Rayleigh said, "About four years before his public execution, Roger contracted an incurable disease. It was an illness that no one could cure. Even his incredibly strong body weakened and suffered under the pain of the disease."
At that time, the most skilled doctor on the seas—the same man who watched over the lighthouse at Twin Capes, Crocus—was the only one capable of alleviating Roger's suffering.
So Rayleigh and the others begged him to join them, to accompany the Roger Pirates on their final journey as their ship's doctor.
In the end, Crocus agreed.
Three years before the public execution, guided by Roger's ability to hear the Voice of All Things, the Roger Pirates reached the end of the Grand Line: Laugh Tale.
Roger, who was nearing the end of his life, had accomplished what the world considered impossible.
He had conquered the entire Grand Line!
"Crocus-san?"
Luffy was stunned for a moment. His mind conjured the image of that kind old man who lived under the lighthouse at Reverse Mountain, watching over the giant whale Laboon.
"That old man said he had been at the cape for 50 years. So he was also a member of the Pirate King's crew?"
Nami also recalled. "Come to think of it, he did mention he had been a pirate for a few years. I never imagined those three years were on the Pirate King's ship!"
"The fact that you've met him means he's doing well now."
Rayleigh smiled, his tone lightening a bit. "Crocus only agreed to board Roger's ship because he was looking for a missing pirate crew, hoping Roger's abilities might help him find clues."
"The Rumbar Pirates—Brook's old crew."
Luffy said, "Crocus-san must have set out to sea to find Brook and Laboon."
With that, all the connections seemed to connect at this moment.
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? You even know about that? Your adventures must have been quite exciting as well.
Although Crocus was only a crew member for three years, he was undoubtedly an important comrade to us. At my age, I find myself wanting to see those old friends again."
"So, after conquering the sea, what happened?" Luffy pressed.
He was very curious about the Pirate King's story.
Rayleigh said, "It was after that that Roger became known as the Pirate King."
Merry also listened with wide eyes, as if hearing a story.
This was the untold story of the Pirate King.
"But he couldn't remain the Pirate King forever. A title means nothing to a dying man. But that guy Roger, he enjoyed himself right up until the end."
A nostalgic smile appeared on Rayleigh's face. "He was the kind of man who did everything with great fanfare.
Whether it was throwing banquets, fighting, or even planning his own not-so-distant future, he always seemed to be enjoying life."
And not long after that, the Roger Pirates quietly disbanded on the captain's orders.
Everyone went their separate ways, one by one fading away, hiding their names.
Rayleigh hardly knew where his former comrades the ones he had fought so hard alongside were now, or what they were doing.
Perhaps, as Rayleigh said, he was already a retired old soldier. As he aged, his body couldn't keep up in all aspects—his will, his energy, his physique... Even Garp no longer chased pirates all over the world like he used to. When he had nothing to do, he would just go back to the East Blue to take it easy.
To be honest, for someone like Zephyr to still be active on the front lines, it was only a matter of time before he was successively broken through by new-generation pirates like Luffy.
"Then, one year after the disbandment, Roger turned himself in and was arrested. His public execution was announced in Loguetown, the town of his birth."
Rayleigh seemed to go back to that square in the town known as the Town of the Beginning and the End.
"I heard that on that day, many of the young pirates who are now famous on the seas gathered there. The execution of the Pirate King drew the attention of the entire world."
Rayleigh hadn't gone. He remembered what Roger had said to him.
"I won't die, partner."
And as it turned out, Roger never seemed to have left.
"The World Government and the Navy must have been quite surprised."
Rayleigh said, "Because the public execution they held to warn other pirates suddenly became the ceremony that kicked off the Great Pirate Era."
In everyone's ears, they could almost hear that legendary man's final declaration from the execution platform, addressed to the whole world:
"My treasure? If you want it, I'll give it to you! Go find it! I left everything this world has to offer there!!"
Rayleigh's gaze was distant.
Looking back on his life, could it be called eventful?
It was certainly not as wonderful as his captain's.
"Roger took the few seconds of life he had left and instantly transformed them into a karmic fire that ignited the entire world.
Never again did we laugh like we did that night. Never again did we cry like we did that night. Even the nights we drank heartily together have become memories of the past.
Our captain lived an incredibly wonderful life."
Rayleigh shook his head and smiled.
Nami murmured, "We seem to have heard a very incredible story. But coming from someone who was there, it feels very tragic as well."
"Now that you mention it, it's almost as if the Great Pirate Era was completely orchestrated by Roger!"
Luffy clenched his fists. "Is everything happening now within his expectations?"
Hearing this, Rayleigh laughed heartily and pushed up his glasses. "That's hard to say. Roger is dead. The only ones who can shape this era are the people living in it.
On that day, in that square, there were indeed people who inherited a certain will from Roger. Your good friend Shanks is one of them."
"Old man, you know Shanks?" Luffy was surprised.
"In the East Blue, have you heard of a pirate named Buggy?" Rayleigh asked.
In an instant, Nami's and Zoro's expressions became somewhat strange.
That red-nosed guy—they were very familiar with him.
"Those two were apprentice crew members on Roger's ship back in the day." Rayleigh said casually.
"Shanks was on the Pirate King's ship?!"
This time, Luffy was truly shocked. He couldn't help but look at Uta beside him. "Did you know?"
"I knew."
"Why didn't you tell me?!"
Uta pursed her lips and glared at Luffy with some dissatisfaction. "You never asked me."
"What? Shanks never told you?"
Rayleigh looked surprised at the exchange between Luffy and Uta. "About ten years ago, I happened to run into him on this island. I noticed that his trademark straw hat and his left arm were both gone. When I asked why, he spoke about you with great delight."
Rayleigh remembered that scene.
Shanks had happily recounted his experience. "Rayleigh-san, I was really surprised. Back in the East Blue, there was a kid who said the same thing as Captain Roger—the captain's very words!"
"So you gave away the straw hat Roger entrusted to you?" Rayleigh had looked at Shanks's missing arm. "But what happened to your arm?"
"I bet it on the new era!" Shanks's expression had turned serious. "Lately, I've been having dreams. Dreams of that place you told me about when I was a child, Rayleigh-san. I see a face that looks just like that kid's..."
Shanks felt that it was some kind of karmic reincarnation.
Everything Shanks had been hoping for seemed to be heading in the best possible direction.
"Your name is Uta, right?"
Rayleigh's gaze shifted to Uta. He smiled. "You're Shanks's adopted daughter. He also mentioned you to me. He said you have an amazing ability—a musical genius."
Uta forced a somewhat reluctant smile onto her face, then lowered her head. Her fingers unconsciously twisted together.
She didn't really want to talk about Shanks.
Rayleigh noticed but didn't dig deeper.
"Anyway, after that, I wanted to meet you—Monkey D. Luffy—one day. But since Shanks didn't tell you these things himself, I can't overstep."
Rayleigh looked at Luffy. "In any case, I'm very glad you made it here through so much hardship. That guy is probably getting impatient waiting for you in the New World."
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it too."
Luffy pressed down his straw hat, turned, and reached out to take Uta's slightly cold hand. He smiled. "When the time comes, let's go see him together, okay?"
Uta's head shot up. A flicker of panic and complex crossed her heterochromatic eyes.
Luffy said seriously, "Wouldn't it be better to ask him about things in person?"
He wasn't oblivious. He could sense that Uta's attitude toward Shanks was subtle not like before, when she always had Shanks's name on her lips.
Perhaps there was something behind Uta's decision to leave the ship last time.
Uta's lips moved. In the end, she gave a soft "mm" and did not pull her hand away.
Just then, Robin stepped forward.
"Rayleigh-san, I have a very important question."
Robin's expression was serious. As she thought back on her journey over the years, everything she had seen and heard pointed to the same question.
"What exactly is the Will of D.?"
She paused, then continued, "On the Poneglyph I saw in Skypiea, Roger's name was written in ancient script. How was he able to use that language?"
She remembered the message she and Luffy had seen under the golden bell tower.
"I have come here to lead this text to the final place. Pirate, Gol D. Roger."
Robin had thought her hopes were lost in Alabasta for the truth she had long sought.
Then she reached Skypiea and saw the Poneglyph there.
Whether Roger and his crew knew the truth of the world.
She wanted to know.
"Do you know what happened in the world during the Void Century—the blank 100 years that began 900 years ago?
You reached the final island, Laugh Tale. What truth is hidden there?"
The sky seemed to darken with her words. The wind seemed to stop.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Rayleigh.
Rayleigh was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Yes, we know."
He knew everything about history.
This brief admission was like a thunderclap in Robin's heart.
They knew everything?
The truth that countless scholars of Ohara had given their lives to seek—the truth that had been Robin's motivation to live all these years.
The truth was right before her.
But Rayleigh's next words calmed Robin down. "However, little lady, there is no need to rush. Let your ship advance step by step. Perhaps we—and your homeland Ohara—were all a bit too hasty back then."
His gaze swept over Luffy, Nami, Zoro... every member of the Straw Hat crew, and finally returned to Robin.
"Even if I told you all of history here, it might not be a good thing for you as you are now. It might even bring a burden too heavy for you to bear.
After you have traveled around the world properly and experienced things firsthand, the answers you find may not necessarily be the same as ours."
Regarding the understanding of history—
Everyone was different.
Rayleigh looked at Robin. He knew the identity of the woman before him.
"Even so, if you still want to know, I can tell you here—everything that has been covered up in this world."
The scene fell into absolute stillness.
Even the sound of the wind disappeared.
Luffy said nothing. He just looked at Robin quietly, respecting her choice.
Back in Alabasta, Robin had already said it.
That truth was her motivation to live.
Robin's mind flashed through images: the blazing flames of Ohara, Saul's final smile, the years of wandering in darkness. Finally, it froze on the scene at Enies Lobby, when Luffy ordered the World Government's flag to be burned.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, there was no longer any hesitation in them.
"No,"
Robin shook her head, a relieved smile appeared on her face.
Her voice was calm and firm. "Never mind. I will continue sailing. With my crewmates, I will find the answers with our own strength."
She wanted to continue the journey.
With Luffy, with her crewmates.
From that day onward, her motivation to live was no longer just this so-called truth.
"Someday, you will see it clearly."
Rayleigh recalled Robin's past. He paused, then said, "I deeply regret what happened to your homeland, Ohara. That was an unforgivable tragedy."
He then answered another of Robin's earlier questions.
"As for the ancient script, Roger did not decipher those characters like your archaeologists.
After all, we were just pirates. Our wisdom cannot compare to that of the genius Dr. Clover or the scholars of Ohara.
That man simply had a special talent. He could hear the Voice of All Things. That's all."
To decipher the Poneglyphs, Roger had even borrowed a certain someone from Whitebeard.
"The Voice of All Things?"
So the Pirate King possessed that kind of power?
Luffy thought of his own ability to communicate with animals now.
Could that be a form of this power as well?
***
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