Three days later, as the first light of dawn pierced through the dense mist surrounding the Final Island

Ritter's fingers tightened on the ship's rail. He heard it that laugh, so familiar it echoed in his very bones, cutting through the sea fog.

"Yohohoho!" Brook cried out in excitement. "They're back!"

The surface of the sea began to warp. The white fog shrouding the island was stirred, as if by an invisible hand, slowly revealing twenty-three shifting silhouettes.

At the very front, a figure wearing a straw hat gradually came into view.

"All hands—" Roger's voice rang out, brimming with unprecedented confidence, "Board the ship!"

"We got here first, huh?" Roger laughed heartily as he slapped Ritter on the shoulder. "Since we're the first ones, I'm naming it Laugh Tale! Cool name, right?"

On a small island near Laugh Tale, Roger and his crew were preparing to leave.

The bonfire crackled and spat sparks into the wind, casting flickering light over each face.

The crew of the Oro Jackson sat in a circle on the beach, barrels of rum stacked like mountains, their laughter and songs mingling with the night but even that couldn't mask the sorrow of parting.

It was in this atmosphere that Ritter and Roger clashed.

"Why won't you go find the Pure Gold? I didn't call you here. I want to go alone." Ritter's emotions were beginning to boil over.

Roger sat cross-legged beside the fire, his straw hat pulled low, shadows hiding his expression.

"Ritter, I have a plan. I'm sorry I can't tell you everything. What we saw… this is my decision. Will you support me, Ritter?" Roger was uncharacteristically serious, looking straight at him.

Ritter sat down. Roger had already said this much. Even if Ritter did find the Pure Gold, knowing Roger as he did, Roger would never use it.

Even the trio of kids weren't fooling around. They could feel the heavy sadness hanging over this final banquet.

"Hey, Captain." Rayleigh took a swig of rum, breaking the brief silence. "What's next?"

Roger looked up. The firelight reflected in his eyes, deeper than ever before.

He reached out and ruffled Shanks' red hair, then patted Buggy's head. Finally, he took off his straw hat and gently placed it on Shanks' head.

"Shanks." His voice was low and resolute. "I'm leaving this hat with you."

Shanks looked up sharply, eyes reddening. "Captain, I…"

"Don't be so quick to say no." Roger grinned. "This hat carries my will, but the future belongs to you. Give it to someone you believe in, when the time comes."

Buggy widened his eyes beside them, his lips trembling like he wanted to say something but in the end, he just clenched his fists.

Ritter watched quietly from a short distance.

He knew Roger's decision wasn't just about passing on a hat. It marked the end of one era and the beginning of another Shanks would become one of the future Four Emperors, while Buggy… would walk a different path.

"Captain!" Buggy suddenly stood up, his voice unsteady. "What about me? You're not giving me anything?!"

Buggy was no longer the clown living in Shanks' shadow.

Roger burst into laughter and pulled a dagger from his coat clearly a fine weapon and tossed it casually to Buggy. "Here, this is for you. Can't have you saying I play favorites."

Buggy fumbled to catch it and glanced down. It had clearly been infused with Haki for quite some time.

"What the heck is this?!" he said, but a small smile tugged at his lips. "You're still playing favorites, Captain!"

Shanks couldn't help but laugh only to get a fierce glare from Buggy in return.

Roger stood up, brushed the sand off his pants, and looked over his crew.

"We've fulfilled our dream. We found Laugh Tale." His voice drifted on the night wind. "But the adventure of pirates… never truly ends."

"What about you, Rayleigh?" Jaba asked with a smile.

"Me?" Rayleigh took another drink, his gaze distant. "Might open a bar somewhere, do a little gambling… and watch how the new generation stirs things up."

"And Crocus?"

"Back to Twin Cape," the old doctor said as he gently patted Laboon's head.

One after another, the crew shared their plans some wanted to retire, others to continue sailing, and a few to start their own crews.

Shanks clutched the straw hat tightly and whispered, "Captain, what about you?"

Roger was silent for a while before giving a relaxed smile.

"Me… I think I'll try living a normal life for a while."

But Ritter knew Roger did live peacefully for over a year.

And yet, in the end, Roger still gave himself a grand finale.

The bonfire burned low. Starlight scattered across the beach. Buggy and Shanks sat side by side, for once not bickering. Shanks stared at the straw hat in his hands, his eyes resolute.

Ritter stood and walked toward the shore.

Roger followed and grinned. "Hey, hey, hey I gave Shanks and Buggy gifts. You jealous, little Ritter?"

Ritter shot him a scornful look. "What do you take me for, a toddler?"

The night wind brushed past them as they looked out at the dark sea, where the future's storms brewed Marineford, the rise of a new era, the Will of D...

"The Oro Jackson, you take it." Roger's voice was unusually serious. "Bring it to Tom and have it refitted however you like. It's made from Adam Wood. Worth quite a bit, if you ask me."

Ritter turned to him, a faint smirk on his lips. "Wow, how generous. Want me to carry on your ridiculous prophecy too?"

Roger shook his head. "You… even with the power to glimpse the future, you still ask questions like that. You don't believe in fate. If you did, you wouldn't have fought so hard to keep me alive. Just… live your life well, little brother."

Ritter looked away. Though he'd agreed to Roger's request, he still didn't fully understand his choice. If he just tried a little harder…

Ritter's self-restraint now was out of respect for Roger.

He knew that truly caring for someone didn't mean forcing them into what you thought was best but respecting their choice.

"Kuhahaha! Come on, time for the farewell party!"

On the way back, the crew gradually disembarked. The first to leave was none other than Captain Roger himself. The trio of kids cried their hearts out.

Rayleigh disembarked at Sabaody Archipelago.

Shanks and Buggy didn't argue as they left. They found Ritter before stepping off.

"Brother Ritter! We… we…"

Ritter reached out, adjusted Shanks' straw hat, and patted their heads. "Go."

"Go form your own pirate crew. Next time we meet, I'll be the one needing your protection. Just remember what I said have a bottom line. And never fear those stronger than you…"

Shanks and Buggy slung their arms over each other's shoulders, walking off with laughter and banter.

"If the captain can be so chill getting off the ship, we can't embarrass him either," they joked.

Jaba disembarked on a nameless island.

Ritter had thought he'd get off at Elbaf.

Crocus returned to Twin Cape, saying he'd retire there.

As for Oden, he returned to Wano. Ritter couldn't help but warn him, "Don't trust the words of pirates. Pirate promises aren't worth trusting."

(Author's note: I really need to find a way to kill off his son.)

With more and more crew leaving, the Oro Jackson could no longer operate properly.

So Ritter casually roped in a few random pirates to keep her sailing.

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