One Piece: I'm not Roger

"Roger, are you saying you have a pill that can restore youth? Then what price do you want me to pay?"

Golden Lion Shiki would be lying if he claimed he wasn't tempted. But after surviving for so many years on the seas, he understood one truth better than most, nothing in this world came for free. He stared at Aether carefully, waiting for him to reveal his conditions.

Aether did not waste time circling around the topic.

"Shiki, I want you to temporarily join my pirate crew for two years. After that, whether you stay or leave is your choice. You can continue roaming the seas, or you can settle down somewhere, find a wife, and live quietly with a family. I won't interfere."

If this had been the Golden Lion from his prime years, Aether would never have considered restoring his youth, even if Shiki had once helped save Rouge. Back then, Golden Lion's ambition was monstrous. He wanted to overthrow the World Government itself, and that kind of ambition could easily disrupt Aether's future plans.

But the current Shiki was different.

After suffering defeat twice at the hands of men from the East Blue, the sharp arrogance that once defined him had long since faded away. Just looking at his exhausted and lifeless expression made that obvious. Even if his ambition reignited after two years, Aether was confident he could still suppress him.

"Roger, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Golden Lion snorted. "I don't care about those things. But for you to actually think about dragging me into your crew, even temporarily, you've got guts. Back then, you nearly lost to me."

Aether smiled faintly.

"Nearly. But in the end, you still lost."

"Bullshit!" Golden Lion barked. "If that once in a century storm hadn't appeared, how could I have lost? You were just lucky!"

"Luck is part of strength," Aether replied casually. "No matter how you explain it, the loser was still you."

"You..."

"You lost."

"..."

The two legendary pirates glared at each other like children arguing over a pointless matter. Sometimes men handled things in the simplest and dumbest ways possible.

After the argument ended, Golden Lion still did not answer immediately.

Instead, he lowered his gaze and fell silent.

Restoring youth was an irresistible temptation. Only those who had experienced aging and weakness could truly understand how precious such an opportunity was.

Shiki understood his body better than anyone else.

His condition had already reached its limit. The older he became, the deadlier the steering wheel lodged in his skull became. Once his body weakened further, the object that had accompanied him for over twenty years would eventually become the thing that killed him.

The irony was laughable.

Right now, his vitality could barely support the pressure caused by the steering wheel. Once he could no longer endure it, the nerves in his brain would be crushed completely. Even surviving would likely leave him a mindless vegetable.

That was also why, after hearing Roger had returned to the seas, he immediately set out on this final journey.

Dying in battle was far preferable to rotting away in bed.

Normally, there should have been nothing to hesitate over in a matter involving life and death.

But becoming Roger's subordinate, even temporarily, made the pride in Golden Lion's heart unwilling to accept it.

Aether noticed Kaido was already on his way back. He could not allow Shiki to continue hesitating forever, so he decisively threw out another sentence.

"Shiki, this time, I'm certain I can overthrow the World Government."

Golden Lion's eyes narrowed slightly.

"When that happens, I will become a legend beyond even the Pirate King. As for you, history will only remember you as a relic defeated by rookies. Don't you want to fight again? Or are you really willing to watch me leave you behind?"

The blunt words instantly caused a sharp light to flash through Golden Lion's eyes.

As expected of Roger.

Only a man with ambition this great deserved his respect.

That's right.

Only by continuing forward could he pursue the desires buried deep inside his heart.

Finally, Golden Lion stretched out his hand.

"Give it to me, Roger. Two years from now, I'll crush you beneath my feet... Cap... Captain."

Even though saying the word felt awkward, Golden Lion still forced it out in the end.

From this moment onward, he officially became a member of the Aether Pirates.

Truthfully, Golden Lion himself did not know whether he could ever surpass Aether again. With both his legs gone, even returning to his former peak would be difficult, let alone defeating an old rival who had become even stronger.

Still, perhaps following Roger and witnessing the "great era" he spoke about would make for an interesting final journey.

Of course, if an opportunity appeared, he would still beat Roger down without hesitation.

Aether tossed the special longevity pill toward Golden Lion.

He only had five left now.

As for the ordinary longevity pill, unless something unexpected happened, he planned to give it to Rayleigh in another year or two.

Watching Golden Lion swallow the pill without hesitation, Aether laughed.

"You'd better stop calling me Captain. I'm worried you'll stab me in the back while calling me that. Honestly, hearing you say it is hilarious."

"Roger, you bastard..."

Golden Lion was just about to curse him when the changes within his body suddenly interrupted him.

A powerful vitality surged throughout his entire body like an endless tide.

His frail physique rapidly became sturdier. Lean muscles formed beneath his clothes, while his dry skin regained life once more.

Even the bald areas on his head quickly grew thick hair again, completely covering the base of the steering wheel.

His current state felt almost identical to how he had been twenty-two years ago, shortly after entering Impel Down.

The memories of the past flooded into his mind one after another.

Joining the Rocks Pirates.

Ruling the seas alone after their collapse.

The Battle of Edd War, his greatest defeat.

Hearing Roger willingly surrender himself to the Marines.

His furious invasion of Marineford.

His eventual defeat against Monkey D. Garp and Sengoku.

Then came the two years spent inside Impel Down, where his thoughts slowly changed, eventually leading him to escape prison and pursue the so called Strong World Plan, a plan that now seemed almost laughable.

Was this another chance to choose a different path?

Back then, after escaping Impel Down, he chose revenge and domination.

What would he choose this time?

Only the future could answer that.

Golden Lion slowly raised his head.

The three types of Haki surged back to life inside his body, causing him to burst into loud laughter.

"Hahahaha! This feels incredible! Roger, where the hell did you find something this absurd? Do you still have more?"

Seeing the greedy look in Golden Lion's eyes, Aether instantly understood what he was thinking.

He immediately shook his head.

"No more. That really was the last one. Besides, each person can only use it once. Taking another would be meaningless."

"Is that so? What a shame."

After realizing his thoughts had been exposed, Golden Lion could only give up.

Still, his current condition already exceeded his expectations.

Although his physical abilities had not fully returned to their peak yet, this body felt close to how he had been in his late fifties. As long as he trained properly and maintained himself well, regaining his former strength was only a matter of time.

"Golden Lion became young again."

"Another legendary pirate has regained his youth. The seas are about to fall into chaos."

"After Whitebeard's death, three remnants of the old era have appeared together under one crew. The world won't stay peaceful for much longer."