After the previous phone call where he had sacrificed his nephews, Ritter felt considerably more at ease.
Controlling the small speedboat, he finally slipped back into Foosha Village without making a sound.
The moment he stepped onto the familiar shore, he saw two figures standing in front of the little house with its small yard.
Rouge had unconcealed joy and worry written all over her face as she hurried toward him.
Behind her, Roger stood to the side with his arms folded, grinning from ear to ear.
He looked exactly like someone who had come to watch the fun and had absolutely no intention of getting involved.
"Ritter! You're finally back!"
Rouge grabbed Ritter's hand and looked him up and down.
Her eyes were filled with concern.
"Are you tired?"
"Was the journey difficult?"
"Are you hungry?"
"Do you want something to eat?"
"Your sister will make it for you!"
"How have you been all these years?"
"Were you hurt?"
"Did you take care of yourself properly?"
A whole barrage of questions came crashing down on him.
Every single one was filled with the concern of family.
Ritter's heart immediately warmed.
That tiny bit of guilt caused by selling out his nephews vanished in an instant.
Ace and Sabo: Wait, Bor, what the hell does one thing have to do with the other?!
"I'm fine, Sis. I'm perfectly healthy."
Ritter smiled and allowed Rouge to inspect him.
"Look. Both arms and both legs are still here."
"And I haven't even lost weight."
"That's good. That's good..."
Rouge finally let out a sigh of relief.
Then she immediately put on a stern expression.
"But this time, you have to stay home for a while!"
"Don't disappear without a word again!"
"Got it, Sis."
Ritter nodded obediently.
At that moment, Rouge seemed to remember something.
She slapped her forehead lightly.
"Ah, I've been so busy talking that I forgot you must be hungry!"
"I'm going to make you something to eat!"
"Roger, keep Ritter company."
Rouge turned around and hurried toward the kitchen.
The moment her back was turned, Roger immediately floated over to Ritter's side.
He leaned in with a mischievous grin and started wiggling his eyebrows.
"So, Ritter..."
"How was your trip?"
"Looking at how mysterious you're acting, did you go somewhere amazing?"
Ritter rolled his eyes at his completely unreliable captain.
He walked into the yard and sat down on an old tree stump.
Then he casually plucked a blade of grass and stuck it between his teeth.
"It was all right."
He spoke vaguely.
"I just solved a few old questions."
"Met some... old friends."
"And satisfied my curiosity a little."
"Oh?"
Roger instantly became interested.
He leaned closer.
"What questions?"
"Which old friends?"
"Come on, tell me!"
"It's nothing important."
Ritter clearly had no intention of saying more.
Especially not anything involving Joy Boy or the Poneglyphs of Laugh Tale.
"Just some little questions about the past... and the future."
"I've more or less figured them out now."
As he spoke, Ritter suddenly glared fiercely at Roger.
"And that Poneglyph..."
"You really didn't tell me even when you were dying?"
"Oi, oi, oi, bastard Ritter!"
"Wasn't it you who told me not to say anything?"
"How are you blaming me now?"
Ritter instantly transformed into a living Kinder chocolate mascot.
"Hehe~"
Roger had barely finished speaking when he drove an elbow into Ritter's side.
Then he locked him in a headlock and started aggressively drilling his knuckles into Ritter's head.
"Oi, oi, you brat!"
"You should at least show your big brother some respect!"
"Revenge!"
"This is pure revenge!"
"You're just taking revenge because you couldn't beat me when you were younger!"
Roger's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Wait!"
"You just reminded me!"
"Now I'm even more pissed!"
"You were brutal when you beat me back then!"
"And what's even more infuriating is how, when you were a kid, you kept asking me questions nonstop!"
Ritter frantically slapped Roger's arm.
"Fine! Fine! Fine!"
"Let go of me!"
"Let go!"
"I never told Sis Rouge about the wooden board under your bed!"
"You know, the one hiding the alcohol!"
Roger instantly grabbed Ritter by the head.
"How did you find that?"
Ritter looked at Roger as if he were an idiot.
"Captain, my Observation Haki is number one in the world."
Roger: "..."
At that exact moment, Rouge walked out of the house carrying a plate of freshly cut fruit.
She gently teased them.
"You two really are close."
"If Ritter hadn't come back this time, I might have thought he was going to disappear for another ten years."
Ritter immediately realized the situation had become dangerous.
Where are the civilians?
Ahem.
Now was the perfect time to divert attention.
It was time to sacrifice his dear big brother, Roger.
Ritter instantly turned around and glared fiercely at Roger.
"Sis! Let me tell you, Roger..."
Roger seemed to know exactly what Ritter was about to do.
The moment he saw Ritter's expression and that familiar opening stance...
Roger reacted with astonishing speed.
Before Ritter could finish his sentence, Roger grabbed him by the collar.
His arm exploded with terrifying strength.
"Brat!"
"Time to fly!"
Then, in an extremely quiet voice, he added:
"You're trying to frame me?!"
And then, in a voice loud enough to shake the yard:
"Get lost!"
Roger suddenly hurled Ritter toward the corner of the yard.
"Roger! What are you doing?!"
Rouge's attention was immediately drawn to the sudden movement.
She wasn't worried about either of them getting hurt.
She knew these two far too well.
Meanwhile, the moment Ritter was thrown through the air, he performed a nimble flip.
His feet lightly touched the courtyard wall.
He pushed off.
The blood mist around his body flickered.
His speed suddenly exploded.
Ritter shot straight toward Roger.
"Damn you, big brother!"
"You dared to launch a sneak attack!"
"Take this!"
"Ultra Flying Kick!"
Ritter's powerful flying kick slammed solidly into Roger's side!
"WAAAAAAH!"
Roger let out an exaggerated scream and was sent floating toward the other side of the yard.
"You two!"
"How old are you?!"
"Why are you still acting like children?!"
Rouge looked at the scene with both anger and amusement.
She couldn't help but rub her forehead.
However...
Seeing Ritter so lively as he played around with Roger, the worry that he might disappear for another long period was greatly reduced.
At least right now...
Her little brother was genuinely standing in front of her.
Full of life.
A while later, Ritter and Roger finally returned.
Both of them had swollen faces and bruises everywhere.
They had abandoned all their abilities and relied purely on their fists.
They had repeatedly punched each other directly in the face.
Ritter accepted the fruit Rouge handed him and took a bite.
"It's fine, Sis."
He spoke with his mouth full.
"I probably won't run away again."
Rouge burst out laughing.
She lightly smacked him.
"You're such a smart-mouth!"
"All right, all right."
"So you won't disappear again."
"You'll just occasionally come back to visit us old people, right?"
"Where are you old?"
Ritter immediately sweet-talked her.
Rouge burst into laughter once again.
Jokes aside...
Ritter knew very well that his peaceful days would not last long.
Rouge had returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Only Ritter and Roger remained in the yard.
The noise from their earlier scuffle still seemed to linger in the air.
But the atmosphere gradually quieted down.
Roger walked over to Ritter and bumped him with his shoulder.
He still wore that carefree, wide grin.
But his eyes were sharp enough to see straight through a person's heart.
"What is it, brat?"
"You came back looking troubled."
"That really doesn't look like you."
Ritter was just about to instinctively say, Nothing.
Then he saw Roger point at his own ear.
Ritter immediately swallowed the words.
He gave a helpless smile.
Seriously...
This ability was basically a bug.
Roger's ability to hear the Voice of All Things always allowed him to catch even the faintest fluctuations in emotion.
Especially when it came to the old members of his crew.
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