Inside the Level Six cell, Ritter stared into Roger's still-bright eyes. His throat tightened as he spoke.
"I could kill you right now. The walls of Impel Down cannot stop my mist. Marine Headquarters cannot cage you either. I told you that."
Roger sat cross-legged on the icy floor, his shackles clinking softly. He suddenly reached out and ruffled Ritter's hair, just like he had done years ago in some noisy tavern.
"Hahahaha! You're still such a worrier, kid."
"I'm serious!" Ritter slapped his hand away. "And I already have a complete plan. The hardest part isn't execution, it's getting you to agree."
"Ritter." Roger cut him off. "Do you know what I saw when I reached Laugh Tale?"
Ritter froze.
"That golden sea," Roger continued, tracing an arc through the dim air with his finger, as if sketching a memory. "When the sun sinks into the ocean, the entire sky turns the color of burning wine."
His smile slowly faded, replaced by an expression Ritter had never seen before.
"We heard the world breathing. Heavy. Painful. Like a giant bound in chains, struggling to breathe. The last time I felt that way was at God Valley. I think you know what I mean."
Footsteps echoed in the distance. Ritter's mist surged, reinforcing the illusion.
"That's enough," Roger said, pressing Ritter's hand down. "What I need isn't escape. What I need is a chance for that giant to break its chains. A chance for the world to breathe."
"Captain…"
"Listen to me, kid." Roger's tone sharpened, his voice stirring a silent storm inside the narrow cell. "The Marines need a public execution to intimidate pirates. The world needs a shocking death to ignite rebellion." He pointed at Ritter's chest. "You and I both know what that crumbling world government fears most."
Ritter said nothing.
The guards' footsteps stopped at the corner. A flashlight beam swept across the corridor. Roger lowered his voice.
"Tell me. Back then, at the execution… did I succeed?"
You did.
Roger burst into laughter and slapped his thigh, then immediately broke into violent coughing. Ritter rushed forward to support him, blood mist flowing into Roger's body through their contact. The result was the same. Roger's body was like a leaking barrel. No matter how much was poured in, it could not hold it.
"It's useless," Roger waved him off. "I've reached my limit."
The blood mist churned restlessly. Ritter stared at him without blinking.
"At least let me…"
"Ritter." Roger shook his head. "Do you remember that night on Laugh Tale? What did you say you wanted to become?"
A younger image surfaced in Ritter's mind. He stood by a bonfire, gripping the Black Tide greatsword, shouting at the sky.
"I want to become a legend known across the world!"
"…I remember," Ritter said through clenched teeth.
"Then just watch," Roger said, his grin radiant in the shadows. "Watch this era tear itself apart. Watch the flames we lit spread."
Roger paused, surprised by Ritter's calm expression.
"Captain, you don't seriously think your inspirational speeches still work on me, do you? Ignoring advice from an old man only leads to regret. Alright, alright. Very moving. I'm so touched I could cry. Boo hoo. Now let's talk business."
Ritter was no longer young.
"If I had a way to achieve everything you want, without you dying, what would you say?"
Roger laughed it off.
"You don't want to see your wife, Rouge, and your children again?"
"Children? I don't have just one."
"Yes. Your son Ace, and your daughter Ann."
Did he really think Ritter came unprepared? He had dozens of arguments ready. When Ritter was young, Roger had talked him into everything. If Ritter got persuaded now, he might as well change his name to Rotter.
You cannot convince someone like Roger with life and death. It does not work. If Roger was determined to die and unafraid of it, then guilt toward his family was the only weakness left. No father is willing to miss watching his children grow up.
At this moment, Roger's guilt reached its peak. It felt like sorrow mixed with despair. You know you have arranged everything. You trust your comrades. Yet the feeling never truly disappears, even when you understand it.
Ritter saw Roger's smile stiffen. He knew the dull blade had finally pried open the iron curtain.
Heh. Kid Roger. I've eaten more salt than you've walked roads.
"Every morning, Sister Rouge stands by the South Blue, staring out to sea," Ritter said softly. Blood mist gathered in his palm, forming a blurred image of a blonde woman on the shore of Windmill Village. "She never cries. But Ann once told me that her mother flips through an empty photo album at night. As for why it's empty, I have to criticize you. You wasted two years of your life and didn't leave a single photo behind."
Roger's fingers dug into his shackles. Sea-prism stone cut into his skin, blood dripping down.
The image shifted.
Ace ran across a beach, waving a wooden sword. He suddenly turned and shouted, "Old man, take this!" swinging at an invisible enemy.
"I'm the kids' handsome, reliable, wise uncle," Ritter said quietly. "But I can't replace you, Captain."
"That kid always says he wants to surpass the Pirate King," Ritter added with a grin. "But when it's bedtime, he only listens to your story about the battle at God Valley. Over and over again. Never gets tired of it."
The temperature in the cell seemed to drop.
Roger swallowed, shadows obscuring his eyes. "…They shouldn't…"
"Shouldn't what?" Ritter grabbed his shoulders. "Shouldn't live? Or shouldn't remember you? You abandoned your family for an ideal. Now your ideal and your family can coexist. Why not be a little bolder?"
Blood mist erupted violently, then softened the moment it touched Roger, wrapping him gently.
"Listen, Captain. I have two plans."
"Forget it. I told you. You wouldn't understand. Just follow my arrangement."
Roger blinked.
Ritter's voice turned dangerously persuasive.
"The great era you hoped for will still arrive. All you have to do is nod. Then you can watch the sunrise with Ace and Ann."
Roger suddenly laughed out loud. He grabbed Ritter by the collar, pressing their foreheads together.
"Hahahaha! You little bastard. When did you learn to use family as leverage?"
"Because I know you're afraid too," Ritter said, staring straight into his eyes. "And it works. Doesn't it, Captain?"
Roger did not answer. He only smiled at Ritter.
Ritter knew then.
It was settled.