65 Chapter 65

Back in the confines of the elders' chamber, sighs of relief echoed off the walls. They couldn't fathom how Imu-sama had become aware of the situation; the sudden interest in certain matters raised suspicions among the council. Imu Sama's recent queries about seemingly trivial matters, such as the commotion created by Doflamingo's public display of punishment at the central square of the Holy Land, a descendant of the original twenty who dared to defy the almighty, had sent shockwaves through their ranks. This showed the elders how truly bored the supreme leader had become.

Doflamingo's fate had been sealed before his audience with the Elders, yet his bold words, "My brother will come for me," about his brother's possible vengeance had piqued the Five Elders' curiosity and mockery, even earning a round of amusement from the enigmatic leaders of the World Government. Little did Doflamingo know, his brother's heart lay silently beneath his now-ravaged body, a silent testament to the consequences of defiance in the face of absolute power.

"How did we miss out on such a thing? Didn't we ban any studies on the Poneglyphs? How did Roger manage to reach the final island?" Elder Ju Peter's frustration was palpable as he questioned the oversight.

"It seems that someone from the Kozuki family aided Roger in finding and deciphering those poneglyphs. We must ensure that such occurrences are prevented in the future. We were fortunate that Imu-sama did not view this matter with severity," Elder Saturn expressed, sharing his concern. Originally, he had contemplated recalling Agana to Mary Geoise due to her status as a celestial dragon and a god's knight. However, recent developments had complicated their plans, especially with Dragon's unexpected defection.

"Perhaps Agana should have handled the matter regarding Garp with more subtlety. Now, without the marine hero leading from the front, Roger's fame is growing unchecked. Say what you might about Garp, but he was a Marine with a righteous persona. With him holed up in Marineford, there is no one capable of keeping Roger's rising fame in check. We cannot allow this to continue; we must get Garp back into action," Elder Nusjuro commented.

When Imu-sama had instructed him to bring Doflamingo for a meeting, he initially feared repercussions for their failure. However, it turned out that Imu-sama's intentions were merely driven by curiosity. Now, they had to address this matter swiftly, as any action from Imu-sama could spell disaster for the world, even for the World Nobles themselves.

"First, get in touch with Kong and have him try to get Garp back into action," Elder Mars suggested, expressing his views. "As for Agana, let her remain in the Marines. It seems like it would be a valuable lesson for the young one to learn some restraint. In the future, we can consider grooming her to lead the Marines. If this trend continues, the delicate balance we've maintained in the New World could be destroyed. Perhaps having Agana by the Marines' side would be beneficial."

His words resonated with the council, for the sea had already begun to show signs of chaos as more and more people were influenced by the rumors of One Piece.

"That's fine, but we need to address a serious matter," Elder Saturn said as he poured himself a cup of tea. "Seems like our previous ban on poneglyphs and learning about history seems to be ineffective. We need to clean up and destroy every single person who even dares to delve into the secrets of the past. Maybe we must have the CP hunt down every person who is even remotely connected to studying these things."

"Only if there was a way to destroy these poneglyphs, we could have destroyed them all and been done with it," Elder Wacury added, banging on the table with a rare hint of anger. "Those dumb things are made with unknown material, with sea stone essence infused, so even with our powers, we cannot damage them." He had tried destroying those stupid monuments back in his youth, failing every time.

"And let's have the CP0 push for an alliance with Kaido again; we can just disguise it as a weapons trade or something else, we can't have Wano becoming too comfortable," Elder Nusjuro suggested. "And Kaido still has the treasured mythical fruit, so we'll have to keep an eye on him. We can't let him get too ambitious. Have we had any success from Vegapunk in trying to recreate Kaido's devil fruit?"

"No, we haven't had any recent successful updates regarding the artificial devil fruits from Punk Hazard," Elder Ju Peter explained. "And that Vegapunk keeps running around. We must try to confine him to a particular place. He is too dangerous an asset to be left running around freely, especially with his knowledge about lineage factors." Currently, Vegapunk still held some form of freedom because he was still reluctant to start with the experiment for the lineage factor, which was essentially important for the elders.

Just like that, this meeting between the elders put many of their decisions into action, which would eventually come to shape the new era. However, even they were unaware of the chaos that was going to unfold because of the actions of one man in the near future.

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Somewhere in the New World, the Oro Jackson lay anchored near an unmarked island. It had been almost a month since the news of them conquering the Grand Line and reaching the final island spread throughout the world. Rumors, each more exaggerated than the last, began to circulate, but none of them were anywhere close to the actual truth.

The only group of people aware of the truth were now having a banquet on the island after reuniting with Shanks and Buggy. Earlier, they had left them back because Buggy was sick; at least that was the reason Roger gave to Shanks before they left them on this island. The mood was a mix of sadness and joy, as everyone in the crew knew that their journey was coming to an end.

"Roger, are you sure about this? We can still try our best to find those fruits," Rayleigh voiced his reluctance to bid farewell to his friend. Roger, after achieving his dream, had expressed his intention to disband the crew.

"I wish, Rayleigh, but no. My era is coming to an end. I was just born a bit earlier. Maybe, just maybe, if I was born a generation later, I would have taken part in the greatest adventure this world has ever seen," Roger lamented, gulping down a whole bottle of rum as he sighed. After learning the truth of the world, he realized he was ahead of his time.

"I wish Shanks and Buggy had joined us on the final journey," Scopper Gaban commented beside him while looking at the two youngsters, who were soundly sleeping next to Oden, who had already blacked out after trying to outdrink all of the Roger pirates . They had not taken the two apprentices on the journey to Laugh Tale, as Roger had deemed it too dangerous for them to get involved. Instead, he left them behind under the guise that Buggy had fallen ill and Shanks was staying to care for him.

However, the truth was that Roger felt they might play important roles in the upcoming saga, and it was safer for them to stay out of the fray until they were ready to begin their own journeys.

"So, what are you planning to do next?" Roger couldn't help but ask his friend, still holding onto the hope of saving his life.

"I don't know; maybe I'll try to explore those uncharted lands and see if I get lucky. You never know; I might find something that can cure you," Rayleigh shared, taking a sip from his own bottle of rum.

"So, you aren't going back to Sabaody? I thought that's where you would head first," Scopper Gaban commented, a smirk playing on his lips. They all knew Rayleigh had someone waiting for him in Sabaody.

Rayleigh casually threw the rum bottle at Gaban, who easily dodged it. "Hahaha, Rayleigh, Gaban is right, you know. Instead of trying to find a cure for me, you should go to Sabaody. Don't throw away the chance to tell her you love her, because tomorrow is never promised." Roger gently tapped on his friend's shoulder, encouraging him to pursue the person waiting for him.

"Hmm, we'll cross that road when we get there. Well, how about you? Are you planning to find someone for yourself?" Rayleigh couldn't help but ask, knowing his friend had found contentment in his life.

"Who knows? Maybe I'll be lucky enough to find someone who can love me despite knowing the true me. Maybe I'll start a family and spend my days happily until the end," Roger's laughter echoed, reflecting his uncertainty about the future.

"Come now, Captain; you sure are good at making grand jokes. You and your own family? I'm sure every girl out there would run away from you if they heard your name. And if they didn't run after hearing your name, I'm sure they would run after hearing your annoying laugh. Do you think any girl can handle that?" Gaban teased, laughter bubbling from him. Roger joined in because he knew there was truth in Gaban's words.

However, Rayleigh couldn't shake off Roger's words. How nice it would be if his friend truly settled down and started a family. Maybe he should go and meet Shakky before embarking on his quest to find a cure for Roger. After Roger had declared that they were disbanding, some wanted to be dropped off where they had deemed to return, and some wanted to stay to spend a little more time with their captain until he was dropped off. Their first destination was Wano to drop off Oden, who wanted to reunite with his family. Rayleigh clearly understood that the Era of Roger Pirates was coming to an end.

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Meanwhile, in Marineford, in the quarters assigned to Garp, Bogard lay on the bed, still recovering from the aftermath of the clash. He had emerged as the one most battered during the confrontation. Emotionally, he was still reeling from the loss of Ross. Kuzan sat by the window, gazing out at the waves, lost in thought. Garp's expression remained unreadable; he was suppressing a well of anger so deep that it threatened to consume him entirely. He hadn't left his quarters since the incident occurred. Despite attempts by Sengoku and others to reach out to him, Garp had rejected all offers of communication. The loss of Ross had hit him hard.

For a fleeting moment, Garp entertained the idea of following in his son's footsteps, quitting the Marines, and challenging the World Government head-on. However, something within him had held him back. Even Dragon's decision to leave the Marines didn't faze him; he understood why his son had made such a choice. As a father, though he couldn't openly support his son, he praised Dragon in his heart. His son had done what he himself couldn't do.

Perhaps Ross was right; maybe he was nothing but a hypocrite. But then he sighed, acknowledging the many regrets he carried. Despite it all, he held onto a glimmer of hope in his heart. It was the only thing keeping him in check. Against all odds, he believed that the little monster he had groomed would somehow survive and return.

Just as Garp was lost in his thoughts, the door to his house burst open, with an angry Kong kicking it down. "Garp! You bastard, come out here! How long are you going to keep moping in here? Do you even know what's going on out there?" Kong bellowed, already at his limits. He had mobilized the entire Marine Corps to try and regain some sort of control over the seas since news of Roger conquering the seas had spread.

The New World was in complete disarray; every powerhouse and even mere nobodies had started a quest either to hunt down Roger or find the One Piece for themselves. The rumors were overwhelming, to the point that even fools without an ounce of strength in their name had taken to piracy. Some big names in the New World that had remained dormant had started moving.

His new admiral, the one appointed by the government, was currently in Mary Geoise, safeguarding the World Nobles, due to the recentturmoil. Sengoku and Zephyr were overwhelmed, trying to bring back some semblance of control in the New World. However, his strongest asset, the only one who could truly curb Roger's infamy, was holed up here.