"Aren't you giving up yet, Roger!"
Rocks laughed maniacally, licking the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. The crimson streaks running down his forehead made his grin look even more sinister. His Conqueror's Haki surged outward, stinging the skin of everyone within miles.
"A pirate like you, choosing to team up with the Marines... it's a disgrace!" Rocks spat.
Not far away, Roger lay in the dirt, his clothes soaked in blood and his chest heaving with every ragged breath. Further back, Garp stood with his iron fists clenched, his white shirt stained red as he panted heavily.
Rocks pointed a trembling finger toward the mountain behind him, which had been completely hollowed out by a previous blast of Haki. "My crew is already on their way. You've got nowhere left to run."
"Can you still move, Roger?" Garp asked, his voice rasping through the blood in his throat. He watched as the pirate slowly pushed himself up.
Roger used his saber, Ace, as a crutch to steady himself. Despite the exhaustion, a wide grin broke across his face. "Of course I can. If we don't stop this guy here, I don't think anyone in this world ever will."
Garp let out a short, dry laugh. "I can't believe you're still smiling. Let's go, Roger!"
Meanwhile, on another part of the battlefield, Kaido and Big Mom unleashed a combined blast of Haki. From above, the strike carved a massive, V-shaped crater into the earth that stretched for hundreds of meters. Compared to the scale of the destruction, the two pirates looked like tiny specks of dust.
Several distant mountains had been bored through entirely, offering a clear view of the sea beyond. The ground where the blast hit was scorched black and partially melted.
Big Mom looked at the carnage and let out a cackle. "You've really gotten stronger, Kaido! Why don't you have a kid with me? With your strength, we'd definitely have the strongest baby in the world!"
Kaido's expression soured instantly. "Shut up, Linlin!"
As the smoke cleared, Jabba and Rayleigh emerged from the debris. Jabba looked pale, wiping sweat from his brow. "That was insane. If we hadn't jumped in time, we'd be dust right now."
Rayleigh nodded, his gaze fixed on the enemy. "If the Rocks Pirates actually worked together as a real team, the world would already be theirs."
He knew the truth, though. While the Rocks Pirates dominated the seas, they were just a collection of monsters with no common goals. Men like Golden Lion Shiki and Ochoku were only there because of Rocks' raw power. Without that deterrent, they'd have left to start their own empires long ago. This crew was terrifying, but it was fragile.
"You take Linlin," Rayleigh said firmly. "Leave Kaido to me. We can't let them get anywhere near Roger's fight."
Jabba gave a quick nod. He usually loved arguing with Rayleigh about who was the real "Number Two" of the crew, but he wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight now.
Kaido uncorked his sake flask and took several massive gulps, his face flushing a slight red. "Worororo! A little drink won't slow me down! You want a piece of me, Rayleigh? Fine! I need the practice!"
Big Mom coated her saber, Napoleon, in the flames of Prometheus while her left hand gripped a crackling, angry Zeus. Without another word, the four of them collided.
Rayleigh focused, recalling everything Roger had taught him about Conqueror's Haki coating. He watched how Rocks and Kaido used it—the sheer destructive force was something Armament Haki couldn't hope to match. He lunged at Kaido, his sword movements erratic and blindingly fast. For a moment, Kaido couldn't even touch him.
But Kaido wasn't frustrated; he was focused. He knew his technique and speed were his weaker points, but he was a fast learner. He could mirror moves after seeing them just a few times. He had already adapted Big Mom's "Ikoku Sovereignty" into his own move, "Kongo Kabura."
As they traded blows, Rayleigh was stunned by Kaido's durability. Even with Armament Haki and internal destruction techniques, he could barely leave a scratch. Worse, he noticed Kaido's eyes following his every step, memorizing his rhythm.
After a hundred exchanges, Kaido smirked. "Let me try that!"
Suddenly, Kaido blurred. He moved like a gust of wind, leaving afterimages across the battlefield.
CLANG!
Kaido swung his club with terrifying speed. Rayleigh barely blocked it, the force of the blow sliding him back several meters. Before he could reset his stance, Kaido was already behind him, attacking from a different angle.
He's using my own footwork! Rayleigh thought, gritting his teeth. Aside from the loud thuds caused by Kaido's massive weight, the movement was a perfect copy. "He learned that just by watching me?"
On the other side, Jabba was having his own nightmare fighting Big Mom. Her physical defense was simply impenetrable. She was a natural-born monster. If she actually spent time training her Haki instead of just relying on her "Iron Balloon" body, she'd be unbeatable. Luckily, she was stubborn and preferred to tank hits directly, keeping the two of them in a stalemate.
As the sun began to set, the fight between Rayleigh and Kaido reached a fever pitch. Kaido had not only mastered the footwork but was starting to pick up new Armament Haki tricks as well.
"Kundali: Dragon's War Army!"
Kaido moved so fast he seemed to surround Rayleigh, raining down club strikes from every direction. Rayleigh parried them all, but the sheer weight of the attacks caused the ground beneath him to shatter and explode.
Rayleigh leaped from the dust cloud, only to see Kaido already sprinting toward the mountains where the main fight was happening. "Damn it! Get back here!"
The two raced through the ruined valley and destroyed streets, reaching the back mountain in seconds. The scene there was brutal. Rocks was finally starting to falter against the combined might of Roger and Garp.
While they were all covered in blood, Roger and Garp seemed to grow stronger the longer the fight lasted. Their Haki was becoming sharper, more refined, closing the gap that had existed at the start of the day.
Rocks let out a roar of pure rage. He couldn't believe these two were still standing. His Conqueror's Haki erupted in a frenzy of black lightning, tearing through the sky as he prepared one last desperate stand.