Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1497.

During this time, Ritter had tried more than once to go searching for the Pure Gold himself. That anglerfish was like a phantom no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find it, and his mood worsened with each passing day.

That afternoon, just after Ritter had destroyed yet another large pirate crew while interrogating them about a certain anglerfish, a call came through on Roger's Den Den Mushi.

"Ku-hahaha! Ritter, come back we're setting sail for the Final Island," Roger's voice echoed from the receiver.

"I still haven't found that damn fish. You all go ahead. I'm not interested."

Ritter clenched his jaw, thinking of Roger's worsening condition. Damn it. Where the hell is it hiding?

"Ku-hahaha, Ritter, this journey isn't complete without you. As captain of the Roger Pirates, I'm asking you please come back."

"Captain, shouldn't you be giving me an order? What the hell is this 'please' crap? Don't you know how bad your condition is?!" Ritter shouted into the Den Den Mushi.

Roger didn't hesitate.

"Come back, Ritter."

Of course Roger understood Ritter had been searching for a way to save him. As captain, he also knew Ritter was part of the crew. How could they embark on their final voyage without him? That wouldn't be fair.

Ritter returned to the Oro Jackson, and the ship set sail toward the Final Island.

He remembered that in the original timeline, Buggy and Shanks didn't land on the island Buggy had fallen ill.

Suddenly, Ritter grabbed the railing as his Observation Haki surged out like a tidal wave.

He sensed that the sea ahead was distorted by some invisible force so much so that even sound was completely swallowed.

Roger stood at the bow, his straw hat snapping in the fierce wind. He grinned brighter than ever. "This is it! I can hear it—!"

A pale blue lightning bolt crashed down.

Ritter dropped to his knees on the deck, red blotches exploding across his vision, a high-pitched ringing screaming in his ears.

"Ritter-nii?!" Shanks's voice sounded distant and muffled, like it came through frosted glass.

Buggy had already collapsed under the mainmast, curled up like a shrimp, his skin flushed red.

Crocus tore open Buggy's sleeve, but found nothing visibly wrong. Both of them seemed to be burning up.

It was understandable for someone like Buggy to faint from a fever, but what kind of fever could bring Ritter down? Oda, you bastard...

Ritter struggled to raise his head and saw the Final Island slowly coming into view.

"What kind of sick joke is this... Do you have any idea how much I suffered just to come back?" he muttered, gritting his teeth. With no concern for his image, he launched into Geppo and shot toward the island like a madman.

But the closer he got, the more his strength drained. His vision blurred, the ringing in his ears worsened, and the wind howled against him, trying to drive him back.

"Fog God Style: Heaven Splitter!"

A wave of crimson sword energy cleaved through the air. Ritter followed behind it, using it to counter the invisible pressure.

He unleashed all his Haki, roaring, "I don't care if it's the damn Heavenly King himself today I'm stepping on that island! Get out of my way!"

The moment his foot touched the Final Island, his strength was completely drained.

He bit down on his tongue to stay conscious and reached forward, trying to crawl just a little farther.

"Damn it..."

"Ritter!"

"Ritter!"

Then everything went silent.

The Oro Jackson floated quietly near the shallows of the Final Island.

In the cabin, Ritter's eyes flew open. Sweat drenched his shirt, and it took several seconds for his vision to focus wooden ceiling, swaying lantern...

"Urr?" came a soft grunt from the corner Laboon.

Brook was grinding some bitter-smelling herbs nearby. "Ah, Mr. Ritter, you're awake. You two were unconscious for three days."

Ritter tried to sit up, but even his fingers trembled uncontrollably. That bone-deep weakness felt like his entire life force had been drained.

"Brook, why didn't you go up and take a look? It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance," Ritter rasped.

As soon as he let go of the idea of setting foot on the Final Island, his strength began to slowly return still sluggish, but no longer torturous.

Brook paused. "Yohohoho... didn't you once say I'd meet a wonderful family someday? I'm not in a hurry. Your health comes first. But... are you really okay?"

From the next room came a loud crash, followed by Shanks's angry shout: "Would you stop being such a pain in the ass?!"

"You're the one who said you wanted to become Pirate King! Then get off your ass and go catch up with the captain! You can still make it if you leave now!" Buggy's voice cracked, on the verge of tears. "Now you're playing the good guy?!"

Ritter ripped the IV from his arm and staggered out of the room.

Sunlight hit his eyes, forcing him to squint. On the deck, Shanks and Buggy were tangled in a scuffle. Brook rushed over to separate them, while Laboon tried to pull Buggy away though clearly without using much strength. Buggy was swaying on his feet, clearly still feverish.

Thanks to Ritter's training, Shanks and Buggy were far stronger than in the original timeline.

Everyone stopped moving.

"Ritter-nii!" Shanks still had Buggy's fist on his face, but his smile looked more like he was about to cry. "Look at this idiot—"

"Shut up!" Buggy kicked Shanks weakly in the leg. "You're the one who—"

"That's enough." Ritter's voice was quiet he was still extremely weak but the two boys instantly froze like someone had hit pause.

He turned to Brook. "Captain. When did they leave?"

Brook scratched his afro. "Early yesterday morning. Everyone waited for three days, but when you didn't wake up, they went ashore. Said they'd tell you everything when they came back. Honestly, your condition was terrifying."

It was truly strange. Could the Final Island really choose who was allowed to land? The moment Roger's crew gave up and left, Ritter woke up.

"Why was I so weak? What did Dr. Crocus say?"

"You nearly died," Brook replied. Laboon looked up with teary eyes, carefully holding a bowl of dark green medicine.

"We found you bleeding from every orifice on the island's shore."

Brook gently placed a bony hand on his violin. "You were lying there, and the blood mist from your aura went berserk, dyeing the sky above the sea completely red. Yohohoho…"

Laboon nuzzled Ritter's hand with his wet nose.

"I stayed behind to look after you two with Laboon. Shanks insisted on staying too," Brook added. "Even though he's completely fine."

The red-haired boy turned away abruptly.

Buggy jumped up and shouted, "He told me before we got to the island that he wanted to see the secret of the world! And now he says he doesn't want to go! This liar—!"

"We were supposed to go together!" Shanks slammed his fist into the deck. "Why... Why do we have to split up now?!"

Ritter looked out toward the horizon. Thick, unnatural white fog hung over the sea, so dense even his Observation Haki couldn't sense beyond it. It was as if the world had been cleaved apart at this very point.

"Hey." Ritter called Buggy over and placed one hand on his head, the other on Shanks's.

He took a deep breath and said softly, "Listen."

The two boys stared up at him, stunned.

"When you…" Ritter's throat bobbed. "When you've found your own crewmates come back together."

Buggy's face crumpled with snot and tears. "But Captain Roger..."

"The captain's journey is his own."

Ritter let go and turned back toward the cabin. "You two are still young. Someday, you'll have your own pirate crews, your own nakama. When that day comes, return here together. I want the both of you to be true pirates. Free pirates. Pirates with honor."

He didn't know if those words were meant for them or for himself.

He looked at Buggy. "It's not wrong for a pirate to seek treasure. But don't kill innocent people. A true warrior draws their blade against someone stronger never the weak. Got it, Buggy? You're strong. Believe in yourself."

Because he knew the Buggy from the original timeline wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue. Mostly comic relief by the end.

Buggy was an ordinary genius among monsters, always surpassed and overshadowed. One day, when he finally saw someone weaker than him, it was no surprise that he might become a bully. Ritter didn't blame him. He was just a kid.

But Ritter hoped this version of Buggy would grow into a true warrior. A real one.

Originally, Ritter trained Shanks and Buggy with the idea of making them the most powerful "Face-Fruit" users in the story. But gradually, they had become real younger brothers to him.

The Oro Jackson wasn't just a ship it was a family bound by unbreakable ties.