"Turn the world upside down, huh?"
Hearing Golden Lion Shiki's words, a subtle and intriguing smile curled on Roger's face.
Even Rayleigh, standing beside him, turned his head toward Roger, a glimmer of nostalgia flashing in his eyes as if remembering the very first time he met the man who would become the Pirate King.
"Want to help me stir this world into chaos?"
That's what Roger had asked him back then.
And now, recalling that absurd yet fateful moment, Rayleigh couldn't help but smirk. He had been the first person Roger ever invited to join his crew.
His lips curled into an amused arc. Now, faced with the most dominant and ruthless pirate crew on the seas the Rocks Pirates how would his captain respond?
All eyes aboard the Oro Jackson turned to Gol D. Roger.
His decision would determine the fate of the entire Roger Pirates.
Standing atop a massive boulder, Roger's cape fluttered against the windless air. A sharp gleam flashed through his eyes as he grinned and revealed his perfectly white teeth.
"Sorry."
"Golden Lion, I'm going to have to decline your offer."
"Because..."
"I've decided, we'll turn the world upside down ourselves!!"
In that moment, an undeniable charisma radiated from him.
As he spoke, the corners of Rayleigh and Jabba's mouths lifted into matching smirks.
From the expressions on their faces, one could see it the same conviction, the same resolve.
They had already decided to follow Roger to the ends of the sea, to upend the world by his side.
The three of them stood together like an unbreakable trinity, bound by invisible chains of trust and shared destiny.
"Now that's the Captain Roger I admire!" laughed Seagull, the tallest of the Roger Pirates with a giant's frame.
"We'll never be anyone's lackeys!" he declared with a booming voice.
"That's right!" said Sambel the fish-man, a towering five-meter figure holding an oversized trident. "We're pirates chasing freedom and joy. Joining the Rocks Pirates? Not a chance!"
Each one of them had been chosen by Roger and each shared his ideals.
The Roger Pirates radiated a powerful, united aura. Not a single member wore a hint of fear on their face.
Even the other pirates aboard the Rocks ship were taken aback by the display.
Shiki's pupils contracted slightly, surprised for a brief moment then he burst out laughing.
"Jihahahaha!!"
"What a unique pirate crew..."
In this world of pirates, where betrayal and selfishness ran rampant, this kind of unity was a rare sight.
Still, admiration did nothing to change his mission.
The Rocks Pirates' ship was already drawing closer to the island's shores now just a hundred meters away.
A smirk formed on Shiki's face as he raised his voice with an air of menace.
"Roger, I represent the Rocks Pirates."
"You know what happens to those who defy us, don't you?"
"They vanish from this world forever fed to the fish."
"No pirate crew can challenge the might and will of the Rocks Pirates!"
With that declaration, the atmosphere turned heavy suffocating. The tension gripped the air like a coiled spring, ready to snap.
Only the howling sea breeze and the crashing waves dared to speak.
A single spark would ignite all-out war.
Among those brimming with rising battle intent was Ares and his fellow pirates each one like a beast on the brink of a rampage.
Their burning gazes locked directly onto Roger and Rayleigh.
The rest of the Roger Pirates meant little to them.
Only Roger and Rayleigh truly mattered.
In the sunlight, Ares' bald head reflected a radiant glare so eye-catching, so dazzlingly unique.
Rayleigh spotted him immediately tall, muscular, with a beastly aura pulsing from his body.
His heart sank.
"That's Bloodhand Ares…"
"Alongside him are the Golden Armored Swordsman Wang Zhi, and Silver Axe!"
The trio stood out easily.
Wang Zhi and Silver Axe, in their gleaming gold and silver armor, were not just eye-catching they were fearsome.
Even Roger couldn't help scanning the opposing crew. His eyes briefly paused on Ares' youthful but fierce face before finally settling on Shiki.
Gone was his usual boisterous, carefree persona.
In its place, a dangerous air exuded from Roger like a brewing storm.
"So what if the Rocks Pirates are the strongest crew on the seas?"
He drew the Supreme Grade sword "Ace" from his waist and held it before him, its edge gleaming with killing intent.
"If I can't live freely on this ocean…"
"Then I'd rather not be a pirate at all!"
"Because pirates… are born to be free!!"
A powerful aura erupted from Roger, so intense it seemed to sweep through the entire sea.
Sparking tension.
Jabba pulled out the twin axes at his back, a wild grin on his face.
"We're freedom-chasing pirates, not lapdogs to some tyrant."
"Even if it costs our lives, we'll chase freedom to the end."
"A life without chains that's the life of a true pirate!"
Maybe, before joining the Roger Pirates, each of them lived different lives.
But ever since setting sail under Roger's banner, seeing the vastness of the world, and being influenced by Roger's ideals of freedom they had changed.
They now chased a shared dream:
To become the freest pirates on the sea!
Roger was a man of irresistible charm and when that fire of passion ignited, there was no stopping it.
Honestly, if Roger had taken up public speaking instead of piracy, he might have been just as legendary.
Seeing the unwavering resolve in the faces of Roger's crew…
Shiki burst out laughing once more. "Jihahahaha!!"
With a flick of his hands, he drew his twin blades, raising one high as its deadly glint flashed in the sun.
"Well, then… there's nothing more to say."
"Captain Rocks was clear if you refuse, then the Roger Pirates must vanish from this world!"
"Men!"
"Rip every last one of them to shreds!!"
His eyes gleamed like a predator's, savage and cruel.
Rejection didn't anger Shiki, it excited him.
The hunt was on.
The two pirate crews charged toward one another with no hesitation.
This was how things were settled on the seas.
And Golden Lion Shiki? He led the charge himself, rising into the air from the prow of his ship, blades gleaming in the sun.
"Wave Slash, Chikiri Valley!!!"
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