One Piece: I'm not Roger

In the brief seconds Shiryu of the Rain held Aether back, Blackbeard had already regained his footing.

His expression twisted with lingering fear and anger. That single moment of carelessness had nearly cost him his life. Without hesitation, he threw out a punch to force Aether back.

A deafening crack echoed as the air shattered.

The ground collapsed once more under the force of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Aether was pushed back dozens of meters by the shockwave, yet he remained completely unharmed.

The chance to finish Blackbeard had slipped away.

One after another, Blackbeard's crew gathered at his side. Facing multiple high-level opponents at once, Aether showed no intention of pressing forward recklessly, especially with the Marines closing in from behind them.

Then, as if sensing something, Aether turned his gaze toward the harbor.

"He's here. So things haven't changed."

With that quiet remark, he made his decision.

There was no need to continue. The remaining power he carried was nearly exhausted. Under the watchful eyes of Blackbeard and his crew, Aether turned and left without hesitation.

"Don't think you can run, you bastard!"

Blackbeard roared, unwilling to let him go so easily. The fear from moments ago still lingered in his chest, a harsh reminder of how close he had come to death.

Laffitte quickly stepped in, stopping him.

The Marines were still in pursuit. This was not the time to chase a single opponent.

"Hmph. Consider him lucky. Next time, I'll kill him myself. But Aether… why does that name feel familiar?"

…

At the outer harbor of Marineford, a whale-shaped ship floated quietly offshore.

Buggy stood at the front, wrapped in a red cloak, watching the battlefield through a pair of binoculars. Behind him, his crew waited anxiously. All they needed was Aether's return to depart.

"Vice-Captain Rayleigh, Captain Roger will be fine, right? There are still three Admirals, plus Sengoku, Garp, and that fat idiot Blackbeard."

Rayleigh leaned against the mast, completely at ease.

"Relax. No one here can stop him. With the chaos Blackbeard caused, there's no way the Marines can keep him here."

He paused, his gaze shifting toward the distance.

"…Oh? So he came as well."

Buggy blinked, quickly adjusting his binoculars to follow Rayleigh's line of sight.

A massive pirate ship was approaching from afar.

At its bow stood a familiar figure with short red hair, three scars across his left eye, a black cape draped over his shoulders. A sword hung at his waist.

Buggy's expression changed instantly.

"That bastard Shanks actually showed up…"

The ship was none other than the Red Force, flagship of one of the Four Emperors, Red-Haired Shanks.

As the distance closed, Shanks spotted them and waved.

"Buggy, Rayleigh, it's been a while."

Buggy immediately snapped back.

"What are you doing here, Shanks? Don't tell me you're planning to wipe out both the Marines and the Whitebeard remnants in one move. You're really that scheming?"

Rayleigh glanced at him, speechless. That sounded more like Buggy's own thinking.

Shanks scratched his cheek, smiling faintly.

"I'm here to end the war."

"But the war's already over. Once Captain Roger returns, we're leaving Marineford. You're late."

"Is that so… and Captain Roger…"

Shanks muttered, slightly surprised. Still, since he had come all this way, he intended to see things for himself.

Beside him, Lucky Roux appeared, chewing on a large piece of meat.

"Captain, if this trip turns out to be pointless, don't expect us to go easy on you."

As the Red Force docked, Rayleigh stepped forward, ready to head ashore. Waiting here served no purpose anymore.

Buggy followed closely behind. No matter what, he could not let Shanks take all the attention.

From a distance, Aether watched as Shanks and his crew landed.

Shanks paused when he noticed Aether. His expression shifted between confusion and surprise.

The sight of Roger, alive and standing there, stirred something deep within him. The man who had once been his captain, his mentor, his family.

Suppressing those emotions, Shanks walked toward the Marines. Whatever questions he had could be asked later.

The arrival of the Red Force immediately triggered alarms across Marineford.

Kizaru appeared atop a broken mast in a flash of light, his gaze sweeping across the newly arrived figures, lingering on Shanks and his right-hand man, Benn Beckman.

For a brief moment, Beckman looked up.

Their eyes met, then separated.

"How frightening. The right-hand man of an Emperor really is a monster on par with his captain."

With another Emperor entering the battlefield, the atmosphere shifted completely.

The fighting came to a halt.

No one moved.

Sengoku stepped forward, his voice firm.

"Red-Haired Shanks, why are you here?"

Shanks met his gaze calmly.

"I'm here to end this war. This has gone on long enough."

Sengoku's expression remained steady.

"Are you planning to interfere in Marine affairs? This is not the New World."

Despite his words, Sengoku already understood.

The moment Shanks arrived, the war had effectively come to an end.

Maintaining the balance of the seas, that had always been one of Shanks' goals.