Roy had no faith in Oden's intelligence. Even if he stayed in Wano, Orochi would still find a way to manipulate the situation and deal with him.
To Orochi, it's actually better that he's not around; it would make it easier for Orochi to become the daimyo of Wano.
The downfall of Wano was largely due to the failings of its current ruler, Kozuki Sukiyaki. His half-measures and inability to root out corruption had allowed the country to fester with problems despite its small size.
Of course, Roy himself coveted Wano, this land of untapped riches.
Ninety-nine percent of the world's seastone came from Wano.
The country was essentially a treasure mountain, brimming with metal ores waiting to be mined. And beneath it all lay an ancient weapon—Pluton.
They sat on a treasure mountain yet chose to shut their doors to the world. One could only wonder how ridiculous the reason must have been for them to choose isolation.
As a rational person, Roy couldn't comprehend the reason for such foolish decision.
They stayed in Wano for two weeks. The ship was repaired: holes patched, sails and masts replaced.
Under the cover of night, Whitebeard gave the order to depart from Wano.
"Even though it's a bit unfair to Oden, I left them some treasure; it's the least we can do for the food they provided during this time," Whitebeard said.
"Pops, you didn't even ask Big Bro before giving away our treasure," Namur chuckled.
"He was already resting, wasn't he?" Whitebeard said awkwardly.
"I'm right here," Roy, sitting nearby and gazing at the moon, replied.
"In terms of pure strength, he's indeed quite the fighter," Vista commented.
"Pops actually likes Oden, doesn't he?" Marco grinned.
"Well… maybe I do like that guy, but stealing a royal from another country is too troublesome," Whitebeard replied.
"They're here."
Roy suddenly spoke up.
"What's going on?!"
Whitebeard looked up. A chain flew through the air, and Oden clung to it, swinging onto their ship. Izou followed, desperately grabbing onto Oden.
The crew gasped in shock. Marco was about to unhook the chain and send Oden back, but Whitebeard intervened; he hauled Izou aboard while leaving Oden dangling over the sea.
"We're going over the waterfall! Hold onto the ship!" Roy shouted, gripping the railing.
"Ready yourselves, brats! We're dropping!" Whitebeard bellowed.
After descending the waterfall and hearing Izo's pleas, Whitebeard said, "Three days. If Oden can keep up with us for three days, I'll let him on board."
To ordinary people, that was basically impossible. If Roy had fallen like that, he'd likely have died already.
Kozuki Oden was a natural-born monster. His bloodline was truly enviable.
"You guys have fun, I'm going to sleep," Roy stood up.
"Big Bro, I'll rest too! Let's sleep together," Whitey Bay bounded over cheerfully.
"No," Roy rejected flatly.
"Mean!"
"You keep stealing Big Bro's money!"
"I barely took any! Pops is the real spendthrift, leaving all that treasure for Oden without asking Big Bro first!" Whitey Bay shot back.
"That's not true! I asked Roy, and he said it was fine!" Whitebeard's face reddened. "Right, Roy?"
"Yes. After all, we did take Wano's next daimyo. That money might not be enough. But he won't stay long. Newgate, in a few years... never mind, I'm off to bed."
That treasure could be considered Oden's salary for the next four years.
In four years, Oden would join the Roger Pirates.
Roy went to sleep.
Over the next three days, the crew passed through a glacier. Oden was severely tested; this was the dangerous New World after all.
With just one hour left, the entire Whitebeard Pirates cheered him on.
But with just ten minutes left, Oden let go—he heard a woman's cry for help.
As expected, both Kozuki Oden and Toki joined the Whitebeard Pirates. Even the Octopus Fishman Pirates became a subordinate crew.
"All right, you two can come out now," Roy said.
"Thank you," Nekomamushi and Inuarashi emerged from the ship's hold.
"Inuarashi?! Nekomamushi?! You two are here too?!" Izo, who had been tied up, cried out in shock.
"We knew Lord Oden would follow, so we hid on board in advance," Inuarashi smiled.
"Exactly, though we were discovered by Mr. Roy," Nekomamushi added.
"Thank you for taking care of us these past three days," Inuarashi said.
Roy had found them and left them food, otherwise, they would've gone hungry for three days.
"Who are you, really? Why are you so different from everyone else?" Izo asked Roy.
Roy held a book, calmly reading on the side.
"I'm just a traveler. I boarded this ship and became one of them. Soon, you'll be part of this family too."
"Everyone on this ship respects you, even though you're not that strong," Nekomamushi said.
"I'm the weakest one here," Roy nodded.
"But still, everyone respects you. Why is that?" Inuarashi asked curiously.
"Maybe because I was Newgate's first crewmate," Roy replied.
"Huh? You were the first to join the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"Yep," Roy nodded and went back to reading.
"No wonder they call you 'Big Bro,'" Nekomamushi and Inuarashi nodded.
"How's Lord Oden doing?" Izo asked.
"You can untie her now," Roy said.
"Got it!"
The two untied Izo, and the three went to the island to see Oden.
Sure enough, Oden's presence brought life to the ship. Things the crew took for granted were fresh and new to him: new enemies, different islands.
Every day brought something new. Oden began keeping a logbook, writing down everything he saw.
"Roy, you seem to be deliberately keeping to yourself; you barely interact with the new crewmates." Whitebeard came to speak with Roy.
Nowadays, Roy rarely shows up. He either read quietly, wrote, or handled the finances.
The new members only knew of Roy but had never called him "Big Bro."
He had become nearly invisible, blending into the crew without drawing attention.
"It's fine. This way I can quietly read. Besides, isn't peace what you've always wanted?"
"If you feel restricted, I still won't let you leave the ship."
"Then rest easy. Everything will unfold as it should—just like when I asked you what kind of ending you wanted."
"Gurararara! You remember that? I get it. I won't let them bother you anymore. But remember—you were my first crewmate. You're this ship's Big Bro. If I'm ever gone, you're the one who must protect this family."