Pain.
An indescribable agony.
Worse than being pierced through by ten million needles at once.
Having overly sharp instincts was not always a blessing. Even in his half-lost state of reason, Roldi's mind screamed in warning. He turned toward the slash that seemed capable of tearing the world apart.
This was Roger's full-powered strike—delivered in fury.
A killing blow from one who stood at the very pinnacle of the seas.
This was no exaggeration. Even against Whitebeard—his equal—Roger would not hold back more than this.
But a monster that knew no fear did not know how to dodge.
Roldi stood his ground, roaring to the heavens. Supreme Armament Haki coated his entire body.
He intended to take it head-on.
The heaven-splitting slash collided with him.
His towering frame stood unmoved, like a mountain rooted to the earth. No matter how the sword force raged, it could not push him back even a single step.
But blood streamed from his nose and mouth.
Roger's strike carried immense Advanced Conqueror's Haki Coating.
In terms of pure Armament Haki, Roldi surpassed Roger. The slash could not break his skin—
But the Conqueror's Haki penetrated through, striking his internal organs directly.
He possessed a body of steel. Even if it evolved into something indestructible, he could never emerge from such an attack unscathed.
A strike capable of slaying gods.
"ROAR! I'LL SMASH YOU INTO PASTE!"
The crimson swallowed his last shred of reason.
His pupils turned completely red—no trace of black remained. The fur along his body surged wildly in the wind. The white fur at his neck extended all the way to the ground, like a flowing cloak.
Then—
Boom. Boom. Boom.
A thunderous heartbeat echoed like war drums.
Roger and his crew were puzzled—until they realized the sound was coming from Roldi's chest.
The roar of a war god.
His strength surged again.
His physical defenses climbed even higher.
The raging slash that sought to kill him was seized with his bare hands—
And hurled aside.
"That's impossible! That was Roger's full-power attack!"
No one understood Roger's strength better than his own crew.
Rayleigh's eyes widened in disbelief.
He didn't know what change had occurred within Roldi—but one thing was certain:
If he faced Roldi now, the outcome would be unquestionable defeat.
Since their last encounter, Roldi had grown far too much.
Enough to inspire despair.
Blood flowed steadily from Roldi's seven orifices. His chest was drenched crimson.
The pain only drove the mindless beast further into savagery.
"Everyone—fall back! Retreat to the outer perimeter!"
Roger's expression was grave as he issued his captain's order.
The frenzied beast charged toward him. In his mind, Roger had already elevated Roldi to his own tier.
Against such an opponent, he would fight as he would against Whitebeard.
His crew, though strong, were not built to withstand a monster of this caliber.
The pirates did not hesitate. Abandoning their exploration of the hellish town, they retreated at full speed.
A legendary battle was about to unfold.
And then—
Everything changed.
From the distant ground, a strange black substance began to spread.
It carried overwhelming gravitational pull, devouring everything it touched—houses, trees, corpses, the living.
Nothing escaped.
Instinctively, they ran in the opposite direction.
But they couldn't outrun it.
One of the Roger Pirates' apprentices screamed.
He was the weakest—and the slowest.
When the others looked back, half his legs had already been swallowed. The black substance seemed to have hands, dragging him downward relentlessly.
Two comrades rushed forward to save him—
But the moment they were caught in the spreading darkness, they too were doomed.
They were being consumed.
Faced with the horrifying sight, the remaining crew could only grit their teeth and flee.
Soon, the darkness reached Roger and Roldi's battlefield.
The moment it tugged at him, Roger frowned. His lower body was instantly coated in hardened Armament Haki. With explosive physical prowess, he broke free and leapt into the air.
But Roldi was not so fortunate.
Having lost his reason, he felt a sudden emptiness within his body.
If he had been conscious, he would have realized—
The power of the Momo Momo no Mi had vanished.
The massive form was dragged downward. The darkness swallowed him up to his ankles.
Confused and enraged, Roldi pounded his chest and slammed his fists into the blackness in an attempt to drive it back.
And astonishingly—
It worked.
Instinctively, he had used Armament Haki—at a level nearing the absolute ceiling of the world.
With several blows, he forced the darkness to recoil and quickly leapt aside.
To Roger, watching from the sky, that movement looked like a massive opening.
He was about to strike—
When he noticed the crimson in Roldi's eyes had faded slightly.
"…What is this?"
Seeing the endless darkness, Roldi—regaining fragments of his sanity—shrank his pupils.
He stood still for a moment, engaged in fierce internal struggle.
At last, he shot Roger a vicious glare, wiped the blood from his mouth, and dashed toward the origin of the darkness.
"Roger! I'll remember that slash! Next time we meet, I'll snap your blade in half!"
With that, he vanished.
Using Geppo, each step in the air exploded with thunderous sonic booms as he sped away.
Roger moved to pursue—
But Rayleigh stopped him.
In this situation, their comrades came first.
Working together, with Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban taking the lead, they coated themselves in powerful Armament Haki and managed to rescue two of their captured crewmates.
The apprentice, however—
Was beyond saving.
By the time Roldi left, the darkness had already swallowed his head.
"Damn it… what the hell is happening?!"
Roger's eyes burned red as he stared toward Roldi's departure.
He was furious—not only at the interruption, but at the unfinished fight.
Rayleigh and Gaban frowned, deep in thought.
Then—
Several other overwhelming presences shot toward the source of the darkness.
And suddenly—
From that direction, a pillar of black light erupted into the sky.
Even in the night, it was blinding.
No.
This was far from simple.
That realization dawned in nearly everyone present—
Except Roger, whose anger had yet to cool.
"Roger. Something major's happening over there. Let's check it out."
Rayleigh placed a hand on his shoulder.
Those words struck directly at Roger's heart.
It wasn't the strange phenomenon that intrigued him—
It was Roldi rushing toward it.
"Right! Move out, men!"
And not just the Roger Pirates.
Numerous forces across the island had noticed the black pillar.
Some felt unease.
Others burned with ambition.
Yet all of them—
Moved toward the darkness.
Above, storm clouds gathered.
A thunderclap split the sky—
And torrential rain poured down.
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