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Deep within a cave in Loguetown, in the depths of a cavern, two figures suddenly appeared—Kaito and Rayleigh.
In the center of the cavern stood a massive, imposing grave. However, the tombstone was blank, with no name or inscription on it. Clearly, someone didn't want the identity of the person buried here to be known.
Rayleigh gazed at the long-lost grave and turned to Kaito.
"This is it. Do you need me to open the tomb?" he asked.
"No need," Kaito shook his head. "I can retrieve it directly."
With just a thought, his spiritual energy swept through the tomb, instantly revealing its contents.
Inside, all that remained of Gol D. Roger's body were bones. Kaito focused his mind and extracted a single piece of bone, placing it on the ground in front of him.
Then, he lifted his foot and stomped on the ground.
A surge of intricate symbols and runes spread out from beneath his feet, forming a detailed Edo Tensei summoning array with the bone as its core.
Next, Kaito casually waved his hand, summoning a White Zetsu and placing it beside the remains.
Bringing his hands together, he performed the necessary seals.
"Forbidden Jutsu: Edo Tensei!"
In an instant, the summoning circle lit up. Countless paper-like fragments emerged from the ground, covering both the White Zetsu and the bone.
Before long, the transformation was complete. The shape began to change, flesh reappeared, and soon, Rayleigh found himself staring at a tall, imposing figure—one he knew all too well.
Gol D. Roger.
A deep nostalgia filled Rayleigh's eyes as he took in the sight of his long-lost captain.
Snap!
Kaito snapped his fingers, simultaneously waving his hand to cast a barrier around the entire cavern.
At that moment, Roger slowly opened his eyes.
"…Where am I?"
The revived pirate blinked in confusion, his thoughts still stuck in the moment of his death.
As his vision adjusted, he saw Kaito and Rayleigh standing before him. Then, he glanced down at his own body and immediately noticed something was off.
Frowning, he looked at Rayleigh and asked,
"Rayleigh? You've aged quite a bit… Mind telling me what's going on?"
"I seem to have been resurrected, but it's not a true revival. Is this some kind of Devil Fruit power?"
"What's the reason for bringing me back?"
Rayleigh let out a hearty laugh, stepping forward and clapping Roger on the shoulder.
"It's been a long time, Roger."
"You're right. We did bring you back—but more precisely, I asked Kaito to do it."
"Just think of it as a power similar to a Devil Fruit ability."
"As for me looking older, well… It's been quite a few years since you died. Of course, I've aged."
"But don't worry. I'll be restoring my youth very soon—returning to my prime, even."
"As for why we revived you… After speaking with Kaito, I realized your old plan was far too crude and idealistic. It had a chance of succeeding but what next?."
"So, we brought you back to work with us on a new plan—a real plan."
Rayleigh then briefly explained Kaito's grand vision: the complete destruction of the World Government, the reshaping of the world, and creating a better future.
Roger fell into deep thought, remaining silent for a long while. When he finally spoke again, he looked at Kaito in amazement.
"So, you must be the Kaito that Rayleigh mentioned?"
"I have to admit… Your plan is shocking."
"If we had followed my original vision, even if we had managed to overthrow the World Government and eliminate the Celestial Dragons, the world might not have gained the peace I wished for. In fact, it could have become even worse after a few decades."
"I was too idealistic back then—I never thought about the long-term consequences."
"But since you went through the trouble of reviving me… I'm in. I'll help you complete this plan."
Kaito nodded in satisfaction. "Good. That makes things easier."
"This isn't the best place to talk. Let's head back to Sabaody Archipelago."
Without waiting for a response, Kaito casually snapped his fingers again.
The scene around them changed instantly.
The dark cavern vanished, and in the blink of an eye, Roger found himself standing inside a familiar establishment—Shakky's bar.
"Hmm? You guys are back already?"
"And Roger, long time no see."
Shakky greeted them with a smile, though her eyes lingered on Roger with a hint of amusement.
"So this is Edo Tensei, huh? Pretty incredible."
Shakky muttered to herself, intrigued by the forbidden technique.
"Haha, Shakky! It really has been a long time!" Roger grinned as he raised a hand in greeting.
But after giving her a closer look, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"I wasn't expecting this… Not only have you not aged like Rayleigh, but you actually look even younger than before. That's pretty unbelievable."
"Is this some kind of secret technique from Amazon Lily?"
Rayleigh, hearing this, turned to Shakky as well.
He had been so focused on reviving Roger that he hadn't noticed before, but now that he looked…
Shakky really did look like she was in her twenties or early thirties—completely restored to her prime.
"…Wait a second. You took the Pills?" Rayleigh asked in shock. "And they worked this well?"
Shakky smiled mischievously. "Yep! I took them."
"The effects are amazing! You should hurry up and take yours too."
"Otherwise, if you keep walking around looking like some old geezer, I'm going to start disliking you~"
She giggled teasingly.
Rayleigh let out a helpless sigh at her teasing, but without hesitation, he grabbed his own bottle of Pills. Popping the cap open, he tilted his head back and swallowed all five pills in one go.
Almost instantly, a warm sensation spread throughout his body, surging through every limb.
Before Roger's astonished gaze, Rayleigh's appearance began changing rapidly. His once dull, graying hair regained its former shine, turning back into a vibrant golden hue. His skin, once marked by age, became smooth and youthful again.
In just a few moments, Rayleigh was fully restored to his prime. His vitality and presence surged, returning to their peak state.
Feeling the newfound energy coursing through him, he stretched his arms, clenched his fists, and then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! This feeling... It's been far too long!"
He then turned to Kaito and gave him a deep bow. "Thank you, Kaito! Without you, I never would have had the chance to experience my youth again!"
"Congratulations!"
Roger, standing nearby, couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. "What's going on? What exactly is this Pill? Can it actually extend a person's lifespan? Something like that actually exists?"
"And Kaito just gave them to you and Shakky? That's an incredibly generous gift!"
Roger had just witnessed a miracle. To him, Rayleigh's transformation was nothing short of magic.
Seeing his old friend restored to his prime made him feel a pang of nostalgia—it reminded him of the days when they had first set sail together.
"It's something like that," Rayleigh admitted. "Kaito gave them to me and Shakky as part of the benefits of forming a contract with him. Since we're old men now, we might as well put our remaining years to good use."
"That's one of the perks of forming a contract with him."
"So, Roger, you'd better work hard. Once you meet the contract requirements, you can form a contract with Kaito too!"
"That way, you won't have to remain in this state—you can be fully revived as a real, living person!"
Telling Roger this wasn't just to inform him—it was also to build up his goodwill towards Kaito.
"Huh?" Roger was taken aback, turning to look at Kaito in surprise. Then, he glanced back at Rayleigh. "You're saying… there's a way for me to come back to life? And you're serious about this?"
"What are the requirements for this contract?"
"Of course, it's real!" Rayleigh nodded without hesitation. "As for the requirements, you just need to build enough goodwill with Kaito."
"But don't think that's an easy task. Goodwill isn't something you can raise overnight."
"And yes, your full resurrection is absolutely possible—but only if you form a contract with Kaito."
"Oh, and by the way, your son, Ace, already met the requirements for the contract a few years ago. He signed a contract with Kaito and received incredible benefits from it. Right now, he's training hard and getting stronger every day."
"Honestly, it's only a matter of time before he surpasses you."
Rayleigh added with a smirk.
"Huh?! Ace? My son? Rouge actually gave birth to our child? Where is he now?" Roger's eyes widened in shock and excitement.
"And what about Rouge? How is she? Did the World Government ever find them?"
Hearing about Ace filled Roger with overwhelming joy. He had died before Ace was even born, so he had never gotten the chance to see him.
While he had entrusted Rouge and their unborn child to Garp, he had never been completely confident that they could evade the World Government's pursuit.
Rayleigh let out a deep sigh. "Ace is fine. But as for Rouge… in order to keep Ace hidden from the World Government, she held off giving birth for a full two years. She pushed her body to its absolute limits just to protect him."
"Because of that, she exhausted all of her life force and… she passed away after giving birth to Ace."
Rayleigh then recounted the events of those days.
Roger fell silent for a moment before suddenly—
SLAP!
He struck his own face, his eyes brimming with regret and guilt as he sank to his knees.
"It's all my fault! I let Rouge down!"
"If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have had to endure that… she wouldn't have died!"
"I don't deserve to live!"
He didn't blame Garp—he knew that every decision had been his own from the very beginning.
And Garp? Garp had done everything he could. In the end, he protected Ace and ensured that his birth was safe.
As for Rouge's death… that could only be attributed to her unwavering love and sacrifice as a mother.
Rouge was, without a doubt, a true mother.
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