A year had passed since Buggy had joined the Roger Pirates, and during that time he became an important friend to both Shamrock and Shanks, especially to Shanks.
The two of them would often joke around with each other, usually during training, which caused them to get scolded by Rayleigh on a regular basis for disrupting the lessons and not taking anything seriously.
Even so, since they were still children, Rayleigh did not truly hold any resentment toward them.
In fact, Roger himself, a fully grown man, had a personality far closer to Shanks and Buggy than Rayleigh cared to admit, so there was not much Rayleigh could do aside from lecture them a little louder each time.
Meanwhile, Shamrock had been shadowing Crocus every day, learning everything that Crocus knew from the teachings he received from Kureha.
Crocus had been passing all of his medical knowledge toward Shamrock with the intention of leaving behind a proper medical replacement once he eventually left the ship, since he had grown close to the Roger Pirates.
Shamrock, on his end, was doing a remarkable job in taking in every lesson, cramming decades of Crocus's experience into a single year. Day by day, he also watched Crocus treat Roger's illness.
Over time, Shamrock noticed Roger's condition steadily improving. The progress became clearer to him the more he studied, especially when he looked at Roger's lungs.
He could actually see them recovering, as Crocus carefully removed the damaged portions and restored the functioning tissue while also giving Roger the correct combinations of medicines.
"Captain, your condition is steadily improving, and I can tell you that you are almost cured. Maybe after only a few more weeks, you will be able to drink once again," Shamrock said to Roger while giving him the latest injection that Crocus had taught him to prepare. Crocus stood behind Roger with the stethoscope, listening closely to the sound of his lungs.
"Good. I have been craving a drink for a long time, and this time I plan on getting properly hammered," Roger replied with no shame, directing his words at both Shamrock and Crocus.
"We know. You have been caught with so many bottles by Ray san and Gyaban san that it looks like you secretly built your own factory of drinks," Shamrock said, and Roger only laughed, not caring in the slightest that he had been caught so many times.
"Anyway, I think the crew is also dying for a drink. They have been doing this one year cleanse alongside you. The only nice part about it is that we saved a lot of money by not buying alcohol," Shamrock continued while waiting for Crocus to give him a signal.
When Crocus finally nodded, Shamrock handed Roger the pills and the water that he needed to drink afterward.
After the entire check-up was finished, the three of them stepped out of the clinic. The crew outside looked a little gloomy, as they all missed drinking and causing trouble.
They had somehow managed to avoid attracting any serious problems for an entire year, which was more surprising than any of them expected.
"I still cannot believe that Garp has not managed to show up. That guy's nose is like a dog's. Once he catches the scent of Roger, he would never willingly let go," Rayleigh said to Gyaban as they spoke on the side. Roger arrived behind them just as Rayleigh finished speaking.
"What are you two discussing? Did you break your promise and drink already? That is not fair. I want a drink too," Roger said loudly, acting as if he did not hear a single word of what they were talking about.
He immediately tried to walk toward the place where the confiscated booze was hidden, but Rayleigh and Gyaban grabbed him at the same time.
The three of them continued their usual routine, something that had become a tradition since the second day of Roger's treatment and had not stopped even after a year.
Shamrock then headed toward the corner of the ship where he knew Shanks and Buggy were staying, because he knew that Buggy had gotten a deck of playing cards the previous day.
They wanted to use the cards before Rayleigh discovered them and confiscated them like everything else they enjoyed.
As Shamrock quietly approached, he saw Shanks and Buggy playing with the cards while whispering to each other. They were trying to make sure nobody heard them, especially Rayleigh.
"What are you two doing," Shamrock suddenly said in a perfect imitation of Rayleigh's voice, which instantly made both Buggy and Shanks panic.
"AHHHH. BUGGY GOT A CARD, AND HE HAS BEEN PLAYING IT," Shanks blurted out without meaning to, immediately snitching on Buggy.
Buggy started apologizing right away, and both of them shut their eyes in fear. Then they heard laughter, and they recognized the voice immediately.
"Shamrock. That is not funny, bastard," Buggy complained while grabbing Shamrock by the collar and pressing his forehead against Shamrock's. Shanks also grabbed Shamrock's collar for added effect, although Shamrock continued laughing.
"Relax. You are fine. Ray san and Gyaban san are busy because the Captain is throwing another tirade about wanting to drink, so they are both distracted. Stop acting like a pair of cowards," Shamrock said, which made both of them let out a huge sigh of relief. They looked behind Shamrock just to make sure nobody was actually there.
"I thought we were going to get scolded again. I really hate it when Ray-san scolds us. He increases the training volume every time and insists that it is the same training volume," Shanks said, and Buggy nodded in agreement.
"Why are you two even playing cards? That is boring. Why not swim beside the ship?" Shamrock asked, and both of them looked at him.
"We were waiting for you to finish, dumbass. Since you are here, let us go," Shanks said as he shoved Buggy toward the railing. Buggy fell into the sea with a startled yell, and Shanks immediately dived after him.
Shamrock removed his shirt and followed them into the water. The three of them swam and searched around the sea, hoping to find something interesting, since they had once found a huge gold bar during one of their dives.
This routine became a daily occurrence on the Oro Jackson. The three of them became famous throughout the ship for recovering items that had fallen into the sea, and it helped Shanks and Buggy build up their stamina so they could keep up with Rayleigh's training.
As for Shamrock, he spent most of his days fighting with Gyaban, since Rayleigh had officially handed Shamrock's physical training over to him.
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A few weeks soon passed by in what felt like only a blink of an eye, and the entire Oro Jackson was filled with loud cheers and raised bottles, since everyone finally had drinks on their hands again.
It was the long-awaited day when Roger's illness had completely disappeared. After a full year of strict treatment, he was now fully cured and was officially allowed by both Crocus and Shamrock to enjoy a drink.
"WOOOOOHOOOOO! LET US ALL PARTY!" Everyone shouted together, celebrating without any hesitation as Roger was finally cleared of every trace of his sickness.
Meanwhile Shanks, Shamrock, and Buggy were all scattered around the ship's upper areas, scouting the surrounding sea with dull expressions, since the three of them were still forbidden to drink due to their age.
"It is not fair at all. I want to drink too," Shanks complained while leaning forward on the railing of the watchtower, looking very bored as he stared down at Buggy and Shamrock.
"Take your duties seriously. I do not want the ship getting caught off guard if something suddenly happens while Captain and the others are busy drinking," Shamrock said.
Buggy nodded strongly beside him, agreeing since he also felt responsible for watching over the celebration.
As the three continued their lookout, Shamrock's eyes suddenly caught sight of a fast approaching ship, coming directly toward them from the open sea.
The figurehead at the front of the ship was one that Shamrock remembered very clearly, something he had not seen for more than a year.
"Really? At this timing? Seriously?" Shamrock shouted, unable to believe the situation.
Buggy and Shanks quickly turned their heads toward him, and when they followed the direction where Shamrock was pointing, both of them shouted at the exact same moment.
"Captain! The marines are coming!" Buggy yelled in complete panic. His voice was loud enough that Roger and the other crewmembers immediately stopped drinking and turned toward him.
Buggy pointed again at the distant ship, and as Roger finally looked at it, he immediately saw a familiar figure standing proudly on a dog shaped figurehead.
The figure was laughing loudly, and someone beside him handed him a cannonball.
The man accepted it without hesitation and threw it straight toward the Oro Jackson. Roger instantly stood up, moved ahead of the others, and blocked the incoming cannonball with a loud impact.
"Garp! I am allowed to drink and allowed to fight at the same time. It feels like fate is finally trying to compensate for the entire year that it has stolen from me!" Roger yelled with excitement, completely fired up as the marine vessel approached closer and closer.
Garp's loud laughter kept growing stronger as the distance between the two ships shrank.
"Roger! Get ready because I am sending you to Impel Down along with your whole crew!" Garp called out, while the marines behind him took their battle positions.
On the Oro Jackson, the Roger Pirates also hurried into formation as their relaxed celebration instantly turned into a full scale confrontation.
Both Roger and Garp leapt high into the air from their ships, meeting in the space between them as they clashed with overwhelming strength. Their crews followed close behind, jumping into the ongoing fight.
Shamrock immediately spotted a familiar marine wearing a suit and a fedora hat stepping forward to engage Rayleigh, which only confirmed that this was going to be a serious battle.
Shamrock, Shanks, and Buggy jumped down from the watchtower together and rushed straight into the chaos.
Shamrock quickly unsheathed his training sword, which was made entirely out of sturdy wood, and began fighting against older marines without hesitation.
Despite his weapon being a simple wooden blade, he still managed to defeat several opponents through technique and speed.
Shanks and Buggy supported him from the sides, both of them attacking enemies their own size while keeping track of each other so that none of them got surrounded.
The peaceful celebration had turned into a wide battlefield in only a few moments, and although the three boys could not drink yet, they definitely found themselves receiving more action than they expected for the day.