The heavy rain poured down, as if to wash the old era into the sewers, preparing for the arrival of a new era.
The originally fervent and boisterous crowd gradually dispersed under the deluge, returning to their respective lives or chasing the illusory dreams of the new era.
Doflamingo, with his arrogant, swaggering gait, stepped through the puddles, making a series of crisp "splashing" sounds, and sauntered from the alley into the rain, his demonic "Fufufu" laughter piercing the rain curtain.
"With this, the curtain of the new era has finally opened! It's going to be lively from now on!"
Not far away, young Buggy and Shanks cried loudly in the pouring rain, tears mixing with rainwater streaming down their faces.
Shanks vigorously wiped his face, his eyes bloodshot, his voice filled with an unprecedented determination: "Buggy, I'm going out to sea! Come with me! We'll find Laugh Tale together!"
"I don't want to!" Buggy pushed him away abruptly, his face streaked with rain and tears, yet full of indignation and stubbornness, "It's all your fault! You made me eat this damned Devil Fruit! I'll remember this debt my whole life!"
"But Buggy, aren't we friends?"
Buggy sniffled hard: "Dont try and stop me! I've already made up my mind. I'm staying in the East Blue to search for treasure. I don't want to run around the world like an idiot with you!" With that, Buggy didn't wait for Shanks to speak again, resolutely turned, and stumbled into the depths of the curtain of rain.
Shanks stood alone in the rain, looking in the direction where Buggy had disappeared, rainwater continuously sliding down his young face, carrying both sadness and helplessness. (T/N: In canon the reason Buggy didn't go with Shanks is because Shanks didn't want to go find Laugh Tale. The original author of this fanfic had it backwards but I'm leaving it in since it's part of his character in this story)
On the other side, Dracule Mihawk was pacing in the rain, Roger's final words still seemingly echoing in his ears.
"This Great Treasure…" Mihawk muttered to himself, "None of that concerns me. My goal is to become the strongest swordsman in this world."
Under the eaves of a street corner, the white-haired young Smoker, taking shelter from the rain, frowned as he watched the crowds incessantly shouting about going out to sea.
"The seas will become unimaginably chaotic in the future." Smoker clenched his fist, a strong sense of mission rising in his heart. "I must become a righteous marine and capture all these troublemakers!"
Dragon, clad in a green cloak, descended from a rooftop onto the plaza, gazing at Roger's corpse, his eyes gradually losing focus: "Perhaps, it's time to make a choice…"
Countless people were stirred by Roger's dying words, each embarking on vastly different journeys.
The inherited will, the tide of the times, people's dreams… as long as people continue to pursue freedom, all of this will never stop!
"Ding, intense emotional fluctuations detected. Host's exclusive commission is being generated. Please select, Host:"
1. [In the Name of Justice]: Join the Navy and confront the era that is about to spiral out of control as a Marine.
2. [Spark to Ignite the World]: Form a resistance army and confront the World Government as a revolutionary, overthrowing the rule of the Celestial Dragons.
3. [Tide of the New Era]: Become a pirate, land on Laugh Tale, and claim the title of Pirate King.
4. [Lord of Chaos]: Chaos is not a pit, chaos is a ladder. Do your best to turn this world upside down.
Seeing his options, Wayne didn't hesitate and immediately chose the fourth option. There was no other reason; he simply wanted to watch the fun.
[Exclusive Commission Order: Lord of Chaos]
Commission Requirement: Turn this world upside down.
Commission Reward: Grant corresponding commission points and accumulate Chaos Points based on the Host's actions. Chaos Points are divided into 10 stages; reaching each new stage grants a selectable reward.
After seeing the commission details, Wayne couldn't help but grin. This was exactly what a fun-seeker liked: do whatever you want, as long as it's fun.
"Ding!"
"[Commission Order: Last Farewell] has been completed. The Supreme Grade Sword, "Ace", has been bound to your personal storage space. Commission points * 500."
"Congratulations, Host, on completing your first commission. Please continue to work hard. After completing three commissions, the commission delivery function will be unlocked, and the system will deliver commission orders based on the world's development progress."
Oh my! There's even function like this?
Wayne had been worried before that he would have to run all over the world, asking everyone he met what their regrets were!
Thankfully, this system of mine is quite powerful, and the full name of the system is the Multiverse Commission System, so perhaps there will be commissions from other worlds in the future.
"Wayne, let's go. I… I want to go lay down…"
Wayne came back to his senses, looked at Rouge, whose eyes were red and swollen, and softly sighed.
It was just that he didn't have a penchant for married women in his life; if he were some inherently evil yellow hair, facing such a charming widow, he would probably have already enthusiastically taken advantage of the situation.
You should know, Wayne likes girls with a strong 'Will of D'. Rouge's name contains D., but she doesn't have a strong 'Will of D'; at most, she only has C.
"Okay, let's go…"
Impel Down, Infinite Hell.
"Roger, is this why you surrendered? You, you actually…" Shiki revealed a relieved smile. As expected of the man he acknowledged.
Suddenly, Shiki seemed to think of something and let out a "Jiehahaha" laugh.
"It's that kid's turn next, I hope you don't disappoint me!"
New World, Moby Dick.
Listening to his sons recounting the news of Roger's execution, Whitebeard took a sip of sake expressionlessly, recalling the conversation under the cherry blossom tree the last time he saw Roger.
"Gurararara, Roger, the tide of a new era has begun to surge…"
In the clouds.
The wooden house was rapidly approaching Goa Kingdom. Wayne planned to temporarily settle Rouge in Windmill Village.
After all, the people of Windmill Village were good, simple folk. This should allow Rouge to rest assured and recuperate there until Ace was born. By then, he might be able to become Ace's foster father one step ahead of Whitebeard.
"Are we going to… Goa Kingdom?"
Wayne nodded: "That's right, the Goa Kingdom. A place called Windmill Village is there."
Rouge didn't object, nodding silently: "I'll follow your lead."
The next day, Windmill Village, Goa Kingdom.
The villagers gathered in front of a wooden house, discussing it's appearance in hushed tones.
"How did a house get here? Yesterday this was just an empty lot!"
"I don't know. Who moved here? Did they carry an entire house with them?"
Creak~
Wayne, after disguising himself, opened the door and smiled kindly at the curious villagers.
"Hello everyone! My name is Wayne, and I'm a new villager who just moved in. This is my sister, Rouge. Please take care of us from now on."