"Nero-kin, did you have a nightmare?" Kozuki Oden asked, a little confused as he ran over. What could possibly be wrong with Wano Country?
But when he saw Nero's bloodshot eyes, all his words were swallowed back.
"Umu, Oden! Something has happened to your country. Though I don't know when, there must have been omens long ago."
Nero's expression was serious: "Oden, you need to return to Wano Country."
More than her identity as a pirate, Nero was essentially an Emperor. Having been groomed as a Crown Prince since childhood, she still placed great importance on the safety of a nation.
"Haha, Nero-kin, you're exaggerating. You said it yourself, it's just an omen. What good would it do for me to go back?"
Oden laughed exaggeratedly: "This might just be a nightmare you had, and even if it's real, who knows how long from now it would happen?"
"Besides, Captain Roger went to great lengths to get me on board. If I leave now, how will you reach the Final Island?"
Nero's eyes drooped: "Umu, there will always be a way. We have plenty of time; we will find a solution."
"There's no time! Roger… Captain Roger can't wait!"
During the time Nero was unconscious, Kozuki Oden also learned the news that Roger didn't have long to live, so they had to reach the Final Island as quickly as possible.
Only Nero on the ship was unaware of this news. The willful Emperor would not accept this outcome, so the other crew members tacitly kept the news from her.
"One of the future poneglyphs is in Wano Country. I'll stay there for a while then, so Nero-kin, you just rest well and don't worry about these things!"
Hearing this, Nero-kin's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little. She looked at Oden's serious face and nodded: "Umu, since you have a plan, I will say no more."
After Oden and Shanks and others left, and only Nero and Hathaway remained in the room, Nero suddenly asked: "Hathaway, are you hiding something from me?"
Hathaway naturally knew about Roger's situation. This scenario had played out in her mind a thousand times, so when Nero asked, she showed no hint of a flaw.
"Oh! What are you referring to?"
Nero stared at Hathaway's face for a full ten seconds before shifting her gaze: "Umu, nothing, perhaps I was overthinking it."
Hathaway nodded without speaking. The red-eyed Nero always had an indescribable sense of oppression; compared to the usual Princess, at this moment Nero was more like a monarch… Over the next year, Bullet left the ship, saying he wanted to find a way to become the strongest.
The Roger Pirates first went to Sky Island. Nero negotiated a deal with the people there and dispatched people from the Nicuss Empire to begin trade.
The Golden Palace had also begun construction. The once scarce soil on Sky Island also began to become less precious, and the local specialty shells were highly praised in Nicuss.
After descending from Sky Island, the Roger Pirates came to Water Seven again due to damage to their pirate ship.
Tom the Fishman, the ship's builder, completed the repairs on the oro jackson.
During this time, Nero also heard that he was building an interesting project called a sea train and made an agreement with him to invite Tom to build such a train in the Nicuss Empire once Nero returned from the Final Island.
Next, the group went to the Bridge on the Sea, but didn't stay long before heading to Sabaody Archipelago, where after coating, they arrived at Fish-Man Island, ten thousand meters underwater.
In the deep sea, Nero, Roger, and Oden all heard strange voices.
'Our King is about to be born.'
None of the other crew members heard anything. The silent deep sea should, in theory, be soundless, yet the three of them simultaneously heard the same words.
Finally, based on the poneglyph on Sky Island, they speculated that it might be the birth of the legendary Poseidon, most likely the mermaid princess.
And Nero and the others must possess some special talent to be able to hear such voices.
Again, they didn't stay long on Fish-Man Island. With the red poneglyph Roger obtained from Charlotte Linlin, plus the one from Fish-Man Island, they only needed two more to complete the road signs to the Final Island.
After that, everyone arrived at Oden's hometown—Wano Country.
Factories spewing black smoke on the mountaintops, tattered retainers—Oden knew the moment he saw this situation that, just as Nero had said, a great change he was unaware of must have occurred in Wano Country.
His wife, Lady Toki, also fell ill on the way and could no longer continue sailing. Oden, worried about his wife, planned to stay in Wano Country.
But Lady Toki stopped him. More than the problems of Wano Country, she cared more about Oden's aspirations and didn't want any other reason to make Oden stop.
Just as Nero said, Lady Toki was a good woman; at least when it came to thinking of her husband, she was absolutely a deserving and excellent wife.
The Roger Pirates did not land, and after entrusting Lady Toki and their two children to his subordinates, Oden returned to the pirate ship in just a few hours.
Nero's suggestion to help Oden solve his country's problems was also rejected by him.
Although he didn't know the specific problem, a nation's issues couldn't be resolved overnight, and Roger didn't have much time left. Only one red road sign remained.
Because of this issue, the relationship between Nero and Oden gradually became distant, or rather, Nero unilaterally distanced herself from Oden.
After all, in Nero's view, Oden's actions were completely illogical, simply disregarding the safety of his country.
Later, with the help of the Mink Tribe, everyone arrived at Zou, the hiding place of the last road sign.
On the back of a colossal creature known as Zunesha, the Mink Tribe, like Cat Viper and Dogstorm, lived there.
After gathering all the road signs, the Roger Pirates confronted the Golden Lion's fleet in the Edd War sea region.
The disparity between the two sides was obvious. The Roger Pirates were surrounded by numerous fleets. After Roger refused the Golden Lion's invitation, battle was imminent.
Even with many skilled fighters in the Roger Pirates, facing Golden Lion Shiki, who was no weaker than Roger, they inevitably found themselves at a disadvantage after a battle.
Just then, for some unknown reason, unprecedented giant waves rose in the Edd War sea region.
Most of the Golden Lion's fleet was destroyed by the giant waves, and he himself was impaled through the head by a ship's rudder. He did not die, but Golden Lion Shiki no longer had the strength to fight.
Although the Roger Pirates also paid a considerable price, they all safely escaped and sailed towards the Final Island.