The Ruins of Hachinosu.
The atmosphere was heavy enough to crush a normal man.
York and Roger stood opposite each other. The wind howled through the gaps in their Haki.
"Is everyone ready?!"
Rocks roared from the sidelines. He picked up a jagged stone and tossed it high into the air.
The pirates held their breath.
Click.
The stone hit the ground.
BOOM!
York vanished.
He didn't have a sword this time. He charged straight at the Pirate King, his right fist pulled back.
Armament Haki flowed over his skin like dark water. Then, Conqueror's Haki surged, wrapping the fist in jagged, black-red lightning. It looked like his hand was encased in plasma.
Roger's eyes widened slightly. He saw a shadow behind York—the silhouette of a certain Marine fist-fighter.
"This kid... surely not..."
Roger grinned. He gripped his supreme grade blade, Ace, with both hands.
ZZZZT!
Black-red lightning mirrored York's. Roger stepped forward and swung upward.
"Divine Departure!"
"Galaxy... Breaker!" (York's imitation of Garp).
Fist met blade.
CRACK-BOOM!!!
They didn't touch. A sphere of pure energy exploded between them, unable to bridge the gap of their Haki.
The ruins around them were instantly pulverized into dust.
Then, the shockwave shot upward.
The thick layer of dark clouds hanging over the New World churned, twisted, and then...
RIIIIP.
The sky split in two.
"Haoshoku... splitting the sky..."
Rocks looked up, a rare look of genuine impress on his face.
Four years ago, York was a rookie relying on a gimmick fruit. Now, he was clashing evenly with Roger.
"What a pair of monsters..."
Among the spectators, Wang Zhi wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
'York's growth is too fast,' Wang Zhi thought, his eyes darting nervously. 'My plan to take over the crew... I can't target him. I have to stick to Shakky.'
The black-red lightning expanded, engulfing a four-kilometer radius.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Weaker pirates rolled their eyes back and foamed at the mouth, knocked unconscious by the sheer pressure of two Conquerors clashing.
In a distant corner, sheltered by a broken wall, two figures in kimonos watched intently.
They were the only ones in that sector still awake. Their eyes locked onto York.
"Found him! It's him!!"
"He is the anomaly..."
"We must destroy the 'Hope of Kozuki'!!"
The Brawl.
Back in the center, the stalemate broke.
York retracted his fist and unleashed a barrage.
Gatling!
His fists moved like a whirlwind, creating afterimages. Roger matched him, his sword dancing like a phantom to parry every strike.
Clang-Clang-Clang-Clang!
After dozens of exchanges, York realized he couldn't win on speed alone.
He backflipped away, creating distance.
He cocked his fist back. Dazzling white light mixed with the black Haki.
He punched the empty air.
"Galaxy Impact!"
A massive, fist-shaped shockwave of Haki distorted the atmosphere, connecting sky and earth, roaring toward Roger like a tsunami.
"Whoa, whoa!!"
Scopper Gaban dropped his drink. "Isn't that Garp's move?! How does this kid know that?!"
Roger didn't panic. He grinned.
"Divine Departure!"
He swung vertically. A slash of concentrated Haki sliced cleanly through the shockwave, splitting the tsunami in two.
The force plowed a V-shaped trench into the earth, extending all the way to the ocean behind him.
RUMBLE!
York stood his ground, crossing his arms to block the residual slash. He was pushed back ten meters, his feet carving grooves in the rock.
He panted slightly.
'He's not using full power,' York analyzed. 'He matched my output perfectly. He's testing me.'
York's eyes sharpened.
'The gap is real. But... if he's playing around, I can make him bleed.'
York stomped the ground, launching himself forward like a bullet.
Roger's eyes flashed red. Future Sight.
In Roger's mind, he saw the future: York charges. He feints a punch to the face, but spins into a knee strike to the gut.
Roger grinned. I see you, kid.
In the real world, York closed the distance. He cocked his fist, just like in the vision.
Roger prepared to block the knee strike that was coming next.
But York grinned.
'I know you have Future Sight, Roger. I know you saw the knee.'
'So the knee... is the feint.'
York pulled his leg back mid-motion. The fist that Roger thought was a fake?
It was real.
BOOM!
York's ACoC-coated fist slammed into Roger's unguarded chest.
"Gotcha!"
York didn't stop. He grabbed Roger's sash and slammed him into the ground.
CRASH!
Before the dust settled, York mounted him.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
He rained down a dozen Haki-infused punches on Roger's head and back.
"GRAAAH!"
Roger roared. A burst of Haki exploded outward, blasting York off him.
Roger climbed out of the crater, looking disheveled. He spat out a mouthful of bloody dust.
"That hurt! Kid! You've had your fun!"
Roger swung his sword, clearing the smoke. His expression shifted from playful to deadly serious.
"Now... I'm getting serious."
York landed gracefully, wiping a speck of dirt from his cheek.
"Too late, Roger."
York smirked.
"I touched you."
"Hmm?!"
Roger froze. His eyes widened.
Suddenly, a wave of debilitating, euphoric pleasure washed over him. His knees buckled. His grip on Ace loosened.
The Happy-Happy Fruit.
"This... this is..."
"HAAH!!"
Roger roared, flaring his Haki internally to purge the foreign energy. The pleasure vanished instantly.
But for a master like York, a split second was an eternity.
While Roger was focused on dispelling the ability, his physical guard was down.
WHOOSH!
York was already there.
He put his entire hip into the swing.
"Galaxy... BREAKER!"
POW!
A clean, unguarded hit to the jaw.
Roger's head snapped back. He was launched off his feet, flying like a ragdoll across the ruins, crashing through three buildings before finally burying himself in a mountain of rubble.
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