Chapter 77

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In the cozy home nestled on the outskirts of Baterilla Island in South Blue, Roger, the legendary Pirate King, lived a life of domestic bliss with his beloved wife, Portgas D. Rouge. To the outside world, they were just an ordinary couple, their true identities hidden beneath the facade of a simple, happy life.

On this particular morning, sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the quaint kitchen where Roger was attempting to prepare breakfast. With a comically oversized apron tied around his waist and a determined expression on his face, he set about his task with gusto.

"Roger, I told you not to play with the knives like that," Rouge scolded gently, entering the kitchen with a smile as she observed her husband's antics.

Roger sheepishly put down the knife he had been wielding like a pirate sword and grinned sheepishly at his wife. "Sorry, Rouge, I'm just trying to add a bit of excitement to our morning routine."

Rouge rolled her eyes affectionately, shaking her head at her husband's antics. "You never cease to amaze me, Roger."

As Roger continued his culinary escapades, he couldn't resist the urge to add his own flair to the proceedings. With a flourish, he attempted to flip a pancake in the air, only to send it soaring across the kitchen, much to Rouge's amusement.

"Roger, honestly, sometimes I wonder how you managed to survive this long." Rouge chuckled, stepping in to rescue the runaway pancake before it hit the floor.

Undeterred by his culinary mishaps, Roger flashed a grin at his wife. "It's all part of my charm, hahahaha."

Even though Roger was playful, his love for Rouge was clear in everything he did. Whether he was chopping vegetables awkwardly or trying to play a tune on a frying pan, his affection for her was obvious.

As they sat down to enjoy their breakfast together, Roger couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment wash over him. In Rouge's presence, he found solace, companionship, and a love that transcended the trials and tribulations of the past.

Outside their humble abode, the townsfolk of Baterilla went about their daily lives, unaware of the true identities of the couple within. To them, Roger and Rouge were simply another pair of neighbors, living out their days in peaceful anonymity.

But for Roger and Rouge, their home was a sanctuary, a place where they could be themselves without the weight of the Pirate King's legendary reputation bearing down upon them. In each other's company, they found laughter, joy, and a love that knew no bounds.

Just then, a shady figure who had been watching Roger's house hurriedly moved away, sweat beading on his forehead at the startling discovery. Hidden within this peaceful town was the legendary Pirate King, who lived a humble life after causing chaos across the world.

As a Cipher Pol agent, he had initially come to this island following a minor character, but what he found here shook him to the core. He needed to inform his superiors immediately; capturing Roger would be a monumental achievement, especially now that his crew wasn't around him.

Finding a secluded spot, he took out a transponder snail to contact his superiors. But before he could initiate the conversation, a hand emerged from the darkness, gripping his face and pinning him to the wall. The transponder snail fell to the ground, crushed underfoot by his assailant.

"Why do you have to disturb my peaceful life? I've already quit my pirate ways. Let me spend my final days in peace." Roger spoke softly, yet his voice carried absolute authority. The CP agent whimpered and struggled, but Roger's grip was unyielding, leaving him no room for escape. Before the agent could plead for mercy, Roger clenched his palm, crushing the agent's skull like a melon.

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In a secluded clearing on a certain island within the Calm Belt, two brothers engaged in an intense training session. Though it was meant to be a mere spar, I refused to hold back.

"Flame Emperor!" Doffy conjured a dazzling array of flames, attempting to engulf the entire training area with me in it. Issho and the others watched from a safe distance, with Giolla observing the spectacle.

Using shave, I flickered behind Doffy. With my observation Haki, his movements seemed sluggish, and I refrained from relying on my future sight to make it fair. "Thunder Blitz!" My arm transformed into a thick lightning pillar and crashed into Doffy's back. He reacted just in the nick of time, entering his elemental state. However, I had used Haki's armament emission in tandem with my lightning-clad punch. Doffy dematerialized and reappeared a dozen meters away, spitting out blood as my attack connected. His armament Haki, hadn't yet reached my standards, so he took the brunt of the damage despite his reaction in time.

"Ptui, you surely aren't holding back, little brother. Are you planning to kill me or something?" Doffy chuckled, wiping blood stains from his mouth. He had been recovering splendidly over the past week due to the continuous intake of sea king meat and Issho's intense gravity training.

Issho was truly a blessing for our family; his fruit power became the perfect tool for our training.

"Don't whine, Doffy. I'm not even using the full extent of my powers. As you are now, you might not even survive a couple of hits from an Admiral-level powerhouse. We only have a year to train in peace; then we'll have to assert our dominance in the New World as the whole world descends into chaos," I admonished my brother, who laughed despite getting beaten up. He had become much more unpredictable after his recent transformation.

"Little brother, you're too impatient. If what you say is true, once the world boils over, those old guys up in the Holy Land won't have time to take care of us. We can grow peacefully, and I won't repeat the same mistakes," Doffy countered, lunging forward with "Majestic Flame Destroyer!" trying to catch me off guard. But with a snap of my fingers, I whispered, "Lightning Dragon."

A large black dragon made of lightning descended from the midday sky, targeting Doffy as he rushed toward me. His observation Haki picked up on the threat, and he redirected his attack toward the sky to intercept the lightning dragon. Under Doffy's manipulation, the torrent of flames shifted and roared, taking the form of a massive phoenix, surging forth to clash with the descending lightning. Despite his efforts, the lightning tore through the phoenix, although the lightning's might had diminished significantly, making it easy for Doffy to dodge.

Doffy propelled himself through the dangerous lightning field created by the dragon, rushing toward me. "Overheat!" He fired a long, flaming whip, easily severing through the surrounding trees in its path. However, I was too fast for Doffy to catch. I simply entered my elemental state, letting the flame whip pass harmlessly through me. Annoyance flashed across Doffy's face, and he chose to release his haoshoku to confront me. Red lightning danced through the area.

With a smirk, I taunted my brother. "Doffy, are you sure about using Haoshoku? Don't come crying to me later." I released my own conqueror's Haki to clash with Doffy's. Mine was clearly superior, as black and gold lightning danced around me, honed in environments akin to those where Roger and Garp had unleashed all their might. In comparison, Doffy's current haoshoku was, let's say, childish.

Seeing my playful smirk, Doffy grew more incensed and prepared to counter. But I quickly clad my arm with armament Haki and caught the flame whip, pulling Doffy toward me. Meanwhile, I coated my other arm with lightning. Doffy was completely caught off guard as I lifted him off the ground. With a resounding boom, my punch connected with Doffy's gut. The shockwave generated coursed through the battlefield, and Doffy, taking the brunt of the hit, flew through the air like a broken kite, crashing into the forest behind him. Multiple trees snapped like twigs in his path, and Doffy's gut area was now charred black from the lightning, his flesh seared due to the high temperature.

"Cough! Cough!" Doffy lay sprawled on the ground, his face contorted in pain as he greedily gulped down air, his chest heaving up and down. He groggily sat up amidst the debris, letting out another anguished cry as his fingers traced over the charred area of his stomach.

"It's official, little brother. I freaking hate you!" Doffy's comment was part mockery, part rage; his teeth gritted in agony from the inflicted damage. I transformed myself into lightning and materialized next to him, offering my arm for support, which he took with another muffled scream as he struggled to his feet.

"Tell me true, Ross. What kind of maniacal training did you go through during your time in the Marines?" Despite being proud of his brother's strength, Doffy couldn't shake the guilt that his little sibling had endured so much to achieve their goals. He glanced at the scars on my throat and chest, bitterness welling within him. Unlike me, Doffy's body was littered with scars, but he paid them no mind.

"We gotta do something, little brother. Although we don't have the strength to face them directly, I want to hit those bastards where it hurts, or at least cause them quite the headache," Doffy commented, his rage still burning bright even after emerging from the shadows of the Holy Land event. I pondered for a moment and realized that my brother was right. Our actions hadn't inconvenienced the World Government in the slightest. As I dug through my memory, a plan began to form.

"Tell me, Doffy, what do you know of the Poneglyphs?" I smirked, knowing this might be our key to power in the future. I explained the significance of the poneglyphs to Doffy, his laughter growing more sinister as the plan unfolded. "That's a good one, brother. So when do we leave?"

Doffy was eager to depart immediately to carry out the plan, but caution urged restraint. If my estimate was correct, the whole world would be hunting for us. To execute our plan successfully, we needed to tread carefully. Our first destination was Fishman Island, but timing was crucial. I had no idea when the Road Poneglyph on Fishman Island was moved or by whom.

According to Canon, when Roger was on the hunt for the Road Poneglyph, it was still there. Based on estimates, it was only taken away after the start of the Great Pirate Age. That gave us approximately a year to lay our hands on one of the four Road poneglyphs. Every decision we made from here on out would shape our destiny and the fate of the world.

"Where are we leaving?" Gladius, walking alongside us with Lucci supporting Giolla, asked curiously. They had been away from civilization for over a month, so the prospect of leaving the island intrigued little Gladius.

"Doffy-kun, I don't think it's advisable for us to leave in such a condition," Issho chimed in, sharing his input. "You have yet to recover completely, and if I'm not wrong, after what Ross-kun did at Mary Geoise, the entire world will be hunting for the two of you. If it's something I can accomplish, I can do it. No one even knows that I am part of the family. If the two of you were to venture out currently, I'm sure, no matter how careful you are, it will attract attention."

Doffy considered Issho's words. Originally, he didn't like the idea of someone like Issho with a righteous character joining their family, especially at its core. But considering Ross was the one to bring him in, he decided to cut his brother some slack this time around.

"Hmm, what Issho says has some merit to it. I will need some more time to recover completely, and as we are now, throwing ourselves as bait doesn't sound like a sound plan. What do you think, little brother?" Doffy turned to question me.

I was already contemplating the feasibility of the plan. For me, we just had to whisk away the Road Poneglyph without catching anyone's attention. With the recent tide of pirates, Fishman Island should be chaotic. If Issho could employ a few fishmen from the lawless area to help move the Poneglyph, then he might be able to achieve it without causing much commotion. So I quickly started explaining the plan to the rest, and only Doffy and Issho understood what exactly we were going after.

"It sounds like a good idea, little brother," Doffy remarked, finding the plan feasible. However, my concern was the man who was going to execute the plan, I turned to the blind man. "But Issho-san, I'll need your word that you will dispatch of all the fishmen that help with moving the Poneglyph. I advise you to employ the fishmen from the lawless area. You can find some unsavory characters among them. You should have no problem dispatching them, right?" I wanted to ensure Issho didn't mess up. Soon enough, once Roger openly declared about the One Piece, the entire world would go crazy in search of knowledge about these poneglyphs. Even the World Government would start taking drastic action to erase all knowledge about Poneglyphs.