger was punched directly to the ground by Rayleigh.
"Crocus, continue," Rayleigh said.
"It means that if Roger's body continues to maintain this state, his remaining lifespan could be several times or even dozens of times longer than it is now," Crocus explained.
Upon hearing Crocus's words, Rayleigh couldn't contain his joy, and Roger couldn't help but laugh, touching the back of his head. Obviously, nobody would want to die if they could continue living.
"Nicholas, the Roger Pirates owe you a huge debt of gratitude!" Rayleigh said to Nicholas earnestly.