Chapter 62: Roger Dominates the Grand Line!

In the year 1499 of the Sea Circle Calendar, an event occurred that would shake the entire world. The Grand Line, which had remained unconquered for 800 years, was finally claimed by the Roger Pirates.

After gathering the four Road Poneglyphs, Roger, with the assistance of Kozuki Oden, successfully reached the fabled island of Raftel, the true final destination!

At first, this news spread as mere rumor across the seas. However, as time passed, and more evidence surfaced, the World Government was forced to acknowledge that the Roger Pirates had indeed achieved this near-impossible feat.

The world at large may have been unaware, but the World Government knew all too well that Raftel held a massive secret, one so dangerous that it could never be revealed to the public. Fearing that the Roger Pirates had discovered this secret, the World Government launched an all-out effort to locate them, determined to eliminate the crew before they could reveal what they had learned.

"A bounty of 5.5648 billion berries… the highest in history. I've never heard of a bounty that high. Even Whitebeard's is only half that," Claudius muttered as he glanced through the newspaper in his hands, his tone filled with astonishment.

In its desperation to capture Roger, the World Government was pulling out all the stops. The massive bounty wasn't just for show, anyone who could contribute to Roger's downfall was encouraged to try.

The bounty had been raised from just over two billion to more than five billion in one fell swoop, with the sole goal being Roger's death, no matter the cost.

"Your Highness, didn't the Five Elders order CP-X to get involved too? We're supposed to capture Roger and bring him to justice," Stussy said with a playful smile as she stood beside Claudius.

In recent days, Stussy had been focusing on managing her business in Happy Street, which had reached a point of self-sufficiency. But now, not wanting to be "forgotten" by Claudius, she had hurried back to reassert her presence.

Claudius knew exactly what she was up to, but didn't mind her actions. After all, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

He chuckled at her comment. "Yeah, the Five Elders want us to act. Even though CP-X may not be as powerful or mysterious as the legends suggest, we still have to follow orders. But what does that tell you?"

"What does it tell me?" Stussy asked.

"It tells me that they're out of options. Roger is slippery like a damn eel. The Marines have been chasing him for over twenty years, and they still couldn't catch him. Now he's conquered Raftel. Honestly, if he decided to hide out there, who could ever find him?"

Claudius laughed as he spoke.

Stussy paused for a moment, considering his words, before asking, "So… are you saying it's impossible to capture the Roger Pirates?"

"Well, it's almost impossible. But Roger? Maybe. This could still be a defining moment for CP-X," Claudius mused with a thoughtful smile.

Catching the entire Roger Pirates crew might be a tall order. After all, by now they could have scattered across the seas, with each powerful crewmember hiding in various corners of the world. Claudius had some ideas about where a few of them might go, Rayleigh, for example, or Dr. Crocus. But the rest? He wasn't sure.

Crocus wasn't a threat, though. He had only joined to treat Roger's illness and had no interest in the pirate life. Claudius wasn't planning to go after him. As for Rayleigh, well… it wasn't worth the trouble right now, and there was no pressing need.

But Roger? He was the key target. Claudius's memories told him that soon Roger would travel to South Blue, to the island of Baterilla, where he would marry his lover, Rouge, and leave behind his bloodline. Then, before his illness could claim him, Roger would surrender himself to the Marines.

This would provide some relief to the World Government. They would be able to announce his capture, setting the stage for his execution in his hometown, the future legendary site of Loguetown in East Blue.

Of course, this entire narrative could be manipulated. Roger's self-surrender could easily be spun as CP-X's success in capturing him.

With this in mind, Claudius began plotting his next move. CP-X was developing well, but it needed more influence. And Roger could be the stepping stone to even greater power.

"If I play my cards right, I might even secure a position among the highest ranks of the Celestial Dragons," Claudius murmured to himself.

"What was that?" Stussy asked, having not quite caught what he'd said.

"Nothing. Just thinking out loud. There's a lot of potential here," Claudius replied with a smile.

Among the nineteen Celestial Dragon families, the Donquixote family headed by Lancelot held significant power. Claudius, however, operated mostly independently, with little connection to his family. In the past, Lancelot had never viewed Claudius as a threat. But by the time he realized Claudius had become a prominent figure in the eyes of the Five Elders, it was too late for him to do anything about it.

Claudius hadn't originally intended to oppose Lancelot, but now that their interests were once again colliding, they had become rivals. Claudius knew that in order to keep advancing, he would need to wrest control of the Donquixote family's power from Lancelot.

"I didn't think I'd have to waste time on such trivial matters," Claudius thought to himself, "but maybe I can use the momentum of current events to crush Lancelot entirely."

As he pondered this Nia entered the room holding a special edition of the newspaper. "Your Highness, you should take a look at this. Today's World News has just released a special issue. The World Government is officially calling Roger the 'Pirate King!'"

Claudius froze for a moment, then took the paper.

The World Government had already admitted that Roger had reached Raftel, but the title of "Pirate King" hadn't been used until now.

It seemed the World Government was growing desperate.

They were gearing up to "crown" Roger… and then destroy him.

Pirates were a proud and competitive bunch, especially the powerful ones. Now that a "Pirate King" had been declared, many of them would likely be itching to challenge Roger. If anyone could find him, they'd surely want to take him down.

"So, 'Pirate King—Gold Roger.' They've completely hidden the 'D' from his name," Claudius muttered quietly.

Roger's real name was Gol D. Roger. When he had first made a name for himself, the World Government had referred to him by his full name. But as his fame grew, they slowly began to obscure the "D," rebranding him as "Gold Roger" to hide his ties to the infamous "D" lineage. Now, as they pushed the narrative of him being the Pirate King, it was clear that they were doing everything they could to erase his real identity from the public's mind.

Over time, the world would likely forget the name "Gol D. Roger" entirely.