Chapters · Four Emperors (Yonko) › Wano Country

Chapter 966: Roger and Whitebeard

Arc: Wano Country · Saga: Four Emperors (Yonko) · Released: 2019-12-22

Summary

(Oden-era flashback.) The Roger Pirates raid Whitebeard’s fleet, and Kozuki Oden — Whitebeard’s commander — charges them single-handed with his two-sword style, holding off both Roger and Newgate at once. The captains are old acquaintances: after three days and nights of pitched battle their crews simply tire out and spend four more days drinking and trading plunder as gifts. Aboard, Roger learns Oden can read the Kozuki clan’s secret poneglyph cipher and confides his goal — the poneglyphs are a map of four red “Road” stones pointing to one final island beyond Lodestar Island, the last island a Log Pose can reach. Dying of an illness with about a year to live, Roger bows his head to borrow Oden for a single year; Whitebeard rages (“are you trying to steal my family?!”) but relents, and Oden joins the Roger Pirates as the second act of his pirate life. Toki, the infants Momonosuke and Hiyori, and the minks Inuarashi (Dogstorm) and Nekomamushi (Cat Viper) stow away to follow him. The crew sails to a sky island, where a poneglyph speaks of a weapon named Poseidon; Roger has Oden carve a message — “I hereby guide this document to its end” — into the stone.

New reveals

• Roger ↔ Whitebeard are old friends/rivals. “How many years has it been, Newgate?!” / “You seem well to me, Roger!!” Their crews fight 3 days/nights, then exchange gifts for 4 more days (p. 6–8).
• Roger needs Oden to read poneglyphs. Oden can read “the secret cipher of the Kozuki clan of Wano, passed down strictly from generation to generation” (p. 9).
• The poneglyphs are the map. Roger: “It’s four red stones carved with these letters that point the way to the island!” — the Road Poneglyphs, not mere cultural relics; the WG forbids reading them (p. 10).
• Lodestar Island is the destination of the final Log Pose (Roger reached it ~13 years ago); the needles then “went haywire” — there is one more island beyond, completing the circumnavigation (p. 9).
• Roger is dying. “I’ve got to make my time left count!!!” — “a year to live, at best” (p. 16).
• Roger bows his head to Whitebeard to borrow Oden for one year — “the last thing I’ll ever ask” (p. 11).
• Stowaways on the Oro Jackson: Toki + the babies Momonosuke and Hiyori, plus Inuarashi (Dogstorm) and Nekomamushi (Cat Viper) (p. 14).
• A sky-island poneglyph names Poseidon. “The message speaks of a weapon named Poseidon”; the stone is “just packed full of strong voices” (p. 17).
• Roger’s carved message: “I hereby guide this document to its end” — Oden carves it at Roger’s request (p. 17).
• Buggy and Shanks are Roger’s apprentices (p. 8, 17); Scopper Gaban (“Gaban”) fights alongside Rayleigh (p. 3).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters: Roger, Whitebeard (called “Newgate” / “White-kichi”), Kozuki Oden, Silvers Rayleigh, Scopper Gaban (“Gaban”), Buggy, Shanks, Inuarashi (“Dogstorm”), Nekomamushi (“Cat Viper”), Kozuki Toki, Momonosuke, Kozuki Hiyori, Kin’emon (and the other Oden retainers, who stay with Whitebeard)
• Crews: Roger Pirates, Whitebeard Pirates
• Families: Kozuki
• Ships: Oro Jackson (sail reads “GOL D. ROGER”)
• Locations: Lodestar Island, Red Line (on the map p. 9), a sky island (Skypiea / Jaya — the city-of-gold / Shandora poneglyph; inference, not named on-page), Wano Country (Kozuki clan)
• World-Building: Poneglyph, Road Poneglyph, Voice of All Things; the weapon Poseidon (Ancient Weapons)
• Techniques: Oden Two-Sword Style “Divine Departure” (p. 3); Roger’s “Gun Modoki” (p. 2)
• Cover story: Gang Bege’s Oh My Family Vol. 16 — “Bege’s wife Chiffon is arrested by the Navy at the salon!!”

Notable panels

• p. 1 — Title page “ROGER AND WHITEBEARD”: art of the Roger Pirates aboard the Oro Jackson (Rayleigh drinking, Buggy reading, Gaban, a hulking crewmate). Cover-story Vol. 16 caption at the foot.
• p. 2–5 — Oden alone holds off both crews; “Oden Two-Sword Style… Divine Departure!!!”; Roger fires “Gun Modoki.” Oden ends up wedged between Roger and Whitebeard, whose clashing wills “aren’t even touching” him.
• p. 6 — Roger and Whitebeard greet each other as old acquaintances after the ships clash.
• p. 7–8 — “Three days and nights” of battle → “Four days later” it has become a drunken gift exchange; apprentices Buggy & Shanks gossip that Roger has “never slept in his life” — “he’s a monster.”
• p. 9 — Oden reads the Kozuki cipher; Roger’s map shows the Red Line; the Lodestar Island / one-more-island reveal.
• p. 10 — “They’re the map that we need!!” — the four red Road Poneglyphs.
• p. 11–13 — Roger bows to borrow Oden; Whitebeard relents; the retainers choose to stay; Roger leaves his whole cargo as thanks.
• p. 14 — Oden boards the Oro Jackson (“GOL D. ROGER” sail); Toki, Momonosuke, Hiyori, Dogstorm and Cat Viper revealed as stowaways.
• p. 15 — Oden’s rough welcome and his trademark introduction: “I am Oden! And I was born… to boil!!!”
• p. 16 — Roger discloses ~1 year to live; the crew gawks at a sky island.
• p. 17 — Sky poneglyph names Poseidon; Roger has Oden carve “I hereby guide this document to its end.”

Open questions raised

• What is the final island, and what treasure “the government says don’t go there” actually awaits? (Deliberately withheld.)
• What does the full message Roger leaves on the poneglyphs say, and for whom?
• Why can the Kozuki clan read poneglyphs — and who taught/created the cipher?
• What and where is the weapon Poseidon? (Ancient Weapons)
• How long does Roger have, and what does he do with the year? (His illness now drives the timeline.)