The golden giant Buddha ascended into the air using Geppo, its dazzling Buddha's light dispelling the darkness of the night.
"Impact Wave!!"
Its body inverted, the colossal figure, comparable in size to a pirate ship, came crashing down from the sky.
"Rayleigh, Gaban!"
Roger, who was confronting Garp, looked solemn.
"We absolutely cannot let Sengoku get near the Oro Jackson!"
"All hands of the Roger Pirates, prepare for battle! This is a truly major crisis!!!"
A figure leaped out from the dog-headed warship, cutting through the waves and launching a fierce slash towards the Oro Jackson!
"Bogard, long time no see."
"Yasotakeru!"
Boom boom boom--!!!
Seawater splashed everywhere but was blasted apart by thunder and Buddha's light.
Gaban, looking at the Marine swordsman before his axe, grinned fiercely, "We didn't settle our score last time. You might as well stay here for good this time."
Bogard slightly raised his head, a sharp glint of sword light flashing in his eyes beneath his cowboy hat.
"Vice Admiral Garp will not lose. The justice of our Marines will definitely pierce through the darkness of this era!"
"Stop joking around, Marine!!"
As if provoked by Bogard's words, Gaban shook his twin axes, forcing his enemy back before roaring angrily:
"You Marines will never be able to end this era because you yourselves are part of the darkness!"
"Only we, the Roger Pirates, only Roger is the man who will change everything!!"
"If Roger hadn't chosen to join forces with Garp 9 years ago, that guy Rocks would have already become the King of the World!"
"If that future had come to pass, whether your Marines could even exist now would be a question."
"The past is the past, the future is the future."
As Garp's right-hand man, Bogard was one of the few who knew Bazel's true identity.
"The absolute justice of our Marines will surely shatter the darkness and bring dawn to these seas!"
"Then just try it, if you can even see tomorrow's sun!!"
The two transformed into streaks of light charging towards each other, the Oro Jackson swaying uncontrollably in the fierce waves generated by their collision.
"Roger!!"
Rayleigh, who was single-handedly blocking Sengoku, wiped the rain from his face, his expression anxious, "We can't fight here! The Oro Jackson won't hold up!"
"We need to find land at least…"
"To have such leisure while fighting me, it seems I've been looked down upon."
Sengoku's right palm, coated in Haki and Buddha's light, struck the sword Rayleigh used to block.
"Rayleigh-san!"
Buggy and Shanks, hiding in the shadows, watched anxiously as Rayleigh crashed through the ship's side and fell into the sea.
"Buggy, we can't stay here any longer, that Marine warship is getting closer!"
"While they're fighting, let's go lower the sails!"
Shanks looked at the suddenly intensifying ocean current ahead. Though anxious, he wasn't as panicked as Buggy.
"We're about to reach Reverse Mountain. We have to gamble now!"
"Reverse Mountain is a winter island. The currents that hit the mountain sink from the surface to the depths, all the way to the seabed."
"If we can catch the special upward current, we have a great chance to shake off the enemy and charge into the Grand Line!!"
"Let's go, Shanks!!"
The two little ones gave each other a firm nod, then crouched and retreated before darting towards the half-open mast.
"This is the most critical moment. The Roger Pirates absolutely cannot stop here!"
"Roger, the brats on your ship are quite something."
Garp grinned, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Buggy and Shanks, who were trying to hoist the sails nearby.
"To think of using the currents of Reverse Mountain to shake off our Marine assault. But my Goro Goro no Mi wasn't eaten for nothing."
"Don't even think about it."
Roger's eyes flashed with red light, slashing apart the dazzling thunderbolt before it could strike.
But behind the lightning was Garp's triumphant smile.
"Roger, do you really see me as the kind of Marine who would attack brats?"
Roger's expression changed slightly, but it was too late to change his move now.
"Experience the baptism of thunder!"
Garp instantly transformed into his elemental form and threw several punches towards the sky.
"Fist Bone Meteor Shower!"
"This is…?!"
Roger suddenly looked up at the sky, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Wahahaha~~~"
Garp laughed, holding his stomach.
"This move is great, right? The Oro Jackson is a fantastic ship. Even Kong suspects your ship might have awakened a Klabautermann."
"But you won't escape this time!!"
Rumble…
A dull thunderclap suddenly rang out.
Staring at Garp from a few meters away, Roger's expression changed from before as he grinned and said, "In that case, we'll just have to put ourselves in a death ground to survive."
"Buggy, Shanks!!"
"Captain Roger?!"
The two youngsters poked their heads out from the crow's nest.
"Go man the helm! We're charging into the Calm Belt! The commotion from our fight is sure to attract massive Sea Kings. Let nature decide the fate of the Roger Pirates!!"
Hearing this, Garp was stunned.
"Moon!"
Moon Isaac Jr. drew his sword, ready for battle, "Roger?"
"Take some men and clear a path for Buggy and Shanks." Roger looked at the Marine's warship that had already pulled up alongside the Oro Jackson, the smile not leaving his face, "What comes next will determine our fate!"
"They are both members of the Roger Pirates. If that's the case, then let's leave the direction of the wind of fate to them!"
"I understand!"
Moon Isaac Jr. first brandished his sword, firing several flying slashes to prevent the Marine soldiers from boarding.
Then he raised his arm and shouted, "Petermoo, Spencer, cover Shanks and Buggy!!"
Boom…!
As the first fist-shaped thunderbolt, like a meteor, shattered the clouds and descended, it was followed by a second, then a third…
The entire sky above the Oro Jackson was blotted out by thunder.
Roger, looking up at the sky, erupted with his Conqueror's Haki.
"Garp, if I die here, then it means the man this sea is waiting for isn't me!"
"But if I survive today…"
Roger looked at Garp, his eyes flashing with passion and fighting spirit.
"Then it means the man this sea is waiting for is ME!!!"
"The man this sea is waiting for is definitely not you, Roger."
Garp began walking towards Roger.
At this moment, the Oro Jackson seemed to possess a will of its own. Aided by the strong winds and the frantic maneuvering of Buggy and Shanks, it wildly changed positions, repeatedly dodging the falling thunderous meteors.
Garp's right foot lightly tapped the ship's railing once more.
Soru!
The extreme speed of the Goro Goro no Mi, combined with his already formidable physical prowess, made Garp's speed now completely exceed the limits of what the naked eye could perceive.
But Roger wasn't flustered in the slightest.
Like Rayleigh, he was a warrior forged through countless battles.
He naturally possessed that mysterious and elusive thing called combat instinct.
His famed blade, Ace, suddenly slashed downward.
After shattering one bolt of lightning, his movement didn't stop. He switched his grip from orthodox to reverse, the tip of the sword thrusting behind him through his armpit!
A fist coated in Haki emerged from a bolt of lightning exactly falling at that moment.
Upon colliding with the sword's tip, the lightning dissipated.
Roger lowered his head, his eyes darting rapidly within their sockets. With the red glow of his Observation Haki, his sword suddenly turned black.
Slash!
Blood sprayed from an empty patch of air. The next second, a fist, accompanied by a sound barrier-breaking crack, slammed into the side of Roger's face.
Using the momentum, Roger fell backward, pushing off the deck with his left hand, his right leg, now wrapped in Haki, kicked once more towards the shimmering lightning.
Thud!
He passed through the lightning, a faint numbness spread throughout his body but was instantly dispelled by his Haki.
"Divine Departure!!"
"Fist Bone Thunder Impact!"
Boom…!!!!!!
The Oro Jackson sank several meters into the sea as if pressed down by an invisible force. The turbulent waves reared up into a hundred-meter-high wall of water.
Fist and sword collided mid-air, the compressed sphere of force between them shooting out black and red lightning!
"Roger!!"
"Garp!"
Roger and Garp locked eyes. Beyond the intent to fight, what filled their gazes was more a sense of enjoyment, mutual recognition, and satisfaction.
"Go to hell!!!"*2
Not far away, the golden giant Buddha, Sengoku, was 'rooted' at the ship's prow.
In a horse stance, his massive hands parted and closed, stirring up violent shockwaves.
"It's useless. You cannot break through my shockwave sphere."
Using another Impact Wave to repel Rayleigh, Sengoku expanded his Observation Haki, imprinting the tangled battle situation into his mind.
"I see. So the plan is to charge into the Calm Belt?"
"But have you forgotten? Our Marine warships also possess the ability to sail in the Calm Belt."
"Although it doesn't rely on a Klabautermann, but…!?"
Suddenly!
Sengoku turned his head towards the warship in disbelief, "Open fire!!!"
From behind the fiercely battling crowd, a short, stout man wearing a d'Artagnan-style hat roared, "I'm Petermoo, gunner of the Roger Pirates! Garp, Sengoku, you cannot stop the Roger Pirates once we've set sail!!"
"Watch me blow your warship out of the water!"
"And me, Sunbell!"
A massive fishman wielding a trident leaped out from the sea.
Sunbell reached the underside of the warship, his Haki-coated weapon smashing towards its hull, "Fish-Man Jujutsu Secret Technique!"
"Hikishio Ipponzeoi!!!"
Boom…!!
The main mast threatened to collapse. Seawater rushed violently into the large hole blasted in the warship's bottom.
The fishman Sunbell raised his weapon high, "Shanks, Buggy, the rest is up to you!"
Shanks and Buggy together gripped the ship's helm, turning it with all their might.
"Ooooh oh oh---!"
"Charge ahead, Roger Pirates!!!"
---
Check out My Patreon For 40+ Advanced Chapters:
Pat reon.com/IamPoorGuyToo