"Three pieces..."
"Is the last one with Teach?"
"I don't know," Kouta shook his head, leaning back against the void behind him, his gaze fixed on Uta in the center of the stage. He chuckled, "Just a guess. I don't really know if it's truly with Teach."
"You sailed with Roger and saw all the Road Poneglyphs. You should know where they all are. For years, I've known you've been waiting for someone. I won't say who, and you don't need to ask, just know that I know everything about you."
"Because you've been waiting, you haven't collected them. And the three you have are enlarged copies of the Road Poneglyphs from Charlotte Linlin, Zou, and the Land of Wano."
"The one from Fish-Man Island is missing," Shanks said, looking at the papers on the ground, lost in thought for a moment. "That one disappeared many years ago."
"If I recall correctly, the last time I saw that one was when Captain Roger had just become the Pirate King and was returning from the New World to the Sabaody Archipelago."
Raising his wine bottle and taking a drink, Shanks continued, "After the captain was executed, when I formed my own pirate crew and passed through Fish-Man Island again, that one was already gone."
"Actually, all these years, I haven't just been waiting. While traveling the world has always been our crew's dream, I've also been searching for this last piece."
Shanks didn't hesitate, stating his other goal from his years of world travel.
"Is that so!"
Kouta tilted his head, glancing at Shanks, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "I thought you really weren't interested in Laugh Tale!"
"Haha!! How could I not be interested!"
Shanks let out a hearty laugh. "I promised the captain that I would go to Laugh Tale myself!"
"Your guess actually has some basis," Shanks mused. "Teach is ambitious, but he's always lacked the ultimate power to pursue it. And since Captain Roger's execution, the Whitebeard Pirates have been Fish-Man Island's protector. Moving the Poneglyph from Fish-Man Island would indeed be something the Whitebeard Pirates were best suited for."
"A long time ago, I did consider if the last piece might have been hidden by the Whitebeard Pirates, and I even met the old man once because of it. But after learning from him that he hadn't moved the Poneglyph from Fish-Man Island, I didn't think about it anymore."
"After all, while the old man had strength, he had no interest in going to Laugh Tale. Otherwise, back then, under that giant cherry blossom tree, he would have gone to Laugh Tale with the captain and the others."
Roger's search for the Whitebeard Pirates back then was to borrow Momonosuke Kozuki, who could read the ancient script.
Because of this, the two pirate crews had fought for three days and three nights.
It was also then, on the reminder of his good friend "Buggy," that he noticed Teach's unusual behavior.
"Enough about him."
Shanks put down his wine bottle, picked up the papers in front of him, and returned them to Kouta with a smile. "If you do find the last piece, be sure to let me have a copy. After all, I promised the captain that I would at least make a trip to Laugh Tale."
He felt no shame. After all, he was no longer the man he was just a few days ago.
It wasn't so much about a significant increase in strength, but his perspective had changed. His aspirations were different.
The thought of going to Laugh Tale naturally arose, fulfilling his promise to the captain, his pursuit over the years, and the expectations of his crew.
"Alright," Kouta said nothing, putting away the papers and agreeing with Shanks.
Just then, a middle-aged man in magnificent attire and wearing a crown approached from behind.
The man strode forward a few steps, stopping beside Kouta, and greeted the young man who was lounging in the void with a loud voice.
"Hello, Silver Hair Brother!"
Although Kouta had corrected him many times, Hachida instinctively called him Silver Hair Brother, as it made him feel closer to Kouta.
"Hello, Mr. Kouta."
Behind the man, a beautiful girl in a princess dress looked at the young man with a blush on her face and greeted him softly.
"It's Hachida and Riya!"
Hearing the familiar voices, Kouta sat up straight, turned to look at the man and the girl, and smiled. "What brings you two here?"
"Silver Hair Brother, I've been following your news, and when I heard about Brook's broadcast, I prepared a special extra-large Den Den Mushi in the palace just for Brook's songs."
As he spoke, he looked up at Uta on the stage. "This place is truly magical. Such a distance, and yet we can communicate face-to-face as if we were in reality."
"Yes, it is quite magical," Kouta nodded. "When the world is at peace in the future, Uta's world could completely become a virtual world connecting everyone, so that in this world where each island is like an isolated one, humanity wouldn't be so lonely."
"If that truly happened, the world would surely be more beautiful than we can imagine."
Hearing Kouta say this, Riya's face showed a hint of anticipation.
"It will come," Kouta murmured to himself. Then, he introduced Hachida and Riya to Shanks.
After Hachida and Riya left, Shanks asked, "The Bass wine on your ship, that's from the kingdom where Hachida is from!"
"Yes!" Kouta nodded, then recounted the story of Bass to Shanks.
After hearing Kouta's story, Shanks looked at Hachida with a newfound admiration.
In his childhood, he had traveled the world with Roger and hadn't passed through the Kingdom of Bass. However, he had tasted Bass wine, which was why he felt a sense of familiarity with it.
He had always wondered why Bass wine had disappeared over the years, and now he understood.
For the future of his country, to set aside the dignity of a king and compete for scraps with a pack of wild dogs, this man deserved his respect.
"Alright, next up is the guest segment. We invite Mr. Kouta, and Mr. Brook, the Soul King, to perform their new song."
Uta didn't mention the song's title, as even she didn't know it.
After a few days together, she had already realized Kouta was also a very capable singer. Originally, Brook was the only guest, but a sudden impulse led her to add Kouta's name.
Two massive beams of light materialized out of thin air above the void, striking Kouta and Brook directly.
"Always busy," Kouta shook his head, putting down his wine gourd, and didn't refuse Uta's invitation.
He straightened his clothes, stood up from the grass, smiled at Shanks, and then took a step forward, his figure instantly appearing before the grand piano on the vast stage.