On the other side of town, the restaurant had already been reduced to rubble.
Robert, the captain of the Darrons Kingdom's Third Guard Division, stood amid the wreckage. His right hand still gripped a sword, but his left arm hung limp, clearly broken. Behind him lay the corpses of several of his subordinates, lifeless and still. He had used a brief opening to launch the signal flare, and now stood guard, facing the two enemies in front of him.
As one of the kingdom's seven elite captains, Robert was far from weak. Even so, he was barely holding on.
Swish!
The three figures clashed again, weapons flashing through the air—blade, sword, and trident locked in a chaotic, vicious dance.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Just then, Roger burst out of the tavern and spread his Observation Haki. He quickly sensed the fighters up ahead. Two of them were his own crewmates.
'So we're the invaders, huh?' Roger thought to himself.
That made him laugh out loud. His steps quickened as he ran toward the scene, not the least bit worried his crew would get hurt. He knew exactly what his crewmates were capable of.
Moments later, he arrived at the battlefield.
"Hey! Sunbell, Nozdon! What's going on here?"
Nozdon glanced over, frustration etched into his face. "These guys insulted Sunbell, so I killed them."
Roger's usual carefree grin vanished. His face darkened. His gaze fell on Robert, sharp and cold. "You bullied my crewmate?"
Already fuming from the loss of his men and unable to overpower his opponents, Robert snapped. "Yeah. So what?"
Roger's eyes narrowed. A deadly calm settled over him as he gave a slight nod.
"In that case…"
He slowly drew the Supreme Grade blade at his waist—Ace.
Hum...
A wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body, thick and suffocating. Fueled by the alcohol still in his veins, a savage glint lit up his eyes as he locked onto Robert.
"Pay with your life."
As the words left his lips, he swung his blade. A massive, crescent-shaped black slash exploded from the edge.
Robert, frozen in place by the overwhelming force of Roger's Haki, couldn't move. The slash tore through him, obliterating his body in an instant—leaving only a pair of feet standing where he had been.
The wave kept going, carving a path through every building in its way before slamming into the forest beyond the town.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion erupted deep in the trees, forming a towering mushroom cloud that stretched into the sky. Far off, the Seventh Guard Division spotted the rising smoke. They immediately understood: they were up against something terrifying. One soldier was sent back to report to the king, while the rest rushed toward the town.
Back at the ruins, Roger sensed the incoming army through Observation Haki. He turned to Sunbell and Nozdon. "Go gather the crew and return to the ship. I'll deal with the rest."
Not long after, the first wave of soldiers arrived. Roger didn't waste time. He charged straight into them. Flesh flew. Blood sprayed. None of them survived a single attack.
Anyone touched by his blade was instantly sliced in half. The town was quickly drowned in a sea of blood. By the time the Fourth and Fifth Guard Divisions arrived, what they saw was nothing short of a nightmare.
At the center of the massacre stood the pirate captain, drenched in blood. His red-streaked moustache twitched as he breathed, surrounded by the mangled remains of the fallen.
As the next wave of soldiers approached, a feral glint sparked in Roger's eyes. He gave a twisted grin. Raising his sword, he charged once again.
"Wahahahahahahaha!!!"
The sea of blood grew wider and wider…
...
After sending out the Fourth and Fifth Guard Divisions, the King of Darrons could no longer sit still. He quickly requested help from the Marines. As a member nation, the Marines couldn't just ignore a pirate invasion.
But when the operator heard the description of the pirate, they froze. The report was passed directly to Fleet Admiral Kong.
Kong's expression turned grim. Sengoku and Zephyr were still in the New World, and Garp couldn't be contacted. The rest of the vice admirals weren't strong enough. With their current forces, no one could stop Roger.
Then he recalled—Sakazuki had reported in from Jaya Island just three days ago.
Jaya wasn't far from Kergashi Island. Kong grabbed a Den Den Mushi and called him. The instructions were simple: take your time, just make an appearance.
Kong was thinking of the bigger picture. Sakazuki had the power of the Logia-type Magma-Magma Fruit. Once fully grown, he would play a critical role in the future of the world.
Besides, even if he ran into Roger by accident, he had the ability to escape. But then Kong remembered the vice admiral's personality and started thinking of every way he could to contact Garp instead.
On the other end of the call, Sakazuki's brow furrowed when he heard the fleet admiral's message.
After hanging up, he gave the order to speed up toward Kergashi Island. Then he glanced at the sluggish pace of the warship. Too slow.
He pulled out a sea chart, pinpointed the direction, threw off his cloak, and shot into the sky using his magma powers.
...
Back in Stone Town, Roger had already wiped out the fifth wave of soldiers. The alcohol in his system had mostly worn off. His bloodlust had dulled a little, but he still showed no restraint. Whoever came, he killed.
Just as he raised his blade to unleash another flying slash at the next wave approaching from outside the town, he sensed something unusual.
"Hmm?"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Four spears of magma dropped from the sky, stabbing into the ground around him in a square formation. Each one glowed bright red.
Then, the earth beneath him ignited.
Boom!
The ground erupted like a volcano. The four magma spears exploded at once, spewing molten rock that buried Roger completely. Lava surged up and spread across most of the town, turning it into a scene straight from hell. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky.
But Sakazuki, diving down at full speed from above, didn't relax for even a second. He pulled his arms back, and a massive magma blade, nearly three meters long, formed in his hands.
Buzz—
It was wrapped in Armament Haki, so dense and dark it shimmered with a purplish-black hue. Power surged from his back. The sheer impact force drove him faster as he rocketed downward, blade raised high over his head.
Using the momentum from his dive, he aimed to split the center of the lava sea in one clean strike. Beneath the molten flow, Roger remained unharmed. His body was cloaked in Armament Haki, and his Supreme Grade blade pulsed with Conqueror's Haki.
A burst of pressure radiated from his form, clearing the lava in an instant.
Roger looked up and grinned. He raised his sword to meet the attack.
Clang—!
Sssss—!
Conqueror's Haki clashed with the Armament Haki, exploding into bursts of black lightning that shot out in every direction.
Wherever the lightning struck, the ground split open into massive craters.
"Hello there, Marine."
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